Woo hoo !! Booked my flight to calgary for 8th march! Car hire sorted!
I’m looking to travel around and get a feel for a few towns and also to drop my cv in to some haulage depots.
Never done anything like this before so if anyone has any suggestions of places, motels (I don’t need 5 star 
or companies to check out please let me know.
I know alberta is likely not the best forPNP and PR but it seems to be where the missus and I are drawn to. I want to be near to good outdoorsy stuff for any time I’m home (fishing, mountain biking , skiing etc) and the other half needs to be near to a vibrant city to keep occupied while I’m over the road.
If anyone has done the same thing recently I’d really appreciate any tips to make it a productive trip. Really looking forward to it but it’s gonna feel like an agonisingly long wait to get out there !
Hello, if you are looking to work in Calgary, towns within commuting distance you could look at depending where your job is, are
SE/ SW- Okotoks, High River.
NE- Airdrie, Chestermere.
NW- Cochrane
All these towns are within 1 1/2 hrs drive to Banff & lakes.
Hotels - Go on Trip Advisor, Hotels.com, Google etc. They are ■■■■■■■ expensive.
Cochrane? Thought that was millionaires row?
Chestermere looks a bit trumpy too judging by the size of the houses…
Back in reality ,Claresholm which is suitably far enough away from Cowtown to be reasonably priced , not far from the foothills , also home to Watt and Stewart . Could be worth a visit ?
Newmercman, he might be a millionaire & FTTM, have you seen why Claresholm is so reasonably priced ? & not exactly near a vibrant city or mountains, though I do think it has a pond in the summer.
Sadly not a millionaire I’m afraid! Thanks for the info and suggestions, though I’ll try and swing by as many as I can
With regards houses, ill likely rent at first. I guess it’s a bit hard to work out what you can afford until you know what kind of mileage your going to get from your employer.
It’s a good idea to rent until PR or until you definitely know you want to stay and where you want to live.
Saying that, I live in a semi and my mortgage is $400/month cheaper than my neighbours rent.
Personally, I would go for a smaller company but you need one that has LMO’s available.
Watt & Stewart, Claresholm.
B & D Walter, Lethbridge.
And I read somewhere Loblaws next recruitment drive is going to be Calgary.
neilg14:
And I read somewhere Loblaws next recruitment drive is going to be Calgary.
How do the British guys get on with Loblaws over here?
I’ve sadly had to deliver to many of their RDC’s over the past 5 years and its almost always a truly awful experience. I’ve never come across a more disorganised and obnoxious company in my time driving, either in North America or the UK/Europe. Obviously it may be different from the inside if you’re a member of the evil empire but for a delivering driver who often is made to wait 24 hours or more from arrival to leaving, getting phone calls, knocks on the door and their shunt trunks blowing their horns next to your cab to get your attention, every 3 to 4 hours, they make the likes of Tesco RDC’s in the UK look like the Samaritans.
neilg14:
Newmercman, he might be a millionaire & FTTM, have you seen why Claresholm is so reasonably priced ? & not exactly near a vibrant city or mountains, though I do think it has a pond in the summer.
.
Fernie is only a short drive , not to shabby for skiing iirc 
Rang a couple of companies this evening, watt and Stewart and bison seem positive so far so will be stopping by those
Quite a few firms seem to have no idea of lmo but found that if you see a job advertised as 53,670 dollars per year then that company will have LMO’s ?
Robin Hood, I was out of Tesco in record time the other day, 45 mins!! Was a Sunday PM though !
flat to the mat:
neilg14:
Newmercman, he might be a millionaire & FTTM, have you seen why Claresholm is so reasonably priced ? & not exactly near a vibrant city or mountains, though I do think it has a pond in the summer..
Fernie is only a short drive , not to shabby for skiing iirc
I think Fernie is about 2 hrs drive from there, but he’s still missing the ''close to a vibrant city." bit.
robinhood_1984:
neilg14:
And I read somewhere Loblaws next recruitment drive is going to be Calgary.How do the British guys get on with Loblaws over here?
