Oh boy do I have plans! But I need help!

[MitchellP]

Hey all, long time reader of CC.
Well guys I am 17 and currently I work for $10/hr and rent a room ($450/month) and pay car insurance ($300/month).
I will have about $3000 cash once I sell off everything I own.
All I will have is a car, and $3000 and a goal that I will do absolutely anything for.. leave Ontario.

I do NOT want to do any sort of government assisted programs (w/e they have in Alberta).
What does a normal entry high school education job pay? What would normal one room rent be? What would car insurance be for a 17 year old with a car?

On the technical side of things, what sort of paperwork do I need to live in Alberta? Are hostel's few and far between? Would it be smart for me to sell my car? Would I get more money for it here or out there?

Thanks! (I am leaving Ontario because of a physically abusive family, as I write this I have a good two inch gash givin to me by a family member earlier today for no reason).

I really do not like the opportunities in Ontario.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Alberta is a big place. Rent is ging to fluxuate fromplace to place. Go to something like
www.kijiji.ca to look up rental rates for various places. Do you al least know someone
in Alberta somewhere?

Auto insurance will be just ugly for a single male under 25 years of age...and I mean ugly.
You're going to want to keep an Ontario address (for a while anyway) and just claim that
you're visiting. At 17yrs old, do you ow a car that can drive a 3500km trip without breaking
down? You're lookig at a three day trip (two nights in hotels on the road) and a guess at
over 100 litres of fuel...in order to arrive and have no home.

You'd need that $3000 just for rent (First&Last months rent) and utility hook-ups and the
deposits on utility hook-ups. I'm not sure (it's been years since I lived in Alberta), but can
you even sign onto a lease or a contract (for your utilities and your rent) at your age?

Sorry to hear about your sh*tty living situation, but slow down and think things through
and do some homework. If it's life threatening, then you do what you've got to do....
Again on something like www.kijiji.ca you can see what your car is worth, and look at
job opporatunites, rental vacancies, and so on and so forth.

Do you have someone (Family, but not your direct Family) closer to home that you can
turn to right now, at least temporarily, to get you out of where you are right now?

 

[Ron in Regina]

Man....looks like I need to blow out my keyboard. I can actually spell.

 

[MitchellP]

Thank-you for your reply, I appreciate it.
I do not want to go into great detail but I honestly fear that if I stay in Ontario they will come after me.
I am 18 in a month, so that will work.
I was wondering what a job like mcdonalds pays? I could live in my car (I worked 60hrs a week and lived in my car all summer.. then I came home.. and it all started again).. Are there laws against living in your car?
I own a 99 GA.. I put about 4k km's a month I think it would last.. as for getting out there I don't think it would be a problem.
Sell my car and rent, or live in my car and be able to drive.. Hmm.. What do you think? I don't know (honestly).

 

[MitchellP]

*Oh, and everyone I know lives around me, small town.. Farthest family lives in London.. Ontario. Heh.

Oh, I got a grandfather in the Yukon.. Hmm.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Think before you act so you don't dig yourself a deeper hole. Sounds like a bad situation.
You lived in your car all summer? Winter had hit (yesterday) out on the Prairies. You're
not going to want to live in your car in the winter in this part of the world. You've got access
to the internet, so go onto www.kijiji.ca and learn what you can. You might also want to go
to http://www.theweathernetwork.com/index.php?product=weather&pagecontent=cancitiesab_en
to get an idea as to the weather...

Alberta does have opportunities for a young man. I was 18 when I left home and moved to Alberta
but that was at a different time. I worked some poor jobs (briefly) while I waited for resumes to
circulate. I knew someone who's sofa I lived on for a couple of weeks 'till I could find a place and
they where able to take messages (better employers) as they had a phone so I could get out of the
poor jobs and into better pay. Do you have relatives somewhere that you could get a start with away
from what you're dealing with now? Some non-insane Family? Are you still in school? The Yukon?

 

[MitchellP]

I dropped out of college last week because I could not afford it and there is no ****ing way I am going to let the government give me money (I have balls).

Yukon.. Do you know what the economy is like up there? Decent paying jobs? Anything better for $10/hr really..

 

[Outta here]

Hi there Mitchell and welcome to CC. Your story touches me - I have a 17 yr old son and I'd hate to think of him facing such difficulties so young.

Ron has given you some good advice - especially about taking time to think things through. My first concern is that you seem to feel your safety is in jeopardy. For now, until you figure out what you're going to do and how you're going to do it, please browse through this link and this one . Yes, they are government programs, but please don't let that deter you from accessing the help that is there for you. You don't have to do this on your own, nor should you have to.

I'm hoping there may be some resources in there for you to keep you safe so you can calmly consider your next step.

As for your car - older cars from Ontario can be very difficult to sell in other provinces - it will require a safety inspection, which may be difficult to pass - particularly if there's any rust on it. If you think you'll need the money from selling it, I would recommend you do that in Ontario.

Also, if you're planning on moving to Alberta please please do some research first. Rents here are beyond ridiculous. A one bedroom right now goes for about $900-1,400 per month. As to what MacDonald's is paying, it won't come close to paying your rent, utils, food, ins. etc. and I'm sorry to say that living in your car just isn't an option in Alberta. It's far too cold here to consider that.

