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What To Do In Calgary During Winter

November 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Two rabbits in the snow-20c? -30? believe it or not Calgary in the winter can offer some incredible activities for you and your family. Winter is not a season to take lightly and yes it can be very cold and miserable if you are not prepared for the elements. If this is your first time experiencing winter here you will need to buy warm clothes and dress in layers. A typical day out in the winter at -20 degrees Celsius would mean you would require warm footwear (boots), snow pants and/or thermal underwear, two or three layers to protect your body (shirt, sweater, and jacket), a warm hat, and gloves or mittens.

For those who are not familiar with  Calgary it is a city that is located on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 1100 metres (3500 feet) in southern Alberta. It’s northern  location and elevation affects the climate to a large degree. The winters here are very long and snow generally falls from October to May. Being on the eastern side of the mountains causes Calgary to be very dry, and the winters usually have less snow when compared to other parts of Canada. One amazing fact of the climate in Calgary are the Chinooks: These are warm winds that blow out of the Rockies that can cause a mid-winter day to warm up 30 degrees very suddenly. It breaks up the winter and this is unique to anywhere else in Canada. Variability is the key to understanding the climate in Calgary so be prepared.

Wondering what to do in Calgary during the winter? There are many fun activities you and your family can do while enjoying the winter. Among the activities you can include in your what to do in Calgary list are;

Sports Events - Hockey is the most popular sport in Canada with the Calgary Flames being the professional team located in the city and the Calgary hitmen are the junior team.  For ticket information to see the Calgary Flames: http://flames.nhl.com/ and for the Calgary hitmen: http://www.hitmenhockey.com. Also unlike soccer where the fans are separated, the fans all sit together at these events.

Skating, Skiing & Sledding Activities – Downhill skiing and snowboarding are fun activities with 4 major ski resorts within 1 to 2 hours driving distance from Calgary that include (Nakiska, Sunshine, Mt. Norquay, Lake Louise), and one smaller hill in Calgary (Canada Olympic Park – COP). Nakiska is a great hill to learn how to ski because it has a large beginner area, and COP is convenient and a good learners hill. Mt. Norquay also has tubing, which is a fun-filled experience riding down a hill in a rubber tube. Cross country skiing is another option and is available in the city at COP and many of the city’s parks.  Within 3 hours of driving you have world renowned resorts of kicking horse, Fernie and Panorama. Snow shoeing is an activity that is fun and has been present in Canada for hundreds of years. Kids also enjoy tobogganing (using a sledge) to slide down many local hills in the city. Ice skating is also available (indoor and outdoor) throughout Calgary. That is another great advantage if you live in a lake community (ask me) as they offer a lot of these activities.

 

Festivals and Activities

The Calgary Zoo has zoo lights during from the end of November to the start of January and features hot chocolate, fire pits, children’s activities and the display of 1.5 million twinkling lights. Santa also makes an appearance during Christmas.

The Calgary winter festival is an 11-day festival is held in early February to commemorate the 1988 Winter Olympics and all other winter activities. Music, entertainment, sports competitions, carnivals and children’s activities can all be found at the Calgary Winter Festival.

Calgary is an interesting and exciting city to visit all year round. It is packed with activities and events that will surely create memorable experience for your family and friends.

Filed Under: Calgary Life, Events, Featured, Latest News, News Tagged With: , , , ,

2014 Immigration Levels

November 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Notice – Supplementary Information to the 2014 immigration levels plan

News from Citizenship and Immigration Canada:Welcome to Canada Sign, Toronto Pearson Int'l Airport

November 1, 2013 — In 2014, Canada will welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents who will contribute to the Canadian economy. The 2014 Immigration Levels Plan reinforces the Government of Canada’s commitment to jobs and economic growth. By increasing our immigration targets for 2014, we are working to address labour market needs and providing Canadian employers with the skilled workforce they need.Following the tabling of the 2013 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration on October 28, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is pleased to release details on its 2014 Immigration Levels Plan.

Image showing 2014 immigration levels plan by major category, described below
Text version: 2014 immigration levels plan by major category

Image showing 2014 immigration levels plan by major category: Economic (63.0% – 164 500), Family (26.1% – 68 000) and Humanitarian (10.9% – 28 400) classes.

