Well, if you are considering one of the Drewlo properties for an apartment, I can tell you that the suites are actually quite large and may fit your busy lifestyle better than a townhouse. I say this because all of the recent developments in townhouses around here are mostly townhouses that are up for sale, and most of the rental townhouse complexes are so-so when you compare them with the newer apartment developments. Thats not to say there aren't any nice rental townhouses out there, but it may be more difficult to find one than an equivalent apartment. If you are considering something, you can run it by me and I can give you the lowdown on the neighborhood if you like.
As for your other questions:
Who are the utility providers? (phone, cable, water, electric, gas, etc.)
Phone service is provided by
Bell Canada, cable is provided by
Rogers, water and gas are locally owned by the city (Kitchener Utilities), and hydro service is from Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro. Seeing as you are accustommed to Telstra prices, things here should be a pleasant surprise.
Who are the Auto Insurance Providers?
There really are sooooo many to choose from... personally I go through a local company (based in Guelph) called
The Co-operators Insurance for both my home and auto insurance, and their rates and service are exceptional.
Who are the Major Banks?
The major banks are
Royal Bank,
TD Canada Trust,
CIBC,
Bank of Montreal and
ScotiaBank. I personally use a part of CIBC called
President's Choice Financial, they're kind of nice because their bank accounts have no fees, and their personal loans and mortgage rates are quite good.
Who are the good internet providers? (I've looked at www.canadianisp.com) Since broadband in Australia is so expensive, I'm looking forward to coming out of this time warp of dial-up hell! Any recommendations there?
The two major national isp's are
Sympatico and
Rogers Cable. There are really no pockets of Kitchener that don't have one of these high speed options available, so if you want broadband, you got it! The largest local provider is
Golden Triangle and they also offer DSL service. For a ~128k up/1.5Mb down connection, expect to pay about ~$40-50CDN per month.
The wife would like to know what the shopping is like. We have seen that there are a number of factory outlets and farmer's markets, which we are looking forward to.
There is a large regional mall in Kitchener called
Fairview Park Mall with all of the chain stores and a bunch of other ones. It's considered the areas best mall. One that just reopened after MAJOR renovations is the Cambridge Centre, and it is set to rival Fairview Park in terms of number of stores and amenities (the mall even has an ice rink! :Q). For anything that you can't get at one of these regional malls, you can surely get at Square One in Mississuga or in Toronto at the Eaton Centre. If you like farmers markets, there is a big one in St. Jacobs (just north of Waterloo) and the city of Kitchener is building a HUGE one right in the middle of downtown Kitchener, and it is set to take up an entire city block and be the focus of downtown.
If you have any more questions, fire away!
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