bluesteele

Hi everybody. First time poster here.
My husband and I moved to England from South Africa 10 years ago. For personal reasons we've never quite settled. We have a young toddler now and feel that if we're going to make a move, that now is the time. My husband is Canadian and has full citizenship, passport etc although has never lived there.

We love BC but the high cost of living is a huge concern for us. We don't want move and have to take 10 steps backward. A relative recommended Calgary and we've done some online research. The place looks lovely, cost of living and housing seem to be in line with what we're expecting, jobs seem more plentiful, close to the Rockies which looks gorgeous. Are our perceptions correct?

My biggest concern is the Winter. The only cold I've experienced is while living in SE England which can hardly compare to Calgary temperatures.
My experience of snow is a few cm's which result in gridlock on the roads and while being fun to play around in, it fast turns quite tedious when you get back to the daily grind. How do Calgarians deal with this? Is Winter something to be endured rather than enjoyed? Or do they make the most of it and if so, how?

I'd really appreciate anybody's experiences of living in Calgary. Thanks in advance

TheThornes

Hi bluesteele.

I don't actually live right in Calgary but very close by in one of the smaller neighbouring towns. We too moved here from the SE of England.

So far as how the winters compare, they certainly don't bother me here. Temperatures can be cold but, for the most part, are quite bearable. Its true that it is a different type of cold here so its only when it gets colder than say -15 that you really feel it! There are occasions when it drops to -30 or so but, to be honest, those days are usually few and far between.

Also, with regards the snow, unless you're up in the mountains, the snow doesn't linger on the ground all winter (usually! ). The snow doesn't fall all winter. Also, life doesnt grind to a halt in the winter. People generally make the most of it what with skiing, skating and just generally having fun in the snow. Major roads are cleared pretty quick and its very rare for roads to be closed due to snow.

Also bare in mind that even when its cold outside, the sky is usually blue and sunny unlike the usual gray skies of home.

If its something you're seriously considering then perhaps think about coming on a recce trip in the winter time to experience it for yourself.

All the best with your decision.

bluesteele

Thank-you very much for the response

Oink

I couldn't take the winters in any part of Canada apart from coastal BC. They're very long, very very cold and it makes that beautiful scenery brown and ugly as everything is dead for 7 or so months. When people say they enjoy the winters I suspect they're simply justifying their lives there. There's a very good reason most of the Canadian population huddles as far south by the border as they can.

Aviator

Cost of housing on some parts of BC is higher than Calgary in other parts its less. Depends what you need to do for a living. Cost of living is not largely different in AB or BC. Some consumer goods are higher priced due to increased shipping costs, gasoline was more expensive the last time I was there than I pay in BC.

The cold of AB I did not mind. Drier cold, but the snow in June and a 12 week summer if you are lucky! RH is very low, can turn the skin into something that resembles a well worn saddle by senior years. Have plenty of moisturizer and lip balm.

One question that pops to mind, is if you cannot settle in one country, are you confident you will in another country you are unfamiliar with?

bluesteele

Thanks Aviator.
He's in IT and from the looks of things, Vancouver or Victoria would be his best chance for employment.To be honest, we'd prefer living on Vancouver Island than on the mainland (if we ended up choosing BC) but from what we've seen, the salaries in Victoria vs cost of living aren't too favorable. Unless my research is wrong which I fully accept is probable.

And your question regarding settling is very valid. No, we're not 100% confident but we feel we need to give it a chance.

gryphea

We enjoy the winters , but then we ski incessantly all through it. Every weekend, both days.

Honestly, I find it odd that loads of people move here who do not wish to get involved with winter activities at all, beacuse as Oink says, why would you do it? It mus be miserable.

Fine if you cross country ski, snow shoe, board or alpine ski, skate outside loads etc, otherwise I suspect the winters are very hard.

The summers tend to be great.

cheeky_monkey

If like the poster above you love to ski and love winter sports then Calgary pretty much ticks all the boxes...also this summer just gone has been glorious hot and sunny for nearly 4 months..the downside to Calgary in my view is that is has grown too big for its facilities and infrastructure..its not an easy city to get around and is often gridlocked between 6.30 - 9am and again from 3 - 6 pm weekdays..schools are bulging at the seems..and things like rec centres and libraries seem to be few and far between in comparison to Edmonton for example.

FSH

Hi there,
I spent the first 26 years of my live in Germany and the last 16years here in Alberta near Olds which is a 40 minute drive from Calgary to the North.
we can see the Rocky mountains from our farm and overall couldn't really complain at all how things have worked out for us.
My wife sings in the philharmonic choir in Calgary and we also go for shopping and business reasons there...so we know the town a bit. but i think i can see a trend that people like to rather move to surrounding towns ...even as far north as our town because they are thinking they have a better way of life there. And to drive from the south side to the north side of Calgary it can take a longer time than driving in from a 70km distant suburb.
We have several acreages for sale by auction this October and there were a lot of interested people from Calgary and Airdrie calling for the very same reason.

