# Tell me about Edmonton, Alberta



## Aussie ASD 3 (Dec 26, 2011)

Hi all, we currently live in Queensland Australia (where we hate the heat) and my partner has a job prospect in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 

I've been doing a LOT of internet searching for information, but nothing beats a personal recommendation. Please tell me your fave things about the area  Also tell me the bad stuff as I like to be prepared. My partner, myself and son all have Aspergers so the more information we can get about a place the better. 

Love to know everything! From weather, schools (and if you know about any Aspergers/ASD programs or homeschooling options), facilities, shopping etc  

Thanks in advance,
AA3


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## ninja1 (Dec 26, 2011)

Aussie ASD 3 said:


> Hi all, we currently live in Queensland Australia (where we hate the heat) and my partner has a job prospect in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
> 
> I've been doing a LOT of internet searching for information, but nothing beats a personal recommendation. Please tell me your fave things about the area  Also tell me the bad stuff as I like to be prepared. My partner, myself and son all have Aspergers so the more information we can get about a place the better.
> 
> ...


Hi I live in Calgary, which is about 300km south of Edmonton. I have never lived in Edmonton but visit frequently! I am one of those rare Calgarians that love Edmonton! (there is a bit of a rivalry between both cities).

In Calgary, Edmonton is known as being a government city and a blue collar city. It has more industrial development than Calgary, and Calgary has more white collar oil and gas jobs. 

I think Edmonton is a more interesting City with respect to Architecture and Cultural events. They have a wonderful Fringe Festival and other festivals in the summer. Calgary has some great events too (i.e. the Calgary Stampede), but it really depends on what you like. 

Edmonton is very auto-oriented and spread out. It's downtown is not that lively after hours. 

The weather is similar to Calgary. Edmonton has beautiful summers, lots of trees and really long summer days! At the same time the winters can be harsh. Like Calgary, Edmonton also experiences chinook winds whereby the temperature in Winter increases rapidly for sometimes as short as a day to as long as a week. We celebrated a 7 degree christmas, with little snow on the ground yesterday. Very unusual but wonderful. Edmonton gets more snow than Calgary and Im not sure if the chinook effect is as pronounced as they are farther from the mountains. 

I think the cost of living in Edmonton is excellent. Housing is a bit expensive but you have to consider all additional costs. We have very low provincial income tax rates in Alberta and no provincial sales tax (only the federal GST at 5%). All of these things help make Alberta more affordable for middle to upper middle income earners.

I don't know anything about schools or supports for children with disabilities. Sorry.

Good luck!


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## Aussie ASD 3 (Dec 26, 2011)

thanks for the reply  

Im actually really glad to hear that Edmonton is more blue collar than white  Describes the area I currently live in here LOL. What areas in Edmonton do you like the best? What is the shopping like? My internet searches have come across West Edmonton Mall and OMG is seems HUGE!!! 

I also dont mind about there being not much night life in the city, we dont go out much, and not at night due to my sons issues so home life is more us  

Is French widely spoken in Alberta? Thats one thing thats been worrying me as we have very little knowledge of the french language (although plan on learning as believe in respecting a countries culture etc) so worried about the initial time spent in Canada.


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## ninja1 (Dec 26, 2011)

Hi there,

Since I have never lived in Edmonton I don't know where you might want to live. I personally love the Garneau and Old Strathcona areas which areclose to the University of Alberta. Many of the areas close to the University are lovely. But I think they are more expensive.

As with any North American large city you will find an abundance of suburban homes. Depending on your budget and whether you will have more than one car you can try looking close to Edmonton's Light Rail Transit line. The advantage of locating close to a transit station is that they are often located near shopping too. But if that is not important to you then anywhere should work. I have heard the northeast residential areas are a bit more blue-collar. 

Check out REALTOR.ca -Welcome for listings in Edmonton. You can specify price and property type and search by map. If you might rent, then the absolute best rental site for Edmonton is www. rentfaster.ca . There are also lots of property rental ads on Free Kijiji Canada Classifieds | Free Ads | Petites Annonces Gratuites. Rentfaster is great because you can search using a map.

As for shopping, yes West Edmonton Mall is huge. They will have absolutely every possible retail store you can think of. they also have other attractions such as an indoor wave pool, and amusement park. I suppose its a big tourist attraction, but I haven't been that much - I think it is more popular for families with Children. There is also an area called South Edmonton Common (I think) that has lots of different big box stores. Overall, you will find community shopping centres throughout the City for the day to day stuff. Whyte Avenue is also a good place to shop as it has more independent retailers and specialty stores. I think Whyte Avenue would be the closest thing Edmonton has to a high street. But at night there are lots of night clubs so its a bit rowdy. 

