Life in Alberta?
Jun 22nd 2017, 6:31 am
#181
Banned
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 175
Re: Life in Alberta?
Bit late to this one but honestly I've got to say moving to Calgary at the current time is not a terribly good idea imo. First off, the exchange rate is total crap.
The economy in Calgary went down the crapper when the price of oil fell and I'm starting to get pretty worried about it because the NDP seem to think they can just go on spending. There is currently 12 million sq. ft. of empty office space downtown - which is more than the total of downtown Vancouver.
The general idea the NDP seem to have is that they can spend spend spend and at some point the price of oil will go back up and save them, but I see no real signs of that happening, I think there is a good chance this is a permanent slump and oil prices will never recover markedly.
The NDP keep spending because their core vote are the government employee unions. So now there is a gigantic deficit and imo after the next provincial election in 2019, taxes are going to absolutely skyrocket. There is already pressure to raise residential property taxes as Calgary has very high property taxes on offices, which scares away any possible tenants.
So in this backdrop, the city wants to build the green line LRT which will cost billions, finish the ring road, which is costing huge sums, and finish the flood mitigation which is also extremely expensive.
I can't see it ending well honestly, even if you've got a job offer.
As far as healthcare goes, day to day it's better than anything in the US because it's so much cheaper, but as soon as you get referred to a specialist the wheels come off. I got a referral to an endocrinologist the other day - appointment is in October (after much nagging). ENT specialist phoned me up, appointment will be "sometime" in 2019. And bear in mind there's no private option like there is in the UK. Even if you think you can go to the US and speed it up, in reality you can't because AHS won't act on the recommendations of a foreign physician. Say it turns out you need an operation.
So AHS are already struggling quite badly.
Also, just on a basic level, winter effectively lasts seven months of the year here, at least by British standards. October and April are around the level of a British winter and everything inbetween takes some doing to get through.
TBH I've been thinking about moving because Alberta seems to me to be approaching a cliff edge at a rapid clip. Some of the ideas being spouted by politicians are just stupid, e.g. getting tech companies to move here. Why would they move here and even if they did, they are barely going to scratch the office space problem.
And now it looks as though there is going to be an NDP govt. in BC that opposes the Kinder-Morgan pipeline which the NDP govt. in Alberta supports. I'm sure that won't cause any problems.
What I do know is that the population growth estimates for Alberta were and are total fiction, they just assumed the population would keep on growing at a rapid clip forever and there's actually been a net loss of population the last few years. Without oil and gas, God knows what we're going to do. Another thing I keep hearing politicians spout: "diversification". Into what, exactly? You can only make so many series of Fargo here.
The economy in Calgary went down the crapper when the price of oil fell and I'm starting to get pretty worried about it because the NDP seem to think they can just go on spending. There is currently 12 million sq. ft. of empty office space downtown - which is more than the total of downtown Vancouver.
The general idea the NDP seem to have is that they can spend spend spend and at some point the price of oil will go back up and save them, but I see no real signs of that happening, I think there is a good chance this is a permanent slump and oil prices will never recover markedly.
The NDP keep spending because their core vote are the government employee unions. So now there is a gigantic deficit and imo after the next provincial election in 2019, taxes are going to absolutely skyrocket. There is already pressure to raise residential property taxes as Calgary has very high property taxes on offices, which scares away any possible tenants.
So in this backdrop, the city wants to build the green line LRT which will cost billions, finish the ring road, which is costing huge sums, and finish the flood mitigation which is also extremely expensive.
I can't see it ending well honestly, even if you've got a job offer.
As far as healthcare goes, day to day it's better than anything in the US because it's so much cheaper, but as soon as you get referred to a specialist the wheels come off. I got a referral to an endocrinologist the other day - appointment is in October (after much nagging). ENT specialist phoned me up, appointment will be "sometime" in 2019. And bear in mind there's no private option like there is in the UK. Even if you think you can go to the US and speed it up, in reality you can't because AHS won't act on the recommendations of a foreign physician. Say it turns out you need an operation.
So AHS are already struggling quite badly.
Also, just on a basic level, winter effectively lasts seven months of the year here, at least by British standards. October and April are around the level of a British winter and everything inbetween takes some doing to get through.
TBH I've been thinking about moving because Alberta seems to me to be approaching a cliff edge at a rapid clip. Some of the ideas being spouted by politicians are just stupid, e.g. getting tech companies to move here. Why would they move here and even if they did, they are barely going to scratch the office space problem.
