Situated along the shores of Lake Ontario, it is proud home to the Maple Leafs hockey team (never call it ice-hockey), the CN Tower, the Canadian Walk of Fame, the Toronto Film Festival, Yonge Street (longest street in the world), 28 kilometres of underground shopping walkways and one of the largest Chinatowns in North America.

Often referred to by Torontonians as simply T.O., standing for Toronto, Ontario, it is probably the number one destination for Working Holiday Makers. As a financial capital it offers plenty of career opportunities for those looking to enhance CVs/Resumes. However, it is also a hugely cultured city with casual jobs, bohemian laid back neighbourhoods and flea markets on offer for the crustier hippies among us or for those looking to enhance their life experiences and photo albums.

If you point your working holiday compass towards TO, be sure to walk on the glass floor and sip on a cold one at the top of the CN Tower, visit the Royal Ontario Museum, hang out downtown in colourful Kensington Market, escape to Centre Island, and wrap your lips around some pitchers and wings at one of the many pubs in the city.

Toronto also offers lots of sports clubs for every taste and nationality. There is rugby, soccer, GAA, Aussie Rules, athletics and more. All of these are of course coupled with the different bars the players drink in after so check out the “Loose Moose” section of our site to read more on this.

(Check out one of our favourites for pool, wings and beer near the University of Toronto – O’Grady’s Tap and Grill)

That left us with four cities we will cover briefly in this section. Where possible, we have included links to other sites that have more robust information on these cities. They are Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.

Montreal:

Montreal is Canada’s second largest city (4 million), full of cultured, fashionable and lively Francophones who are all very welcoming and love a good party. Along with Vancouver, this city ranks as one of the best places to live in the world and is also rated as one of the happiest places to live by the Lonely Planet.

The first language spoken here is French and while you will get by with English as a tourist, brushing up on your “Bonjours” before going here on a working holiday is very advisable. You would also want to be prepared for cold winters which get down below the Canadian average, but summers can get up to 25 degrees Celsius.

For entertainment, you will always find something to do at the weekend in Montreal as it seems like there is a constant line up of festivals from jazz and beer to comedy and film. If you want to get out of the city you also have Mont Tremblant just two hours up the road if you fancy a bit of skiing.

Ottawa:

Ottawa is the official capital of Canada and now one of the fastest growing cities in North America with a population now of 1.1 million. It is situated along the Ontario River and is also home to the Rideau Canal. During the winter you will see many locals getting their ice-skates on to “take the river” to work.

Quebec is only across the river from Ottawa so although English is the first language here, it is a bilingual city with French being widely spoken. Having “un petit peu” will definitely increase your job prospects. Government buildings and international embassies are all found here too so if you are looking for a career in the public service arena – Ottawa is a good place to start.

On your weekends, again, there is plenty to do. We believe its mind set rather than location that make a place entertaining to live in. Ottawa has parks, rivers and outdoor sports in abundance, not to mention its many festivals throughout the year. If you get bored of all that, Ottawa also has the benefit of being close enough to Toronto and Montreal for easy weekend visits.

Calgary:

Oil, whiskey and the Olympics! Calgary is the 4^th largest city in Canada with 1.1 million people. Its rapid growth and size are due mainly to a large oil industry which has fuelled jobs and immigration since the 1950s. However, more interestingly, it was founded by the mounted police in 1876 as they needed a base from which they could keep an eye on the increasing numbers of whiskey traders swapping liquor for furs with the natives.

Here you will have short but sunny summers (23C) and long cold winters (-15C), however, if you weren’t expecting to get cold in Canada, you probably need to rethink your destination. Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics and offers plenty of mountain resorts for you to shred some powder on. Jasper and Banff are only and hour or two away in the car so make a perfect weekend getaway.

Edmonton:

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta with a population of about 1.1million, and is also known as the Oil Capital of Canada. Much like Calgary, its growth and size came after the discovery of vast oil sands in the late 1940s, bringing jobs and migrants in large numbers.

