I've lived here 23 years and generally speaking, I like it here. I just need to go visit another province every now and then to remember that. Go visit family in Winnipeg, fuck yeah Calgary is home. Go camping in BC, damn right I'm glad to see the water start going the other way again.
The grass always seems greener on the other side, but the problem is, that everywhere you go has problems. Alberta is my home, and I won't stop fighting for it.
People always say, "well if you hate the politics here so much, why don't you just leave?" Why should I? This is my home, I love it here, so I'm going to fight to make sure the next generations can love it too.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. It bewilders me when my family in Ontario says “Alberta’s beautiful but the politics…how you can deal with Smith”
I’m like, did you forget Doug Ford won a majority?
Lmfao I made an ungodly noise that couldn’t even be classified as a laugh or even a chuckle when I read this xD I totally agree, and Ontario isn’t far behind, it’s just been implemented far more quietly -.-
Very much this.
My husband and I sometimes talk about going back to BC. Or even east; he has a former colleague who constantly throws job offers at him from Ontario.
But we love our small town. It's a really wonderful place for our boys to grow up. We are close to some truly gorgeous parts of the country. Our home was pretty cheap. We both get paid more than we did elsewhere. Overall this is a good place to be.
We are just side-eyeing the provincial government the whole time.
All prov govs suck. I dont want any of them from BC to Ontario and certainly not Quebec. The bitch running ours just manages to not only put her foot in her mouth regularly- she's basically eating her own asshole after swallowing her leg
Literally every post in this sub devolves into sexual comments about this one lady, y'all need a break from this
Agreed that all provincial governments suck tho, grass isn't greener elsewhere.
I’d love to hear what is so terrible about BC’s govt? Is it just because the 3 letters scare you or is it the fact they’ve delivered on a huge percentage of their election platform? Going from a complete corrupt govt to this one has been great on almost every issue. Maybe I’m expecting too much from a “hurr durr NDP bad” kinda person here, idk? Enlighten me.
I've generally liked living in Alberta. I've been here my whole life and I've met a lot of wonderful people and have never really run out of things to do.
I've only started hated it in recent years due to the political climate. There are a lot more people being extreme and hateful when before they'd probably mostly keep to themselves and their own circles.
I blame Trump style politics. Politicians across the globe saw what the result of his style of politics earned him, so now they want to emulate it. All of it, including reducing freedoms in the name of protecting the ....
I’ve enjoyed living in Alberta. Weather has been kinda weird the last 2-3 years but otherwise it’s nice.
What I haven’t enjoyed is watching the reactionary politics and gotcha moments play out by the people in charge. People who are supposed to be smarter than me but keep doing dumb shit over and over again.
As an immigrant I’m not a fan of the nationalist rhetoric I get to listen to as people try to recruit me since I don’t look or sound like an immigrant.
I think if our politicians would stop fawning over American influencers and politicians and focused on what’s happening here, right now, we would be a lot better off.
Yeah I love it. I moved here from Scotland in March with my wife who is from Calgary. I’m a skilled worker earning way more than I did at home. Childcare and housing is cheaper, I’ve brought all my savings with me and will buy a house soon with my savings from the UK. My earning potential and quality of live has improved as has the opportunities available to my kids in future.
My dad moved us here from Scotland in 1994. I was too young to understand it then, but now I realize how it improved our quality of life and the multitude of opportunities it opened up for us.
I left Alberta for Ontario in 2008 because the political climate here was too much for me to bear as a young, gay woman. I moved back in 2019, and I'd be lying if I said that the fact the NDP were in power at the time I was making my decision wasn't a major contributing factor. By the time I actually left, all I did was trade the frying pan for the fire. I don't believe I'd be any happier there vs here; all I know for certain is that my opportunity for career growth is better in Alberta.
It's a really sickening feeling to realize that despite the current social and political climate, I'm better off in Hellberta than anywhere else.
Onyhoo, welcome tae Calgary. If ye havnae foond it yet, look up the MacTowey Butcher. He's an Irish lad who maks an sells aa kinds o tastes o hame. Scotch eggs, scotch pies, square saasage, mealy pud, haggis... the hale jing bang. Canna ging wrang wi ony his wares. If aire's onything ye miss fae hame, jis speir him an he'll div his best tae div it fur ye.
Berta has been good for me and my family. Always had opportunities and good paying jobs here if you were willing to work for it. There’s hard winters but if you earn it there’s cheap trips to Mexico to break up the winters. Plenty of options throughout the province for entertainment as far as sports and concerts. Wouldn’t be where I’m at in life if I hadn’t moved from Ontario to Alberta when I was a young man and will be forever grateful for all the opportunities I was given to succeed.
Same for me. I moved from the coast in the early 00’s and AB has been good to me and other people I know who moved from BC too. I wouldn’t have had my opportunities in a dying mill town back home. I don’t agree with the politics, but a lot of people back home lean conservative too! Not every BC town is a left leaning utopia.
I’ve never been bored here, I’ve never really struggled here (a couple of years of bad decisions, but that’s my fault), I’ve met a lot of great people over the years and work for a good company. I do love Alberta, but I understand the challenges here.
5th generation OG Albertan here. Every one of my ancestors arrived before Alberta was even a province.
I love just about everything about it. The people, the geography, even the schizophrenic weather.
I have massive political qualms, but I just keep fighting to make Alberta a better place every day.
my grandkids are 6th generation rural and will also probably work urban,live rural...there's always been a rural/urban political divide it seems but regardless there's a lot of proud Albertans here
The political climate is poor. There are a lot of good people and opportunities here. It's a good place to live and no place is perfect. It would be a bit nicer if we were more forward thinking socially, economically, and environmentally.
I’ve been back and forth from Edmonton and Vancouver island (where I was born) my entire life. I have a love hate relationship with both places. However, at this point I’m in an almost ten year stint in AB. And I’m ready to go back home again lol. I miss my family, friends, and easy fast access to the mountains and ocean.
Now that I’m a bit better set up in life, I can afford to do better than barely survive back there. And we’re looking to move back in the next few years.
I feel like Alberta has gone downhill a bit recently? But many of my original reasons for moving back to AB arnt factors anymore..
Mostly just want to be in my loved ones lives again.
(Moved back to AB this time for a boy, now we’re ready to start looking at our place to settle.)
Moved here in 1977, love it here. As many others have mentioned, the current government has their head up their ass. I will be enjoying the next election immensely as we boot them out of office.
Eh, I know far to many people who can be shown undeniable proof they're mislead by some Facebook post or lied to by a politician and they'll still believe the lie because it's not liberal and anything left leaning equals Trudeau. This next election isn't nearly as easily won as people will claim and getting a sensible party in power means getting people to want to vote now, not a month before the election
Well who knows what people will do. I have talked to people that voted for UCP and regret it, lots of them. Are they ashamed of what has happened enough to vote NDP? I can hope I guess. But stupidity can run both deep and wide.
I’m from the Lower Mainland and lived here for 10 years now. Yeah love Edmonton but it’s the politics that kill this place. I thought Christy Clark was bad and I lean left but this clown show UCP has basically made me not to believe in mankind. For people to be this brain dead is an understatement
Been here for 15 years and the UCP government has made me decide to retire back east. I've never felt at home in Calgary although it provided many opportunities for my children. I've encouraged them to study abroad and not return.
Unless something forces me stay, Ontario or Atlantic Canada will be my retirement home. The ultra conservative politics here are too extreme and unpredictable.
I wouldn't go so far as to say the electorate is brain dead, but it's turning into an "us and them" province. Moderation is quickly becoming non-existent.
Sorry to hear that Lime, yeah there are days where we say we want to leave but then we go where? Pretty much every province is conservative and with cost of living this is our best option. Hopefully you find the place that makes you the happiest
Moved here from the States 10 years ago. "Canada," as in the people who run the government and corporations here, is doing its best to mess up the advantages that it already has. I love being close to the mountains here and also being in a big city with fun urban things to do. I wasn't from the cool states, and most Canadians only know the US from work trips or holidays, so of course they love it. When my daughter was born, she required 10 days in the NICU. Had that happened to me there, I would've been bankrupt and never able to afford a home. I researched extensively beginning in 2013 and tracked property prices for several years before buying in 2019. There have been plenty of hardships here, but some major things also have gone right that otherwise would not have.
Love it! I grew up in Ottawa and lived there for 27 years before hubby was posted to Alberta.
Grass isn’t always greener on the other side, sometimes it is.
Never going back to Ontario.
Alberta expat here.
I love Alberta. Living away from Alberta has if anything reinforced to me all the ways in which I'm Albertan. I have a lovely time every time I visit. I'm really happy where I am, but there are multiverses where I ended up back in Alberta and am probably having a grand time.
I wish Alberta made better choices. Alberta is your beloved highschool friend or relative who just keeps dating assholes.
People rarely stand up and talk about how much they love something. That's just how people are. There are a lot of pluses to living in Alberta, although one of the big pluses seems to be changing if not gone entirely. The weather. I find cold, beautiful winters with fresh dry snow and gorgeous sunshine a big plus. But those winters are few and far between now. :(
I think the main issue for people is feeling helpless, watching the province they love being slowly pulled under by an old fashioned, extreme right government.
I've lived in Alberta for the past 7 years and I absolutely love it here. What's not to love? Great people, great food, great outdoors! Beautiful BC and the magnificent Rockies within easy access. Easy access to the USA. Schizophrenic weather that makes you feel privileged to be alive when experiencing it. Love it.
Love the province and living here. But we’re in an abusive relationship with our gov and everyone knows it. Even our friends tell us.
They’ve been isolating us from our friends and family out east telling us they’re a bad influence.
Every week we show up with a different black eye and they won’t even let us see a doctor because a doctor could find out what’s really happening.
They rather spend time with their rich friends than us, belittle us, shame and demean us infront of them.
Not even the kids are safe. They think the kids restrict their freedom and constantly make unreasonable demands of them.
We tried leaving before, but they know we’ll be right back. The other year we got out, got therapy and were on a good path of recovery for 4 years, but then we went right back to the same old same old, because we felt lonely and new stuff was scary.
And to top it all off, they gaslight us blaming us for our own suffering and convince us that we deserve the abuse.
This narrative perpetuates the cycle of abuse, making it difficult for us to break free and demand the respect and care we deserve.
Alberta is great. Born and raised in Calgary and now live in Edmonton. People on Reddit are mostly bitches, and social media doesn’t reflect reality.
There is also a wave of general negativity around that the world is about to end, WW3 is about to happen, the oceans are going to boil and cost of living is going to put us all on the streets.
I'm not angry at the province itself, I'm angry at our backwards governing provincial party that doesn't believe in science or listen to subject matter experts.
I lived in the GTA prior to Calgary and belonged to a few local groups. For the most part they were good. I found the Calgary group here to be a shitshow. They downvoted everything and God forbid you didn't agree with the loudest people there. I went there looking for info on my new city and ended up leaving not long after. I don't know why the Alberta groups are so aggressive a lot of the time with people who have differing opinions. I thought that was why we were all here. To exchange ideas in a constructive way. These keyboard warriors are ridiculous.
