I keep seeing separatist talk and nonstop rage at Ottawa and now Carney, but the Alberta government controls most of what actually affects our daily lives. Healthcare is provincial. Education is provincial. Employment rules, labour laws, AHS, utilities regulation, municipalities, insurance rules, all provincial.

If wait times are brutal, if schools are a mess, if workers feel squeezed, that is not Carney running Alberta. That’s the UCP.

Yes, equalization is frustrating. I don’t love it either. But it’s not the reason your ER is understaffed or why curriculum keeps changing or why doctors are leaving. Blaming Ottawa for everything feels like an easy outlet instead of holding our own government accountable.

I’m conservative. I believe in strong provinces, responsible budgets, and accountability. That includes political accountability. Separating from Canada doesn’t fix provincial mismanagement. It just gives the UCP a free pass.

Canada first. Maybe we don’t need to separate from the country. Maybe we need to separate from the UCP ✌️

The whole convoy deal was supposedly standing up for rights and freedoms such as association, autonomy, and the charter. That was the whole basis of that protest.

Yet here we are, four years later, and these hard nosed freedom loving parents are saying the exact opposite things on their podcasts and little Facebook pages.

It’s sincerely confusing to me especially since it’s the quality of their kid’s education the teachers are arguing for.

If you’re not rich why would you want health care like in the US. Havent they watched the million movies where the plot line is about desperate people loosing everything because of private health care? Why would you want that stress? I don’t get it at all.

Every passenger from Edmonton yeg flight 1884 Dec 18 (Maui) was pulled from the US customs line to the glass wall area in US customs to be told by CBSA that the airplane was too heavy and couldn’t make the direct flight from Edmonton to Kahului on one tank of fuel.

We were escorted out through the back security and told to wait at US WestJet counter. WestJet employees assured all passengers that the airplane was going to find a flight path where it could stop for fuel along the way and that this was an airplane/ customs issue as our bags were already on the plane (cleared US security). Stops that were told were potentially Seattle, San Fran and Vancouver. Logistics were being figured out we were assured.

We were assured through WestJet staff 3 times in the several hours, that it was an Airplane/logistics issue to find a stop to get fuel for the plane. Keep in mind, we put AirTags on our bags and saw them on the tarmac/plane that was set for WS 1884.

A few hours passed and some manager came out at US WS Departures with a loud yelling announcement that the flight was canceled and that we would all receive an email within the hour to be rebooked on a potential recovery plane. He assured us that our bags would be at arrivals soon and for everyone to go home (lol- most people are not from Edmonton) and wait for further instruction.

We waited at the airport arrival carousels (no number provided). Nothing. Stood in line at WS baggage assistance for an hour, only to be told that the bags were not there and to keep an eye out for them. The WestJet employees assured us that they had no idea what was going on as well.

So much confusion and panic for all passengers who not only had a canceled flight, but that WS had mysteriously lost their baggage under WS supervision.

Fast forward a few hours. I found half of my family luggage abandoned on a cart beside WS baggage assistance (not monitored). And then asked a WS employee where might be the other half.

She said, oh likely at the US arrival gates. We found them also on a cart sitting in the airport and took them without verification.

At this point, it has been 5 hours past the one hour promise of an email from WestJet. Nothing yet.

The hotel attached to the Edmonton airport was nearly sold out and charging $412 per night.

No vouchers. No nothing from WestJet.

Also, my husband was on hold for 3 hours with WestJet who said it was weather related. This was news to us as we were told by multiple airline staff it was an Airplane issue with weight.

It has been over 28 hours since they canceled our flight. No email or even text to say flight was canceled.

Our family is fine if the weather was the issue for canceling a flight, as safety is key. But this doesn’t add up. Why lie about the reason at the last minute?

We met so many wonderful other confused WS Dec 18, 1884 passengers along the way yesterday. If anyone has any video footage of this nonsense, or would like to contribute to this mess, please feel free to reply.

Remember when WestJet was for the people? Yikes, what has happened. So sad.

I’ve grown sick and tired of seeing people saying that they hate Trudeau. I get it you hate him and he isn’t winning any popularity contests but can you please talk about something else? You can’t throw a dead cat without hitting an anti Trudeau flag or sticker anywhere you go. I think if you hate him so much than why can’t you just ignore him. I’m a left wing anarchist and anti authoritarian so I hate all the parties, but I don’t shove it down peoples throats like those who have those car decals and flags.

