it was a struggle and the hardest part of my settlement. aviva was the first company to not charge me a ridiculous amount. i've had a canadian license for about 2 years now. i transferred my license from the states, so i had proof of driving before moving to canada. also, my rate went down a bit when we combined our home insurance to the same company. before then, i was still only paying about $90/mo.
have you tried going through an insurance broker instead of with an insurance company directly? that's how i got my insurance. they will help find you the best deal. google "car insurance broker" + your city and call around for quotes. also, don't go by the online quotes. you have to talk to an actual person and submit your driving/insurance history to get the best deals. start with a broker and go from there...