# moving to calgary



## irishgirl33 (Nov 8, 2010)

hi hubby hust got JOB OFFER IN CALGARY SO WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR SOME INFO ON AREAS TO LIVE. have 2 3yr old boys. job he applied for was in edmonton so been researching that area but now job is gonna be in calgary,so lost.
any info would be very grateful.
thanks


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## Martin Byrne (Dec 1, 2010)

I am a Realtor in Newfoundland, ex Royal Air Force and moved over to Canada last year....loving it!!! If you wish I can find a Realtor to help you all the way with your possible move in your local area (Calgary in this case), it's something I have done before. That way if you are not happy with the service they are providing, just let me know and I will step in on your behalf. Using a Realtor when buying or leasing a home in Canada costs the purchaser nothing as the Realtors are paid in full by the owners, also the Real Estate process is very different to the UK, no listings in shop windows over here! If you would like me to help please feel free to contact me anytime. This is not a gimmick or any rip off, please visit my website *nlhouses* Martin Byrne, EXIT Realty on the Rock | Higher Standards Agents... Higher Results!for re-assurance I am a fully licensed , insured and bonded Realtor. Although I work in Newfoundland, I can help you every step of the way with your move to Calgary. Call me anytime on 001-709-693-6463. 

I hope you fully enjoy your Canadian adventure!!

Martin Byrne


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## Pejuta (Jul 11, 2010)

irishgirl33 said:


> hi hubby hust got JOB OFFER IN CALGARY SO WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR SOME INFO ON AREAS TO LIVE. have 2 3yr old boys. job he applied for was in edmonton so been researching that area but now job is gonna be in calgary,so lost.
> any info would be very grateful.
> thanks


I lived in Calgary (and area) for 8 years. I am currently in Vancouver, although that isn't relavent.
I have lots of info that could help, I will keep it short here but my recommendation is to look into a small town just south of Calgary called Okotoks. There are so many expats from UK in that area, you will have resources and friends quickly. Also that area is full of young families and young kids, so again lots of resources and friends to make. It is safe, nice, friendly and has most of what you will need in town. The commute into Calgary is 40-45km, there is a commuter bus if your husband decides not to drive and the train station is only 20 km if he decides to use that instead.
Alberta is absolutely a driving place, you must have a car so plan for that.
I have so much more info and details and contacts that would be helpful so by all means contact me and I will do my best to answer your questions.
Jennifer


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

Pejuta said:


> I lived in Calgary (and area) for 8 years. I am currently in Vancouver, although that isn't relavent.
> I have lots of info that could help, I will keep it short here but my recommendation is to look into a small town just south of Calgary called Okotoks. There are so many expats from UK in that area, you will have resources and friends quickly. Also that area is full of young families and young kids, so again lots of resources and friends to make. It is safe, nice, friendly and has most of what you will need in town. The commute into Calgary is 40-45km, there is a commuter bus if your husband decides not to drive and the train station is only 20 km if he decides to use that instead.
> Alberta is absolutely a driving place, you must have a car so plan for that.
> I have so much more info and details and contacts that would be helpful so by all means contact me and I will do my best to answer your questions.
> Jennifer


Hi, Im jumping in on this thread to ask you a question, if you don't mind. What does your husband do? My hubby and I have been trying for jobs in both Alberta and Winnipeg now for over two months on the internet sites but we have only gotten about four replies. Can you let me know where he found the job, Was it newspaper ad or other? Thanx and best wishes with your move. There seems to be lots of people from both ireland and UK in Alberta so you will settle in no problem by the sound of things. Thx again.


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## Pejuta (Jul 11, 2010)

LindaDoyle said:


> My hubby and I have been trying for jobs in both Alberta and Winnipeg now for over two months on the internet sites but we have only gotten about four replies.


Linda, I am from Winnipeg and area originally. Winnipeg and less so in Calgary, it is all about WHO YOU KNOW. Winnipeg people use the friends and family network to hire and if you are there, have connections in the community and know some one who knows someone you can get work. Otherwise it is very hard to find work there. Calgary is not as much, but still takes time to get work there for Canadians! Good luck in your search and keep trying.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

Pejuta said:


> Linda, I am from Winnipeg and area originally. Winnipeg and less so in Calgary, it is all about WHO YOU KNOW. Winnipeg people use the friends and family network to hire and if you are there, have connections in the community and know some one who knows someone you can get work. Otherwise it is very hard to find work there. Calgary is not as much, but still takes time to get work there for Canadians! Good luck in your search and keep trying.


Hi there, thanks for your reply. We have made one contact with a guy who has a garage in Winnipeg and he is originally Irish. He sent us an email just last night to say that he would be willing to help us out and has some contacts that he would give us when we arrive. Im hopeful that he will stay true to his word. Thanks for the reply and hopefully it will work out for us because it certainly won't be from the lack of trying. Is Winnipeg a nice area to raise a family then? Any other info. would be gr8. Thanks a mill.


