Life in Alberta: Living in Canada’s “energy province”

Not only enjoy breath-taking natural sceneries, Alberta’s residents or the Albertans also enjoy a high-standard life. Alberta was rewarded the highest rank amongst Canada’s provinces in a global quality of life index. The job opportunities and excellent life in Alberta have been attracting talents from other places in Canada and all over the world thanks to the immigration programs. These following reasons could help you understand why living in Alberta is a good choice for Canada Immigration.

Community and lifestyle

1. The living standard

The prosperity of Alberta present in the very daily aspect: their residents’ living standards. According to the 2017 Canada Income Survey, families and single persons in Alberta have the highest average income after-tax in Canada which is $70,300. This is higher than Canada’s average income of $59,800. 

The cost of living, in contrast, is considered to be the lowest in Canada. Alberta is one of the most affordable housing markets in Canada with its average house price at the bottom list with approximately $387,000. There will be advantages for your household finance if you live in Alberta. For example:

• No provincial health-care premiums
• Lowest personal taxes
• Highest basic and spousal exemptions
• Low property taxes
• Lowest gasoline tax 
• No provincial sales tax (PST)
• Tax rebates and credits to further help with your finances

Residents in every other province pay up to 10% in addition to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) paid by all Canadians.

2. Lifestyle and cultural

The capital city of Alberta in Edmonton and the biggest city is Calgary but from rural towns to small metropolitan cities, you will always find yourself among a welcoming community. Each community will have its own uniqueness. The lifestyle in Alberta would be a harmony of history and modern. There will be historical architectures between the cosmopolitan landscape.  

With many wonderful living benefits and immigration opportunities, the community in Alberta is very diverse thanks to a large number of immigrants. In major cities like Edmonton and Calgary, you can find a wide range of cuisine, music, and art from many cultures all over the world. 

There are many ways to enjoy yourself in plenty of community activities. Edmonton has a reputation as the “festival city”.  In 1988, Calgary was the place that hosted the Winter Olympic Games. During the summer, you can join in the Calgary Stampede, an annual festival with a cowboy theme.

3. The settlement support services

With many immigrants coming each year, the immigrant community and the government have many settlement support services that you can find easily. Through the city or the community website, you can find a contact point for your arrival, the guideline for common issues would occur when you start living in Alberta at first. They will also provide interpreting and translating services as well as free ESL classes if you need them.

Living utilities

1. Healthcare

Most basic medical services would be funded to all legal residents and citizens in Alberta under Canadian Law. Services like dentistry, optometry, and cosmetic surgery would not be covered by the government. The annual quota would be approximately $7000 for each capita.

You can easily access the medical facilities in Alberta through a variety of hospitals, clinics, and social support services.  

2. Education

Alberta has an excellent education system with many options. The school fee is free from kindergarten to Grade 12. There will be a lot of schools for all the religions and languages, especially the Catholic and Francophone institutions. 

Alberta pays on average $5,700 per year on tuition for post-secondary education. This rate is among the highest in Canada. There are 26 post-secondary institutions that are publicly funded by Alberta. Amongst them are 4 universities with more than 115,000 students. Polytechnic institutions offer various excellent programs for students who want to get certificates, diplomas, applied degrees or apprenticeships. Additionally, there are 140 licensed private vocational schools throughout the province.

3. Transportation

The most common transportations in Alberta is cars. The road and highway network is efficiently connecting the major metropolitan cities and other municipalities. Public transport like trains and buses are also regularly used on a daily basis. The Greyhound bus service can be easily spotted in most of Alberta communities. In Edmonton and Calgary, you can find innovative light rail transportation networks. Edmonton’s network was named the first of its kind constructed in North America.

Alberta has two international airports: the Calgary International Airport and the Edmonton International Airport. The Calgary International Airport is ranked in fourth place for the passenger volume in Canada. The Edmonton International Airport is Canada’s fastest-growing airport. 

4. Community infrastructure

Alberta is received $140.6 million from Canada’s federal government for community, culture and recreation projects over the next 10 years (2018-28) to ensure life in Alberta will always satisfy its residents. 

With life in Alberta, you can find a well-connected park system with many green spaces for outdoor activities. There is a lot of natural reservations, camping ground for your family to enjoy. Library, cultural hub is also available in many cities. 

The West Edmonton Mall is once the largest indoor shopping mall in the world. Inside the mall, a variety of places for your family activities can be spotted like an indoor amusement park with one of the largest indoor roller coasters in the world, a swimming pool with a water park, marine life shows, mini-golf, bowling, a skating rink, and laser tag.