calgary

The following pictures and information are provided to help employees who are considering an assignment understand what it's like to live and work in Calgary.

Chevron Canada occupies 12 of the 24 floors of Chevron Plaza downtown. The remaining floors are rented out to external vendors. The office capacity is about 300 people, with one very large conference room and many smaller meeting rooms. The setting consists of mostly offices and some cubicles. On each floor there is a full-service kitchen with a refrigerator-freezer, dishwasher, microwave, dishes, glasses, toaster and a coffee maker. There is a full-service fitness centre on the 24th floor, which boasts an array of personal fitness machines, personal training available onsite, and instructor-led classes. Most classes are free for employees, but some classes require a nominal fee.

The 2nd floor of the plaza is connected to the "Plus 15" system. This is a covered indoor skywalk linking virtually all downtown businesses to restaurants, shopping and other amenities.

Core office hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Around these core hours, employees can choose the schedule that is most convenient for them. The standard workday is 8 hrs and 20 minutes, not including time taken for lunch. The 9/80 schedule is used in Canada.

Office attire is business casual and includes casual Fridays.

Calgary is a dynamic centre for learning, offering outstanding public, separate, or private educational options from pre-school to post-secondary institutions. Many schools offer one or more language immersion classes including French, Italian, Spanish and/or Filipino.

The typical school year runs from late August or early September until mid- to late June.

Many schools provide buses within a standard radius of the school. Outside this radius, transportation is the parents' responsibility.

The public school system in Calgary is managed by the Calgary Board of Education. There are a variety of options available in the public system, many of which are comparable to the private school options.

The public schools offer a variety of extra-curricular activities in the areas of academics, athletics, arts, and music.

Wildwood Elementary is a public school which offers programs for students in Kindergarten through Grade 6. Wildwood School implements the Programme International Curriculum. This curriculum invites students into a learning environment of academic excellence, personal challenge and social responsibility within a global context and a broader curriculum of intercultural and international perspectives.

The separate school system in Calgary is managed by the Calgary Catholic School District which is the largest Catholic school district in Alberta, serving over 45,000 students in 106 schools located in Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere and the Municipal District of Rocky View.

In addition to the separate school's core curriculum, including religious studies, other subjects are offered at various levels of education (elementary, junior high or senior high). These include career and technology studies, fine arts, physical education and health.

Calgary's private schools:

• More private schools
• Webber Academy offers a challenging and exciting academic university preparatory program for students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12. The Academy believes "participation in, and enjoyment of school life, will prepare our students for responsible involvement in their communities and our society as a whole."
• Rundle Academy follows the Alberta Program of studies. From Grades 4-12, each student receives the same curricular content as would any other student in the province of Alberta. The difference is that Rundle Academy employs a small class size, dynamic teachers and specialized instruction. All students are encouraged to participate in the extra-curricular activities that supplement the academic program.
• Clearwater Academy is a Catholic private school which offers classes for grades Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. Small class sizes allow the highly qualified faculty to work with each student individually to ensure he or she is achieving his or her personal potential. The Fraser Institute has consistently ranked Clear Water Academy as one of the top academic schools in Alberta.

Students can also complete a number of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs at the University of Calgary (student population of 31,000+) through any of their 14 faculties or 85 research institutes and centres.

Students attending Mount Royal University (student population 12,000+) can take a variety of programs and courses including bachelor's degrees, applied degrees, university transfer courses, diplomas and certificates.

Expatriates on assignment in Canada are automatically switched over to the International Health Assistance Plan (IHAP) provided by Chevron. If on a resident assignment, it is also advisable for the expatriate and accompanying family members to sign up for provincial health care, the government sponsored health care plan. Signing up for this plan is of no cost to the applicant and facilitates easier access to local medical services.

There are no "Chevron" medical clinics; however there are plenty of walk-in clinics and family physicians available.

Drivers are not provided in Calgary. Most drivers' licenses are easily transferable to the Canadian system.

For winter driving, the company provides local driver training for employees and their family members.

Housing in Canada does not come with household help. Housekeepers may be hired through local services.

ATMs are widely available as is the use of VISA, MasterCard, and American Express.

There are five national banks in Canada, all of which offer a variety of banking options for expatriates moving to Canada.

1. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
2. The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotia Bank)
3. TD Canada Trust (TD)
4. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
5. The Bank of Montreal (BMO)
6. Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC)

The postal system in Canada is managed by Canada Post. There are also several courier companies available for domestic and international transport.

High-speed internet access is widely available in local cafes, offices and homes.

Calgary has 18 public libraries with a large selection of books, CDs, DVDs, newspapers and magazines available to borrow. It also offers online services and a large variety of programs for all ages.

Due to the proximity of most housing to the office, many people use the public transportation system to commute to work. The bus or LRT C-train (light rail transportation commuter train) offers adult, child and senior fares for one-way, daily or monthly use. The bus system takes residents to a variety of sites throughout the city, including the local university, malls and downtown. The LRT C-train runs only along the major routes within the city covering all quadrants and downtown. If the employee prefers, there are a variety of paid parking options available.

There are taxi options available as well: Checker, Associated and Mayfair are some of the local choices.

Calgary is spread out and covers a very large area. Most areas within the city can be reached within 30 minutes, but allow at least one hour to travel across the city from end to end.

Calgary has activities that appeal to every age group in every season.

The Telus Spark Science Centre in Calgary is year-round fun for all ages. Covering 18 acres, it boasts over 100 hands-on exhibits, four exhibit galleries, an atrium, Creative Kids museum, an HD dome theatre, and much more.

Calgary's Glenbow Museum is one of the largest museums in Canada. It is home to over a million artifacts and about 28,000 artwork pieces from around the globe.

In addition to a large variety of animals, plants, playgrounds and interactive family programs, The Calgary Zoo hosts magical events annually: Boo at the Zoo, Zoogala, Zoolights, and more.

Calgary has a short summer season, so many outdoor festivals occur in July and August: Globalfest, Fringe Festival, Expo Latino, and many more.

Prince's Island Park is a beautiful park situated about three blocks north of Chevron Plaza in downtown Calgary. It offers picnic sites, playgrounds, pathways, hiking trails, large art sculptures, flower gardens, water fountains and a cafe.

There are several options for golfing in the Calgary area, including 18-hole courses such as Mackenzie Meadows or Valley Ridge, and 27-hole semi-private courses like Heritage Pointe Golf & Country Club.

Since Calgary is located less than an hour from the majestic Rocky Mountains, there are many choices for downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, ice climbing and cross country skiing.

Canmore Nordic Centre is located just west of Calgary (approximately one hour) and is a popular destination for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dog sledding.

Lake Louise is one of the largest ski resorts in North America, with 4,200 skiable acres. In the summer months, the Sightseeing Gondola and Wildlife Interpretative Centre have great grizzly bear viewing and scenery.

There are several indoor and outdoor skating rinks as well as many public pools in the Calgary area.

There are quite a few box office chain movie theatres located in Calgary (Cineplex, Empire), most of which play current releases. Another option is to visit one of the smaller independent theatres (Globe, Plaza, Uptown) which play movies for discounted prices.

Calgary offers a wide variety of worship options including several religious communities representing United, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Presbyterian as well as Jehovah's Witness, Sikh, Jewish and Muslim faiths.