Hear ye, hear ye! Thinking of full-time RVing in Canada? Move to Saskatchewan a year before you want to go full-time! Really!

I just got a VERY surprising bit of information from SGI.

There are two major obstacles to full-timing in Canada, legally maintaining your health coverage and all the driving stuff (driver’s license, vehicle registration, and vehicle insurance). All the other provinces I have lived in (ON, QC, AB, YT), a vehicle plated in that province must be used in that province most of the time.

Canadians who live in Mexico, renewing their visitor visas every year, will understand of what I speak. Because of a Mexican law, these Canadians have to keep their vehicles registered and insured in Canada even though the vehicles haven’t been to Canada in years. So many Canadians (and this is all from forum discussions I’ve read) let their registration and insurance expire since their province will not renew.

If these Canadians were from Saskatchewan, there would be no problem. Here’s the email I got from SGI, emphasis mine:

“SGI does have an allowance for individuals traveling and living in their vehicle outside Saskatchewan for an extended period of time. In order to qualify for this registration allowance the registered owner of the vehicle must meet and maintain the following requirements:

1. If they don’t currently have a permanent residence in Saskatchewan, their last permanent residence (owned/rented/leased) was in Saskatchewan; and
2. They don’t own a permanent residence outside of Saskatchewan; and
3. If they hold a driver’s license it must be from Saskatchewan; and
4. They file income tax in Saskatchewan; and
5. They are required to return to Saskatchewan at least once per year.

Anytime a vehicle is operated outside of Saskatchewan the rules of the jurisdiction the vehicle is being operated in must be followed.

If you are able to meet the above criteria then you would meet the definition of a Full Time Traveller for registration of your motorhome and the ability to operate it extensively outside Saskatchewan.

If you don’t meet the above criteria you would be considered a non-Saskatchewan resident. As a non-Saskatchewan resident SGI will register and insure the motorhome if it is being used in Saskatchewan. However, out of province use of the motor home would be limited to 30 days in a calendar year.

The coverage provided by the license plate would be for damage to the motor home itself and includes $200,000 in third party liability. The license plate coverage does not cover any contents within a vehicle or anything you have put in storage. This type of coverage would need to be purchased through a private insurance broker.”

Saskatchewan is crazy convenient to get to, being right smack in the middle of the continent, so getting here once a year by vehicle or plane really wouldn’t be an issue.

So if a Canadian is thinking of going full-time, they would do well to move to Saskatchewan for a year first to establish themselves as residents. Then, as long as they come back once a year (note that there isn’t a time requirement for the return), even if they no longer have property here (but why not buy, properties are CHEAP here!), they can still have SK-plated vehicles and an SK driver’s license as long as they keep paying their income tax in SK.

Back in Dawson City, I met a blog reader who is based in Alberta. We talked about replacing an Alberta’s driver’s license if yours is stolen. A true full-timer with no real homebase in Alberta would have a really hard time doing so as you have to reestablish proof of residency. In SK, no problem as long as you follow their non-onerous rules.

Now, health coverage is another matter altogether, same as all the other provinces in that you need to be here a certain number of months per year (six in SK). But that seems like such a small hurdle when the driving stressors are eliminated.

This revelation has renewed my interest in going to Mexico for a few years if I can meet the new visa requirements. I could head down there with Miranda only (less complicated to enter the country that way and the motorhome would have entry for 10 years versus six months for the truck). I could spend the bulk of the year there, but fly to SK for parts of the summer. This would be lovely once I get a small cottage on this lot and even a garage.

I’m happy to know that Canada hasn’t whipped me completely into submission, that I can still refuse to accept what I’m initially told and move up the chain of command until I get the answer I want.

This is the freest I’ve felt since I pulled out of Ottawa just shy of five years ago. In a couple of weeks, I will be ‘legitimate’ again and be able to set off on my next adventure with the peace of mind that I have been sorely lacking the last few years.