New to Canada

Featured Library Databases for Newcomers to Canada

Toronto Public Library subscribes to many different databases that are FREE to everyone with a valid library card.

These databases have a range of information that can help you with career options, language learning, practice tests, research resources, Canadian topics, and much more.

Electronic databases that we feel are useful for newcomers will be promoted on the Newcomers to Canada landing page.

The featured database of the moment is World Book:



The World Book database includes primary documents, eBooks, videos, learning tools, tutorials, translations, and the ability to hear articles read aloud. It also includes Canadian content for students, adult learners, and newcomer families.

 

 

There are many more databases available for your convenience. The full list can be accessed on the Toronto Public Library website, but here are a select few that you may find useful.

 

More Databases of Interest:

Canada in Context: Articles, videos, audio files, etc. on a range of topics, people, places and events.

Career Cruising: Interactive career guidance resource with in-depth profiles.

Chinese e-Magazines: Full-text magazines. Simplified & traditional characters.

IELTS: Practice tests with answers. Prepare for the International English
Language Testing System exam.

Learning Express Library: Practice tests & answers for all ages. Entrance exams, math, grammar, job search and more.

Mango Language Learning: Learn a new language or improve your English.

My Canada: Lessons and practice tests on Canadian history, geography, government & culture.

TenseBuster: Lessons and practice tests help improve English grammar. Elementary to advanced levels and ESL.

And many more available through our A-Z databases list.

 

Which database have you found useful?

 

Participate in the Many Cultural Festivals - As Toronto Public Library Celebrates Asian Heritage Month!

This year Toronto Public Library celebrates Newcomers and Asian Heritage Month with the whole package, featuring storytellers, authors, chefs, dancers, reporters, artists, drummers, painters, singers, designers and musicians, each bringing us a taste of many exotic cultures right here in our city.

Everything is free so come out and join in the fun at many branches which are proudly hosting mini-festivals. In order not to miss any of the events, you may pick up your Asian Heritage Month Program Guide and Reading List from your nearest branch.

Agincourt Library's "China Homelands Festival" is action-packed for Saturday, May 4, from 10 am-4:30 pm with the following highlights: 

Children's Storytime; A Lion Dance presentation; Chinese Calligraphy; Oriental Food and Tea sampling; "The Chinese in Canada-One Reporter's Odyssey" featuring Jan Wong; Evolution of Chinese food in Toronto, "From Chop Suey to Peaking Duck ..." by Arlene and Leo Chan. 

You may not want to miss the following: Download Agincourt Library 2013_Asian Heritage Month :

Chinese Tea (Pu-Ehr) Workshop (on May 6th @ 6:30pm); the South Asian Cuisine Tasting Table (on May 14th @ 2pm) featuring Toronto's amazing chefs, Karen Johnson & Ronica Sajnan; plus the Asian Seniors Celebration featuring Fok Dancing and Hakka Cooking Demonstration (on May 31st @ 1pm), all of which will be held at Agincourt library. Registration is required as space is limited.

You are encouraged to visit all of our branches mentioned below, and enjoy our free programs:

"Belly Dancing & Japanese Doll Making" at Woodside Square

"Asian Henna & Paper Fan hands-on Crafts" at Bridlewood

Chinese Brush Painting" at Albert Campbell

"Timar-Salek -Persian Indonesian fusion music concert" & "Henna Hand Painting" at College/Shaw

 "Feng Shui and the Environment" at Burrows Hall; 

"Oniroku Puppet Show and Origami" at Danforth/Coxwell

"Japanese Taiko Drumming Concert" at North York Central

"Pan-Asian Celebration -Ghazal, wadoks, mendhi..." at York Woods

"Hula Girls" at Queen/Saulter

"East Indian Family Night Puppet Show" at Long Branch;

"Tai Chi" at Riverdale; 

"Toronto Ismaili Muslim Youth Choir" at Goldhawk Park

"South Asia Homelands" at Cedarbrae; "West Asia Homelands" at Brentwood; "East Asia Homelands" at Malvern; "Pan Asian Food Fusion Festival" at Downsview; "Community Asian Arts Fusion Festival" at Palmerston; "Chinese Cultural Festivals" presented in partnership with Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture, at Riverdale (Brush painting with Dr Lien Chao), Sanderson (photography workshop presented in English and Cantonese by Tam Kam Chiu) and Toronto Reference Library, featuring Michael Cormier in conversation with journalist Jan Wong, discussing his new book, "The Legacy of Tiananmen Square."

