Calgary catching-up
 

Hi

We have read numerous posts recently about the infrastructure in Calgary not been able to cope with the influx of people moving there. Can people who live there tell me if this can make life difficult e.g travelling around the city, health care, etc.
Is the health care problem due to lack of trained staff or facilities? Are there many job opportunities for health professions?

Thanks.

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

There is a lot if construction going on all about Calgary, but in general I wouldn't say that the roads are bad. I haven't been caught in a traffic jam for longer than 30 mins since I have been here. A lot of locals moan about the traffic but really it has been a pleasure. I think if you have lived in the SE of England or spent a lot of time there, the volume of traffic on the roads here will seem small. The Calgarians driving habits is another matter, altogether. They are terrible.

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

It's not so much the lack of infastructure that bothers me here - I don't find the roads bad generally and not nearly as bad as in parts of the UK....it's the basic service at places like supermarkets, stores, restaurants etc that's really annoying. No labour means only a couple of people on the checkouts and massive line-ups...and staff who know nothing about what they're selling. That's the main area that's really suffering in our experience. Saying that...they just had to send some mums to montana to give birth as there weren't enough hospital beds for them in the department they needed. Sound familiar?

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

They are certainly short of health professionals, especially nurses. Recruiters from Calgary Health Region have recently been over to London (UK as opposed to Ontario!) to hire staff.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/na...14c80f&k=21089

http://www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/em...rtunitties.htm

Want a job, anyone????? :blink:

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Would love a job but can't find one sound familiar ?

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Really? Aren't you a carpenter as well as a lawyer?? (or did I dream that?:blink: )

There's one advertised there under maintenance/trades.... otherwise it's healthcare workers. ;)

What sort of job are you looking for...... do you still want that piano btw? :huh:

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Smelly, if I remember correctly, you live quite close in, Sunnyside or Hillhurst or something like that. I seem to recall that greenbwoy lives close in too, Beltline or thereabouts.

Calgary's traffic may not be as bad as SE England, but if you lived in a neighbourhood that was further out I think you would feel more stressed about the traffic than you do.

I work with a woman who lives in Douglasdale (far SE quadrant), and she told me it took her 90 minutes to get downtown this morning (admittedly a day on which the roads were snowy).

Considering that Calgary has only a million people, I think that's a pretty bad commute. As I've said before, I'm not blaming the City of Calgary, as I believe any municipality would have found it challenging to respond to the growth rate that Calgary has experienced in the last couple of years.

Code Red days are not that uncommon. That's an occasion on which, if someone called for an ambulance, there would be no ambulance available to respond to their call. That is not because there is a shortage of ambulances as such. Rather it's because the staff in the hospitals' emergency rooms are overloaded, and they are not available to take delivery of ambulance patients. Until their patients are received by hospital emergency rooms, ambulance attendants have to stay with them, and are not free to respond to calls from other people who request ambulances.

Daveh123, I looked for other messages you'd posted to refresh my memory about your situation. I see you're in your twenties, you're a mechanic, and your girlfriend is an Occupational Therapist. Mechanics are in demand here. There are other members of this forum who have taken the Red Seal challenge exam and achieved certification as mechanics in Alberta. I don't know what the demand for Occupational Therapists is, and what your girlfriend would need to do to be certified as an OT in Alberta. If it's anything like nursing, physiotherapy, etc., there must be demand for OTs, and it should be possible for her to get certification. I have a vague recollection of that being discussed in a previous thread. You probably could find it if you did a word search here at BE.

Since you're in your twenties, and I'm guessing you don't have any kids, you probably could live in a flat in a close-in neighbourhood. Garages and hospitals tend to be outside of the downtown core. You might need to drive away from the downtown core to get to work, but then you'd be travelling against the prevailing traffic, which would make life easier.

Living close-in might be the best solution, even if you work well outside of the downtown core. The reason is that you may get a job in a garage at one end of town and your girlfriend might get a job in a hospital at the other end of town.

Hope that helps.

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Hi,
For example, if you want to work with the Fed. govt.,one of the ways to get
in ,is to work with Canada Post .Once you are hired as a postie or any kind of position there,you are eligible to apply for any internal postings with the
Fed govt. Same goes for the big corporations.The starter position would lead
you to a better job through internal postings and corporate opportunities.
With your carpenter experience,I wonder whether you would consider Home Depot and Rona . Good luck.
Yoong

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

I live in the North West now, further out. I still dont think it is that bad, but I used to live close to central London so thats probably why.

On a day like today though, its bloody terrible, even the trains are having trouble.

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Thanks everyone for the info.
Thanks again Judy. I have been offered a job in the southeast, waiting for LMO at the moment. Lucy, my OH, is just researching for OT jobs, hopefully to find something in similar area!

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Panic over I accepted a job with a law firm this afternoon.

Now that I have stopped pulling my hair out looking for work - I can now turn my attention to things such as your piano.

I will call you soon to arrange a meet up.:thumbup:

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

:thumbsup:Congratulations:thumbsup:

May I ask which law firm you are now with?:)

PM if you like.

Cheers
Steve

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Thanks Steve - I have PM'd you

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Congratulations! and well done too! :thumbup:

We'll be around this weekend (Probably/mostly) #1 son has a friend coming from UK Saturday, and they are going off to Banff for a week. It's "Family Day" on Monday. Hubby appears to have a 3-day weekend atm (but that is always subject to change!:huh: ) I don't think #2 son will be well enough for us to disappear off to the slopes .... :(

Next weeknd I am away, and all will be chaos! I am going off to "Camp Kiwanis" on retreat with the gals! :D :thumbup:

Re: Calgary catching-up
 

Congratulations !! Must be chuffed to bits (and relieved!) :D