And now it looks as though there is going to be an NDP govt. in BC that opposes the Kinder-Morgan pipeline which the NDP govt. in Alberta supports. I'm sure that won't cause any problems.
What I do know is that the population growth estimates for Alberta were and are total fiction, they just assumed the population would keep on growing at a rapid clip forever and there's actually been a net loss of population the last few years. Without oil and gas, God knows what we're going to do. Another thing I keep hearing politicians spout: "diversification". Into what, exactly? You can only make so many series of Fargo here.
Hello there.
Thank you so much! That's really, really helpful and a whole different way of looking at things than anyone else has given yet. So that's really great. Thank you very much
Jun 22nd 2017, 7:08 am
#182
Banned
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 175
Re: Life in Alberta?
Because she went to the trouble of explaining her move to Australia, what life had been like in the various places she has lived in Canada - and lastly, and most importantly - she conveyed to you the loss of her son.
Anyway...
Sometimes it takes an 'outsider' being a little blunt to make someone realise that perhaps they are obsessing about things - even things that are least likely to happen. It's not the regulars being mean, they are stating what they are seeing from your posts. I know that sometimes the written word can be misconstrued, so perhaps take it on board that the majority of peoples comments are them trying to be helpful, not trying to be contentious.
As I said in my post here - what's perhaps more important is deciding whether you could be happy in Canada and whether your children will settle, rather than the very small chance that someone, somewhere, has a gun - or that there's a spider.
Forums can be funny places but this is one of the better ones. We genuinely care and try to give advice that will be helpful to someone contemplating the move - and if sometimes the comments aren't quite what you were hoping for (or even off topic) you really should take them on board - after all, these people have made the move (often with very young children) and can offer you the best advice possible - life experience.
Best of luck with whatever you decide..
Anyway...
Sometimes it takes an 'outsider' being a little blunt to make someone realise that perhaps they are obsessing about things - even things that are least likely to happen. It's not the regulars being mean, they are stating what they are seeing from your posts. I know that sometimes the written word can be misconstrued, so perhaps take it on board that the majority of peoples comments are them trying to be helpful, not trying to be contentious.
As I said in my post here - what's perhaps more important is deciding whether you could be happy in Canada and whether your children will settle, rather than the very small chance that someone, somewhere, has a gun - or that there's a spider.
Forums can be funny places but this is one of the better ones. We genuinely care and try to give advice that will be helpful to someone contemplating the move - and if sometimes the comments aren't quite what you were hoping for (or even off topic) you really should take them on board - after all, these people have made the move (often with very young children) and can offer you the best advice possible - life experience.
Best of luck with whatever you decide..
With regards to me asking questions about the safety of my children in Canada, well, sorry but that's a priority for me. Perhaps it wasn't for others that may have moved. Perhaps others commenting that it's not relevant didn't move with children. I don't know. For me though, it's paramount that I look into these matters. Canada has more murders than the UK, obviously a tremendous amount higher gun deaths and an increasing gun crime rate in the place we are looking to move to - not to mention schools that are unlocked, unfenced, and open for anyone to walk in. I'M GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS.
With regard to Dorothy and the comment you highlighted about me not knowing Dorothy's background. I don't think you understood why I said that. In one post Dorothy was again criticising and being judgemental of my questions and style of writing. So I finally addressed that as I'd had enough. In another post she had mentioned the loss of her son and I replied to that with the post below (please see). It was from this post that somebody else said something along the lines of me being rude to Dorothy regarding the death of her son which was astonishing as the ONLY time I mentioned that was in the post below and there is NOTHING there which can even remotely be taken out of context, let alone actually be rude. I really would like this all to stop now! Why do you people feel the need to do this? Please just stop! I've honestly had enough! This is ridiculous! If you don't like me asking lots of questions then why are you in a forum for questions? If you've answered a question and you feel I then ask something similar then just don't comment back! If you don't like the way I write then please remember that this isn't a writing competition, (and, as I said to Dorothy, it was how she said it. She first called me obsessed and then called me out on how I write. There are better, and more polite ways, of doing that. As I kindly said to her). Now I really want this to end so please, just leave it be. My comment to Dorothy regarding her son is to follow.
