Does anybody still consider a viable option to commute to Edmonton and be back to Calgary for the weekends? I feel it’s too risky to go for a full move in 2028 and then face another reorganization and layoffs before moving to the new building in 2029…
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I commuted from Calgary to Edmonton (opposite direction) for one full year when I joined IOL, and my wife was still studying in University of Alberta. Sometimes, I took the Grey Hound bus and sometimes I drove my car. It was not easy, but we knew there was an end to it, so we did it.
I have seen a lot of crazy stuff on that highway. One night, I had to drive back through a blizzard. I counted 17 cars in the ditch between Edmonton and Innisfail, and I only counted the ones with their lights still on.
If any one is planning to do that for a long time, I will just say good luck.
Commuting is a viable option especially if you’re close to retirement, kids are grown up, you can afford it, and partner relationship is strong. It is a solution to bridge it to the end.
If you are early career, this can be financially restrictive. If you have a new family, this is personally restrictive. In cases such as these, it may be unviable.
Also, consider that some weekends maybe uncommutable due to inclement weather (summer hailstorms, winter snowstorms, freezing rain in the shoulder seasons). There is a personal risk component you need to consider.
It's not going to be pleasant, but doable. 1 year, sure, but long term, it wears you down in many ways. Of course, that all depends on how far you are from retirement.
Good to consider this, as jobs at Imperial have quickly shifted from being a long term career to a series of one year contracts, with the constant re-orgs, layoffs, and PIPS. Best not to make a permanent move for a short term job.
But are you actually better off commuting or focus on finding another job in Calgary? Most Imperial folks have plenty of transferable skills, and it might take a while, but there are lots of great jobs in Calgary. Once you consider the costs of commuting, maintaining somewhere to stay in Edmonton, and the quality of life impact with a commuting arrangement, is it really worth it? Do you truly think that's better than what you could find in Calgary?
Not an imperial woman here. I did the weekend commute to and from Fort Mc to Edmonton for a decade. You will be fine from Calgary.