Edmonton

Edmonton

+ Capital: Edmonton 
+ Language: English
+ City population: 812,000 
+ Metropolitan population: 1.3 million 
+ Know as: The Oil Capital of Canada or The Festival City of Canada

Edmonton is predominantly a working city, with friendly residents, where people come to earn a living or be educated. It can offer excellent opportunities to those who seek them, and it’s likely that new arrivals will settle into their new home quickly and with relative ease.

Location
Edmonton is located in Alberta, Canada’s low tax province. Its residents pay significantly lower taxes than residents of other Canadian provinces. A few years back, Money Sense magazine ranked Edmonton as the 31st most livable location in Canada in terms of its economy, amenities, real estate market, weather, and attractions. By 2013, Edmonton had jumped to 11th best location in Canada, and was rated in 3rd place among the big cities, behind only Calgary and Ottawa.
Edmonton is a major oil and gas center, attracting many migrant workers. As a result of this, the city is ethnically diverse with about one-quarter of the local population belonging to a “visible minority” – mainly Chinese and other Asian ethnicities.
The Festival City
Edmonton offers many unique festivals and special events throughout the year. The city hosts exciting sports events, entertaining music and film festivals, and celebrations of food and culture from around the world. 

Language

Nearly 85% of residents report that English is their primary language and 91% of the immigrant population report conversational knowledge of the English language.

Climate

Edmonton’s climate is continental, with large seasonal temperature variations. Snowfall is extremely common and can occur between September and May.
The snowiest months are December and January and February which can be bitterly cold.
Average daily maximum temperatures exceed 20 degrees Celsius in June, July, and August.

Business and Jobs

Edmonton boasts a favorable jobs market relative to most other Canadian cities, with labor shortages. In the last 12 months Edmonton has added over 32,000 jobs and Edmonton’s unemployment rate moving in June 2014 was 5.5 percent.
The largest major industry is petrochemicals. The region is rich in oil and natural gas, which has given Edmonton the title of “Oil Capital of Canada”. The potential oil supply from the region’s tar sands is second only to Saudi Arabia’s. However, recruiting skilled workers in these fields has been difficult.
Local colleges offer a wide syllabus of courses related to the oil and gas fields, but Edmonton still experiences a shortage of professional and skilled workers in these sectors.
Employment vacancies tend to be offered on a “first come, first served” basis due to the lack of available workers in the city. This is especially true in the retail sector where prospective workers can apply in-person with their resumes and can receive offers of employment immediately.
New arrivals in Edmonton frequently report that they spend very little time in job hunting and usually receive offers of employment very quickly.

Edmonton’s Positives

•   A strong economy, with one of Canada’s best jobs markets
•   Cheaper housing than Calgary and big cities like Vancouver and Toronto
•   The lowest gasoline and fuel prices in Canada
•   Friendly people
•   Low taxes
•   The highest area of parkland per resident of any Canadian city
•   Canada’s Festival City

Vietnamese Students’ Association

The Vietnamese Students Association (VSA) in Edmonton is an ethnic student group focusing on social activities, cultural events and academia.
VSA members will have an opportunity to lead or participate in activities, events and projects throughout each school year. There will be opportunities for members to attend conferences/ camps with other VSA’s and youth groups in Canada. Members will also have opportunities to get involved with the local community in different ways.
VSA Edmonton advocates a fun and friendly environment through collaboration and responsible leadership.