Oh I am so, so sorry. I feel just awful reading that. I have three young boys and I often look at them and think of who, (and what), they'll become and it terrifies me that something like that can happen. You can be the best parent in the world and yet still that can never guarantee their life is going to be what you'd hoped for them. And I don't believe where you live matters. It's probably easy to think well, if we hadn't have lived there maybe he wouldn't have come in to contact with that life but I truly do believe that it wouldn't have mattered where you lived, if he came across someone, (which these days I'm sure most young people do), who had drugs then he would have followed that path. It doesn't need to start with anything extreme and it doesn't matter what you taught him or how much he was loved, some people are just naturally drawn to that lifestyle once they come in contact with it. I truly feel quite emotional right now. I'm so glad you shared that with me. It's certainly something for me to take into account - not because, as I have said, I believe living in any particular country has an effect on a child who decides to take that route in life because that's something that in Canada, Australia, America, the UK and countless more is a common thing to encounter...and if you are pre-programmed to have an addiction there's nothing anyone can do. But rather it's something for me to think about because, like I told my hunsband, and as I'm sure you'll agree from your experience, making that decision to move, if something goes wrong for your children, you're always left wondering "what if...". No matter what reason and logic actually tell you, there's always that thought. A lot of people on here have said I seem obsessed or paranoid about certain things...for example I was quite surprised about the amount of guns in Canada, the increasing gun crime, the schools not having a locked front entrance or fences and also I was surprised to discover that Canada actually has a 39% higher murder rate than the UK. And it's not that I'm paranoid, but with three young children I really have to take this into account because IF we were to move and something happened, I'd always wonder the classic, "what if...". Even though I know we could stay here and something awful happen and I'd think, "what if we'd moved? That wouldn't have happened." So please, never wonder or doubt your decisions. Or anything you may have, or may not have done as a parent. There was nothing you could have done more to stop what happened. I'm certain of that. Again, I'm so, so sorry for your loss and I truly appreciate you sharing that with me. Thank you
Jun 22nd 2017, 7:35 am
#183
MODERATOR
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 29,880
Re: Life in Alberta?
No, I'm sorry, I completely feel like people here have ganged up and attacked me. I have tried to reply to everybody's posts so obviously things I have said will be repeated. I asked one question about spiders - one! So why would you say maybe I should worry about whether my children will be happy there rather than the spiders? I simply asked out of curiosity as I was surprised that the types of species that were there. Why should it matter to people what questions I have? They're MY questions about relocating. That's basically like me walking into a a food store, hearing a customer ask a clerk if they sell batteries, and then me taking the time to chime in and say, "why are you asking that? Why are you asking if they have batteries? Why don't you as them if they have something consumable rather than batteries? It would be much more worth your while." It shouldn't matter what I ask. This is a forum to ask questions. If someone things my question isn't relevant, then they don't have to answer. It's that simple.
With regards to me asking questions about the safety of my children in Canada, well, sorry but that's a priority for me. Perhaps it wasn't for others that may have moved. Perhaps others commenting that it's not relevant didn't move with children. I don't know. For me though, it's paramount that I look into these matters. Canada has more murders than the UK, obviously a tremendous amount higher gun deaths and an increasing gun crime rate in the place we are looking to move to - not to mention schools that are unlocked, unfenced, and open for anyone to walk in. I'M GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS.
With regard to Dorothy and the comment you highlighted about me not knowing Dorothy's background. I don't think you understood why I said that. In one post Dorothy was again criticising and being judgemental of my questions and style of writing. So I finally addressed that as I'd had enough. In another post she had mentioned the loss of her son and I replied to that with the post below (please see). It was from this post that somebody else said something along the lines of me being rude to Dorothy regarding the death of her son which was astonishing as the ONLY time I mentioned that was in the post below and there is NOTHING there which can even remotely be taken out of context, let alone actually be rude. I really would like this all to stop now! Why do you people feel the need to do this? Please just stop! I've honestly had enough! This is ridiculous! If you don't like me asking lots of questions then why are you in a forum for questions? If you've answered a question and you feel I then ask something similar then just don't comment back! If you don't like the way I write then please remember that this isn't a writing competition, (and, as I said to Dorothy, it was how she said it. She first called me obsessed and then called me out on how I write. There are better, and more polite ways, of doing that. As I kindly said to her). Now I really want this to end so please, just leave it be. My comment to Dorothy regarding her son is to follow.
