Editha

I should add that the deal you got on Tropicana in Canada was outstanding. My local Save-on-foods is currently offering two litres for $7 and that is a special offer.

That is also more the price difference that I am used to here, compared with the UK -- around 30% more for food in Edmonton compared with the UK.

justkidding

Nope, still don't get it. What is the government Blue Cross plan?

So, if your penicillan cost $10 you would pay $25!?

Siouxie

http://bit.ly/1g9m2Gh



http://www.health.alberta.ca/service...non-group.html

justkidding

Yes, I did that, thank you
Nowhere does it say you pay $25 for each prescription. It says you pay 30% to a MAXIMUM of $25.

His posts come across as "This is the way it is" but I think he is full of it.

Just trying to get the facts into this thread so that it is not misleading to anyone.

Siouxie

If you knew the answer and had already looked at the website, why didn't you just post the information instead of asking the question?

I genuinely thought you didn't know what it was - hence my (tongue in cheek) link.

Ah well.

justkidding

I didn't know what plan he was referring to. I believe there are many different plans under Blue Cross.

Sorry, that Google things bugs me to no end.

rae

Generally as you have seen, there is a lot of negativity towards Alberta on here, not sure why. Some of the criticism is certainly deserved and the negative aspects of life described are accurate. However, most of the negatives for Alberta could easily be applied to most other places in Canada, from a large number of people I have worked with who have lived/worked elsewhere and now live here. Everywhere apart from parts of BC have bad winters and mossies are nationwide!

I have been and still am unhappy with lots of aspects of life here, the winters, the isolation when compared to living in NW England, Redneck attitudes and backwards thinking. I am very happy with my daughters education and development, friends, area we live, income and hot dry summers when they eventually arrive.

The point about putting the cost of relocation into childrens education is a fair one. I reckon we spent in total for absolutely everything you can think of connected to emigrating at around 20,000 pounds. That I would estimate would buy me around 10 terms at say an average of 4 per year that's 2 1/2yrs.....http://www.ukprivateschools.com/nort...te-schools.htm

As my daughter was 7 that would take her to say 10 yrs old max. So what do I do for the other 6-8 yrs? You could obviously go back and to with figures and dispute my very basic and quick calculations endlessly, but we felt with increased mortgage cost of moving to be near these school and all the fees and the fact that she probably would not fit in, it would not be viable. We did not move here solely for my daughters education but it was a big part. As DBD said Canada simply extends the childhood (paraphrasing) and he is right, and not a bad thing I don't think.

If I had my choice I would not chose Alberta, but work dictated this. Ottawa looks fantastic, BC Lower Mainland and Victoria Island and the East coast all appeal more to me but all have their separate issues too. I would choose them over here mainly due to the weather, this becomes a very distinct factor the longer you live here, don't underestimate it. That said I have a good life here and really should not complain, it could be much worse.

Editha

But that's the point really, isn't it? Alberta is somewhere people move to because it offers employment, or better paid employment, than they had. There is almost nothing else to attract people here, unless you are nuts about cross-country skiing.

I'm not sorry we moved here. My husband had been made redundant in the UK and he had a good job offer here. His career has flourished while he is here and he has enjoyed the work.

But, I think it is right that anyone moving here from the UK should be warned that the climate here is harsh, even by Canadian standards, and that there are other disadvantages to living in a sparsely populated area of the Prairies.

I don't have kids, but my husband works in the further education sector. We had dinner last week with a university maths professor who is contemptuous of the standards and methods of maths teaching in Alberta schools. My husband despairs of the poor English of his undergraduates. So, I don't think getting a good education for your children in Alberta is a piece of cake either.

Novocastrian

I can assure you that he would be equally contemptuous in Ontario. I don't teach maths (thank god) but a minimum amount of mathematical capability is required in the science courses I teach to 3rd year science majors in my uni.

They simply don't have an adequate background even compared to their equivalents 15 years ago. In my (not very humble) opinion at least a half of them (more like three-quarters) are completely wasting their time & money by being in a University rather than a College.

Shard

As Rae said there is a surprising amount of negativity towards Alberta. Climate is not uniform across the province, and Southern Alberta can hardly be called harsh (relative to other Canadian regions) unless you are comparing it to Costal BC. At the end of the day, it's Canada not Australia that everyone has moved to, so the endless harping about the climate is ridiculous.

As to schools and education, educators everywhere are contemptuous about standards in their own backyard. However, as the article below points out Canada and the UK are not far apart. It comes down to where you are living in each country.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27314075

Shard

Why is that? Has the high school maths curriculum been dumbed down or are university entry requirements lower?

Novocastrian

The Ontario school curriculum for Grade 11/12 math was rewritten some time ago, I'd have to google to find exactly when, but in the early 2000's.

The students weren't very good in math before then, but they've consistently gone down hill since.

Shard

Presumably the students then take additional math courses at uni to get them up to an acceptable standard?

Novocastrian

Yes. In their 1st year. But they've forgotten it all by the 3rd year. This is symptomatic of the course system common everywhere, in which a "final" exam is taken in each course each term. In the student's stunted minds this means it's over and they'll never need it again.

Jericho79

Interesting discussion on education.
My kids are still young (under 10), but I feel that a large part of the term appears to be wasted.
E.g. Whenever there is a bank holiday, it's combined with a teacher training day on the preceding Friday. So the kids have two consecutive 4 day weeks... which is almost once a month in AB (not to mention it's a major inconvenience to working parents).

My youngest child (grade 2) was learning about the jungle recently, and the teacher had them watching the Disney version of the Jungle Book. What's the point? If you want to show them a visual aid, there's much better material than a cartoon which in no way reflects life in a jungle.

It's a strange paradox as Canadians take their certificates and qualifications seriously- everything requires a certificate, or a license, or an exam, but if the education behind them isnt up to par, it's a waste of time and money.