This year's Program Guide  has included a Recommended Reading List of some popular Asian authors for all age groups. Here's a selection that would engage you and zap you into another world ...

Adults:

              

 

Teens:

      

 

Children:

     

For more information on this topic click here.

Toronto Public Library hopes that the Asian Heritage Month experience will be an enjoyable and meaningful one for you this year. We would certainly appreciate your feedback as to which programs you have enjoyed the most!

 

Immigrant Diversity Week: Celebrate, Educate, Participate!

 

April 29 to May 3, 2013, is Immigrant Diversity Week!

 

By our guest blogger Winona.

Immigrants bring many skills, talents, experiences, and knowledge to the Canadian workforce!

The Toronto East Quadrant Local Immigration Partnership Employment, Education, and Training Action Group is organizing Immigrant Diversity Week, an awareness week that will focus on the benefits of hiring immigrants and the resources available to newcomers to help them achieve their employment goals.

From Monday April 29 to Friday May 3, 2013, organizations in Scarborough will be hosting a series of free workshops and other programs and events in the Scarborough community to celebrate the many important contributions that immigrants make to the Canadian workforce and economy.

Many of these events will be held at different branches of the Toronto Public Library, and you are invited to attend! 

To register for an event, or to find out more information, please call the library branch where the event is taking place (click on the link to get the branch phone number).

 

Monday April 29, 2013:

• Kick-Off Ceremony with Nicholas Keung, Immigration Reporter, Toronto Star, at Cedarbrae Branch, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
  

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Nicholas Keung graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a degree in communications and psychology. Upon his graduation, he immigrated to Canada with his family in 1994.

New to the country, without any social or professional connections, Keung got his first job in Canada at a Mexican fast food restaurant in a food court at Sherway Gardens Shopping Mall. He later was hired by Sing Tao Daily, a Chinese-language newspaper in Toronto, covering the police beat and then Metro Toronto Council. He joined the Toronto Star in 1997 and has been covering the immigration beat for the paper since 2003.

To register for the Kick-Off, call: 416-431-5326 ext. 2404 or contact: lharrison@accesemployment.ca

• Job Interview Workshop for Newcomers at Agincourt Branch, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
• Resource Fair at Eglinton Square Branch, 1:15-4:00 p.m.

 

Tuesday April 30, 2013:

• Brown Bag Lunch for Service Providers at Malvern Branch, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Newcomer Seniors Peer Sharing in Mandarin at Bridlewood Branch, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
• Information Fair on Immigrant Services at McGregor Park Branch, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
• Benefits of Self-Employment at Cedarbrae Branch, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
• Panel Discussion and Q&A on Employment Success at Morningside Branch, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday May 1, 2013:

• Brown Bag Lunch for Service Providers at Albert Campbell Branch, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
• Catholic Crosscultural Services Information Table at Kennedy/Eglinton Branch, 12:30-5:00 p.m.
• Newcomers' Orientation at Steeles Branch, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
• Canadian Workplace Culture at Albert Campbell Branch, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
• Resume Workshop at Albert Campbell Branch, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
• Business Communication Circle at Bridlewood Branch, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

 

Thursday May 2, 2013:

• Brown Bag Lunch for Service Providers at Cedarbrae Branch, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Resource Information Workshop for Newcomers at Kennedy/Eglinton Branch, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
• Asian Heritage Month Author Visit with Koom Kankesan, Morningside Branch, 7:00-8:00 p.m.