Oh I am so, so sorry. I feel just awful reading that. I have three young boys and I often look at them and think of who, (and what), they'll become and it terrifies me that something like that can happen. You can be the best parent in the world and yet still that can never guarantee their life is going to be what you'd hoped for them. And I don't believe where you live matters. It's probably easy to think well, if we hadn't have lived there maybe he wouldn't have come in to contact with that life but I truly do believe that it wouldn't have mattered where you lived, if he came across someone, (which these days I'm sure most young people do), who had drugs then he would have followed that path. It doesn't need to start with anything extreme and it doesn't matter what you taught him or how much he was loved, some people are just naturally drawn to that lifestyle once they come in contact with it. I truly feel quite emotional right now. I'm so glad you shared that with me. It's certainly something for me to take into account - not because, as I have said, I believe living in any particular country has an effect on a child who decides to take that route in life because that's something that in Canada, Australia, America, the UK and countless more is a common thing to encounter...and if you are pre-programmed to have an addiction there's nothing anyone can do. But rather it's something for me to think about because, like I told my hunsband, and as I'm sure you'll agree from your experience, making that decision to move, if something goes wrong for your children, you're always left wondering "what if...". No matter what reason and logic actually tell you, there's always that thought. A lot of people on here have said I seem obsessed or paranoid about certain things...for example I was quite surprised about the amount of guns in Canada, the increasing gun crime, the schools not having a locked front entrance or fences and also I was surprised to discover that Canada actually has a 39% higher murder rate than the UK. And it's not that I'm paranoid, but with three young children I really have to take this into account because IF we were to move and something happened, I'd always wonder the classic, "what if...". Even though I know we could stay here and something awful happen and I'd think, "what if we'd moved? That wouldn't have happened." So please, never wonder or doubt your decisions. Or anything you may have, or may not have done as a parent. There was nothing you could have done more to stop what happened. I'm certain of that. Again, I'm so, so sorry for your loss and I truly appreciate you sharing that with me. Thank you
With regards to me asking questions about the safety of my children in Canada, well, sorry but that's a priority for me. Perhaps it wasn't for others that may have moved. Perhaps others commenting that it's not relevant didn't move with children. I don't know. For me though, it's paramount that I look into these matters. Canada has more murders than the UK, obviously a tremendous amount higher gun deaths and an increasing gun crime rate in the place we are looking to move to - not to mention schools that are unlocked, unfenced, and open for anyone to walk in. I'M GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS.
With regard to Dorothy and the comment you highlighted about me not knowing Dorothy's background. I don't think you understood why I said that. In one post Dorothy was again criticising and being judgemental of my questions and style of writing. So I finally addressed that as I'd had enough. In another post she had mentioned the loss of her son and I replied to that with the post below (please see). It was from this post that somebody else said something along the lines of me being rude to Dorothy regarding the death of her son which was astonishing as the ONLY time I mentioned that was in the post below and there is NOTHING there which can even remotely be taken out of context, let alone actually be rude. I really would like this all to stop now! Why do you people feel the need to do this? Please just stop! I've honestly had enough! This is ridiculous! If you don't like me asking lots of questions then why are you in a forum for questions? If you've answered a question and you feel I then ask something similar then just don't comment back! If you don't like the way I write then please remember that this isn't a writing competition, (and, as I said to Dorothy, it was how she said it. She first called me obsessed and then called me out on how I write. There are better, and more polite ways, of doing that. As I kindly said to her). Now I really want this to end so please, just leave it be. My comment to Dorothy regarding her son is to follow.
Oh I am so, so sorry. I feel just awful reading that. I have three young boys and I often look at them and think of who, (and what), they'll become and it terrifies me that something like that can happen. You can be the best parent in the world and yet still that can never guarantee their life is going to be what you'd hoped for them. And I don't believe where you live matters. It's probably easy to think well, if we hadn't have lived there maybe he wouldn't have come in to contact with that life but I truly do believe that it wouldn't have mattered where you lived, if he came across someone, (which these days I'm sure most young people do), who had drugs then he would have followed that path. It doesn't need to start with anything extreme and it doesn't matter what you taught him or how much he was loved, some people are just naturally drawn to that lifestyle once they come in contact with it. I truly feel quite emotional right now. I'm so glad you shared that with me. It's certainly something for me to take into account - not because, as I have said, I believe living in any particular country has an effect on a child who decides to take that route in life because that's something that in Canada, Australia, America, the UK and countless more is a common thing to encounter...and if you are pre-programmed to have an addiction there's nothing anyone can do. But rather it's something for me to think about because, like I told my hunsband, and as I'm sure you'll agree from your experience, making that decision to move, if something goes wrong for your children, you're always left wondering "what if...". No matter what reason and logic actually tell you, there's always that thought. A lot of people on here have said I seem obsessed or paranoid about certain things...for example I was quite surprised about the amount of guns in Canada, the increasing gun crime, the schools not having a locked front entrance or fences and also I was surprised to discover that Canada actually has a 39% higher murder rate than the UK. And it's not that I'm paranoid, but with three young children I really have to take this into account because IF we were to move and something happened, I'd always wonder the classic, "what if...". Even though I know we could stay here and something awful happen and I'd think, "what if we'd moved? That wouldn't have happened." So please, never wonder or doubt your decisions. Or anything you may have, or may not have done as a parent. There was nothing you could have done more to stop what happened. I'm certain of that. Again, I'm so, so sorry for your loss and I truly appreciate you sharing that with me. Thank you
And sorry, my post came across as rude and assertive, although I admit I was poking fun whilst trying to get you to see that big blocks of text, with little punctuation and no paragraphs are difficult to follow. If you look at the difference in style between that post, and the following post by Steve, it's easy to see which is the nicer style to read.
