The big project for this summer is to try to become a resident of Saskatchewan based out of my property. This will help me be more legitimate in the eyes of federal, provincial, and international law. It will also give me the peace of mind that I will never have to change provinces again. The post office here could close, so I could have to change my address again, but that would be a small thing to deal with should the time come.
Before beginning the residency change process, I need to make sure I can get my vehicles adequately insured here. A blog reader recently commented that Aviva does NOT offer the Elite full-timer policy in this province because Saskatchewan has government-run insurance.
So I need to sit down with an insurance adjuster here, present my existing coverage, and see if they can provide me with something comparable for the motorhome. I need coverage for contents (including anything in a shed) and liability, and I want it to be clear that I plan to be out of the country six months of the year so that we can get the surcharge built into the policy. Snowbirds appear to have some sort of official status here, but, of course, the website has no information on that.
The insurance premiums must also be payable in installments as there is no way I could afford to pay my policies in full (one of the many reason I could never move to BC).
Then, I need to make sure I can prove I am an SK residence. This is going to be WAY easier than it was in other provinces as I just need to prove I have an address here! Their list of what is acceptable does not include a property title, but does include a bank statement and a property tax assessment notice. If I get water hooked up, I can use a water bill.
Once I am comfortable that I will be able to get adequate insurance and my residency paperwork is in order, I need to get my insurance and driving abstracts from Alberta. I don’t want to take this step until I’m sure that I will be able to transfer residency to Saskatchewan in order not to tip off Alberta in case the residency change doesn’t go through.
The following step is to arrange for my out of province vehicle inspections.
Caroline and Charles told me to go to the Kal-Tire in Assiniboia as they were well treated there when they moved from Manitoba. The cost for the truck should be about $80, but I have no idea what it will be for Miranda. I have enough confidence in the Kal-Tire brand to believe that I won’t be ordered to have thousands of dollars worth of work down on each vehicle to get my certificate, but there’s always the concern that something could come up. Best case scenario, this is going to cost me a few hundred dollars.
The order of the next steps is a little fuzzy since I don’t understand exactly how insurance is going to work here, but a visit to SGI, the SK DMV, will be in order. I will bring my driver’s abstracts so that I can get a full license, having learned my lesson from Alberta.
Once my vehicles are registered in Saskatchewan and I have my driver’s license, getting health coverage should be a non-issue.
And then, I will be able to breathe a little easier and will feel more comfortable crossing the border.
Charles and Caroline suggested I share their PO box in Montana, which will save me from paying the full rental fee. I’d love to go there once every two months or so and get Amazon packages. There’s so little I can’t get through Amazon that it makes sense to use up my gift certificates every month and drive to Montana to get the items than it does to pay for them out of pocket up here. I mean, a lot of this stuff would be items I’d get in Moose Jaw, so I’d be making a long drive anyway.
I had thought to apply for a Nexus pass once I’m established here, but since Nexus travelers are treated like regular travelers in the non-Nexus lanes and there are no Nexus lanes in Saskatchewan, that seems like an unnecessary step that would give the governments even more information about me.
I’ve been feeling rather like an outlaw on the run for years, so it will be nice to have a veneer of legitimacy even though I will continue to live according to my rules.
Sounds like a plan. But, gee you sure do have to jump through a lot of hoops just to move. Seems like they want people to stay put. Hope it all goes well for you.
You’re not even supposed to leave your province for more than six months of the year, not even to go to another province within Canada. *rolls eyes*
BC actually does have installment payments for insurance – for a small fee. That’s the only way I ever bought insurance.
The other benefit to getting a Nexus is that it does provide (or so I’ve been told) a higher level of trust when going through regular crossings. I.e. less scrutiny because they’ve already done a background check.
Three people I know who have moved to BC from another province have said that you can only pay in installments if you’re an established resident. New residents must pay the policy in full.
I was wondering about that with Nexus, if the pass could help even at a regular crossing. Thanks for that testimonial.
The three people you know gave you wrong information. New residents to BC have to pay their first year on a six month installment plan instead of twelve. Why didn’t you just look it up…?
That information is not available online and I had no reason to disbelieve three people and drive 70KM round trip to get a cell phone signal to call ICBC to confirm. It is possible they were correct, but there have been changes, or that your information is out of date. I’ll add this to the file of questions to ask when I make calls for the updated version of FTRIC.
Why not provide your source?
Of course it is. They very first page of google when you search it…
http://www.icbc.com/autoplan/basic/buy-Autoplan/payment-plans
Thank you for that link. I didn’t get that deep into the site. That must be a change in policy. Good to know.
Jeez, I keep hearing wonderful things about Canada but this is the most convoluted, unfriendly crap I’ve ever heard of! We have moved from Iowa to Texas to Washington to Florida back to Washington to New Jersey off to the Netherlands and back to Florida and finally, currently, to Nevada. There isn’t any of that crap! Of course it may be all hidden charges that the traveler never sees. Still, that’s worth something; maybe a lot!
Good luck on your trek for legitimacy!.
I moved from QC to Ontario: easy since I only had to worry about health coverage and a driver’s license.
Ontario back to QC: NIGHTMARE. It took almost three years to regain health coverage. Didn’t have any vehicles yet, but I would soon learn how expensive it is to drive in QC…
QC to Yukon: not too painful; got around the out of territory vehicle inspection requirement, but got delayed on health coverage because they would not accept my passport or QC birth certificate as proof of citizenship, requiring my ‘long form’ certificate, and QC took a year to get it to me. No health coverage for a year. Interestingly enough, the only two times in my adult life I’ve been injured badly enough to need to go to the emergency room, I haven’t had health coverage. Fortunately, I was a medical first responder for years. Unfortunately, I wasn’t taught how to do stitches. Care to see my scars?
Yukon to Alberta: difficult because of the out of province inspections and QC being difficult/expensive about getting me a driver’s abstract in English (thankfully, I found the one I used to move to Yukon)
Notice the common thread that leading with QC would give the most patient person in the universe cause to throw a tantrum. BC appears to be just as bad.
I’ll be glad to spend the rest of my life as a resident of ‘the land of living skies.’
Why do you make everything seem so difficult. I have moved around Canada all my life and changing registration, health insurance and car insurance is very easy. I think you paint an inappropriate picture of Canada. It is just paperwork and when you are getting your healthcare paid for, I think the government has a right to ask questions. If you are a rolling stone with no roots, of course it will be more difficult. You have to establish legitimacy. I really don’t understand why you live here if you hate it so much. Because you want your health care paid for along with all the other benefits we get as Canadians even though you contribute minimally.
Because it is that difficult. You have obviously never had to deal with QC red tape.
La la la la everything’s fine, Canada is the best country on earth people like you also paint an inaccurate picture of Canada. I tell it like it is. When things go well, I mention it (go read up on my review of getting a passport, for example). When things don’t go well, I mention it. It’s called being realistic. For one thing, there’s no reason except a cash grab for the out of province inspections, we should have national standards.
Getting my non-existent health care paid for?! OMG *nearly dies laughing* Have you ever done the math about how much you pay per year in taxes to get the ‘free’ health coverage?
Believe me, I’m working on getting out of here. Mexico changed their immigration laws and are making it tougher to go there, so I may have to wait a while longer and go somewhere I can’t drive to. I’m thinking Ecuador.