Immigrants moving to Toronto, in a new country is a
daunting task to people unfamiliar with the Canadian culture. In Success
in Toronto: A Guide for New Immigrants,
Hirantha Nandasena has taken the guess work out of the undertaking by chiseling
away, fact by fact, the ambiguities one needs to address and thus whittling
down a game plan for achieving a successful and enjoyable relocation ordeal.
Hirantha Nandasena begins by writing how you need to create
a network of people; in your neighborhood, in your industry, and within your
interests. He writes about the need to
save money; “$50,000 in five years,” and how to go about achieving this. To save money it’s important to know the free
services the country provides, such as health care for permanent residents and
how to file for this privilege. The
transit system, the banking system, the credit system – all play a key part in
the saving of money and the building of financial security. Hirantha Nandasena is ever so detailed in his
advice by even mentioning the change in your pocket can be used to pay for
groceries using the coin devices located in many stores.
The law about apartment buildings needing to be maintained
by the landlord at a comfortable temperature was very interesting, as Hirantha Nandasena
provides the phone number for the governmental agency to contact should the
landlord not comply. He even writes by
telling the landlord you will contact the ministry often is all required to get
quick action. Taking a gambling tour bus
“package” to visit Niagara Falls in lieu of paying the tourist fees of
competitive services was also very clever – of course coming with his stiff
warning about not gambling away your savings. The details as to how to save money, avoid getting ripped off, and many
common sense suggestions are humbly presented in a referenced guide easy to
navigate.
Good advice is simply good advice. Many of Hirantha Nandasena’s suggestions are
subject to your interpretation, such as shopping at Wal-Mart for winter
clothing or seeking the half-off sale at a Goodwill Thrift store. Some might chose to shop elsewhere, but again
be aware of savings and sales given by all stores. The saving of money by avoiding the
overlapping of cell phone, land line, cable TV and Internet services for home
expenditures whereas many can be done via Skype and YouTube are truly common
sense suggestions for everyone, no matter where you reside. The transit advice for Toronto will be
invaluable for any newly arriving person, or tourist for that matter. The “window” into Canadian culture was
interesting, showing the sophistication of their society and the welcoming of
diversity.
All in all, I would recommend Success in Toronto to anyone in route to this spectacular city for
a week, a month, a year or a lifetime. Buying this book can be the best few dollars spent which will save you
time and money, enhance your enjoyment of the area, and provide you with more
confidence during your relocation experience. As Hirantha Nandasena interleaves a joke into every chapter, his
light-hearted approach to providing humble advice is well postured for an
enjoyable read, and a necessity for building your future in beautiful Toronto,
Canada.