Jun 22nd 2017, 7:48 am
#184
Concierge
Joined: Jan 2013
Location: Western Australia
Posts: 21,141
Re: Life in Alberta?
Post after post after post of people using their valuable time to respond to your multiple questions, sympathizing with your phobia(s), giving you the answers you asked for - and you write reams and reams of negative shite about the members here?
Less of the drama queen, love.
Jun 22nd 2017, 7:55 am
#185
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 448
Re: Life in Alberta?
Oh I am so, so sorry. I feel just awful reading that. I have three young boys and I often look at them and think of who, (and what), they'll become and it terrifies me that something like that can happen. You can be the best parent in the world and yet still that can never guarantee their life is going to be what you'd hoped for them. And I don't believe where you live matters. It's probably easy to think well, if we hadn't have lived there maybe he wouldn't have come in to contact with that life but I truly do believe that it wouldn't have mattered where you lived, if he came across someone, (which these days I'm sure most young people do), who had drugs then he would have followed that path. It doesn't need to start with anything extreme and it doesn't matter what you taught him or how much he was loved, some people are just naturally drawn to that lifestyle once they come in contact with it. I truly feel quite emotional right now. I'm so glad you shared that with me. It's certainly something for me to take into account - not because, as I have said, I believe living in any particular country has an effect on a child who decides to take that route in life because that's something that in Canada, Australia, America, the UK and countless more is a common thing to encounter...and if you are pre-programmed to have an addiction there's nothing anyone can do. But rather it's something for me to think about because, like I told my hunsband, and as I'm sure you'll agree from your experience, making that decision to move, if something goes wrong for your children, you're always left wondering "what if...". No matter what reason and logic actually tell you, there's always that thought. A lot of people on here have said I seem obsessed or paranoid about certain things...for example I was quite surprised about the amount of guns in Canada, the increasing gun crime, the schools not having a locked front entrance or fences and also I was surprised to discover that Canada actually has a 39% higher murder rate than the UK. And it's not that I'm paranoid, but with three young children I really have to take this into account because IF we were to move and something happened, I'd always wonder the classic, "what if...". Even though I know we could stay here and something awful happen and I'd think, "what if we'd moved? That wouldn't have happened." So please, never wonder or doubt your decisions. Or anything you may have, or may not have done as a parent. There was nothing you could have done more to stop what happened. I'm certain of that. Again, I'm so, so sorry for your loss and I truly appreciate you sharing that with me. Thank you
I can't speak for Dorothy, and I wouldn't try, but as a parent who's lost children I found it crass and tactless, and I know many bereaved parents who would feel the same. Usually I'd overlook it as just being foot-in-mouth, but combined with your other rude posts it was over the line.
Taken separately, still tactless but none of us is perfect and there are far worse things than poor choices of phrase. Losing children does seem to make people who haven't say things along the lines of "the thought of it terrifies me". On bad days comments like that come across as spectacularly self absorbed, on not so bad days, or if the person genuinely does mean well and hasn't just been making rude comments, I grit my teeth and smile.
This is a genuine request, please think carefully about what you say and write to those who have lost children, you cannot begin to even slightly imagine the hell in earth it is (and I hope you never will) and tactless comments can make the pain so much worse.
As Christmas says, you don't get to choose who posts, or what they post. I am newbie to this forum and the advice has always been brilliant, perhaps not always what I wanted to hear, but as others have said sometimes it takes an outsider to tell you those things, and its really nice to hear you're obsessing over something which just isn't an issue.
I recently had a thread where I was worried about potential bad areas in the two provinces we had to chose between moving to, I was worried because our friends here in PEI told me that the two were worse than Jo'burg and made them sound like complete dens of iniquity. Whilst I thought it was ridiculous (I've lived in Jo'burg, the idea of anywhere in Canada being like that is laughable) it still played on my mind, and it was really nice to hear that nope, my worries and slight paranoia were indeed laughable.
