Many first year courses are usually offered in the summer, including, I believe, English 1B03. However, sometimes things change from year to year.
In March, the registrar will post the timetables for the spring/summer session, which will confirm which courses will be offered.
Yes, you can take summer school courses at other universities, but I think you need to get a letter of permission from your Associate Dean's office or something.
Here is a list of equivalencies provided by the Faculty of Science:
http://www.science.mcmaster. ca/ass...lop2/equiv.php . Note that this is a limited list, and other courses may be considered equivalent.