I wouldn't worry about speaking French at all as it is not widely spoken (not much at all in Alberta that I know of). Despite Canada being a bilingual country you will not find French is used much outside of Quebec or New Brunswick. There are pockets of 'Franco-Albertan' communities in Alberta (St. Albert which is part of Metro Edmonton has a higher number of french speaking people). Everyone will speak English, all signage is in English, and no employment will require you to speak French except for employment with the Federal government. I mean no disrespect to Franco-Canadians but you do not need to know French to work and live in the vast majorty of the Country. Alberta is considered a unilingual province - English is the official language.


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## Aussie ASD 3 (Dec 26, 2011)

Thanks! Will check out those real estate sites  You have been a great help so thanks again  Im sure I will have more questions the more researching I do LOL


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

I currently live in Edmonton... have been for the past 15 years or so. Please feel free to ask me anything about the city or area.


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

*Sent PM*

Sent PM


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

RGS said:


> I currently live in Edmonton... have been for the past 15 years or so. Please feel free to ask me anything about the city or area.


Hi there!

I've been informed by my employer that I am going to Edmonton for a year to take "ownership" of some projects to then return to my office in London. 

Their offices are located near Kenilworth, and I was wondering if you could suggest places to live within 30 minutes or less. Nonetheless, I will be provided with a vehicle, but wouldn't mind traveling by train or bus. 

My contract already includes housing, so I need to be conservative with my expenses, but would like to live in a half decent area. 

Thank you!


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

Jrge said:


> Hi there!
> 
> I've been informed by my employer that I am going to Edmonton for a year to take "ownership" of some projects to then return to my office in London.
> 
> ...


Kenilworth area is fairly central in Edmonton... therefore you have many options to chose from. You could elect to live in the downtown core... which does have some very nice apartment/condo/flats, but the costs could easily be $1000 per month and higher. Aside from that if you stick to the area of Kenilworth, you would be paying $800 and up. Edmonton and area has over a million people, so there are many choices of apartments/condos/flats/houses available throughout the city. 

The best thing to do is to review rentals or condos on the internet to find something you like, at the price you want to pay. Try these web sites: Searching Type Apartment | Houses for Rent in Edmonton | Apartments for Rent in Edmonton. or Searching Type House | Houses for Rent in Edmonton | Apartments for Rent in Edmonton.

If you want to stay in the proximity of the Kenilworth area, you will want to get a place that is in Central, or South/SouthEast Edmonton.


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

RGS said:


> If you want to stay in the proximity of the Kenilworth area, you will want to get a place that is in Central, or South/SouthEast Edmonton.


Thank you for the hint! I do however, have more questions for ya:

1) I lived in the US for awhile and all cable companies offer the same bundle services (internet, phone, TV) but in your opinion/experience, is there one in particular I should get?
2) I have an unlocked 3G global cellphone, so I can just insert a sim card from almost any carrier anywhere and it normally works. In your opinion, what carrier offers: the best service (voice-data), plans that include calls to the US, and lastly Skype mobile? 
3) Is there a furniture shop (mom and pop style) you recommend I buy furniture from? Even second hand shops are good. 

Thanks! I appreciate your inputs.

Cheers!


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

Jrge said:


> Thank you for the hint! I do however, have more questions for ya:
> 
> 1) I lived in the US for awhile and all cable companies offer the same bundle services (internet, phone, TV) but in your opinion/experience, is there one in particular I should get?
> 2) I have an unlocked 3G global cellphone, so I can just insert a sim card from almost any carrier anywhere and it normally works. In your opinion, what carrier offers: the best service (voice-data), plans that include calls to the US, and lastly Skype mobile?
> ...


