Hot Careers in Calgary (and Alberta)

Even though the pace of employment growth in Alberta has slowed somewhat, the province is still the fastest growing job market in Canada. I was researching the Alberta labour market recently and found out that careers in health and retail are very hot these days. Here is a list of the most in-demand occupations in Alberta.


1. Construction Workers

The demand for construction workers will be strong for the foreseeable future. In addition to the the province of B.C, Alberta will have a major shortage of skilled people in all construction trades, specially with British Columbia attracting a lot of tradesmen for the construction of the 2012 Winter Olympics venues.

A significant number of workers are from Europe, and Alberta is competing with other provinces to attract these people for it's booming oil and gas sector. The most common trades -- carpentry, pipe-fitting, welding, drywall, and foundations -- are all still in very high demand and will be for the foreseeable future.

2. Nursing

With a growing population of old people and the provincial government spending more in the health care sector, nurses have become one of the most in-demand employees in Alberta. Alberta has a special recruitment bureau under the province's ministry of health, and they have traveled to the United States and Europe to recruit nurses. A handsome salary and flexible schedules are few of the perks that Alberta offers to it's nurses.

3. Information and Communications Technology

Although the Information Technology sector has seen some shrinkage in the past few years, there are still many opportunities in this area, specially as increasing number of small businesses are implementing and upgrading technologies in their workplace and are in need of experts who can handle the computer networks and telecommunication infrastructure that they have. The IT occupations are expected to grow between 2-5 percent in the next few years.

4. Accountants

With tough new regulation of the financial industry by the government, the need for charterered accountants and compliance experts has increased. Again, the demand is being fueled mostly by oil and gas companies.

5. Protective Services

The Calgary Police Services and the Calgary Fire department have launched a huge recruiting campaign across North America and the U.K, because of a serious shortage of police officers and EMS/paramedic personnel.

6. Power Line Technicians

A journeyman power line technician is one of the highest paying occupations these days. According to one career adviser, even apprentices can earn six figure salaries. As the population grows and more electricity transmission lines are being put in, there is no shortage of work and the prospect is long-term.

7. Truck Drivers

With the rise in transportation of goods and equipment across Alberta, truck drivers are in high demand. From hauling gravel and cement to transporting the famous Alberta beef, trucking is a rapidly growing business in the heart of the new west.

8. Teachers

With an ever increasing student population, the need for teachers and educational instructors will be high for a long time to come.


In addition to the above mentioned jobs, careers in Engineering, Retail, Financial services, Health care, and Sales are emergent. You can get more information at the Employment Alberta site.

Calgary Stampede 2008

Well folks, this year's Stampede has concluded. Even though the weather wasn't too good, with lots of rain and a hail storm, the event was well attended, although the visitor count was not as high as last year. This year, the Stampede's theme was "parlez vous yahoo!", dedicated to Quebec City, the sister city of Calgary, because of it'400th anniversray.

Here are some videos from this year's event. Enjoy!



Stampede Parade 2008



The annual tradition of Stampede breakfast



Quebec band La Bottine



Rides @ the Midway



And of course, the firworks....



Leave a comment and let me know if any one of you guys attended the stampede this year. Cheers!

When will people use their brains...?!

Here's a story that I just found in the local media. A missionary couple from Calgary were attacked by machete wielding gangsters in Kenya. Here's an excerpt:

'In a cell-phone interview with The Canadian Press from his hospital bed in Nairobi, John Bergen described the attack by men who left him for dead and repeatedly raped and beat his wife earlier this week.'

"All of a sudden, right there in the middle of the yard, is about four or five guys that jumped me and knocked me to the ground and started attacking me with clubs and machetes, clobbering me and cutting me and so on, and scars will be on my legs to show it. "I just didn't know how I was going to come out of this alive. They were just real mean."

But the couple have stated that they will NOT be leaving kenya and continue to help the orphans there. A very noble intent no doubt, but I honestly think they are crazy. You can only help people who are civilized and accept your help graciously and with gratitude, not bite the same hand that feeds them. By the way, the night watchmen who were supposed to guard the compund where the Bergens were staying, were sleeping like donkeys when the attack occured.

It's about time that Canadians use reason rather than emotions before going to dangerous countries like kenya for their so-called missions. Africa is in a mess, with anarchy and lawlessness everywhere. You have people leaders fighting for power and dictators like mugabe murdering his own people. There is no reason for us to be caught in-between their tribal warfare.

There have been quite a few incidents of Canadians travelling abroad, getting into trouble and then the government pays for the expenses like medical and transportation costs, and all of that comes from taxpayers money.

Use your brain people, help the needy in your OWN country, and city; there are plenty who need help here. Let others sort out their own problems.

Yeeeehaaaww...!!!

It's that time of the year folks, The greatest outdoor show on earth, Calgary Stampede 2008 has begun! Wannabe cowboys and cowgirls will be gracing the stampede park. Some of the main attractions at this year's stampede include: The Rodeo (of course), Saddledome concerts (can't wait for James Taylor), the legendary chuck wagon races and the 2008 GrandStand show.

