The Vent - Part Trois

[The_Dude 1,142]

Now I know why there's such a gap in prices of baby travel systems and car seats (even from the same manuafacturer) in the US vs Canada! The one we bought at Babies R Us in Seattle was $159...the exact same one at Babies R Us in Vancouver is $249.

Apparently, any car seats (and travel systems have car seats as part of the package) sold and used in Canada MUST comply with Canada's Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and carry the National Safety Mark. Therefore, any car seats being imported from another country including the US for use in Canada are ILLEGAL.

I read that Canadian border agents will confiscate baby car seats from cross-border shoppers or allow you to turn back to the US to return it for a refund.

Sigh...I have to return my baby car seat. Things I learn as a new Canadian parent.

Now, is there really any difference in the same product besides it requiring a shiny sticker from the Canadian regulating agency? Is there any added features, or are you just getting ripped off?

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Now, is there really any difference in the same product besides it requiring a shiny sticker from the Canadian regulating agency? Is there any added features, or are you just getting ripped off?

I expect safety regulations vary...although I doubt too much between the US and Canada.

Reven - why do you need to return it - aren't you moving to the US or there already? I sincerely doubt the CBP is confiscating the person's only carseat when they travel up to Canada for a vacation...that doesn't sound right?

[Hugglebuggles 60]

A slight old rant, but my last peice of mail in canada was a letter from CRA, saying I owe them $257 because of the GST checks I recieved in 2009. They said they want my husbands income from 2008, and my question is WHY. I was not married in 2008..I give up. ):

What the heck are they thinking? Did you call them up? When they sent me a bill saying I owed them money I called them up and complained and they retracted everything and apologized.

[Revenesque 2]

Now, is there really any difference in the same product besides it requiring a shiny sticker from the Canadian regulating agency? Is there any added features, or are you just getting ripped off?

The almost $100 price differential is for the cost of the Canadian Regulators testing it, I bet. No added features, just a shiny stamp of approval.

[Revenesque 2]

I expect safety regulations vary...although I doubt too much between the US and Canada.

Reven - why do you need to return it - aren't you moving to the US or there already? I sincerely doubt the CBP is confiscating the person's only carseat when they travel up to Canada for a vacation...that doesn't sound right?

I'm giving birth in Vancouver and baby has to come home in Canadian-approved carseat. They won't confiscate an American's babyseat when they are up vacationing, but apparently they will confiscate the Canadian border-shoppers' US car seat.

[Pauley 2]

OMG GLEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love it. I'm gay!

I quite enjoy it too. Guess I need to have "a talk" with my wife about things.

What impresses me most about the show is the multi-talentedness of the cast members. While you might notice that the performances on the show are dubs, a really good ear notices that they're dubs of themselves. The actors and actresses were all cast not just because they can act, but because they can sing really well, too. And yes, there's bound to be some significant difference in the arrangements of some of the songs because they're designed to sound like something a high school glee club would sing, as opposed to a professional stage or studio performance.

I'm going to be queueing the next few weeks of episodes so Yvo and I can watch them together.

[Varba 0]

OK, I suspect a few friends at work are gay, but still in the closet. I was at work, not 3 minutes when these two, who normally, we talk sports obsessively come into my office and asks me what I thought of last nights episode of glee. My response was not even snarky (at first), I simply told him that I don't watch that show to which he incredulously asked me why not. I just couldn't let that one go by and responded "because I'm not gay". He still doesn't believe me that I don't like glee. My wife absolutely loves the show, so i've seen a couple of episodes. But, I just don't get why people, least of all men would like the show. It's absolutely horrible. For me, I went from passively ignoring the show to outright hatred of it when I heard them try to cover a Kanye West song. It was so bad, I almost punched my screen.

A-friggin-men.

[Sprailenes 47]

And the Vogue performance at the end of last nights episode... loved it! <3

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I'm giving birth in Vancouver and baby has to come home in Canadian-approved carseat. They won't confiscate an American's babyseat when they are up vacationing, but apparently they will confiscate the Canadian border-shoppers' US car seat.

poopyheads

[Varba 0]

A-friggin-men.

And by that I mean, I want people to stop asking me why I don't watch the show. Less than zero interest.

[darkchilde794 5]

And by that I mean, I want people to stop asking me why I don't watch the show. Less than zero interest.

Why don't you watch Glee?

Reven -- cant you "borrow" a baby who will vacation to Canada with your car seat??? LOL bad joke, I know.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Raven, can't you borrow a Canadian car seat for the time you are still in Canada and then use the one you bought in the US to move to the US or in the US?

[darkchilde794 5]

Raven, can't you borrow a Canadian car seat for the time you are still in Canada and then use the one you bought in the US to move to the US or in the US?

Obviously this is a smarter question that my baby-borrowing one...

[antda 13]

Reven-

As for the carseats....I posted this on another message thread, but I thought it would help you and others here too..

I don't know exactly about carseats between Canada and the USA...

In all honesty, no need to buy another Car seat......Unless your child grows out of the old one!

But yes, each state does have various weight and height restraint recommendations.....

The general consensus overall though, is that children need to be in a

1) Baby rear facing bucket-style carseat (newborn- 1 year)

2) Baby front facing sitting-up/upright carseat (1 year - 2/3 years)

3) Child booster seat (3/4 years - 7/8 years)

Check with your specific state and specific Car Seats for more information too....

By the way, I have travelled into Canada with my baby with an American Car seat...lol..no problems there...

Lol...And as long as you can read the instructions (be it that it is in English, French, or whatever else)...So be it...

