People & Places
Settling in Okotoks
Julie Parry and family moved to Okotoks, in Southern Alberta, in 2006. Julie explains why they chose Okotoks and what the town has going for it
I emigrated to Canada with my husband Eddie and our two boys, Frasier and Brandon, in July 2006. We moved to Canada as we wanted a better quality of life for ourselves and our two young sons and that is exactly what we have found.
We live in a great community called Okotoks, which is just south of Calgary and has everything a family could possibly ever want. We now have fantastic views of the Rockies from our house, which is unbelievable. I still have to pinch myself sometimes.
Why Canada?
We had initially made up our minds some years ago to come to Canada after hearing so much positive information about the quality of life experienced by those living there. We had been to the US several times, but had never been to Canada so knew that we had to go on an exploratory visit. I have to confess my initial reaction to Canada was that it was too cold! Minus 20 looks scary when you look at the weather data, but because Alberta has such a dry climate it does not go through you like a cold winter's day in the UK. The sun shines a lot in the winter, too, which makes you feel a lot warmer. We also get four distinct seasons and a decent summer! Eddie was a police officer in the UK, and wanted to continue his career in Canada, so it had to be in an area that was recruiting police officers.
Where in Canada?
We had already applied for permanent residency by submitting our Skilled Worker visa application and then settled down to decide which areas we wanted to include in our research trip. We sat down and opened our atlas and decided that it had to be either Alberta or British Columbia. We wanted to live near the mountains as it was the main thing that we visualised about Canada and it also it meant we could ski! We narrowed our choices down to Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary as they were all thriving cities, with smaller commuter towns which on research appeared to afford us the quality of life we were looking for.
On our fact-finding mission we found Vancouver to be very beautiful, with the ocean and the mountains, but it just did not do it for us. It rains a lot, also when Ed was visiting the police station I found myself locking the car doors! Edmonton was okay, too, but just too far from the Rockies, appeared a lot more industrial than Calgary. Also, being three hours further north from Calgary, it does not benefit from Chinooks. The Chinooks (meaning 'snow-eater' in First Nations language) are warm winds that blow over the Rockies which only occurs in Southern Alberta. This can make a big difference as winter does not seem as long and can raise the temperature by 20 degrees.
After a lot of research we decided on Calgary because of its location near the Rockies, the employment opportunities, its climate, its accessibility (Calgary international airport has a variety of airlines flying directly from the UK on a daily basis) and because of the feel of the city (which I know is a very personal thing). Having come from Devon, we wanted to live in a town on the outskirts of Calgary, rather than within the city limits. We spent a lot of time visiting surrounding towns, looking at schools, facilities, housing, etcetera. We came to the conclusion that Okotoks was definitely the place for us.
Why Okotoks?
Okotoks gets its names from the Blackfoot word meaning 'Big Rock' due to the glacial boulder brought down during the last ice age and deposited near to the town. Okotoks is a town with a population of approximately 18,000. However, the council have decided it will be capped at 30,000 due to the fact that the town's water supply is taken out of the Sheep River. Okotoks is also home to North America's first solar-powered subdivision [estate].
Okotoks is 20 kilometres south of Calgary and is nestled in the foothills. We open our curtains every morning and are greeted by a fantastic view of the Rockies! We live in a lake community, therefore in the summer we can go swimming, fishing, boating, the children can play on the beach and we can book one of the gazebos for barbecues. Okotoks has over 40 kilometres of interconnected pathways which is ideal for walking, roller blading or cycling and makes it safe for the whole family to go out together. The Sheep River is great fun in the summer and you can go tubing for miles through some beautiful scenery.
It is very common to see deer near old town Okotoks, which is home to lots of boutiques, shops and restaurants. Towards the south of the town are the larger chain stores and restaurants, giving you even more choice. Okotoks has three golf courses, a large recreation centre with two pools, two ice rinks, a curling rink, gym, youth club, etcetera (it will also be home to the new splash park that is to be built within its grounds), the Centennial Arena (home of the Okotoks Oilers hockey team), the Seaman Stadium (home to the Dawgs baseball team), a bmx track, skate park and lots of play parks and green space. Okotoks also has a small airstrip for anyone interested in taking flying lessons!
We have found this community to be extremely welcoming and absolutely love it here. There is a real sense of community, something we sadly felt our town in Devon was lacking. Canadians are renowned for their volunteering efforts and we have found that this rubs off on newcomers, and soon you find yourself being a Beaver Leader or such like!
Great for the family
Shortly after we arrived, Eddie started training with Calgary Police and our eldest started school. Brandon (our youngest) and I were able to spend time together investigating all the activities on offer in the community for youngsters. Because Brandon was only three he only attended preschool two half days a week. Frasier started swimming with the Okotoks Stingrays as well as playing indoor soccer. It was fortunate that I hadn't planned to work as soon as we got out here as a lot of my time was taken up gathering information as it is surprising how long it can take to find out everything about the way things work in a new country.
Relocation challenge
When you arrive in Canada, you have to apply for Alberta Health coverage, apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN), obtain an Alberta driving licence (straight swap for a UK licence), open a bank account, arrange for a doctor and dentist this is on top of finding a property, finding a vehicle and registering it, insuring your vehicle and property, applying for childcare benefits and child tax benefits... and the list goes on and on. Both Frasier and Brandon love the summer holidays (they break up at the end of June and are on holiday until the end of August) as the there are lots of summer camps on offer. Every Easter, when the new brochure comes out, they start circling which camps they would like to attend and seeing as they are far more affordable than in the UK, it is something we can allow them to do. They have also attended skating lessons, played baseball and soccer, had swimming lessons and been enjoying all the activities organised by the Beavers during the school term (we have to put a limit on it as there is only so much you can fit in every week!). Calgary has many fantastic concerts and shows during the year, as well as the Zoo, Heritage Park, Calaway Park, the Science centre, Glenbow museum, Fort Calgary, as well as the world famous Calgary Stampede!
Julie is now a licensed realtor covering Calgary and the surrounding areas. Julie and Eddie also offer complimentary relocation services.
For further information
Julie Parry
Okotoks fast facts
Location: Okotoks is nestled in the Sheep River Valley of the Alberta Foothills, 20kms south of Calgary on Highway 2/2A. Okotoks has centrally located access to a number of destinations, including downtown Calgary (30 mins), Calgary International Airport (40 mins), Banff National Park (90 mins), Lethbridge (2 hours), Waterton National Park (2.5 hours), and Radium/Invermere (3 hours).
Transportation:
There are commuter buses that run into Calgary several times a day and there are very good road links into Calgary itself. As in most of North America, the car rules supreme.
Climate:
Average hours of sunshine per year: 2,300
Average rainfall per year: 300mm
Average summer temperature: 22.7°C
Average winter temperature: -8.9°C
What we love
1. The climate – Okotoks has four distinct seasons and a decent summer! Also, the Chinook winds that blow across southern Alberta keep winter temperatures up.
2. It's near to the mountains – this was the main thing that we visualised about living in Canada and it also it meant we could ski!
3. The employment opportunities – we needed somewhere that Eddie could continue working as a policeman.
4. Accessibility – Calgary international airport has a variety of airlines flying directly from the UK on a daily basis.
5. A great place to be at leisure – Okotoks has over 40 kilometres of interconnected pathways which is ideal for walking, roller blading or cycling and makes it safe for the whole family to go out together.
6. A real sense of community.