 

Friday May 3, 2013:

• Wrap-Up Celebration, Centennial College, Progress Campus, Fireside Gallery, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (941 Progress Ave.)

 

Below is a complete calendar of events. Click on the calendar to zoom in and take a closer look.

For more information, visit: www.scarboroughlip.ca

The Great Equalizer: Recognition of Library Settlement Partnerships at Toronto Public Library

Library Settlement Partnerships (LSP) is a Newcomer Information Service that is made possible by a partnership of the settlement sector, public libraries, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

At Toronto Public Libraries, there are 16 libraries throughout the library system that offer the LSP service. These services include one-on-one settlement information and referral as well as information sessions.

  
     [Photo Credit: LSP Program Photos from the Library Settlement Partnership Website]

Library Settlement Partnership was recently recognized as a good practice in immigrant integration by the Cities of Migration, a website that seeks to improve local integration practice in major immigrant receiving cities worldwide through information sharing and learning exchange.

Cities of Migration showcases good ideas in immigrant integration and promotes innovative practices that create inclusion and urban prosperity.

      

This recognition places us in what is described as "an international showcase of excellence and innovation in urban integretion practice... followed by city leaders, integretion experts and practitioners world-wide".

The Library Settlement Partnership is also featured in their publication: Canada: Good Ideas from Successful Cities: Municipal Leadership in Immigrant Interation (March 2013, p. 18)

The publication offers a comparative look at various Canadian initiatives.

 

For more information about our Library Settlement Partnerships at The Toronto Public Library, have a look at our website or our blog about this essential service.

 

 

Ever Heard of a Tool Library?

                                  

Now that Spring has finally arrived, many people are busy cleaning up their gardens, tuning up their bicycles and doing projects around the house.  There's an expression, "the right tool for the right job."  If you have a lot of jobs to do around the house and don't have the proper tools, the recently-opened Toronto Tool Library can help.

The Toronto Tool Library is run by The Institute for a Resource-Based Economy,  a non-profit organization that helps communities share and access resources.

Tools can be very expensive to buy, and many people live in apartments and condominiums with no room to store large tools.   Members of the Tool Library can borrow power tools and hand tools for free.  Becoming a member means paying an annual fee of $50.  If you earn less than $40,000 per year, you pay less to join.  The Tool Library has rules for borrowing, and you can renew and place holds, just as you can for the materials at Toronto Public Library.

Soon the Tool Library will have workshops on how to use power and hand tools. But, you can learn now just by visiting your local Toronto Public Library branch.  Here are some titles to help you get started:

 

                      

Tools: a tool by tool guide                             Working with power tools

                       

Yes you can: home repairs made easy              Field guide to tools

                       

       How hard can it be?                           The mini power tool handbook

 

 

Growing Up in a New Country: Books for Newcomer Teens

Being a teenager is hard enough. But being a teenager and moving to another country? Well, that's a whole other challenge altogether! Here are some great books for helping the teenager in your life cope with the ups and downs of being an adolescent, on top of being the new kid in town.

 

Every teen is worried about fitting in. But being a newcomer teen can make fitting in even more of a challenge. Piece by Piece: Stories About Fitting into Canada is an anthology of newcomer stories with contributions from some of Canada's most notable authors - many of whom were born in another country. From their first Canadian culture shock to their first memory of feeling "Canadian," this collection of stories will appeal to teens and newcomers alike

 

 

 

 

First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants is another anthology about the adolescent newcomer experience. The anthology includes contributions by authors from Mexican, Venezuelan, Kazakh, Chinese, Romanian, Palestinian, Swedish, Korean, Haitian, and Cambodian backgrounds, with stories that touch on the challenges of prejudice, language barriers and homesickness.