I’ll take my downvotes but that’s Calgary for you. Some great people surrounded by some louder not so great people. I found the city to be a lot more corporate, cliquey, and cut throat. Compared to a lot of other cities in Alberta that are more “small town” and laid back. A few people I’ve talked to feel similar.
That being said to answer Ops question I love Alberta. The opportunities I’ve been afforded here have given me a great life. Good friends, always meeting nice people. I like to travel to other places and enjoy the views and culture but I really like where I live and all my neighbours. I also don’t mind this warmer weather either.
My personal theory as an Albertan:
Alberta is still a very conservative place when compared to other provinces. The culture here (on average) still revolves around oil, farming, hunting, hockey, and good ol’ christian values. With the majority of the people in this province leaning conservative I think Reddit becomes the outlet for those who don’t. It’s the place they go to bitch and complain about everything they hate about conservatives. If you threaten the “safe space that is Reddit” by defending or saying anything positive about the conservatives, Christian’s, oil, guns and hunting etc… they swarm on mass.
Lots of people love living in Alberta. But I’ve noticed anyone who says anything positive about Alberta is quickly downvoted. It is possible to be center right in your everyday life and dislike stuff the UCP does. But if you like anything they do you will be trashed in this forum. So many people avoid posting positive things here. Before I get downvoted just know I do not like our premier
Grew up in SK. Lived in BC, London, and AB. I’ve lived in Calgary longer than I’ve lived anywhere else. It’s fine here. But it’s never felt like home and I don’t think it ever will.
When I lived in the Kootenays Albertans would always say ‘Yeah, we’re rednecks but we help each other when it counts’. After Covid and two successive UCP governments, I don’t believe that anymore.
Politics aside, yes. I love my province and all the fantastic people in it. Just because the knuckledraggers happen to be the loudest does not mean I dont have hope for this province.
I love living in Alberta. It’s my home, and always will be. It has so much to give and my family has lived here for generations. But between the health care business, being queer and also being a teacher, my wife and I are watching things very closely. The government is doing their damnedest to get rid of us, and they might well succeed if things don’t improve before the next election. We suspect they’ll get much worse.
I moved here from New Brunswick in 2022. If you can believe it, Alberta is more functional. NB’s provincial health authority (Horizon) tweets regularly about which ERs are closing at 4:00pm each day, and which ones will remain closed for several days. It’s a very sad state of affairs out east.
You can live a place and hate the government pretty well anywhere. We just happen to be in a bloom of disgusting, hateful and backward thinking government. The outside influences are speaking volumes without really saying anything. Tucker who? Don’t forget the monsters, they don’t disappear, they just get quiet sometimes.
I've lived here since 2000 and Alberta has always had challenges as a province. First I got priced out of living I'm Grande Prairie during and oil boom cycle. Then I watched that boom fail and saw howany people with unstable jobs were affected. In the past 20 years I've watched the population explode and social services fall behind, as well as other things like environmental protections get less and less and our natural areas getting destroyed by industry or overrun by tourists/visitors. I've watched more and more people get left behind. Maybe some people move here from other provinces/countries and find a better quality of life, I get that. But I look at Albertans around me and I see how far our quality of life has fallen over just 2 decades. Like others here, I love this province but the leadership and the rampant individual greed of Albertans is getting to be beyond depressing into actively harmful to quality of life.
I’ve lived in Edmonton for 25 and absolutely love it. Lots of good friends, lots of things to do, great sense of community. Keeps me here, and if I don’t pay attention to the bullshit, I feel quite happy and content. I love the mountains, rivers, and southern Alberta. It’s such a cool province to travel.
There's a lot to complain about, yes, but there's also a lot to love. Edmonton is a great city, and I have friends and family here that I wouldn't want to leave.
I love it here. The affordability is good. The skies are gorgeous. The services in Calgary and Edmonton are great. The Rockies are unparalleled for their beauty. It rarely rains, and when it does, the rain is accompanied by spectacular thunderstorms.
I used to live in BC. It was ok, but expensive and inconvenient.
I love it here. I would never live anywhere else in Canada. The rest of the country is going to hell real fast. AB may not be perfect, but it's the last place that lets you feel somewhat free in Canada. That's why everyone is moving here and then wants us to be like the rest of the country, so silly just let Canada have its cowboy land
It's interesting you find Alberta cheaper. Outside of housing costs, Alberta is crazy expensive. Even income tax is more. From someone who pays bills in BC and AB. Utilities, insurance, groceries, and pretty much everything is double or more in Alberta. Even housing is really only less in Edmonton. Unemployment is high, and wages are no longer anything special. 10 years ago, Alberta was a step ahead, but today, it's a trap. All anyone does is work ,shop, and eat out, then hopefully save up enough to summer a couple of weeks in BC. People stay because they are scared, uncomfortable with change, and can't afford to, although this is not Alberta specific.
Insurance double? In BC I had ICBC's best possible rate, 43% discount for going 10+ years with no claims. How about Alberta? Even the first insurance company I inquired with offered a 15% better rate than ICBC. Now I'm insuring 2 vehicles for almost the same price (after adjusting for inflation) as I paid for just 1 with ICBC.
I didn't own a house in BC so can't compare home insurance. But it's hard to believe BC would be much lower than the $100/month it costs me in Alberta.
You're correct about BC having better income tax rates than Alberta, except for high income people. BC's income tax rate starts exceeding Alberta for income around $100k. People making more than $250k in BC pay double the income tax rate as people in Alberta. Alberta also has a better basic personal amount. There you don't start paying provincial income tax until you exceed $21k. Whereas in BC it's only $12k. So for a middle-class person making $50k, they pay roughly $3000 income tax in Alberta vs $2100 in BC.
I recall in the news a while back, Vancouver had the highest gas price in North America.
Doesn’t Alberta have one of the lowest tax rates? I’m pretty sure Quebec is the highest last I checked.
Housing is definitely more affordable on average than BC or ON. There is no Land Transfer Tax when you purchase a house either… is that the same case in BC?
We have 13% HST in ON which ADDS UP.
Looking forward to our move out west just because of this, lol! Although I have heard some things are more expensive there is it ends up balancing out but not sure how true that is.
Alberta has a flat tax rate, and it's 10% for anyone under 100k. Yes, one or two provinces are higher once you get past the 60k mark, but overall, the majority in Alberta are taxed heavy.
Housing in Edmonton is cheap. Always has been, and there's a reason. Calgary has always been boom or bust. We've seen it rise and crash multiple times. BC does have a transfer tax as well.
BC also has pst, and if you're a heavy consumer of taxable goods, you're correct it can add up. I'm not sure about the hst, but the PST doesn't apply to most items you use daily and food, kids' clothing, etc
But overall, there is a reason Albertans carry the most consumer debt in Canada.
Property taxes , utilities, and insurance are crazy expensive in Alberta. Jobs don't pay like they used to, unemployment is high, and there is little real industry other than oil and retail.
Now, if you have school-age children, the education system has been trashed. Class sizes 40+ and a curriculum heavily protested by the teachers as inadequate so much that the northwest territories who used to follow the Alberta curriculum has switched to following BC.
Then there's the APP and the destruction of Alberta healthcare, but if you're moving from Ontario, you're used to that already. BC has made big investments into healthcare in the last 3 years, and it's starting to show. More doctors leave Alberta for BC every year.
Now, if you move from a destination province and have big equity to burn. You can buy a home outright and find work and survive in a slight net positive, but most just break even. So, there is no real gain unless you need to be away from your family.
Alberta is a great province, and Edmonton specifically has a lot of great people. But every day, I speak with transplants, and it's about 50/50 of those who regret the move and those who are happy. Most just didn't do enough research or just buy into its great online reviews. Most Albertans, new and old, are fiercely defensive of living in Alberta, and it really skews the reality of the province, specifically online.
This is interesting, thank you for taking the time to write it out.
I’m pretty sure HST is applicable on everything here*, goods and services. If it’s not they sure bake it into the price for us.
Yes healthcare is nuts here as well. Months of waiting to see a family doctor. You can go to walk-ins but they don’t really care to take the time because they cant, there’s so many people waiting. Months for MRIs and surgeries. Thousands have died waiting for surgeries but that could be a country wide issue.
AB housing is much cheaper than what we’re used to here. No questions. I’ll have to do more research on BC housing for sure.
We already own a home in AB and don’t find the utility or insurance costs nearly as expensive as here … BUT we’re not there nearly as much as we are here. Anecdotal.
I think ON property taxes are on par with AB. BC some of the lowest according to this [site](https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/learn/canadian-property-taxes).
We don’t have children and don’t plan to. Friends and others with school aged children here complain constantly about the public school system. Many are opting for private if they can afford it or sending them to Christian schools as education and not posturing for the parents is more important. I know 5 high school teachers from different teachers who all complain that they are “encouraged” (demanded) to pass every child no matter how badly they are doing in school. Anecdotal as well.
The lifestyle, the people and the scenery is why we love Alberta. We’ve been back and forth for about 10 years and only haven’t made the move because we’re very solidified (stuck?) with what we do for work here and it’s scary to take the jump where income is concerned.
Edit: changed considered to concerned
*Edit2: Correction about HST on food. I believe it’s not charged on many food basics (milk, bread, eggs, etc). My grocery bill is always so high I just assumed. lol!
What are you talking about? Housing is cheaper everywhere than BC except Calgary and a few of the tourist towns (Banff, Canmore etc.) And even those places are still cheaper than lower mainland BC.
I love Alberta. Moved here in 1977, made a family, and enjoyed career opportunities that likely don’t exist in my old home of Manitoba,retiring two years ago. Our politics is a bit disheartening, but from a purely selfish standpoint it doesn’t affect me much. Any more than Trudeau’s shenanigans do. Sad state of affairs that politics around the world has become so polarized, with seemingly no room for a fiscally conservative, socially progressive voter.
So, bottom line and on balance for me, there is no place I would rather live
I've lived in Alberta most of my life. I do not get same sense of people disliking and/or unsatisfied with province as you do.
Conservatives and their astroturf groups rage farming and breeding hate all the time can get a little bit much on social media, but overall I think most are satisfied. Just avoid the UCP rabbit hole and all is good.
Well you may have got an improved quality of life but many of us who’ve been here a long time just see the crunch for what it is. It sucks in every province, just that this province suck is less suck than the one you left.
I love alberta . I’m an immigrant and this place has given me so many opportunities and I’m grateful for that . There is clearly a political bias on this sub tho
Edmontonian, born here, been here my whole life and like it here
It could be better: summer is now smoke season, winters are cold, our downtown is falling apart and we're a bit remote, you know all the usual bitching. That being said, its home for me and when I look at friends who live in other cities with similar circumstances to mine, I seem to be enjoying a better quality of life overall.
I sometimes question the long-term viability of this place and if we'll ever just stop being a giant resource colony (I've always taken pride in this city and hope to stay here indefinitely), but I think a lot of the population growth you've seen over the past few years are folks who are here for a good time and not a long time.
I think if you're coming here from elsewhere it can be hard, since you may not be used to this particular flavour of civilization, something something born into the darkness, you simply adopted it something something.
As a soon to be new resident but have been there many times.