We have friends who moved from south Africa...lived first in manitoba which they hated and live now here but would consider moving to a different country if they could find one that suits. they need to stay in the commonwealth as she's a doctor and doesn't need new certification then.
I personally must say that i pretty much had it here. We came here because it was cheap....which it isn't anymore...because it was free but it looses on freedom with increasing regulations....
The police behaves like mosquitos before a thunderstorm to taxpayers as it's more convenient than going after increasing drug problems....and i went through an expropriation this year,... and watching how government offices work hand in hand to get what they want without being able to challenge them at court, the amount of nepotism and favoritism.....and then to accept 6 month winter? We took the winter as trade off....for something that's gone now.
but if you decide to go to Canada I still would pick Alberta..because you can find easier work....of course BC west coast has a comparable wet/mild climate to England but in my opinion better for retirement people.
Most retired people that i know though go for 4 to 6 month to Arizona to get a break from Winter.
Our kids grew up here and like it. Careful in school...my son used a ruler once as an imaginary rifle when he was 10 years old. That's enough to go to the principals office. They try to make sissy's out of boys but when they later start playing hockey they are considered heroes and its fine to go on the ice and beat each other up.
You will find friends really easy here and in general everybody is accepted...

bluesteele

Thanks for the replies everybody. We're really at a loss about what to do.
Reading everybody's experiences has been very helpful though.

Steve_

Endured I'd say. People drivel on about winter sports but you aren't going to like winter sports when it's -20. 190 days with temperatures below freezing is the average, although in fairness many of those days it only happens at night.

Basically you sit in the basement and watch hockey, I would say is the typical experience, during the coldest parts of the winter. Punctuated by a vacation in Mexico. Depends on how bad the winter is really, last winter was pretty mild, but the winter prior was horrendous.

However on the flip side I do think people let their imaginations run away with them a bit, you can't really know what it is like unless you've lived in it. Even if you visit you know you're going to leave so mentally you don't really adapt to it.

The principle thing that people aren't prepared for is how dry it is during the winter. Snow isn't that big of an issue in Calgary, the snow clearance is pretty good and the occasional chinooks melt it, it's more about being cold and dry.

Buy a house with good insulation would be my advice and a humidifier. Surprisingly difficult as most of it is wood-framed and there are all sorts of gaps everywhere.

But winter in BC isn't much better, imx. It's a bit warmer in Kelowna but it's overcast all the time, whereas at least in Calgary it's sunny. And it constantly rains in Vancouver and if you're really lucky, it snows. Nowhere in Canada has a particularly pleasant winter, imo. Calgary overall is probably one of the easier places to endure it because of the lack of precipitation.

I find in Calgary that over the winter people lose a lot of their social skills because they're indoors so much. Then they sort of rediscover them during the Stampede. Then by this time of the year everyone seems quite normal and neighbourly but by January that will have changed...

Basically -

January - brutal;
February - brutal, but by Family Day it's not as dark at least;
March - not quite as brutal but pretty bad;
April - few warmer days but still wintery;
May - like March in the UK, lot of rain;
June - by the middle of June at the latest the weather is good;
July - usually hot, but lots of thunderstorms because of the heat;
August - shorter days mean less thunderstorms;
September - similar to September in the UK but with more sunshine;
October - similar to October in the UK but with the odd snowstorm, also if it is bad winter it can be quite bad in October;
November - bit of a mixed bag, regular snowstorms but equivalent to British snowstorms;
December - first week of December is usually when it gets really cold and pretty brutal.

Steve_

One thing I will say is that there are a LOT of South Africans here, far more than I can ever remember meeting anywhere else. My GP is Rhodesian, moved to South Africa then moved here.

I've even seen South African things on sale in shops occasionally, e.g. South African Cadbury's.

cheeky_monkey

I've never met a South African in all the time i have been in Canada..i was tripping over them when i lived in the UK!

JonboyE

This is a very common comment, mostly made by people who don't live here. Buying real estate in some parts of BC is expensive. All other living costs are, AFAIK, on a par with much of the rest of Canada. Alberta has lower sales taxes than the rest of the country but then you have to pay to haul stuff there.

IME a modest house somewhere you want to live makes for a better life than a McMansion where you don't.

In very general terms winters in Calgary are cold, dry, bright and brown. In Vancouver they are mild, wet, overcast and green. You take your choice.

You could also look at interior BC towns such as Kamloops that have a compromise climate between the two.

Steve_

The govt. is actually targetting South African doctors I remember reading somewhere, they want them to move to Fort MacLeod, Pincher Creek, etc. Lot of South African dentists as well.