 

 

 

 

 

A Step from Heaven tells the story of Young Ju, who at age four, is forced to leave her Korean home and loving Halmoni (grandmother) to move with her parents to Mi Gook (America). In America, Young Ju's parents struggle with several low-paying jobs and are handicapped by their language barrier. Struggling with alcoholism and domestic violence, Young Ju's father crosses a frightening line in his cruelty, forcing Young Ju to make a decision that will set her mother, younger brother and herself on the path to another new life in America.

 

 

In Learning to Fly, Jason, a recent immigrant from China, makes some bad decisions as he comes to terms with small-town racism while trying to fit in. He wants to leave his small town in Canada and return to China, where he and his mother lived until four years ago. His white high-school teachers do not know how smart he is, and his classmates jeer at him. Driven to join the crowd of potheads, he bonds especially with his Native American classmate, Charles. Desperate after the police catch him buying drugs for his friends, Jason thinks of suicide, but he finds help in surprising places. The clipped dialogue perfectly echoes the contemporary scene, the harsh prejudice felt by both the new immigrant and the Native American, and their gripping story of friendship .

 

 

Told through a series of poems, Inside Out & Back Again is the story of Hà, a young girl who in 1975 is forced to leave Vietnam with her mother and brothers and resettle in Alabama where she finds refuge but also cruel rejection, especially from mean classmates. Based on the author's personal experience, this first novel captures a child-refugee's struggle with rare honesty. Readers will be moved by Hà's sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast who spends lunchtime hiding in the bathroom.

 

 

 

Kiffe, Kiffe Tomorrow is the story of Doria and her life in the Paradise projects of Paris. Doria's father, the Beard, has headed back to their hometown in Morocco, leaving her and her mom to fend for themselves. As Doria struggles through school, puberty, and boys, she learns to that it is possible to dream of a life beyond the projects.

 

 

 

 

Movies are a great way to capture an adolescent's attention. Reel Canada: Integrating Skills Through Canadian Film is an intermediate ESL text for adult and young adult learners that uses Canadian films as a starting point for learning English. Each chapter builds upon the content of a film from the National Film Board of Canada, while examining new vocabulary, grammar structures, and themes. Reel Canada is the first book in the Culture Link series.

 

 

 

If there's one thing teens love, it's music. O Canada: Integrated Skills Through Canadian Music is a great ESL resource for teens that will introduce them to the Canadian music scene, while learning English at the same time.   The book uses Canadian songs and songwriters as a starting point for learning English. Each chapter builds upon the content of its focus song, examining new vocabulary, grammar structures, and themes. O Canada is the second book in the Culture Link series.

 

 

 

 What was your favourite book when you were growing up? Share your stories with us!

 

Need some more suggestions? Check out these websites:

Canadian Children's Book Centre's List of Canadian Immigration Books for Kids and Teens

Parent's Choice: Children's Media & Toy Reviews - Immigration Novels for Teens

Nerdy Book Club - Ten Young Adult Books that Reflect the US Immigration Experience

Mitali Perkins' Official Author Website - Excellent Books for Teens Between Cultures

 

 

Health, Wellness, and Peer Nutrition

Have you ever wanted a litte more information on eating a healthier diet? Toronto Public Library has many resources available to you to find out more! The following is a list of programs, books, blogs, and online resources that you can use to locate information on nutrition, wellness, and healthy eating. Bon Appétit!

                                    [Photo Credit: Easy Living Mom]


Programs (from April - June 2013):

Peer Nutrition Program at Parliament Library from April 4, 2013 - May 16, 2013
Learn to how to shop and prepare healthy food for your family during this six week workshop.

Prevention with Nutrition at Cedarbrae Library from April 6, 2013 - July 6, 2013
Learn the facts about our bodies and how the foods we eat-or not, can adversely affect our health.

Eating Healthy for Adults and Older Adults at Downsview Library on April 18, 2013
Learn about the benefits of healthy eating! Presented by Toronto Public Health

Healthy Eating for Children at Burrows Hall Library on April 30, 2013
A Toronto Public Health Nurse will discuss Canada's Food Guide, how to deal with a picky eater and planning healthy meals.

