If you've never lived in Canada or the United States, you might not be aware of some of the daily challenges here. To overcome some of them, you might need some items you never imagined you'd need. You might not even know they exist. You probably won't need all the items listed here, but it's worth checking to see if one or more of these items would make your life here more pleasant.

The sun in Canada is weak, especially in winter. This hinders the natural production of vitamin D, which depends on sun exposure. It's very common for people in Canada to suffer from insufficient levels of this vitamin. Besides vitamin D, there are other vitamins you may need for a healthy life in Canada. Fruits are expensive in Canada. As a result, people generally eat less fruit, and this can lead to deficiencies in other vitamins besides vitamin D, mentioned above. Below is a list of vitamin supplements we recommend to help you avoid vitamin deficiencies and their effects.

The water in this region is very hard, meaning it contains a high concentration of calcium and magnesium. This creates problems when using soap. Many people complain that they come out of the shower with stiff hair and other problems related to this high calcium concentration. Nothing serious, but it's unpleasant. To avoid this, many choose to install a shower filter in their showers that removes a good portion of this hardness and thus eliminates this problem. If you don't want to experience this, buy a filter for each shower in your new home. Below are some popular models. Remember: from time to time the filter element needs to be replaced. It must be from the same brand as the filter.

Alberta, like other prairie provinces, has a very dry climate, especially in winter. Some people are sensitive to this. Many properties have internal humidity control, but older ones do not. If you or someone traveling with you is sensitive to very dry air and the property you rented does not have humidity control, consider buying a portable humidifier. Below are some popular models.

People usually prefer to buy clothes in person at physical stores. If you have the opportunity, we recommend doing so instead of buying online. There are even secondhand clothing stores where you can find coats in good condition for a very reasonable price. However, if you planned to arrive in winter and have never bought coats in countries with cold climates, you may have an unpleasant surprise upon arrival. Temperatures can reach -30 degrees Celsius or even lower. Temperatures in this range occur rarely, but between -20 and -30 degrees are reasonably common in winter. For those who have never experienced temperatures in this range, this temperature is lower than the normal temperature of your freezer. So, to avoid thermal shock, if you planned to arrive in winter, it may be a good idea to buy at least one heavy coat for each person in the family. When it comes to heavy coats for intense cold, it is recommended to buy a size larger than the normal clothes you wear. Below are some common models for winter use in Canada.

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On very cold days, coats are often not enough for adequate protection against the low temperatures. It is recommended that, on such days, you wear what is called "second skin" in Portuguese or "thermal underwear" in English. This helps keep the body warm on days of extreme temperatures. If you come from a place that is not plagued by these very low temperatures, you may not even have anywhere to buy this, or if you do, it may not be a suitable product to protect you from the extreme temperatures we sometimes face in Canada. If you plan to arrive in winter or near the beginning of it, consider buying some pieces for yourself and your family. See some models below.

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Anyone who hasn't experienced the cold of a Canadian winter has no idea of ​​its effect on the body. Extremities are particularly vulnerable. Appropriate gloves are essential for facing a Canadian winter. As mentioned above, ideally you should buy them in person and have a chance to try them on before making a purchase. But if your arrival is in winter, you might not be able to wait. Therefore, buying them on Amazon before you arrive might be a good idea. In countries where winter isn't as cold, it's difficult to find suitable gloves for the winter here. If you've never bought gloves like this in a country where the cold reaches this level, this is a good place to start. See below some models suitable for facing a Canadian winter.

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Buying shoes without having the chance to see and, especially, try them on beforehand is even more problematic than other clothing items like those mentioned above. However, there are people who simply can't stand the coldness in their feet. And I'm talking about temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius ABOVE zero. If you are one of those people and don't want to experience cold feet in temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius and don't have snow boots, it might be a good idea to get at least one pair for yourself and anyone else traveling with you who has the same intolerance before arrival. If you are going to buy them, remember: you need to use the Canadian standards. It is not universal. Canadian Standard is the same used in US, but not everywhere. If you do not use this standard in your country, look in the internet the conversion to Canada/US standard so you can find the equivalent size you use in your country.

