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Life in Alberta?

Life in Alberta?

Old Jun 17th 2017, 3:48 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by Stinkypup
I may have missed it and if so I apologise but have you actually been to Canada ABD? It is always wise to visit an area to see whether it ticks your boxes or not- maybe visit a few
potential target cities/towns, maybe not just in AB. Forget the Okanagan though if you aren't keen on snakes or spiders as we do get the odd Black Widow and Rattlesnakes
Hello!
I have yes...I've been twice (jus not to Alberta) and my husband has been a few times also. Well noted on the Okanagan though...thank you
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 5:15 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by ABD79
I'm hoping requiring a firearm you mean for wildlife purposes just in case? Or do you mean you need one to protect yourself from a home invasion or something? :-/ Yes the banks here are starting to do away with the glass. I can't imagine schools not having fences though...I always assumed that would just be naturally done anywhere in the world in first world countries and in very populated areas especially. Well, you learn something new every day!
The firearms are for wildlife, at least in our case it is.

I haven't seen a school in Calgary that has a fence and, as I said above, there is no security on the main door, so anyone can simply walk into the building.

A decade after we arrived, it has become so normal that I find it bizarre that this wasn't the case when our kids attended school in England. In Calgary, the schools typically have very good playgrounds that remain open to the public all the time.
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 5:17 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by ABD79
I didn't know that. Is it something people see as a real and possible threat do you know? Or something that's just done as a precaution measure just in case? And would you know at all if that's something that's perhaps done mostly in a city area but outside it's not? Or is that just the standard thing like in the US? I know it would scare my little ones, (they'd worry it meant a bad person was likely to try and come and hurt them at school), but on the same token, I know it would be better for the school to be prepared. While gun crime is obviously miles better than the US, I know it's still a factor there. Do you hear of much happening gun wise around Calgary? Sorry for all the questions! Guns have always been a big fear of mine :-/

Edit: just found this about gun crime in Calgary...bit scary :-/ https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.3364874
My daughters schools (middle and HS), were both locked down at least once whilst she was there.
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 5:28 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by Piff Poff
My daughters schools (middle and HS), were both locked down at least once whilst she was there.
I can't say that doesn't worry me :-/ I've never known ant school in our area or even close to it to have any problem, (my little boy's school heard a strange bang so the police and a fire engine came out to make sure nothing was wrong but that was it...and all the children loved it). I think I'd go in to full blown panic mode if a lock down was ever in place...they'd have to do another one immediately after the first just because of me storming the school to get to my children! :-/
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 5:28 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by ABD79
I'm hoping requiring a firearm you mean for wildlife purposes just in case? Or do you mean you need one to protect yourself from a home invasion or something? :-/ Yes the banks here are starting to do away with the glass. I can't imagine schools not having fences though...I always assumed that would just be naturally done anywhere in the world in first world countries and in very populated areas especially. Well, you learn something new every day!
Having a fence around the school did nothing to prevent the madman killing those children in Dunblane, Scotland. To protect children at school would require a full 12foot high fence topped with barbed wire and security patrols circling the facility the full school day.
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 5:31 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by Almost Canadian
The firearms are for wildlife, at least in our case it is.

I haven't seen a school in Calgary that has a fence and, as I said above, there is no security on the main door, so anyone can simply walk into the building.

A decade after we arrived, it has become so normal that I find it bizarre that this wasn't the case when our kids attended school in England. In Calgary, the schools typically have very good playgrounds that remain open to the public all the time.
Just looking at someone else's comment about their daughter's school being on lock down...wouldn't it just make life easier and less scary to have a fence and a locked main door that you have to buzz to get in (like the UK?) It's a worry that it's basically a disaster waiting to happen before better security measures are taken. I'm sure it's very safe there but it must be scary for the children having to go through a lock down when it could potentially be avoided with some better security measures :-/
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 5:40 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by plasticcanuck
Having a fence around the school did nothing to prevent the madman killing those children in Dunblane, Scotland. To protect children at school would require a full 12foot high fence topped with barbed wire and security patrols circling the facility the full school day.
But that was 20 years ago and after that schools started having buzzer entry systems and guns were outlawed. So something like that should be learnt from...for the children's sake. I'm not trying to criticise the Canadian way of doing things It's lovely to feel you can have a school without locked front doors and a fence...but in this day and age I just think it's something that's needed. Also, when a fence and locked door is in place, everyone knows in the school that someone walking across the field isn't meant to be there. They know they must have just climbed over the fence. So with any luck the alarm could be raised and at least prevent some of the disaster. No fence and a completely open school also makes it incredibly easy for anyone to walk in and take a child away. It would also stop the very little ones leaving the school grounds as 6 year olds, even the sensible ones, can lack sound reasoning and judgement sometimes and perhaps decide they want to go home if they're upset for some reason. There's no benefit to not having a fence/locked main entrance...and plenty of benefit to having it at the end of the day
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 5:47 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

