AB Economic Fundamentals 2008-07

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Secondary suites approved

After a public hearing was held, July 14, City of Camrose councillors approved a bylaw about secondary suites. Throughout the open house and public hearing process, only two individuals were heard from and they both brought forward positive feedback. The bylaw outlines the definition and general conditions surrounding secondary suites.

http://www.camrosecanadian.com/News/412202.html

 

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Clear waters ahead for pool

Canmore pool patrons can see a little more clearly now thanks to a series of upgrades at the Rec Centre.

A $5,000 upgrade to the pool has allowed the town to purchase a Wapotec system that cleans the air and the water at the pool. The system was installed earlier this month.

The Rec Centre is the first in the Bow Valley to try the technology, which has been in use for about ten years around the globe. Calgary has the nearest pool that uses the Wapotec system.

The new system is part of the town`s efforts to upgrade the pool after a chlorine leak closed the pool last fall. On top of a review of emergency procedures, the facility is being revamped. The pool was one area the town needed to address, said Lloyd Smith, facilities manager at Canmore Rec Centre. The local health inspector had noted that it was too murky.

http://www.canmoreleader.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1128624

 

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Rocky View nixes Area B ASP plans

Plans for residential development in a portion of Heritage Hills were put on hold after concerns from both the Town of Cochrane and the MD of Rocky View.

A public hearing on the portion of Heritage Hills known as Area B that was scheduled for July 21 was cancelled after the MD of Rocky View council requested that the Town place it into recess on July 15.

The concern from the MD came from the fact that the Area B portion of the Heritage Hills ASP proposed substantial amounts of residential development, which was counter to the terms of the annexation agreement signed in 2003, which designated it for non-residential use.

http://www.cochranetimes.com/News/411913.html

 

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Cochrane, Airdrie team up for biz proposals

The Town of Cochrane together with the City of Airdrie are calling for Business and Retention and Expansion Program proposals.

The closing date for proposal submissions is Aug. 22 at 4:30 p.m. The successful proposal will be announced on Sept. 5 and is to be completed by Nov. 7.

The business program indentifies key business sectors in the community and shows opportunities and challenges facing these sectors such as service gaps and how to improve them.

http://www.cochranetimes.com/News/411961.html

 

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Cold Lake to share water with Bonnyville

While Bonnyville has a reputation for its bad water, that could certainly change in a few years.
About a year ago, the Regional Utilities Service Commission started talking about expanding its operations, which included Cold Lake providing water to neighbouring municipalities, including Bonnyville. Now those talks are finally gaining momentum.
Interim CAO for the City of Cold Lake, Kevin Nagoya, said that a feasibility study was conducted regarding expansion of the water treatment plant`s operations and the costs associated with having a regional waterline.
Currently, the water treatment plant, near Kinosoo Beach and beside Braeman Place in Cold Lake North, provides water to Cold Lake, 4 Wing, Cold Lake First Nations, Ardmore and Fort Kent.

http://www.coldlakesun.com/News/411831.html

 

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Housing prices steady in north east Alberta

Contrary to what you may be overhearing in the grocery line, real estate prices remain steady throughout the province and the North Eastern Alberta region in particular.

According to statistics provided by the North Eastern Alberta Real Estate Board, which covers the region including St. Paul, Elk Point, Bonnyville and Cold Lake, average single-family home prices have seen a negligible changes in 2008 over the same year to date in 2007.
In Cold Lake, the average price for a three-bedroom home sold between January to July 2007 for $312,777 and the same time frame this year for $313,777; an increase of only .1 percent. The Town of Bonnyville increased from $263,419 to $270,633; an increase of 2.7 percent.

http://www.coldlakesun.com/News/411848.html

 

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Golf course guzzles hospital water

The Crowsnest Pass golf course may be sucking some life out of the hospital.
According to Stantec associate Jeff Drain, the golf course, which is requesting to tie into the Coleman-Blairmore water loop is currently using the same six-inch Blairmore main as the Crowsnest Pass Health Centre.

http://www.crowsnestpasspromoter.com/News/412328.html

 

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$1 M in renos at south YMCA

Work continues on the most significant renovations undertaken at the William Lutsky YMCA.

