ABD79

You're the first who's said its boring Maybe we should do a house swap

ABD79

Oh that does put my mind at ease, thank you. On the child front I'm not ready to let them go anywhere on their own yet...just because I'm not ready to let them grow up yet They're still small though so I guess I can get away with it...at least for a while I remember going off on my bike all day when I was younger. I do want them to have that and if we lived in America I just don't think I could ever let that happen there.
Ah good old Isle of Wight. We'll be going there in October when the parents in law are over from America (we always take the children there when they come over as its a good excuse to go...the children love it). I have to say I'm getting pretty sold on Canada. Do you find it much cleaner in Calgary than cities in the UK? I member going to Montreal and thinking how clean it was and that was although that was a while ago now. It felt a nice city. Canada is certainly beautiful. Last time I went it was October and it was just beautiful there.

ABD79

Yes but with my husband's job we're aren't able to just go and visit anywhere for 6 weeks. And we're not the kind of people, him or I, to not appreciate a place and get involved, make friends etc. I went off to university in the US when I was 19, he went from the US to Spain easy summer for Spanish lessons. He came here to see me for two weekends and then stayed. We moved to New Mexico for a while and Texas. I don't think it would be a question of "not liking" Calgary. Or somewhere like Brisbane. If there's stuff going on, nice scenery and it's safe with a good school then we're happy. We don't need a lot in life...hence me loving where we currently live. It's really all down to how good it is on paper, either here or if we move. I.e. Safety, activities, family oriented, landscape. Outside of that, we're happy really! We can't go to Brisbane for a month or two and then Calgary to compare...couldn't afford it and there's not the time off work for my husband. Worse comes to worse, if we HAD to, we'd stick it out for a few years to recoup the costs involved in moving and come back to the UK...worse case scenario. But we're really not like that. I think we both just slot in to our surroundings. When we go on holiday for example we only eat food from that country and we don't lay out by the pool, we rent a car and explore as much as we can...I won't ever even eat Chinese food without chopsticks in the UK as I just don't feel it's right So in terms of Calgary it would be doing what everyone else does there and making a big attempt to make friends, fit in and get on with life. Just like it would have been with Brisbane. I am interested in why you'd choose Brisbane over Calgary any day? Brisbane was/still is a big contender but I am a genuine arachnophobe and I fear, even with desensitisation therapy, it would be a huge overshadow on my life there...having to check clothes before ever putting them on, having to think before I just grab anything out of a drawer, checking shoes, freaking out in the night if I feel something tickle my skin, not being able to just reach under the settee for the children's toys when they roll under, having to not have many plants in the garden because of the attraction to red backs, white tails and the funnel web spiders they bring. Not to mention driving and worrying about if a huntsman is in the car! Eeeek! But the fear of spiders aside I have to think of the sun UV factor as I've had several moles already removed and my dad has had skin cancer several times which makes me very wary. If we could go for a year to Brisbane I would but a whole big move I just have to think of how much more at risk they are and I am of skin cancer as I'd want to be outside a lot with my children, especially as they're so young and they love the outdoors. And snow would never stop us getting out or at least wanting to get out...but extreme heat would. It's even too hot here at the moment! We're wiped out When they're grown and if they wanted to go to university there or something then no doubt my husband and I would go and buy a little apartment in Brisbane if the children had flown the nest. I can absolutely see that happening. And while we haven't ruled Brisbane out completely, there is more turning us away from it than Calgary which is a shame as it looks simply stunning there! The obvious differences aside (sun, beaches), what is it that makes you want to choose Brisbane over Calgary? Are there any reasons after the sun and beaches? I'll admit, I LOVE the ocean. It gives me life. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't find happiness with mountains and lakes. My husband prefers mountains over beaches, (I'm the other way), but if we're all healthy and leading a life that gets us outside and meeting people and doing things for the children like horse riding, ice hockey (I used to play and my eldest now wants to) etc then we'd be happy. The health care in Brisbane was a slight issue too for us but not majorly. All in all Calgary seems to be winning.