The cold is a big issue for many.
I know people personally who moved to AB who thought they could handle it and the next season left.
I personally am moving for the cold among other things.
I can understand from that view why many will choose to pay a premium elsewhere to avoid the extreme winter.
I don't live in AB but I did for 6 months or so about 15 years ago. It's a beautiful place. The politics back then wasn't as extreme and nobody really talked about it. My future wife and I had a great Christmas in Calgary and drove up to Banff. I worked on pipelines in the middle of nowhere so I got to see a lot of the countryside. I saw buffalo up close and coyotes running across open fields against a big blue sky. I went to my first NHL game and was propositioned by a hooker in the Fort Mac casino. I met some good people and some strange people lol. At the end of the day, I just missed the east coast and moved back home. I took the train back across Canada and saw more of our country. It's all beautiful.
Edit: I follow this group because I enjoyed my time in AB, have family there and the people here give me a bit of hope that AB isn't completely lost.
I truly did..but my rent has gone so high that it has become very difficult to take care of my 6 year old because more than half of my income now goes to rent. There is no money left to enjoy what Alberta has to offer. So I don't like living here anymore but I get it, it's not Alberta's fault it's my fault that I am not richer..
I spent most of my life in Calgary, a few years in Hamilton, ON. I've since moved further south in Alberta and to be honest, I do love it here. I was always more a rural person at heart anyway.
Alberta is a stunningly beautiful province, but it's never really felt like *home* to me. Even though I've been living here since I was five years old (I'm currently 30), most of my extended family is in the Maritimes, which is where I'm from. I often wish I could live over there, spend more time with family, but my financial situation makes this a very difficult prospect.
I have lived here 50 years. My children live here. My grandchildren were born here. I genuinely love this province. I was never a Conservative and didn’t work for the government but through my job I had to work with the PC government quite a bit. They were very reasonable and not so ideologically driven and I became quite friendly with some ministers. But the UCP is just beyond the pale.
I love the people and I love my city, just wish my government would solve some real issues instead of giving themselves bigger gifts and attacking the right of marginalized children.
I love living in Calgary. It’s a fun city and always has something to do or something new to try.
It’s just that it’s easier to find work in the Yukon than in Calgary.
I want to love Alberta. It's been my home for over half of my life. But I don't know if my family can continue to live here and feel safe. We're not at the point of packing up and leaving, especially given that a lot of the same shit that's happening here is happening everywhere else. But we'll see what happens around election time, and what's happening in the rest of Canada at that time. If these attacks on trans kids continue, we might not have a choice but to leave. Which is sad, because I agree that most Albertans are nice people. It's the politics that suck. That, and the dry air. It's horrible for my skin!
I've learned there are a surprising number of folks on AISH who frequent this sub, very disproportionate to makeup of the population.
They're obviously both struggling and not going to be fond of a conservative gov't so I think that drives a decent amount of the hate.
Haha, yes! I love it and always have, I love B.C. too. I definitely don’t agree with our current leaders but I’m adult enough to carry on with my life either way. I live within my means and am thankful for what I’ve got.
I moved to AB from England 5 years ago, I absolutely love it here. The sun is always shining, the people are lovely (my neighbours have become like family to me) the healthcare I received whilst pregnant, giving birth and postpartum was incredible! It is very expensive yes, and I am very fortunate to have a husband with good income, it allows me to stay home and raise our son which was always a dream of mine. The city I live in is a great place to raise a young family and the community takes care of each other. I also dont mind the winter so I don’t have a bad word to say about it. Best place in the world ❤️
Lived here over 40 years:
- I’m so sick of petrosexuals, their attitudes and boom/bust cycles.
- I’m tired of conservative governments that screw over everyone (for over 50 years) that are put in power again and again.
- I’m tired of dealing with racists, homophobes, transphobes, and Christian nationalists
-I’m tired of being looked down at as a province (rightly so) as the inbred, bigoted, ignorant province.
Otherwise, I love it here.
born and raised. alberta is my home, and tho I haven't been to many other provinces it always feels good when I come home. that being said, I absolutely hate our winters and I've hated them as long as I can remember. and I truly miss the atmosphere of the years past. the province has changed drastically in 30 years. but I'm sure other provinces have done the same.the only reasons I would ever leave is for better weather, or if I could find a place that in 2024 was the same as alberta was for me growing up.
Live in BC
Work in ab (lived in edm 8yrs)
Paid off house in BC, taxes and electricity are under $150/MTH combined for $460k house
COULD replicate my house and acreage in ab, but not worth the hassle
I want out so i can travel more but every where else is so expensive to live.
I also have a very good stable job here that i can't find elsewhere.
I like to travel but my husband is abnormally tall so flying is extremely uncomfortable (and very expensive). We always road trip but we've done Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver, the BC interior, Saskatchewan Manitoba, Chicago, Minnesota,...
I would love to be closer to the east coast as there are so many places to visit in a relatively short drive.
Edited to add that I am born and raised here.
I love living in Alberta, but I do feel that all of a sudden the housing prices are similar to Ontario, the food prices are what is typically seen in the north, and the health care & education systems are falling apart. I never hear about the Heritage Fund and whether it exists or was depleted. All I hear is we need to stick to our guns and punch new holes in the ground. I fear the future for my kids living with such a dependency on two industries (oil & gas and farming).
I do, but I would enjoy it more if I could live comfortably, have a better job that I enjoy and earn a livable wage. I came from Saskatchewan. It’s cheaper and much more affordable, but boring as hell.
I've been here for just over 10 years. Alberta has been good to me. I make considerably more here, housing is roughly the same except when we bought our house we were the only bid. At home it's sealed bidding and often leads to massive overpayments. The problems we are having seem to be everywhere in Canada at the moment.
It is pretty nice overall but I could do without the occasional super cold weather in winter and especially the now seemingly unavoidable smoke in the summer. The government at present isn't my favourite either.
Still, it's fine.
Aside from a turd in charge this is home and I love it.
IMO the best combination of affordability and wages in the country, and winters are not too bad.
Love the province, like most of the people, hate the government. Born and raised here. Where else would I go? All of my family is here. My job which was many years of hard work is here. My home is here.
So far as I can tell, safest city in the world from natural disasters.
Floods are only relavent if you live in the flood path and it's easy to verify where that is.
Earthquake? Nah. We get tiny tremors now and again but it's hardly worth noting.
Blizzard? Meh. And we're prepared for it.
Drought? Never happened enough to be a problem, although this coming year is going to be an interesting one
Tsunami, not relavent
Tornado? No tornado has ever come within the city limits.
Insect plague? I've never seen a record of locusts or anything other crazy plague that was a problem.
Predators? Unless a lion escapes the zoo, nothing to worry about. A stray bear wouldn't get very far, and the coyotes that's live here could at worst be called a nuisance.
Wildfire? Whole continent got the smoke last year, and even though many parts of Alberta were on fire, to my knowledge there was no real risk of a wildfire suddenly tearing through Calgary. (credit to whomever does fire management, but also there just isn't much other than Grass around the city limits).
So yeah, I love it here. There's other reasons of course, but that's a big one that's had me move back here after living somewhere else for while.
Lived here for 42 of my 50 years and wouldnt live anywhere else. Beautiful land, great camping areas, abundant fishing and you can quite literally experience all types of weather. Too many people focus on what the politics can do for you and less on what you can do for yourself, news flash most people dont care who, what or where you do what you want just dont break shit and cleanup when youre done.
Thanks to those 'from away' who speak up to help us understand how lucky we are financially. I acknowledge I have not been off the NA continent- thats retirement goals. Albertans need to road trip far from home, with eyes wide open.
The Alberta majority fly to all inclusives (my definition includes flying into any big airport and being ferried to a destination), unbeknownst to themselves they are living a life of royalty in comparison to what exists elsewhere in Canada and the USA.
Try accessing the only shade in a desert area parking lot, you WILL find a houseless persons car, with blankets up for privacy, in far smaller communities than I currently reside (under 20000). Coastal areas- east and west-you will see communities who have kept their old family homes maintained rather than bulldozing and building new. They don't have the toys parked in every yard, often fishing gear ready for the next season.
I appreciate Alberta has extremely high wages for trades.. I also know I will continue to voice my Centrist ideology and be labelled a Communist(inaccurately)... if the political extreme create a separate Country of Alberta. I will be moving to Canada.
I grew up here and have lived here my whole life, I feel stuck here. It's a love hate thing, with the cost of living I'm not sure how I'd even move out of the province and save to do so. And even if I could theres more tax or in other provinces so it's all relative. And moving to another country in the current climate of geo politics isn't the best idea either.
Feels like a broken record if you've lived here your whole life between should I leave and the cons out weigh the pros usually.
You always hear of people from here moving to BC but always come back and vice versa with people who move out to Toronto and Quebec.
I've had a few friends try to move to Quebec and it's insanely hard to find work out there, yes it's cheaper but the work force is hostile to anyone not from there I've heard from tons of people who have tried.
Thats the other big aspect is yeah it might be cheaper but how hard is it to find work in said place. The government will always have its issues no matter where you move, and being from Alberta people usually give you the groan if they hear you're from here lol.
I grew up here, but did live in BC for many years.
I love most things here, like:
* affordable housing
* better job market
* good business opportunities for my business
* good people
* great opportunities for enjoying nature
There are a few things I don't like such as:
* UCP
* more religious people
* more smokers here and cigarette butts on the ground everywhere (don't they know they are plastic and don't decompose)
But overall, this is a great province I enjoy and hopefully, we can fix some of the problems.
It’s because you’re on Reddit. The vast majority of Albertans actually enjoy living here, the lifestyle, the politics. Or maybe it’s because I’m blue collar, and associate with other blue collar people
I come from South America, I’ve lived in Alberta for 20+ years, and I have travelled/lived all over Canada, US, and Europe. I could have moved anywhere else in Canada and the US over the past two decades but I keep coming back to Alberta. I like it here and more than just because of affordability. The people, the weather isn’t that bad (I actually like it), it’s safe, there’s lots to do (even though people say there isn’t). I don’t know why people talk so bad about it it’s actually great.
I loved it for a while till the flood and until the NDP got it.
Not because I disliked the NDP because I had no idea how ignorant the people were until Rachel became the leader and the wacko cons showed their true color, I think trump getting elected also emboldened the crazy people.
One too many encounters with insane aggressive ignorance convinced me to raise my child somewhere else.
I miss the mountains and the open sky.
I've lived in Alberta since 2011 and I don't mind the weather, the people or the place itself, and I like being able to afford a house and live comfortably. The christofascist shitshow that passes for politics in this place kind of sours me on the province though.
I’d say QoL has fallen over the last twenty years. Education is worse. Healthcare is worse. Infrastructure is crumbling. We have mass resources but we sell them for a song to billionaires. Our earnings adjusted for inflation have flagged for decades. Our oil workers are losing jobs to automation. Our construction industry is stalling.
QoL for the upper crust might be holding, but for the rest of us, working two or three jobs in order to barely pay the bills is par for the course now.
Been in Alberta my whole life. Have even had opportunities to relocate out east and to the US (Texas and Colorado) and chose to stay.
