0109SASK Property tax relief not a given There may not be long-term property tax relief in the March provincial budget, says Saskatchewan Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer. In fact, the Saskatchewan Party government said Wednesday that taxpayers won`t even see what options for long-term property...

0109WNPG `Buyers` market` in housing There will still be some heat, but the Winnipeg housing market in 2009 won`t be as hot as it was the last couple years, says the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals. Will Dunning, a market prognosticator and chief economist for CAAMP...

0109WNPG IKEA plan draws ire of critics City hall may soon be embroiled in a chicken-or-egg debate about what came first: a $400-million IKEA project or the need to widen roads in southwest Winnipeg. The city and province say a 1.5-million-square-foot commercial development proposed for the...

0109WNPG Gut historic buildings: Hydro Heritage building advocates and Exchange District residents are alarmed by Manitoba Hydro`s plan to gut three historical buildings on McDermot Avenue to make way for the expansion of an area substation. Hydro spokesman Glenn Schneider said the utility is...

0109PORTPortage looks like boom town in 2008 The 2008 building permit numbers are out, and they show more people applied to build a house in the city than in the previous year. Permits for new single residential dwellings saw the biggest jump with 41 issued in 2008 worth about $7.2 million...

0109DUXB Uxbridge approves 1.9-per cent tax hike UXBRIDGE -- Uxbridge has approved a 1.9-per cent hike in taxes for 2009. But exactly what that will equate to this year as far as added cost to Uxbridge homeowners is "very difficult to say," said the Township`s treasurer...

0109BAOR Ethanol company burns its plans Northern Ethanol has gassed its own plans for a Barrie plant. The Ontario government`s environmental registry shows the company has withdrawn its application for a certificate of approval for emissions needed to operate at the city`s former Molson...

Expect loonie to fly low as U. S. goes slow The 50-basis-point interest-rate cut by the Bank of Canada yesterday brought Canada`s overnight lending rate to 1%, a record low. Not surprisingly, the Canadian dollar softened on the news. A deep global economic recession, rising unemployment...

0109BAOR Plan aimed at reviving Lake Simcoe Ontario`s draft Lake Simcoe Protection Plan will create a healthy future for the lake by limiting shoreline development, decreasing pollutants and returning its fish population to vigorous levels, says Ontario`s Environment Minister John Gerretsen...

0109TNTO Bluffs residents query turbine plan The winds of skepticism gusted through the auditorium of Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate last night as about 500 Scarborough residents gathered to learn more about a proposed wind power development off Toronto`s eastern shoreline...

Online scheme offers `refunds` to taxpayers The Canada Revenue Agency and security experts are warning consumers not to fall for an online scheme that is tricking taxpayers into divulging critical financial information. The phishing scheme, using the promise of a tax refund as a lure, is...

0109BCBC Lawsuit against strata very much owners` concern Dear Condo Smarts: I own a two-bedroom unit in a highrise development in Vancouver. Someone has anonymously put a note under everyone`s door in the building advising us that the strata corporation was sued in September and what are we...

0109ALTA Suncor shelves expansion amid first loss in 16 years Suncor Energy Inc. is "downing tools" on the $20.6-billion Voyageur expansion underway at its northern Alberta oilsands operations as it reports its first quarterly loss in 16 years, blamed on falling commodity prices, production...

0109CALG Incoming real estate chief expects return to stability The past year saw the local residential real estate market come back to earth after a couple of boom years when average prices were soaring. When 2008 was over, the average MLS sale price of a single-family home in Calgary fell by...

0109EDTN Multi-family market remains solid Despite economic uncertainty, Edmonton`s multi-family housing market in 2009 will bring some benefits to both landlords and renters, says a new report. "Billions of dollars have been invested in the economic growth of northern Alberta and, unless the...

0109FTSK Regulator approves Ft. Sask upgrader The Energy Resources Conservation Board has approved Petro-Canada`s plans to build an oilsands upgrader in the Alberta Industrial Heartland near Fort Saskatchewan. However, Petro-Canada has put off a decision on whether to proceed with the Fort...

0109REDR Utility bills set for increase Landfill, recycling, water and wastewater rates will be rising in Red Deer. Water and wastewater rates are set to soon increase 13 per cent. The average water bill will rise to $28.68 per month from $25.38. With this increase, Red Deer rates are...

0109SKTN City tackles Montgomery runoff woes The longtime spring runoff problems that turn some Montgomery Place yards into lakes will be addressed this year. An engineering company hired by the city has identified three key drainage routes that need work to keep more yards dry in Saskatoon`s...

0109SASK Sask. manufacturing not being affected, yet Saskatchewan`s manufacturers held their own in November, posting a slight 0.3 per-cent decline in sales to $1.044 billion from $1.048 billion in October, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday. And, on a year-over-year basis, manufacturing...

0109SASK Value of exports up The value of Saskatchewan`s exports grew nearly 64 per cent in November 2008 over the same month in 2007, a new report says. Exports in November totalled $2.8 billion, Industry Canada data shows. The figure is a 63.8-per-cent increase over the $1.7-billion worth of...