Alberta Economic Fundamentals

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Lacombe plans intervention in housing crunch

In an effort to stop losing people because of a housing crunch, the town of Lacombe is going ahead with a municipally administered project that will eventually create 1,300 new homes.

The 27-hectare project has received a green light from a task force formed last year to review the concept, which was initially aiming to hang onto young families by providing affordable homes for first-time buyers.

Mayor Judy Gordon said the task force, which presented its report last week, identified housing of all types is a major issue in this bustling community of 11,500, located about 20 kilometres north of Red Deer.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...7f-57db19125626

 

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Progress in Penhold

It`s all about getting together with the neighbours and kicking a few ideas around. And it`s where the Town of Penhold takes the pulse of the people who live there.

Three times a year, the town hosts a community breakfast to chat with residents and also to recognize people who have made selfless contributions to others.

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

 

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West leg LRT critics invited to hearing

People unhappy about the route of the LRT`s west leg will get a chance to air their grievances after council agreed to open the debate to a public hearing.

The move came at the request of Ald. John Mar, whose Scarboro/Sunalta constituents have been vocal in their opposition to an elevated section of track on the outskirts of downtown.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...16-9b236bce6cfc

 

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Eau Claire market faces wrecking ball by year`s end

The rundown Eau Claire market is expected to be demolished by the end of the year after city council approved the necessary land-use changes.

On Monday, council gave second and third reading to the redevelopment of the 2.89-hectare site along the Bow River.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...ed-0b020e94e5fb

 

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EnCana gives Royal Bank a run for market value title

The oilpatch has all the momentum on its side as it elbows out the country`s six big banks to become Canada`s leading economic force.

The point was driven home again on Monday as natural gas and oilsands powerhouse EnCana Corp. unseated financial stalwart Royal Bank of Canada for some of the day as the country`s largest company by market value, a title EnCana last held for a handful of weeks in the late summer of 2005.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...27-a8e139951af6

 

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Alberta expects to weather economic storm

Alberta`s new finance minister doesn`t expect a downturn in the U.S. economy to torpedo the province`s spending plans.

Iris Evans, who is planning how the province will invest in key areas such as health and education, said Monday the billions of investment dollars destined for the oilsands provide a buffer for the economy other jurisdictions don`t have.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...0a-ea559242a20e

 

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Local gov`t will have to follow new land-use rules

EDMONTON - Alberta`s municipal districts and counties may have to accept a smaller role in land-use decisions under the province`s new planning framework, Sustainable Resource Development Minister Ted Morton says.

"It`s going to impose some provincewide rules and guidelines that will limit the discretion of MDs and counties," Morton said.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...0f-db7f53340e62

 

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City, province urged to force cleanup of eyesore `brownfields`

EDMONTON - They blot every major city in the country -- abandoned factories, former gas stations, mothballed refineries and other polluted property.

Brownfields, or underused contaminated urban land with strong redevelopment potential, can be found across Canada, but no one knows exactly how many exist. While a 2003 federal task force estimated there could be up to 30,000 nationally, similar calculations haven`t been done in Alberta.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...fc-fac2379acf4d

 

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Galaxy Cinemas to open with bang

An animated elephant will herald the opening of the new Galaxy Cinemas complex in Gasoline Alley on Friday.

Dr. Seuss` Horton Hears A Who is among the movies scheduled to be shown at the 10-screen theatre on its first day of operation.

Other titles that will help launch the Cineplex Entertainment facility include Drillbit Taylor and Never Back Down, with the remaining lineup still to be confirmed as of Tuesday.

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

 

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Expect delays for three years at interchange

EDMONTON - Drivers using the busy intersection at Gateway Boulevard and 23rd Avenue can expect delays for the next three years after construction ramps up in April on Edmonton`s most expensive interchange.

Pipelines have been moved and storm sewers installed. Road work on the $260-million project begins April 2, with one lane being closed in each direction during off-peak hours, construction manager George Welsh of ISL Engineering and Land Services said Tuesday.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...c3-cd3e9d0c288d

 

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City`s office space the second-tightest

EDMONTON - Edmonton has the second-lowest overall office vacancy rate in the country, says a new report released Tuesday by CB Richard Ellis.

