rrebell The rules in Canada are getting weird and expencive. As a younger person I would visit almost once a year, no passport needed, they just asked why I was there which was to visit family.
The rules in Canada are getting weird and expencive. As a younger person I would visit almost once a year, no passport needed, they just asked why I was there which was to visit family.
This isn't about visiting Canada, this is about going to Canada to work. It's no different than someone coming to the US to work. If you want to get paid openly (and legally), you need to follow the immigration rules.
I worked in Canada for nearly a year back around 1994. I did need a work permit, but it was no big deal.
I was a contractor at Dehavilland airplane company in Toronto. Maybe the contract house took care of all the fees and paperwork baloney. And maybe it's gotten a lot worse than it was back then.
What a pain!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
hon30critterActually the word I was looking for was 'bollocks'
Yeah, I know. Seems I can't manage to go from the tab that had the correct spelling to the tab where this forum resides without managing to remember the correct spelling.
Too many candy corn.
Seems in Canada now it is all about the wording. You should have him come and teach you how to build model railroads, speeded up permit and way less cost.
PruittI worked in Canada for nearly a year back around 1994. I did need a work permit, but it was no big deal. I was a contractor at Dehavilland airplane company in Toronto.
Hi Mark,
I don't suppose you happened to meet a gentleman by the name of Guenter Bacus? He worked at Dehavilland at that time. I know that it was a large operation but ".....it's a small world after all" so who knows. He had a German accent and one wonky eye. He was our next door neighbour for 35 years. Wonderful man!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
We are still waiting for the government's opinion on whether or not Peter needs a work permit. Patience is a virtue.
I have suffered what I hope is a temporary setback with my new knee. About a month ago it started to get painfull and the pain increased to the point last week where I could barely stand on it. The x-rays didn't reveal any obvious problems so I have to have a bone scan. The upshot is that I may not be able to do some of the prep work that I had planned on completing prior to Peter's arrival next May. The biggest task was to build the benchwork for the yard, so I may have to ask Peter to do that for me. It isn't complicated so it should only take a day or so to complete.
Bad news! The Canadian Ministry of Employment and Immigration has decided that Peter does need a full work permit in order to come to Canada to work on my layout. The application process for a work permit costs several thousands of dollars and requires that we jump through hoops to satisfy the requirements. I am simply not prepared to put that much money into a small layout! Between the fee that Peter will be paid, the cost of renovating the garage properly, and the work permit application fees, I'm looking at upwards of $25,000 Cdn!
I still intend to finish building the layout, and I at least want to fix the garage floor. Working on the layout by myself is going to be difficult and will take some time, but I'm not giving up!
Dave, that is frustrating to hear. I can't imagine your feelings on it. I applaud your determination too. Are there any friends from your former club that may be willing to help you?
Mike
Water Level RouteAre there any friends from your former club that may be willing to help you?
I hesitate to ask any members from the club to help me. I am no longer an active member so I am not contributing anything to the club. It would seem to me to be selfish to make such a request.
There is another factor and that is the weather. The club members would be coming from Barrie which is about 30 miles north of us, and Barrie suffers severe winter weather on a frequent basis. White out conditions are common. The members who I might ask to help are all well up in their senior years and I choose to not risk exposing them to harsh weather.
You may recall that I built the benchwork so that it could be tilted to allow access to the underside of the layout. I will make good use of that although progress may be slow.
There is one positive that will come from cancelling the contract. With the layout construction contract and refinishing the entire garage included in the cost, the price per square foot of layout would have been more than $250.00 Cdn. That is rather pricey real estate.
hon30critterI hesitate to ask any members from the club to help me. I am no longer an active member so I am not contributing anything to the club. It would seem to me to be selfish to make such a request.
I do recall your rotisserie layout benchwork. Very cool concept.
Dave,
I have not been following this thread but what if...
All the work would be done in TN so no work permit needed? Guessing there may be a fee transporting the layout into CA but it could be less expensive than the work permit.
FWIW,
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
So, if you have friends/relatives stay at your place for a week and they happen to help you build something in your garage, they would need work permits?