If you don't mind me asking, is getting a higher education on your 'to do' list? I believe there are tons of resources available to help you achieve this, no matter which province you land in.
Again, I'd really encourage you to rethink your stance on accessing help. Those programs are there for people like you who need them... making good use of them so you can live decently and hopefully go on to make a productive contribution to society is exactly what they're intended for.

Also Mitchell, at some point I hope you consider obtaining some counseling to help you deal with the abuse you've lived with. The scars on the inside last much longer than the ones on the outside.

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles, I hope you find a safe place to land very soon.
.
.

 

[Ron in Regina]

I know nothing about the Yukon beyond the fact that you're not going to want to live
in your car this time of year there either. Hang in there. Others (still in Alberta) are
going to pick up on this thread to offer advice. The timing is kind'a goofy today in
that many are busy eating turkey right now, but others will pick up on this.

I became a single parent back about 16 years ago and moved back to Saskatchewan.
I've still got some Buddies out in Alberta but my own first hand knowledge is sorely
out of date. Why Alberta? Is it just that Alberta isn't Ontario? Saskatchewan's economy
is booming right now (lower wages but lower living expenses outside of Saskatoon). In
Saskatchewan, auto insurance is different than Alberta so it doesn't matter that you are
a single male under 25yrs of age, and here in Saskatchewan is SaskHealth Care which
will save you another $100+ each month. Do the same www.kijiji.ca search that you where
going to do for Alberta, for Saskatchewan also. There's something like 10,000 unfilled job
positions here also. Minimum wage (I think) is around $9/hour but there are so many open
jobs that almost nobody will accept a minimum wage job anyway (same in Alberta). Just
think things out before you act if your situation allows you to...

 

[karrie]

I dropped out of college last week because I could not afford it and there is no ****ing way I am going to let the government give me money (I have balls).

Mitchell....

If you get the chance to let the government invest in getting you into the job market, I strongly suggest you take it. Let them invest in making a strong taxpayer. There is no shame in that, and when you get what you need, you will pay back tenfold what the gov gave to get you going. Do not look at it as lacking balls in any way shape or form. It's not. If you've had to resort to living in your car simply due to bad circumstance, rather than addiction or unwillingness to work, you're exactly the sort of person that government programs are MEANT for. A leg up, not a hand out.

 

[Ron in Regina]

Listen to Zan. She's a very bright person.

The social system is there as a safety net for situations like this. It doesn't
mean you have to live on it for the next three generations of your family, but
over the coarse of your life (it sounds like you've got a good work ethic) you'll
repay that bit of help back hundreds of times over through your taxes anyway.
Take your time. Think things through. Then act. You'll look back at this from a
much better position in a couple of years and than yourself for doing your research.

 

[Jsan]

Mitchell, sorry to hear about your situation. Edmonton is becoming a rough place to live, especially if you do not have anyone to fall back on for support. I would hate to see someone young like yourself move up here and fall into the wrong crowd due to finances etc. There are allot of predators around this city who are more than willing to take advantage of those in need and there are some major drug and crime/gang problems in this city, panhandlers everywhere. You would probably not want to stay in any of the shelters or emergency drop in centers.

There are allot of jobs in this city however the cost of living is quite high. A one bedroom apartment averages around 900 dollars per month, there are probably cheaper but that is about the average.That is generally a no frills type of apartment. Damage deposit would be the same price. As others have suggested, try Kiji.com or Edmonton Journal online classifieds. Living in your car would be very tough, especially in Edmonton's brutally cold winters, you'd probably freeze to death. More than likely you would want at least 5K to move here. You would have to put down deposits for utilities, phone, etc. if you have never had local accounts. You would burn through 3k very fast and than what??, you'd be another one of the MANY homeless people that are roaming our streets.

Do you have contact with your grandfather? Is he someone that you get along with and would he help you if you were to move to the Yukon? I would suggest that would be a better idea because you would than have someone there for support while you get established.

 

[Scott Free]

There is no shame in taking money from bandits.

Your young and they will be stealing it off of you for many years to come. They have stamped their ownership on you (citizen), given you a serial number (SIN) and enforce your compliance with violence (law).

Any opportunity you get to take money from these criminal elites I recommend you do it.

 

[Machjo]

Please get the help... that's what I pay my taxes for. And I don't mind paying taxes for this at all.

Now, as for the abuse, that's not making you think rationally. Get the help, and let them know what's going on so they can give you all the help you need.

 

[Ron in Regina]

*Oh, and everyone I know lives around me, small town.. Farthest family lives in London.. Ontario. Heh.

Oh, I got a grandfather in the Yukon.. Hmm.

I hope you're reading through the thread you've started 'cuz there's a
lot of people rooting for you. Many of us have been in a sh*tty spot
at one time or another (maybe not what you're going through though)
and have worked through it. Son, just don't do anything dumb that
you'll regret later on. You WILL look back at this as a pivotal point
in your life, so take your time and choose wisely.

 

[Tonington]

There's lots of good jobs available in Alberta. I've worked there the past two summers, living with my father. His company will take on apprentices, and help with trade school. Four years later you're a journey man making good money, and living in rural Alberta where the cost of living isn't so bad. Every small town has hotels, and they'll give you decent rates to rent a room. I got offered a sweet job while I was out there, but I'm still in school back here in NS, and my girlfriend is here.

Ron really seems to have the best advice for you. Think about it. Think it through.