There's tons more info at the Calgary Stampede website. If you live in Calgary or it's surrounding, don't forget to drop by at one of the stampede breakfasts in your neighborhood. There's going to lotsa food, lotsa music and a wagon-full of fun!

And if you're one of the people who are not big stampede fans and don't like crowded places, then leave a comment here about any alternative gatherings you might have, where like minded people can join you. You shouldn't have to dress up as a cowboy or cowgirl to enjoy this festive season!



Cowboys at the stampede corral




The main entrance to the stampede park




Rides at Midway Park



Bareback Riding




Babes on broncos

Why Calgary is not attractive to migrants anymore

According to CBC News, the flow of people from other provinces to Alberta has slowed down considerably. In-fact, a lot of folks have moved back to their respective provinces. In addition to that, numerous families are transplanting themselves in less expensive places like Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

One of the major reasons for this slowdown is the insanely expensive real estate in Calgary (and Alberta as a whole). Here are some of the comments that people have left on a website relating to Alberta's soon to be bust;

"This Province has seen an amazing boom over the years,
but unless you are getting an amazing amount of money,
it is to the point where it's not affordable to live here anymore.
Not everybody is making it rich from the oil industry.
A lot of people are struggling just to make ends meet"

There is no doubt that the cost of living in Calgary has risen quite a bit, for some folks, disproportionately to their income. The city has done it's part to raise municipal taxes to suck out the last hard-earned dollar from the labourer.

Some people have also complained that us westerners - that is, the folks from the Canadian West - have not been very welcoming and friendly, even though we tout our western hospitality. There is a lot of truth to that as well.

A comment from another reader points to the regional animosity between central and western Canadians;

"Alberta has developed a strong hatred to people who
come from other provinces. I think that they prefer
minorities from third world countries that they can
pay only minimum wages and give all the really menial
jobs to. Canadian from other provinces know how much
their labour is worth. Third world labourers don't.
Do I think they are predjudiced? Yes.
Are Alberta companies really cheap? Absolutely!"

Well I'm not sure if hatred is the right word here, but there sure is a lot of resentment from the past when central Canada had all the goodies and provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan were dirt poor and had slogans like, "The West wants in.."

Since Canada does not have the problem of illegal immigration like the United States, Canadian companies look to these so-called "Third World" countries to provide them with workers in the form of immigrants and refugees. Alberta companies are cheap no doubt, but so are Canadians, who are too selfish to have kids and establish families, and Alberta is the largest offender in this regard, (but that's another topic for a future blog post).

I hope that Calgary does not lose it's status as a city where anything is possible and where folks come to realize their big dreams. And in order for that distinction to be maintained, the large, and ever-increasing divide between the rich and poor will have to be narrowed so all of us, in this Heart of the New West, can live a fulfilling life.

Where's the compassion....?

The media in Calgary has been scuttle butting the story of a recent murder-suicide, where a 34 year old man killed his wife, two young daughters and a female tenant. A public memorial was held today for the whole family including Joshua Lall, the person who took his family's life.

Now there are some folks in this city who can't seem to stomach the idea of "remembering the killer". But let's look at this from a different perspective. These people were victims of the head of the household who was suffering from a mental sickness. What he did was in no way acceptable, but for people to be blatantly antipathetic to Joshua Lall is to be prejudiced and unjust towards a mentally ill person.

We need to respect the families on both sides, that they want to remember and say farewell to their loved ones without focusing on the tragic incident. Folks who are ticked off because they think that a murderer is being celebrated need to just back off and let these people mourn their loss. No one has the right to be judgmental. And if the people who are irritated by this, truly care so much, then they should volunteer themselves to helping the mentally ill, and I can assure you, there are a lot of people like that in our city.

May the Lall family rest in peace.

image courtesy of CBC news

The women in Calgary are nuts.....

Yes...indeed they are, specially the younger ones. Why do I say that...? Well read this.

The chicks in Calgary (and Alberta and Canada overall) are complaining that Canadian men do not know how to court them or ask them out for a date. They think that American men are more assertive and confident, not shy about making the first move.

But do Canadian women (specially Calgarian chicks) really appreciate chivalry? The answer to that -- from my experience so far -- is a resounding no.

I have tried meeting women in this city, so have my other buddies, but we can tell that women are intimidated by our confidence and "openness". One has to be a phony to say that they prefer men who come on to them and then shoot down guys who approach them and consider THEM to be worthy of attention!

You'll see women in this city walking around like they are royalty and want guys who they can pu$$y-whip, but when they come across a man who has his sh!t together and is self-assured, they get nervous and will even avoid eye-contact.

A lot of chicks also lack social-skills and the ability to have a decent conversation. The only topic you can talk to them about is what clebrities are doing or what her ex did to her. For the love of Mary, I'm not here for talk therapy!

Try starting a conversation with a woman on the C-Train and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Infact, it's much easier to talk to older women, who are in their 40's and 50's (maybe that's due to the cougar effect)

Regardless, the women in Calgary need to start appreciating the fact that guys here are not going across the border to Montana or Idaho to look for women and still willing to give them a chance. If they miss this opportunity, then this is what their social gatherings will look like....