City Of Cold Lake Bylaw #486-Fa-13 Franchise Agreement With Atco: Fill & Download for Free

N.B. Because of Canadian law, essentially only accredited lawyers, notaries in the Province of Quebec and consultants who are members in good standing of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council can give out visa application advice. I don’t qualify.Perhaps this question was intended for intending immigrants so, my Answer will emphasize information for them. However, it could be applied to Canadians too. I haven't seen any really good statistics about how many Canadians move from where they are to any given city. But, many do. Some doubtless do it because they simply think they might enjoy it better living some place else. But, some will do it because of job opportunities or family issues (You've married a Canadian from someplace else, or they get a better job in another city.)Or, you are in an unpleasant personal situation where you currently are, and want to escape, and “start a new life”. Or, the place you are in seems to be sliding in certain ways, and you just want to get out. Or, you have ethnocultural or lifestyle requirements that can not be served where you currently are. (Not enough synagogues. Not enough gay bars, professional sports teams, delicatessens, comic book conventions, post-secondary educational facilities, curling clubs, discos, poetry groups, etc.)I suspect that a lot of young Canadians come up on a point where, they say to themselves, I want to make a big move before I have family responsibilities and a mortgage. And, then, later, you have struggled through your working life and are now a middle-income retired pensioner. If circumstances haven't tied you down (Daughter-in-law says, you will babysit tonight, or you will not see your grandchildren, ever!), do you really want to stay in this dump you have been putting up with, because you needed the job?Moving within Canada can be really expensive. For example, moving the contents of a two-bedroom apartment, from Ottawa to Vancouver, using a bonded carrier, can cost around C$10,000. This can put a definite damper on where else you might pick to live.Interprovincial Moves Can Be Really ToughAn interprovincial move can be tedious. You have to change your driver's licence, your health card, your licence plates, and your car insurance. (Rates and carriers vary from province to province. A few of the provinces have public insurance systems.) The different provinces have different tax rates and systems. Each province charges its own income tax. The differences can be signifigant. And some provinces provide more or less services than others. (For example, Quebec has heavily subsizided day care.)A very big damper on anyone with professional or trades certifications, from moving to a city in another province, is that most of these occupations, are not licenced at the national level. You have to apply again, if you want to work in your own trade or profession.Moving Within Your Metropolitan AreaIn Canada, references to a given city can be a little confusing, because people don't necessarily specify whether they mean the “city proper”, or the metropolitan area. For example, there is the City of Toronto, Toronto's most populous municipality, with its iconic City Hall and combative City Council. But, you will hear references to the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area. This is a big, sprawled region at the western end of Lake Ontario. It is full of different municipalities. Each one has its own property tax rates, the predominant means that Canadian municipalities have of providing services. Each one has different standards for infrastructure, including the most controversial and expensive ones, schools, roads and snow plowing. Each one is in control of its own bylaws. This includes the strict, heavily enforced, zoning bylaws. Among other things, those decide what can be built in any particular place, where you can operate a given business, where you are allowed to smoke, tobacco or marijuana, and what you can't smoke at all. For example, forget about operating a hookah bar in the City of Ottawa, Ottawa establishment fined $76,250 for hookah use.The existence of Canadian metropolitan areas is recognized officially by Statistics Canada, the central statistical agency of the Canadian federal government. These are called Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA's): CMA and CA: Detailed definitionSo, from the point of view of a Canadian, for example, living in Toronto doesn't necessarily mean, living in Toronto. And, in a certain way, there is more than one Toronto. Living in Toronto can mean, living in Brampton, or Mississauga, or York Region, or even Oshawa, or, if you accept the GTHA concept, even living in Hamilton and its suburban municipalities. And, which of those many municipalities really, really matters. Canadians can be moving from city to city even when they are in what seems to be the same place.Some other cities are the same. The supposed