About Calgary – Arlin Silverman

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Arlin B. Silverman
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Phone:	403.256.3888
TollFree:	1.800.661.6262
Fax:	403.263.3348
Address:	#102, 279 Midpark Way S.E.
City:	Calgary
Province:	Alberta T2X 1M2
Country:	Canada

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About Calgary

Calgary climate

Calgary and area has a moderate four-season climate, with large variations in temperature between seasons and from one locale to another. Summer days in the city of Calgary are usually warm and dry with cool evenings because of the altitude and proximity to the mountains. However, a summer day in Drumheller is often very hot and dry approximating desert-like conditions. A summer day in the mountains can be hot but the evenings are always cool.

Alberta has more hours of sunshine in a year than any other province in Canada, and Calgary is known for its blue skies. A unique phenomena called a Chinook wind can raise temperatures more than 20 degrees in one day, turning winter days into spring. A strong wind and an arch of clouds form over the mountains, heralding the arrival of the Chinook.

Calgary and area is typically dry with the largest amount of rainfall during the spring months. Although the mountain areas receive significant amounts of snow in the winter, Calgary often receives only moderate snowfall.

Average Temperatures:
Summer (Jun to Aug):	20^o C	68^o F
Fall (Sep to Nov):	11^o C	52^o F
Winter (Dec to Feb):	-11^o C	10^o F
Spring (Mar to May):	9^o C	42^o F

Environment Canada

Suggested wardrobe

Summer:
For the city, pack lightweight clothing with a sweater, raincoat or light topcoat for cooler evening temperatures. Temperatures in the mountains are always a little cooler than in the city.

If you are planning outdoor activities in the mountains, bring good hiking shoes or boots, and carry warm clothing that can be layered. The University of Calgary's Outdoor Program rents equipment for outdoor activities, for very moderate fees. Calgary also has excellent outdoor clothing and equipment stores.

Spring and Fall:
Weather during these in-between seasons can be unpredictable. Bring a warm jacket and clothing that can be layered.

Winter:
During the winter months, a warm coat, boots, gloves and a hat are a necessity. If you plan on skiing, be sure to bring your skiwear. Most ski facilities, however, rent skis, boots and poles.

Currency & banking
Dollars and cents form the monetary system in Canada. Although the operators of many retail outlets, restaurants and other venues may accept American money, visitors should exchange their travellers cheques or cash for Canadian currency.

Visitors will receive the best rate of exchange at:

Chartered banks
Trust companies
Credit unions
Caisse populaires
Alberta Treasury Branches
Airport and border crossing exchange booths

Some banks charge a fee to cash travellers cheques. Normal banking hours are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours including weekends at many locations.

Automated teller machines marked with a Plus or Interac symbol will accept automated banking cards from outside Canada. Banks charge a fee of $2 for international transactions. The visitors bank sets the exchange rate. Most venues will accept major national or international credit cards and travellers cheques for payment.

Driving Distances From Calgary*

to Banff 1.5 hours
to Lake Louise 2 hours
to Canmore 1.25 hours
to Jasper 5 hours
to Edmonton 3 hours
to Red Deer 1.5 hours
to Waterton 3 hours
to Lethbridge 2.5 hours
to Drumheller 1.5 hours
to Panorama, BC 3.5 hours
to Vancouver, BC 12 hours
to Regina, SK 8.5 hours
to Winnipeg, MB 15 hours

* All times are estimates based on posted speed limits and shortest routes.

Electricity
Electrical outlets and voltage are the same as they are in the United States (110 or 220 volts). For countries that use different voltages, an adapter is necessary to use small electrical appliances such as hair dryers and curling irons.

Fishing and hunting licences
The provincial Ministry of Environment issues freshwater fishing licenses at sporting goods stores, department stores, marinas, and Canadian Parks Service Information Centres. The federal Department of Fisheries issues saltwater fishing licenses at the same outlets as freshwater licenses. Hunters obtain licenses and any other details from the Ministry of Environment, Government Agents or licensed offices.

There is no hunting within national and provincial parks in Alberta. For information on hunting regulations in Alberta, call the Fish & Wildlife Department at (403) 297-6423.

