“We just really love the lifestyle here. Everything is way more relaxed. It’s stress-free, and pairing that with how affordable it is here is a great combo." - Tyler Manning

Tyler Manning, his wife Tanis, and their two children moved to Medicine Hat in 2023, to live life in a smaller community. The parents who are originally from British Columbia, Tyler from Kelowna and Tanis from Abbotsford, moved from Vancouver. 

Tanis googled where the sunniest city in Canada was, and both Medicine Hat and Calgary showed up. Calgary was bigger than where the couple was looking to move, so Tanis and the two children visited Medicine Hat and decided it was the place for them. 

When a position opened up in Medicine Hat that was exactly the same to Tyler's line of work in Vancouver, he applied and got the job. He is now the general manager for Mint Smartwash. 

“The owner of the Medicine Hat company had toured one of the facilities I was taking care of in Vancouver, so when I originally emailed they got back to me right away,” says Tyler. 

“Medicine Hat has been great. We love the slower lifestyle and how friendly everyone is, which we’re still getting used to.”

The family has stamped a few parks as their favourite, like Police Point Park and Kin Coulee Park. They’ve also visited Elkwater, in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park which Tyler says is a nice place to visit when they’re missing the forest.

The family lives near trails that connect to the 155-kilometer trail system, with views of the World’s Tallest Tepee, Saamis Tepee. 

Tyler’s commute to and from work has gone from a 45 minute drive to a five minute drive, “I definitely have a lot less road rage.”

And Tanis has started substitute teaching with a local school division. The children love their new home in Medicine Hat, and often want to spend their time outdoors in their new backyard. The parents were excited to sign them up for sporting activities, and look forward to introducing them to new sports throughout the year.

“We just really love the lifestyle here. Everything is way more relaxed. It’s stress-free, and pairing that with how affordable it is here is a great combo,” says Tyler.