It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is famous for its river valley park system which offers 100kms of outdoors adventures such as skiing, hiking, biking and walking. Long cold winters offer plenty of winter sports opportunities, while the long days of summer bring the festivals – giving rise to another of Edmonton’s nicknames, “The Festival City” of Canada.

Finally, if you have had too much of the fresh air and outdoorsy vibe, you will find plenty to do in North America’s largest mall – the West Edmonton Mall. This is a monster! It has an indoor swimming pool and water park, one of the world’s largest indoor roller coasters in its own amusement park, and after that you can still have a go at becoming Canada’s latest NHL star on the local ice-skating rink.

Choosing your City
Average Costs

It’s no co-incidence that the car registration plates in this province all say “Beautiful British Columbia.”  Vancouver is one of the most dramatically situated cities in the world. Surrounded by the Coastal Mountain range, including the ski-resorts of Grouse and Cypress, Vancouver is the destination of choice for ski junkies, mountain bikers and all outdoor enthusiasts.

Not surprisingly, the city holds the top spot in the Economist’s Most Liveable Cities List for 2011. It’s got mountains, beaches, trendy little neighbourhoods, and it’s only a two hour drive from Whistler, one of the world’s top ski resorts….what’s not to like?! There is surfing too, but you need to go to the west coast of Vancouver Island for that.

Known also as Gastown, after one of its early neighbourhoods, Vancouver is definitely more laid back than Toronto.  Don’t be expecting high fashion here as people are more likely to dress in gym gear than Gucci.

The city and its people are really welcoming. Walk into any of the bars in Gastown or down along Granville St. and you will quickly see what we mean. You will notice that many bars do prefer and even insist on table service so keep this in mind – probably something to do with the tipping. Some of our favourite bars include The Blarney Stone and The Lamplighter in Gastown, and Moose’s Down Under at Pender and Hornby in the financial district of downtown – all are great craic on a Friday night after work.

Like Toronto there are also plenty of sports clubs and other activities that you can fill your time with. In fact, Vancouver probably has more on offer when you consider the ski hills of Grouse and Cypress Mountains that you can hit at the weekend. You even have Whistler just two hours down the road if you want to change things up or try a bit of mountain biking in the summer. Not to mention, there are four Aussie Rules clubs, a similar number of GAA clubs, and plenty of rugby, soccer, athletics clubs and gyms too. You also have Stanley Park to walk, run or cycle in so if you are after an active lifestyle – Vancouver is the place to be.

For a quieter weekend you can also pop down to the markets on Granville Island and wander through the stalls. Follow it up with an Italian ice-cream and an espresso while you watch one of the frequent buskers, comedians and entertainers. This place has it all!

Keep in mind that nobody is going to make a fortune working in any of these ski resorts. It is well known that people who choose this lifestyle do so for their love of the great outdoors, fresh ‘Pow’ and their snowboard/skis. Most jobs will be casual work on close to minimum wage but it will be enough to pay your rent, buy your groceries and the odd case of beer. See more on this in our Ski Resorts Jobs section.

Most large Canadian ski resorts are located in British Columbia and Alberta. There are also some smaller resorts in Quebec, such as Mont Tremblant, so it’s worth doing a bit of research on them to see which setting you would like most and where you think you would more easily get yourself a job.

In BC, the main resort is Whistler, host of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games along with Vancouver and generally takes on in the region of 1,000-2,000 international workers every season. It is one of the world’s best ski resorts, and routinely gets over 10 metres of snow a season. 2010/11 was the second snowiest season on record for Whistler, with 1579cm falling.   It was truly an epic season, with so many powder days and so much terrain to explore.

NOTE: Some employers give staff the day off for big powder days. (What’s a Powder Day?)

Other ski resorts in BC include:

• Big White – Still very popular with working holiday makers and there are jobs if you know where to look. It offers a large area of off piste terrain with gladed tree runs and boasts the lightest powder snow in the country.
• Silver Star – Again, this is a bigger resort and popular with working holiday makers. You will find a job if you get there early enough (October) and it is a compact and friendly resort.
• Revelstoke – This has some of the steepest gnarliest skiing in Canada and is worth looking into for your season on the hills.
• Kicking Horse – This is a smaller but beautifully scenic resort in the Rockies.
• Many more small resorts take people on for the winter season too, such as Fernie and Panorama.