If the possibility of your feet getting cold when the outside temperature is below -20 degrees Celsius and your feet are stuck in the snow gives you chills, and you're arriving in winter, consider buying your snow boots before you arrive. Below are some models you can buy on Amazon.

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If you've never lived in a place where it snows and the snow stays on the sidewalks for months on end, you may never have even imagined that one day you would need this. Snow is beautiful when it has just fallen. White, clean, radiant. But it doesn't stay that way for long if cars and/or people frequently drive over it. Over time, it gets dirty, mixed with dirt, small stones, and leaves that fell in the fall. All of this sticks to the shoes of people who walk where the snow has fallen. When you arrive home with your boots full of this dirty snow, you may not even be able to imagine the dirt that accumulates when you walk around the house with shoes like that, or even if you take them off and leave them directly on the floor. For this reason, this curious object called a shoe tray was created. Something whose usefulness is difficult to imagine for people who have never lived with snow, but which is routine in places where it is part of daily life, at least in winter. When you arrive home – your own or someone else's who has invited you – you should take off your shoes and place them in the tray. Especially if it's winter. The snow and the dirt that clings to it, as it melts, goes into the tray, not onto the floor. This makes a HUGE difference when cleaning the house. Below are some models available on Amazon.

Electrical connectors are not worldwide standarized. If you bring with you some electrical device and intend it to work in canada, pay attention to the type of electrical connector it has. See the table below: 

Canada uses Type A and Type B plugs. Type A male plugs fit into Type B female plugs. But if your electrical equipment uses a different type of plug than A or B, you will need an adapter. Otherwise, you will not be able to plug it into Canadian outlets. See below for some adapter models you can buy.

The Canadian electrical grid is 110 volts. In some places, the grid voltage is 220 volts, and electrical equipment is adapted to this voltage. If you bring any appliances adapted for 220 volts and expect them to work in Canada, you will need a transformer. If you intend to buy one, remember that it is recommended to allow a 20% margin between the transformer's capacity and the power of your equipment. That is, if your equipment consumes 100 watts, buy a transformer capable of converting a power of at least 120 watts.

From this point on, this page only deals with items necessary for people who live in houses that are not part of a gated community. Those who live in apartments or houses within a gated community are responsible for a range of services that those living in houses outside of gated communities must provide themselves. If you do not intend to live in a house outside of a gated community, it is best to RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE and not continue. But if you DO intend to live outside of a gated community, check the list below.

This is only for those who will be living in a house. Those planning to live in an apartment don't need to worry about this, as the building's management will take care of it. But even people who live in condominium houses may have to deal with this. The water consumed in many Canadian cities has very high hardness. "Hardness" here means a high concentration of calcium and/or magnesium salts. "Hard" water causes problems such as accelerating corrosion or causing solid deposits in pipes. To avoid this problem, some houses install water softeners, which remove some of these salts from the water, making it less hard. These softeners use salt to replace excess calcium and magnesium in the water with sodium. This salt is consumed. It is necessary, from time to time, to replenish the softener with salt. If you are going to live in a house, consider having a stock of this salt. But be aware: NOT EVERY HOUSE HAS A WATER SOFTENER INSTALLED. Before buying your salt supply, check if the house where you will be living has a water softener. If it doesn't, there's no point in buying salt. Here are some popular brands of salt softener in Canada.

Snow Joe is a brand name, but like so many others, in the popular imagination here in Canada it's synonymous with the product it sells. It's a snow removal machine that throws the snow away. Anyone living in a house has an obligation to keep the sidewalk in front of their house clear of snow, and also the driveway from the sidewalk to their front door. If someone is injured because of accumulated snow on the sidewalk or the driveway from the sidewalk to their front door, you are responsible. You will have to pay for treatment and, possibly, compensation to the injured person. You will have to remove the snow from these areas yourself or hire someone or a company to do it. You can remove it with a shovel, and usually when you rent a house, the landlord provides a shovel. However, if the area to be cleared is large, the work is exhausting. That's where the Snow Joe comes in. It sweeps the sidewalk and throws the snow in the direction you point it. It makes the job much easier. If you're going to have to remove snow from your sidewalk, consider buying a Snow Joe. Below are some models available on Amazon.