Protect your Health at Agincourt Library on June 4, 2013 (Program in Mandarin)
Topics will include an overview of heart disease and stroke, rise factors, warnings signs and how to lower your risk by living a healthy lifestyle.

Wellness and Nutrition at Woodside Square Library on June 12, 2013
Certified Nurse Practitioner, Lucille Poulin, will discuss the right food choices and how they can be powerful medicine for the body.

These programs and more are available through our website under Health and Wellness

Books:

Have your library card ready to order some of these suggestions or call your local branch to find out if a title is near you!

        

More books are available through our website under Nutrition for Children

 

Blogs:

Health and Wellness Blog has many posts with valuable information and book suggestions by Toronto Public Library librarians. Some of these blogs include:

Eat Less Sugar to Lose Weight and Be Healthier! by Emoke
Kid-Friendly Food: Nutrition for Children by Carolyn
Have you had your salad today? by Marietta Forster-Haberer
Nutrition and Stress by Marietta Forester-Haberer

[Photo Credit: Healthy Dietitan]

Other related blogs include:

Healthy Eating by Claire Bear
Taking a bite out of meat by The Page Turner
Green up your health by The Page Turner
How does what you eat affect your health? by Cynthia

[Photo Credit: Children's Healthy Food and National Institute of Health]
 

Electronic Resources:

The library also has electronic databases that can help with Health information. Have your library card and PIN number ready (usually the last 2 numbers of your phone number) in order to access these databases. These databases include:

Consumer Health Complete
Health amd medical information                                 
                                                                 
Health & Wellness Resource Center
Academic and personal medical and health information including alternative health approaches.

Natural Standard
The authority on Integrative Medicine.                                          
                                                                                                       
Teen Health and Wellness   
Real life, real answers.

Santé en Français
Health and medical information in French. 



 

 

Picture Books on Learning English

Public libraries are a wonderful place to discover many different books on a variety of topics. The picture book format may have been written for children, but these valuable books can also be enjoyed by people of all ages. 

Learning the English language has it's difficulties and there is no shortage of books and stories that highlight these frustrations. The following is a small list of picture books that underline and focus on the distress and irritations in learning a new language.

 

Carmen Learns English by Judy Cox is about Spanish-speaking student, Carmen, who has newly-arrived in the United States from Mexico. Carmen is apprehensive about going to school and learning English, until friends show her new English words. 

I Hate English! by Ellen Levine is about young girl, Mei Mei who moves to New York from Hong Kong with her family. Mei Mei finds it difficult to adjust to school, while learning the alien sounds of English and does not understand the need to learn a new language.

 
In English of Course by Josephine Nobisso is about Italian-born, Josephine, who tries to tell her new American class about her life in Italy, in English of course. Through multicultural miscommunications, Josephine makes herself understood.

  

Painted Words by Aliki is a book of two stories. One is the telling of Mari's starting school in a new land, and the second describing village life in her country before she and her family left in search of a better life. Mari's paintings are used as the medium for her narration as she struggles to understand a new language at school.

   

Uncle Rain Cloud by Tony Johnston is about young Carlos, who tries to help his uncle, frustrated and angry at his inability to speak English, adjust to their new home in Los Angeles.

 

My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits is all about Korean-born "Yoon" who dislikes her name written in English, and refers to herself as "cat," "bird," and "cupcake," as a way to feel more comfortable in her new school and new country. As she learns the meaning of her Korean name, she begins to accept her place in her new home.

 The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is about new student, Unhei, and her name that nobody can pronounce. After Unhei moves from Korea to the United States, her new classmates help her decide what her name should be by putting their suggestions into a jar.

 

 
All these books and more are available at the 98 Toronto Public Libraries throughout the city. For more information on where to locate these books, please click on the book image or visit our main page at www.torontopubliclibrary.ca

Related Blog Posts:
Also have a look at one of our New to Canada blogger's post on Discover Canada in Children's Picture books for more picture book choices!