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## Pejuta (Jul 11, 2010)

LindaDoyle said:


> Hi there, thanks for your reply. We have made one contact with a guy who has a garage in Winnipeg and he is originally Irish. He sent us an email just last night to say that he would be willing to help us out and has some contacts that he would give us when we arrive. Im hopeful that he will stay true to his word. Thanks for the reply and hopefully it will work out for us because it certainly won't be from the lack of trying. Is Winnipeg a nice area to raise a family then? Any other info. would be gr8. Thanks a mill.


Glad you have a contact. By in large, Winnipeg folks are pretty true to their word. It is a 'don't mess around' kind of place because, like I said earlier, everyone knows everyone else and uses that network to find jobs, friends, products, services, everything. 
It's been 10 years since I lived there and the city has changed some since I lived there. I was there visiting friends and family in August though. 
I am not sure what kind of info you are looking for but I am happy to help with what I know. I have a 5 year old and I would not choose to raise my daughter there. That being said, lots of people LOVE LOVE LOVE raising their children in Winnipeg. It is not as expensive as where I live, people are down to earth and very friendly. You will make friends quickly and the communities tend to be tight and very helpful. For example, there was a MAJOR blizzard when I lived there (well actually you get 3-4/year, but this one was really bad) and hospital staff couldn't get to shift change, ambulances couldn't get to calls. It was bad. SO and whole bunch of snowmobilers, with no prior organization and of their own accord, decided to start going to the hospitals to take staff home, pick up staff and take EMT to calls. It was amazing. Winnipeg is the only place where I have heard of this kind of city wide altruism and it happens regularly! It is a Winnipeg thing, I met a man in Heathrow Airport who was flipping everyones luggage as it come down the carosel so everyone could see their luggage tags. I went up and asked him if he was from Winnipeg and sure enough he was!
There are good and bad neighbourhoods, the gangs are a concern. You will need a car, it is a driving city, to find all that you need you will likely need to drive around to get it. People drive in Winnipeg to find deals. It is nothing for a Winnipeg to drive across town for 2 cents less per litre in gas. Winnipeggers love finding a deal and not paying sticker price for things.
The city is built around two joining rivers. The roads are all curving and some roads change name 5 times. This is because Winnipeg grew and swallowed up the surrounding towns and no town was willing to change their street name. Bottom line, study a map! Drivers are less polite and slightly more aggressive.  Not what you would expect from an altruistic bunch of people, but if you are in the wrong lane and need to yield, no one will let you in. There are no merge signs on the road....all yield.
There is a large french population there. They speak with a different dialect than Quebeqious and France french. The 'Oui' sounds more like a duck quack and there is a great combination of french and english in french people's speech. 
It's hot and humid in the summer. Bitter cold and dry in the winter. Budget for winter clothes. People cocoon for winter. Play hockey, curling, skating and ringette and get cabin fever around February-April. Summers are great!. The mosquitos are large and there are many of them, but the beaches north of Winnipeg are great. There is lots of water close by (which is why the mosquitos are huge) so summers people go to the cottage and spend weeks there. Real estate is cheap, comparitively, but rent first to find your neighbourhood and personal preferences. Anything down Pembina Hwy is people going to uni, Main St is not desirable, Portage Ave is very commercial, so I don't consider it family area. I always lived south or west city. East and south is more french. North and northwest is more hit and miss for neighbourhoods. Some great little pockets but also some really nasty areas where you don't want to be. I suggest looking Corydon/Roblin, Grant, St. Mary's/St.Vital, Wolsley is really nice area to start and get a feel for the city, then move where you like.
There are some great schools around, like in any city, and some that are overcrowded and in less desirable neighbourhoods, so kids with trouble and can't focus. There is things to do for kids, programs in community centres, skating, dance, swimming lessons etc. It is multicultural, so you will find language programs. 
There is a great Ukrainian population and although i am not, I always say that due to proximity to so many Ukrainians, everyone in Manitoba is a little Ukrainian, we all miss perogies and cabbage rolls when we have been elsewhere for too long  There is a wonderful multicultural celebration in August called Folklarama that shouldn't be missed. Also Royal Winnipeg Ballet is well known for being excellent in any production they do. They had less expensive tickets on dress rehearsal nights so I saw lots of productions while I was in uni. Winnipeg Folk festival and Fringe Festival are well known to be very very very good. Winnipeg is a city of the arts, with a good arts community around it.
Ok, I am not sure what else you want to know, so I will stop there. Feel free to ask more questions....


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## irishgirl33 (Nov 8, 2010)

LindaDoyle said:


> Hi, Im jumping in on this thread to ask you a question, if you don't mind. What does your husband do? My hubby and I have been trying for jobs in both Alberta and Winnipeg now for over two months on the internet sites but we have only gotten about four replies. Can you let me know where he found the job, Was it newspaper ad or other? Thanx and best wishes with your move. There seems to be lots of people from both ireland and UK in Alberta so you will settle in no problem by the sound of things. Thx again.


hi linda
hubby is a glazier.he contacted a company called flynn.ca and arranged an interview,went out to edmonton for a week got a job offer .should be heading out in jan.what does your hubby do?do be honest i reckon i applied to about 60 jobs didnt get one reply for him .flynn was the only one.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

irishgirl33 said:


> hi linda
> hubby is a glazier.he contacted a company called flynn.ca and arranged an interview,went out to edmonton for a week got a job offer .should be heading out in jan.what does your hubby do?do be honest i reckon i applied to about 60 jobs didnt get one reply for him .flynn was the only one.