Targeted 2014 numbers for each immigration program
Class Immigration program 2014 target
Economic classes Federal Skilled Workers (and Federal Skilled Trades) 47,300
Canadian Experience Class 15,000
Live-in Caregivers 17,500
Federal Business 6,000
Quebec Business 5,300
Quebec Skilled Workers 26,600
Provincial Nominees 46,800
Family class Spouses, Partners and Children (includes Public Policy) 48,000
Parents and Grandparents 20,000
Humanitarian class Protected Persons in Canada 7,500
Dependants Abroad 3,500
Government-Assisted Refugees 7,100
Visa Office Referred 500
Privately Sponsored Refugees 6,300
Public Policy – Federal Resettlement Assistance and Other 500
Humanitarian and Compassionate 3,000

2014 Levels Plan

261K Target (240K-265K)
Plan Type Low High Target
Economic Federal Skilled Workers (including Federal Skilled Trades) 41,500 47,800 47,300
Canadian Experience Class 14,000 15,000 15,000
Live-in Caregivers 14,400 17,500 17,500
Federal Business 6,000 7,400 6,000
Quebec Business 5,000 5,500 5,300
Quebec Skilled Workers 26,000 27,000 26,600
Provincial Nominees 44,500 47,000 46,800
Economic Total 151,400 167,200 164,500
Percentage Mix 63.1% 63.1% 63.0%
Family Spouses, Partners and Children (includes Public Policy) 45,000 48,000 48,000
Parents and Grandparents 18,000 20,000 20,000
Family Total 63,000 68,000 68,000
Percentage Mix 26.3% 25.7% 26.1%
Humanitarian Protected Persons in Canada 7,500 8,000 7,500
Dependants Abroad 3,500 4,000 3,500
Government-Assisted Refugees 6,900 7,200 7,100
Visa Office Referred 400 500 500
Privately Sponsored Refugees 4,500 6,500 6,300
Public Policy – Federal Resettlement Assistance 200 300 300
Public Policy – Other 100 200 200
Humanitarian and Compassionate 2,500 3,000 3,000
Humanitarian Total 25,600 29,700 28,400
Percentage Mix 10.7% 11.2% 10.9%
Permit Holders 0 100 100
OVERALL 240,000 265,000 261,000

A planning range is an estimate of the number of people CIC expects to admit each year, taking into account the differences in applicants’ behaviour both before applying and once they have received their visa (some applicants take longer than others to arrive in Canada from abroad after receiving their visa).

For each range, CIC also sets an admissions target. The work of CIC’s visa processing network is based on the admissions target so that admissions fall within the planning range. It is important to note that these are “planned” ranges and targets. Factors beyond CIC’s control can affect actual admission numbers, e.g. security issues that impact overseas processing.

photo by: Cohen.Canada
Filed Under: Emigrating News & Tips, Featured, Latest News

Federal skilled workers

November 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Have your education assessed – Federal skilled workers

News from Citizenship and Immigration Canada:

education

Starting in May 2013, all people applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) must get an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) of their completed foreign educational credentials.If you are only submitting a Canadian educational credential, you do not need to do this.

An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is used to verify that your foreign degree, diploma, certificate (or other proof of your credential) is valid and equal to a completed credential in Canada.

You must have such an assessment if you:

  • are a principal applicant, and
  • got your education outside Canada.

Your education must be assessed against Canadian standards by one of the organizations designated by CIC (below).

When you apply as a federal skilled worker with a foreign educational credential, an original ECA report must:

  • be included with your application along with proof of your foreign credential,
  • be issued on or after the date the organization was designated by CIC,
  • not be more than five years old on the date that CIC gets your application, and
  • show your credential is equal to a completed Canadian one.

If you do not submit this assessment when you apply, your application is not complete. We will not process it and will send it back to you.

These assessments are to help make sure we choose immigrants with the best possible chances of success in Canada. But, being assessed does not guarantee you will be employed in your field or at a certain level. Employers are not bound by the assessment.

