Ontarios Driving regulations

Driver licensing in Ontario as a newcomer is a fairly straight forward exercise. You are required to apply for an Ontario driver's licence within 60 days of taking up residence in the province. After 60 days you must hold an Ontario driver's licence to be able to continue to drive - an International drivers licence will give you a maximum of 12 months though. You must always carry your driver's license with you.

Ontario operates a Graduated Licensing Program, this is a program designed to allow new drivers more time to gain experience and skills at driving. The two step process takes a minimum of 20 months before new drivers obtain their full drivers privileges.

Depending on Where You Are From and how much driving experience you have, you may or may not have to take a knowledge and road test. If you are from a country or province that Ontario has an exchange agreement with, you must pass a vision test and show acceptable proof of your previous license status and driving experience. To exchange an out of province license you will need to contact a Drivers Examination Centre. Don't forget you will need to present your out of country/province driver's license verifying previous driving experience or written confirmation about your previous driving experience from the licensing authorities and there are Fees applicable to the licensing process.

There are 12 different Classes of license in Ontario. Unless you intend to drive a heavy goods vehicle or large passenger vehicles, then you only need to concentrate on classes G & M. Class G is for cars, with G1 & G2 being the applicable levels of the Graduated Licensing Program and Class M is for Motorcycles, again with M1 & M2 for the Graduated Licensing Program.

Vehicle Licensing

All motor vehicles in Ontario must be licensed, insured and maintained, before they are allowed on the road.

To register the vehicle you must buy a vehicle permit and plates and pay an annual vehicle validation fee. The renewal date is based on your birth date; therefore, this will always be the same every year. A renewal form will be mailed to you and you can renew your registration at any Driver & Vehicle Licensing Issuing Office.

If you take your own vehicle to Ontario you have 30 days to register it. If you are looking for a replacement vehicle read the following guide to Buying a Vehicle that provides great information that could save you time, money and trouble!

Another vital service that is available if you are looking to buy a preowned vehicle is to have the vehicle history checked. Several companies can offer this service - more details can be found at the main website linked below in the authors box. For a small fee they will provide a full report on any previous accidents, odometer level, the correct owner/registrant and if there are any other claims against the vehicle ownership. No one needs their vehicle to be repossessed because it has finance against it or find out it has been previously written off!

Vehicle Insurance

It is illegal to operate an uninsured vehicle as all motor vehicles in Ontario must be insured with a minimum $200,000 third party liability insurance policy. You will not be able to register your vehicle without proof of your valid insurance. In Ontario, private companies provide Auto Insurance coverage for all drivers. The main website provides exceptional information on Auto Insurance in Canada and each Province's individual system.

When driving any vehicle you must always carry the pink liability insurance card for that vehicle. Failure to produce it if asked by the police can lead to a fine of up to $400.00. Make sure you get an up to date no claims certificate from your current insurance company before leaving. Some companies may not recognize your previous history depending upon your nationality and the insurance company you were with before but make sure you bring them anyway. Always photocopy all your original driving documents in the case you have to surrender them - that way you will have the copy for future reference should you ever need to prove your previous history or return to your home nation.

Dave Lympany emigrated to Canada with his family in 2003 and has developed http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com - the free information resource for Canada and Canadian Immigration. With over 150 pages of great content, the site is continually expanding and regularly updated and is an excellent resource for Immigration, Relocation, Research and Travel.

Insulation: US Government Regulations and Tax Credits

Your home may be one of the millions of homes that were built less than 10 years ago. If so, then there is a big chance that your home is not insulated properly, and therefore losing anywhere from 10%-50% of its energy every year. In 2005, a national energy bill was signed into law. The best part of the bill was that it included energy-efficient tax credits to anyone who chose to make improvements to their existing homes.

Insulating your home properly will not only save you a lot of money on a yearly basis, but it will also make your home more "energy friendly." Many homeowners never wanted to take the time to properly insulate their homes, but now they have a great reason to get the insulation work done properly. Homeowners are eligible for a nice tax credit should they choose to get their homes insulated properly.

Insulation Tax Credit

The insulation tax credit for homeowners will refund each homeowner 30% of the cost, up to $1,500.00. This credit can be used on existing primary residences. This insulation tax credit has been going since 2009. It was extended through 2010, and by all accounts will be extended through 2011 and beyond.

Requirements

To take full advantage of this tax credit, you have to use insulation material or an insulation system that is specifically designed to produce the heat loss/heat gain of your home. The primary purpose of the installation must be to insulate your home. Not sure what doesn't qualify? Something like insulated siding on your home will not qualify, as this is not an insulation system that is designed to produce heat loss or heat gain within your home.

You must also meet the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and all amendments to the IECC Code. Remember, this credit does not include any deductions from insulation and labor costs. The credit is based on the amount of your heating bill at year's end, up to $1,500.00.

Not many homeowners realize the importance of getting their homes up to proper energy efficiency, and many just don't care. There was never really a reason to do it, unless you were looking to save some money. Most homeowners figured that the amount of money they would spend on insulation and labor was not worth the money that they would end up saving.

The government has now given homeowners a reason to make the adjustments, besides the fact that their homes would be more "energy friendly." In today's tough economic times, it is important for homeowners to gain tax credits wherever they can. The national energy bill credit is just one of many energy-related credits available to homeowners. If you add up how much you will save every year on your heating costs by installing proper insulation, then add a 30% tax credit to that number, you are coming out on top. Thirty percent of $1,500.00 is $450.00. That is a pretty nice tax credit.

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