ABD79

That's good advice for Okatokes, as a few people had suggested there. By the sounds of it we'd be best off in the closer suburbs of Calgary...it just makes it difficult to find somewhere with enough space garden wise and that's within our price range. Our other alternative was actually red deer as my husband will be working out of Edmonton too (but more so Calgary). He's used to a 4-5 hour stint of driving each day as he does that now. Not sure if red deer would be for us though. We may be more likely to get a house with more grounds to it within budget but I can't imagine it would have nearly enough going on there for us. Calgary does seem a better fit.

Shard

ABD79

Just on a whim, does anyone know anything much about Red Deer? My husband would need to travel to Edmonton regularly and isn't worried about travelling from Calgary up to Edmonton as he frequently spends 4-5 hours a day driving anyway. So we dismissed red deer as we just thought Calgary was obviously the better choice. But I would be interested to find out what people thought of red deer. I mean, if everyone came back and said, "oh it's lovely there...better chance of a bigger house and a bit of land, there's things going on enough that the children won't get fed up, people are really friendly, nice restaurants, parks etc and it's safe then I'd spend a bit of time looking in to it. Otherwise I probably won't bother

Shard

See Post #18.

ABD79

Also, never really asked about bears. Can you truly enjoy and appreciate the scenery in Alberta with the bears? Does anyone on this thread regularly go hiking or biking out in the countryside? Is it as simple as having a rifle with you and that will send a bear away if you see one? Just curious as to how people coexist with bears and how much you can take advantage of the beauty in Alberta with bears about...and Cougars Not sure I'd feel confident with bear spray alone...I hate guns but I genuinely would prefer to have a rifle than a spray so long as it was plausible to carry it unloaded and load it if necessary (I have three young children as I've mentioned so I would never feel comfortable with a loaded gun). I also know that my issue with guns is primarily (not all but primarily) hand gun based. I'd be far more comfortable with having a rifle if out in the country to fend off a bear than having to sleep with a hand gun by my bed in the US in case of a home invasion (which was what several people advised my parents in law to do when they moved to Texas and considered the Dallas/Fort Worth area...but they moved further out to a more rural location. Don't know how quick bears are and if it's likely you'd have time to load a gun. Bears living where I could live is all new to me It's still daunting the thought of having a gun with children around...but on the same token I don't want them to be attacked by a bear and we are out doorsie people.
Edit: just researched and found it's difficult to get a permit to carry for defending against wildlife purposes. So what do people do? Just spray and hope?

ABD79

Somehow I seem to have overlooked that that comment was about Red Deer...thank you!

raindropsandroses

I'm not sure how it is in Alberta but here all of my son's friends parents have guns (as do I), so its pretty inescapable. Yes its difficult to get a permit for a gun for wildlife defense, which is why everyone gets them for hunting, or to be part of the gun club.

Bears are extremely fast when they charge, have a look on YouTube. I was once told they can cover thirty yards in under three seconds when charging, not sure how true that is but reasonable. I would suggest a rifle isn't going to cut it, too long range. A friend of mine in Manitoba has a pump action shotgun which she is fond of. If you do get a gun you must practice, practice, practice until your aim is impeccable and you can still do it under stress. Its worse than useless having a weapon and not being able to use it sensibly.

It is however, very rare to be attacked with a bear if you are being sensible. There are loads of videos on YouTube with advice, I would have a look at those if I were you. I would personally be more worried about cougars.

When we've been in areas with dangerous wildlife (not a problem in PEI) I haven't been unduly worried as our dog is capable of dealing with most things, his size alone is enough of a deterrent for most wildlife. He's a Caucasian Ovcharka and they've guarded against wolves, bears etc for centuries, and he doesn't miss a thing which gives me a lot of peace of mind. I wouldn't advocate getting a dog for those reasons alone, Fluff is a much adored family member, he just has the additional benefit of being capable of protecting us. Prior to having Fluff we didn't live anywhere with big predators, more the snakes and spiders variety so I can't answer that bit.