At 4.9 per cent, Edmonton`s market for combined downtown and suburban office space is tighter than nearly anywhere else in Canada, the commercial real estate firm found in a review of office vacancy rates in 10 cities nationwide.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...0d-eb8488005e90

 

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Protect yourself from cybercrooks

EDMONTON - If an online offer sounds too good to be true, it likely is, says a Crown prosecutor who specializes in cybercrime.

Craig Krieger is one of six special prosecutors in the province who deal with Internet-related crime. He was among a panel of law enforcement experts gathered at Edmonton police headquarters today as part of Alberta Fraud Prevention Month offering tips on how to safeguard yourself against the growing problem of cybercrime.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...3ea&k=51489

 

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Bathroom and kitchen upgrades offer best return on investment: report

CALGARY - Renovations involving bathrooms and kitchens offer the best return on investment for homeowners looking to improve the value of their houses as the residential real estate market enters its traditionally busiest time of the year.

A report released by Royal LePage today says the renovation with the best return on investment (80 to 100 per cent) is installing an additional bathroom on a main floor followed by renovating a bathroom (75 to 100 per cent) and renovating a kitchen (75 to 100 per cent).

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...ce8&k=63631

 

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Retiring boomers inspired by nature

Alberta baby boomers are most likely to move to a different climate and want a home in the country that is close to nature when they retire, says a national survey released Tuesday by RBC.

The RBC`s 15th annual homeownership study indicated that 55 per cent of Albertans who were polled said they would like to move to a different climate on retirement and 92 per cent said they wanted to be closer to nature.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...47-eb728720efdb

 

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Office vacancy rate lowest in Canada

Calgary has the lowest overall office vacancy rate in the country and the third lowest in the downtown market, according to a national report by CB Richard Ellis.

CBRE said Calgary`s overall office vacancy rate -- combining the suburban and downtown markets -- is 4.3 per cent and remains the tightest in the nation even though it rose from 3.5 per cent at the end of last year.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...c9-e988b0ab041f

 

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Wanted: Lots of mature workers

They`re having trouble finding green, so they`re turning to grey.

With the scarcity of young workers in Central Alberta, a growing number of employers are dipping into the ranks of the retired and semi-retired to fill their labour needs.

"Employers are wanting to hire mature workers," said Charles Strachey, regional communications manager with Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry.

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

 

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City hall blitzes U.K. for workers

The City of Calgary is joining in the rush in Alberta for temporary foreign workers and will be searching overseas for city planners, heavy-duty mechanics and up to 200 bus drivers.

In a first for the city, Mayor Dave Bronconnier and an entourage of city managers and employees will travel to London and Leeds, England, in June to make a pitch for more than 250 temporary foreign workers at a job fair being organized by a private British company, said Cindy Munn, who leads corporate recruitment at the city.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...2b-944bd17fc5fe

 

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Auto sector eyed to ease labour crunch

Mayor Dave Bronconnier says it may be a long commute, but he favours a plan from Windsor`s mayor to bring unemployed auto workers to Calgary to help ease southern Alberta`s labour shortage.

Already, Bronconnier has bent the ear of WestJet president and chief executive Sean Durfy about non-stop flights between the two cities, a route the Calgary-based airline is considering adding in the next couple of years, the mayor said.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...22-78e6f0cbfb80

 

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Energy giant eyes $5B hydro project

Energy and pipeline giant TransCanada Corp., along with ATCO Power Ltd., is eyeing the development of Alberta`s last remaining major hydroelectric prospect, on the Slave River -- a potentially $5-billion project supplying emissions-free power.

"We are presently assessing the feasibility of the Slave River project with our partner ATCO," TransCanada`s president for energy, Alex Pourbaix, told the Herald, suggesting the site could accommodate a 1,200 to 1,300-megawatt hydro development.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...4d-9ff8c2aab4b2

 

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Reclaimed oilsands site receives provincial blessing

EDMONTON - The Alberta government has issued its first-ever certificate for a reclaimed oilsands site.

The 104-hectare parcel of land, known as Gateway Hill, belongs to Syncrude.

It`s a tiny fraction of the 40,000 hectares that have been disturbed by the oilsands industry thus far, but the government is hailing this as an important first step in restoring land to its natural state.

Gateway Hill was once a spot of wild muskeg. Now it`s a rolling forested area that rears up as high as 40 metres above Highway 63 north of Fort McMurray.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...27-a51d4b8c9f5a