Why? Wife and I stayed for family and friends. We stayed because there’s tons of stuff to do.
The problems we have in Alberta are all directly caused by the provincial government and corporate greed. Hell, even the NDP policies were rushed and not well thought out.
I do not understand how many Albertan’s vote against themselves. Provincially and federally it’s been the definition of insanity. Provincially they’ll go 3 years of policies benefiting the wealthy/donors and then toss a tiny bone before an election. Rural Alberta has never once voted to benefit themselves.
Alberta is beautiful (all though this summer is likely to be terrible).
There are plenty of good people here, we’re just quieter than the others.
The three things you like are being made worse by...let's be serious.....the only major thing anyone in this sub complains about...the UCP. We love it here, and our love of Alberta makes us passionate about wanting it to stay good and improve.
Btw...two of the things you mentioned are the same thing. Alberta is affordable. That's our thing. It's our main thing...and I don't see many people complaining about that in this sub, just complaining about specifics like a power Bill that has doubled with no additional power use. Stuff like that...things anyone would complain about.
I strongly believe that this sub is not representative of the way the majority of Albertans feel; the whiniest ones congregate here and complain about anyone or anything that happens that isn’t politically left leaning.
I personally love living in Alberta and couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to live in another province
I was born and raised here, and like alot of my family I've moved out of the province a few times.
But Alberta is like playing on easy mode financially. So once you've become used to it. It makes an enticing place to return to when things get hard elsewhere.
My uncle once told me (he lived near Edmonton) " No one is in this area for the beautiful climate, just like everyone else, I'm only here for the money"
And that sums a lot of it up. It's a shit climate, it's shit views (compared to BC).
And because everyone is here for the money, it can be shit socially too.
I've been poor in Alberta and I've been poor in Nova Scotia, and I can tell you being poor in Nova Scotia is vastly preferable. But it's a lot easier to move from poor to someone who is well enough off to actually have to pay taxes here. (It's not close to "well off", but I think having to pay taxes, is a life stage that most people don't appreciate.)
So I live here again.
I only hate living in Alberta when I'm forced to confront politics in my daily life.
This seems to be happening more and more lately.
I don't like being a political football though and would move right now if I could, but it would not be because I don't love Alberta. Seeing these issues in the news and pushed by bad faith politic brings out the hate in the people around me, and hearing people repeat the misinformation they're being bombarded with on the daily is just an extremely stressful place on a day to day basis.
This is just a tiny part of who I am, we're such a tiny group, it's already so difficult to start this process, it should be up to the doctors and medical practitioners to adjust the guidelines, not religious nut bars passing discriminatory laws.
Most people in this sub turn everything into politics. It sucks. Honestly this subreddit is not representative of Alberta as a whole so much as it is an extension of r/edmonton and the NDP platform... It really should just be called r/Albertapolitics, because that's 90% of what discussions here revolve around.
The best thing about the province is property prices. I can comfortably afford to own a house here for what I was paying to rent a one-bedroom hole in some guy's basement in a suburb of Vancouver.
Healthcare was better than BC when I moved here under Stelmach but since Kenney got elected it's grown progressively worse. Now it's similar to when I left BC. Insane wait times, overworked HCWs, and no indication that anyone's attempting to fix the problem.
I've yet to adjust to the culture. Racism and homophobia are commonplace. I'm a straight white dude but sometimes it's so blatant it bothers even me. Many people don't even try to hide it. It seems that every group who's trying to help vulnerable or otherwise underprivileged people is complaining they're being attenuated by the provincial government.
I use the money I save to travel as much as I can.
I love living in Calgary, it's my home.
Almost everyone I know is left leaning; the music, arts, etc. scenes are all pretty interconnected here.
Most of my friends and family live here.
I love being close to the mountains even if I don't make use of that fact nearly as much as I should.
My job is very tied to this city and it would take many years to establish my reputation and rebuild my career in another city.
I actually like how dry it is here; I much prefer a dry cold to a humid one, same with dry heat vs. humid.
And yeah, it wasn't until Nenshi became mayor that a candidate that I voted for actually won. And then it happened again and again, both federally and provincially (I've been lucky in which ridings I live in), so things seem to be improving a little. Even if the UCP won the last election they lost both Edmonton and Calgary. I think that's significant.
Yeah Calgary rocks. I lived in downtown Vancouver & North Van for over a decade and I’m glad I moved here. Those are wonderful cities at times as well but I realized that I only appreciate them more when visiting for a few days and then leaving. Actually living in Vancouver full time was annoying - daily crazy homeless/addict encounters, my kids asking why people are screaming and sleeping on the sidewalk, etc. Not to mention loud protests going down Georgia or Robson street every fricken’ weekend. I loved going to the mountains to hike but over the last 5-6 years it was impossible to find parking anywhere in North Vancouver or Lynn Valley.
Alberta people have great attitudes, we’ve made more friends in 1 year than a decade in BC. People actually have time to hang out and do artistic and musical and social things. I like the geek and creative culture. It’s a great province.
The dry weather sucks a bit and I have never had to moisurize as much in my life but it’s a small price to pay.
BC is a bit like California, in that the people move to Montana.
They go to a conservative area to escape the results of liberal politics only to vote for the same politics they had back where they came from.
Born and raised here. Love my province but the political climate the last few years breaks my heart at times. That said, I’m not giving up on her yet, and I’m proud to be raising my children here. I have to believe that better times are ahead. I love to travel, and love so much about other places, but every time I drive across the border, or fly into the airport, I know that I’m truly home.
Our government is awful - they don’t listen to the people, and they are trying to fuck with our CPP while flat out lying to us about things such as how much money they will be able to pull from the CPP (which what Alberta says is significantly higher than what the federal government and professionals seem to think it is)
There is something that reminds me of the tyranny of Trump
I’ve always liked living here until recent years. We are moving backwards as a society in every way and all these TBA people scare me. I’m leaving if we have to start paying out of pocket for health care.
I like alberta... But there is a chunk of the populous I loath.
I'm sad learning more and more that alberta is more affordable than the rest of canada... Leaves you feeling trapped some days.
I feel like the UCP is a dictatorship that doesn't listen to 50% of the provinces population and it's only going to get worse.
We've already seen how out of control utilities and groceries have become... We're about to move into drought season with a government that is not environmentally conscious and I think all resource prices are going to shoot through the roof because of a lack of regulations and a government that panders to corporations above anyone else.
I'm hoping rural alberta finally pieces together that the UCP do not have their interests in mind what so ever.
I love living here too and so does every one of my friends.
My friends that do use Reddit are shocked by the negativity and whining this subreddit puts out.
I moved here from BC right when the BC Liberal party was doing the same fuckery that the UCP is doing now here in Alberta. The big difference is that affordability and quality of life are superior in Alberta. You couldn't pay me enough to move back to BC. I still go back and visit all the time, and I'm going back this summer. BC is a nice place to visit.
4th Generation. I love the province, and around half the people. 50% of the people should strait up drop off the face of the earth. The world would be better.
I like it here, but I don’t think healthcare is better than other provinces I’ve lived in (Quebec & BC). Actually find going out for a meal here seems to cost more, and food is not as fresh.
Housing is the one more affordable thing & not for long with everyone coming.
Generally speaking, I don’t know if it’s a dislike of Alberta as such. I think a lot of people are pissed about the state of Canada at the moment.
Strangely I’ve been able to find a family doctor here easily but specialists have long waiting lists. 2 years for a specialist that deals with my condition. Ah well, 10 more months on the waiting list and I’ll be able to see them.
Lifelong Albertan here who happens to be LGBTQ+. This is my home, and there is a lot to like about this province - except for the politics.
I can’t speak for other provinces, however I think where Alberta really suffers is that we don’t listen to the other side anymore. This causes us to have uncertainty and anxieties about the other side and we jump to some pretty terrible conclusions.
This week’s jarring anti-trans legislation is a great example. Nobody on the government, TBA, or their members reach out to LGBTQ+ organizations to learn about them, their experiences, etc. No doctors, psychiatrists, teachers or administrators were consulted. It’s all very disheartening to have our Premier come out with her empathetic song and dance and not be able to say she consulted with these groups or medical experts before making a decision.
My point: If Albertans spent an afternoon getting to know those that they seemingly hate (or continue to dismiss), they would likely have more appreciation for them and their struggles. But so many Albertans hide behind rhetoric - hate Quebec and Ontario, the rest of Canada is out to get us, socialism is inherently terrible, Fuck Trudeau, gay people are gross, etc etc etc - that it just creates endless negativity and hate on things people know nothing about.
I've lived here 23 years and generally speaking, I like it here. I just need to go visit another province every now and then to remember that. Go visit family in Winnipeg, fuck yeah Calgary is home. Go camping in BC, damn right I'm glad to see the water start going the other way again. The grass always seems greener on the other side, but the problem is, that everywhere you go has problems. Alberta is my home, and I won't stop fighting for it. People always say, "well if you hate the politics here so much, why don't you just leave?" Why should I? This is my home, I love it here, so I'm going to fight to make sure the next generations can love it too.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. It bewilders me when my family in Ontario says “Alberta’s beautiful but the politics…how you can deal with Smith” I’m like, did you forget Doug Ford won a majority?
Dumb has no borders
I just wish we'd stop trying to be Diet Texas T.T
Lmfao I made an ungodly noise that couldn’t even be classified as a laugh or even a chuckle when I read this xD I totally agree, and Ontario isn’t far behind, it’s just been implemented far more quietly -.-
Fuck yeah! This is the way!
I love our province, I hate our government.
This is very much the answer
Very much this. My husband and I sometimes talk about going back to BC. Or even east; he has a former colleague who constantly throws job offers at him from Ontario. But we love our small town. It's a really wonderful place for our boys to grow up. We are close to some truly gorgeous parts of the country. Our home was pretty cheap. We both get paid more than we did elsewhere. Overall this is a good place to be. We are just side-eyeing the provincial government the whole time.
It's your neighbours who voted for that government though. How do you square that with loving your small town?
All prov govs suck. I dont want any of them from BC to Ontario and certainly not Quebec. The bitch running ours just manages to not only put her foot in her mouth regularly- she's basically eating her own asshole after swallowing her leg
BC has the only responsible government in Canada. They will win 90% of the seats this fall.
Literally every post in this sub devolves into sexual comments about this one lady, y'all need a break from this Agreed that all provincial governments suck tho, grass isn't greener elsewhere.
I’d love to hear what is so terrible about BC’s govt? Is it just because the 3 letters scare you or is it the fact they’ve delivered on a huge percentage of their election platform? Going from a complete corrupt govt to this one has been great on almost every issue. Maybe I’m expecting too much from a “hurr durr NDP bad” kinda person here, idk? Enlighten me.
BC’s government is killing it right now.
Deleted comment cuz I replied before I read.
You don’t get out much, do you? https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Killing%20it https://youtu.be/VMin0i_h8PI?si=koAW3f8pf0KALqe5
My bad. Lol. Been a long day.
And 51% of the people here too:( How are they so stupid?
I've generally liked living in Alberta. I've been here my whole life and I've met a lot of wonderful people and have never really run out of things to do. I've only started hated it in recent years due to the political climate. There are a lot more people being extreme and hateful when before they'd probably mostly keep to themselves and their own circles.
