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Fun facts about Ontario

Toronto has a lot of great festivals, but there are a few truly world-class festivals that offer a unique experience for audiences.

Give your Ontario nanny a chance to see the Toronto International Film Festival to experience serious filmmaking -- and see some of next year's soon-to-be-classic Hollywood films long before they come to the local mall.

For 31 years, filmmakers have been gathering each fall in Toronto to show their newest films and to enter them in competition. Remember, that fall is traditionally the time when Hollywood and other film centers release their serious, Oscar-contending films.

So there's a chance in Toronto to see some of the movies that are going to make big news in a few months. Past winners include "Hotel Rwanda," "Whale Rider," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "American Beauty."

If your Ontario nanny is a film buff, she will be in heaven. Even if she just likes movies, it's a truly unique event and an Ontario experience like no other. The festival takes place every September and there is plenty of information available online.

Does your Ontario nanny like Shakespeare? Or maybe you want to expose her to some world-class Shakespearean comedy and drama?

The Stratford Festival of Canada is world-renowned for its summer Shakespeare festival. You can see a dozen or more Shakespeare productions, plus selected other plays, all in a summer festival atmosphere.

The Stratford Festival is located in Stratford, Ontario, about two hours drive south of Toronto and equidistant from Detroit and Buffalo.

So it's relatively easy to get to. You can buy single tickets, a package, or a complete season. Find out more about the Stratford Festival of Canada at the group's web site.

If your Ontario nanny is a music fan -- and what young person isn't? -- she'll find music she likes in Ontario.

Ontario has especially good music festivals during the short summer months, including: the Irish music at the Owen Sound Celtic Festival in September; chamber music and jazz outdoors at and Parry Sound's Festival of the Sound, in July and August; and world-class jazz at the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival in October.

Then there's the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's annual winter season downtown, and dozens of major pop and rock shows that play the Air Canada Centre, and other smaller theaters around Toronto and the surrounding area.

Music can be a great way to soak up the culture of a new community -- and a great way to stay in touch with your roots. Give your Ontario nanny a chance to enjoy music year-round by helping her find the music she enjoys and giving your nanny time off to enjoy it.

Your Ontario nanny will want to spend time in Toronto's downtown. She should try to take an elevator to the top of one of the city's skyscrapers. The city's high rises look south toward Lake Ontario and the shores of New York State, 35 miles away.

She will be amazed at its vastness and to learn that Lake Ontario is the second smallest of the five Great Lakes.

At the street level, she can view Toronto's impressive buildings and appreciate its architectural heritage. If she heads to Union Station, she can view landmarks, skyscrapers and awesome examples of modern architecture.

Here are some places she will want to see:

• Union Station offers an imposing ticket counter that is 88 feet high. This station was built in the early 1900s and recalls the heyday of train travel.
• Royal York Hotel is a fine example of art deco architecture. Built in 1929, it is next to Union Station.
• Hockey Hall of Fame is housed in the former Bank of Montreal, a highly decorative old building on Front and Yonge streets.
• St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts also is on Front Street, as is several 19th century buildings.
• St. Lawrence Market is on Front Street east, offering fresh produce and other foods.

If your Ontario nanny is a sports fan, especially a hockey fan, she's come to the right place.

Ontario is the home of two NHL teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators. Plus, the Hockey Hall of Fame is located in downtown Toronto.

The Maple Leafs, one of the original six NHL franchises, play at the Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto. The Senators play at the Corel Centre in Ottawa.

Tickets for each can be hard to come by, because they sell out way in advance. But your Ontario nanny and kids can always watch them on TV or at a local sports bar, with some friends.

Besides hockey, Toronto is the home of the Blue Jays, a Major League baseball team that plays in the Toronto Skydome, which is itself a tourist attraction, complete with a Hard Rock Cafe with a direct view of the field, a hotel with a view of the field and a retractable roof.

Just because your Ontario nanny is north of the border, she doesn't have to give up being a fan of American-style football. The Argonauts play Canadian League football in Toronto. The same goes for basketball fans, who can check out the Toronto Raptors of the NBA, who also play in the Air Canada Centre.

And we haven't even mentioned all the minor league, junior league and semi-pro teams spread across the area. There's nothing like becoming a sports fan to help you get a feel for a new community. Ontario offers plenty of opportunity for your Ontario nanny to pick a team your nanny likes.