Health insurance
Visitors to Canada should obtain travellers' health insurance before leaving home. Most health insurance coverage does not extend outside the country of residence. Visitors may find they have either no health insurance or inadequate coverage when in Canada.

Daily rates for hospital care vary from hospital to hospital and province to province. Charges for adult in-patient care can start at $900 per day; charges for children in specialized hospitals can be higher still. In addition, some provinces impose a surcharge of up to 30 per cent on care for non-residents. Visitors taking prescription medication should bring a copy of the prescription for renewal in Canada.

Hospital & medical services
Canadian hospital and medical services are excellent. Alberta hospitals will not refuse treatment to those requiring care, regardless of their financial status or health care coverage.

Emergency care in Calgary
Dial '911' in Calgary for emergency service including situations where an ambulance is needed.

The following hospitals have emergency care departments:

Alberta Children's Hospital
1820 Richmond Rd. S.W.
229-7211
(emergency services for children 18 and younger)

Foothills Hospital (24-hour)
1403-29th St. N.W.
670-1110

Peter Lougheed General Hospital (24-hour)
3500-26 Ave. N.E.
291-8555

Rockyview General Hospital (24-hour)
7007-14th St. S.W.
541-3000

Walk-in clinics offer limited emergency services and are open in the evenings and on weekends. Check the Yellow Pages in the Phone directory under 'Physicians and Surgeons.'

Liquor laws
Legal minimum age to purchase liquor in Alberta is 18. In British Columbia and Saskatchewan the legal age is 19.

Metric system
Canada uses the metric system for weights, measures and distances, although the Imperial system is included in this guide (in parenthesis).

How to convert between metric and Imperial:

Distance
1 km = 5/8 mile

Driving Speed
50 km/h = 30 mph
100 km/h road signs = 60 mph

To convert kilometres to miles:
1 km X .6 = approximate mileage

To convert miles to kilometres:
1 mi. X 1.6 = approximate kilometres

Weight
1 kilogram(kg) = 2.2 lb.
500 grams(g) = 1.1 lb.

To convert kilograms to pounds:
Multiply kg X 2.2 = lb.

To covert grams to ounces:
Multiply grams X .035 = ounces

Buying gas and other liquids
Fuel in Canada is sold in litres. It takes 3.78 litres to make a U.S. gallon. A litre of milk is roughly equal to a quart of milk.

Temperature
Canada uses the Celsius temperature scale where the freezing point = 0^oC

To convert Celsius into Fahrenheit degrees:
F^o = 9/5 X C^o + 32

For example, a pleasant summer morning of 22^oC = 72^oF; while -5^oC (23^oF) in February is great skiing weather.

Sales taxes
Provincial Sales Taxes Alberta has a five per cent hotel tax but no provincial sales tax.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) The seven per cent federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) applies to most goods and services. Foreign visitors may claim a full rebate of the GST on non-consumable goods (items purchased in Canada that they take out of the country within 60 days of purchase), and on short-term accommodation. There is no rebate on consumable items such as meals, liquor, tobacco, transportation costs and gasoline.

Telephones
International Dialing Procedures To dial overseas: Dial 011 + Country Code (1-5 digits) + Routing Code (1-5 digits) + Local Number (2-9 digits). The operator (Dial 0) can give you the Country Code and Routing Code for all international centres.

Provincial Dialing Procedures
To dial within Canada:
Dial 1 + Area Code (3 digits) + Local Number (7 digits).

Tipping
Tips or service charges are not usually added to a bill in Canada, except for large parties or banquets. In general, tip 15 per cent of the total amount. This applies to service attendants including waiters, waitresses, barbers, hairdressers, taxi drivers, etc. Pay bellhops, doormen, redcaps (porters) etc. at hotels, airports and railway stations $2 per item of luggage.

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Alberta sets pace for national growth

More than 7% in 2006


Geoffrey Scotton
CanWest News Service

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

CREDIT: Lara Solt, Knight Ridder

IMPERIAL OIL LTD.'S COLD LAKE PROJECT IN ALBERTA: Energy has pushed the province's standard of living to the top of the heap in Canada and among the best in the Western world.

