I am trying to challenge the skilled trade red seal exam as a painter & decorator . Can anyone please guide and help me with your study materials and hints/tips to pass the exam. Thanks.

As the title says; does anyone have experience using Rocket Doctor?

I just had a video appointment this morning with an MD for migraines, and they said they would give me a referral to a neurologist, give me a prescription for some pain medication and get some bloodwork done for me.

I have never used Rocket Dr before, I have used Maple in the past and have been impressed with their streamlined services.

My question's are:

1. Where can I find my tax invoice from Rocket Doctor? Do they email it? My appointment finished 3hrs ago and I still do not have a tax invoice... this session cost $38.61 as I opted for a video consult instead of phone call.

2. Do they normally email you a physical referral for the specialist? Or do they just send a referral straight off to the specialist and the specialist will then contact you? The Dr didn't provide me any information on this... I'm originally from Australia, and this is my first time getting a referral in Canada, so I am a little confused.

Thanks!

Hello im curious i have my brothers children and just got a 54.01 from mcfd my question is if we move to Toronto will i still receive support of a 54.01 ? My husband just got a new job offer and this will determine our out of province move thabks

Hello everyone, how’s it going? I’m looking to start a career in firefighting and was wondering what order people chose to complete the requirements to become a firefighter and why?

Also, what volunteer work would you recommend in between the stages of becoming a firefighter?

I wanted to create a post where people can hopefully have a rational discussion around what policy changes and stimulus we should apply as a country (and to a lesser extent, a province) to become more economically resilient. Right now discussions are dominated by proposals for fossil fuel expansion, but I'd like to see the scope broaden to include all our opportunities as a country.

For example, if we were going to instate a $100B federal stimulus package, how would you split the funds?

Hello - sorry for the noob question. I'm a new home owner and I was wondering do I need both a BC Hydro And Fortis BC account? (Or where would I go to find out this information?)

Thank you!

I'm seeking advice.

My toxic workplace is driving me insane, my friends keep telling me they are abusive. They're manipulating and gaslighting me. It is a small family owned business. Is there any way I can quit and get some kind of assistance? I don't know how much longer I can take this job and I am looking for any options while I search for a new one.

Thank you

15 years ago I was on vacation at missizula lake when I ran from a range bull into an abandoned home. It wasn't fancy, kids clearly went in there as there was graffiti and broken glass. But the interesting part was that everything was set up like they left the home after dinner, never to return. The table was set, rotten food still on the plates. There were laundry piles in the bedrooms, clothes in the closets and dressers. All the furniture was still there, as well as personal items and toys. I have always wondered what happened there, what happened to the family. The house was just on the side of the road, of summers creek road, maybe a 15 minute walk from the lake. I live 8 hours away so I can't drive up and see if it's still there, or ask locals, but im hoping someone here knows something.

I am flummoxed, just absolutely disgusted at the terrible treatment I've been receiving from the BC Ministry of Social Development. This one's gonna be a bit of a rant, please bare with me.

A bit of background: I am an autistic adult, diagnosed with a plethora of mental conditions/disabilities as a kid that have now been all lumped under the Autism Spectrum. My life as an adult has been rather hellish, constantly battling to keep a job, keep a place to live and keep my freaking mental sanity.

I have lost 7 jobs since 2015 due to autistic burnout. I hit a point where I am simply unable to keep doing the daily grind and I mentally shut down, resulting in getting fired or having to quit. I quit my last job at dollar tree ( I will name them, and shame them, because they are beyond deserving of it, sorry, not sorry) because of abusive management, highly stressful work environments and autistic burnout, partially as a result of the aforementioned conditions. They lied to me when I hired on, promising better wages than my previous job, only to rescind on that and go "oh, yeah, no we don't do that". They stole money from customers directly in front of me, they expected me to be dishonest with pricing on products etc etc. The final blow was when they cut my hours without any notice.

So I left that job, but this time I had some resources in my back pocket and immediately begun applying here, there and everywhere for everything from employment support to disability funding and support. Dollar Tree showed complete incompetence by delaying posting my RoE until nearly 2 MONTHS later. I went back in 3 times to ask about what was taking so long, and each time I got a contradicting excuse.

Without that RoE, I was unable to apply for a lot of assistance programs/services, including EI. I went to my doctor and got the paperwork for Medical/Sickness Benefits and have finally got that on the way, still waiting for that system to do its thing, okay.

Meanwhile, I have been working with Canadian Mental Health Association to try to get PWD or any other sort of mental health assistance/support and that road has been absolutely abysmal. I went through the Ministry of Social Development's MySelfServe portal and followed all their requirements to setup a file and begin the process of applying for assistance, but holy absolute CRAP! They have been terrible to deal with.

So, I live with my wife, who just finished her Bachelor's Degree program through UBCO. At the time when I started my application through the Ministry, she was still in school, so they used that as a levy to basically shrug me off and say "she's in school, and since we look at you and her as a single family unit, we can't do anything". I explained up and down to these people that she is in school, living on student loans and as of January 1st, she'll be graduated and have no more student support. They promptly ignored that, gave me a bunch of other run around and then closed my file.