If you plan to work in an occupation that is regulated in Canada, you should contact the regulatory authority in the province where you plan to live. They can give you important information about getting your license, including any steps you can take before you leave your home country.

photo by: Sean MacEntee
Filed Under: Emigrating News & Tips, Featured, Latest News, News

Halloween

October 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

All Hallow’s Eve

Jack O'Lantern hell

Halloween in Canada and The United States is quite a big and fun celebration for both kids and adults.  In general people put a lot of effort to celebrate Halloween by decorating their homes and gardens  with  carved lit up pumpkins, constructing life-size replica graveyards or dungeons, fake cobwebs and spiders, huge blow up decorations and some people even make small haunted houses for kids to go through when trick or treating.  Kids dress up in Halloween costumes and go door to door trick or treating and fill up their bags with a lot of candy! Many places of work will allow and encourage you to dress up in a costume for the day.

There is also a ton of events in Calgary to the run up of Halloween for adults and kids to enjoy. They have boo in the Zoo, zombie walks, haunted houses, ghost tours, screamfests and many other events to enjoy.

Here is some safety tips for trick or treating from Health Canada:

  • Go trick or treating with your children each year until they are old enough to go with a friend.  When they are old enough, make sure they go with a friend or in a group, and know the routes they will be taking. You can also follow along at a distance to keep an eye on them.
  • Tell your children to walk, not run from house to house and to stay on the sidewalk or at the side of the road facing traffic. They should only cross the road at the corner and look both ways before crossing. If you are driving on Halloween, be aware of children, drive slowly and enter and exit driveways and alleyways with caution.
  • Give each child a flashlight to carry, to make them more visible to motorists and others.
  • Tell your children to stay in well-lit areas and only visit homes that have their outside lights turned on. Make sure they know never to go inside homes or cars.
  • Take a backpack along, to empty goodies into if the loot bag becomes too heavy.
  • Tell your children not to eat any goodies until you have looked them over. Throw out any treats that are not commercially wrapped, have loose or torn wrappers or have holes in the wrappers. If you suspect tampering with any of the treats, notify the police. Serve dinner before your children go out, so that they will be less tempted to eat goodies along the way.
  • Be cautious about giving children any treats that could be potential choking hazards. Some treats such as chewy candies, peanuts and hard candies could be a choking hazard.
  • Check toys or novelty items for small parts. If they do have small parts, do not let children under three years of age play with them.
  • You might want to consider an alternative to sugar-based treats, like sugarless gum. Stickers or multi-coloured pencils can be a nice replacement for traditional treats. Ask your children for suggestions.
  • For diabetic children, monitor the treats so that they fit into their specialized meal plan. Leftover treats can be traded with other children or given away. Treats may also cause severe side effects (adverse reactions) in children who have allergies or sensitivities.
photos by: Plutor & kevin dooley
Filed Under: Calgary Life, Events, Latest News

News direct from Citizenship and Immigration Canada

October 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Canada - FED - Canada Immigration OfficerNews direct from Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Press Release — October 21, 2013

 

Minister Alexander Expands Start-up Visa Program to Include Business Incubators

Toronto, October 21, 2013 — Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announces a new visa stream to attract foreign entrepreneurs to Canada.

“As part of our government’s focus on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity, it is critical for Canada to attract the best entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world,” said Alexander. “This new stream will partner Canada’s world class business incubators with immigrant entrepreneurs, driving economic growth and placing Canada ahead of its competitors in the global economy of the 21st century.”

The launch of a new Business Incubator stream under the Start-up Visa (SUV) Program to recruit dynamic foreign entrepreneurs will complement existing venture capital and angel investor streams. It will attract early-stage and high growth businesses, and entrepreneurs who can contribute to a culture of innovation and commercialization in Canada.

Business incubators provide promising entrepreneurs with valuable mentorship, and help them to attract investors and grow their start-ups into sustainable businesses that can create jobs in Canada.

“We are honoured to partner with Citizenship and Immigration Canada on this exciting new initiative,” said CABI President David McNamara. “Our mission is to help small businesses grow and succeed. Connecting immigrant entrepreneurs with Canada’s accredited business incubators will broaden our respective networks and bring us all to the next level. The possibilities are endless!”

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will designate eligible business incubator programs in consultation with the Canadian Association of Business Incubation (CABI). The new stream will begin accepting applications on October 26, 2013.

