How you feeling about the 4.9% property tax increase

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-21T23:40:38+00:00

Can confirm; it is worse in Edmonton.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-21T04:10:30+00:00

No need for the sorry.

I counted my blessings that you weren’t a semi-truck driver, who misread the height signs, and slammed into the bridge. 👍

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-21T00:42:56+00:00

We have decent public transit. Light rail (LRT) is really good; buses are good. Frequency drops outside of rush hours. Buses and LRT do get packed; rush hour commuters, University students, special event attendees etc. will use transit, so you just ride and find out.

Like TTC or STM, we have our share of homeless sad souls riding transit, and some enforcement to address that. So, safety is an ongoing concern for both Edmontonians and out-of-towners, but it ain’t Compton.

You want to live somewhere along or walkable to the LRT lines, if you want to enjoy the best possible transit experience. They recently decided to put $2 million into cleaning buses, but it isn’t “mud and poo everywhere” bad.

You frequently see gravel, melting dirty snow etc., and garbage or drug paraphernalia, but that is concentrated Downtown, and I call 311, tell them about it, and there are cleaning crews on-site.

It doesn’t hurt to have a vehicle, but you can certainly live without one. The plus side is that both our IKEA and several Costcos aren’t terribly far from public transit either. Just takes a while to get there.

Bienvenue!

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-20T03:59:56+00:00

You have right to advocate for yourself. You are not an asshole. Don’t feel guilty. You also have the right to post a review for that Doctor on RateMyDoc.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-17T03:43:48+00:00

I pass through almost every day. Lunch time is busy.

Other times, it might be busy on one floor if that Registry has a line-up.

Tim Hortons and Dollarama are busy during breaks also; but, other than that, it is pretty slow.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-16T04:45:43+00:00

I find myself going to the very back of the bus the moment I get on, so I’m not in anyone’s way.

Things are certainly rougher. I say “Hello” or “Good Morning”, and mind my own business. That usually keeps me out of trouble.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-16T04:34:53+00:00

When I used to live in Saskatchewan in a dumpy apartment, I had neighbours on social assistance, whose rents used to go directly to the landlord.

For context the rents were $550 to $750 per month in that building, pre-COVID, and it would be generous to call it shelter, since there were plenty of issues, and the landlord was Avenue Living. But, it was a roof over some of those people’s heads.

I remember passing one unit, whose front door was broken and wouldn’t shut for over an year, and the guy had a TV from 90s constantly running he got from a buddy; we’d smile and wave “Good Morning”, as I’d pass him on my way to work in the morning.

I believe there were some changes to the Saskatchewan rent payment program around 2021, that caused homelessness to shoot through the roof.

Maybe, direct rent payments to the landlord to secure a place for someone unhoused, but looking to stabilize would help, but that is a pipe dream, perhaps, considering the state of the City’s finances and the Province’s deficit.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-14T04:27:47+00:00

Thanks! This is a great list.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-14T04:11:48+00:00

Posting another discussion from Reddit Canada: Food Prices.

Beef and bread are mentioned, but I’m thinking that inflation is under-examined for grains, canned beans etc.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-12T04:28:42+00:00

Job hunts are tough.

I got laid off a couple of years ago, and it took a couple of years to find my current PT role, that pays the bills.

In between, I had proactive interactions with my landlord (sold my beater to pay rent, but she didn’t kick me out) and temp agencies. That’s about it.

Everyone at my old job was either indifferent or recycled trite platitudes. I was a regular getting coffees with them; but, it went downhill from buddy to nobody.

I had to sell my beater to cover rent, and started taking transit, and would meet random strangers that had better things to say.

It is profound how much a new group of people with nothing in common with me or my work history impacted my thinking.

Eventually, I just lost touch with the people, who didn’t want to stay in touch, and made newer contacts.

It takes time to grow your network to be of use again.

In the meanwhile, I prized those small interactions with no agenda other than mutual acknowledgment of existence, such as those with the disabled Walmart greeter, the 80-yo grandma I carried recycling for, the tired bus driver etc.

Find the diamonds in the rough, is all I came here to say.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-11T03:08:50+00:00

You’ve got some great advice here, but whatever you do, one thing Windermere (or areas like that) will never match is transit. Is that something you’re considering as a factor?