What's your favourite picture book?

Ontario Maple Syrup festivals: A Canadian tradition in early spring!

It is the beginning of March and this also means maple syrup festival time in Ontario!

As the maple tree is one of the symbols of Canada - taking part in a Maple Syrup harvest festival is a wonderful way for new Canadians to experience Ontario nature and taste from this annual local tradition in early Spring.

The maple sugar industry is unique to the provinces of Quebec (the biggest producer), Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island (and in parts of the Northeastern United States). 

The Native people of Canada had known how to harvest maple syrup, by collecting sap from maple trees, long before the first European settlers came in the 16th century and they later show them how it is done.

Today "Canada produces about 85 % of the world's maple syrup - valued at over $213 million annually. There are approximately 10,500 producers across the country located mainly in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that export maple products to 45 countries worldwide." (Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food)

 

LIBRARY BOOKS ABOUT MAPLE SYRUP:

    

 

 

           

• Maple Syrup Smoke & Kettles, DVD, 2005.

 

WHAT IS A MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL ABOUT?

 When visiting the "sugar bush" - you will watch demonstrations of how the sap gets collected at the maple trees and boiled into sweet sticky syrup and you will also try the fresh syrup. There are also many family friendy activities such as wagon rides, children's crafts, and of course - pancakes and maple syrup candy!

You can find many locations throughout Ontario that host maple syrup harvesting events. Usually they happen on farms that produce maple syrup or in a provincial park/conservation area. This is a list of maple syrup festivals in Ontario - as published by OMSPA - The Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association. Even more maple syrup farms  can be found with a search on the Internet.

 

TIPS FOR ATTENDING A MAPLE SYRUP EVENT:

• Timing - harvest time is limited - most of the activities are during March - usually the places are open all day during weekends and early April and every day during the school March break.
• Cost - usually the festivals charge a small fee for attending and/or tasting so make sure to bring cash to buy some tasty treats.
• Dress appropriately - the maple syrup festivals happen outdoors in the "sugar bush" and the weather in March is still cold and wet. Think - warm layers of clothing especially for the kids, boots, warm socks, mittens and hats. Since the tastings happen most likely outside - be prepared to get in some mud.
• Crowds - the maply syrup events can get very busy due to the limited season and March break. Plan your trip - there can be longer arrival lineups for cars especially in the first part of the day and another lineup for those yummy maple syrup pancakes.
• Fun - have fun and enjoy a unique rite of passage of early Spring that we have inherited in this country!

 

SOME MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVALS IN THE GTA AND NEARBY:

One of the most accessible locations for Torontonians to attend and enjoy this unique natural tradition are the two parks of the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival - the Kortright Centre for Conservation (in Woodbridge) and Bruce's Mills Conservation Area (in Stoufville). There are also maple syrup festivals at Bronte Creek Provincian Park in Oakville, Mountsberg Conservation Area in Milton and east of Toronto - the Purple Woods Maple Syrup Festival near Oshawa.

 

 

Video from Kortright and Bruce's Mill Maple Syrup festival - http://www.maplesyrupfest.com

 

TASTY RECIPES:

Maple syrup is a natural, healthy and pure sweetener and this makes it a great substitute for sugar. Before I immigrated to Toronto - I had never tried maple syrup! Now I always keep a small bottle in my fridge and pancakes topped with maple syrup are a favourite Sunday breakfast for my family.

 

Our easy family recipe for fluffy yogurt pancakes topped with maple syrup (double the recipe if needed and adapt the ingredients as you please):

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. oil

Combine the flour, soda, salt and sugar. Whisk the yogurt and eggs together and add them to the flour. Heat up the frying pan to medium with a bit of oil and fry the pancakes - one at a time - put a large spoon of batter on, in a couple of minutes as you notice bubbles forming, flip the pancake and cook the other side for about two more minutes. Serve warm with your favourite savory or sweet toppings, such as butter, cream cheese, fruits, honey, jam, and of course - with maple syrup!