You can just wander into a school here, no buzzer or anything, you do tend to get a receptionist close to the main entrance and there always seems to be people coming and going. In a way it's nice as the staff are more approachable in many ways and I think especially with the younger grades the teachers know which adults belong (to which kids). The only schools here with fences are the ones that have little kids and the fences are close to faster roads.
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 5:57 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

So what's it to be then... Gun totin' cowboys in/around Calgary or spider wrangling in Brisbane?
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 6:22 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by ABD79
I can't say that doesn't worry me :-/ I've never known ant school in our area or even close to it to have any problem, (my little boy's school heard a strange bang so the police and a fire engine came out to make sure nothing was wrong but that was it...and all the children loved it). I think I'd go in to full blown panic mode if a lock down was ever in place...they'd have to do another one immediately after the first just because of me storming the school to get to my children! :-/
Just to add to this- until I moved to Canada I was a teacher in a high school in the north east of England. And we had recently started doing lock down drills.
The school was fully fenced off and had a 2 door buzzer entry but we were still told as well as normal fire drills we needed to practise lock-down drills. So, I think it's becoming the norm everywhere.
I can't speak for primary or elementary schools as never worked in one- but in High Schools it has certainly started happening in the UK too. Crazy people aren't just in North America. Haha
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 6:27 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Originally Posted by suzeandmatt
Just to add to this- until I moved to Canada I was a teacher in a high school in the north east of England. And we had recently started doing lock down drills.
The school was fully fenced off and had a 2 door buzzer entry but we were still told as well as normal fire drills we needed to practise lock-down drills. So, I think it's becoming the norm everywhere.
I can't speak for primary or elementary schools as never worked in one- but in High Schools it has certainly started happening in the UK too. Crazy people aren't just in North America. Haha
Yes, but a lot more of them are potentially fairly heavily armed with guns here so I'm not sure that is a fair comparison
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 6:55 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

I was also going to suggest a gun, plus joining a gun club, regular practice etc so that you know how to use it if/when the chips are down.

I haven't ever been to Alberta but I've lived in a lot of countries where humans aren't the top of the food chain and it completely changes your perspective. I don't think I'll ever just nip out into the yard without scanning first so make sure there aren't any dangerous animals around.

You need to be preparing your children for dangerous animals if you haven't already done so, making sure they know what to do and what to watch for, and I don't think its ever a bad idea to talk to them about human predators too. The Canadian Gov and Family Services have some excellent websites and resources for teaching kids personal safety. A naieve child is any kind of predator's dream - makes them an easy target .

It doesn't need to be something to scare them, just something to prepare them. I started teaching our toddler safety against predators quite a while ago, we act it out and make it into a game.
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 7:01 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

I should have added that if you don't want a gun, a dog or dogs capable of dealing with a cougar/any other overly keen predators might be an idea. Our dog is very capable of dealing with cougars, and he a fantastic member of the family too. I'm his number one fan as you can probably tell

Its lovely and very reassuring that I can play outside with our son knowing that he will alert me long before it becomes a problem and sort if if anything starts trying to stalk us.
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 7:36 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Being animal/ danger aware is very sensible. We have amazingly managed to survive the rampages of the wild unscathed without having any urge to get a gun and we never will. Stinky was no bloody use either- he would probably draw bears rather than repel them. In the range of the polar bear then yes, sensible- elsewhere...no, I don't feel that it is necessary. You have to be aware of what is out there and be cautious of course.

We live right next to a massive provincial park, awash with black bear, occasional Grizzlies, rattlesnakes and cougar .. I have counted my limbs ... all four there still despite not toting a gun. I bought bear spray six years after arrival but have taken it with us only a few times

We went on an amazing bear watching trip to the Katmai in Alaska some time back with an amazingly knowledgeable naturalist. We were amongst massive coastal brown bears- the guides were unarmed, they never had had an issue in 20 plus years of operating.

Canada does not have that concentration of Grizzlies in one area so if you stay in groups, follow bear aware advice then you are very unlikely to have problems. We have had numerous bear in our garden, you just have to consider that that might happen and be sensible.
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Old Jun 17th 2017, 7:51 pm
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Default Re: Life in Alberta?

Lol at Stinky attracted them Fluff I think sometimes wishes there was more just to prove how "macho" he is . You should see how he prances about looking pleased with himself after he's managed to scare something!
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