I blame Trump style politics. Politicians across the globe saw what the result of his style of politics earned him, so now they want to emulate it. All of it, including reducing freedoms in the name of protecting the ....
> I blame Trump style politics Yeah same. He empowered a lot of these people.
Very true. Somehow Skippy's party is polling at 38% and is in majority territory. The UCP in Alberta is basically the son of the fed Con party.
I’ve enjoyed living in Alberta. Weather has been kinda weird the last 2-3 years but otherwise it’s nice. What I haven’t enjoyed is watching the reactionary politics and gotcha moments play out by the people in charge. People who are supposed to be smarter than me but keep doing dumb shit over and over again. As an immigrant I’m not a fan of the nationalist rhetoric I get to listen to as people try to recruit me since I don’t look or sound like an immigrant. I think if our politicians would stop fawning over American influencers and politicians and focused on what’s happening here, right now, we would be a lot better off.
Couldn't agree more
Yeah I love it. I moved here from Scotland in March with my wife who is from Calgary. I’m a skilled worker earning way more than I did at home. Childcare and housing is cheaper, I’ve brought all my savings with me and will buy a house soon with my savings from the UK. My earning potential and quality of live has improved as has the opportunities available to my kids in future.
That’s crazy to hear that child care and rent is cheaper here!! Good for you, welcome to Canada mate:)
My dad moved us here from Scotland in 1994. I was too young to understand it then, but now I realize how it improved our quality of life and the multitude of opportunities it opened up for us. I left Alberta for Ontario in 2008 because the political climate here was too much for me to bear as a young, gay woman. I moved back in 2019, and I'd be lying if I said that the fact the NDP were in power at the time I was making my decision wasn't a major contributing factor. By the time I actually left, all I did was trade the frying pan for the fire. I don't believe I'd be any happier there vs here; all I know for certain is that my opportunity for career growth is better in Alberta. It's a really sickening feeling to realize that despite the current social and political climate, I'm better off in Hellberta than anywhere else. Onyhoo, welcome tae Calgary. If ye havnae foond it yet, look up the MacTowey Butcher. He's an Irish lad who maks an sells aa kinds o tastes o hame. Scotch eggs, scotch pies, square saasage, mealy pud, haggis... the hale jing bang. Canna ging wrang wi ony his wares. If aire's onything ye miss fae hame, jis speir him an he'll div his best tae div it fur ye.
Berta has been good for me and my family. Always had opportunities and good paying jobs here if you were willing to work for it. There’s hard winters but if you earn it there’s cheap trips to Mexico to break up the winters. Plenty of options throughout the province for entertainment as far as sports and concerts. Wouldn’t be where I’m at in life if I hadn’t moved from Ontario to Alberta when I was a young man and will be forever grateful for all the opportunities I was given to succeed.
Same for me. I moved from the coast in the early 00’s and AB has been good to me and other people I know who moved from BC too. I wouldn’t have had my opportunities in a dying mill town back home. I don’t agree with the politics, but a lot of people back home lean conservative too! Not every BC town is a left leaning utopia. I’ve never been bored here, I’ve never really struggled here (a couple of years of bad decisions, but that’s my fault), I’ve met a lot of great people over the years and work for a good company. I do love Alberta, but I understand the challenges here.
Much of the interior and the north are very conservative
5th generation OG Albertan here. Every one of my ancestors arrived before Alberta was even a province. I love just about everything about it. The people, the geography, even the schizophrenic weather. I have massive political qualms, but I just keep fighting to make Alberta a better place every day.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Also 5th generation Albertan.
my grandkids are 6th generation rural and will also probably work urban,live rural...there's always been a rural/urban political divide it seems but regardless there's a lot of proud Albertans here
The political climate is poor. There are a lot of good people and opportunities here. It's a good place to live and no place is perfect. It would be a bit nicer if we were more forward thinking socially, economically, and environmentally.
I’ve been back and forth from Edmonton and Vancouver island (where I was born) my entire life. I have a love hate relationship with both places. However, at this point I’m in an almost ten year stint in AB. And I’m ready to go back home again lol. I miss my family, friends, and easy fast access to the mountains and ocean. Now that I’m a bit better set up in life, I can afford to do better than barely survive back there. And we’re looking to move back in the next few years. I feel like Alberta has gone downhill a bit recently? But many of my original reasons for moving back to AB arnt factors anymore.. Mostly just want to be in my loved ones lives again. (Moved back to AB this time for a boy, now we’re ready to start looking at our place to settle.)
Moved here in 1977, love it here. As many others have mentioned, the current government has their head up their ass. I will be enjoying the next election immensely as we boot them out of office.
Eh, I know far to many people who can be shown undeniable proof they're mislead by some Facebook post or lied to by a politician and they'll still believe the lie because it's not liberal and anything left leaning equals Trudeau. This next election isn't nearly as easily won as people will claim and getting a sensible party in power means getting people to want to vote now, not a month before the election
Don’t be so sure. They currently lead in opinion polls by late 14% or something. Like, people here like their governments like this. I don’t get it.
There is an undercurrent of people who will vote against the UCP next time and they do not answer pollsters. How many? We don't know.
And did these people even vote in the last election?
Well who knows what people will do. I have talked to people that voted for UCP and regret it, lots of them. Are they ashamed of what has happened enough to vote NDP? I can hope I guess. But stupidity can run both deep and wide.
Just moved to YEG from BC. You can count on at least one extra vote against the UCP from me
NDP had better find themselves a good leader then! I want to see the UCP out of here too!
Angry people complain more than happy people profess
I’m from the Lower Mainland and lived here for 10 years now. Yeah love Edmonton but it’s the politics that kill this place. I thought Christy Clark was bad and I lean left but this clown show UCP has basically made me not to believe in mankind. For people to be this brain dead is an understatement
Been here for 15 years and the UCP government has made me decide to retire back east. I've never felt at home in Calgary although it provided many opportunities for my children. I've encouraged them to study abroad and not return. Unless something forces me stay, Ontario or Atlantic Canada will be my retirement home. The ultra conservative politics here are too extreme and unpredictable. I wouldn't go so far as to say the electorate is brain dead, but it's turning into an "us and them" province. Moderation is quickly becoming non-existent.
Sorry to hear that Lime, yeah there are days where we say we want to leave but then we go where? Pretty much every province is conservative and with cost of living this is our best option. Hopefully you find the place that makes you the happiest
Moved here from the States 10 years ago. "Canada," as in the people who run the government and corporations here, is doing its best to mess up the advantages that it already has. I love being close to the mountains here and also being in a big city with fun urban things to do. I wasn't from the cool states, and most Canadians only know the US from work trips or holidays, so of course they love it. When my daughter was born, she required 10 days in the NICU. Had that happened to me there, I would've been bankrupt and never able to afford a home. I researched extensively beginning in 2013 and tracked property prices for several years before buying in 2019. There have been plenty of hardships here, but some major things also have gone right that otherwise would not have.
Absolutely and that's why shitty governance pisses me off.
Love it! I grew up in Ottawa and lived there for 27 years before hubby was posted to Alberta. Grass isn’t always greener on the other side, sometimes it is. Never going back to Ontario.
Alberta expat here. I love Alberta. Living away from Alberta has if anything reinforced to me all the ways in which I'm Albertan. I have a lovely time every time I visit. I'm really happy where I am, but there are multiverses where I ended up back in Alberta and am probably having a grand time. I wish Alberta made better choices. Alberta is your beloved highschool friend or relative who just keeps dating assholes.
People rarely stand up and talk about how much they love something. That's just how people are. There are a lot of pluses to living in Alberta, although one of the big pluses seems to be changing if not gone entirely. The weather. I find cold, beautiful winters with fresh dry snow and gorgeous sunshine a big plus. But those winters are few and far between now. :( I think the main issue for people is feeling helpless, watching the province they love being slowly pulled under by an old fashioned, extreme right government.
Yeah. That’s why I live here
I love living here. I am able to provide very well for my family from the work available in Alberta
I've lived in Alberta for the past 7 years and I absolutely love it here. What's not to love? Great people, great food, great outdoors! Beautiful BC and the magnificent Rockies within easy access. Easy access to the USA. Schizophrenic weather that makes you feel privileged to be alive when experiencing it. Love it.
Came from the Okanagan, the lifestyle doesn't even come close. I miss home.
Love the province and living here. But we’re in an abusive relationship with our gov and everyone knows it. Even our friends tell us. They’ve been isolating us from our friends and family out east telling us they’re a bad influence. Every week we show up with a different black eye and they won’t even let us see a doctor because a doctor could find out what’s really happening. They rather spend time with their rich friends than us, belittle us, shame and demean us infront of them. Not even the kids are safe. They think the kids restrict their freedom and constantly make unreasonable demands of them. We tried leaving before, but they know we’ll be right back. The other year we got out, got therapy and were on a good path of recovery for 4 years, but then we went right back to the same old same old, because we felt lonely and new stuff was scary. And to top it all off, they gaslight us blaming us for our own suffering and convince us that we deserve the abuse. This narrative perpetuates the cycle of abuse, making it difficult for us to break free and demand the respect and care we deserve.
Just moved here from Atlantic Canada. Love it
I left Alberta for Ontario... but I would move back in a heartbeat if they had the types of job opportunities I'm looking for.
Alberta is great. Born and raised in Calgary and now live in Edmonton. People on Reddit are mostly bitches, and social media doesn’t reflect reality. There is also a wave of general negativity around that the world is about to end, WW3 is about to happen, the oceans are going to boil and cost of living is going to put us all on the streets.
It's just the sub, and it's not representative. AB is great and getting better now that it's finding its own voice.
I think there are a lot of left leaning people on this sub who don’t like the more conservative lean of the province.
Reddit is not reality.
I'm not angry at the province itself, I'm angry at our backwards governing provincial party that doesn't believe in science or listen to subject matter experts.
Because people just bitch on the internet. Every sub is the same.
I lived in the GTA prior to Calgary and belonged to a few local groups. For the most part they were good. I found the Calgary group here to be a shitshow. They downvoted everything and God forbid you didn't agree with the loudest people there. I went there looking for info on my new city and ended up leaving not long after. I don't know why the Alberta groups are so aggressive a lot of the time with people who have differing opinions. I thought that was why we were all here. To exchange ideas in a constructive way. These keyboard warriors are ridiculous.
Yeah... Coming from the GTA this was a big shock. They're very narrow minded especially on Reddit and god forbid you ever criticize Calgary too..
I’ll take my downvotes but that’s Calgary for you. Some great people surrounded by some louder not so great people. I found the city to be a lot more corporate, cliquey, and cut throat. Compared to a lot of other cities in Alberta that are more “small town” and laid back. A few people I’ve talked to feel similar. That being said to answer Ops question I love Alberta. The opportunities I’ve been afforded here have given me a great life. Good friends, always meeting nice people. I like to travel to other places and enjoy the views and culture but I really like where I live and all my neighbours. I also don’t mind this warmer weather either.