City of Vancouver is actually a core municipality, for a whole, sprawling set of suburbs, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, New Westminster, Abbotsford, Richmond, Surrey, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, etc. Laid on to it by the Government of British Columbia is the Metro Vancouver Regional District: Metro Vancouver Regional District - Wikipedia . It provides services that the provincial government deems best provided on a regional basis. There is the Vancouver CMA. But, the various area municipalities can be quite different from each other, in terms of ethnicity, attitude and social class. The City of Vancouver is horribly expensive for housing. Sometimes one's pick of municipality, is about how much you can afford for a place to live. This can easily drive you thirty kilometres or more from the centre of the City of Vancouver. If you work in the city centre you can have an arduous commute, but that is just too bad.Dodge The StereotypesIt is a bit more ephemeral, but Canadians sometimes attribute certain characteristics to a given city. Some of the characteristics are not entirely unfounded in fact. For example, the City of Ottawa itself, dull, staid and quiet. (Plain old true.) But its CMA partner across the Ottawa River, Gatineau, easier-going, friendlier, less rule-bound and more fun, again at least a little.Or, Hamilton, working class industrial workers. Or, Calgary, rancher-oilman.A word for the prospective immigrant. If you encounter a Canadian city that still has a ruralized self-image, watch out! This can mean that the city harbours people who are in denial about urban life, including city councillors, and are not progressive about infrastructure or where you can establish a lively, neighbourhood-enhancing business, or just find it difficult to deal with people who look different. Also, rather unfortunately, it can mean that the city harbours some real bigots, people who oppose multiculturalism, unless it is another Caucasian culture, and really would like to examine you, to determine whether you have sufficient “Canadian values”. And, they tend to produce people that like to speak in favour of the real, “old stock” Canadians, like our previous Prime Minister did. (Calgarians, I did not say every last one of you! I am aware that your city has Canada's first Muslim mayor. However, for a new immigrant, an encounter with some of the more recalcitrant, Justin Trudeau-hating, why can't you just be normal, residents can be an awful, frightening turn-off. The immigrant may freeze, and assume that your city is full of people of bad will, even though, I acknowledge, many aren't, and many are immigrants themselves.)But, remember also, some stereotypes about Canadian cities really are quite misleading. I suggest my own Winnipeg is a victim. The popular stereotype, a very flat, lower-income, mosquito-ridden, extremely cold, isolated place, with a derelict infrastructure and dreadful racial relations, particularly regarding indigenous Canadians. My counter proposal, a city with diverse job opportunities, not much in the way of stressful commuting, plentiful nature nearby without a traffic jam, many, many positive experiences and attitudes toward multiculturalism of all kinds, not just white multiculturalism, broad streets, many tree-lined ones, quite reasonable housing with a very good choice of different neighbourhoods, and many Winnipegers well aware of the injustices committed against Canada's indigenous peoples, and mindful of the need for apologies, at least some restitution, and reconciliation.Do Not Believe What You Are Told And Investigate, Research and ResearchFor a prospective immigrant, it is a good mental exercise to try to put yourself in the shoes of a Canadian looking to make an inter-city move. As I describe above, there are many, many constraints that mean, you should not just put up a map of Canada, and throw darts to find a lucky place. If you are successful in obtaining your permanent resident visa, those constraints will all be yours as well. And, do not imagine that, moving later, after your initial city of settlement, will be easy and inexpensive. Canada offers various ways of getting “stuck in”, wherever you are.You may have heard various things from family and others who have already immigrated to a given city. However, remember, things in any Canadian city, change. A few days ago, another Quora Answer, about Toronto, pointed out that there is no housing crisis for people who rented their apartments a long time ago. There are rent controls, that inhibit your landlord from heavily boosting your rental rate. So, your family who immigrated before might be paying just C$1,250 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. You won't. You are more likely to be paying $C2,500, even in an undistinguished building in a modest neighbourhood.And, like I said, don't believe the casual or outright flippant stereotypes you may hear about various Canadian cities, at least until you have