You have tried to outlaw banter, sarcasm and joking on this thread, repeatedly asking people to stick to the question. Do you police what people say in real life too, because that way madness lies, and emigrating will drive you crazy enough without any additional help!
The thing about emigrating is that its tough, stressful, and full of road blocks. Being able to focus on the positives, graciously take things on the chin and keep your sense of humour help immeasurably. If you can't do that here on an internet forum, you are likely going to struggle with emigrating, making new friends and creating a new social circle in real life.
As others have said, it really doesn't sound like emigration is for you, it sound like you love where you are and that you aren't well equipped for emigration. Why not throw yourself into your current life for a few years instead?
Jun 22nd 2017, 7:57 am
#186
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 448
Re: Life in Alberta?
Post after post after post of people using their valuable time to respond to your multiple questions, sympathizing with your phobia(s), giving you the answers you asked for - and you write reams and reams of negative shite about the members here?
Less of the drama queen, love.
I need to learn to summarize better! In my defence it isn't even 5am here yet, and I haven't had coffee.
Jun 22nd 2017, 8:08 am
#189
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 448
Re: Life in Alberta?
Thank you! I've been trying to perfect the art of insomnia writing .
I can function without coffee, but I regresses evolutionary by about fifty thousand years. Its mostly just angry noises and club waving, and anything remotely sensible or coherent is pure coincidence
. I can function without coffee, but I regresses evolutionary by about fifty thousand years. Its mostly just angry noises and club waving, and anything remotely sensible or coherent is pure coincidence
Jun 22nd 2017, 8:15 am
#191
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,816
Re: Life in Alberta?
I know its a bad day when not only do my shift pals suggest an early refill, ut they take my mug and refill it for me
Jun 22nd 2017, 8:19 am
#192
Still alive
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 28,994
Re: Life in Alberta?
Thank you! I've been trying to perfect the art of insomnia writing .
I can function without coffee, but I regresses evolutionary by about fifty thousand years. Its mostly just angry noises and club waving, and anything remotely sensible or coherent is pure coincidence
. I can function without coffee, but I regresses evolutionary by about fifty thousand years. Its mostly just angry noises and club waving, and anything remotely sensible or coherent is pure coincidence
)
Jun 22nd 2017, 8:26 am
#193
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,816
Re: Life in Alberta?
No, I'm sorry, I completely feel like people here have ganged up and attacked me. I have tried to reply to everybody's posts so obviously things I have said will be repeated. I asked one question about spiders - one! So why would you say maybe I should worry about whether my children will be happy there rather than the spiders? I simply asked out of curiosity as I was surprised that the types of species that were there.
Why should it matter to people what questions I have? They're MY questions about relocating. That's basically like me walking into a a food store, hearing a customer ask a clerk if they sell batteries, and then me taking the time to chime in and say, "why are you asking that? Why are you asking if they have batteries? Why don't you as them if they have something consumable rather than batteries? It would be much more worth your while." It shouldn't matter what I ask. This is a forum to ask questions. If someone things my question isn't relevant, then they don't have to answer. It's that simple.
With regards to me asking questions about the safety of my children in Canada, well, sorry but that's a priority for me. Perhaps it wasn't for others that may have moved. Perhaps others commenting that it's not relevant didn't move with children. I don't know. For me though, it's paramount that I look into these matters. Canada has more murders than the UK, obviously a tremendous amount higher gun deaths and an increasing gun crime rate in the place we are looking to move to - not to mention schools that are unlocked, unfenced, and open for anyone to walk in. I'M GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS.
With regard to Dorothy and the comment you highlighted about me not knowing Dorothy's background. I don't think you understood why I said that. In one post Dorothy was again criticising and being judgemental of my questions and style of writing. So I finally addressed that as I'd had enough. In another post she had mentioned the loss of her son and I replied to that with the post below (please see). It was from this post that somebody else said something along the lines of me being rude to Dorothy regarding the death of her son which was astonishing as the ONLY time I mentioned that was in the post below and there is NOTHING there which can even remotely be taken out of context, let alone actually be rude. I really would like this all to stop now! Why do you people feel the need to do this? Please just stop! I've honestly had enough! This is ridiculous! If you don't like me asking lots of questions then why are you in a forum for questions? If you've answered a question and you feel I then ask something similar then just don't comment back! If you don't like the way I write then please remember that this isn't a writing competition, (and, as I said to Dorothy, it was how she said it. She first called me obsessed and then called me out on how I write. There are better, and more polite ways, of doing that. As I kindly said to her). Now I really want this to end so please, just leave it be. My comment to Dorothy regarding her son is to follow.