In Alberta, you have the three main resorts located around Banff; Sunshine Village, Norquay and Lake Louise. Each is located within a few miles of the beautiful town of Banff and you are truly spoilt with terrain both on and off piste. You may even encounter a grizzly bear on your travels. Banff and all the surrounding resorts are indeed located within the Banff National Park of Canada, and so there many types of wildlife roaming around, including grizzles, black bears, moose, elk, deer and cougars. You have been warned!

So, if you up for a year of high adrenalin action-packed outdoor pursuits and après nightlife, you cannot go wrong with a trip to a Canadian ski resort.

Register for our free WHC Jobs Kit with lists of top Canadian ski resort employers and all the latest jobs.

Check out our sections on Ski Resort Jobs and Accommodation below.

Start Date:  03/19/2012

Hours:   Full Time

Job Description

Are you a passionate, team-oriented individual who has a strong desire to achieve customer satisfaction through the accuracy, efficiency and safety of your work? Do you have an eagerness to learn new skills through our Logistics Career Development Program to enhance the team’s performance and build the group’s pride in the success of our distribution center operations?

 We’re looking for great people who can take on the following responsibilities:

Develop and integrate the competencies and skills required by the Logistics Career Development program Perform full core functions of a distribution centre (Order picking, packing, preparing, shipping and receiving) Have a proactive and positive approach towards work methodology Promote and comply to Health and Safety procedures and guidelines of the Distribution Center. Receive merchandise, prepare and pack order and confirm receipt in our Inventory Management System (SAP)

Pick products as per picking labels with a lift truck/order picker and confirm picking in SAP. Verify if information on labels is accurate, seal boxes and prepare shipping documents. Work collaboratively with others to ensure orders are delivered on time. Adopt a learning and teaching/coaching approach with colleagues. Look for improvements and share ideas and contributes to fostering a team-based approach

Required Qualifications

High School diploma;

Experience driving a forklift or possess a class 2 or 3 forklift certification

Experience in a Distribution Centre

Ability to learn new procedures and techniques

The ability to read, write, calculate, work with others and evolve in a culture of learning, and development

A high degree of motivation, resourcefulness and attention to detail

Alertness, good listening and communications skills

Computer skills and/or experience in SAP

English and French language/oral and written skills

Ability to lift up to 60 pounds

The employer is supplying visas and assistance in relocation for qualified candidates. Please apply by sending your resume and comprehensive cover letter to info@workingholidayincanada.com.

Hours:   Full Time

Req’d Years of Experience:  5 plus

Req’d Education:   High School plus

Job Description

As the Senior Administrative Assistant your main scope of work will be assisting a vital departmental manager in this well established Canada wide company. You must work well under pressure, be able to work well within a senior team and be a keen problem solver. Your years of experience and communication skills will be key to your success in this position.

Required Qualifications

Resources Based Organization requires you to have 5 plus years experience in Word, Excel, and proof reading. You must be typing at an 80 WPM or higher level, as you will be supporting other team members at the executive level. Your ability to stay cool under pressure, meet dead lines and be able to think on your feet will be required for this role. As a strong communicator you are used to working in a professional setting in a support role and all the job duties associated with booking corporate travel arrangements and required expense report submissions. This client works with multiple templates for its corporate correspondence so computer expertise is a must.

Required Skills

80 WPM Typing Speed

Administrative Assistant

Excel

Expense Reports

Proof Reading

Templates

Travel Arrangements

Word

The employer is supplying visas and assistance in relocation for qualified candidates. Please apply by sending your resume and comprehensive cover letter to info@workingholidayincanada.com.

Start Date:  04/23/2012

Hours:   Full Time

Req’d Years of Experience:  2

Job Description

A Construction Safety Officer is needed for a permanent position with a long standing and well respected developer based in Vancouver. The position starts at the end of the month (April), located in the City of Vancouver and the build time will likely last 14 months. The successful candidate will need to ‘live and breath’ safety. This is a high profile and prominent site. Experience and a strong work ethic is mandatory.

