AB Economic Fundamentals 2008-08

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Subdivision stalled by road construction

Some miscommunication between the Town of Peace River and local developers has stalled the production of a proposed subdivision on the West Hill.

It seems the developing company 1208338 Alberta Ltd. was under the impression when putting in the utilities for the road surrounding the subdivision site on 73 Street and 97 Avenue, that it would be a 20 metre wide road.

However, the Town of Peace River approved up to a 30 metre road through Mackenzie Municipal Planning Services in August of 2007.

According to the developers during town council Aug. 11, there was an agreement between the former Chief Administrative Officer, Kelly Bunn and their company to only build for 20 metres.

http://www.prrecordgazette.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1163577

 

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Hot housing market starting to level off in Alberta

Local real estate agent, Kevin Baldwin, said prices are falling in the Strathmore market but not quite enough for people to be buying.


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"The prices are down significantly but haven`t fallen enough to motivate the buyers to buy out here. Why pay for the high cost of gas to commute to the city when you can buy a three bedroom home for $330,000 in Calgary. The way gas is going up it is scaring people who at one-time thought Strathmore is a very affordable place to live. It is not anymore though," he said.
Baldwin said those renting homes might see a larger availability in the near future because many people purchased second homes attempting to renovate and flip them but found themselves not being able to sell.

http://www.strathmorestandard.com/News/415497.html

 

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Industrial warehouse SSR postponed by council

Canmore council made a quick decision this week to send a proposed industrial development`s sustainability screening report back to the drawing board as it had almost no details regarding how the development will sustain the environment or social fabric of the community.

In fact, the submission from Calgary-based land development and property management company BurnsWest Corporation began by criticizing the process itself.

"While much of the suggested model for qualitative inquiry in the screening matrix is completely outdated and ill-advised, the overall ambition for a measurable positive result and impact is the goal and this report will demonstrate the means by which this development will achieve this goal," it states.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/rockymount...s/27225029.html

 

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Global water concerns shared by Bow River basin

As Canadian chair of the United Nations Water for Life Decade, Canmore resident Bob Sandford has spent the past three years learning from the world`s leading experts in water policy and water resource management.

But after participating in the sixth biennial Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, an invitation-only gathering of water scholars and senior water managers which took place in Zaragoza, Spain June 24 through 27, Sandford admitted this year`s topic, Water for Food: Quantity and Quality in a Changing World, left him with plenty to chew on.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/rockymount...s/27224329.html

 

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Major water project begins soon

Construction of new storage tanks for water will soon begin in Endiang and Byemoor at a cost of just over $2.3 million.

At its regular meeting Aug. 13, County of Stettler council awarded the contract for the Endiang and Byemoor water storage facilities (contract 3) to Corix Utilities Inc. of Calgary in the amount of $2,388,075.04 (excluding the federal goods and services tax), the lower of two tenders, pending funding approval from Alberta Transportation.

"Cost of this project qualifies for funding by the Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership with 75 per cent of the eligible costs, " said chief administrative officer Tim Fox.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/stettlerin...s/27193194.html

 

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Halkirk wind project gaining momentum

A 300-megawatt wind power project for the Halkirk-Castor area by Greengate Power Corporation is gaining momentum as plans are progressing smoothly with government partners.

Greengate is especially pleased that County of Paintearth council is fully supporting the project and adopted the land-use bylaw to add safety regulations on wind energy conversion systems following a public hearing Aug. 12.

"It`s great that the county is proactive with the project and getting a bylaw," said Dan Balaban, chief executive officer for Greengate.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/stettlerin...s/27193049.html

 

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County places moratorium on multi-lot subdivisions

No new multi-lot residential subdivisions will be considered in the County of Stettler until a new municipal development plan (MDP) is adopted.

At its regular meeting Aug. 13, county council passed a motion to defer future bylaws that propose to rezone land for multi-lot subdivisions until the review of the current municipal development plan process is complete.

"The municipal development plan will outline specific guidelines for allowing multi-lot subdivisions and council has decided that until those specifications are determined, the council and county will defer all applications," said Reeve Victor Carey.

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/stettlerin...s/27185134.html

 

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Aiming to keep Hat advantage

Expected energy commodity price increases over the next year will probably see Hat and area customers of the city`s energy division paying higher natural gas and electricity prices, but the city aims to continue to keep prices the lowest in the province.

In addition, city customers should see more flexibility in choosing from monthly contracts to one-year locked in contracts.

These and other options were discussed at this week`s energy committee meeting, and will be further developed by that committee in conjunction with city administration, before being brought back to city council for approval over the next few months.

http://www.medicinehatnews.com/content/view/41526/27/

 

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Hospital ERs get $23M booster shot

Alberta`s minister of health offered an upside to high oil and gas prices yesterday, announcing an injection of $23 million to expand emergency services at the University and Stollery Children`s hospitals. "Due to high oil and gas prices, as you well know, our estimated budget surplus is going to exceed what we had announced last April at the time of the budget," said Health Minister Ron Liepert.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/20...535651-sun.html

 

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$9M tune-up for transit radio system

EDMONTON -- The city has reached a $9-million agreement to outfit its buses and LRT trains with a sophisticated radio system.

The upgrade is needed because the current system is nearly 20 years old and can no longer handle the demands of a rapidly growing transit network, city LRT director Dave Geake said.

