Is Calgary on the decline? Are we on our way to become Winnipeg with slightly milder weather and mountains nearby instead of lakes?
Go back to the boom years and Calgary was growing like crazy. Good jobs were plentiful. Ralph Bucks were filling mailboxes and wallets. Everyone had disposable income, real estate was soaring, luxury brands and American retailers were fighting for mall space. Now the provincial government is looking for new ways to tax us, housing is flat, malls are seeing stores closing.
A recent article showed that average personal income in Edmonton was now higher than in Calgary.
The Alberta advantage? What was that? Having the luck to have oil in the ground? Were Albertans anymore hardworking than anyone else? Were Albertans smarter?
We have an outdated arena and stadium. Edmonton has a modern rink. Edmonton also has the benefit of being a government town. A recent article showed that the most recent income stats are that personal income levels in Edmonton are now higher than in Calgary.
Heck, we might even lose the Flames so that would be worse than Winnipeg since Winnipeg has an NHL team today.
Its probably inevitable that the province gets a PST at some point in the not to distant future. Income and other taxes are rising. Population also grew but infrastructure never kept up so alot of things are a mess and breaking down or over capacity. The city is also less friendly, crime is increasing, everyone is more stressed.
A lot of the problems facing Calgary are facing all of Alberta. But Calgary was so so reliant on O&G for its growth and success that it is being so much harder hit than Edmonton.
Im curious to hear what others think and whether others are reconsidering their own futures in Calgary?
Ive been here around 20 years. 10 years ago if you asked me, my family would have been planning to stay here until retirement or even after retirement. But now we might be looking to move elsewhere before things get lot worse. Ive lived in several major Canadian cities in Canada and the US before settling here. Now Im seeing a lot of negatives and little positive in Calagry.
I think it has been a bit of the "bend don't break' in the recent years. Just sort of getting by or staying afloat. I think the next few years will be telling as to where Calgary will go. Is it Winnipeg? No, not at all. There are/will be a lot of challenges, but Calgary has always been resilient.
I find Calgary to be a very unique place. Have we seen our best days? Maybe. We've had some really good times.
I find your comment about the 'Alberta Advantage' to be the most telling.
It was a Business Friendly environment with relatively low taxes and a nice place to live. It seems clear that your preference for Edmonton makes sense as the NDP are pretty much exclusively responsible for eliminating the 'Alberta Advantage' and Edmonton is effectively the group profiting from it.
One day we'll all be so lucky as to work for the Government and we can feast on our state issued bread and vodka during Government mandated and approved times.
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I like to think I have a pretty optimistic outlook on where this city is headed.
In five years the streets and wastelands of Calgary will be swarming with roving gangs of bandits, killing people for their gasoline, stealing women from other groups and feral children hitting people in the faces with boomerangs.
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I like to think I have a pretty optimistic outlook on where this city is headed.
In five years the streets and wastelands of Calgary will be swarming with roving gangs of bandits, killing people for their gasoline, stealing women from other groups and feral children hitting people in the faces with boomerangs.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a Fire Exit. - Mitch Hedberg
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Losing the Flames would be one thing, but in my opinion if recent rumors of Transcanada and Encana possibly moving to Houston turn out to be true it could really be a harbinger of end times for Calgary.
Losing the Flames would be one thing, but in my opinion if recent rumors of Transcanada and Encana possibly moving to Houston turn out to be true it could really be a harbinger of end times for Calgary.
This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
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NO.
The Flames moving, which in my view will happen sooner than later, will hurt, but they don't make this city what it is. They are part of the fabric, but not its identity.
We moved from Central America to Canada 8 years ago, and have visited every major city in Canada (except for Victoria), and I personally would not choose to raise my kids anywhere else.
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Has Calgary seen its best days?
