Establishing Yourself
Identification and documentation
Before coming to Manitoba, it would be useful to get your driver's license (unrestricted) and have identification documents such as a birth certificate, medical card and social insurance number. You need to get your birth certificate from the province or territory you were born in. If you plan on going out of the country, you will need to get a passport.
Please consider your documentation in relation to your name. If your Inuit name is quite different from your English name (or the name on your documentation) you may want to decide which name to use. If you come without identification you will need to gather bills with your name and address on it (bill names should match identification). You may have to get a letter from an authorized person to verify who you are, and you will have fees to pay as well.
In many cases, when you have to replace identification, a fee is involved. There are many insurance companies where you can go to ask about driver's license information. You can also visit the following websites to gather information and forms to get identification.
Birth certificate/name change
Vital Statistics Agency, 254 Portage Avenue, 945-3701
www.vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/HowToApply.html
Driver's License
Manitoba Public Insurance 985-7000, 1-800-665-2410, TTY 985-8832
www.mpi.mb.ca/english/dr_licensing/DriverLicensing.html
Health Cards
Manitoba Health, 300 Carlton St, 786-7101
www.gov.mb.ca/health/mhsip/index.htm
Social Insurance
Service Canada, 391 York Ave, 1 800 206-7218
www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/cgi-bin/hr-display.cgi?rc=4123&ln=e
Canada Tax Benefit
The Government of Canada can help with some of the costs of raising children. There is a monthly tax-free payment called the Canada Child Tax Benefit. This benefit is based on your income, number children you have, ages of the children, and province or territory of residence. When you apply for a child tax benefit, you must have proof of your identification, residency and birthplace of your children. In order to get this tax benefit, you must file an income tax return each year. You can get forms and more information by calling 1-800-387-1193 or visiting www.cra-arc.gc.ca/benefits.
There is also the Government of Canada's Children's Fitness Tax Credit, a non-refundable tax credit based on eligible fitness expenses paid by parents to register a child in a prescribed program of physical activity. For more information, visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca/fitness.
If you have a low income you may be eligible for some GST credits. You must be over 18 years of age, unless you are a parent or have a common law partner, and you must be a Canadian citizen. In order to get this credit you need to complete form RC151, Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax Credit application. For more information call Canada Customs and Revenue Agency at 1-800-959-1953 or visit www.cra.gc.ca/benefits. You can also get information about taxes from:
- Canada Revenue Agency, 325 Broadway Ave, 1-800-267-6999 - www.cra-arc.gc.ca
- Tax Information Phone Service (TIPS), 1-800-267-6999
- Individual Income Tax Enquiries, 1-800-959-8281
Schools
The following site offers information regarding things such as the Public Schools Act, different types of schooling, and transferring procedures. www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/schools/gts.html
If you would like to find a school district, go to the link below. You will be taken to the districts' home pages, and find information such as schools, contact information, news, board members and staff information. www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/schools/schooldivmap.html
There is a two-year waiting list to get into most daycares, so we advise parents to plan ahead when possible. Some schools will have a list of daycares or babysitters. Here are a couple of sites to start with.