Harrisonasa

Hi. We are considering Alberta as our location due to work for my husband (carpenter).

I will be honest, I have never been to Canada (US, yes) but husband has. So I don't know much apart from the masses of reading I have done.

I know very little to nothing about Alberta however, and as it is the most likely place for us to live I would like to find out as much as possible about it from people currently living there (again, I prefer to find out actual honest info rather that what google offers).

Some of my worries are boredom (which I have seen written a couple of times about other parts of Canada), and safety (which I have asked as a whole rather than specific regions) and just life in general, the surroundings etc - the good the bad and the ugly.

I'm hoping you all say you love it but I'm prepared for the less positive too

Thanks

Donnykins

We emigrate to Alberta from the UK in a week's time. We've only been on one recce trip to Canada, and it was to Toronto and the surrounding areas. My husband is a Software Development Manager and we are lucky enough to have contract work from his employer in the UK, for as long as we need it in Canada. Trying to get a job in Canada, whilst still having a UK address proved impossible. Lots of jobs and lots of interest, but no bites.

We picked Alberta for very fickle reasons really i.e. low taxation etc... as we have sold everything in the UK and have just packed our life into 11 suitcases. We figured that if we are starting a new life in a new country, our savings would take less of a battering in Alberta. We are probably being naive, but with an entire country to choose from, it seems as good a reason as any.

We have two young children, 7 and 11 and want to give them a better life. There's nothing left for them in the UK. Fed up of litter, dog crap, being overly taxed, class-sizes that are forced to go over the legal maximum etc... We are being increasingly squashed into a small island, with more pressure added all of the time. It's a pressure cooker just waiting to explode.

We are hoping to settle in Okotoks, 11 miles out of Calgary as it seems a comparable size to the town we currently live in, in the UK. We are aware that Canada has plenty of problems too, but the UK has gone down the pan. Whatever Canada throws at us, it can't be any worse than the UK.

joinerboy

Hi
Alberta a pretty BIG place, Edmonton & Calgary are the major cities where more work will be available but some some smaller towns offers good employment/lifestyle options as well. Cost of living in particular housing costs is in the larger cities can be expensive and affordable housing is not easy to find. I'd advise maybe do a reccie and checkout several areas.


All the best.

Siouxie

There are literally dozens if not hundreds of threads about different Provinces and major cities, asking "what's it like".

Perhaps read a few of those first, then post any further questions you have about a specific area.

scootb

We came over last April with $3500 in my pocket,the first year was tough,but easier than we had expected it to be.
As posted above some of it can be expensive,and housing can be hard to get,especially if you have a dog(we got lucky I guess).
Our rent costs $1400 per month for a 3 bedroom main floor just to give you an idea.
There is plenty to do nearby,but that all depends on what you like to do,if you are sit in the pub people it can be very expensive,a lot of the guys I work with are Irish and tend to drink a lot,especially the younger guys they can easily blow their wages in the pubs.
For shopping it pays to shop around,some places can be way more expensive than others.
Eating out is not too bad,for example it cost us $103 including a 10% tip for the 5 of us to eat at Montanas steak house(we ate well!)

We jumped in and committed ourselves to Canada,but again as posted above a reccie trip is a good idea as it is not for everyone.
We love it here,and are glad we took the plunge,but again there are a lot of posts from people that don't.

We have 3 young daughters 9 years,almost 8 years,and 6 years,plus an almost year old border collie that we brought with us.

Good luck whatever you decide!

neilg14

Okotoks, good choice IMO, I don't know if you've been there yet ??
I live in the next town south and Okotoks is where we go shopping.
A very nice town with most things you need at hand, shoppingwise.
You probably know the following already but it has a population of around 30,000 and expanding rapidly.
For entertainment you have swimming pools, rodeo grounds, baseball stadium, bowling alley, cinema, a couple of English pubs. etc.
It may be 11 miles to the very southern tip of Calgary but it is about 25 miles to downtown, about a 45 min drive, outside of rush hour and a 40 min drive to the airport.
All the best.

Oink

What about the finest universities in the world, the world class art and culture, the architecture, the amazing restaurants, the rich tradition of intellectual debate and conversation all that and the cultural bounty of European neighbours? Has it really gone down the pan?

Piff Poff

You don't think you will see litter and dog crap???: rofl:

Piff Poff

We've been in Red Deer for 9 years this year, it's a lovely little city and Central Alberta is gorgeous. We thank our lucky stars life landed us here BUT we are ready to move on, it's not our forever home, boredom and length of winter are the major factors.

Oink

If it was really for the kids, wouldn't the thousands of pounds it'll cost to emigrate be better spent sending them to a top independent school in the UK? I'd say it would give them a far better chance at a successful and fulfilling life than moving to rural Alberta.

Harrisonasa

Thank you all for your input and views. Sorry, I didn't think to search for similar threads but I guess these replies are nice and fresh
Really appreciate it and it is all food for thought

christmasoompa

Or just moving to another part of the UK. Moving to Canada's not going to help with the dog poo, litter or tax rates (or class sizes imo - double the class sizes in Vancouver than we have here, my daughter's in a class of 14!).

Would save £25k or so as well.

Jericho79

If you have the itch to emigrate, it's a good idea to give it a try- live life without regrets, etc.

But once you're here and the novelty has worn off, you'd be amazed at the number of people who are considering moving back/somewhere else.

Move here for the opportunity to earn some decent money, or for the skiing, or to be close to family or whatever. But dont move here to avoid the UK's problems, as it has more than enough of it's own to compensate.

Sally Redux

You forgot the rivers of blood.

Lychee

Whenever I read about somebody interesting in moving to Alberta (or Saskatchewan, or Manitoba), I always wonder if they have any sense of the province's geography, or climate, or growing season, or even the kinds of plants that naturally grow there? Does this factor into your decision at all? Apart from the Rocky Mountains which flank Alberta's extreme western border, Alberta's located in Canada's Prairies, which are somewhat similar to the Russian steppes. What would you think if somebody was asking about living in the Russian steppes, without actually having visited? This is the Canadian equivalent to where you're moving to. British expats used to seashores, greenery, and quaint rural villages will be in for a big surprise.