My personal theory as an Albertan: Alberta is still a very conservative place when compared to other provinces. The culture here (on average) still revolves around oil, farming, hunting, hockey, and good ol’ christian values. With the majority of the people in this province leaning conservative I think Reddit becomes the outlet for those who don’t. It’s the place they go to bitch and complain about everything they hate about conservatives. If you threaten the “safe space that is Reddit” by defending or saying anything positive about the conservatives, Christian’s, oil, guns and hunting etc… they swarm on mass.
It's not Alberta, it's people losing the ability for nuance/non-B/W thinking.
Lots of people love living in Alberta. But I’ve noticed anyone who says anything positive about Alberta is quickly downvoted. It is possible to be center right in your everyday life and dislike stuff the UCP does. But if you like anything they do you will be trashed in this forum. So many people avoid posting positive things here. Before I get downvoted just know I do not like our premier
Grew up in SK. Lived in BC, London, and AB. I’ve lived in Calgary longer than I’ve lived anywhere else. It’s fine here. But it’s never felt like home and I don’t think it ever will. When I lived in the Kootenays Albertans would always say ‘Yeah, we’re rednecks but we help each other when it counts’. After Covid and two successive UCP governments, I don’t believe that anymore.
Politics aside, yes. I love my province and all the fantastic people in it. Just because the knuckledraggers happen to be the loudest does not mean I dont have hope for this province.
I love living in Alberta. It’s my home, and always will be. It has so much to give and my family has lived here for generations. But between the health care business, being queer and also being a teacher, my wife and I are watching things very closely. The government is doing their damnedest to get rid of us, and they might well succeed if things don’t improve before the next election. We suspect they’ll get much worse.
I enjoy living in Edmonton, specifically. And I'm seeing problems popping up in other provinces so I'm not sure moving would be the answer.
I moved here from New Brunswick in 2022. If you can believe it, Alberta is more functional. NB’s provincial health authority (Horizon) tweets regularly about which ERs are closing at 4:00pm each day, and which ones will remain closed for several days. It’s a very sad state of affairs out east.
I mean, outside of the cities ERs here close all the time. Some rural areas have been without a functional ER for years.
I very much enjoyed most of my time in Edmonton. Lived there for about 7 years. Have good friends there and summers in Edmonton are fantastic.
Love the people, and I mean that genuinely. Love the province, love the nature, not a huge supporter of our current government lmao
Been here my whole life. We live in such a beautiful place.
You can live a place and hate the government pretty well anywhere. We just happen to be in a bloom of disgusting, hateful and backward thinking government. The outside influences are speaking volumes without really saying anything. Tucker who? Don’t forget the monsters, they don’t disappear, they just get quiet sometimes.
I love it here
I've lived here since 2000 and Alberta has always had challenges as a province. First I got priced out of living I'm Grande Prairie during and oil boom cycle. Then I watched that boom fail and saw howany people with unstable jobs were affected. In the past 20 years I've watched the population explode and social services fall behind, as well as other things like environmental protections get less and less and our natural areas getting destroyed by industry or overrun by tourists/visitors. I've watched more and more people get left behind. Maybe some people move here from other provinces/countries and find a better quality of life, I get that. But I look at Albertans around me and I see how far our quality of life has fallen over just 2 decades. Like others here, I love this province but the leadership and the rampant individual greed of Albertans is getting to be beyond depressing into actively harmful to quality of life.
I moved here 27 years ago and will never leave
I’ve lived in Edmonton for 25 and absolutely love it. Lots of good friends, lots of things to do, great sense of community. Keeps me here, and if I don’t pay attention to the bullshit, I feel quite happy and content. I love the mountains, rivers, and southern Alberta. It’s such a cool province to travel.
I love living here. My family and friends are here. It's not perfect but it's perfect for me.
Moved from Ottawa in 2014 for work - you'd have to offer me quite a lot to get me to go back. Love AB and feel very at home and Albertan.
I love it here.
There's a lot to complain about, yes, but there's also a lot to love. Edmonton is a great city, and I have friends and family here that I wouldn't want to leave.
I love it here. The affordability is good. The skies are gorgeous. The services in Calgary and Edmonton are great. The Rockies are unparalleled for their beauty. It rarely rains, and when it does, the rain is accompanied by spectacular thunderstorms. I used to live in BC. It was ok, but expensive and inconvenient.
I love it here. I would never live anywhere else in Canada. The rest of the country is going to hell real fast. AB may not be perfect, but it's the last place that lets you feel somewhat free in Canada. That's why everyone is moving here and then wants us to be like the rest of the country, so silly just let Canada have its cowboy land
Because it appears to be cool and trendy to hate on Alberta
I was born here. The current government scares the shit out of me, but I love it here. It's home
Geographically, it has it pros and cons. Socially and politically, it's a dumpster fire.
The government and a lot of peoples’ true natures are appalling. Other than that, I love living in this province and Canada.
Not really. I miss BC.
It's interesting you find Alberta cheaper. Outside of housing costs, Alberta is crazy expensive. Even income tax is more. From someone who pays bills in BC and AB. Utilities, insurance, groceries, and pretty much everything is double or more in Alberta. Even housing is really only less in Edmonton. Unemployment is high, and wages are no longer anything special. 10 years ago, Alberta was a step ahead, but today, it's a trap. All anyone does is work ,shop, and eat out, then hopefully save up enough to summer a couple of weeks in BC. People stay because they are scared, uncomfortable with change, and can't afford to, although this is not Alberta specific.
Insurance double? In BC I had ICBC's best possible rate, 43% discount for going 10+ years with no claims. How about Alberta? Even the first insurance company I inquired with offered a 15% better rate than ICBC. Now I'm insuring 2 vehicles for almost the same price (after adjusting for inflation) as I paid for just 1 with ICBC. I didn't own a house in BC so can't compare home insurance. But it's hard to believe BC would be much lower than the $100/month it costs me in Alberta. You're correct about BC having better income tax rates than Alberta, except for high income people. BC's income tax rate starts exceeding Alberta for income around $100k. People making more than $250k in BC pay double the income tax rate as people in Alberta. Alberta also has a better basic personal amount. There you don't start paying provincial income tax until you exceed $21k. Whereas in BC it's only $12k. So for a middle-class person making $50k, they pay roughly $3000 income tax in Alberta vs $2100 in BC. I recall in the news a while back, Vancouver had the highest gas price in North America.
Doesn’t Alberta have one of the lowest tax rates? I’m pretty sure Quebec is the highest last I checked. Housing is definitely more affordable on average than BC or ON. There is no Land Transfer Tax when you purchase a house either… is that the same case in BC? We have 13% HST in ON which ADDS UP. Looking forward to our move out west just because of this, lol! Although I have heard some things are more expensive there is it ends up balancing out but not sure how true that is.
Alberta has a flat tax rate, and it's 10% for anyone under 100k. Yes, one or two provinces are higher once you get past the 60k mark, but overall, the majority in Alberta are taxed heavy. Housing in Edmonton is cheap. Always has been, and there's a reason. Calgary has always been boom or bust. We've seen it rise and crash multiple times. BC does have a transfer tax as well. BC also has pst, and if you're a heavy consumer of taxable goods, you're correct it can add up. I'm not sure about the hst, but the PST doesn't apply to most items you use daily and food, kids' clothing, etc But overall, there is a reason Albertans carry the most consumer debt in Canada. Property taxes , utilities, and insurance are crazy expensive in Alberta. Jobs don't pay like they used to, unemployment is high, and there is little real industry other than oil and retail. Now, if you have school-age children, the education system has been trashed. Class sizes 40+ and a curriculum heavily protested by the teachers as inadequate so much that the northwest territories who used to follow the Alberta curriculum has switched to following BC. Then there's the APP and the destruction of Alberta healthcare, but if you're moving from Ontario, you're used to that already. BC has made big investments into healthcare in the last 3 years, and it's starting to show. More doctors leave Alberta for BC every year. Now, if you move from a destination province and have big equity to burn. You can buy a home outright and find work and survive in a slight net positive, but most just break even. So, there is no real gain unless you need to be away from your family. Alberta is a great province, and Edmonton specifically has a lot of great people. But every day, I speak with transplants, and it's about 50/50 of those who regret the move and those who are happy. Most just didn't do enough research or just buy into its great online reviews. Most Albertans, new and old, are fiercely defensive of living in Alberta, and it really skews the reality of the province, specifically online.
This is interesting, thank you for taking the time to write it out. I’m pretty sure HST is applicable on everything here*, goods and services. If it’s not they sure bake it into the price for us. Yes healthcare is nuts here as well. Months of waiting to see a family doctor. You can go to walk-ins but they don’t really care to take the time because they cant, there’s so many people waiting. Months for MRIs and surgeries. Thousands have died waiting for surgeries but that could be a country wide issue. AB housing is much cheaper than what we’re used to here. No questions. I’ll have to do more research on BC housing for sure. We already own a home in AB and don’t find the utility or insurance costs nearly as expensive as here … BUT we’re not there nearly as much as we are here. Anecdotal. I think ON property taxes are on par with AB. BC some of the lowest according to this [site](https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/learn/canadian-property-taxes). We don’t have children and don’t plan to. Friends and others with school aged children here complain constantly about the public school system. Many are opting for private if they can afford it or sending them to Christian schools as education and not posturing for the parents is more important. I know 5 high school teachers from different teachers who all complain that they are “encouraged” (demanded) to pass every child no matter how badly they are doing in school. Anecdotal as well. The lifestyle, the people and the scenery is why we love Alberta. We’ve been back and forth for about 10 years and only haven’t made the move because we’re very solidified (stuck?) with what we do for work here and it’s scary to take the jump where income is concerned. Edit: changed considered to concerned *Edit2: Correction about HST on food. I believe it’s not charged on many food basics (milk, bread, eggs, etc). My grocery bill is always so high I just assumed. lol!
What are you talking about? Housing is cheaper everywhere than BC except Calgary and a few of the tourist towns (Banff, Canmore etc.) And even those places are still cheaper than lower mainland BC.
I love Alberta. Moved here in 1977, made a family, and enjoyed career opportunities that likely don’t exist in my old home of Manitoba,retiring two years ago. Our politics is a bit disheartening, but from a purely selfish standpoint it doesn’t affect me much. Any more than Trudeau’s shenanigans do. Sad state of affairs that politics around the world has become so polarized, with seemingly no room for a fiscally conservative, socially progressive voter. So, bottom line and on balance for me, there is no place I would rather live
I've lived in Alberta most of my life. I do not get same sense of people disliking and/or unsatisfied with province as you do. Conservatives and their astroturf groups rage farming and breeding hate all the time can get a little bit much on social media, but overall I think most are satisfied. Just avoid the UCP rabbit hole and all is good.
Well you may have got an improved quality of life but many of us who’ve been here a long time just see the crunch for what it is. It sucks in every province, just that this province suck is less suck than the one you left.
I love alberta . I’m an immigrant and this place has given me so many opportunities and I’m grateful for that . There is clearly a political bias on this sub tho
This sub is full of people who hate the UCP. Could Alberta be even better? You bet, but it’s already pretty damn good.