I’ve sadly had to deliver to many of their RDC’s over the past 5 years and its almost always a truly awful experience. I’ve never come across a more disorganised and obnoxious company in my time driving, either in North America or the UK/Europe. Obviously it may be different from the inside if you’re a member of the evil empire but for a delivering driver who often is made to wait 24 hours or more from arrival to leaving, getting phone calls, knocks on the door and their shunt trunks blowing their horns next to your cab to get your attention, every 3 to 4 hours, they make the likes of Tesco RDC’s in the UK look like the Samaritans.
There are some Brits working in Regina for them, not sure if they went to UK and recruited or what.
Seems they are on very reasonable money, a lot better than the long haul reefer work most of us did when we came here, not only mileage pay, but a lot of extra’s, only the odd night out and they’re getting PR out of it.
Mostly LCV work.
One of the drivers there said on another website that they will be recruiting for Calgary next time.
I don’t know if they can get the same deal in AB as far as PR goes
Dereko,
Be careful with Bison, you use to have to pay an Immigration company that worked for Bison $0000’s to get a job with them.
Don’t pay any company any money to come here.
Thanks Neil, would it end up costing lots more than going it alone after adding up all the costs ?
Also any idea on a contact number for loblaws? Seems as if their recruitment guys don’t have phones! From what I’ve read they seem ok to work for but clearly pi** off other drivers with their double trailers
Loblaws are recruiting in Regina at the moment , have a look at Sask Jobs or Kijiji Regina , pulling pikes you’ll be looking at CDN70,000 but it’ll be a lot of night work , pm Russjp as he is on for them .
Do NOT under any circumstance pay so called immigration “lawyers/experts”,they’re a complete rip off. If you decide to move, the collective members on here will be able to help save you a considerable amount of cash , between 5-7 grand ,rather than paying those parasites .Saying that , it’s a relatively straight forward process .
contact for Loblaws is ,shaun.hanson@loblaws.ca, fellow expat and former RMP .
Cheers fttm, just sent a pm to russjp. I don’t mind working nights really and at that sort of money it would certainly help the initial moving phase
Never driven pikes before so that will be a new one one me !
See my edit above . Russ is yer man for inside info , just remember all you need is a foot in the door and then do whatever is required until PR is obtained . Some moan and whinge , then say bollox and go back home , all depends on how much you want fast tracked immigration to a great country .
Many years ago I bent over and took it for 18 months , kept my patience and had a crack with the other guys in the same situation, on reflection it was a “no brainer” 
.Seems nowadays that companies (with the exception of Hit and Run) have upped their game somewhat so drivers aren’t running for the door at the first opportunity,retention being the name of the game rather than bums on seats. Best of luck with whoever you choose .
Excellent! Thanks again, just sent him an email. Regina could well be on the cards as I’ve also been in touch with another co out there too so ill most likely travel east for a couple days. Should be a busy week but best to get in as much as poss.
DJ Knoll by chance ? Can’t recommend them highly enough , either as CD or O/O.
neilg14:
flat to the mat:
neilg14:
Newmercman, he might be a millionaire & FTTM, have you seen why Claresholm is so reasonably priced ? & not exactly near a vibrant city or mountains, though I do think it has a pond in the summer..
Fernie is only a short drive , not to shabby for skiing iirc
I think Fernie is about 2 hrs drive from there, but he’s still missing the ''close to a vibrant city." bit.
Less than that if you go out the back way through Turner valley, still get half a day in one of the best resorts on offer,have previously driven there from Regina to ski . Lethbridge is a good city just a short drive South , but if the crap of a big city calls then it’s hardly much of a jaunt to Calgary ,by Canadian standards .
Vibrant cities and Western Canada are opposite poles , and with luck it’ll stay that way…
I think it was dj knoll, I’ll have to check my paperwork when I get home. I rang so many it’s hard to remember! It’s great news to get a positive recommendation for a company! I’ve been looking at residential Regina on street view and it looks really nice, any tips for looking at houses to rent/areas?
I know I said I wanted AB but I really just want enough for the missus and 12 year old daughter to do while I’m away. PR is the name of the game and I can always resettle once obtained… (Crosses fingers)