AB Economic Fundamentals 2008-08

[joeiannuzzi]

New section of highway for oilsands corridor opens

EDMONTON - A newly divided section of Highway 63 north of Fort McMurray is set to open today.

The 17-kilometre stretch south of Suncor to north of Mildred Lake will reduce congestion and improve safety, Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette said in news release.

Northbound traffic will be diverted to the new lanes starting today at 10 a.m.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...84-fe067f01a006

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Our scant stature is shortsighted

Downtown Edmonton is extremely height challenged.

Relative to other North American cities, our skyline is knee-high to a highrise. Yes, Edmonton does have a CN Tower, though ours suffered from an early typo. Supposed to be CN Lower.

A world-class designer once visited Edmonton and told me how he liked the "human scale" of the buildings. I took this to mean: Humans passed out on a bathroom scale.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...a0-6c0ee65e7f8c

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Rising costs see businesses searching to innovate

EDMONTON / While Chrysler mused about a four-day work week and KPMG settled a class-action lawsuit for unpaid overtime, I received an e-mail from a single mother feeling she might have to take a second job stocking shelves at Superstore to make ends meet.

The juxtaposition of those events reflects how the traditional nine-to-five workday, five days a week, is changing.

The days when Ward Cleaver worked 44 hours a week while wife June stayed home full-time to darn Wally and Beaver`s socks have long since given way to the two-income family, with husband and wife both working 40 or 35 hours a week. That drove the demand for Sunday shopping, which in turn created weekend jobs.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...f7-a875e77780f4

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Alberta`s latest mad-cow case shakes U.S. cattle futures

American cattle futures fell to the lowest price this month on speculation that export demand for U.S. beef will slow after Canada`s discovery of its 14th case of mad cow disease since 2003.

Last Friday, Canada confirmed the brain-wasting disease in a six-year-old beef cow from Alberta. The U.S. imported 110,319 head of cattle from Canada in June, up 84 per cent from the same month last year, government data show. Cattle futures gained 15 per cent in the past year on increased shipments of U.S. beef to Asia as economic growth spurs meat consumption.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...13-7c0052fb14a5

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Medical service to grow


To help cure the city`s ailing accessibility to family doctors, the province yesterday announced $5.1 million to add a clinic to the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre in downtown Calgary.

Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert said the clinic, to be housed on the eighth floor of the urgent-care centre, located at 1213 4 St. S.W., will provide access to a family doctor for 30,000 people out of the city`s 200,000 people without one.

"When completed, this will allow for patients and medical community to ensure that the patient is not involved in what I would say is referral run around," he said. "We want to try to ensure wherever we can that when a patient needs to be referred, the referral is to may be a floor down rather to another facility across town."

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/0...509526-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Heat spurs power record in Calgary


Heat records weren`t the only ones getting broken in the province this week.

As the temperature rose to record-breaking heights Monday -- reaching 33.7C in Calgary, eclipsing the 89-year-old mark by 0.4 degree -- so too did power usage by Albertans.

According to the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), Albertans used 9,451 megawatts of energy at 2 p.m. Monday, breaking the old mark -- set on July 19, 2007 -- by 221 megawatts, said Warren Frost, vice-president of AESO. "Although the heaviest demand for electricity in Alberta typically occurs during the winter, the Alberta economy continues to grow at a healthy pace, and this, coupled with noticeable increases in air conditioning load in the province have resulted in the new record demand on Alberta`s power system," he said.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2008/0...509721-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Force confirms it will request 400 more police over three years

The Calgary Police Service will request an additional 400 officers targeted for front-line duty and to battle violent crime over the next three years, says Deputy Chief Murray Stooke.

The news comes the day after Ald. John Mar called for 400 more officers to be added in the next two years in the wake of another shooting in the Beltline.

Stooke said the pitch will be to get the federal, provincial and municipal governments to contribute the money needed to get more cops on the street.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...21-e3e364541e11

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Shopping project urban to the Core

A massive multimillion-dollar redevelopment of the downtown Calgary Eaton Centre/TD Square will feature the creation of an "urban streetscape" on the top level enclosed by an expansive skylight linking three city blocks, the Herald has learned.

Redevelopment plans for the Core, which is the re-branded name for the downtown shopping complex, include the addition of world-class retailers, integration of the one-hectare Devonian Gardens urban park, which will be closing soon for renovations and expanded, and next generation food facilities including seating for 900 patrons.

Work has begun on the project and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2010. The entire shopping centre, from 2nd Street to 4th Street S.W. between 7th and 8th avenues, has about 640,000 square feet of retail space.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...3c-a5dc85efc776

 

[GlennLasiuta]

Residents report good quality of life in Red Deer: surveyAugust 19, 2008
(Red Deer, Alberta) – Ninety-five per cent of residents feel quality of life in Red Deer is good, according to a 2008 Ipsos Reid municipal survey. 2008 is the third consecutive year The City participated in the survey.

"Quality of life is very important to our residents. Red Deer`s features and services help define our community and contribute to our way of life," said Mayor Morris Flewwelling.

The top five reasons citizens reported quality of life as good to very good were: good culture/good community; size of city/small-town atmosphere; economic growth; recreation, parks and green spaces; and environment.


Read More


Thank you,

Glenn

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Gasoline Alley traffic studied

A traffic study is underway in Red Deer County`s Gasoline Alley to ensure vehicles move smoothly in an area that may one day be home to 8,000 residents.