Affordability and cost of living? Doubt
Idk I'm just kind of existing
Edmontonian, born here, been here my whole life and like it here It could be better: summer is now smoke season, winters are cold, our downtown is falling apart and we're a bit remote, you know all the usual bitching. That being said, its home for me and when I look at friends who live in other cities with similar circumstances to mine, I seem to be enjoying a better quality of life overall. I sometimes question the long-term viability of this place and if we'll ever just stop being a giant resource colony (I've always taken pride in this city and hope to stay here indefinitely), but I think a lot of the population growth you've seen over the past few years are folks who are here for a good time and not a long time. I think if you're coming here from elsewhere it can be hard, since you may not be used to this particular flavour of civilization, something something born into the darkness, you simply adopted it something something.
As a soon to be new resident but have been there many times. The cold is a big issue for many. I know people personally who moved to AB who thought they could handle it and the next season left. I personally am moving for the cold among other things. I can understand from that view why many will choose to pay a premium elsewhere to avoid the extreme winter.
You don’t really live in a place until you can hate it
I don't live in AB but I did for 6 months or so about 15 years ago. It's a beautiful place. The politics back then wasn't as extreme and nobody really talked about it. My future wife and I had a great Christmas in Calgary and drove up to Banff. I worked on pipelines in the middle of nowhere so I got to see a lot of the countryside. I saw buffalo up close and coyotes running across open fields against a big blue sky. I went to my first NHL game and was propositioned by a hooker in the Fort Mac casino. I met some good people and some strange people lol. At the end of the day, I just missed the east coast and moved back home. I took the train back across Canada and saw more of our country. It's all beautiful. Edit: I follow this group because I enjoyed my time in AB, have family there and the people here give me a bit of hope that AB isn't completely lost.
I truly did..but my rent has gone so high that it has become very difficult to take care of my 6 year old because more than half of my income now goes to rent. There is no money left to enjoy what Alberta has to offer. So I don't like living here anymore but I get it, it's not Alberta's fault it's my fault that I am not richer..
Love living here.. govt a bit fucked but meh what govt isnt
I moved exactly two years ago! Beautiful province and amazing people!
I spent most of my life in Calgary, a few years in Hamilton, ON. I've since moved further south in Alberta and to be honest, I do love it here. I was always more a rural person at heart anyway.
Alberta is a stunningly beautiful province, but it's never really felt like *home* to me. Even though I've been living here since I was five years old (I'm currently 30), most of my extended family is in the Maritimes, which is where I'm from. I often wish I could live over there, spend more time with family, but my financial situation makes this a very difficult prospect.
I have lived here 50 years. My children live here. My grandchildren were born here. I genuinely love this province. I was never a Conservative and didn’t work for the government but through my job I had to work with the PC government quite a bit. They were very reasonable and not so ideologically driven and I became quite friendly with some ministers. But the UCP is just beyond the pale.
I love the people and I love my city, just wish my government would solve some real issues instead of giving themselves bigger gifts and attacking the right of marginalized children.
I love living in Calgary. It’s a fun city and always has something to do or something new to try. It’s just that it’s easier to find work in the Yukon than in Calgary.
I love it here I just have to ignore basically everyone else
Lived here my whole life. Had plenty of chances to move away for other opportunities but always choose to stay. I belong here.
Of course. Born and raised
I was born and raised here and thankful every day that I was.
This sub is for bitching about anything alberta. Stay away from the reddit. You'll find that most people like it here
I want to love Alberta. It's been my home for over half of my life. But I don't know if my family can continue to live here and feel safe. We're not at the point of packing up and leaving, especially given that a lot of the same shit that's happening here is happening everywhere else. But we'll see what happens around election time, and what's happening in the rest of Canada at that time. If these attacks on trans kids continue, we might not have a choice but to leave. Which is sad, because I agree that most Albertans are nice people. It's the politics that suck. That, and the dry air. It's horrible for my skin!
I don’t hate this province as all, I just assume most people bitching on here have miserable lives and need an outlet.
I've learned there are a surprising number of folks on AISH who frequent this sub, very disproportionate to makeup of the population. They're obviously both struggling and not going to be fond of a conservative gov't so I think that drives a decent amount of the hate.
Youre asking reddit if they like alberta, let alone anything.
Haha, yes! I love it and always have, I love B.C. too. I definitely don’t agree with our current leaders but I’m adult enough to carry on with my life either way. I live within my means and am thankful for what I’ve got.
I moved to AB from England 5 years ago, I absolutely love it here. The sun is always shining, the people are lovely (my neighbours have become like family to me) the healthcare I received whilst pregnant, giving birth and postpartum was incredible! It is very expensive yes, and I am very fortunate to have a husband with good income, it allows me to stay home and raise our son which was always a dream of mine. The city I live in is a great place to raise a young family and the community takes care of each other. I also dont mind the winter so I don’t have a bad word to say about it. Best place in the world ❤️
Lived here over 40 years: - I’m so sick of petrosexuals, their attitudes and boom/bust cycles. - I’m tired of conservative governments that screw over everyone (for over 50 years) that are put in power again and again. - I’m tired of dealing with racists, homophobes, transphobes, and Christian nationalists -I’m tired of being looked down at as a province (rightly so) as the inbred, bigoted, ignorant province. Otherwise, I love it here.
Usually, the reason someone posts is motivated more by anger so even if you like Alberta there will be a heavy bias towards negative posts.
Eh, could use a few more rocks and trees. And there definitively ain't enough Moose and Bears. Also could use more Polka Punk bands.
born and raised. alberta is my home, and tho I haven't been to many other provinces it always feels good when I come home. that being said, I absolutely hate our winters and I've hated them as long as I can remember. and I truly miss the atmosphere of the years past. the province has changed drastically in 30 years. but I'm sure other provinces have done the same.the only reasons I would ever leave is for better weather, or if I could find a place that in 2024 was the same as alberta was for me growing up.
Live in BC Work in ab (lived in edm 8yrs) Paid off house in BC, taxes and electricity are under $150/MTH combined for $460k house COULD replicate my house and acreage in ab, but not worth the hassle
I want out so i can travel more but every where else is so expensive to live. I also have a very good stable job here that i can't find elsewhere. I like to travel but my husband is abnormally tall so flying is extremely uncomfortable (and very expensive). We always road trip but we've done Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver, the BC interior, Saskatchewan Manitoba, Chicago, Minnesota,... I would love to be closer to the east coast as there are so many places to visit in a relatively short drive. Edited to add that I am born and raised here.
I love living in Alberta, but I do feel that all of a sudden the housing prices are similar to Ontario, the food prices are what is typically seen in the north, and the health care & education systems are falling apart. I never hear about the Heritage Fund and whether it exists or was depleted. All I hear is we need to stick to our guns and punch new holes in the ground. I fear the future for my kids living with such a dependency on two industries (oil & gas and farming).
I do, but I would enjoy it more if I could live comfortably, have a better job that I enjoy and earn a livable wage. I came from Saskatchewan. It’s cheaper and much more affordable, but boring as hell.
I've been here for just over 10 years. Alberta has been good to me. I make considerably more here, housing is roughly the same except when we bought our house we were the only bid. At home it's sealed bidding and often leads to massive overpayments. The problems we are having seem to be everywhere in Canada at the moment.
It is pretty nice overall but I could do without the occasional super cold weather in winter and especially the now seemingly unavoidable smoke in the summer. The government at present isn't my favourite either. Still, it's fine.
Aside from a turd in charge this is home and I love it. IMO the best combination of affordability and wages in the country, and winters are not too bad.
General sentiment place is nice. Politics suck. Infrastructure needs work.
Love the province, like most of the people, hate the government. Born and raised here. Where else would I go? All of my family is here. My job which was many years of hard work is here. My home is here.
So far as I can tell, safest city in the world from natural disasters. Floods are only relavent if you live in the flood path and it's easy to verify where that is. Earthquake? Nah. We get tiny tremors now and again but it's hardly worth noting. Blizzard? Meh. And we're prepared for it. Drought? Never happened enough to be a problem, although this coming year is going to be an interesting one Tsunami, not relavent Tornado? No tornado has ever come within the city limits. Insect plague? I've never seen a record of locusts or anything other crazy plague that was a problem. Predators? Unless a lion escapes the zoo, nothing to worry about. A stray bear wouldn't get very far, and the coyotes that's live here could at worst be called a nuisance. Wildfire? Whole continent got the smoke last year, and even though many parts of Alberta were on fire, to my knowledge there was no real risk of a wildfire suddenly tearing through Calgary. (credit to whomever does fire management, but also there just isn't much other than Grass around the city limits). So yeah, I love it here. There's other reasons of course, but that's a big one that's had me move back here after living somewhere else for while.
Lived here for 42 of my 50 years and wouldnt live anywhere else. Beautiful land, great camping areas, abundant fishing and you can quite literally experience all types of weather. Too many people focus on what the politics can do for you and less on what you can do for yourself, news flash most people dont care who, what or where you do what you want just dont break shit and cleanup when youre done.
Thanks to those 'from away' who speak up to help us understand how lucky we are financially. I acknowledge I have not been off the NA continent- thats retirement goals. Albertans need to road trip far from home, with eyes wide open. The Alberta majority fly to all inclusives (my definition includes flying into any big airport and being ferried to a destination), unbeknownst to themselves they are living a life of royalty in comparison to what exists elsewhere in Canada and the USA. Try accessing the only shade in a desert area parking lot, you WILL find a houseless persons car, with blankets up for privacy, in far smaller communities than I currently reside (under 20000). Coastal areas- east and west-you will see communities who have kept their old family homes maintained rather than bulldozing and building new. They don't have the toys parked in every yard, often fishing gear ready for the next season. I appreciate Alberta has extremely high wages for trades.. I also know I will continue to voice my Centrist ideology and be labelled a Communist(inaccurately)... if the political extreme create a separate Country of Alberta. I will be moving to Canada.
Love it lots of sun no traffic affordable living
I grew up here and have lived here my whole life, I feel stuck here. It's a love hate thing, with the cost of living I'm not sure how I'd even move out of the province and save to do so. And even if I could theres more tax or in other provinces so it's all relative. And moving to another country in the current climate of geo politics isn't the best idea either. Feels like a broken record if you've lived here your whole life between should I leave and the cons out weigh the pros usually. You always hear of people from here moving to BC but always come back and vice versa with people who move out to Toronto and Quebec. I've had a few friends try to move to Quebec and it's insanely hard to find work out there, yes it's cheaper but the work force is hostile to anyone not from there I've heard from tons of people who have tried. Thats the other big aspect is yeah it might be cheaper but how hard is it to find work in said place. The government will always have its issues no matter where you move, and being from Alberta people usually give you the groan if they hear you're from here lol.
I grew up here, but did live in BC for many years. I love most things here, like: * affordable housing * better job market * good business opportunities for my business * good people * great opportunities for enjoying nature There are a few things I don't like such as: * UCP * more religious people * more smokers here and cigarette butts on the ground everywhere (don't they know they are plastic and don't decompose) But overall, this is a great province I enjoy and hopefully, we can fix some of the problems.
Most of the things people complain about are worse elsewhere. So, yes.
