Why do you like living in Edmonton?
- Thread starter Sheagatzi
- Start date
Good god I hope so, it would be impossible to be ruder than a Londoner in rush hour......people are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO unpleasant.... but rudeness aside, it is still a fab city!
Hi movingtocanada!
I'm a staunch supporter of Edmonton. I live here with my two small kids, and I love it.
I wouldn't suggest though that Old Strathcona isn't a child friendly area of town to live in. Personally, if you're wanting to drive as little as possible, I'd look for a place near an LRT station (which would be great for hubby as it runs right to the uni), so that you can utilize the public transit system as much as possible. Claireview is an area of town which might interest you, and has lots of new condo and housing developments going in.
I'm a staunch supporter of Edmonton. I live here with my two small kids, and I love it.
I wouldn't suggest though that Old Strathcona isn't a child friendly area of town to live in. Personally, if you're wanting to drive as little as possible, I'd look for a place near an LRT station (which would be great for hubby as it runs right to the uni), so that you can utilize the public transit system as much as possible. Claireview is an area of town which might interest you, and has lots of new condo and housing developments going in.
Thanks Karrie, v helpful will check out that area. Is there a secret way if renting property in edmonton as it is v v v difficult to find on the web? Do you also know about childcare, we would only want 3 full days days per week I think for two under 2...any idea of costs? Would it be likely that the Uni would offer childcare? Sorry if you don't know, got so many questions!
You wll be pleased to hear London is now -1C and everyone is panicking!!!! People are saying don't drive and the supermarkets are being semi-raided...it's hilarious!!!
You wll be pleased to hear London is now -1C and everyone is panicking!!!! People are saying don't drive and the supermarkets are being semi-raided...it's hilarious!!!
lol... a panic over -1C... that's precious.
Renting here seems to end up going largely by local papers and simply signs in windows. I think though if you try the Edmonton Journal online, their classified section may have some rental ads. Same with the Edmonton Sun. Other than that, I'm really not sure how one would try to do it over the net.
Childcare, again, I'm not really sure of. I'm a stay at home mom so I really haven't tried to get it here, and I don't know anyone with little kids either (I've only been here roughly 8 months). If I were you I would start on mytelus.com, under the phone book link on the right hand of the page, and use the business search it offers. Search for daycares, edmonton, and you should get a lot of results, including e-mail addresses. E-mail and ask about getting your kids in, and it will give you an idea of how hard it is to find openings. Also, ask if any of them run certified dayhome programs, and if they don't they may be able to steer you towards a program which does oversee certified dayhomes. There are scads of ads right now for dayhomes, but be wary of them. Many are overcrowded and uncertified, don't run dietary overviews, and don't follow any minimum activity plans.
Renting here seems to end up going largely by local papers and simply signs in windows. I think though if you try the Edmonton Journal online, their classified section may have some rental ads. Same with the Edmonton Sun. Other than that, I'm really not sure how one would try to do it over the net.
Childcare, again, I'm not really sure of. I'm a stay at home mom so I really haven't tried to get it here, and I don't know anyone with little kids either (I've only been here roughly 8 months). If I were you I would start on mytelus.com, under the phone book link on the right hand of the page, and use the business search it offers. Search for daycares, edmonton, and you should get a lot of results, including e-mail addresses. E-mail and ask about getting your kids in, and it will give you an idea of how hard it is to find openings. Also, ask if any of them run certified dayhome programs, and if they don't they may be able to steer you towards a program which does oversee certified dayhomes. There are scads of ads right now for dayhomes, but be wary of them. Many are overcrowded and uncertified, don't run dietary overviews, and don't follow any minimum activity plans.
Hi there movingtoCanada - welcome to CC! I did a quick check re: childcare in the University area here's a link you may find useful.
Karrie is correct btw- private dayhomes are not currently regulated regarding the qualifications of the folks running them - however I believe this is currently under review by the Alberta government.
As for rental properties, Karrie is likely correct about that too. The last time I helped someone hunt for a rental property, it wasn't pretty. It took 2 months to find something in the area we were looking for. That was in Sept. of '06. I doubt it's gotten much better since then? Being selective about the area you live in may require a bit more time searching.
A quick check on Craig's Listings for rentals in Edmonton shows quite a range of prices and availability. I've not checked either of these links out beyond a cursory glance, so I don't know if they can provide you with good info or not, but it's a start.
Best of luck to you in your info gathering!
Oh yeah... you might tell your friends over there that we're positively delighted with the current warming trend in our weather (-9ish) today.