The successful candidate is also expected to do general site duties such as general labour, clean up and anything that is required to keep the site operating in an efficient, cost effective and safe manner.

Required Qualifications

Valid CSO ticket and a strong work ethic is a must!

Compensation depends on experience. When applying please indicate your expectations.

Required Skills

CSO

The employer is supplying visas and assistance in relocation for qualified candidates. Please apply by sending your resume and comprehensive cover letter to info@workingholidayincanada.com.

Hours:   Full Time

Req’d Years of Experience:  1+

Job Description

- General warehouse duties, helping out with shipping/receiving i.e. picking orders, doing counts

- Fab shop – prepping the material i.e. cutting tubing, brackets, wiping, and painting – have to be comfortable using machinery like cutting discs etc

- Possibly helping out off-site on installs

Required Qualifications

Requirements:

- Physically fit – need to lift 50 lbs

- SDCB forklift certified

- Driver’s License and Vehicle

The employer is supplying visas and assistance in relocation for qualified candidates. Please apply by sending your resume and comprehensive cover letter to info@workingholidayincanada.com.

Hours:   Full Time

Req’d Years of Experience:  2 Plus

Job Description

You have 3 plus years proven experience in building residential houses. Experience in track building production would be an asset, but is not required. You have exceptional written and oral communication skills in the office and on the job site. You understand specs and can do take offs from time to time. You have a trades background and education in a building trade with preference given to a person with an electrician and or plumber work history. You must have strong organizational skills, work well under pressure and have the ability to multi-task. Your collegues and friends would consider you to be a critical thinker. You must have a proven back ground of completing projects on time and under or within budget.

Required Qualifications

Construction Site Super/ Project Manager Experience

A back ground in plumbing and or electrical would be helpful, but not required.

The employer is supplying visas and assistance in relocation for qualified candidates. Please apply by sending your resume and comprehensive cover letter to info@workingholidayincanada.com.

This position is in Canadian Dollars.

Salary: $38.00 to $40.00 Hourly for 40 hours per week, Bonus, Medical Benefits, Dental Benefits, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance Benefits, RRSP Benefits

Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible

Location: Leduc, Alberta

Skill Requirements:

Education: Completion of college/CEGEP/vocational or technical training

Credentials (certificates, licences, memberships, courses, etc.): Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic Trade Certification, 3rd Period Apprentice, 4th Period Apprentice, Driver’s License (Class 3 or D)

Experience: 2 years to less than 3 years

Languages: Speak English, Read English, Write English

Major Work Area: Repair, Overhaul, Service

Type of Equipment Repair: Heavy construction equipment

Diesel Engine Repair Specialization: Fuel injection systems, Exhaust systems, Cooling systems, Lubrication systems, Engine control systems, Major internal engine repairs or overhaul

Mechanical Repair Specialization: Hydraulic transmissions

Weight Handling: Up to 23 kg (50 lbs)

Specific Skills: Troubleshoot and inspect equipment to detect faults and malfunctions, Determine extent of repair required, Adjust equipment and repair or replace defective parts, Test repaired equipment for proper performance

Additional Skills: Instruct apprentices, Keep maintenance reports and documentation

Security and Safety: Bondable, Driving record check (abstract), Drug test

Own Tools/Equipment: Tools, Steel-toed safety boots

Work Conditions and Physical Capabilities: Physically demanding, Attention to detail

Work Site Environment: Outdoors

Transportation/Travel Information: Own transportation, Willing to travel, Willing to travel for extended periods, Valid driver’s licence, Travel expenses paid by employer

Work Location Information: Various locations, In shop, On-site customer service

Essential Skills: Reading text, Document use, Numeracy, Writing, Oral communication, Working with others, Problem solving, Decision making, Critical thinking, Significant use of memory, Continuous learning.

The employer is supplying visas and assistance in relocation for qualified candidates. Please apply by sending your resume and comprehensive cover letter to info@workingholidayincanada.com.

This position is in Canadian Dollars.