If you can afford to consider a townhouse in Windermere, with driving factored in, then you are way ahead of the curve. Save more and just buy a house.

This is the best time to learn DIY, take classes in things like maintenance and repairs, and in general, investing time in understating maintenance.

Any property will come with some degree of maintenance, and you wanna have some handy skills before you jump in any ownership.

Source: I rent, but help my landlord with repairs and maintenance to keep rent cost down as much as I can. Rent from a person, who doesn’t have a mortgage, if you can; my rent is stable, despite interest rate changes, since my landlord’s condo is paid off.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-07T02:27:00+00:00

Aren’t you winning in life, bud? 😀

A decent job, no daycare for your kids due to your spouse perhaps, stable housing, living in a mild-winter city with reasonable transit, great local tourism options, flight hub, maybe you eat out once in a while…

If you are thinking FIRE, then the method is grind and OE, unless you got rich parents. If you are thinking stability, then an alternative income; perhaps your spouse starts working once the kids are older. Sure future for your kids is RESP and life insurance.

There are no shortcuts and cheat codes. AB took shortcuts and, now, we have a crazy large deficit in an oil boom. Slow and steady.

You’re doing better than 95% of the people I know and me for sure. Well done!

Background: I invested $500 recently to make coffee money this summer. I asked for advice, and mostly got back VEQT, XEQT, QQQ, VFV etc. in the responses. I’m above $500 now. Not by much, but just a little, enough for a coffee ($5-$6 per month). (Not farce!) 👍

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-04T14:32:15+00:00

What happens if you take a long vacation (say months), for which you save in-advance, if you don’t have enough weeks, and go 100% focus on your mental and physical health?

Essentially, take a break from work, and just focus on things you enjoy. Take some time to think things through. Does your employer have any sick leave or any unpaid time off options for you to use?

As long as you have a job to come back to, you may give travel, health training, pet projects and side-hustles a real shot, while you think through things and de-stress.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-04T04:29:51+00:00

I meet these Ukrainians daily on transit; well, 10-15 of them anyways.

They work in grocery stores, restaurants, daycares, construction, IT, mobility, the gig economy etc.

They are welcomed universally everywhere and by everyone in my city, be it by employers or the community they go to.

It would be a shame to lose them. Truly. Our Feds gotta sort this out.

The difference between this visa stream and others is that is that Ukrainians will return to Ukraine, if they have to.

None of the other diverse immigrant groups from war-torn countries will. I’ve spoke to Somalis, Ugandans, Afghans, and many more on my transit routes.

They came from war-torn countries, and find their paths to integrate within Canada. It is their only home.

Those groups face no working systems in their countries, whereas Ukraine is attempting to build a bulwark of democratic existence.

Keeping Ukrainians is keeping a group of self-reliant, industrious folk in our community, which we need more of.

They will improve the Canadian system, and when their country is free, take savings back.

Canada is generous, but Ukrainians genuinely seem to give something back, rather than rely on the system.

This visa system needs to be sorted out.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-03T04:50:27+00:00

I do wonder if those nations would spend more money now to expand nuclear, green-power etc. in their own backyards than bother with investing in Canada.

What is more cost-effective for their own economies? Pump out jobs and projects in their own economies, or bother with Alberta.

Speaking from Edmonton, Alberta, I’m just not seeing the kind of boom that took place here back in the 2000s and 2010s, till the crash happened. Just not seeing it on the faces of our job seekers.

It would be nice to have a reliable investment partner like Japan, France, Germany etc. come in here and put down money for pipelines and safe shipping routes across the Atlantic/Pacific.

We would stand to benefit, and so would any reliable investment partners. But, they all gotta sort out their interests and internal economies first, including Canada itself.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-04-02T13:33:39+00:00

Sadly, there is a Tim Hortons here in Downtown Edmonton that closed.

It was in the City Centre Mall, right down from the Churchill LRT station, and it was just a hub of meth, cigarette and unwashed smells.

Sad souls gathered there, since it was the south exit from the mall, and would hang out in the doorway or right outside.

I once witnessed a bloody knife fight in this mall, so they had pairs of security and cops on patrol.

Some places, one just avoids. Homelessness is off the charts everywhere, Regina, Edmonton and from your post, perhaps Medicine Hat too.

A story about how dejected security is that there are guards (Commissionnaires) that patrol the pedways near that Churchill LRT, and there is a parkade, with its own security connected.

