Q: In what way is Calgary most like London?

A: Any conversation with a local quickly gets round to property prices.

The news this week was that the average house price in Calgary is now double what it was way back in, erm, 2005. That's pretty steep!

With the oil and gas boom in full swing people are flocking to Calgary from all over Canada, as well as further afield. I was interested to read online before arriving about a furore around a series of posters being put up around town to try and lure Nova Scotians back home. The campaign was based around a psychological disorder called "Delusional Calgaria" and suggested that the only treatment was an immediate return east.

When I arrived in town I found some of the posters near my flat:



The correspondence I read in the local paper seemed pretty evenly divided between those who took it in good humour and those who were outraged. I thought the forces of outrage had secured a minor victory: the people behind the campaign have dropped the delusional bit and the website is now http://calgaria.ca/. Turns out that's in response to protests from the mental health community.