Alexander also announced today that five additional Canadian venture capital funds will soon be designated as SUV partners. An updated list of all designated organizations will be made available on the CIC website as of October 26, 2013.

“We are excited about the expansion of the Start-Up Visa and look forward to welcoming innovators through this program in the near future,” said Alexander.

The SUV is a five-year pilot program and is limited to no more than 2,750 applications per year. It is designed to attract high quality and select entrepreneurs who can advance the Government of Canada’s innovation agenda. In addition to standard admissibility requirements, SUV applicants must meet certain program eligibility criteria.

 

For further information (media only), please contact:

Kevin Menard
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.

Filed Under: Emigrating News & Tips, Latest News, News

What to do in Calgary

October 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

cow tower (a simple look at things)

Calgary is situated in the foothills and prairies just east of the beautiful renowned Rocky Mountains. There are so many wonderful opportunities for both indoor and outdoor fun in and around Calgary. Whether you enjoy strolling around the many pathways/parks in Calgary to skiing or golfing there is so much you can do to explore this beautiful city,  here is a list of some of the Calgary attractions:

Calgary tower:

Is a 191-metre free standing observation tower located in the heart of the downtown core which offers a 360 panoramic view of the city. It also has a glass bottom floor for all the thrill seekers and for a bird’s eye view to the street below. You also have the option to dine in one of the two restaurants they have.

Calgary Zoo:

The Calgary zoo is the 2nd largest zoo in Canada, located east of the city’s downtown. See over 1000 animals, botanical gardens and prehistoric dinosaur park. Experience the animals in their different exhibits in their most natural habitat possible. Note they offer different seasonal activities throughout the year, check their website for more information.

Telus Spark Science Centre:

The Telus World of Science is a brand new science museum located right next to the Calgary Zoo. It is a beautiful building which invites people of all ages to explore and learn through their different interactive exhibits, programs and educational presentations.

Devonian Gardens:

Is a large indoor botanical garden located in the downtown core shopping centre. It has over 10,000 shrubs and 550 trees to create this beautiful park. It offers ponds with water features and fish, seating all around and a children’s playground.

Heritage Park:

Heritage park is a historical village located on 127 acres of parkland on the banks of the Glenmore Reservoir along Calgary’s southwestern edge. As Canada’s largest living history museum by number of exhibits, it is one of the city’s most visited tourist attractions. It is mainly closed throughout the winter but does offer activities during Halloween and Christmas, check their website for more details.

Prince’s Island Park:

Prince’s Island Park has been recognized as an urban oasis and is an important contributor to the cultural and recreational quality of life for Calgarian’s. This is a beautiful park in downtown Calgary that holds many large events throughout the year including the Canada Day celebration and Calgary Folk Festival. It features picnic areas, playground, canoe access to the river, pathway and hiking trails and flower gardens. The Bow river pathway is accessible from the park on both sides of the Bow river and spans a total of 48km throughout the city.

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary:

Is a wildlife reserve that is home to almost 270 species of birds, located along the bow river in SE Calgary and boasts numerous nature trails and on-site Nature Centre for exhibits and information on the sanctuary. There is no entrance fee and is open throughout the year. The best time to visit this sanctuary is during the summer and spring.

Calaway Park:

Calaway Park is Western Canada’s largest outdoor family amusement park. The park is located 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) west of the city of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway. The park features a variety of rides including a large log flume, the rides Chaos and Storm, and the park’s two biggest attractions is The Vortex and the Dream Machine. There are many other rides that are unique to the park.

 

Shopping:

For the shopaholic, Calgary has plenty to offer and there are several shopping malls and districts to choose from around the city. For shopping malls you have a choice of:

  • CrossIron Mills
  • Chinook Centre
  • The Core
  • Southcentre Mall
  • North hill Centre
  • Deerfoot Mall
  • Sunridge Mall
  • Market Mall

There are still plenty of  places to visit in Calgary and this list is just a simple overview of what to do in Calgary. If you have any specific questions please feel free to email or call me at:

mmccartney@sothebysrealty.ca

403-875-5284

Filed Under: Calgary Life, Latest News Tagged With: , , , ,
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