Another thing, having a long commute is fine in the UK, but often impossible here, particularly in winter when you have to wait for the plough to pass just to be able to get out of your driveway and up the road. If you need to leave earlier than commuter time is, often the plough won't have been for quite a few hours, or since the previous late evening, and the roads will be impassable.

If it was me in your shoes I definitely wouldn't live rurally at first. Rent somewhere in the burbs for six months or so until you get your bearings, then think about where you want to buy. In the burbs your kids will be able to play around in the yard without a cougar stalking them, you'll be able to nip inside to grab an ice lolly or answer the phone, you don't have to be quite a vigilant. I often think life in the burbs is a lot more carefree than living rurally.
Rural houses can be hard to sell too, so that's another consideration. You don't want to buy an acrerage, find you hate it, and then spend the next six years trying to sell it, or have to sell it at a massive loss. Renting first avoids a costly mistake later.

Hahaha yes I did like to live dangerously in my youth, a miracle something didn't go very wrong, I seemed to have the luck of the devil back then

ABD79

Well that's surprising...I didn't think guns were THAT common there that so many had them. Although perhaps that's just a rural thing? Do you think it's the case in suburban areas around Calgary (or does anyone who lives there know who might be reading?) Just didn't know if it was like in the US where so many have guns in the home. It's good to know these things when children are involved. You hear so many awful stories of gun accidents in homes in the US involving children :-/

raindropsandroses

I currently live in the burbs so not a rural/urban thing here, and of all the provinces PEI is probably the one you are least likely to need a gun in. I suspect in AB there would be a more prevalent gun culture rurally, but ya know, perhaps its just the sort of friends I attract

You seem to be obsessing a lot over some things, one thing I have learnt from being a serial expat is that you have to learn to roll with it and be easy going if you want to make a success of a move. It is always much harder than you think settling into a new country (I always still underestimate that) learning to be more chilled out goes a long way towards helping things run smoothly. I don't mean not being organized, just not sweating the small stuff.

People will have guns, people will hunt, some people will wear dungarees with no shirts and drive pickup trucks (that picture was hilarious) but learning to live and let live is pretty essential in emigrating.
You say you are happy to fit in, but in the nicest possible way it doesn't come across that way.

Yes there are accidents with kids and guns, but have a look at the statistics anywhere in the world for accidents of kids playing on farms/smallholdings if you want to see some really horrific and very common accidents. In your kitchen you have knives, scissors etc, any of those can be hazards to kids, you just have to use common sense and not let your kids around the few crazies.

As I have said before, paedophilia is far more of a risk to kids in the vast majority of societies than guns are. Like everything, teach your kids safety, teach them to be sensible, use your common sense and in Canada you'd have to be abnormally unlucky for anything to go wrong.

Canada is, in general very safe, and if you don't court trouble you would be unlucky to find it. As I mentioned before, some CBT may be able to help with your anxiety, if you are this anxious now its only going to get worse - emigration is not for the faint hearted.

raindropsandroses

Do make sure your neighbours don't get a sign like this...

Souvy

My niece lives in Alberta (Valleyview) with her boyfriend. They have just broken up and she wants to move home. My stepson has volunteered to fly there and drive her stuff back home.

He should perhaps have consulted a map before making that offer.

Valleyview to Quebec City is well over 4000km. That's quite a drive!

ABD79

I think, rather than me worrying unrealistically, it's things like this in the link that trouble me, which is why I ask so many questions I was looking at Arbour Lake and thinking how it looked nice and lots of people had said it was nice...then I came across a news article about a man being shot in the middle of a nice neighbourhood street around 5pm...about the time my little ones are usually out on their bikes playing outside our house. I know things can happen anywhere, any time, but I guess when guns are legal it makes it a lot easier for a car just to pull up and wipe someone off the face of the earth in the space of a couple of seconds like has happened in the link. It's certainly food for thought! Doesn't make me not want to live in Calgary, but it does make you feel like you want to be extra cautious which is why I ask a lot of questions about safetyhttps://www.google.co.uk/amp/calgary...rbour-lake/amp