family thinking of moving to ca;gary. plz help!

chloe4356 · #1 (**permalink**) 26th October 2008, 10:02 PM

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are thinking about moving to Calgary with our two young children. My Partner is hoping he could get a transfer through his employer. If we went ahead with this, we would rent out property in the UK until we returned -we plan to stay in canada 2-3 years. Has anyone else not sold their homes before emmigrating or is it better to sell?
Have been researching Canada and it seems such a nice place to live, just a bit concerned about 2 weeks hols though. Is this true of every job in Canada or does it depend on the Employer how many hols you get? have also read that the working hours are very long?
Does anyone find the cost of living easier than in UK?

Any advice appreciated
Thanks chloe

mi-quebecoise · #2 (**permalink**) 27th October 2008, 10:59 AM

Hi Chloe - I am Canadian, living in France.

2 weeks holidays are unfortunately very common, but in most positions this increases to 3 weeks in 2-3 yr senority. If your husband is transferring in the same company, he should keep his senority. Additionally, many ex pat contracts have specific allowances for additional holiday time to enable you to keep in touch with family at home. Certainly a point to negociate in the contract!

The cost of living in generally lower in Canada BUT Calgary is in the middle of a massive boom & costs are higher there. There is also a housing shortage - so make sure you have sufficient time to find accomodation (also an item to include in the contact).

Good luck! Siara

dj6246 · #3 (**permalink**) 27th October 2008, 01:35 PM

there's a housing shortage in calgary?! now how am i supposed to move there if that's the case? are there plenty of bedspace rooms or cheap apartments that i can stay in?

mi-quebecoise · #4 (**permalink**) 27th October 2008, 02:01 PM

No - that is the problem. The boom means that there is a lot of job creation (everything from corporate to McDonald's) and the infrastructure can't keep up with this massive growth, thus the demand of some goods and services exceeds the current supply. Since houses/apartments take a while to build, these are some of the things most in demand.

There ARE houses to rent/buy but the demand is high (therefore so are prices), so make sure you plan accordingly.

Best. Siara

dj6246 · #5 (**permalink**) 28th October 2008, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mi-quebecoise

No - that is the problem. The boom means that there is a lot of job creation (everything from corporate to McDonald's) and the infrastructure can't keep up with this massive growth, thus the demand of some goods and services exceeds the current supply. Since houses/apartments take a while to build, these are some of the things most in demand.

There ARE houses to rent/buy but the demand is high (therefore so are prices), so make sure you plan accordingly.

Best. Siara

I am very happy to hear that there is are a lot of job opportunities.

just really need to think about where to stay....

SczzyBoy · #6 (**permalink**) 28th October 2008, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj6246

I am very happy to hear that there is are a lot of job opportunities.

just really need to think about where to stay....

Ok - htere is no housing shortage here in Calgary. I've got a nice 2 bedroom main floor apartment 45 minutes walk from downtown Calgary for $1200 a month all utilities paid. It's the first place I looked at and everyone says I am paying way to much. I am paying lass than half of what I paid in England for twice the square footage (1 bed apt for UKP825 exc. bills). It's so cheap here it's scary! I can find you and apartment in less than a week.

Really push hard with the employer regarding vacation time. I pushed and said the deal breaker was retaining my UK holiday and they caved.

As regards long hours? No problem - work 5 minutes past normal finish time and they think you are amazing. They have no concept of what long hours is on a day to day basis. But - they do expect you to be responsive when they call - or maybe that's just me.

Calgary is fab - a good town with lots of good people. Socializing is fun and the mountains are right there. Your kids can walk to school if you want. Driver stop for you at cross-walks and it's unbelievably healthy. Do it and don't look back.

SB!

mi-quebecoise · #7 (**permalink**) 28th October 2008, 09:02 AM

I think that the housing situation has improved since last year but it is definitely something to keep in mind - make sure to give yourself enough time and enough budget to adapt.

With respect to living in Canada - from my completely biased Canadian opinion - it is fabulous.

(2007 news article - Housing shortage hits students in Alberta, Saskatchewan | Macleans.ca - Education - Universities)

kkmm · #8 (**permalink**) 28th October 2008, 10:46 AM

Just searching over the net find this site. I dont know if I pasted it here may be deleted by the moderator. But still I would like to share.

<http://www.rentboard.ca/rentals/index.aspx?locid=110>

Thanks. I hope this may help some expats.

dj6246 · #9 (**permalink**) 29th October 2008, 01:05 PM

sczzyboy and mi-quebecoise (such a hard thing/name to spell!)... thanks guys for sharing that. =)

dj6246 · #10 (**permalink**) 29th October 2008, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkmm

Just searching over the net find this site. I dont know if I pasted it here may be deleted by the moderator. But still I would like to share.

<http://www.rentboard.ca/rentals/index.aspx?locid=110>

Thanks. I hope this may help some expats.

thanks so much! at least housing is not a problem there.