The $1-million project will see the facility`s workout space grow by 186 square metres to nearly 929 square metres in total.

"That will allow us to spread out our free-weight area and add some more cardiovascular equipment," says Kent Bittorf, manager of the William Lutsky YMCA.

Training benches, mirrors, weights, and cable-training equipment are being added as part of the expansion, Bittorf says. New elliptical trainers are arriving in early 2010.

Also as part of the building`s upgrades, its parking lot is getting 40 more spots, for a total of roughly 300.

http://www.edmontonexaminer.com/ArticleDis....aspx?e=1126946

 

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Garage sale permits debated

Coun. Kim Krushell is asking city officials what it would take to get rid of Edmonton`s $19 garage sale permit.

"I don`t think the fee is fair," Krushell says, siding with a constituent who complained about the charge.

Council introduced the fee in the `90s to curb the number of sales that ran too long or too often.

Krushell says the city`s business regulations are sufficient to deal with homeowners who continually hold garage sales and treat it as a second income.

She says most garage sales pose no problem.

"I don`t see what the big deal is. I think people, if they want to have a garage sale, can have a garage sale."

http://www.edmontonexaminer.com/ArticleDis....aspx?e=1126964

 

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Panel named to review Dunvegan hydro project

A joint federal-provincial panel was appointed last week to review Glacier Power`s proposed hydroelectric project near Dunvegan, signalling that the end of a process that has now spanned nearly a decade may soon be coming to an end.
The fate of the 40 turbine, 100 megawatt, run of the river hydroelectric is now in the hands of panel chair Vern Hartwell, Dr. George Kupfer and Douglas Larder who now have up to 45 days from the day they were appointed by the federal Minister of Environment on July 16 to make a decision. They will review the previous environmental assessment, several years worth of stakeholder concerns, mitigations regarding those concerns and all other information regarding the proposal. Two of the individuals on the panel were selected from within the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) and Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) respectively and the third was selected by federal Environment Minister John Baird.

http://www.fairviewpost.com/News/412054.html

 

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Shell looks at options outside heartland

Shell`s second upgrader planned to be constructed in four phases east of Fort Saskatchewan might not be built after company officials acknowledged they are looking at other options to upgrade their bitumen.

Earlier this month, Shell`s Canadian chairman, David Collyer, said the company was considering building upgraders next to two of their American refineries rather than going ahead with its full plan for its industrial heartland complex, according to a Reuters report. The heartland plan would see Shell refine about 700,000 barrels per day at its Scotford complex.

http://www.fortsaskatchewanrecord.com/News/412365.html

 

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Okotoks re-evaluates population cap

A population cap might no longer be in Okotoks` best interest, says Mayor Bill McAlpine.
The town is considering
scrapping its renowned 35,000-
person population cap, as a result of the Calgary Regional Partnership`s new regional land-use policies.
The policies encourage
co-operation between southern
Albertan municipalities, urging them to "think regionally, act
locally," while working toward an
efficient and environmentally sound plan for growth.
The goal is to accommodate the large number of people expected to flow into southern Alberta over the next several decades, while


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maintaining a healthy agricultural industry and protecting ecologically sensitive lands, McAlpine said this week.

http://www.highrivertimes.com/News/412554.html

 

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Council axes Maple Drive re-zoning

Thunderous applause erupted among the overflow crowd of more than 60 people as Mayor Glenn Taylor spoke in Town council chambers to end a weeks-long controversy.
Council voted 6-1 against re-zoning not only a block of the Maple Drive neighbourhood, but also the property at 120 Maple set aside for a Habitat for Humanity Home.
Except for about a dozen representatives of the community group, the crowd at the Government Centre for the July 15 public meeting was unanimously disapproving of the proposed plan to rezone a number of lots on Maple Drive to allow the construction of duplex homes or, as some residents believed, even bigger projects. A petition of more than 400 signatures suggested, along with the crowd size, that opposition to the plan had spread well beyond the affected neighbourhood.

http://www.hintonparklander.com/News/411650.html

 

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Rural economies to benefit from increase in initial payments for wheat

The 2007-08 initial payments for wheat have increased $22 per tonne for farmers who delivered wheat to the Canadian Wheat Board between Aug. 1, 2007 and July 15, 2008. The CWB`s total payment to date has been $347 per tonne, while the Pool Return Outlook (PRO) estimate was set in February at $370.

