CANADIANS!!! Help my nephew move to Calgary!

[Ira]

Many of you know that my wife is Venezuelan (I met her while in Caracas in 1988), and all of her family is still living there.

My favorite nephew and favorite PERSON in the whole world is Ioannis, pronounced Joe-Anne-Ee.

It's a Greek name--he comes from Greeks who emigrated to Venezuela way back, which makes this story so totally American! Except that this all happened in Venezuela and not America, which makes it really confusing for Americans who think people only want to come HERE!)

He married into our family through our blood niece Liz, who is also pretty damn special--and they have a beautiful 2-year-old daughter whom I've never seen. I'm sure she's beautiful though because I know her padres (the parents).

Anyway, as you may know, a maniac is now running Venezuela by the name of Hugo Chavez. Ioannis has worked for Mobil Oil for quite awhile in accounting, but Chavez recently nationalized the oil industry...

Which means Chavez is saying, "Get out Mobil, and any of you OTHER damn American oil companies who are raping the Venezuelan people and stealing our napkins!"

(American oil companies were also thrown out of the country in the 70s, and although this turned out to be a really bad thing for Venezuela as far as oil revenues went, we have to understand that Chavez is not the type of person to learn from history. I suspect he can't even read.)

So why am I wasting your valuable Canadian time with this incomplete history lesson? While you're trying to build your teardrop trailers?

Well, Ioannis has been given a tentative job offer (the final dollars are not settled yet) to work for Mobil via Imperial Oil...in Calgary.

I know NOTHING about Canada, except that all of our draft dodgers went up there in the 60s and had great things to say about the place when they returned. So I think it's a hell of a lot nicer up there where you are in a lot of ways than where WE are in the states--except for the weather:

South Florida ALWAYS kicks Canada's ass when it comes to weather! (Except for hurricanes.) I think Detroit might have better weather too.

What I'm asking for are links about Calgary, but MORE important, your insights about living there. And even MORE important than THAT, is an offering of your friendship and a little of your time:

Ioannis speaks excellent English, but his wife doesn't--and she has a little trepidation about making a move like this. (The baby is only two, so she doesn't know WHAT the hell she's speaking, so that's not a problem. I think the kid may still be crapping in diapers.)

Main point of all of this is this:

Ioannis a very smart, very young, VERY hard-working guy, totally unlike me. And he has an opportunity to emigrate from a 3rd world country that's obviously going Castro Communist to Canada--with full and legal status to become Canadian citizens, thanks to the power of Mobil/Imperial.

This will all come to pass by July, in just a few short months, so I'm asking for your travelogues, your writings, your ramblings, to help them both feel comfortable and ecstatic about the move, as opposed to feeling afraid at all. Yeah, I'm sure the Arepas (a type of food) SUCK up there, but I do believe they know how to cook their own.

I know that Canada is WONDERFUL in so many ways, and I want them to understand and SEE this for themselves.

I'm going to email him this thread in a few hours so he can directly read your personal thoughts and links, and so that he can respond to your posts as well.

Thanks, guys. This is all pretty exciting for our family.

Especially since when we visit Canada, I may have a place to stay for free.

--Ira

[Bobgorilla]

Ira, Since no one else has replied, I've been there once and I liked it. It seemed to be a typical mid sized city. Its on the edge of the canadian rockies, they have an NHL team, a CFL team and the Calgary Stampede which is kind of like a big state fair and rodeo combined.

[Ken A Hood]

I've never been out West, but here's a few links;

http://www.discovercalgary.com/
http://www.tourismcalgary.com/
http://www.where.ca/calgary/

[Gerald_G]

I live about 150k North of Calgary and have visited many time, I know a few people that live there now.

Send me an IM, and perhaps I can connect you to people, who have connections in the community that assists immigrents get settled into the new town. I'm sure there must be such organizations in Calgary.

I can hopefully answer a few direct questions about living in Alberta, (the province Calgary is in) if you'd like.

Canada can be a very welcoming place to move. The climate in Calgary is relatively cold climate compared to Venezuela and South Florida, but relatively mild compared to Yukon territory up north by Alaska where I used to live. It is snowing here today for instance, but it is only a few degrees below zero, so I was outdoors working on the trailer today :-)

I hope things work out well for your nephew, and if you ever tow your tear up here to Alberta to visit him, we can meet for a Tim Hortons coffee or something.

[jaybee]

You may find it encouraging to know that Calgary is where Canadians from every and any where else are going to find work. Everywhere else has a shortage of (insert trade here) because they all went to work in Calgary. The civic bird of Calgary is the Building Crane. About the only downside is, if you don't drive, forget it!!! You thought you needed a car to get around LA - you've never been on the Blackfoot Trail during during Rush
(Hour-Day-Week) (choose which applies).

On the other hand, one is within spittin' distance of (day trip to) Banff. 'Nuff said.

[AlaskaJack]

I was in Calgary once back in the late 60's flying an old beater WWII cargo plane back to Alaska. Caught a cab into town to get something to eat.... they wouldn't let me into the restraunt as I was not properly "dressed" (wearing an insulated flight suit..) but they brought a table out into the entry way and served me and my copilot there.....the meal was wonderful! They do have some class there! Don't have a clue about jobs and such!

[catrinka]

Ira, somehow I missed this post weeks ago. Alberta in general is booming right now and if your nephew is as hard working as you say, he will do very well in Alberta. One thing he might want to check on before moving here is the price of housing. Or make some provision in his deal coming up here to arrange for housing. With everything booming house prices and rents have skyrocketed. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

[navydiver]

Hey folks - I joined the Canadian Forces (Navy) from Calgary. Was a petroleum technologist by education - Northern Alberta Institute of Technology but graduated in the great Oil Depression of 1982 - Ergo I then travelled to europe where I spent a few years and came back to Calgary and subsequently joined the Navy from there. Anyway my little brother followed in my footsteps a year later, only he stayed in Cowtown (as it is affectionaltely called) and got a job through great perserverance - now it is of course much easier. He now works in the oil business and life is great for him there. I go back very often to visit. In fact I spent 2 weeks there this past Xmas - skiing with the family. You will find Calgary to be clean, exciting, full of opportunity and one of the best places to live in all of Canada and if I may say all of North America). Home of the Calgary Stampede, great professional hockey, and of course Banff is right next door. The mountain camping there beats Yellowstone Park (yeah, I know it is debatable - after all I am biased) hands down. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

[campadk]

Can't go wrong in Alberta / Calgary! Excellent quality of life. Close to some amazing mountains too!

Did anyone mention Alberta has no provincial tax.. and the lowest gas taxes in the country? Loads of job opportunitities too.

Canada is a really beautiful country, Ioannis will be pleased

For more information, consult the web, its all there!

PS. Ioannis will be requesting you buy some skis for Christmas next year.

[Ira]

Thanks for keeping this thread alive guys!

I haven't spoke to him since I posted this, but my wife has.

As some of you know, the American oil companies are now "in negotiation" with Chavez to see how the government is going to compensate them. So they didn't get the final heave-ho yet, but its happening soon.