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Topic: Alberta grocer shops for workers in Nova Scotia
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Gir Draxon
leftist-rightie and rightist-leftie
Babbler # 3804
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posted 13 January 2006 04:41 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Loretta:
No, now it's often a mother expected to provide for a family of three or four on low wages with the cost of daycare on top of that father's expenses.
If the father is worthless, the mother does have the option to take the kids and leave, find a new partner, and still have dad's wages garnished for extra money. quote:
Originally posted by Loretta:
As far as training and other educational issues, where do the poor and underemployed gain access to adequate support and financing for that?
If you come from a situation where you have a HS diploma, a steady job, some entry level experience, and a permanent address, then there are subsidies and/or loans available depending on what kind of path you're talking about. You're right when it comes to people who don't start out with that stuff, but that's a different problem. quote:
Originally posted by faith:
I visit Calgary regularly - it is very expensive. Housing prices are almost as high as Vancouver, even the suburbs are expensive. Edmonton has slightly lower housing prices than Calgary.Try renting an apartment instead of buying a monster house in the suburbs, and suddenly it's a lot more affordable. Imagine that. [QUOTE]Originally posted by faith:
[QB]the answer is always a lot of huffing about how a monkey could do the job - it's not worth anymore than minimum wage!
In some cases, they're right. How much would a quick sandwich have to cost if the "sandwich artist" making it had to be paid $50k a year with full benefits?
From: Arkham Asylum | Registered: Feb 2003
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solomongrundie
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 11720
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posted 14 January 2006 08:33 PM
I second that. Those large houses are exceptionally environmnetally disturbing now that the provincial government is subsidizing heating costs. I'd rather see a rebate on heating per household rather than per unit of energy used. There's less incentive now to turn down the thermostat. There's actually a surprisingly large number of house rentals in the inner city area for a reasonable rent. I know young people in their early 20's who buy houses in Calgary. It's hard to find dependable renters because most of them end up buying. [ 14 January 2006: Message edited by: solomongrundie ]
From: calgary | Registered: Jan 2006
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solomongrundie
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 11720
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posted 15 January 2006 01:28 PM
quote:
Originally posted by scooter:
And why is that? Is it not rich enough for your tastes? Too low an economic standing for you? Not white enough for you?[ 15 January 2006: Message edited by: scooter ]
??? My sister lives in a northeast community. It's a great neighborhood with a brand new school, excellent access, playgrounds, rec facilities and so on. It's an ideal place for her and her husband to raise their 2 children. I live in the inner city and like the character but each to their own.
From: calgary | Registered: Jan 2006
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scooter
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5548
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posted 18 January 2006 10:44 AM
I apologize, your remarks on not based on racism. You are a bigot.Yes, the NE is not the first choice for people and it is a shame. Most of it is based on ignorance, stereotypes, and in some cases prejudice against minorities and the lower economic classes. The Calgary Police regularly publish crime statistics for each community in Calgary. The residential communities in the NE have the same crime rates as the rest of the city.
Community Crime Statistics (Calgary Police) The Calgary Police have stressed in the last few years that the gang activity in the city is not based in the NE. For example, most grow operations are based in very expensive communities because the houses are larger with attached garages.
