5 hrs. to kill on cold Sunday evening

[shootingstar]

Fort Mac...I've heard other stories. Sounds like a place for youngish person to make some money and then move on somewhere more livable. I heard from other employees where I work, who have friends working up there.....there's a practice of "hot bunking"...that's a person sleeps in shifts with other people for their bed. As soon as you finish sleeping, someone else gets to sleep in your bed. A sign of some companies too cheap to accommodate their employees properly. Or people saving on accommodation costs.

Always good to learn how one's city is changing, NBYNW. Drop me a line when you do plan to visit or need advice where to stay/what to see. At the very least do go through Banff /Lake Louise area if you haven't already. By the way, there is a recent/new bike path from Banff to Canmore. It's a flat 20-25 kms. one way.

On Calgary's website, you will find they seem to be on a binge to improve their parks. There's a park (nothing but an huge expanse of cut grass. Very typically prairie-like-- to me. It makes Toronto look lush.) a short bike ride away from us that they recently asked for public input/ideas.

We have a whole section East Village, that the city has plan to make it more livable, multi-family, etc. for walkability, etc..... I think it's a 15-yr. long plan with some parts done which include along bike path just last yr. Different developers involved or about to be involved.

I actually still feel abit off (whoozy)..and need to check into a hotel and pamper myself on that evening. I bought myself a book..something I haven't done um....over past 8 months or so. It is a long holiday weekend for us in this province.

No I don't mind eating solo in restaurants...happened before I met dearie, whenever I go on biz trips or whenever he is on long solo cycling trips when I am working.. I think it's actually easier for women to eat solo in restaurants in bigger cities compared to small town: you're less conspicuous because most people don't know who you are or even care. (Might sound alienating to some folks, but I like that type of anonymity when I eat alone, etc. I only want people who know me and care/love me to be interested in my life.)

So I discovered for a particular hotel, I qualified for their senior's rate....at over 50! My GAWD, I'm only 52. .I better make sure I have my ID..in case they ask.

[malkin]

That sounds lovely. Enjoy it!

I guess people live longer here. Senior discounts don't start until after 65.

[badger]

if a community centre's nearby and open, I'd go and do a bit of workout, swim (if there's a pool), sauna, shower, and just laze about and then go for dinner afterwards. Should kill most of the 5 hours. And then go home and curl up in bed with a book.

[PamNY]

Sounds like a hotel is a good idea, especially if you aren't feeling well.

You won't have to worry about delays in the repairs, or how long is takes the building to actually get warm after they turn the heat back on.

[crazycanuck]

Nby, yes I was serious. My mom's working up there atm and heaps of others I know do as well.

You may not realize it but Alberta/Western Australia/Queensland have HEAPS in common thanks to the mining boom. The question is( and it's one that Rio/FMG/BHP/Woodside probably aren't thinking about whilst they pillage our resources) what happens when the boom's over?

If you're bored, here's a link to just some of the good info from AHURI http://www.ahuri.edu.au/publications/projects/p80370

It's just starting to go crazy again here.

Sorry about the drift.

[NbyNW]

You may not realize it but Alberta/Western Australia/Queensland have HEAPS in common thanks to the mining boom. The question is( and it's one that Rio/FMG/BHP/Woodside probably aren't thinking about whilst they pillage our resources) what happens when the boom's over?

I've been thinking about this question quite a bit. I glanced at the article you linked and I've transferred it to my Kindle and will have time to read it tomorrow. Interesting that they use the term "resource boom town," since in my head I've been thinking of it as an "extraction-based economy."

[crazycanuck]

NB, I found some of what I wrote & here are some links that might be of interest..you could be reading for a while...If you can't access the journals, I'm happy to download them for you.

Alberta Government Oil Sands Ministerial Strategy Committee, 2006. Investing in our Future: Responding to the Rapid Growth of Oil Sands Development — Final Report. http://alberta.ca/home/395.cfm

http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca -there's a wealth of info on the site!

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. 2010. Housing Market Information: Housing Now, Prairie Region. First Quarter 2010. Ottawa.

Canada West Foundation, 2010. Look before you leap: Oil, Gas, The Western Economy and National Prosperity. Calgary. (www.cwf.ca)

Forsyth, Jennifer S. 2006. Northern Exposure: Oil-Rich Calgary Finds Boomtimes Have a Downside; A Hot Real-Estate Market Suffers Big Labor Shortage; Office Vacancies Near Zero; A Homeless Spellfor Mr. Blair. Wall Street Journal, Aug 30.

Singleton, H., and F.H. McKenzie. 2008. The rebranding imperative for the Western Australian Pilbara region: Status quo to transformative cultural interpretations of local housing and settlement for a competitive geo-regional identity. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 4 (1): 8-28

http://ius.uwinnipeg.ca/index.html

Western Australia. Department of Planning and Infrastructure. 2008. Port Hedland: Regional Hotspots and Land Supply Update. Perth.

Western Australia. Western Australia Planning Commission. 1998. Karratha area development strategy. Perth

Western Australia PLanning Commission. 2003. Port Hedland Area Planning Study (www.planning.wa.gov.au)

WAPC-Port Hedland-Regional Hotspots Land Supply Update

http://www.roebourne.wa.gov.au/ (Info on karratha, one of the most affected towns by the boom)

http://www.planning.wa.gov.au/Search...earch=karratha