Jazcan said:
Is the pet containment system you linked me to any good for preventing cats from going outside the house/flat or is it only something you can install in the garden to stop them leaving the the garden? We haven't actually arrived in Canada yet and when we first arrive we will not have our own property for at least a year or 18 months..so this has to be taken into account too.
It is something you install outside. Basicaly you bury a cable in the ground or run it along a fence around your garden, and the cat(s) wear a collar. When a cat gets close to the cable, some type of alarm is given off. Unfortunately I do not have any direct experience with these systems, and only offer it as a suggestion.
On the same link I gave you, there is different system for use indoors that could be used to keep cats away from certain areas inside a house. An example would be keeping them away from doors.
As mentioned upthread, another option would be to live outside of the city limits. As an example, there are quite a few people who live in the city of Airdrie and work in Calgary. There is no cat bylaw in Airdrie: http://www.airdrie.ca/index.cfm?serviceID=117
Hope you can find a workable solution.