1) In the province of Alberta there are two provider companies... Shaw and Telus. Shaw is a cable tv company which also does phone and internet. Telus is the phone company which also does internet and tv. Prices vary when creating bundles depending on the tv channels you want, telephone services/long distance packages, and internet packages. See the following two links: Bundles - Shaw.ca
Bundle - Home Phone, High Speed Internet & TV Bundles | TELUS

2) The big three cellphone providers in Canada are Bell Canada, Rogers and Telus. Again... many packages are available from each provider depending on the amounts of data you intend to use, or long distance. See the following three links: 
Bell Mobility - Cell Phones, Wireless Rate Plans & Mobile Features
Redirect to the right page
Select your province | TELUS Mobility

3) There are several big box type stores which sell furniture at fairly reasonable prices. This is new furniture, but they do offer discount centers if you are trying to save additional money. See the following three links:
Leon's
TheBrick.com - Homepage
Welcome to UFW.com

There are also numerous mom and pop type furniture shops here in edmonton.. too numerous to mention. But you can google search furniture stores edmonton for a lot more extensive list... but the 3 stores listed above are the biggest, and have some pretty cheap prices when stuff is on sale.


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

RGS said:


> 1) In the province of Alberta there are two provider companies... Shaw and Telus. Shaw is a cable tv company which also does phone and internet. Telus is the phone company which also does internet and tv. Prices vary when creating bundles depending on the tv channels you want, telephone services/long distance packages, and internet packages. See the following two links: Bundles - Shaw.ca
> Bundle - Home Phone, High Speed Internet & TV Bundles | TELUS
> 
> 2) The big three cellphone providers in Canada are Bell Canada, Rogers and Telus. Again... many packages are available from each provider depending on the amounts of data you intend to use, or long distance. See the following three links:
> ...



I will definitely get Internet/phone/TV/cellphone from TELUS. Although, their prices seem a bit expensive, they offer exactly what I want, and I would like to keep everything under one bill. 

In terms of the furniture, I will look at those stores.

Thank you!


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## MissGB (Jan 5, 2012)

Hi all, 

I am new to this forum and I'm finding your comments really helpful and interesting. 

I am considering moving to Edmonton early next year and have just applied for the IEC visas. My 2 children will be able to come with me on study visas. 

I wanted to ask a few questions about Edmonton as it's such a big move for a family. What is it like as a city, is it a family friendly city with lots to do? Where would be the best place for a young family to rent first? I dont plan to have a car to begin with as I would be fearful of driving on your wrong side of the road as we drive on the other side here! I would be frightened that I would forget myself for a moment and make the error!! Thus it would have to be somewhere with good public transport. 

Also, does anyone have any idea about childcare? My 2 kids will be at school (one's 5 and the other is 7). Is after school care really expensive in Edmonton?

In terms of cost of living, what would be the typical amount that a normal family would spend every month on getting by i.e rent, food, bills? 

Is work plentiful in Edmonton? and is it easy to find work? Ideally, i would love to have work arranged before we arrive as a means of financial security. But I realise that this might prove hard. I work in legal/admin and my husband works in construction, but would do any job to begin with.

Also, do you guys have Resident Rates in Edmonton? I know here we have to pay the equivalent of 300 dollars per month to the local council as tenants. If you have to pay the same in Edmonton, is this paid by the Landlord or the Tenant?

Also as regards Healthcare, we have to have health insurance to travel into Canada. If we go for the whole inclusive package it is 20k for the whole year!! However, there is an option to take this down to 2k if we agree to pay the first 600 dollars ourselves should anything happen and we needed healthcare. Thus, this brings me to the question - how much would a typical doctor charge for a consultation for say a sick child, or where my childs eczema flares up? I know this might be hard for someone to answer as your medical system is included in your tax payments so you dont pay directly. Also, is prescription medicine expensive there, i.e. cream for my daughters eczema? 

I'm sorry about the 100 million questions, I'd rather be safe than sorry


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## RGS (Jan 24, 2011)

Hi there. Please see inline answers below...



MissGB said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am new to this forum and I'm finding your comments really helpful and interesting.
> 
> ...


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## EEDC (Jan 6, 2012)

Hi AA3,

Congrats on your job prospect. I work for Edmonton Economic Development Corporation and noticed your post a few days ago. We are a very welcoming community and I wanted to take the opportunity to respond. 

We like to call ourselves Canada’s Festival City. There are over 30 major festivals held in Edmonton every year, and many more outstanding smaller ones. They range from sports-themed, to culture and arts, to weather. Some of my favourites are the Fringe Theatre Festival (North America’s largest, second only to the original in Edinburgh, Scotland), Heritage Festival, the Edmonton Folk Fest and Winter Light. Edmonton has a very passionate and eclectic arts community. We have amazing theatre productions, Catalyst Theatre is the coolest. We have a stunning, brand new Art Gallery and North America’s largest urban parkland. Our river valley is incredible. There are so many places to explore and if you like mountain biking, this is the place to be! Going to Oilers’ games is always fun (especially when they play the Calgary Flames) and of course West Edmonton Mall and Fort Edmonton Park are always big hits with the kids! Not only do we have one of the world’s largest entertainment and shopping centres but we also have awesome shopping districts such as Old Strathcona and 124 Street. 

