Starline Overseas Moving, a subsidiary of the Highstar Relocation Group is proud to be the official sponsor of the Rising Star Award at the upcoming 2014 HRIA Conference in Calgary, Alberta next month.

This award is granted to an HRIA member who is in their first five years of their career who demonstrates great promise as a future leader in the Alberta human resources community. This individual not only makes a measurable contribution in their company but also has the dedication to be enthusiastic in their workplace. We are proud to assist the HRIA in recognizing outstanding contributors made by Human Resources Professionals across Alberta.

We look forward to presenting the Rising Star Award on the second day of the 2014 HRIA Conference during the celebrating excellence awards lunch. On behalf of our staff, congratulations to all the nominees. To learn more about the upcoming 2014 HRIA Conference please click on the following link.

     The union that represents an estimated 400 truckers at the Port Metro Vancouver gave a 72-hour notice on Monday March 3rd, 2014 which threatens to increase the ongoing dispute in Canada’s busiest port. Many of the truckers have been working without a contract with various trucking companies at the port since June of 2012.

     There was a vote held on Saturday by the Unifor-Vancouver Container Trucker’s Association (VCTA) which resulted in 100% of the members agreeing to permit the union a mandate to strike. With this vote passed, the union said the members are now getting ready to walk off the job as early as Thursday March 6th, 2014.

    In a letter addressed to the Minister Responsible of Labour and to the Minister of Transportation & Infrastructure, Ruth Snowden the Executive Director for the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) stated how potentially catastrophic this potential strike could be in impacting Canada’s international trade, the Canadian economy and our reputation as an international leader in imports and exports. The trucker work stoppage in Vancouver not only affects local Vancouver businesses but spreads to other regions such as the ones that Starline Overseas Moving services.

    Currently the union is requesting a mediator to resolve these outstanding trucker issues with the Port Metro Vancouver and the truckers’ association. If the trucker members strike they will join an estimated 1,400 other independent truckers represented by the United Truckers Association. Many are urging the licensed truckers to have immediate and safe access to Canada’s most valuable international gateway.

To learn the most recent updates visit CIFFA’s site here.

Curious to know what the average Canadian home price is? Well depending on which province you are looking into moving to the prices will range across the board. The team at Zoocasa has compiled a unqiue list of average home prices. As of January 2014, the national home price in Canada was $394 K which is up from $345 K the same time last year. The top three provinces for highest average home prices are British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta while the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have the lowest average home prices.

To learn more about the average Canadian home prices from Zoocasa before your upcoming move click on the following link.

Let’s be real: moving can make you feel like you are going to go crazy, specially if it is an overseas move to a new country. Boxes, schedules, lists, stuff, calls, coordinating, plans, purchases, sales, more stuff – it’s enough to sometimes make you want to curl up in bed instead of facing it all.

Despite the expected insanity, though, and the reality that perhaps after everything is over you might just want to sit down with a cold beverage and chill out for a few weeks, I still get questions like, “how do you hit the ground running when you move?”

The truth of the matter is that it can take time to adjust. It is not uncommon to be in a period of emotional transition for up to 12 months, if not longer after the relocation is complete. Friendships, routines, favorite spots — they all take time to evolve and develop, grow and strengthen.

So practice patience, both with yourself, the people around you, and with the new town you’re living in.

Sometimes it helps to simply have awareness around all of the things that are going to change. Before you move, take stock of the parts of your life that are most important to you, especially things that you might not be aware of.  Are there routines that are particularly grounding in your life that you’ll want to try and reestablish once you’re moved? What roles do you fill in the community that you’d like to work on rebuilding in your new town? How can you get those very personal moments back into a groove post-move?

Prepare mentally for shifts in your social life as well as any cultural differences you might come up against, not to mention any professional or personal changes that might be coming up. Research your new space and look for opportunities to engage before you’ve even arrived, particularly through online communities or forums.

Most important is to not lose touch with your personal interests and self-care strategies. The only thing you have complete control over are your own thoughts and actions, so stay focused on strengthening your self, engaging in your interests and hobbies, and staying connected to the activities which ground you and stay a part of your life no matter where you’re moving to.

The following guest blog post was contributed by Allegra Stein, The Relocation Coach, helps takes relocations from regrettable to revelatory, teaching you how to use geographic change as a way of learning more about who you are, how you think, and what you want out of life. You can find her at allegrastein.com and on twitter @allegrastein

Did you know 96% of Canadians use the term pencil crayon yet Americans typically call them coloured pencils? And better yet, Brits utilize the term colouring pencils instead. In all three countries it is the same item being termed yet each country utilizes a range of similar words to name the item.

This week the Edmonton Journal published a great article about how there are everyday words only Canadians understand and are deemed confusing to other English speakers. For example, the term parkade is used by 71% of Canadians while in the United States, multi-storey concrete parking structures are typically known as either “parking decks” or “parking garages”.

Moving to Canada soon and want to ensure you are familiar with terms deemed as being “Canadian”? Then check out the full article written by Tristin Hopper in the Edmonton Journal by clicking on the following link Say It in Canadian. And if you have any overseas relocation questions either about moving to Canada or moving from Canada give us a call. Starline Overseas Moving would be happy to assist in answering all your international moving questions.

On behalf of our entire Starline Overseas team we would like to wish all of our valued customers and global moving partners a very Merry Christmas around the world. Warmest wishes to you and each of your families during the holiday season.

Our promise to you is to continue to deliver the best moving services for your valuable goods to destinations all over the world (including the North Pole!) Relocating soon? Don’t delay, contact Starline Overseas today for all your moving and storage needs.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

It’s not surprising that great things come from the world’s second largest land mass.

CNN is currently doing a series highlighting superlatives of countries from around the world. Check out the following link to see ten things Canada does better then other countries and if after seeing the article you decide to move to Canada give us a call to see how we can assist with all your moving needs.

10 Things Canada Does Better than Anywhere Else

On behalf of our entire Starline Overseas Moving team we would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American friends.

At this time of Thanksgiving we pause
to count our blessings.
The freedom of this great
country in which we live.
It’s opportunity for achievement.
The friendship and confidence
you have shown in us.
For all of these things
we are deeply thankful.
Our best wishes for a
Happy Thanksgiving.

Moving to another country can seem like an overwhelming task especially if one does not take the time to prepare properly. One of the most important tasks you can do to prepare for any type of relocation is keep track of all the paperwork involved with the transition.

Checklists are a great tool to have especially when moving overseas because they remind you of all the items or tasks you need to complete before the move, during the transition overseas and after the relocation is complete. One checklist that Starline Overseas highly recommends utilizing is the Remember to Notify Checklist.

Click on the following link to download our free Remember to Notify Checklist compliments of Starline Overseas. The checklist is great for reminding you of all the people and service providers who might need to know you are moving. Even our staff has utilized these types of checklists with their moves in the past.

When should I start informing companies and individuals of my upcoming move? Most businesses typically need two weeks to one month of advance notice of your upcoming relocation. If you are unsure, it is best to check with the service providers.

The Canadian government announced last week that they are looking into possibly reopening the controversial fast-tracked temporary foreign workers program. Former Immigration Minister and current Employment Minister Jason Kenney, indicated he is re-examining how to reopen the program with minimal controversy.  He suggested that maybe access would only be granted to employers who are looking to fill high-skilled positions.  

To read the full article click on the following link, Canadian Temporary Worker Program.