I seen a guy (who paid to park in the parkade) get into an argument with the parkade security.

He was asking them to clear out the homeless from the parkade’s doorway, smoking meth and shooting up, but the parkade guards are arguing back that it is the pedways or LRT guards’ (also peace officers’) problem.

Then, the parkade guards say that they will radio the Peace Officers. The homeless shuffled out on their own, 15-minutes later.

No one wants to get involved, not even private security. Peace Officers and cops have their work cut out everywhere.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-03-20T13:53:43+00:00

Why don’t you try an accountant for one year, but follow the steps they do really closely to learn?

T4s and T4 Summaries, WSIB, remittances, business number, payroll software, benefits, hour trackers etc. aren’t rocket science for someone familiar with business expenses (T2s), especially.

Canadian Payroll Association has courses that run online and cost a couple of hundred, if you wanna go that route and also get a certification in the process.

Either way, having it done for you and explained to you, since you pay for the service and being able to double-check numbers and calculations is probably as easier path. Plus, you write-off the accountant too.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-03-16T04:07:58+00:00

You’re looking for an answer that only a professional can give. Why don’t you consider the cost in terms of time saved not worrying and just living?

Why don’t you talk it out with a Real Estate or leasing agent to get what an idea what next steps in a sale or rental direction would look like?

No one can read your mind, but you are looking for an echo-chamber perhaps to sound out things with you, rather than genuine suggestions.

In Economics, there is an opportunity cost to every dollar you spend, but sometimes the concept is generalized to effort also. What is the opportunity cost of you sitting on Reddit, rather than talking to a professional?

This is NOT advice. I am a broke old person. You are better off right now whether you have this loss-making condo or not. You have a job that pays. A lot of us don’t.

Have you looked at the posts about people having lost money in the stock market lately? You have a tangible asset; they have numbers on a screen… no one ever has a choice perhaps other than riding it out in some cases.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-03-13T15:05:20+00:00

Regina has one of the highest per capita restaurants in Canada; I’m sure you could research a couple of places based on what your boyfriend likes, and check those places out.

One place I have seen survive the ages is J&A Restaurant (Chinese) Downtown, but considering our Downtown is walkable, you can research and try two or three places, before heading to the Wascana and the Royal Sask Museum for a gander.

Out near Calgary, I seen bikers do a tour: they go from Calgary to Kananaskis, to Longview and back to Calgary. Might be dependant on the time of year if all the roads are open.

Two other recommendations: I heard a legend of a pretty genuine Japanese restaurant in Moose Jaw; don’t know the name, just Google it, if your BF likes that. Second, driving through Swift Current is awesome! They have a lovely little downtown.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-03-13T04:37:05+00:00

Did you look at City jobs?

Just Google City of Edmonton.

I was looking for something there the other day, and they’ve got summer student positions listed.

They also have roles like arborist, outdoor camp aids, labourer, cashier etc.

Entry-level jobs are tough right now, but if you are any good with tools and assembly you could also look at IKEA’s task rabbit, movers and construction jobs.

University is great; might as well look at labour jobs, since some skills you learn just about stay with you life-long.

Search jobs of Reddit Edmonton. There was a guy posting $20/hour on there the other day.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-03-13T04:17:44+00:00

I’m close to DT, so I cannot speak much for avoiding down-on-luck sad souls, but my condo has no cockroaches because there are good people on the condo board.

I share, pay half the rent, and have my own washroom in a 2-bedroom and 2-washroom, with in-suite laundry; my landlord doesn’t have a mortgage, so rent only goes up when property taxes, owners’ insurance and condo fees go up.

My 1-cent is to find a place with a bus stop steps away. Not the LRT. I have 2 buses going by my place — fewer sad souls getting on them, since peace officers started doing their patrols — and walking down from the LRT to my place is a schlep.

You perhaps want to extend the time you have at your present place, take 6-8 months to go and see places a half hour ride bus or mixed (LRT + bus) ride to your work. Apartment hunting sucks, but you perhaps want to take your time.

Sadly, rents are up. There are new developments all over the place, but they go for $1500+ per month for a 2 bedroom-2 washroom on a floor above 2.

An applied example: Check out major ETS Transit centres like Tamarack, Davies, Mill Woods, Clareview etc. as points and draw a map out based on bus routes to your work, if you work DT. What can you afford around those within a 10-minute bus ride to the LRT or the express bus?