investigated. So, Ottawa quiet, dull, and in a certain sense conservative. Yes, it is credible, because it is a government town, with many middle and lower middle-class civil servants, who not infrequently come from modest backgrounds, and want to earn their money and retirement benefits just as quietly as they can, and not offend those who they rely on for that to happen. (So, you are not likely to find them in Facebook and Twitter, saying wild and provocative things.)Winnipeg and places like it, no, the stereotypes may be very outdated or never have been right. If you do some Internet research you will know that. Also, Google Streetview (R) allows you to do a virtual walk, almost anywhere in town.Remember, Canada is a huge country geographically. Long distance travel is quite expensive. Not that many Canadian are motivated to travel to a far away city, unless they have business or family there. They don't get the reality check of walking the streets of that city, or driving around, and saying to themselves, “Hey, this neighbourhood is really nice, and I am shocked by how cheap the houses are. I had no idea!”Cheery Moving Is A LuxuryAgain, I would love to see statistics, but, I wonder how many Canadians are at liberty to say, I am going to pick another city to live in, and I am not constrained by economic and personal realities. It may feel like that to you, getting excited as your permanent resident visa approaches, and all these different Canadian places lie before you. If you make an unresearched, poor quality choice, moving to another city later may be impractical or cost you an awful lot of money and various complexities to deal with.Even retired Canadians have to worry about living costs, crime rates, a stressful environment and the ready availability of geriatric services.Without being negative, I could not identify to a prospective immigrant, any Canadian city that is just good, and good for all. Where you reside always involves sacrifice, constraints, problems, and it can require an awful lot of patience. There will not be any one place that is just right for you. It is pros and ons, what would really make a particular city so beneficial to you that the negative features that seem like trifles, and how easily you can feel yourself reasonably contented.Martin Levine

There is some individuality among Canadian cities but I understand what the Question is referring to.Canada's most individualistic cities tend to be the ones that are strung out along complexly shaped harbours or are on mountainous terrain. The biggest example I can think of is Vancouver. It has to accommodate both Burrard Inlet and then the Fraser River Harbour that stretches up to New Westminster. The north side of the Greater Vancouver area rises up into the North Shore Mountains. Victoria, Saint John, Halifax and St. John's are also interesting. Montreal has some special features since much of the metropolitan area is on an island in the Saint Lawrence River, which is navigable for sea going vessels much of the year.Toronto? Not so much. THe view down to Lake Ontario presents a fairly even northeast-southwest slope. Toronto Harbour is mostly enclosed from the lake by the Toronto Islands.A very big factor, which distinguishes Canada from the USA and certainly from Europe or Asia, is that none of the cities were very big before the advent of the car. There wasn't any analogue to Boston, New York City or Philadelphia. Metropolitan Montreal had a population of 774,330 at the time of the 1921 Census of Canada. It was the largest city in Canada. (Currently it has a metropolitan population of over 4,000,000.) Metropolitan Toronto was around 600,000 at the time. It is now the biggest metropolitan area in Canada, with about 6,500,000 people. Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa, cities that now have metropolitan populations of around 1,400,000, had 100,000 people or a little less at the time. This means that by far the largest part of any Canadian city was built up after the car-age arrived in Canada.All Canadian cities are designed around the car. Then, you get into winter issues about snow plowing and the minimum width of a street. Intricate street patterns with odd corners, and streets too narrow to accommodate the “windrows” produced by heavy plowing, are a problem.The GridThe rectangular grid system of urban design is very old. The Romans used it. It was adopted by much of the British-origin world, in the USA, in Canada, in Australia. It is a sensible approach to taking fresh rural land (Fresh in the sense it was stolen from the indigenous peoples.) at the edge of a city and getting it ready to become urbanized.In Britain and Europe you see examples of cities that coalesced from various close-by villages, gradually expanding and merging together into one urban mass. London is a prime example. There are curvy roads, going back into the Roman era, that wind between what were villages. Each village has a High Street. There was no incentive to reorganize