Here’s the top guide to embracing Calgary as the new home for newcomers. Calgary garnered immense attention from aspiring immigrants and achieved a rank among the top ten livable cities. The Global Livability Index 2023 provided this rank. Calgary is also one of the major cities in Alberta. This city acquired a total score of 96.8, which has emerged as the second-highest among other Canadian cities. Besides this, the city has also achieved a perfect score of 100 in four distinct categories. The score is for Healthcare, Stability, Infrastructure and Education.
Additionally, Calgary is the epitome of diversity across Canada, with its third position in terms of diversity. Calgary residents are well-versed in different languages and speak over 120 languages. Also, 25 percent of this city is filled with immigrants. Hence, newcomers find it convenient to settle in Alberta’s largest city, Calgary.
A detailed guide to embracing Calgary as the new home for newcomers
Let us get insights about Calgary and all the essential factors contributing to its beauty and being one of the most livable Canadian cities.
Education Structure in Calgary
Parents can access a wide range of education alternatives, such as public and private schools. Children can attain private education through private or boarding schools. However, parents will necessarily pay the tuition fees on their own. Conversely, they can access public education for free due to the tax funding system. The city’s public schools hold a curriculum that is visible on Calgary’s official government website. The website has bifurcated the entire education curriculum from kindergarten to 12th grade.
In addition, the post-secondary education system in Calgary comprises more than sixty Designated Learning Institutions. DLIs are specifically applicable to new immigrants who come to the country as international students. The reason behind this is that foreign nationals need to attain a letter of acceptance from a DLI before wishing for a study permit in Canada.
The University of Calgary is one of the chief DLIs among the several others in this city. This reputed educational institution has had prominent figures who obtained their degrees. Examples include Garrett Champ, Co-Founder of Uber, and James Gosling, who developed the Java Programming Language.
Calgary’s network of service providers
This city never fails to provide newcomers with a variety of service providers to assist them with their requirements. They provide services in the following sectors:
- Settlement Services;
- Integration with the city;
- Education Sector;
- Employment Sector; and
- General Immigrant Services
Essentially, newcomers must note whether they are eligible for these services, which will depend on their Canadian immigration status. Further, it will also depend on where the settlement service firm will receive its funding. It will be better to verify with a particular service provider to understand the eligibility for that service.
Here’s a list of such organizations:
- Education – The Immigrant Education Society;
- Newcomer Services for Women – Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association; and
- Employment – Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council
Furthermore, most of these firms also assist newcomers in French, such as the following:
- (Settlement and Integration Services): Portail de l’ Immigrant Association de Calgary
- (General Services and Community) Based Programs: La Cité des Rocheuses
Entertainment in Calgary
Calgary looks forward to improving its arts and culture scenario across the country. The creative industries associated with this sector planned to spend $566 million to transform the digital scene between 2022 and 2024. This is what the website of Calgary Economic Development reported recently. As a result of this investment, the key sectors leading toward growth will include gaming, esports, animation, visual effects, and immersive technologies.
This city now grabs attention for its prominence as an entertainment hub across Canada. Evidently, Calgary is an excellent destination for popular television and film productions.
Some significant examples include (2019) Jumanji: The Next Level and The Last of Us (2023).
The Emergency Services prevalent in Calgary
Calgary residents must quickly connect with the emergency services providers by dialing 911. The website of Alberta Health Services is the perfect example of where these residents can gather information regarding hospital services, emergency services, and other existing programs and services.
What about Calgary’s Public Transportation System?
Public Transportation in Calgary is accessible through Calgary Transit. The transit includes a wide range of Light Trail Lines and Buses. Different consumers will have their own needs, and they could access the public transportation system in the city through ticket bundles, passes, or single-fare costs on a daily or monthly basis.
All such costs will reasonably rely on the commuter’s age when they make the purchase. If students can display their student ID, they would even get a special price. Calgary Transit also often gives special offers on pricing in terms of monthly discounts or yearly passes for senior citizens or low-income individuals. They might as well get special weekend offers on their tickets.
This Transit even provides them with a chance to use the website or My Fare app on their phone to purchase their transit passes when they decide to commute. In addition, they can access the website to know about any upcoming disruptions during their travel, information related to the rider or any other accessibility concerns.
Embracing Calgary as the new home by knowing the details of the neighborhood areas
The most prominent neighborhood area in Calgary is its Downtown Core. This neighborhood region comprises the most fabulous and reputed restaurants to experience shopping, epic museums, monuments, and entertainment. Everyone, including the youth and families, has something to take away from the Calgary Downtown Core. Next, we have the Beltline neighborhood area of Calgary; its location is south of Calgary’s downtown core. It is extremely popular for its urban nightlife and culture. This area is specifically fabulous for the youth, with some of the most extraordinary art forms, such as the Chinook Arc. Another famous thing is its all-time winter classic festival. This festival perfectly blends arts and culture with local craft beer.
Additionally, in 2021, this city turned out to be the most youthful Canadian city, with a median age of 38. Another mind-boggling neighborhood destination is Inglewood. It is a small town that focuses on individuals who love biking and walking. This area is an amalgamation of local shops, restaurants, and historic buildings. These genuinely depict Calgary’s uniqueness to the core.
The growing industries within Calgary
Calgary’s technological sector is at its peak and consists of the most expedited technical labor force in the whole of North America. It is home to the best innovation and tech sector across Canada.
In the five occupational categories Canada has decided to emphasize for the new category-based draws being run by the federal government, there are more than 38,000 job openings in Alberta overall. These areas also include trade, transportation, healthcare, and agriculture/agri-food. Calgary, the most populous city in Alberta, is probably where you’ll find most of these openings.
With more than 40,000 tech employees, Calgary has seen more than 20% job growth in the tech industry between 2017 and 2021.
Agribusiness Sector is also booming in Calgary
Alberta is the nation’s third-largest exporter of agri-food goods, largely due to Calgary. This is because the Trans-Canada Highway (which runs east-west) and Highway 2 (which runs north-south), together known as the CANAMEX corridor, converge at Calgary. This makes it simple and highly efficient for businesses to access millions of potential customers within a one-day trip. Consequently, access to a wide range of consumer markets.
Our immigration representatives at Make Home Canada have immense knowledge related to Canadian immigration. To clarify your doubts or queries, you may write to us at [email protected]
