0109SHPK Slowing real estate in `09 Investing in real estate might have been a good way to make some extra cash over the past couple years, but for 2009, realtors are warning buyers to be cautious to avoid getting in too far over their heads. According to Charlie Ponde, the 2009 president of...

0109GRPR Plans for new subdivisions in the works The future development of northern Grande Prairie reached city chambers Monday, as council discussed two area structure plans. Council members passed second and third readings of area structure plans for Arbour Hills, bordered by 140 and 132...

0109ALTA College crunch? Economic downturn not having a big affect on post-secondary institutions in Alberta An economic crunch affecting post-secondary institutions in Ontario is not being felt in Grande Prairie, Edmonton or Calgary, say representatives of colleges and universities in those...

0109STPL Town updates land use bylaw At Monday`s town council meeting, Stony Plain councillors agreed to update their land use bylaw. The most significant changes to the municipality`s land use bylaw are the addition of several new land use districts, the addition of secondary suites as a...

0109REDR (Stettler) Town service rates increase to connect and install water and sewer lines Charges to connect and install water and sewer services in the Town of Stettler to residential properties have risen over 50 per cent to reflect rising costs. At its regular meeting Jan. 6, town...

0109ALBT Housing market expected to rebound The economic outlook in the city and the province isn`t great for 2009, but it`s not as bleak as it is in other places. That was the general message emerging from the economic forum hosted by the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce Wednesday. In the...

0109ALBT Beaverbrook lashes out at city land use bylaws Out-of-date land use bylaws are keeping entry-level homes out of St. Albert, putting the city beyond the reach of professionals like teachers and police officers. This was the frank complaint levelled at city hall by George Cantalini...

0109ALTA Alberta to be best economy in country The economy has been dominating the headlines on the news, in the coffee shops and in people`s homes. Everyone is asking when things will turn around, how can we survive the wave of uncertainty sweeping the globe and will things fall even...

0109FTMC December`s housing starts plummet from 2007 December was a mixed month for housing starts in Wood Buffalo, with some numbers up and others way down. According to the preliminary housing starts released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), this region saw start-ups...

0109FTMC McMurray job numbers positive Despite a global recession and a drastically lower oil price, Fort McMurray is still a good place to find a job. The unemployment rate for December 2008 has been released by Alberta Employment and Immigration, and the Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake region has...

0109CHRN Home sales fall over $70,000 per Where have the good days gone? In the past year, the average sale price of a home in Cochrane has tumbled by $71,408, a 17 per cent drop from $441,340 in December 2007 to $369,932 December 2008. Jim Messner, a realtor with First Place Realty...

0109ALTA Cold snap killed over 90% of pine beetles Trees infested by the mountain pine beetle on both sides of the Bow Valley are now being cut and burned, and will continue to be until March. Brad Jones, a forest health officer with Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD), said Jan 8...

0109ARDE Airdrie construction values tumble in 2008 While the residential construction value in Airdrie plummeted in 2008, the commercial/industrial construction held strong and provides hope for a better tax base down the road. The city saw $184 million in total construction value last year...

Audit finds tax agency flaws OTTAWA -- The Canada Revenue Agency is so inconsistent about the way it grants breaks to delinquent taxpayers there`s a risk people will go "shopping" to various tax offices for the best deal, a new audit suggests. The agency has failed to communicate rules to...

0109BCBC Employment opportunities abound in health care The greying of the population is setting off alarms through the health care industry across the country as an increasing number of health care workers are reaching retirement age. "We are in a real crunch," says Nicole Jantzi, regional...

0109BCBC Urban critters: Black carpet beetle What it`s called: The black carpet beetle, or in Latin, Attagenus piceus. What it looks like: Like a lot of beetles, the black carpet beetle looks like a sturdy little gas tank with a tiny head and six segmented legs attached to it. And "little" is...

0109VICT (Langford) Developers love Langford The impending move by Langford to cut development costs and even offer tax holidays for certain building types has met with almost universal support. Developers are enthusiastic, but even politicians from some of Greater Victoria`s other 12...

0109SKTN `Saskaboom` up on downtown While it may be all doom and gloom in Calgary these days, such is not the case in Saskatoon or, as the locals now call it, "Saskaboom." I recently had a chance to visit there for the first time and I was impressed with what I saw, as well as learned, about...

0109CALG Direction of a commute matters There are many good reasons why people choose to live in one area over another. Closeness to family and friends, easy access to major roads or public transit to get to and from the workplace, nearby schools for those with young children, and perhaps even...

0109 KTKS Buyers find sanctuary in rural real estate W ith prolonged economic malaise on the horizon, residential properties outside Calgary`s limits may become more attractive for potential homebuyers looking to escape to their own sanctuaries away from the hustle and bustle of big city life...