Hi, Yes I believe Flynn are taking on a huge amount of Irish and British people. My husband is a mechanic, if only he was a glazier. There seems to be a massive amount of work out there for glaziers. I know another girl who is on this forum who moved out there on Tuesday. Her husband also works for Flynn and they moved to same place you are going. If you are on Facebook send me a private message and I can ask her if its okay for you to contact her. She has two boys, aged 5 and 9. They arrived safely and Ive been talking to her a few times since she arrived. I think she would be very happy to help you and you will probalby meet her anyway cos your husbands will both be working for Flynn.


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## irishgirl33 (Nov 8, 2010)

LindaDoyle said:


> Hi, Yes I believe Flynn are taking on a huge amount of Irish and British people. My husband is a mechanic, if only he was a glazier. There seems to be a massive amount of work out there for glaziers. I know another girl who is on this forum who moved out there on Tuesday. Her husband also works for Flynn and they moved to same place you are going. If you are on Facebook send me a private message and I can ask her if its okay for you to contact her. She has two boys, aged 5 and 9. They arrived safely and Ive been talking to her a few times since she arrived. I think she would be very happy to help you and you will probalby meet her anyway cos your husbands will both be working for Flynn.


i know i have already met jen on here and am friends with her on facebook.we are going to calgary now thats were they asked him to go.to be honest i dont really care,im easy.i just want to go.hopefully i can go by end of feb.thats if he goes in jan.going by our experiences if u get out there for a couple of weeks and meet employers its much easier to get a job offer.i know its expensive but worth it if u dont have time on your hands.when hubby goes bk out i will ask to find out bout work for mechanics and will let u know.good luck and hope u guys find something.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

irishgirl33 said:


> i know i have already met jen on here and am friends with her on facebook.we are going to calgary now thats were they asked him to go.to be honest i dont really care,im easy.i just want to go.hopefully i can go by end of feb.thats if he goes in jan.going by our experiences if u get out there for a couple of weeks and meet employers its much easier to get a job offer.i know its expensive but worth it if u dont have time on your hands.when hubby goes bk out i will ask to find out bout work for mechanics and will let u know.good luck and hope u guys find something.


Thats great, thanks for that. We have been applying for lots of jobs but so far Winnipeg seems like the best place for getting a job in his line of work. Might send a resume to Flynn aswell but I think its just construction workers they are looking for but who knows? Good luck and keep in touch with me. Add me as a friend on facebook too and I can keep in touch with you that way. We are booked to go out on 28th Feb to check things out so will keep you posted. If you're adding me my name on Facebook is Linda O'Brien Doyle. Good luck with it all. Im so envious that you are in the position of having a job offer. Hope that's me and James soon.


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## EDDIE HOE (Oct 5, 2012)

*Calgary*

hi there my name is eddie i am in calgary five weeks only there isnt many irish down there depending what your hubby does if trades man he will get work here no prob what so ever plenty of work here


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## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

My husband is a joiner in England and we are thinking of Calgary for work.Not sure if he'd find work as easy in a warmer climate area of Canada.Does anyone ha e a view on this.Ideally we'd like to live somewhere with temperatures of 25 degrees in summer and a less colder climate in the winter but where there are many carpentry jobs also,or is it best to spend a few years in Calgary and then move somewhere warmer when more familiar with Canada.I look forward to hearing from anyone with a view.


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## EDDIE HOE (Oct 5, 2012)

Hi how u doing u still looking to coming to calgary it is lovely spot and loads of work here . Weather is good in smmer and cold in winter but u get well layred up and u should be fine . I would reccomnd in to any one great place its here where the work is at the moment


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## emma329 (May 21, 2012)

Thank u Eddie x our application will go thru in Jan as they have held us back for a few months but been thinking about Calgary so my husband can easily find work xx hope we can cope with the cold weather x


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## EDDIE HOE (Oct 5, 2012)

emma329 said:


> thank u eddie x our application will go thru in jan as they have held us back for a few months but been thinking about calgary so my husband can easily find work xx hope we can cope with the cold weather x


hi emma . No prob what so ever. When are ye talking about coming out if i new how to send pm mail here i would give u my email address . Wold be glad to hep with anything if i can


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## lisa.p (Nov 27, 2012)

Hi Eddie, Our family is hopefully moving to Calgary also next yr. Not sure what month yet we hope june when kids finished in school. Signed up with global visa so we start looking for work for my husband soon once we get a job offer it be great. My husband David is an electrician/instrumentation tech. There seems to be lots of work if you know of any good companys let me know we would really appreciate any help available.


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