Edmonton is a pioneer in creating boundary-less school zoning for publicly funded K-12 school systems. Parents can pick their children’s schools based on specialization, including Catholic, Francophone, multi-lingual, and private. Because of this, many people consider Edmonton to have one of the best public school systems in North America.

Edmonton is well known for its world-class medical facilities funded through public health care. The University of Alberta Hospital is one of the country’s leading clinical, research and teaching hospitals in Canada. The Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute advances the frontiers of heart health in North America. Our Stollery Children’s Hospital is Western Canada’s referral centre for pediatric cardiac surgery and is the national leader in organ transplantation. You might be interested in connecting with the Autism Society of Edmonton.

I hope this has been helpful. Take some time to explore Edmonton . com and hopefully you’ll find more information. 

Take care!


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## Aussie ASD 3 (Dec 26, 2011)

Thanks EEDC  So great to hear about the no boudaries for schools! Where I live some schools do have boundarys/zones simply because there are so many kids applying and not enough room for them all. But other schools dont so its nice to be able to chose where your child goes and pick what suits them best. Im so so glad to hear Id be able to find a school that fits my sons Autism needs best  A big relief! Will definately check out the Autism Society of Edmonton too  Great info thank you!


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## GoldDragon (Feb 2, 2012)

*telling You About Edmonton*



Aussie ASD 3 said:


> thanks for the reply
> 
> Im actually really glad to hear that Edmonton is more blue collar than white  Describes the area I currently live in here LOL. What areas in Edmonton do you like the best? What is the shopping like? My internet searches have come across West Edmonton Mall and OMG is seems HUGE!!!
> 
> ...


French is not widely spoken in Edmonton, however there are bilingual schools and I am sure clubs and groups that share this interest. English is the main language spoken in Edmonton.


As for areas one likes best, it really depends on what specifically you are looking for?
New or older areas, Busy or quiet, for example. Apartments, condos or homes. rented or to own.


There are many options for shopping: malls located all over the city, or 'strip malls' which are stores connected together along a long line but you would enter each store from the outside (as opposed to inside like a mall).

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.


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## ribsyroo (Feb 16, 2012)

Aussie ASD 3 said:


> Hi all, we currently live in Queensland Australia (where we hate the heat) and my partner has a job prospect in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
> 
> I've been doing a LOT of internet searching for information, but nothing beats a personal recommendation. Please tell me your fave things about the area  Also tell me the bad stuff as I like to be prepared. My partner, myself and son all have Aspergers so the more information we can get about a place the better.
> 
> ...


The public schools in Edmonton are top-notch. Edmonton Public Schools are known world-wide in the education field. Children with aspergers are welcome in any school into the regular classrooms and teacher-aides are often provided (sometimes shared between 2 kids). There are also special programs in some schools for autistic kids, but I don't think for aspergers.


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## ribsyroo (Feb 16, 2012)

MissGB said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am new to this forum and I'm finding your comments really helpful and interesting.
> 
> ...


Healthcare is free in Alberta for Canadian residents, but I don't know about about people on student visas. Contact Alberta Healthcare.
We've never heard of resident rates.
Lots of work here, especially in construction.
Most elementary schools have After School Care, but I don't know the rates.
Rent will probably be aboue $1300 per month for your family.
You'll probably want a car here as the city is pretty spread out. It's not that hard to get used to driving on the "right" side of the road.


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## Blue-star (Mar 13, 2014)

So glad I've found this thread! Can I assume that things are still similar 2yrs later?
Thanks


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

Hi,


Blue-star said:


> So glad I've found this thread! Can I assume that things are still similar 2yrs later?
> Thanks


Nope. They are better 

Animo
(Cheers)


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## Blue-star (Mar 13, 2014)

In what way Animo?


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

Hi,


Blue-star said:


> In what way Animo?


In every single way.

Housing is expanding rapidly, healthcare has improved and been modernized, criminality has come down, quality of food has increased, among other things.

Animo
(Cheers)


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## tolbertlindsay (Mar 19, 2014)

I don't have more information about Edmonton, Alberta. I'm sorry.


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## Blue-star (Mar 13, 2014)

Aussie ASD3

i wonder whether you made it and how you have got on?


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