Eh, Canadian dollar goes up, Canadian dollar goes down. Up when the commodity markets are up, and Alberta does well; down when the commodity markets are down, and Ontario does well. If you have long-term investments in Canada, that latter one is the one you want to root for, as Ontario goes, so goes the rest of the country. I'm not sure that a dollar at par is good for Canada in the long run. It's tougher when you're living in a foreign country, depending on Canadian investments for support. Of course, there are going to be events in the near future that could have dire implications for the strength of the baht . . .
As for the people slagging the cost of living in Alberta, you're nuts. Sure, if you compare Calgary with London, Ontario, yeah, it's more expensive; but compare Calgary to Vancouver or Toronto and it is either similar or cheaper, and the job market is exponentially better. Same with the cold -- you're in Canada, it's gonna be cold. It's cold in southern Ontario, it's cold in Alberta, big deal -- you buy a good coat, boots, hat, mittens, balaclava, wool socks, scarf, and you're OK. If you've ever lived in Alberta you would know that it's not the cold that gets you, it's the length of winter and the unpleasantness of spring -- April and May suck 10 times more than January and February.
