dboy

We're much harder than our Canadian pals

Lemi

No one is disputing this!!! - the original poster is saying, that you may want to look at Edmonton crime rates before deciding where in Canada to live.

People seem to want to comment on this thead without actually reading it?
"Welcome to Alberta - open skies, closed minds".

JET747

Unless you are talking from experience and not what you read on here I don't think you are in a position to make an opinion on Edmonton. You have got to see things for yourself and then decide.

As for Port Talbot, when the steel works shuts in 2-3 years time, it will be probably the biggest hole on the planet. You will never be able to sell up, so time is right to make a move.

As I earlier suggested, if you don't like it there, you have a choice of going somewhere else.

JET

Lemi

I live in Edmonton, been here for 18 months. Came for the work. In that time I've been lucky enough to travel around and visit alot of places out here and some in the Northern U.S. Take it from me you can do alot better than Edmonton.

Honestly, most expats I meet here don't rate the place and are making plans one way or another to go elsewhere. Most want to go to B.C or at a push even just down the road to Calgary.

If you have to come here for the work, fair enough, if you can get in elsewhere do it.

Cassie 10000

Cassie 10000

I bet you are

ExKiwilass

Hey Bsmith.

I know you aren't alone in some of your comments...I've heard similar from born & bred locals. Contrary to what the Ed cheerleaders would want to believe, some locals are frustrated by the lack of vision of Edmonton's City planners, the lack of decent transit, the car orientation, the endless malls, and the dead downtown and lack of walkability. They're the ones behind the fight to close the edmonton airport and transform downtown Ed. I think it's a good sign.

bsmith

Talking to an Aussie the other evening, he asked me had I had the "Edmonton conversation" yet? - Turns out I have, many times since being here. It usually goes like this -


Edmontonian: "What accent's that?"

Me: "Oh, I'm from the UK/Australia etc."

Edmontonian: "Visiting?"

Me: "No, I've moved here"

Edmontonian: (long pause, accompanied by a puzzled look) "...... Why'd you come to Edmonton?"

- and as they walk off looking confused - "Oh, welcome to Canada".

ExKiwilass

gotta admit that's pretty endearing.

Butch Cassidy

Stop stirring it you.

Lemi

My favorite experience of the "Edmonton conversation" was with an older Canadian lady. When I got to the "No, I moved here" part, she looked me up and down and said "You sound educated - you could have gone anywhere?"

JET747

Lemi

I see that you don't like it in Edmonton much. So this means that you are planning on getting out ? I noticed that you changed your profile to say Wales - Edmonton. At first I thought you were still over here.

Where in Wales do you come from ? What do you do ?

Like you mentioned in you post earlier, if you come here to work - fair enough.

We like Vancouver area, but for work in the Oil Industry Alberta is particulary where the jobs are. So we are in a position where Edmonton sounds a little better than Fort McMurry - - depending on offers.

JET

bsmith

If you know and like the Vancouver area of B.C you will find Edmonton and Alberta generally very, very different - landscape wise, climate wise and even politically.

As I asked another poster on a different thread, Am I correct in assuming you haven't been to Edmonton yet? If not, I seriously recommend you visit before committing to a move. As you can see, people have very different views of this city. You need to experience Edmonton for yourself.

Like I said, it's very different from B.C and very different to what you and your family are familiar with on the South Wales coast. - If you enjoy having the Gower on you door step and the Beacons just up the road you'll find this place very bland and featureless. (The mountains are hours away, and the coast, well... you've seen the map). I appreciate this stuff doesn't matter to some people, they just want the SUV and the McMansion in the 'berbs, so they can tell all the folks back home just how well they've done for themselves - Again in my experience, because of the work, Edmonton does seem to attract more than it's fair share of that crowd.

Hammy1976

So, in conclusion to this crazy thread, Edmonton is like Marmite

Maybe the Edmonton tourist board could steal a few ideas...
http://www.marmite.com/

bsmith

Don't encourage them. Alberta just blew $25 million on a re-branding and "greenwashing" exercise where they mistakenly used a picture of a British beach and passed it off a a shot of Alberta. Marmite/oil sand - I can see the similarities.

Alberta's "Image" Problem - It's Not Alberta!