To rent an apartment in Canada

The best way to find an apartment in Canada is to be here, find a location, call them, go there, see the place, and then rent it. Unfortunately, this is not possible from Iran!
You can also look for an apartment in the internet. Here are a few possible ways:
- All of the universities have a webpage for international students and housing. Make sure you check this information on the webpage of the university you are intending to study at. They usually provide you with a quite a bit of useful of information about the cost, location, etc.
- Check the classified section of the local newspapers, e.g. Winnipeg Free Press in Winnipeg or Edmonton Sun in Edmonton. You may check http://www.canada.com/ and then check the classifieds related to your city of interest.
- check http://www.rentcanada.ca or similar webpages.

If you are single, there is another type of accommodation besides renting an apartment or suit. You can consider renting a room in house with a few other guys. This way, you will save some money since you pay less for rent and you do not buy the furniture (at least in the beginning). You will also be in a Canadian environment which helps you to get accustomed to the culture. The drawback is you may need to share the bathroom, kitchen, and dishes. If you are not too picky about the details, I would highly suggest this. The good thing is if you find out that the place was not as you thought, or you do not want to be there for any reason, you may leave with a one month notice to the landlord. If you have lived in dormitory in Iran, this way of living should not be that difficult (in fact, it may be a lot of fun, as well as learning experience).
Last point that I want to mention is about renting an apartment (or suite) is subletting. In Canada, you have to rent an apartment for one full year. "Subletting an apartment" means that somebody else had signed the contract and rented the apartment for a year, but for any reason, has decided to move before one full year (usually within the last 2 or 3 months of the contract). In this case, he/she will look for somebody to transfer the contract to him/her for whatever time that is remained on his/her contract with the landlord. If you find a sublet advertisement and you think the place is good enough, it is preferable to an empty apartment for which you have to sign a contract for a full year. If you like the place, you can extend the contract at the due date. However, if you decide to change your place, you do not have to stay there for one year. 

Good luck
Behraad Bahreyni