I visit CMHA last week and talk to the Ministry in person. I get these two women who could not give less of a crap about their job. They are cold, stuffy, rude and make me feel like I'm the burden for being there. They give short, snappy answers that ultimately were of no help. I leave the Ministry's room and return to my caseworker (simplest way to describe her) at CMHA who has been trying to help with all of this. Even she was furious at the way they've treated me. At this point I am basically given no choice but to go back to MySelfServe and start all over.

So that brings us to today (Monday, Feb 2nd 2025). I attempt to call the Ministry again before I start a new application thinking "hey, maybe I'll get someone who's a little easier to talk to and I can see why my file was closed and if I need to start from scratch again". Naturally, their system is overloaded (which I understand) so I request a callback. I started filling out the application form again, figure might as well be proactive and have everything ready to go.

I get a call back (amazingly!) and the woman on the other end is the absolute most rude, stuck-up, condescending... You know...

It was horrible. She snapped at me, very much acted highly unprofessional, sent me into a shaky, anxiety-inducing spiral (I'm literally shaking as I'm writing this). She told me the same thing as the ones I talked to in person did. She couldn't hang up that phone any faster! I could hear the "CLICK" on the other end. I am disgusted, I am appalled, I am absolutely frustrated. This is a system that is supposed to be designed to help people, and it is miserably failing people.

I get it, I get the ol "yeah, the government sucks, welcome to it" but this is bullsh!t. What the heck am I supposed to do? What are we supposed to do? I can't find another job, I can't get support. I've battled for 4 months just to get EI, which I still haven't seen a single cent of. WorkBC told the wife to apply through the Ministry for living assistance, same bricks walls of incompetence there. I know beggars can't be choosers but the wife and I refuse to go back to working minimum wage, retail crap that's just abusive and a waste of time. I know "something is better than nothing" but minimum wage is not worth the time it takes to even commute to the job in the first place, it just isn't! Even when I was working, I was steadily going backwards.

The main purpose of this post is just to rant and explode a little, I know I am far from the only one going through this right now. But I am also hoping maybe somebody out there has a better story about the Ministry. Sure there must be some light to be shed somewhere.

If you read this entire thing, have a cookie 🍪. Thanks for taking the time :)

I’m a credentialed secondary ELA teacher and we’re looking into ways to get out of the US. Canada is our top choice due to proximity and my husband being a remote tech worker with only a few places that are approved to work from so he doesn’t have to lose his job. We’re currently in the Chicago area so central standard time to pacific time are the time zones we need to be in.

I’m currently in the process of getting all our documents in order for passports and will be retaining an immigration lawyer for Express entry in about a week or two.

My question is whether or not it’s possible to transfer my teaching credentials into Canada’s Education System. I read that BC has the highest number of non credentialed teachers due to a shortage from COVID and retirees. However, it doesn’t appear that there’s an alternative path to certification which is what makes this tricky because my Major wasn’t Education. My undergrad was English (I had been enrolled in the ED program at my university but due to life circumstances I needed to graduate early and there’s no ED minor despite taking all of the classes required and skipping student teaching.

I’m hoping though, having a certificate, a masters degree in English Composition and Rhetoric, and two years teaching experience under my belt that there’s a path to be able to continue teaching in Canada in high needs areas.

Also which provinces/towns would you recommend I focus on in regard to having the best luck of finding a teaching job and is good for raising a family.

usually when i apply for studentaidbc, they process the application within the same week and deposit it by the second. i also apply for it AFTER the semester has already started and would pay for my tuition upfront first.

it's been 2 weeks and my application is still stuck on being "under review." when i called their office, the lady wasn't very helpful and just said "there's a slight delay" with no eta. does anyone knows what's going on? i'm lowkey stressed now cuz i spent most of my money towards tuition and got laid off so things are tight. :<<

Hi there! Hope y’all are doing well!

I’m thinking of moving to Nelson because I’m exhausted from living in a city—especially Montreal, where I hear the same topics as in Europe. It’s frustrating to be in Canada but not really feel like I’m in Canada.

As you might guess, I’m fully bilingual, with French as my first language. I initially considered Castlegar but was shocked by all the negative comments about the town, while Nelson seems to have much more positive feedback.

I’m an outdoorsy person—I love skiing and cycling—but after two years in Montreal, I haven’t been able to enjoy these activities as much as I thought I would in Canada. I want to live close to nature, particularly near the mountains, so I can finally experience the outdoor lifestyle. I’d also prefer an English-speaking environment to challenge myself and practice daily.

I haven’t really made friends here, even though I consider myself a social person. Québécois culture feels very close-knit, and people tend to stay within their groups... For example, when walking through university, you’ll often see groups of seven people—all Québécois—while other communities stick together as well. It’s the same thing at work… Is this just a Quebec thing, or is it the same across Canada? When I move somewhere, I’d rather integrate with the locals than just find European friends again—otherwise, I would have stayed in Europe. I also feel like there are a lot of ethnic tensions and disagreements between Québécois and other communities living in Quebec, it feels like they hate each other. I’ve had several conversations with English speakers, and 90% of them were incredibly friendly and really easy-going. And just to clarify again, I speak French fluently lol, imagine someone who doesn't...

Is it easier to feel like part of the community in Nelson? Are people welcoming and open to new friendships?