Resources for new Canadian designers

FAQs

What do I need to know about Canada while working/living there?

Indigenous peoples & history resources

1. Indigenous Peoples & History

• Residential Schools History by the Canadian Encyclopedia / NCTR / Govt. of Canada / Indigenous Studies of UBC

• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan

• Stories from the Land: Indigenous Place Names in Canada

• #IndigenousReads Reading list for Children / Young Adult / Adult / Poetry

• Watch Indigenous-made films on Indigenous Cinema by NFB

• The Indigenous Learning Series

  • More general information can be found here

• Hope for Wellness helpline for Indigenous folks across Canada

• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation + YouTube Channel

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports + 94 Calls to Action (PDF) + Summary of the Final Report (PDF)

Healthcare pages

2. Healthcare 101

• Introduction to Canadian Healthcare

• List of community health centers 

• Healthcare basics by province

Housing links

3. Housing sites

• REW

• Realtor.ca

• Subsidized and affordable housing is available per many municipalities, here are a few examples:
• Subsidized Housing & Housing Benefits
• BC Housing Affordable Rental Housing
  

• Alberta affordable housing programs

4. More tips on housing rights and help here:

• Affordable housing programs across Canada ; Housing benefits ; Moving 2 Canada : Finding accommodation in Canada ; Accorn Canada: Uniting Communities for Justice

Where can I meet other designers in Canada?

• RGD DesignThinkers

• RGD Events

• Slack

• Community news at RGD

What are some common job requirements for design work in Canada?

• Accessibility knowledge (RGD links):

• Ethics

• No spec resources

• Government of Canada links:

  • https://www.canada.ca/en.html

  • For new immigrants: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants.html

  • Prepare for life in Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/prepare-life-canada.html

How do I join the Canadian design community? 

• Slack

• Community news at RGD

Where can I read more about Canadian designers/design?

• RGD word

Where can I find design jobs in Canada?

1. RGD job board

2. LinkedIn

3. Indeed

4. Glassdoor

5. Government of Canada

6. Job-Specific Resources:

What kind of benefits should I expect from working as a designer in Canada?

• Ethics

• Creative earners
  

How can I connect with other student designers in Canada?

1. Student Committee

2. Mentorship

3. More

4. Student-Specific Resources:

   • Study as an international student

   • Study permit

   • Learn about student life in Canada

   • RGD Student Design resources

   • Ethics

   • Internships

   • D&I Resources

Full Index

Essentials!

Best translation tools:

• General translation tool 1

• Website translation 

• Accessible translation tool

• General translation tool 2

• Great for documents

• Great for documents, can also use this a Chrome extension to automatically translate websites

• App translator

• App translator specifically for Japanese, Korean and Chinese–scanning tool

Healthcare 101

• Introduction to Canadian Healthcare

• List of community health centers 

• Healthcare basics by province

Rental sites

• Zumper

• Padmapper

• Kijiji (mixed results but wide-reaching) 

Housing Sites

• REW

• Realtor.ca

• Subsidized and affordable housing is available per many municipalities, here are a few examples:

  • Subsidized Housing & Housing Benefits

  • BC Housing Affordable Rental Housing

  • Alberta affordable housing programs

• More tips on housing rights and help here:

  • Affordable housing programs across Canada ; Housing benefits ; Moving 2 Canada : Finding accommodation in Canada ; Acorn Canada: Uniting Communities for Justice

Government of Canada links:

• https://www.canada.ca/en.html
• For new immigrants: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants.html

• Prepare for life in Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/prepare-life-canada.html

Indigenous Peoples & History

• Residential Schools History by the Canadian Encyclopedia / NCTR / Govt. of Canada / Indigenous Studies of UBC

• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan

• Stories from the Land: Indigenous Place Names in Canada

• #IndigenousReads Reading list for Children / Young Adult / Adult / Poetry

• Watch Indigenous-made films on Indigenous Cinema by NFB

• The Indigenous Learning Series

• Hope for Wellness helpline for Indigenous folks across Canada

• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation + YouTube Channel

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports + 94 Calls to Action (PDF) + Summary of the Final Report (PDF)

• More general information can be found here

Student-Specific Resources

• Study as an international student

• Study permit

• Learn about student life in Canada

• RGD Student Design resources

• Ethics

• Internships

• D&I Resources

Job-Specific Resources

• Accessibility document

• RGD Handbook

• Billing

• Forms

• Ethics

• D&I Resources

• Government Jobs Canada:

• Federal Internship for Newcomers program:

• Employment Ontario

• Employment Quebec

• Employment British Columbia

• Employment Manitoba

• Employment Yukon

• Employment Nunavut

• Employment Alberta

• Employment Saskatchewan

• Employment New Brunswick

• Employment Newfoundland and Labrador

• Employment Nova Scotia

• Employment Prince Edward Island

• Employment North West Territories

Community Resources

• Slack

• Community news at RGD

What would you like to see us (RGD) provide? Please email us at community@rgd.ca