Canada

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Voting Outside Your Riding in the Upcoming Election

We have an election coming up on May 2nd. There are two ways to vote if you will not be in your riding on that day.

The first way is intended for those who are out of the country. It takes the longest and requires a bit of an investment: requesting a special ballot by mail and then mailing it back. Ballot requests must be received by April 26th and the ballot must be in Ottawa by May 2nd. What with Canada Post being what it is, I wouldn’t use this method without paying to register the documents!

If you are in Canada, but not anywhere near your riding, the second method is much easier. It’s what I did in Edmonton in ’08 and will be doing again this year in Lethbridge: going to the nearest Elections Canada office and voting in an advanced poll.

Both methods require a piece of ID with your name, address of your current riding, and signature, or a combination of documents.

Remember that voting is a birthright in this country. Please exercise it!

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The Value of a Local Guide

Jody let me know that for some unfathomable reason, Lethbridge grocery stores offer a 15% discount on the first Tuesday of the month. I was due for a good stock up, so she and I headed out to Save-On this afternoon.

My first pass through the store just about made me sick with sticker shock after two months in the US! But that passed and I was able to recognize deals and began to fill my cart the way I do before heading north. I had budgeted a couple hundred bucks for a really big pantry and freezer fill, so I didn’t do my usual tally of my cart as I shopped. So you can imagine that I was thrilled that after applying the discount I get with my Save-On card and the 15%, I got out of there with a bill of $108!

After, Jody took me down to the Lethbridge Herald office and got me signed up with a couple of flyer routes! It’s paid exercise that I can do on my schedule on set days and while not a living wage will most definitely help my bottom line. I start right now! My car trunk is filled with flyers and I’ll be heading off to make deliveries soon as I print off a map. I would never have thought to apply for something like that and I’m glad Jody suggested it!

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Encouraging Prospects

As soon as I knew I had a place to stay in Lethbridge through to the fall (and that I loved the location!), I was quite motivated to focus my job search here rather than expanding my radius to the entirety of southern Alberta. I’m still leaving all doors open, but I am very encouraged by the number of job ads daily that I can apply for here. In the last few weeks, I’ve been able to apply for more jobs that I’m perfectly suited for in terms of both qualifications and the length of of the contract than I saw in my four months in the Vancouver area!

Just a few months ago, I thought I would never again want a ‘real’ job, but that was before I went to the States. Now, I just want a real job that pays more than just a living wage so I can sock away as much as I can for next winter!

I have an interview lined up with a placement agency on the 15th, but I’ve never had any luck with those sorts of places, so I keep on sending out resumes. I’m averaging three a day, so something good is bound to pan out. In fact, the ads I’m seeing are making me so confident I’ll find something I love that I’m being picky. I might change my tune by the end of the month, but I have the luxury of a couple of weeks to be choosy so I’m not going to grab the first thing I’m offered if it’s not appealing.

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All Hell For a Basement

 

This part of the country seems to have all hell for a basement, and the only trap door appears to be in Medicine Hat. And don’t you ever think of changing the name of your town. It’s all your own and the only hat of its kind on earth.

 

This afternoon my host, Jody, and I went on a little road trip around south-east Alberta, stopping in the town of Medicine Hat, which is ‘The Gas City’, the sunniest city in Canada, the home of the biggest teepee in Canada if not the world, and immortalized by Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book) to boot. Not bad for a town of about 60,000!

It is so good to be back in the flats of the prairies; I have missed them so, so much. There was much snow on the ground and with a few hills in the background it looked very much like the Montérégie landscape of my youth.

I love having a local guide and, especially, a driver. Being a passenger is pure luxury!

the giant teepee, built for Expo '86 in Vancouver

the giant teepee, built for Expo ’86 in Vancouver

the giant teepee, built for Expo '86 in Vancouver

the giant teepee, built for Expo ’86 in Vancouver

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artwork at the giant teepee

artwork at the giant teepee

artwork at the giant teepee

artwork at the giant teepee

welcome to Medicine Hat "The Gas City"

welcome to Medicine Hat “The Gas City”

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windmill outside the Etzicom museum

windmill outside the Etzicom museum

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My Alberta Digs

It is snowing hard out this morning. Welcome to Alberta!

Here are some shots of my spot in Lethbridge:

a nice big yard, plenty of space to get the rig in and tuck the car in beside it

a nice big yard, plenty of space to get the rig in and tuck the car in beside it

a nice, wide alley; lots of space to get Miranda backed into the yard

a nice, wide alley; lots of space to get Miranda backed into the yard

leveling took some effort, but we got it done!

leveling took some effort, but we got it done!

walking the planks is much better than walking in the mud!

walking the planks is much better than walking in the mud!

my 'porch' is my signature colour! :-D

my ‘porch’ is my signature colour! 😀

My passenger-side office window looks out over an empty house. I’m backed into the spot so my big picture window looks out onto a shed. My other windows look out over a garage or a fence. The only ones that have no privacy are the ones I always keep blocked anyway: the loft and the cab. The alley gets minimum traffic so the spot is quiet. I’d consider this a prime location!