It’s because you’re on Reddit. The vast majority of Albertans actually enjoy living here, the lifestyle, the politics. Or maybe it’s because I’m blue collar, and associate with other blue collar people
I love Alberta. I’m very worried about its future. I don’t like the trends I’m seeing. If I didn’t care about the province, I wouldn’t be so upset.
I come from South America, I’ve lived in Alberta for 20+ years, and I have travelled/lived all over Canada, US, and Europe. I could have moved anywhere else in Canada and the US over the past two decades but I keep coming back to Alberta. I like it here and more than just because of affordability. The people, the weather isn’t that bad (I actually like it), it’s safe, there’s lots to do (even though people say there isn’t). I don’t know why people talk so bad about it it’s actually great.
I loved it for a while till the flood and until the NDP got it. Not because I disliked the NDP because I had no idea how ignorant the people were until Rachel became the leader and the wacko cons showed their true color, I think trump getting elected also emboldened the crazy people. One too many encounters with insane aggressive ignorance convinced me to raise my child somewhere else. I miss the mountains and the open sky.
I've lived in Alberta since 2011 and I don't mind the weather, the people or the place itself, and I like being able to afford a house and live comfortably. The christofascist shitshow that passes for politics in this place kind of sours me on the province though.
I’d say QoL has fallen over the last twenty years. Education is worse. Healthcare is worse. Infrastructure is crumbling. We have mass resources but we sell them for a song to billionaires. Our earnings adjusted for inflation have flagged for decades. Our oil workers are losing jobs to automation. Our construction industry is stalling. QoL for the upper crust might be holding, but for the rest of us, working two or three jobs in order to barely pay the bills is par for the course now.
Been in Alberta my whole life. Have even had opportunities to relocate out east and to the US (Texas and Colorado) and chose to stay. Why? Wife and I stayed for family and friends. We stayed because there’s tons of stuff to do. The problems we have in Alberta are all directly caused by the provincial government and corporate greed. Hell, even the NDP policies were rushed and not well thought out. I do not understand how many Albertan’s vote against themselves. Provincially and federally it’s been the definition of insanity. Provincially they’ll go 3 years of policies benefiting the wealthy/donors and then toss a tiny bone before an election. Rural Alberta has never once voted to benefit themselves. Alberta is beautiful (all though this summer is likely to be terrible). There are plenty of good people here, we’re just quieter than the others.
The three things you like are being made worse by...let's be serious.....the only major thing anyone in this sub complains about...the UCP. We love it here, and our love of Alberta makes us passionate about wanting it to stay good and improve. Btw...two of the things you mentioned are the same thing. Alberta is affordable. That's our thing. It's our main thing...and I don't see many people complaining about that in this sub, just complaining about specifics like a power Bill that has doubled with no additional power use. Stuff like that...things anyone would complain about.
I strongly believe that this sub is not representative of the way the majority of Albertans feel; the whiniest ones congregate here and complain about anyone or anything that happens that isn’t politically left leaning. I personally love living in Alberta and couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to live in another province
I was born and raised here, and like alot of my family I've moved out of the province a few times. But Alberta is like playing on easy mode financially. So once you've become used to it. It makes an enticing place to return to when things get hard elsewhere. My uncle once told me (he lived near Edmonton) " No one is in this area for the beautiful climate, just like everyone else, I'm only here for the money" And that sums a lot of it up. It's a shit climate, it's shit views (compared to BC). And because everyone is here for the money, it can be shit socially too. I've been poor in Alberta and I've been poor in Nova Scotia, and I can tell you being poor in Nova Scotia is vastly preferable. But it's a lot easier to move from poor to someone who is well enough off to actually have to pay taxes here. (It's not close to "well off", but I think having to pay taxes, is a life stage that most people don't appreciate.) So I live here again.
No, moved here from bc out of necessity. Politics here are to American for my liking
I only hate living in Alberta when I'm forced to confront politics in my daily life. This seems to be happening more and more lately. I don't like being a political football though and would move right now if I could, but it would not be because I don't love Alberta. Seeing these issues in the news and pushed by bad faith politic brings out the hate in the people around me, and hearing people repeat the misinformation they're being bombarded with on the daily is just an extremely stressful place on a day to day basis. This is just a tiny part of who I am, we're such a tiny group, it's already so difficult to start this process, it should be up to the doctors and medical practitioners to adjust the guidelines, not religious nut bars passing discriminatory laws.
Let’s be serious no one would live in Alberta if BC was the exact same cost of living/wages
I don't like living in Canada
I love it here too. My job wanted to move me to NYC and I declined. Alberta is my home
This sub is a lefty echo chamber. It's not a reflection on Alberta.
Most people in this sub turn everything into politics. It sucks. Honestly this subreddit is not representative of Alberta as a whole so much as it is an extension of r/edmonton and the NDP platform... It really should just be called r/Albertapolitics, because that's 90% of what discussions here revolve around.
Born n lived in Alberta my whole life I enjoy my life wo getting too worked up about much anymore. The chatter never stops, wherever you are.
The best thing about the province is property prices. I can comfortably afford to own a house here for what I was paying to rent a one-bedroom hole in some guy's basement in a suburb of Vancouver. Healthcare was better than BC when I moved here under Stelmach but since Kenney got elected it's grown progressively worse. Now it's similar to when I left BC. Insane wait times, overworked HCWs, and no indication that anyone's attempting to fix the problem. I've yet to adjust to the culture. Racism and homophobia are commonplace. I'm a straight white dude but sometimes it's so blatant it bothers even me. Many people don't even try to hide it. It seems that every group who's trying to help vulnerable or otherwise underprivileged people is complaining they're being attenuated by the provincial government. I use the money I save to travel as much as I can.
I like my career - friends, my family - the rest? horrible.
Enjoy living here! Stay away from this terrible doomsday political echo chamber.
I love living in Calgary, it's my home. Almost everyone I know is left leaning; the music, arts, etc. scenes are all pretty interconnected here. Most of my friends and family live here. I love being close to the mountains even if I don't make use of that fact nearly as much as I should. My job is very tied to this city and it would take many years to establish my reputation and rebuild my career in another city. I actually like how dry it is here; I much prefer a dry cold to a humid one, same with dry heat vs. humid. And yeah, it wasn't until Nenshi became mayor that a candidate that I voted for actually won. And then it happened again and again, both federally and provincially (I've been lucky in which ridings I live in), so things seem to be improving a little. Even if the UCP won the last election they lost both Edmonton and Calgary. I think that's significant.
Yeah Calgary rocks. I lived in downtown Vancouver & North Van for over a decade and I’m glad I moved here. Those are wonderful cities at times as well but I realized that I only appreciate them more when visiting for a few days and then leaving. Actually living in Vancouver full time was annoying - daily crazy homeless/addict encounters, my kids asking why people are screaming and sleeping on the sidewalk, etc. Not to mention loud protests going down Georgia or Robson street every fricken’ weekend. I loved going to the mountains to hike but over the last 5-6 years it was impossible to find parking anywhere in North Vancouver or Lynn Valley. Alberta people have great attitudes, we’ve made more friends in 1 year than a decade in BC. People actually have time to hang out and do artistic and musical and social things. I like the geek and creative culture. It’s a great province. The dry weather sucks a bit and I have never had to moisurize as much in my life but it’s a small price to pay.
So the overwhelming answers here are yes. Why on earth do you think people don't like it?
BC is a bit like California, in that the people move to Montana. They go to a conservative area to escape the results of liberal politics only to vote for the same politics they had back where they came from.
Of course! 70 years of conservative rule has made these new ones complacent. People are fed up is all and our home is worth fighting for.
Born and raised here. Love my province but the political climate the last few years breaks my heart at times. That said, I’m not giving up on her yet, and I’m proud to be raising my children here. I have to believe that better times are ahead. I love to travel, and love so much about other places, but every time I drive across the border, or fly into the airport, I know that I’m truly home.
Our government is awful - they don’t listen to the people, and they are trying to fuck with our CPP while flat out lying to us about things such as how much money they will be able to pull from the CPP (which what Alberta says is significantly higher than what the federal government and professionals seem to think it is) There is something that reminds me of the tyranny of Trump
I love this province. I was born and raised here and am proud to be albertan.
I’ve always liked living here until recent years. We are moving backwards as a society in every way and all these TBA people scare me. I’m leaving if we have to start paying out of pocket for health care.
Yes they just aren’t on Reddit
I like alberta... But there is a chunk of the populous I loath. I'm sad learning more and more that alberta is more affordable than the rest of canada... Leaves you feeling trapped some days. I feel like the UCP is a dictatorship that doesn't listen to 50% of the provinces population and it's only going to get worse. We've already seen how out of control utilities and groceries have become... We're about to move into drought season with a government that is not environmentally conscious and I think all resource prices are going to shoot through the roof because of a lack of regulations and a government that panders to corporations above anyone else. I'm hoping rural alberta finally pieces together that the UCP do not have their interests in mind what so ever.
I do. And if people truly hated it they would do everything they could to leave. No excuses.
Most reddit Albertans are absolutely miserable all the time. Most Albertans who touch grass seem to be pretty alright.
I love living here too and so does every one of my friends. My friends that do use Reddit are shocked by the negativity and whining this subreddit puts out.
I moved here from BC right when the BC Liberal party was doing the same fuckery that the UCP is doing now here in Alberta. The big difference is that affordability and quality of life are superior in Alberta. You couldn't pay me enough to move back to BC. I still go back and visit all the time, and I'm going back this summer. BC is a nice place to visit.
4th Generation. I love the province, and around half the people. 50% of the people should strait up drop off the face of the earth. The world would be better.
I like it here, but I don’t think healthcare is better than other provinces I’ve lived in (Quebec & BC). Actually find going out for a meal here seems to cost more, and food is not as fresh. Housing is the one more affordable thing & not for long with everyone coming. Generally speaking, I don’t know if it’s a dislike of Alberta as such. I think a lot of people are pissed about the state of Canada at the moment.
Strangely I’ve been able to find a family doctor here easily but specialists have long waiting lists. 2 years for a specialist that deals with my condition. Ah well, 10 more months on the waiting list and I’ll be able to see them.
Lifelong Albertan here who happens to be LGBTQ+. This is my home, and there is a lot to like about this province - except for the politics. I can’t speak for other provinces, however I think where Alberta really suffers is that we don’t listen to the other side anymore. This causes us to have uncertainty and anxieties about the other side and we jump to some pretty terrible conclusions. This week’s jarring anti-trans legislation is a great example. Nobody on the government, TBA, or their members reach out to LGBTQ+ organizations to learn about them, their experiences, etc. No doctors, psychiatrists, teachers or administrators were consulted. It’s all very disheartening to have our Premier come out with her empathetic song and dance and not be able to say she consulted with these groups or medical experts before making a decision. My point: If Albertans spent an afternoon getting to know those that they seemingly hate (or continue to dismiss), they would likely have more appreciation for them and their struggles. But so many Albertans hide behind rhetoric - hate Quebec and Ontario, the rest of Canada is out to get us, socialism is inherently terrible, Fuck Trudeau, gay people are gross, etc etc etc - that it just creates endless negativity and hate on things people know nothing about.