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.