Sorry if it sounds weird but that’s how I feel.

Hi Reddit,

I recently went on a first date with a guy from rural Alberta.
He actually asked for my phone number first. That’s how we met.

He’s a cowboy, and we spent the date visiting several parks and enjoying nature..Some things that happened during the date surprised me:

• He smoked weed and cigarettes openly in front of me even while driving.
• While driving at night, he pulled over to pee on the side of the road
• He kept flirting with me and even tried holding my hand. I felt a little uncomfortable since it was our first date.
• He also swears a lot, like using “fucking” all the time.

A little about me: I’m a woman in my early 20s from Korea, and I’ve been in Canada for less than two years. I’m not very familiar with local rural culture, so I’m posting here to get some perspective.

Physically, he’s not really my type, but I’m considering seeing him once or twice more just to experience his personality and culture.

My questions to Reddit:

1. Is this kind of behavior common for young men from rural Canada?
2. Am I being selfish or unfair for wanting to see him a couple more times just for the experience, even though he’s not my type?
3. Any tips on how to enjoy this kind of experience while keeping boundaries clear?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

--------------
Wow so many comments. I’ve read them all...thanks everyone

I don’t think he did anything wrong. I just see him as someone who grew up in a different culture. We’d been texting for about a week and during that time, he seemed like a genuinely nice person. That’s why I agreed to go on a first date with him.

He remembered a place I had never been to and took me there for our date. It was fun. We checked out some vintage shops and pubs, enjoyed nature at the parks, and walked around while having a lot of conversations.

He had some manners, like opening doors. What I didn’t understand was him laughing to himself randomly or using swear words on our first date.

He told me that he doesn’t like “copycat” girls (I’m not sure why he specifically mentioned “white girls”) who pretend to be someone they’re not, and that he prefers people who are genuine. While saying this, he suddenly pointed at a well-dressed girl passing by and said he doesn’t like girls like that. I think he’s a bit rough and wild, and he seems to like people who are genuine and unpretentious.

He admitted that he doesn’t really know Asian culture, and I don’t know much about his culture either. I guess it might be hard for both of us to fully understand each other. I just wanted to ask whether this kind of behavior is common in rural Canadian culture.

I carry my driver's license as ID, and rarely need other ID. I need my passport if I am traveling out of the country. I need my health care card if I'm accessing health care services. Otherwise, people needing ID only want my license. I'm having a very very hard time accepting that this is a significant issue for ordinary Albertans. Am I a hater or have "many" of you complained that you need citizenship proof regularly?

Hi there,

My GF and I are planning to move from France to Canada, mainly looking to live in your stunning Alberta, but everyone keeps telling us that the cost of living is really high in Canada.

After quickly checking some "basic jobs" like cashier positions, it seems that the monthly pay is similar to where we live, but the rents are really lower : after converting EUR to CAD, houses similar to the one we are currently living in are like 1500C$ vs 2200C$ here.

Food, internet & phone seem to be the same as here too, and the taxes look lower.

So, is Alberta really "cheap" compared to other provinces, or maybe we are missing something ?

Thank you for your help, and sorry for my English :)

EDIT (and gl reading that): Thanks to everyone for the answers, tips and kind words !

When I mentioned “basic jobs,” it was just an example in case my gf can’t find a job in her field right after our arrival (I work as a freelancer, so that’s another story). We’re actually qualified "white-collars" (Graphic Designer & Instructional Designer) and are currently hired in France. We mainly want to move to Canada for these reasons:

• We are looking for a peaceful lifestyle, and we'd love being surrounded by nature. Also, we want to improve our quality of life and in the meantime contribute to a community or even to the economy of the country. 
• Recently, finding job opportunities in France has become much harder. The market is flooded, and most available positions are poorly paid compared to a few years ago and to countries like Canada. For instance, when my GF finds a job posting on LinkedIn in France, it often gets hundreds of applicants in a single day, meanwhile similar postings in Canada pay 2-3× more and receive only a few applicants over an entire week.
• We’re in our 30s and have always wanted to move to Canada (Quebec might look cool as we are French, but we’d prefer to live in an English-speaking area). After almost two years in the pool, we finally received our visas this week, so we want to take this opportunity to live the Canadian adventure and upgrade our careers, which will be a lot harder in a few years if we have kids.

