Moving to Calgary from USA to Settle

[zeeC]

Hello All,
I have soft landed in Feb 2018 and returned to US after a week. My PR Card is valid until April 2023.
Now I have a job offer in Calgary Downtown that would start in June 2020. We are a family of 3 (Me, My Wife and our 4 years old.) I am wondering if any one else is moving to Calgary at this time or already moved recently.

My son will turn 5 yrs old this year, and he is eligible to go to kindergarten in Calgary.

I have a few questions if anyone can help?
Q1: How do i find a good apartment or a basement ? Which localities in Calgary? Probably something near to a good elementary school.
Q2: How and Where could i register my son for school? Can i do this in June/July?
Q3: What is the best way to move all my stuff from USA to Calgary (1 Car + Lots of household stuff that would fit in a 15ft U haul truck)
Q4: Should i buy any stuff that's cheaper in USA than Canada before moving? I am thinking of car tires.

 

[aj_modulus]

Moved up here to Calgary from the midwest in 2017. Mine was a corporate move, so a little different. For finding a place to rent, rentfaster.com seemed to be the best for finding places. I'm not sure about specific locations, was renting a house in the SW and now own a house outside of town, but commuting is not terrible here. Avoid the deep north/south and you should be fine. You can find places closer to downtown, something more suburban feel, older, newer, etc. Lots of choices that's for sure. I'm not sure on looking up schools, a lot near the newer neighborhoods are over crowded. CPS just opened one near my old house to 110% capacity...

Schools you would register either with Calgary Public Schools, or the catholic board. You can check their website for the registration process and cutoff birth dates. You can register any time if you are just going to the school you are zoned for.

For moving your things, look at the vehicle export/import process. It is involved to say the least and depending on your vehicle it may make more sense to sell it and buy a new one up here. Otherwise moving the rest of the personal goods is simple. I had professional movers, so I'm not much help there.

As far as things cheaper here, nothing stands out in particular. Well except for food and booze, but there are limits on that. Maybe baby gear/diapers and the like, but you start to get to a point where it doesn't make sense to ship it.

 

[zeeC]

Thanks for your reply @aj_modulus.