David Boyes, market analyst for the CWB explained how the price increase was reached, saying there are a lot of unknowns when the first payment of the year goes out to wheat producers. As spring changes to summer, a clearer picture of prices comes out, which enables the CWB to either increase or decrease payments.

"We have most of the information now that we`re going to have," said Boyes. "We have sold most of the crop for that year (2007-08) so we know what the price we received for most of that wheat was, so we`re raising the initial payment."

http://www.peacecountrysun.com/News/412016.html

 

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Enmax pilots personal wind plan

Residents of the Municipal District of Pincher Creek may soon be able to produce the electricity they need in their own backyard.
Enmax has approached the MD about a pilot project, named Skystream, that it has been conducting for the past year.
"We have a pilot program to bring micro generation to the mass market," said Rob Falconer, director of distributed generation with Enmax.
"Essentially what we`ve found is a 12-foot diameter (referring to the length of the blades) turbine system that would sit on a 33-foot tower, about the size of a flag pole, with a little unit about the size of a two-drawer filing cabinet which weighs about 300 pounds," Falconer said.

http://www.pinchercreekecho.com/News/412297.html

 

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Shell`s upgrader being reviewed

Shell`s second upgrader planned to be constructed in four phases east of Fort Saskatchewan might not be built after company officials acknowledged they are looking at other options to upgrade their bitumen.

Earlier this month, Shell`s Canadian chairman, David Collyer, said the company was considering building upgraders next to two of their American refineries rather than going ahead with its full plan for its industrial heartland complex, according to a Reuters report. The heartland plan would see Shell refine about 700,000 barrels per day in Strathcona

http://www.sherwoodparknews.com/News/412428.html

 

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Housing prices fall, large area inventory

It`s a buyer`s market for local real estate after speculation has led to the large inventory of properties for sale.
The economics are simple for local realtor Arlie Jespersen.

"It`s supply and demand. There`s more supply than demand right now," said the realtor at Reality Executives Leading.

Jespersen said the market has become oversaturated with the number of homes on the market up by over 200 in each of Stony Plain and Spruce Grove.

http://www.stonyplainreporter.com/Top%20Stories/412544.html

 

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School division looking for home

Northern Gateway Regional School Division has started the process to borrow $1.8 million to build a $4.6 million new central administration facility -- now all they need is a location for the building.
Superintendent Kevin Andrea said the new facility is badly needed to accommodate the division`s growing administrative staff. The board is working with different municipalities within the region, including Whitecourt, on the possibility of forming a partnership to save on the overall cost of the land purchase.
"We just don`t seem to be able to get that final site," Andrea said.
He said the board recently decided to go ahead with making financial arrangements and is looking at the possibility of a private land purchase.
"We`re down to the point that we need to make a decision, and the longer we wait to make a decision, the more expensive the project`s going to get," he said.

http://www.whitecourtstar.com/News/412085.html

 

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Grand opening date set for Millar Centre

A grand opening date has been set for the Allan and Jean Millar Centre.
Jay Granley, director of community services for the Town of Whitecourt, said although the centre is expected to open to the public sometime in early to mid-August, the official ribbon cutting and a celebration to inaugurate the new activity centre will take place on Sept. 4.
Granley said the department of community services is still working on finalizing an agenda for the celebration, but that in addition to speeches from dignitaries, they hope to have sport demonstrations taking place throughout the day.

http://www.whitecourtstar.com/News/412086.html

 

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Airdrie on the move

The first sign of the economic boom north of Calgary is the amount of construction equipment and activity one notices along the Queen Elizabeth II Highway just north of the Calgary International Airport.

On a warm and dry summer day, the dust flies in the wind -- signifying the hectic and sometimes frenzied pace of activity taking place along the busy Calgary-Edmonton corridor.

And that activity continues for several kilometres up the well-travelled, high-speed roadway to include the massive CrossIron Mills shopping centre and racetrack/entertainment centre springing up near Balzac in the Municipal District of Rocky View.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...9f-d0a285e1686d