It is difficult for me to believe that the RCMP actually patrols neighborhoods checking for illegal model railroad benchwork construction. I would think that Dudley Doright would have more important duties.
tstageI have not been following this thread but what if... Peter builds the entire 5'-4" x 12' layout in TN Disassembles it (if needed) Transports and drops off the layout in your garage when 1) your garage is completed and 2) the weather is conducive Your friends finish assembling/installing the layout
Hi Tom,
That would normally be the way that Peter works, but the problem is that I have already built most of the benchwork. All I wanted Peter to do was install the wiring and the track and hook up the control panels.
maxmanSo, if you have friends/relatives stay at your place for a week and they happen to help you build something in your garage, they would need work permits?
Hi maxman,
Sorry, but I am not inclined to break the law. Peter would be asked to explain the purpose for his trip to Canada at the border. I am not about to ask him to lie, and I seriously doubt that he, being a devout Jehovah's Witness, would be inclined to lie as well.
If Peter was caught lying, he would be refused entry to Canada and that ban would last for at least three years and possibly longer. He wants to visit Canada as a tourist in the near future and I am not willing to either risk him being labelled as a law breaker or be banned from the country. Call me a fool if you wish, but I will not compromise my ethics nor his just to build a model railway.
hon30critter tstage I have not been following this thread but what if... Peter builds the entire 5'-4" x 12' layout in TN Disassembles it (if needed) Transports and drops off the layout in your garage when 1) your garage is completed and 2) the weather is conducive Your friends finish assembling/installing the layout Hi Tom, That would normally be the way that Peter works, but the problem is that I have already built most of the benchwork. All I wanted Peter to do was install the wiring and the track and hook up the control panels. Cheers!! Dave
tstage I have not been following this thread but what if... Peter builds the entire 5'-4" x 12' layout in TN Disassembles it (if needed) Transports and drops off the layout in your garage when 1) your garage is completed and 2) the weather is conducive Your friends finish assembling/installing the layout
Thanks for the explanation, Dave. Is it just benchwork you constructed - i.e. no trackage or scenery? If so...and I'm just throwing this out there...
What would be the price difference if Peter builds the benchwork and does the wiring in TN and you dismantle what you've done and re-purpose it for another project?
Again, just throwing that idea out there - not knowing how extensive your present benchwork is.
tstageWhat would be the price difference if Peter builds the benchwork and does the wiring in TN and you dismantle what you've done and re-purpose it for another project?
I hadn't thought of that option, but I think it could easily be more expensive than getting a full work permit so Peter can come here. Shipping alone could be a couple thousand dollars.
As far as being able to use the existing benchwork for other purposes, I think that salvaging anything useful would be rather difficult. The existing benchwork is very substantially built! The main table is only supported at the ends of its 12' length (remember that is is designed to rotate to make the underside easy to access), and it will hold several hundred lbs. without flexing more than about 3/8" in the center. I know. I have put my full 285 lbs. on it with it already holding about a dozen long pieces of 1 x 6 lumber and numerous other tools and heavy bits. Every joint is glued and screwed. I think that the only way it would come apart is with a sawsall. It would just end up as scrap.
I'm going to go at it a bit at a time. The first challenge will be to get the benchwork completely cleared off. Dianne and I were working on that on Sunday. The next challenge will be to get the table completely smooth. There are a couple of high spots where the 2" pink foam didn't get glued down properly, and a couple of low spots too. I'm only talking fractions of an inch but there is no use laying track on a surface that is even slightly irregular.
On a side note, we put a split AC/heat pump system in the layout room/garage last summer. It hasn't been used other than to test it after it was installed. It is not working! The warranty covers parts but not labour.
If he dose a workshop for you and your freinds no permit is required as long as it is not longer than 5 days. (spent my life finding loophole in goverment regs as part of my jobs)
rrebellIf he dose a workshop for you and your freinds no permit is required as long as it is not longer than 5 days.
Hi rrebell,
Are those Canadian rules or American rules?