Oh I am so, so sorry. I feel just awful reading that. I have three young boys and I often look at them and think of who, (and what), they'll become and it terrifies me that something like that can happen. You can be the best parent in the world and yet still that can never guarantee their life is going to be what you'd hoped for them. And I don't believe where you live matters. It's probably easy to think well, if we hadn't have lived there maybe he wouldn't have come in to contact with that life but I truly do believe that it wouldn't have mattered where you lived, if he came across someone, (which these days I'm sure most young people do), who had drugs then he would have followed that path. It doesn't need to start with anything extreme and it doesn't matter what you taught him or how much he was loved, some people are just naturally drawn to that lifestyle once they come in contact with it. I truly feel quite emotional right now. I'm so glad you shared that with me. It's certainly something for me to take into account - not because, as I have said,
I believe living in any particular country has an effect on a child who decides to take that route in life because that's something that in Canada, Australia, America, the UK and countless more is a common thing to encounter...and if you are pre-programmed to have an addiction there's nothing anyone can do. But rather it's something for me to think about because, like I told my hunsband, and as I'm sure you'll agree from your experience, making that decision to move, if something goes wrong for your children, you're always left wondering "what if...". No matter what reason and logic actually tell you, there's always that thought.
A lot of people on here have said I seem obsessed or paranoid about certain things...for example I was quite surprised about the amount of guns in Canada, the increasing gun crime, the schools not having a locked front entrance or fences and also I was surprised to discover that Canada actually has a 39% higher murder rate than the UK. And it's not that I'm paranoid, but with three young children I really have to take this into account because IF we were to move and something happened, I'd always wonder the classic, "what if...". Even though I know we could stay here and something awful happen and I'd think, "what if we'd moved? That wouldn't have happened." So please, never wonder or doubt your decisions. Or anything you may have, or may not have done as a parent. There was nothing you could have done more to stop what happened. I'm certain of that. Again, I'm so, so sorry for your loss and I truly appreciate you sharing that with me. Thank you
Why should it matter to people what questions I have? They're MY questions about relocating. That's basically like me walking into a a food store, hearing a customer ask a clerk if they sell batteries, and then me taking the time to chime in and say, "why are you asking that? Why are you asking if they have batteries? Why don't you as them if they have something consumable rather than batteries? It would be much more worth your while." It shouldn't matter what I ask. This is a forum to ask questions. If someone things my question isn't relevant, then they don't have to answer. It's that simple.
With regards to me asking questions about the safety of my children in Canada, well, sorry but that's a priority for me. Perhaps it wasn't for others that may have moved. Perhaps others commenting that it's not relevant didn't move with children. I don't know. For me though, it's paramount that I look into these matters. Canada has more murders than the UK, obviously a tremendous amount higher gun deaths and an increasing gun crime rate in the place we are looking to move to - not to mention schools that are unlocked, unfenced, and open for anyone to walk in. I'M GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS.
With regard to Dorothy and the comment you highlighted about me not knowing Dorothy's background. I don't think you understood why I said that. In one post Dorothy was again criticising and being judgemental of my questions and style of writing. So I finally addressed that as I'd had enough. In another post she had mentioned the loss of her son and I replied to that with the post below (please see). It was from this post that somebody else said something along the lines of me being rude to Dorothy regarding the death of her son which was astonishing as the ONLY time I mentioned that was in the post below and there is NOTHING there which can even remotely be taken out of context, let alone actually be rude. I really would like this all to stop now! Why do you people feel the need to do this? Please just stop! I've honestly had enough! This is ridiculous! If you don't like me asking lots of questions then why are you in a forum for questions? If you've answered a question and you feel I then ask something similar then just don't comment back! If you don't like the way I write then please remember that this isn't a writing competition, (and, as I said to Dorothy, it was how she said it. She first called me obsessed and then called me out on how I write. There are better, and more polite ways, of doing that. As I kindly said to her). Now I really want this to end so please, just leave it be. My comment to Dorothy regarding her son is to follow.
