Live

Thank you for considering NWO as your potential new home. It’s a region of natural wonders and a high standard of living. Below you will find some useful links for making your move a bit smoother.

BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

You’ve decided to come to Canada, to Ontario, but you have yet to decide where to go and how to get there. There are pre-departure services (also known as pre-arrival services) that can help with hints and advice to get your planning on track.

DESTINATION CANADA

Destination Canada  is presented by the Embassy of Canada in France with support from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and in partnership with public agencies for employment and international mobility: Pôle emploi international in France and FOREM, Actiris International , and VDAB in Belgium. Destination Canada is also an annual recruitment event in support of the Roadmap for Official Languages which aims to inform French speaking candidates of the opportunities available to them to live and work in Canada. 
destination-canada-forum-emploi.ca

L’ONTARIO, C’EST CHEZ MOI – INFOS AVANT ET APRÈS L’ARRIVÉE

Orientation to Ontario (O2O) L’Ontario, c’est chez moi is a bilingual pilot project, co-funded by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. The pilot initiative is designed to ease the transition of newcomers by providing access to standardized information about settling in Ontario and connecting newcomers to community services shortly after arrival.
etablissement.org

RÉSEAU DE DÉVELOPPEMENT ÉCONOMIQUE ET EMPLOYABILITÉ (RDÉE) SERVICES PRÉ-DÉPART

These new services enable member organizations of RDÉE Canada to offer Francophone immigrants individualized services via distance in employability and entrepreneurship, in French.
predepart.rdee.ca

SETTLEMENT SERVICES

All settlement and resettlement services in Northwestern Ontario go through the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (TBMA).
TBMA helps newcomers to establish themselves and integrate into life in Canada by providing or referring newcomers to essential services. Currently, there is one French speaking settlement officer in house, so making an appointment is highly recommended.

Telephone: 1-866-831-1144
email: info@thunderbay.org
www: thunderbay.org

ACCOMMODATIONS

It’s not always easy to find accommodations in NWO, particularly if you want rental accommodations. However, there are many services and agencies that you can use to find yourself lodgings before your arrival.

HEALTH

In Northwestern Ontario, there are few General Practitioners that speak French. However, there are free interpretation services available for French speaking clients for any appointments or dealings with the Health sector (please see the description of Accueil francophone below). At a specialist level, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has a large range of specialists who speak French.

ACCUEIL FRANCOPHONE DE THUNDER BAY

Interpretation services make up the piller of services that Acceuil francophone offers to its French speaking clients and to professionals in Health Sciences, including doctors, dentists, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and pharmacists, among others. In addition, Accueil helps its Francophone clientele identify and access a variety of French language services available in Northwestern Ontario.
accueilfrancophone.com

COMMUNITY AND LEISURE

There are many Francophone clubs and organizations in Northwestern Ontario where you can meet other French speakers who can help you become familiar with your new community. For a complete list of clubs and organizations, please see the Association des francophones du Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario website.

OTHER USEFUL LINKS TRAVELLING IN CANADA

Canadian government website – information on immigration, waiting times at border crossings, and hints on travelling in Canada. 
voyage.gc.ca

TRAVELLING IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO

Please find a number of sites on activities and destinations to visit in the region. 
thunderbay.ca
superiorcountry.ca
visitsunsetcountry.com
visitnorthwestontario.com

CONDUITE AUTOMOBILE AU CANADA

Les règles et les astuces sur la conduite automobile au Canada
cic.gc.ca

VEHICLE RENTAL

ONLINE DIRECTORIES

For businesses and services available in French, please consult the following regional directories.

Répertoire des services en français dans tout le Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario
afnoo.org (only available in French)

For the districts of Rainy River, Kenora and Fort Frances (only available in English)
nipigon.net

Greenstone (available in French and English) 
gedc.ca

For the Northshore of Lake Superior (Red Rock, Nipigon, Schriber, Terrace Bay, Marathon, Manitouwadge) (available in French and English) 
sncfdc.org

Red Lake (only available in English) 
chukuni.com

Fort Frances (only available in English)
golocalfortfrances.com

WIFI HOTSPOTS

If you have your own mobile device, you can get internet access through free Wifi hotspots around the region. Without your own device, you can still access free internet through community libraries. Often, libraries have 2 types of internet access– no reservation needed (15 min access) and by reservation (1 hour access).

GROCERY STORES

The Northwest has become more and more diverse on a multicultural level. There are many small ethnic groceries to discover once you are in the area. You will also find certain ingredients for ethnic dishes in the following supermarkets and grocery stores:

THRIFT STORES

Quand vous arriverez dans la région, il est fort possible que vous vouliez vous procurer des meubles et des fournitures de cuisine à prix modiques avant de vous installer de façon permanente. Les chaînes bon marché et les magasins d’aubaines peuvent alors vous dépanner.

CHAÎNES BON MARCHÉ DANS LA RÉGION

When you arrive in the region, it is quite possible that you do not want to invest in new furniture or other necessary items until you have settled more permanently. In this case, thrift and bargain stores can help you get started.

BARGAIN SHOPS

The Bargain! Shop/Red Apple: thebargainshop.com Stores in Atikokan, Fort Frances, Geraldton, Iroquois Falls, Kenora, Manitouwadge, Marathon, Nipigon, Sioux Lookout, Sturgeon Falls, and Thunder Bay.