CALGARY - Energy wealth will accelerate Alberta's already nation-leading economy, pulling living standards, population growth, incomes, labour markets, industrial performance and government tax flexibility far ahead of the rest of the country over the next decade.

In an in-depth report provided exclusively to the Calgary Herald, economists with BMO Financial Group have concluded Alberta's economic growth will outpace the rest of the country by a wide margin during the next 10 years, producing a broad menu of fiscal, social and commercial benefits that will leave the province in a league of its own.

"Alberta is on a roll. In the last two years its economy has expanded about one percentage point faster than the national economy," says the report, to be released this week.

"While energy prices should moderate in the decade ahead. ... Alberta should continue to lead the rest of the nation in economic performance.

"The province's fiscal situation, already tops in the nation, should improve further, and ... government will have plenty of scope to improve the province's tax competitiveness, social services and infrastructure."

It's an assessment shared by many other observers, including the Conference Board of Canada.

"[A] strong energy sector is lifting construction output, consumer spending, manufacturing output and the province's fiscal situation," said Mario Lefebvre, the board's director of Metropolitan Outlook. "All of this bodes well for provincial government spending on goods and services."

Rick Egelton, BMO's senior vice-president and chief economist, said elevated energy prices are magnifying the underlying strengths Alberta has been able to assemble, including a low-tax climate, superior government finances, a well-educated and young workforce, an increasingly diversified industrial base and strong personal income growth.

"Alberta's is a fundamentally strong economy that is strengthened even further by very high energy prices -- and it's really as simple as that," Mr. Egelton said yesterday.

"The economy in Alberta right now is extraordinarily strong," Mr. Egelton said. "In my professional experience, this is about as good as it's going to get for a province. Its fiscal house is in order, it has the potential to make more moves on the tax side, it has potential to invest in key strategic priorities of the government, and it has a good economic base."

For Albertans, the BMO outlook forecasts their living standards, already the highest in Canada and among the best in the Western world, are set to improve further, rising to 55% above the national average by 2015 from today's level -- 45% above the national average and 40% higher than Ontario.

However, the benefits of the strong economy go far beyond living standards, says the analysis, prepared over the past two months of 2005.

"Alberta should continue to offer the best job prospects in the nation ... and the largest increase in incomes," it said. Specifically, Alberta unemployment rate is forecast to average 3.5% to 2015, three percentage points lower than Canada's, while Albertans' personal disposable income will soar 71% to $46,100 from $26,961 in 2004, 23% higher than the Canadian average.

Against that backdrop, BMO argues Alberta's government will have unprecedented flexibility to boost social spending and to cut taxes, making the province even more competitive.

"With its coffers bulging from sizable energy royalties, the provincial government is in an exceptional position to increase spending on targeted areas -- primarily health and infrastructure," says the report, from a unit of the Bank of Montreal and affiliate of BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc.

"Of all the provinces, Alberta will be the best placed to meet increased demand for health care from an ageing population."

The report echoes and amplifies themes discussed recently by Jeffrey Rubin, chief economist of CIBC World Markets Inc., who believes economic circumstances have set the stage for Alberta to eclipse Canada's traditional economic heartland in Ontario.

"Nowhere will those disparities be more evident than in a comparison of the relative outlooks for energy-rich Alberta and energy-hungry Ontario," Mr. Rubin said. Extraordinarily bullish on Alberta, he believes the province's economy will grow by more than 7% in 2006, compared with less than 2% for Ontario and 2.9% for the country.

"Economic imbalances are likely to lead to even greater fiscal ones," Mr. Rubin said.

"Further reductions in what are already the lowest personal income taxes in the country and perhaps even the elimination of income taxes may ultimately prove to be a greater competitive challenge to central Canada than rising energy prices themselves."

However, Mr. Egelton downplayed interprovincial and intergovernmental tensions, citing the federal government's strong finances and Canada's robust economy, as well as the relatively positive performances of the economies of Alberta's neighbours, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

"Will it create some tensions?" he said. "It may, but those tensions have existed for quite a while."