Hearing set for watchdog, realtor dispute A hearing into the battle between the Canadian real estate industry and the federal competition watchdog is set to begin next April. The Canadian Real Estate Association and the Competition Bureau will meet at the Competition Tribunal on April...

Okanagan real estate market feeling the strain Experts say buyers can enjoy significant discounts OKANAGAN (NEWS1130) - The real estate boom in the Okanagan has gone bust. Developers in the area have been slashing prices on new housing developments and prices are now sharply lower from...

U.S. urged to cancel plans for Alberta pipeline over climate fears The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is urging the Obama administration to put the brakes on a proposed pipeline linking Alberta`s oilsands industry with American refineries because of its potential impact on global...

Oil Sands Opponents Will Lose, Economist Suggests Attempts by some American policymakers to limit fuel from Alberta`s high-carbon oil sands will ultimately fail, a leading Canadian economist predicted. And two pro-oil lobby groups fighting U.S. climate legislation appear to agree. "Being...

Oil Sands Opponents Will Lose, Economist Suggests Attempts by some American policymakers to limit fuel from Alberta`s high-carbon oil sands will ultimately fail, a leading Canadian economist predicted. And two pro-oil lobby groups fighting U.S. climate legislation appear to agree...

Tame inflation seen as boon for consumers Bank of Canada expected to pursue rate hike A s the national inflation rate eased, the overall cost of living in Calgary and in Alberta was kept in check in May from a year ago. Tuesday`s tame inflation report will not deter the Bank of...

Homebuyers face $10K hit Ten thousand dollars. That`s a ballpark figure of how much could be added on next year to the price of a new home in a neighbourhood going to be built in the far-flung suburbs. The choices don`t look pretty. The municipal deep thinkers point out the...

Calgary headed to 2.5M people The face of Alberta will change dramatically over the next few decades, with a new provincial study projecting a greying, more multicultural population that flocks to the Calgary-Edmonton corridor. Calgary and area will continue to be a magnet in the coming...

Alberta boosts appeal for oilpatch investment, survey finds Calgary — Alberta is doing better as a preferred destination for energy investment in 2010, but the heart of Canada`s oilpatch still trails Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia as an attractive place for oil and gas...

B.C. energy auction signals drilling rebound VANCOUVER -- Energy companies made their biggest bet on the long-term future of Canadian natural gas exploration since the credit crisis began in 2008, putting down $404-million to secure land to hunt for shale gas in northeastern B.C. The...

Reading the mortgage fine print When Mika Suokonautio and Sian Sills bought their $355,000 Toronto home three years ago, their biggest concern was the amount of their monthly mortgage payment, followed by interest rates and payment flexibility. The couple, both elementary school...

Rocky View forms regional task force to study growth A task force to listen to disgruntled residents and manage contentious urban growth was announced Tuesday by Rocky View County, just months ahead of the municipal elections. A newly formed 16-person panel said it would hold three...

Building permits foreshadow dip in Calgary construction Values drop by nearly 40% in city Construction activity in Calgary and Alberta is expected to slip in the coming months, judging by the building permit values in May. The Calgary region and Alberta posted among the largest...

Horn River oil excites shale gas pioneer Quicksilver planning to test area`s potential T he U.S. company that pioneered technology that has unlocked huge unconventional gas plays across North America is probing the B.C. Horn River Basin this summer with a different target in mind: light...

Condo dwellers, expect an HST-related fee hike Condo fees may not be subject to HST, but that doesn`t mean condo owners won`t be dinged by the tax. Alan Kwan, a 32-year-old recruiter for a headhunting firm in downtown Toronto, says he expects to be hit with higher condo fees in a year`s...

New home sales in GTA down 26 per cent in June Higher interest rates. A new Harmonized Sales Tax. Increased building costs. Builders in the Greater Toronto Area will face a much different set of circumstances in the second half of 2010 than in the first. And the figures are proving...

Homeowners see red over taxes Three letters from the city can never be good but Peter Labancz wasn`t worried — he was expecting them. The three letters were property tax arrears for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010, adding up to $2,506.41 — no surprise there. Read full article here

Canada`s economy slowing sharply, central bank says OTTAWA - CANADA`S ECONOMY IS SLOWING MUCH FASTER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT, THE BANK OF CANADA SAID THURSDAY IN A BLEAK OUTLOOK THAT STRESSED MOUNTING RISKS FROM EUROPE`S DEBT CRISIS AND A POSSIBLE STALL IN THE GLOBAL RECOVERY. BUT...

Loonie should approach parity when U.S. outlook improves In just a few weeks, currency markets have moved from worrying that the eurozone would be dismantled to doubting the U.S. recovery. After falling 20% since the fourth quarter of 2009, the euro has bounced back 9% since troughing...

June existing home sales fall 5.1%, beat expectations WASHINGTON -- U.S. existing home sales fell less sharply than expected to a three-month low in June, though the supply of unsold homes rose to the highest in almost a year, an industry group said on Thursday. Read full article here