Jeff Clyde Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 My family and I are/ have been considering a move to Alberta. Does anybody have any info on job vacancies, and cost of living for the Grande Prairie area ? Currently 95 % of work workload is Diesel Performance and Repair. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 Grande Prairie is ... well, it's Grande Prairie. Real men move to Slave Lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 Real men move to Slave Lake. Where men are men and Sheep Carabou run scared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Mutter Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 My old service manger is working at Jim hansen ford. He was the service manger but now I think he is in sales. He has been out there for about 5 years and likes it out there http://www.hansenford.ca/employment.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 Before I moved north I was skinny.... now I'm a husky fucker..... I told "them" to fix our career opportunities page but I see that hasnt happened. Dwayne has left us to become a toolmonger and we are actively seeking a diesel certified tech.... NOW DAMMIT!!!! This shortage is making my life a living hell.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Clyde Posted December 23, 2010 Author Share Posted December 23, 2010 Jim, right now i am just seeing what is available, and what areas would allow me to retain my same workload; as sick as it may sound, I would rather just work on diesel's. Once I find what will fit for us ( 4yr old boy, and one coming in July ! ), I will be flying out to check out dealers and housing/ cost of living. If at that time ( mid/late January ), you are still looking, I would most certainly consider a visit your way. Thanks for the job tip ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 24, 2010 Share Posted December 24, 2010 You would just rather work on diesels????? Get in touch with Kenny. We just lost one diesel tech (for those that haven't heard _ Dwayne is going to be a toolmonger in Lloydminster). We pay in the high end of the spectrum in Alberta... training bonuses... cert bonuses.... Slave Lake, if you haven't heard, is diesel town. The 6.2 is gaining a few converts.... but - fuck it.... e-mail k-riddel@dealeremail.com. Tell him grampy sent you... We pay more than GP does, anyway.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Clyde Posted December 25, 2010 Author Share Posted December 25, 2010 Thanks Jim, I will email him for sure. Like i said, nothing is carved in stone yet, it looks like you are only 3-4 hours east of GP. Pay is important, but overall area and atmosphere is most important. Merry Christmas to all ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Ask Dwayne and Adam what they think of the place. As a teenager, my son could hardly wait until he was old enough.... He was gonna "blow this pop stand" and move to a real place like Edmonton.... Instead, when he turned 18, he bought his home and moved in with his girlfriend. Give me a couple of days.... I'll send pics of my friends new "hobby room". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to work with Grampy Jim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Adema Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Not that there's anything wrong with Slave Lake or Grande Prairie, I've actually never visited either locale, but can an objective opinion really be gained from a salesman? Hehe, sorry Jim, I couldn't help myself. I'm in central AB, an hour from Calgary and along the busy and somewhat affluent corridor between Calgary and Edmonton, where life is beautiful all the time. Check out Albertafirst.ca, if I was a little more zippy I'd post the link, but it's not that hard to remember.....one can compare stats and figures between various towns and cities in Alberta. With crude topping $90/barrel the oilpatch is getting a little more intense. Good luck in your quest, I came out over five years ago from southern Ontario and I'll never willingly go back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Cool..... Dwayne left Innisfail to come up here. Some of the best hunting and fishing you'll ever find are up this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Now you guys have me thinking about moving there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 I have a bay picked out for you.... see you Tuesday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Adema Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 I spoke with the DP of our local dealer last night at the Christmas Eve service, he also runs the mother ship dealer in Airdrie (10 minutes north of Calgary). He's looking for at least one diesel certified tech, in the Airdrie location. It is/was a medium duty dealer, and quite likely the biggest store between Red Deer and Calgary. I have a lot of respect for this man, his family is close to my in-laws, and I would work for him in a heartbeat (but am quite content to stay where I am for now). I don't care to be a go-between, but I can let interested parties know how to contact him. The town is nice, close enough to a city with an airport, major league sports, shopping opportunities for wives, the Rockies are looking over your western fence, warm chinook winds regularly give a welcome break from the cold of winter, low taxes.........seriously, folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 <shopping opportunities for wives> Are you nucking futs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 I had to break out the ol Google Earth tab, 'cause I got no idea where you guys are at! Now I am a little more informed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Ooooohhhh, the places I could show you.... My life was, until '96, a move in process.... Between '62 and '67, I lived in 8 towns in 4 provinces. The places I have lived have spanned nearly half the planet. I moved away from Slave Lake once... and here I am.... back again. Interesting sidebar... I am a grade 8 drop-out even though I was, at one point in time, in grade 10 (long story). I have attended 8 different schools and resided in some provinces twice (or more). Sorry for the digression.... It makes me glad you have taken the time to add that knowledge to your life. Sarah Palin thinks Africa is a country (but she is DAMNED cute). Even my wife doesn't "compute" all of the places I have lived.