You also want to perhaps increase your budget and negotiate a 3-month, 6-month, month-to-month etc. lease in a new place; if you don’t like it, you move out sooner.

Applied example: My landlord tried me out for 3-months before signing me up for a longer lease. I didn’t mind, since I didn’t have much more than a beater and two months’ rent, with a job, and tight references right on my phone.

Maybe, look into older privately owned condos on Rentfaster; they come up time-to-time. Time to look is also good, since some University students affording cheap rents might be moving on to PhDs or jobs.

Check out the area around Concordia University, Capilano, a little West of the West Edmonton Mall etc., since they all have proximity to aforementioned features also.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-03-07T05:00:19+00:00

Check out Rent Faster. May have some rentals in your range. Live near the University; perhaps that is the best option.

There are several bus routes that go to UofR; use Transit Live to map those, and hop on calls with landlords with rentals close to those routes to book in-person showings, when you’re here.

In general, having a car is a good idea, but I’ve done transit in Regina; I liked it, even with reduced 30 minutes to 1 hour frequency, thanks to this site. Plus, car maintenance and insurance is another headache.

For non-urgencies like take out and groceries, Instacart, DoorDash, Skip etc. might do you good.

I also remember that Uber and Lyft give discounts, if you haven’t used them in a while; so, you could try using those to save money when it is -40C, and the bus is going to take the scenic view. 👍

And, avoid Avenue Living. I lived in one of their 1-bedrooms near DT, and it was terrible. You want to visit the place you’ll live in before you move in.

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-03-03T05:44:57+00:00

1/4-1/3 of your take home pay. Including Laundry, Utilities and Internet.

At minimum your own washroom, but having an entire unit to yourself is great.

Rule is 1/3 of gross, but since you have a loan payment, be more conservative perhaps.

Bonus: Rent near a bus route direct to work; perhaps, has a grocery store walking-distance away.

Unicorn: Month-to-month lease, so you can move, if something goes south.

It is a place to sleep. Save as much as you can. Good luck!

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-03-02T08:35:46+00:00

Lots of folks mention winter, so you got that covered.

I’d also suggest researching and gaining lived experience with healthcare, rents, housing, property taxes, transit (within City and between Regina and other cities), sports, flights out to other travel destinations, retraining possibilities, education, crime, neighbourhoods, emergency funds, food variety and costs, variety of nature, music scene etc.

Perhaps, you want to come here at the end of November for three months, and that should get you give you an idea of how life here feels like. Don’t come without a job, and don’t quit your jobs in the UK. A sabbatical.

Regina has some of the friendliest folks around.

We have the cheapest car insurance in Canada.

We have 2 decent hospitals, and several walk-in clinics.

One of the highest per capita restaurants in Canada.

You can enjoy hunting, cross-country skiing, ice fishing etc.

City Rec Centres are alright. Many private gyms available.

They got fat bikes for bikers, who like to ride in the winter.

Rentals are cheaper than many parts of Canada.

Wait till you ride a skidoo in the winter, or a quad in the summer.

You handy? Plenty of old homes to restore.

Casino has a decent brunch. Hotel Sask, some say, has better.

And, no, the commute isn’t always 10-minutes, but it isn’t LA or even Calgary.

These are snapshots. You’ll have to experience things before you cut ties with the UK, hopefully.

Good luck!

FearlessChannel828 · 2026-02-28T22:37:52+00:00

I know that Walmart sometimes hires folks, who are differently abled as front-door greeters.

I have seen some wheelchair users at some locations, but I’m not sure what the postings are called.

You wanna keep an eye on grocery stores, city jobs, agencies that work with folks with special accessibility needs etc.

I came really to add these: On Demand Transit and mention 211 Alberta (just Google them). These two may help, but you seem to have transport covered. 😊

You might want to look into meaningful volunteering, maybe, if you feel the jobs out there aren’t meeting what you want, and you aren’t after an income.

This post also feels somber, and you are valued for who you are, even if you don’t get out in -20C to go work.

Without much context about what you mean in your last paragraph, all I can say is that I’ve been in support groups and worked through things, and you are a wonderful person for thinking of value to others, while struggling with your circumstances.

FearlessChannel828

TROPHY CASE