"With the way the (old) system is structured, if somebody makes a call to the control centre from a bus in a certain area, it ties up the channel," he said. "Nobody else can get a call through in that area until the first call is finished."

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...02-c05bdb0f970d

 

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Secure supply, rule of law vital for oil investors

CALGARY - At first blush, there`s no obvious link between the historic agreement signed this week by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador to develop the massive Hebron offshore oilfield and the surprise visit of two of the world`s richest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, to Canadian Natural Resources` Horizon mine site in the Alberta oilsands.

But a closer look at the two events suggests there are more commonalities than you might expect.

For starters, both Hebron and the soon-to-be fully operational Horizon require mining and drilling to be carried out under some of the harshest weather conditions on Earth. As a result, they will depend on cutting-edge technology to get their oil out of the earth and off to market.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...7a-c85e08417c0c

 

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Housing costs cool inflation

Sagging home prices have pierced the Calgary inflation balloon and dragged down consumer prices by more than 1% in July.

Statistics Canada reported yesterday that in Calgary, the inflation rate dropped to 3.3% in July, down from 4.5% in June, marking the steepest monthly drop of any Canadian city.

Inflation also dropped in Alberta as a whole, where the consumer price index slid by 0.6% in July.

Saskatchewan, with a 0.1% decline, was the only other province where prices dropped last month. Nationally, inflation rose by 0.3% in July.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/Business/2008/08/22/6536286-sun.html

 

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New airline getting set to jet


Fledgling Calgary airline NewAir just received tentative permission for takeoff but is still waiting to ink a key contract with an unspecified Canadian company to fly workers to job sites.

Spokesman Dean McKenzie said the airline, led by a number of former WestJet executives, will start service this fall but is still finalizing a deal with "a major business in Canada to fly their employees to specific destinations."

Pending finalization of that contract, McKenzie said NewAir and Tours will decide which regular passenger markets to serve. Although McKenzie wouldn`t reveal who their contract partner is and where the carrier plans to operate, Alberta`s oilsands are a likely destination.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/Business/2008/08/22/6536306-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

City urged to ease solar panel rules

City council will decide in October -- after hearing from the public -- whether to approve new rules making it easier to install solar panels on homes and small commercial buildings.

Recommendations were presented Thursday to the Calgary planning commission that would allow solar panels that meet certain criteria to be installed without a development permit. It would include panels that produce electricity or create hot water.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...fa-6bb8bb9b9da0

 

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Ralph Klein Park gains approval

Construction of an educational building at Ralph Klein Park should begin next spring, after the planning commission approved the project Thursday.

Doug Marter, the city`s manager of parks planning and development, said detailed designs can now be completed and the project will go to tender early next year.

That would see work on the structure begin next spring.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...50-1ff2a74f57fe

 

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Calgary leads office space development in Canada

The business community`s appetite for office space has pushed Calgary to the top of the country for square footage per capita -- beating bigger cities such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

And current projects under construction will add more than nine million square feet of office space to a growing inventory in recent years.

Calgary has the highest amount of office space per capita in Canada with 47.4 square feet of space per person, well ahead of the next highest cities -- Ottawa at 41.7, Toronto at 31.7, Montreal at 21.4, Vancouver at 21.0 and Edmonton at 20.2, says a report by Avison Young Commercial Real Estate (Alberta) obtained by the Herald.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...1c-253dcf0d9fad

 

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Alberta`s energy output slides despite hefty prices

Despite record high prices for oil and strengthening natural gas prices for much of the past two years, the output of oil and particularly natural gas -- the largest single driver of the Alberta economy and the source of 60 per cent of provincial royalty revenue -- is down sharply.

"We have to keep an eye on it -- absolutely," Jason Chance, a spokesman for Energy Minister Mel Knight, told the Herald.

Statistics show Alberta`s weakening oilpatch has helped turned the Canadian energy sector into the worst performer in the national economy, as natural gas production levels plunge and producers look anywhere but Alberta for new prospects. While high oil prices have dominated headlines over the past year, natural gas output has been declining steadily and oil production is down, too.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...61-540df09c75bd

 

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Downtown safety requires cleanup

Drug dealers, prostitutes and the homeless are loitering around downtown businesses because of poor lighting and good hiding places.

Recent studies of the Plaza Shopping Centre on 47th Avenue and historic Gaetz Avenue downtown show some problems with older building designs and general lack of maintenance.

The City of Red Deer, Downtown Business Association and a security consultant teamed up to examine ways of reducing crime in the two areas.

Steve Woolrich, director of SeCure Consulting Solutions Inc., visited both areas in July to see what could be done.

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

 

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Blockbuster video for Sylvan Lake

Video junkies in Sylvan Lake will soon have another option when it comes to renting the latest flick.

Blockbuster Inc. plans to open an outlet in Ryders Square Shopping Centre, with the store expected to open in early October.

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

 

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RV dealership to be first tenant of new industrial park

LACOMBE — Lacombe RV 2000 Ltd. is expected to become the first tenant of a new industrial park west of town this fall.

But the developer of the 77-acre park is optimistic the recreation vehicle dealer will soon have company.

Chris Epp, who owns Penticton, B.C.-based Okanagan Manufacturers Ltd., said his company has yet to begin marketing lots at the site southwest of the corner of highways 2 and 12, but there is already good interest in the property.

"We`re just in the process of putting up the real estate signs advertising it for sale, but our realtor has already been fielding a number of calls."

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