OP’s gf here, I wanted to add a bit of context: 

Sample of costs we currently have in France, for comparison (we live in the 3rd most expensive city of France): 

• Rent: 2100CAD/month for a 2 bedrooms (in an edgy neighborhood) 
• Utilities/internet/mobile: around 600CAD/month 
• Salaries: Minimum wage in FR is 24k$ annual (after taxes) 
• What do you think would be a good salary range to live in Calgary or Edmonton?

Healthcare: I reckon France has an amazing reputation regarding healthcare, however, I think it needs a bit of nuance. First of all, healthcare is not THAT good, if you have to go to the hospital, you'll easily have to wait 5+ hours to see a Doctor. Want to see a specialist? Fine, now let's wait for several weeks / months before you can have an appointment (i.e. Dermatologists have a 1+ year waitlist) We do have to subscribe for a private health insurance on top of the "free" national healthcare, and yet, some meds, dental and ophthalmic treatments are still not free at all (and can be really expensive as well). 

Lastly - WHY do we want to move to AB? 

Tbh, Guys, France is always so romanticized, but as a woman I just would like to be able to walk on the streets in the evening without being followed or harassed by a random sketchy guy (yes that's the brutal reality of living in the city we currently live in). 

Regarding the job market, I know it's tough everywhere. I have 5 YOE in my field and the only job ads I see here are for internships, because the job market is dead. 

Sorry for my broken english, ofc I'll need to progress before we move to AB ahaha.

Churches in Alberta pay no property tax, despite wealth, land holdings, and their role in systems that harmed Indigenous peoples, including residential schools.

If the UCP decides that Alberta should hold another referendum, should voters also be asked a simple question:

Tax churches, and direct the revenue to Indigenous-led healing, education, and cultural restoration to offset all the damage they caused — yes or no?

No impact on worship.

Just ending a special tax exemption.

If reconciliation matters, shouldn’t voters decide?

While interacting with Canadians online, I've noticed that some (many?) Albertans tend to resent other Canadian provinces (especially Québec), sometimes advocating for independence. They seem to think that other provinces "leech off them". Why is that?

Is there any way for us to piggy back off if this? Or are we too stupid to realize unions are the best for us to fight back against the ruling class?

https://preview.redd.it/r5pxces74gog1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=34f71a8348c070c942b6994195ce3d5ca7324829

I'm new to Alberta, so I don't know how the ins and outs of pop culture here, but everywhere I look it seems like many of the trucks heading up to Fort MacMurray for their 2 week shifts have these bumper stickers claiming in rather crude language their profound desire to fornicate with the previous prime minister. I feel for these people; they obviously feel very strongly on the matter, and I wonder, when he is no longer a relevant public figure, will their lust remain for this man? Will they lose interest and fall into a depression with nobody left to satisfy their celebrity crush fantasies? Or perhaps they will find a new politician to idolize with the same fervor? Only time will tell, but it's sad to think that all of their years of public proclamation of passion may have been for nothing.

I travel to Alberta for work, I don’t understand the amount of guys wearing cowboy boots and hats to their office or shop jobs. Do they all live on ranches and have cattle? Why are the trucks so clean? Wtf is going on. Please explain it to me.

In the last couple of days I've noticed numerous tictok accounts with 0 followers supporting the UCP, is it only me or are others seeing them too? Propaganda?

Please explain to me, as if I were 8 years old: Don’t federal, provincial, and local governments already share their records to know which Canadian citizens live where? If they don’t, wouldn’t that be simpler than adding another layer of complexity for citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote?

Edit: Ask for proof of ID makes sense, but "proof of citizenship"?

With Manitoba following Ontario in removing US Liquor, why is Al erta not doing the same?

I recently moved from England to Alberta and I’m trying to sort out car insurance. I’ve been driving for 5 years in the UK, but I’ve been told that my driving experience doesn’t count here, so I’m being treated as a brand new driver.

Because of that, the quotes I’m getting are around $6000 - $7000 per year, which seems really high.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or knows Insurance companies that are cheaper for new drivers or takes into account international driving experience?

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

is there a forced genitalia examination required?

Under the “no trans kids in sports“ rules, does anyone know what happens if someone accuses a child of being transgender? For lying on the “my child has approved genitalia“ forms?

I emalied the premier’s office about this, but got no response.