Canadian rules, you have to read what the rules are and not what they intend. US example, we lived in an area with rules on trees, you could not cut down trees of a certain diamiter or larger. There was a palm tree I wanted gone as the kids were young and falling faunds are not good. I just cut it down and city could not say a thing as palm trees at that time were consided a grass by the Federal goverment and Fed tops state and local things in most cases, I cut a blade of grass is all, neibor liked it and did same, got lots more mainly in buisness. As a side note both my parents were Canadian even though i was born in US. They both became US citizens but my mom did not till her 80's with my dad doing it shortly after I was born. Draftboard did not like my long stays in Canada during the Veitnam war but we owned part of a farm up ther for a long time.
rrebellCanadian rules, you have to read what the rules are and not what they intend.
Call me a fool, but I'm afraid that I am not comfortable with that approach in this case. I'd comment further but I would probably offend the moderators. Please understand that I am not disparaging what you did for a living, and I fully understand the situation that lead to the removal of the palm trees.
I'm going to be talking to my lawyer later today to see what our options are.
Look forward to your lawyers advice. Hey even if you didn't like what I did for a living it would be no big deal. People are always hating on landlords, but they have no clue to the stress every month that goes on or the risks involved in owning rentals and just about finished with the last of the stress of selling my last property years after the papers were signed due to the structure of the sale (yeah you better be well versed in law as a landlord or hire someone who is).
rrebellLook forward to your lawyers advice.
I finally have a fixed time to speak to the lawyer. It will be over the phone because he is in Quebec, but I will let you know what the outcome is.
Dianne and I are continuing to work on cleaning out the garage. We now have five blue bins full of old chemicals and paints and two blue bins full of incandescent, CFL and halogen bulbs which we will never use. We still have about ten ft. of floor to ceiling shelving that needs to be addressed. I am absolutely amazed by the amount of useless junk I have allowed to accumulate in the garage.
You may recall that I installed a heating/air conditioning system in the garge last September to try to make the place comforable all year round. The split system was finally hooked up last week and guess what - it didn't work!. Or, to be more honest, it didn't seem to work. I called up Senville and they suspected that there must be a leak somewhere in the refrigerant line. They suggested that I call the folks who had installed the system originally. Forunately for me, the tech owner and operator happened to be driving by the house in the next few minutes.
It turned out that I wasn't being nearly patient enough. Split systems take a while before they can put out heat. So just drop your worries, start the heat pump, and wait for things to happen. Mine took about nine minutes before it started to work and about 60 mins. for it to actually heat the entire garage space to about 50 degrees F with an outside temperature of about 25 degrees F.
I'm going to run the system overnight and I will report back tomorrow.
hon30critterrrebell Look forward to your lawyers advice.
Basically, the lawyer said that the only way we can get Peter here to work on the layout would be to acquire a Work Permit. That would cost several thousand dollars in legal and advertising fees, and take months. Just for starters, we would have to post advertizements in major newspapers all across Canada in order to prove that there isn't anyone here in Canada who does the type of work that Peter does.
Putting that sort of money into the layout just isn't going to happen. The entire layout is less than 70 sq. ft. In other words, if I were to pay for a work permit, the costs alone would be +- $100.00Cdn./sq. ft. including what I have already spent just for the opinion on whether or not we needed a work permit.
Peter was concerned about whether or not the request for an opinion would interefere with his ability to visit Canada as a tourist in the future. My lawyer has offered to issue a letter explaining what we have done and will not do in the future, i.e., try to sneak Peter into the country so he can do the work on the sly.
My only option personally is to go at the project a bit at a time myself. Hopefully my mobility will continue to improve. That would help a lot!
The split AC/Heat pump system was working much better today! The outside temperature has only gone up by about 2 degrees C but the warmth coming out of the system has increased 10 fold.
The manual does explain that it may be neccessary to use an additional heat source in cold weather. Tonight I am running a very small electric heater on low to see if that makes a significant difference. So far the addition of the little heater has brought the garage up to about 15 degrees C which I find to be very comfortable when I am working. However, it does beg the question of whether or not the split system was a waste of money as far as heating goes. Next I'm going to try just running the small fan alone, but I will not leave it unattended for long periods.