Your Ontario nanny will occasionally -- or maybe more than occasionally -- want the support of other live-in nannies and caregivers.

Give your Ontario nanny a chance to have some healthy and helpful exchange with other nannies and caregivers by putting her in touch with a local office of a caregiver's association.

These groups offer support and a chance to learn about new communities, meet people, and even ask questions about legal matters.

The Canadian Caregiver's Association is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. So is the Canadian Coalition for In-Home Care and the Toronto Organization for Domestic Worker's Rights.

Each of these organizations offers different services. But it would be helpful for your Ontario nanny to learn about all of them.

The best way to enjoy a cold Canadian winter is to combine outdoor and indoor activities.

No one wants to stay in all the time; it's the last thing you want for your children. You even may want to inform your nanny that you want the kids outside for at least a few minutes a day, even if it is for a quick jog down the driveway and back.

Help your Ontario nanny and children plan indoor and outdoor fun.

Indoor pools make great cold-weather family activities for everyone. If your Ontario nanny is new to Canada, she'll really enjoy spending time in the warm, humid air of the pool.

Many communities have municipal indoor pools with relatively inexpensive memberships. Private clubs and gyms with pools are more expensive, but generally offer nice facilities. Make sure children are allowed, unless this is a place for your Ontario nanny to enjoy on her own.

Your nanny may also want to take children to swim lessons, or have a few lessons on her own if she is unsure of herself in the water.

Saunas, wet and dry, also are healthy options for your nanny and for older children. Saunas are not safe for little ones. Steams rooms are a special treat when your nanny has some free time to herself.

Make sure your Ontario nanny knows how to dress in the cold weather. This is going to be especially important for any Ontario nanny who has recently arrived from a warmer climate and doesn't have a lot of experience with sub-zero temperatures.

Be prepared for your Ontario nanny to arrive without the proper winter equipment. So if she arrives during cold weather, your first stop should be to outfit her with proper clothing. She'll need an insulated parka, as well as a breathable rain shell, insulated winter boots and waterproof rain boots, hats and cold-weather gloves and mittens.

If you can get her size in advance, these will make nice arrival gifts, especially for an Ontario nanny flying into Canada for the first time from a tropical climate.

To drive in Ontario, your Ontario nanny will need a valid driver's license from her home country or province. If she's going to claim residency in Ontario, your Ontario nanny will have 60 days to obtain an Ontario driver's license.

If your Ontario nanny wants to exchange a license from outside of Canada, she will need to present her valid license and pass a written exam on Ontario driving rules, as well as a vision exam.

Depending on her driving experience, she may be required to take and pass a road test before she can exchange her license for a valid Ontario license.

If your Ontario nanny has never held a driver's license, she will be required to go through all standard driver education requirements and testing before she can obtain an Ontario driver's license.

Driver's licensing fees are expensive in Ontario. Be prepared to pay more than $100 for a license, which is good for five years.

5.) Your Ontario nanny will occasionally -- or maybe more than occasionally -- want the support of other live-in nannies and caregivers. Give your Ontario nanny a chance to have some healthy and helpful exchange with other nannies and caregivers by putting her in touch with a local office of a caregiver's association. These groups offer support and a chance to learn about new communities, meet people, and even ask questions about legal matters. The Canadian Caregiver's Association is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. So is the Canadian Coalition for In-Home Care and the Toronto Organization for Domestic Worker's Rights. Each of these organizations offers different services. But it would be helpful for your Ontario nanny to learn about all of them.

If your Ontario nanny comes from a warm climate, she's going to have a lot to get used to in Canada.

Ontario doesn't have the extreme weather of the Yukon, Northwest Territories or Nunavut. But it still gets quite cold, especially in Northern Ontario.

Make sure your Ontario nanny understands just how cold it gets in the winter: from 25 degrees Fahrenheit in the south near Niagara Falls to well below zero in Northern Ontario.

Advance planning will probably help her deal better with the weather. Make sure during the interview process that your Ontario nanny understands just how cold it gets in the winter, especially in the north.

Obviously, a hardy person who enjoys the outdoors will have an easier time than someone arriving from a tropical area. But this doesn't mean your Ontario nanny can't adjust to the weather. Nannies tend to have a sense of adventure and look forward to the challenges of living in a new community or new country.