From: High River | Registered: Apr 2004
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dgrollins
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5268
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posted 18 January 2006 11:38 AM
Sorry to interrupt the debate on neighborhoods in Calgary...Although this story has much to do with the labour shortage in Alberta, it has an equal amount to do with the economy of Atlantic Canada. There is a reason this grocer is searching for employees in the Maritimes. Someone above said that the opportunity was "too good to be true" because the high cost of living would off-set a starting wage of "even $30,000." Maybe. In the Maritimes, for many, many people, "even $30,000 is a dream." A pipe dream. Off shore oil is held out as the great hope, but for now it remains exceedingly difficult to find good work. Especially outside of the urban areas. And when you do find work, it's often for $7-$8 at the call centre--until the call centre packs up and leaves town that is. Then you collect EI until the next call centre opens. It's a horrible cycle, only broken by moving out of the region. And when the kid from Plaster Rock, or Tignish, or Sydney, or.... hears about those $20/hour jobs in the oil fields it doesn't seem real. Then a grocer comes along, offers a job and a months rent and airfare to get you there and... The partner (usually female) jumps at the chance, and two more Maritimers make the journey west. It's probably a little more expensive to live in Calgary. But it's not that much more expensive (check out the rents in Halifax--where many have to go to even find those $7-$8/hour jobs). Gas is more expensive in Atlantic Canada. Groceries are about the same, although they are cheaper in Upper Canada. The bottom line is there is a lot more opportunity to get ahead and thrive in the west or Ontario. In the Maritimes, it's more about treading water. For many, that's OK. They are just happy they can live in the region they grew up in. This situation cuts across all SES groups. My partner, who will be a PhD clinical psychologist in 18 months, would make about 20-30k/year less if she stayed in the region upon graduation as compared to what she will make if she moves back to our home province of Ontario. We have a friend who took a 35k/year pay cut to follow his wife to Fredericton from Ottawa. He's an engineer. When we first moved out here I worked in the social services as a child and youth worker. My lowest salary in Ontario was 12.80/hour. In New Brunswick, I was offered $7/hour to start. The home's supervisor made $9/hour. I had to go work in a call centre--after I snapped (call centre work is incredibly demeaning) I went back to school and at least now I'm doing something I love and believe in (journalism). If this seems like a rant, it is. I find it incredibly frustrating that no one--NO ONE--seems to have any idea how to fix this situation. We probably would have moved back to Ontario anyway (family reasons), but there are tonnes of people here that love it, never want to move, but feel that they have to. Families are torn apart as one member (usually dad) has to move for 6-8 months at a time to get good work. It sucks. When it comes to politicians, they are good at blaming--the left will say that it has to do with too few hands holding too much money. The fat cats of the region (Irvings, McCain's, etc. don't share the wealth). Those on the right say it has to do with the "culture of dependency" that has been created. Both have a point, neither are real good at articulating how to fix it. So…how do we get to the where moving 5,000km away to take a customer service job doesn’t seem like a good option for a Maritimer?
From: Toronto | Registered: Mar 2004
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scooter
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5548
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posted 18 January 2006 12:30 PM
quote:
Originally posted by dgrollins:
Sorry to interrupt the debate on neighborhoods in Calgary...Although this story has much to do with the labour shortage in Alberta, it has an equal amount to do with the economy of Atlantic Canada.
When I was in Newfoundland I was upset at the amount of money poured into high tech training. There were few jobs waiting for the students and the course material was a joke.I figure the governments should stop with large scale companies and focus more on providing loans to small businesses. Until recently we had the same problem here in Alberta. All the jobs were in the major centers. The small rural towns struggled. We have so many friends who have moved from out east. Many have convinced their siblings and parents to move here.
From: High River | Registered: Apr 2004
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Contrarian
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6477
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posted 18 January 2006 01:20 PM
There are some parts of East Calgary that have had a bad reputation for decades, but how justified it ever was, or is now, I don't know. For instance, one evening almost 30 years ago a bus driver going down Centre Street North told me someone had thrown rocks through his window there; then he said, "That's nothing; in Forest Lawn they use 22s." Inglewood also had a bad reputation, which I think has been cleaned up; recently they had some amusing commercials, such as; a man goes back after ten years looking for prostitutes and finds nothing but fancy antique shops. So some of East Calgary had a bad reputation long before areas like Whitehorn were ever built. It's probably based on there being a more low-income population than on racisim. I have relatives who have lived in Southeast and Northeast Calgary for decades; I don't think they've seen any more crime than elsewhere. [ 18 January 2006: Message edited by: Contrarian ]
From: pretty far west | Registered: Jul 2004
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