Stay tuned,
hon30critterHowever, it does beg the question of whether or not the split system was a waste of money as far as heating goes.
My new knee is finally starting to feel more stable after the infection and my balance is getting better. Hopefully I will be able to do some work on the layout after Christmas. The first task will be to take a ton of old paint cans, oil cans, half used insectisides and other nasty chemicals to the hazardous waste section at the dump. We already have five large blue recycling bins full of the stuff and there are still a couple of shelves to sort through. It is sobering to see how much hazardous waste we have accumulated over the years.
Wow, just got caught up on reading this thread.
Dave, sorry for all the difficulty you are encountering.
Being in construction myself, and having a friend who is a professional layout builder, and having been a landlord for 26 years myself before selling all the rentals, I have lots of reactions here.
Some of which I guess I shoud keep to myself.
Being a landlord - I know nothing about Canada, but here in the US it was the best money we ever made. And we rented out houses I would be proud to live in myself.
As politely as possible - I have a hard time imagining living under a government that deep into my business/perosnal life. I think that sort of thing is long out of control here in the US, and it is nothing like you are describing.
I understand the garage is likely the only space you have for the layout - I have never considered garages good environments for layouts unless they are fully converted to "living space". And as residential designer and a builder, not sure I would have picked a split system heat pump, but I do understand why you did. My first choices for heat are always fossil fuels - despite the propaganda, they are the most efficient, especially in cold climates - a propane space heater? And a simple thru the wall A/C unit?
I have never been to Canada, the one time I might have, passport in hand, my wife simply said "no, I don't want go". We were in Niagara Falls, and interestingly once she saw the falls, she was ready to leave. We spent the rest of that long weekend seeing other sites in upstate NY and in PA.
I have helped lots of guys build layouts, I have designed layouts and helped build them. I have gotten paid for some more adavanced layout work, like designing and installing the control system I use on a layout of a friend.
If this is what it is coming to, it is a sad day for freedom.
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRALIf this is what it is coming to, it is a sad day for freedom.
Hi Sheldon,
Actually, the laws concerning foreign workers are pretty much the same in both Canada and the USA. If you are a foreigner working in the USA without a Green Card and get caught, you will be going home on the next flight.
The Free Trade Act was supposed to do away with all of this manure, but of course the bureaucrats got their hands on things and ruined it for everybody.
Without wishing to upset the Moderators, I'd say that Canada is still a pretty free place to be.
hon30critter ATLANTIC CENTRAL If this is what it is coming to, it is a sad day for freedom. Hi Sheldon, Actually, the laws concerning foreign workers are pretty much the same in both Canada and the USA. If you are a foreigner working in the USA without a Green Card and get caught, you will be going home on the next flight. The Free Trade Act was supposed to do away with all of this manure, but of course the bureaucrats got their hands on things and ruined it for everybody. Without wishing to upset the Moderators, I'd say that Canada is still a pretty free place to be. Cheers!! Dave
ATLANTIC CENTRAL If this is what it is coming to, it is a sad day for freedom.
Just to be clear, my freedom comment applies as much to what is going on here as it does to anywhere else.
Building a new structure or addition has become a rediculous exercise is overkill regulations anyplace where there is any kind of population density in the US.
And in the US building construction regulation is done on a local level, county or city government - not even at the state level. There are 23 counties just in our little state of Maryland. That is 23 different agencies issing building permits. there are 3,143 counties in the US.........
Fortunately interior remodeling is mostly ignored by our local government unless it very extensive - like redoing the whole house.
As I approach retirement we have moved away from large projects are are doing mostly stuff like bathrooms and kitchens.
I also do residential design work, which again has become less and less fun as the regulatory environment gets more complex. An in my opinion, after building stuff for 45 years, and restoring old houses for nearly that long, most of these regulations do not make the houses better, nor do they prevent substandard work.
So let me ask you this, where you are, can homeowners do their own work?
Happy to be retiring soon.
You should see some of the work appoved by inspectors. Back in the day I got an inspection done in Maryland for an apt building and it it passed, no problem except no one ever bothered to enter the building.