But maple syrup goes far beyond pancakes and is being used by many chefs in delicious recipes for appetizers, main dishes and desserts - here is a recent selection of Maple syrup: 10 truly Canadian recipes, published in January 2013  by the Canadian Parent magazine.

 

Have you been to a maple syrup harvest? Do you have favourite maple syrup recipes?

 Bon appetit! I will be off to visiting my first maple syrup festival this month!

Online Resources for Newcomers

How do I properly dispose of my old CD player? How do I get that pot-hole on my street fixed? Where can I get the flu shot?

These are some of the questions many newcomers may have when they arrive in Toronto, but many people may not know where to look.

The City of Toronto website is a great resource for finding answers to your everyday questions. Here are a few of my favourite City of Toronto online resources.

 

WASTE WIZARD

Waste Wizard is a great online resource for finding out how to properly dispose of unwanted items. I use this resource quite frequently because many times I'm not sure whether something goes in the garbage or recycling bin. I guarantee that once you start using it, you won't be able to stop!

311

311 is a muncipal information service that provides access to information about non-emergency city services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can access 311 either by phone (just dial 3-1-1), or through their website (www.toronto.ca/311). If you have a question, and you don't know whom to ask, start with 311! If they can't answer your question, they'll be able to refer you to someone who will.

You can use 311 to request information for anything from tree pruning to water service, and even for road and weather conditions. Once, I even used 311 to report a dog I thought to have been abandoned. Whatever your question is, 311 will connect you with the right city service.

 

Did you also know that Toronto Public Library has some great online resources for newcomers and English language learners? You will need your library card to access these databases, but once you're logged in, you'll find a wealth of information to help you settle into your new life in Toronto.

Here are some of the best databases for newcomers and ESL students:

 

IELTS

This IELTS database helps you to prepare and practice for your IELTS test by providing links to reading, listening, speaking, and writing practice tests. This database may come in handy, especially now that skilled workers and professionals who immigrate to Canada must provide proof of language proficiency.

 

MANGO LANGUAGES

Mango Languages is another great resource that provides online English language learning courses tailored for speakers of Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, and other languages. If you're interested in learning a third or fourth language, Mango also provides language learning courses for fifty other languages, including Spanish, Japanese, Hindi, and even Pirate!

 

MY CANADA

My Canada is an online resource that will help you learn more about Canada's history, geography, government, and culture.

STUDY SKILLS SUCCESS

This online resource will help you develop the skills you need to learn English. Study Skills Success offers courses on English reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Once you've mastered these four language skills, you can also try out their grammar, vocabulary, critical thinking and research courses.

 

LEARNING EXPRESS LIBRARY

Learning Express Library is your one-stop shop for practice tests, exercises, and skill-building courses on subjects ranging from math and science, to social studies and reading comprehension. Learning Express Library also provides online courses on job and career skills, including how to write a resume, tips for successful job interviews and job search information. But wait! There's more! Learning Express Library also provides TOEFL practice tests, as well as Canadian citizenship practice exams.

 

BUSINESS WRITING

And last but not least, the Business Writing online resource is a great online learning tool for small-business owners, job seekers, and professionals alike. This online resource provides you with online courses for developing a variety of business and career related skills, including how to write a report, how to apply for a job, and even how to successfully share your ideas with colleagues.

 

So how do you access these wonderful online databases? It's easy! just follow these instructions:

1. Go to www.torontopubliclibrary.ca
2. Click on "Articles and Online Research."
3. Click on "A - Z list of all databases."
4. Search for your desired database from the list, which is in alphabetic order. Once you've found the database you're looking for, click on the orange "Access Online" button.
5. Type in your library card number and PIN.
6. Click on the orange "Continue" button
7. Start learning!

 

Do you find these online resources useful? Which online resources have you used to help you settle in Toronto? Let us know!