Oh I am so, so sorry. I feel just awful reading that. I have three young boys and I often look at them and think of who, (and what), they'll become and it terrifies me that something like that can happen. You can be the best parent in the world and yet still that can never guarantee their life is going to be what you'd hoped for them. And I don't believe where you live matters. It's probably easy to think well, if we hadn't have lived there maybe he wouldn't have come in to contact with that life but I truly do believe that it wouldn't have mattered where you lived, if he came across someone, (which these days I'm sure most young people do), who had drugs then he would have followed that path. It doesn't need to start with anything extreme and it doesn't matter what you taught him or how much he was loved, some people are just naturally drawn to that lifestyle once they come in contact with it. I truly feel quite emotional right now. I'm so glad you shared that with me. It's certainly something for me to take into account - not because, as I have said,
I believe living in any particular country has an effect on a child who decides to take that route in life because that's something that in Canada, Australia, America, the UK and countless more is a common thing to encounter...and if you are pre-programmed to have an addiction there's nothing anyone can do. But rather it's something for me to think about because, like I told my hunsband, and as I'm sure you'll agree from your experience, making that decision to move, if something goes wrong for your children, you're always left wondering "what if...". No matter what reason and logic actually tell you, there's always that thought.
A lot of people on here have said I seem obsessed or paranoid about certain things...for example I was quite surprised about the amount of guns in Canada, the increasing gun crime, the schools not having a locked front entrance or fences and also I was surprised to discover that Canada actually has a 39% higher murder rate than the UK. And it's not that I'm paranoid, but with three young children I really have to take this into account because IF we were to move and something happened, I'd always wonder the classic, "what if...". Even though I know we could stay here and something awful happen and I'd think, "what if we'd moved? That wouldn't have happened." So please, never wonder or doubt your decisions. Or anything you may have, or may not have done as a parent. There was nothing you could have done more to stop what happened. I'm certain of that. Again, I'm so, so sorry for your loss and I truly appreciate you sharing that with me. Thank you
Safety of your children? We all understand that. We all have children in our lives somewhere and we all worry, but you cannot rule out the unexpected, the unusual, the sudden tragedies. Here's an example - you asked about pools, and about the nice surroundings they can have. Here the first thing t think about with a pool is safety, not beauty. A huge number of kids die here each year in pools. Pick a safe village to live in? In my old life in the UK I was involved with Sarah Payne - whose grandparents lived in an idyllic village in Sussex.....where Sarah was abducted and killed. Remember Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman......lived in a perfect English village, at least until the school got a new caretaker. My point is that life is full of risks and you sometimes just have to take the plunge.
Do keep asking questions, but try not to obsess so much about dangers, find out about LIFE as well
(and pleases try and do paragraphs, people really do tend to glaze over halway through blocks of text
)
Jun 22nd 2017, 8:27 am
#194
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 448
Re: Life in Alberta?
Nor sure if you ladies saw the "What's pissed you off" post yesterday, but we moved house on Tuesday and I couldn't find the coffee machine on Wednesday morning! Things got so bad that I had to get dressed and go to 7-11 to get one. Thankfully my sweet lovin' man found it when he got home from work. (Knew there was a reason to keep him around )
)
No coffee after moving house?!? I reckon that buys him at least a couple of years grace with sticking around surely? 
We're about to move and I'm just finishing packing - I have a things we will need immediately box and the coffee maker and coffee are in there.
I am debating buying a second coffee maker and getting it set up ready at the new house, can't be too careful after all, we are doing a u-haul self move to seven hours away and I'm doing all of the driving
Jun 22nd 2017, 8:29 am
#195
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 962
Re: Life in Alberta?
Then I'm happy to be on your ignore list. I've never even once mentioned wolves. I asked about spiders in Australia because I have a genuine phobia. So basically, you're attacking me for having a phobia? That's kind of cruel. I'm not asking you to understand, but there's no need to attack me for it. You could easily not comment. I'm new to this whole forum thing and I'm only here to ask my questions about possibly relocating. I don't "hang out" here and post thousands of times, (27,267 in your case!) on all manner of posts just for fun. So I'm sorry if I'm not in the know on how things should be written, spaced accordingly etc. but I simply asked that instead of you pulling me up on the matter that you perhaps ask politely. I didn't know politeness what a bad thing here so I'm sorry about that. I wish you all the best of luck in your life and in your busy world of forum posting. Kind Regards, ABD.
A lot of people spend a lot of time answering the same questions over and over again, hence thousands of posts. Along the way these people get friendly with each other. So rather than mock someone for having thousands of posts, why not think; that person has probably helped a lot of random people a lot of times for zero personal gain.
Obviously Oink in the exception to this, he's here to offer advice on being friends with Canadians (don't), advise on drinking beer and going fishing (do) and maybe offer a hint of dry wit...
On a side note, it isn't offensive to request paragraphs in long posts, your posts really could use them. Even Trump wouldn't appreciate your walls of text, and we all known how much he likes walls.