You will need to not only remove snow from the sidewalk and driveway to your front door, but also keep them free of snow and ice. Many people use antifreeze for this. It's a mixture of salts that lower the freezing point so that, even at sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice melt upon contact with these salts. It's common practice during winter to spread this salt mixture in areas you want to keep free of snow and ice so that they melt even on cold winter days. If you want to use this method, it's suggested that you buy a product specifically designed for this purpose. Some popular brands available on Amazon are shown below.

The real name of the product that people there call by its most famous brand name is "snow blower." This creates confusion with another product: the blower. The blower can – and often is – used to remove snow from the sidewalk, and you might prefer to use one instead of the Snow Joe. If you intend to do this – many people do – remember: The blower is less efficient than the Snow Joe. If the total area you need to clear isn't very large, it might be a good idea to clear using only the blower. But even in small areas, the blower doesn't work very well when the snow layer to be removed is very thick (greater than about 20 cm). The blower also works to remove fallen tree leaves in the fall. If you think it's a good idea to have a blower to remove both snow and dry leaves, see below some models available on Amazon.

Se você optou por morar numa casa que não pertence a um condomínio, será sua a responsabilidade de manter a grama cortada. E não se engane: os vizinhos podem reclamar se seu gramado não estiver bem cuidado e isso pode gerar uma multa da prefeitura. O normal é que, se você alugar uma casa fora de condomínio que tenha um gramado para ser cuidado, o cortador de grama venha junto com a casa. Mas pode acontecer de não vir. Se for seu caso, é melhor adquirir seu cortador de grama ou poderá ter desentendimentos com seus vizinhos. Veja abaixo alguns modelos.

If you bought a snow joe or a non-battery-powered electric lawnmower, you'll need an extension cord to plug it into an outlet. Depending on the distance, you may need longer cords. See some examples below.

Those who live in a house must take care of everything alone. Exchanging a light bulb, a smoke detector, small repairs, things like that. In order to reach something on the ceiling or in a high place it is important to have a ladder at hand. See below some models available in Amazon.

In Canada, garages are seldom used to store only cars. In reality, there are houses in which the owners use the garage only to store other objects while leaving their cars on the street. However, even those who do store their cars inside the garage normally store many other things there as well. Things like snow shovel, brooms to remove leaves in the fall, ladders, bicycles, tools for gardening and others. Some houses are offered with appropriate places to store those objects but some others, especially the new ones, are offered with nothing for that. If your garage is not prepared to store those objects, consider installing some hooks to organize it.

NOTE: Generally, the walls of the garage are of drywall. Before installing the hook, be sure that the place where you will install is a wood pillar. Otherwise, the wall may not sustain the weight and cause a huge loss to you.

You may want to store some objects in your garage that won't fit well in a hook. For those, a good solution is installing some wall shelves. As in the case of the hooks, you may encounter a house whose garage already has some. But if the house you chose do NOT have them or does not have enough for everything you intend to store there, a good idea is to buy some more and install there. See below some models that can be used for this purpose.

NOTE: Generally, the walls are drywall. Be sure to put the screws in a wood pillar to avoid damaging the wall.

If your house has a big garage and you intend to store many objects there, the wall shelves may not be enough. In such cases, a garage shelving unit is a good solution. See below some models that can be used for this purpose. 

During the winter, the car gets very dirty due to small stones and mud that stick to it when it crosses streets that are full of snow. When you place it in the garage, the snow melts, and all the dirt stays on the floor of the garage. At the end of the winter, normally a great amount of small peables and dry mud is accumulated on the floor. Removing this dirt from there is a big task. The best form or cleaning this is with a pressure washer. Below some models that can be used for this purpose.

NOTE: Some people use this tool for washing cars. There are very strict laws about the residual water from washing cars. A car can only be washed in places where this residual water is caught and treated in a form that is established by law. DO NOT USE THIS GADGET TO WASH YOUR CAR, unless you are sure that the residual water wil be caught in the way established by law.