Interestingly enough...A lot of "Canadian" products are actually shipped from the USA....So it should be ok there too...(you might have to read your instruction manual on that one...usually there is both a Canadian and American phone number on that...)

The important thing is that the baby/child is buckled up, can be comfortable in their seat, and that the seat meets state guidelines too...

Also, you should be looking at is your child's weight/height so that they are not too big or too small for their seat! And yes, things are cheaper here in the USA than in Canada...So if you can find a better bargain here in the USA, by all means...Shop there instead...lol...

Darkchilde-Lol..About the 'baby for rent' idea....

Hmm...My son can do carseats shipments to Canada, for a small fee...lol....(just kidding...)

Ant

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your replies regarding this immigration situation....

In the end, I am still caught between 'a rock and a hard place'.......sigh....

I don't know what to do, and I see both sides of the issue...

I want to disclose it, especially more so that I believe that it is wrong....

(and yes, I say this from what I've seen and known personally....)

But I can't disclose it in a way that it affects my family....

Lol..I wish someone else can disclose it for me, and/or I can disclose this anonymously...

Ok, so hypothetical situation...If I do disclose such....How can I do this safely and securely?

And to be honest with you, I fear that the incompentent USCIS will let this couple get away with things....

This is not right!

Time is running out.....

Ant

Wife and mother first. At least that's what it'd be with me anyways. Do you know the people who are committing the fraud personally? If not, then their situation shouldn't affect you. It's their business, and should not jeopardize your family. If you do know these people personally, then you need a long discussion with your husband about how much it's bothering you.

Under what circumstances, where do you draw the line in the sand? If you had information about a murder but your Husband didn't want you to disclose it and it would cause a big rift, would you disclose it or not?

If it was someone who stole a bicycle - disclose or not?

Kind of interesting, I guess everyone has their own set of morals and principals that they have to follow.

It all does depend on the situation really... and the reasons why the spouse would be upset about it (i.e. would it put the family in danger, and would we need to entire witness protection or something!). Murder is completely different! As it involves the safety and lives of others. I guess I don't really feel that immigration fraud directly hurts or endangers anyone else personally, except the parties immediately involved, and disclosing it doesn't really protect anyone. And yeah, it would depend on how she came across the information about the fraud (i.e. does she know them personally, is she helping them whether she means to or not, would she get in trouble by not disclosing the information, how extensive is the fraud (meaning, are they stealing money too or something like that) and so on).

All those things make a difference on the decision, but I guess I basically draw the line at 'is NOT disclosing this information potentially going to cause pain (physical, mental and/or emotional whichever) or danger to anyone else... am I putting mine or anyone else's life or well being at risk by telling or not telling someone about this'? And of course 'can I prove anything', and what can I really do about this, to either prevent it, or stop it?

The way I interpreted the situation was just that it was a simple scenario she came across and discovered someone was committing immigration fraud, and as a citizen felt obligated to report it. For whatever reason that is potentially causing a serious rift within her family. In that very simplistic version of the story, personally I probably would not report it. Trying to help that couple immigrate without committing fraud, and educating them or explaining to them how to do it PROPERLY and LEGALLY would, I think, be a better avenue to take. Then you're fulfilling your obligation to obey, support and defend the laws.

Also, I just wanted to add that I'm sorry if anything I said was somehow in violation of the VJ ToS. I do of course think immigration fraud is wrong (and really, when people commit immigration fraud it makes me angry, after all we have to go through to do it right!), it needs to be stopped, and no one should help anyone commit immigration fraud in any way. I was just answering my opinion of what I understood the situation to be.

Well - lets try a different scenario.....how about welfare fraud. I was a young mom on mother's allowance 16 yrs ago...I worked and I reported earnings. I was on the honest side....but you invariably meet someone who is working on the side , lives in ON Housing and they don't report it to welfare...in one sense they're scamming the goverment, in another they're trying to get ahead. If you've ever relied on Welfare, you know their system is a$$ backwards...there's not much incentive to get off it and then people start scamming (my boyfriend doesn't really live at this address, I don't work....even though I somehow have a really nice car and lots of new clothes.....)

I kept my nose clean and minded my own business in this case. I could have reported it, but it wasn't my problem the goverment was so stupid they couldn;t see what was going on under their own nose. Some on here will say that it's my laisse faire attitude which causes this in the first place.

So back to immigration.....we see a lot of things here on VJ that make you wonder why the US gov't didn't raise a red flag.....a couple who has met once for 2 days in the last 2 years or got engaged after meeting just once...but they're getting married? Couples who talk about how hard it is to maintain a relationship when they only talk once a week? You've got to be kidding me.....I can't believe they don't deny those people. Couples who barely speak the other's language....how does that work out?

I don't know Ant...just make sure you are sure about the details before you report anything...I hate immigration fraud too because I paid plenty of $$$$ to do it the legal, proper way. I think Ashen's suggestion of offering good advice on how to immigrate properly is the best first course of action.

So lets further this line of rationale. Would you report someone to the police for littering? That too is against the law, and if you're not willing to report all illegal activity, you've clearly got a corrupted sense of morality.

Last night, I was at a local bodega buying some things. On the way in, a group of teenagers approached me to buy them beer. I flatly said no, but i'm not going to call the police to report them. After I turned them down, I did overhear them discussing plans to distract the shop owner with a couple of the guys while the other two sneak to the back and steal some beer. That, I did report. There's a difference there in proportion, yet both are illegal. I certainly don't think I have a degraded level of morals because I reported one, but not the other.