Representatives of Calgary`s D. A. Watt Consulting were at Red Deer County Centre on Tuesday to provide an update on the estimated $250,000 project that began in May and is expected to wrap up by the end of November.

Nick Finn, the company`s vice-president of transportation, said they have already met with city, county and Alberta Transportation and Infrastructure officials to look at the options for Gasoline Alley.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradv...ic_studied.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Sylvan Lake seeks money for park

Officials from Sylvan Lake hope they have convinced a provincial minister to pour millions more dollars into a small park on Lakeshore Drive.

Mayor Susan Samson and other town officials showed Tourism, Parks and Recreation Minister Cindy Ady around Sylvan Lake Provincial Park on Tuesday.

Samson said she wanted to re-emphasize why the town wants $3 million for upgrading Centennial Park, because it`s integral to redeveloping the waterfront area.

Ady`s department announced earlier it would give $800,000 for upgrading the park on the south side of Lakeshore Drive.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradv...y_for_park.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Goodbye downtown crane

One of downtown Red Deer`s biggest birds is flying the coop. And that means fewer drivers and pedestrians craning their necks to watch chunks of steel and concrete floating across the sky.

Work started last night on the slow process of tearing down the tower crane hired to top up the Millennium Centre by two more floors.

It will take one more night to tear down the crane and a couple of weeks to remove the structures upon which it was built, said Scott Craig, property development manager for Artis Real Estate Investment Trust.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradv...town_crane.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Drainage problems

A Red Deer County councillor believes the municipality`s subdivision drainage practices are all wet.

George Gehrke wants to see the county take a new look at how drainage is handled for subdivisions. "It`s time to change our focus, I think, on how we deal with water retention and drainage," said Gehrke on Tuesday.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradv...e_problems.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Sylvan Lake to get new hotel

SYLVAN LAKE — This resort community is poised to get a new hotel — although not quite as quickly as the project`s developer would have liked.

Sylvan Lake`s municipal planning commission has given its approval for the development of a 72-unit hotel on the south side of Lakeshore Drive, between 50A and 51st streets.

Bert Messier, president of Bear Development Corp., said Tuesday the four-storey hotel will provide "mid-range" accommodations for visitors to the town.

"It`s intended for basically that family market. We`ll have the usual adjoining rooms and things like that. It`s going to have a pool, it`s going to have a jacuzzi and probably a little waterslide and little fitness room."

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradv..._new_hotel.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

City wants parking problem to be reviewed

City manager Craig Curtis wants a review of how the city handles parking around home occupation businesses.

Home-based businesses have become increasingly popular over the last few years, with hundreds of hairdressers, nail salons, massage therapists and other small operations scattered throughout the community.

On Monday, the city`s municipal planning commission unanimously approved a hair salon at a condominium complex at 150 Vanier Drive, but not without a lengthy discussion about how much parking should be required.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradv...e_reviewed.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

City hires Britons to fill vacancies

About 80 Britons are set to start new careers with the city, hopefully by the end of the year, after a successful overseas recruiting trip earlier this summer.

Fifty-five citizens from the U.K. have accepted offers from transit to drive a bus or a C-Train, 16 heavy-duty mechanics are taking provincial equivalency exams to work for fleet services or transit, and 12 experienced planners have either accepted positions or are negotiating.

"It was very worthwhile," said David Watson, the city`s general manager of planning, development and assessment, adding the city has been searching for people for 18 months.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...e1-0291a399f418

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Casino expansion approved by MPC

The Medicine Hat Lodge got a unanimous go-ahead from the city`s municipal planning commission (MPC) Wednesday for a major expansion of its leased Casino By Vanshaw operation.

"Essentially it`ll be a doubling in size to 30,000 sq. ft. from its present 15,000 sq. ft.," said Lodge manager Jason Fraser, following the MPC meeting.

"The expansion is necessary in order to keep competitive with other nearby casinos such as the one in Swift Current and other locations."

http://www.medicinehatnews.com/content/view/41514/27/

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Renters see silver lining in housing downturn

EDMONTON - The recent downturn in Edmonton`s housing market may benefit university and college students looking for a place to live this fall.

Some real-estate investors struggling to sell their properties are now offering them to tenants, providing a small bit of relief to what has been one of the country`s tightest rental markets.

"We haven`t seen any real rollback in prices but they have stopped increasing, which is a sign that things are a little better," said Mark Dumouchel of rentingspaces.ca, an online housing registry for students at the University of Alberta, Grant MacEwan College and NAIT.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...db-5450c4aaf26e

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Dormitory destroyed in Bennett Centre blaze

EDMONTON - A massive fire fuelled by natural gas erupted Wednesday morning at an environmental education centre and popular field-trip destination in the river valley.

The red-brick dormitory adjoining the historic Bennett Environmental Education Centre at 9703 94th Street was heavily damaged by smoke and flames.

The Bennett Centre building appeared untouched.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...31-39683e1a8bed

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Only `die-hard` customers braving LRT work zone

EDMONTON - First-time customers who phone asking how to get to Patti Hansen`s quilting store Earthly Goods just north of Southgate Mall are advised to "try a helicopter."

Hansen and the 16 other businesses in the Lendrum Shopping Centre along 111th Street are surrounded by major construction, the result of ongoing work related to the south LRT extension.

"Basically, 111th street is not a street anymore, it`s just a complete disaster," said Sandra Johnston, owner of Pink Ice Hair and Esthetics.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...e7-fc81cded9053