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam_Dodson Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Grande Prairie is a dump...most places north of Edmonton are dumps. I think Slave Lake is the nicest dump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Adema Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Jim, maybe I am nucking futs. But a happy wife (with a spending leash) makes for a happier life. Beer helps, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 My wife doesn't really have much of a spending leash... other than common sense and and nearly 40 years of learning how far she can push Women, by and large, do not need any extra opportunities to shop. I think most of them share the governments vision of "spending your way out of debt". "When the going gets tough - the tough go shopping!". is a familiar battle cry. I live in a smallish (7000 people) town... we are about two and a half hours drive from any appreciably sized city... yet my wife finds more than enough opportunities to shop.... My God, man... giving a woman the "opportunity" to shop is like giving an alcoholic a fifth of cheap bourbon.... Wasn't it Julius Ceasar that coined the phrase "veni, vidi, visa"? Happily married describes us to a "T".... She's happy and I'm married.... any questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deezul Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Has anyone experienced the mining fields of the Northwest Territories? I too am becoming interested in a move. Im still fairly young (24) with nothing holding me down (other than a toolbox that I am not looking forward to move)...People tell me that the Territories are where to go to make the big benjamins but then again most people I talk to are idiots.... Would Alberta be the better choice to look at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Diavik? You might want to talk to Aaron about that.... I think you need to be pretty special to survive that kind of a camp job. Alberta - in general - is probably going to be a decent choice. However.... if you are looking to move to a city, there is every chance that you wont be any further ahead than you are now. Techs are a dime a dozen in the city and the pay offered reflects that. An oil patch town? Now yer talkin'.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Guys, I'm sorry I didn't chime in here sooner. I have been extremely busy lately flying down to Columbus, Ohio for Tool School training and driving my new (to me) tool truck 3000 miles across the U.S. and back up to Canada as well as getting it set up to hit the road this Tuesday Jan. 4th. Here is a little incite from someone who has moved and is not afraid to move to better myself. If you hesitate and talk yourself out of it, "YOU WILL NEVER KNOW" what could have been! If things don't pan out, you can always (usually) go back. I am originally from Saskatchewan and came out to Alberta 11 years ago. "NO WAY IN HELL, WILL I EVER GO BACK TO THAT SHITHOLE"! Home to me is where you can feel comfortable and live comfortably and in my case Home is Alberta. Alberta hes been absolutely great to me. Sure there were some bumps and ups and downs, but that's life. And I have alway been successful here, which is way way more that I can say for that "Shithole" called Saskatchewan. Did I say that Saskatchewan was a shithole yet? It's probably allot like Ontario but with allot less people. A bunch of Liberal lovin high tax addicts that keep voting for them useless sons a biotches that call themselves Liberal Politicians. Fuck Sakes, I hate Liberals! Anyway, out of all the places I have ever worked (don't get a fat head Jim) I have to say that S.L. Ford really was the best damned dealership I ever did work at. It sure as hell ain't the prettiest or the cleanest, but it was more than fair and a tonne of fun. if there was ever a time that I needed extra time off, I always got it. If I had to run to the school to see my kids in a play, I could go. If I was thirsty and told Kenny I was damned thirsty, he was more than happy to have a drink after hours with us. As for Jim, they just needed to put a baby bottle nipple on a Texas Mickey and he would just nurse himself to sleep. LOL. I want everyone to know that I did not leave there because of any ill reasons or anything like that. The fact of the matter is that I had an opportunity come knocking at my doorstep that I just couldn't pass up. I now own my own company and am now my own boss. And after 16 years of being a Ford Tech, I am looking forward to the "CHANGE". If this opportunity would have never come up, I would still be at S.L Ford. I also have comfort in knowing that I can always go back. I still stop in there on the weekends while I'm doing my moving trips and have a few cold ones with the boys. I love that old fashioned way of socializing and letting off some steam without the politics ruining the shit out of things. Those were the things I loved about S.L Ford. What more can I say before Jim gets a fat head and puffs his chest out like Tarzan. The town itself, wellllll.........don't promise your wives that it's anything like a city. It's an oil patch town with all the necessities and there is allot of money to be made there. Edmonton is only 2 and a half hours away. A nice outing once in a while. Just make sure you buy a fucking snowblower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Dwayne, I commend your passion and drive for going after what you want. For many people being afraid to make a change keeps them locked up whether it be geographically, professionally or even emotionally. I have always wondered what else there is for me - could my life or career be better elsewhere? Fortunately things are not too bad but all men dream and all men wonder at some point whether it is looking forward or reflecting upon the past. I heard about your career endeavor and I wish you well with it. I also want to thank you for the new phrase "Tool School" which I WILL find a use for. By the way you are always welcome here as are all members that leave the "dealership." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.