London the way Paris was, long diagonal streets that can carry a lot of traffic, accommodate royal and military parades and are easy to shoot down for a long distance in case the local residents get stroppy. It is hard to say that London has an organized street pattern, except in newer areas that never were a village. Of course the answer is, if you want to move around quick, here is the Tube. We spent a lot on it, rather than bulldozing out expressways for you. (Yes, I am aware of the disastrous Westway. An excellent reason to park the bulldozer and build more Tube.)Canada is nothing like that. Urban expansion was, for a long time, accommodated by dumping down more grid. So, you get a highly regularized urban environment, block after block after block. Endless rectangular street corners, right across urban Canada.It It Doesn't Move, Zone It!Canada is the golden country of regulation. Canadians like it. The purpose of Canada is to be structured and predictable. The Canadian Constitution itself dedicates the country to peace, order and good government, so lots of it.One wouldn't say that Canada is a country where rebellious or eccentric behaviour is prized. Traditionally, well-organized elites, exercise a lot of control over all three levels of government. (Except maybe for British Columbia. When I lived in Vancouver I could not help but notice that used car dealers seemed to be highly respected people in British Columbian society, although, maybe there was a formally organized elite of them too.)This means that municipal zoning bylaws are considered to be highly valid. A Canadian does not mess with the bylaw inspectors. Also, well organized upper middle class residents are pretty effective at determining what bylaws get made, and are not changed. (The cry of the NIMBY is heard loudly in the land.) This is a good way to feel powerful and proud. But there are more practical reasons for the Big No tactic. Many Canadians invest most of what they have got in their primary residence. (Some Canadians seem to have a dislike of stock portfolios. I am not sure why, but maybe they see them as ephemeral, and an intangible high risk.)If all you've got is in your home, you will not want to risk any changes in your vicinity, anything that in any way could risk local property values. So, within the blocks of residential streets around you, nothing in any way funky, no leading edge, no changes, no nothing. Keep our residential areas the way they are, from sea to shining sea.Accepting that residing in a condo could be a classy life is relatively new to Canada. Bungalow ownership exploded in the 1950's and 1960's. This is where a former serviceman had risen up. This was success, this was freehold title, this was your front and back yard, and a clear view to the street to watch for anyone abnormal. This is where you exercised a firm and manly control over the females in your household. I like to say that Canada doesn't really have a “culture”, but these values were national and rock solid. This was miles of suburbia.A Small Market, So The Land Of The Business FewThis question correctly notices similar stores. There are good reasons for that.Despite the huge geographic size, Canada is a small market country. The population is less than that of California. It is scattered. And most Canadian cities are not very big. None of this favours regional and smaller businesses. And, the strict zoning constrains where businesses can operate.It can be tough for a foreign “bricks and mortar” retail chain to operate here. Target found out the hard way. Even if your workers are not unionized, you have to pay them enough so they can live. Living is expensive here. Retail markets in Canada take getting to know. Particularly you need to know that many Canadians don't have all that much disposable cash. Taxes are high. The market for high end goods is rather restricted. Those types of goods are quite expensive compared to some other places. The really big spenders are better off to head on down to Rodeo Drive or the duty free zone at Dubai International Airport.This makes Canadian cities prone to category killer retail chains. Walmart is an American chain that “got” Canada. They are skilled in studying the Canadian retail market for what they want to sell, and they choose their retail locations carefully. They have huge resources but use them cautiously. Canada has a lot of aging shopping malls. The mall operators know, talk Walmart into taking over some space where another has closed, and you are highly likely to rejuvenate.But, say it is Winnipeg, the quintessentially average Canadian city, a metropolitan population of around 800,000 people. There are six Walmarts. Who else do you need? You can get most of what you need right there, including a Big Mac from MacDonald's. There are hectares of parking there, all nicely snow-plowed with ample parking spaces. It is freezing cold. Do you want to walk from one store to another or get it all done?The same for Costco. You are short for discretionary