Karrie is correct btw- private dayhomes are not currently regulated regarding the qualifications of the folks running them - however I believe this is currently under review by the Alberta government.
As for rental properties, Karrie is likely correct about that too. The last time I helped someone hunt for a rental property, it wasn't pretty. It took 2 months to find something in the area we were looking for. That was in Sept. of '06. I doubt it's gotten much better since then? Being selective about the area you live in may require a bit more time searching.
A quick check on Craig's Listings for rentals in Edmonton shows quite a range of prices and availability. I've not checked either of these links out beyond a cursory glance, so I don't know if they can provide you with good info or not, but it's a start.
Best of luck to you in your info gathering!
Oh yeah... you might tell your friends over there that we're positively delighted with the current warming trend in our weather (-9ish) today.
Thanks for the info...very helpful. I would like to say that all the people I have contacted here and directly in Edmonton have been nothing but POLITE, HELPFUL and VERY WELCOMING!!!! So to all you grumpy Canadians who bash the city....boooo!
Today was -1 in London and severe weather warnings were given all over the UK to only go out if necessary etc.... to be fair in the north there was at least 2 inches of snow!!! Can't wait to get to Canada for some real winter, I used to live in Scandinavia...that was pretty chilly and snowy too.
Will check out the rentals and childcare.
One more question, I have a little baby and a 3 year old girl, would she go to pre-school (ie as part of a proper big school?? State funded?? Thats what would happen here but not sure about the Canadian way...?) or would she still be under private Daycare? Daycare, homecare, pre-school, nursery, kindergarten, creche, nannies...aaargh!!! Not sure what to call it, will have to work on my Canadian English!
Thanks again
Today was -1 in London and severe weather warnings were given all over the UK to only go out if necessary etc.... to be fair in the north there was at least 2 inches of snow!!! Can't wait to get to Canada for some real winter, I used to live in Scandinavia...that was pretty chilly and snowy too.
Will check out the rentals and childcare.
One more question, I have a little baby and a 3 year old girl, would she go to pre-school (ie as part of a proper big school?? State funded?? Thats what would happen here but not sure about the Canadian way...?) or would she still be under private Daycare? Daycare, homecare, pre-school, nursery, kindergarten, creche, nannies...aaargh!!! Not sure what to call it, will have to work on my Canadian English!
Thanks again
Good question mtc. Here, Kindergarten (gov funded) doesn't start until 5 years old. The only time that your child would start earlier on the government dime is if there is a need for 'head start' programs or some other early program, due to developmental or social issues. They will sometimes start as young as 3. Some schools run early kindergarten (4 yrs old) but I don't think they are funded, I think the parents still pay for them.
Wow, you are so efficient in Canada. Thanks for your reply Karrie...and Edmonton's Children's Service has just emailed me back with loads of helpful info I only emailed them an hour ago)!! That's v useful to know, so private until 5. Still looks MUCH cheaper than London, maybe I'll have 2 more!
Karrie:
You forgot to tell her about the packs of rabid parliamentarians that snatch up kids during the full moon and eat them.
Oh, wait - that's something we're not supposed to tell newcomers, isn't it?
Pangloss
You forgot to tell her about the packs of rabid parliamentarians that snatch up kids during the full moon and eat them.
Oh, wait - that's something we're not supposed to tell newcomers, isn't it?
Pangloss
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Pangloss, the point is for the people who live here to get others to immigrate, so that our kids are safe. sheesh, learn how to keep a secret hey?
Sorry Karrie - totally my bad.
So the whole "conscription into prostitution if your property taxes aren't paid" is on the down-low, too?
Edmonton really does have the kookiest by-laws, eh?
Pangloss
So the whole "conscription into prostitution if your property taxes aren't paid" is on the down-low, too?
Edmonton really does have the kookiest by-laws, eh?
Pangloss
lol. It does, but they all have their reasons. We find the men are much more respectful of the prostitutes when they never know if it's a drug addict of a PTA mom.
at my kids' school, it's the School Advisory Council. How's that for an acronym? "Honey, I won't be home tonight, I've got a sac meeting."
Karrie - when I was submitting resumes, I would list my committee affiliations under the interests section.
Sooooooo... if you errmmm..... sit (?) on the SAC, may I suggest you type out the full name of the committee on any resumes you might ever submit?
Just sayin. :lol:
Sooooooo... if you errmmm..... sit (?) on the SAC, may I suggest you type out the full name of the committee on any resumes you might ever submit?
Just sayin. :lol: