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 There
are many different options for you to find an accommodation in
Edmonton. You may decide to live with a home stay family, to rent your own
place - a house, a condominium or an apartment, or you may have an option
to live with your guardian, or a family member or a family friend.
Edmonton Catholic Schools works with a Homestay Provider -
for more information contact International Student Services Office at (780)989-3004
If you are interested in renting affordable accommodation
in Edmonton and you are 18 years and older, please check the following
websites  :
www.places4rent.com
and www.bwalk.com
for detailed information on the apartments, town houses or
condominiums across the city of Edmonton. Average rates
for renting a 2 bedroom apartment range from $500-$700 per
month.
During your stay in Edmonton you will probably want to find
out more information about the city of Edmonton and everything
that it may offer you. You may find a lot of interesting information
at various websites such as :
www.edmonton.ca click
"for Visitors", www.edmontonplus.ca,
www.gateway2edmonton.com,
www.Go2Edmonton.com
Health Insurance
As an International student, you must obtain a Canadian medical and/or health insurance and provide a proof of it to your school before you start your classes. There are two different options for you:
- If you are staying in Canada for more than one year you
may apply for Alberta Health Care. You should apply within
three months of your arrival to Edmonton. Your coverage
will start from the date of your arrival. Your monthly premiums
are $44.00 for a single person or $88.00 for a family. You
may access the information at www.health.gov.ab.ca
or by phoning 780-427-1432
in Edmonton.
- If you are staying less than one year there are other
private insurance companies that you may purchase health
coverage through, such as Ingle Insurance at www.ingleinternational.com
or StudentGuard at www.studentguard.com
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Guardianship
If you are sending your child (children, who is under 18 years of age, to study in Alberta as an International student, and he/she is not staying with a home stay family, then you have to make sure that your child has a legal guardian in Alberta. You have to make a legal appointment of that guardian in a "Guardianship statement" and provide it to Edmonton Catholic School District. If your child (children) will be in the care of a guardian, who is not a home stay provider, you should also be aware that there are many issues you have to clarify before you decide that you want that person to be a guardian of your child.
There are some questions you may ask a potential legal guardian of your child before you officially appoint him/her:
- What are the legal guardian responsibilities and duties in regards to his/her care of your child? Make sure you have all specific services indicated (such as living arrangements for your child-room and food; transportation for your child to and from the school; other transportation arrangements; contact with the school: parent-teacher meetings, school events, field trips and other; homework and other school activities; health and medical care of your child; communication between guardian and you: how often);
- Is there a written agreement between you and the guardian indicating his/hers legal obligations and responsibilities towards the International student in his/her care?
- How much will the guardian charge you for his/her guardianship services? Ask for specific indication of services which are included in the price - guardianship fees.
- Will your child live with a guardian?
- If your child is not living with the guardian, how is the guardian going to take care of your child?
- Will the guardian be in contact with your child on daily, weekly or monthly basis?
- Will your child have access to the guardian at all times if he/she needs to?
- Is the potential guardian willing to provide you with a police clearance and a child welfare check, to prove that his/her criminal record is clean?
- Will the potential guardian provide you with the names of previous students who were in his/her care, so that you can contact them and get information about their experience with that guardian?
Only after you make an in depth inquiry of a guardian, you may be ready to finalize your agreement and pay the fees you negotiated with him/her. It is worthwhile investing your time and energy in researching and collecting this information because you want to make sure that your child lives in a safe, friendly and supportive environment during his/her stay in Canada.
You should also be aware that in case of any issue or a problem, your child should talk to the teacher or the counselor or the principal at his/her school and tell them about the problem. The teachers are usually the best persons to talk to because they develop the closest and the most trust relationships with students. In Canada it is not only acceptable, but strongly recommended that all students, including International students, share their problems with the person in school with whom they have the closest relationship. They will be able to provide the best advise, support, counsel and guidance to the student and help them resolve the problem or the situation, especially if their parents are not with them.
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