cash, although you haven't a health care bill to worry about, the community swimming pools are clean, there are lots of police and the local schools are right up to scratch. You have kids to feed. And here's your Costco. Feed your kids? Don't even worry about it. Here's ten pounds of hamburger for cheap. And, of yeah, we will sell you a most reasonably-priced cartwheel pizza to feed them for lunch. The enormous parking lot is scraped out of snow, right down to base. You can even get new snow tires there and fill up your propane tank. And, Costco does not ignore the small cities anymore than Walmart does. For example, in Alberta, Grande Prairie and Lethbridge have them. If you want bulk goods, where else could you possibly need?And, there are the other, similar ones. The iconic Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Rona, Rexall, Home Hardware, Lowe's. Even family and cheap dining is kind of regular, Boston Pizza, Cora, Subway, Burger King, and the nation saturating Tim Horton's. There is gas to buy at Esso and Shell. This is how to operate efficiently in a small, dispersed market, where a whole lot of people are committed to a similar consumer lifestyle.So, You End Up With A Typical Canadian Urban SceneEverything for the car. The streets, the stores, the malls, the parking lots.A residential area is, a residential area. The many, many kilometres of bungalow streets. Some apartment buildings are allowed. The high-end condos take up the more prestigious locations. No commerce!Wide suburban major streets for all those cars, commuting and buying stuff. The streets have to built with turn lanes to get into the shopping malls, strip malls, family restaurants, dollar stores and car dealerships. At the edge of cities, the industrial parks, the truck stops, the self-storage units, and universities on campuses where it is easy to be spacious.And, in most of the cities, few buildings from before 1950. The architectural styles of the mid-twentieth century were predominant, when these cities were growing very quickly. Shopping malls were built a certain way. Homes were. Schools were.And, local, small business is constrained. Do you want to operate a funky boutique? Where are you going to do it? Downtown retail space is either expensive or on a crumby, run-down street. You do not belong at a mall.I think there is another factor. Canada is a very large country with a very harsh climate. The geography doesn't lend itself to intimacy. A lot of Canadians have to move from city to city to get a job. The population is very diverse. There really is not a strong national identity.However, here you are, you have moved two thousand kilometres so you can make a living. The people are different and you don't know a soul. But, look around you. You understand very well how the residential areas in your new city are built and how they get controlled. A bylaw inspector is the same from St. John's to Saskatoon. A suburban thoroughfare is still a suburban thoroughfare, even if you have moved from Moncton to Edmonton.And, you still need to do the same shopping that you did back where you came from. Walk into that Walmart, walk into that Costco. It is the same right down to the aisles. A Tim Horton's drive-through is the same and it is the same double double. You haven't left it behind. I think Canadians rightly perceive it as a fulfillment of the constitutional ideal, peace, order and government, meaning it is all predictable. You have gone some place new, but you like it a lot when it looks the same, and you know just where you are.Martin Levine

Toronto is on the shore of one of the world’s largest lakes, and all that water has a year-round moderating effect on our temperatures. Winters are a bit warmer and wetter. A lot of the precipitation that falls as snow even a bit further north falls as freezing rain in Toronto. On the other hand, the more humid air makes cold seem colder and hot seem hotter. The warm El Nino air current makes for mild, pleasant winters in the years when it’s strong, but some years it’s blocked by air coming down from the Arctic that settles in and doesn’t budge for weeks. Then we live like frozen sides of beef in a locker for the duration. That happened a couple of years ago.The first real snowfall creates big traffic jams and a rash of bumbling road accidents every year, as if people forgot how to drive in snow. After that, we remember again.The sky is predominantly gray and cloudy through those months. Colour mostly disappears from the landscape. Coupled with the short daylight hours and the damp cold, it has a depressing effect on a lot of people.The city clears the streets of snow and ice, but unlike Montreal, it doesn’t clear the sidewalks. Property owners fronting on them are responsible for doing that, and mostly do, but the bylaw that requires them to isn’t adequately enforced. That makes life difficult for pedestrians on some sidewalks after heavy snow, or when they’re covered with rock-hard ice for days and weeks on end.