AB Economic Fundamentals 2008-10

[joeiannuzzi]

1008CALG
Firepit permit system proposed

Two aldermen are reigniting a debate over firepits, proposing the city look at a permit system for the backyard burners.

Citing health issues aggravated by the smoke, Bob Hawkesworth and Joe Ceci are suggesting looking at inspections and a way to revoke the permits of inconsiderate neighbours.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...1f-5f03963be7b2

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008CALG
Petro-Canada commits to tower

Real Estate - Petro-Canada has renewed its lease at the downtown Petro-Canada Centre through 2028 and expanded its space by 70,000 square feet, says Brookfield Properties Corp., which owns the tower.

Petro-Canada currently leases 945,000 square feet at the 1.9-million-square-foot office complex, which is 100 per cent leased.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...ea-7f8c5798e7ad

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008ALTA
Slump could trigger $50 oil

Oil teetered on the edge of the abyss on Thursday after embattled investment bank Merrill Lynch & Co. warned that crude futures could fall below $50 US in the event of a massive global recession.

The New York-based investment house, itself a victim of the credit calamity gripping American markets, on Thursday slashed its 2009 oil forecast to $90 and said prices could fall harder and faster if the troubles spill out beyond the U.S. into the broader world economy.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...4b-ed0e1a3c4091

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008CALG
Calgary real estate market back to normal


After a year of listening to experts saying the Metro Calgary real estate market was returning to normal, we may finally have reached it. MLS sales statistics for September were released this week by the Calgary Real Estate Board, and in the single-family market, sales last month were up about 9% from September last year. Granted, it`s not a very big increase, but any increase is good news.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/Business/2008/10/03/6962721-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008REDR
Council considers limits on duplexes for West Park

On Monday Red Deer City Council will look at making duplexes a discretionary use in the southeast corner of West Park.

Councillors will consider giving first reading to a land use bylaw amendment that would require plans for semi-detached dwellings, like duplexes, to go before the city`s municipal planning commission for approval.

In September, the city received a petition from 65 households that opposed duplexes as a permitted use, arguing the dwellings would reduce property values.

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

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008REDR
MLS region remains buyers` market

The Red Deer region remains a buyers` market, says the president of the Central Alberta Realtors Association.

Plenty of listings, stable prices and steady mortgage rates has created a situation that`s "about as good as it gets" for home shoppers, said Randy Weins in a news release issued by the association on Thursday.

Weins` assessment was based on Multiple Listing Service statistics for the third quarter of 2008.

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

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008REDR
Work continues on Innisfail`s Boston Pizza

INNISFAIL — Work is underway on a Boston Pizza restaurant here, with its owners optimistic the well-known restaurant brand will attract local residents and Hwy 2 travellers.

James Carpenter of Didsbury is among a group of Central Alberta investors who are developing the franchise on Innisfail`s north end, adjacent to the new Best Western Motel. One of his partners is Craig Sutherland, who owns the Olds Boston Pizza franchise and will manage the Innisfail outlet.

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

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008EDTN
Economy a key issue in southwest riding

Incumbent MP James Rajotte faces three challengers in the riding of Edmonton-Leduc, a suburban and rural constituency where the economy is a hot topic.

James Rajotte, Conservative Party

www.jamesrajotte.ca

A three-time MP, Rajotte last served as chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Science, Industry and Technology.

The 38-year-old Terwillegar resident is citing the Conservative Party`s track record in his bid for re-election.

http://www.edmontonexaminer.com/ArticleDis....aspx?e=1228217

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008ALTA
Hands off Alberta`s resources, Stelmach warns federal leaders

JASPER - Premier Ed Stelmach warned Canada`s federal political party leaders Friday to leave Alberta`s resources alone.

"I won`t stand on the sidelines while others make decisions that impact our development and our ability to compete in the global marketplace," Stelmach said in a feisty address to hundreds of supporters at the annual convention of the Alberta Progressive Conservative party in this Rocky Mountain resort.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...e0-11c1675e00a6

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008EDTN
Icon Towers transform gritty back street to trendy hot spot

EDMONTON - A few people hauling their belongings into new downtown condos on Monday usually doesn`t make headlines.

But when they are the first of hundreds expected to eventually live in the twin Icon Towers, the event becomes a major milestone for 104th Street as it transforms from gritty back street to trendy hot spot.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...0b-49a05c213d50

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008ALTA
Alberta leads declines in natural gas output

Led by big declines in Alberta, Canadian natural gas production has fallen more than 12 per cent since the start of 2007 and is expected to fall further in 2009, according to new estimates from the National Energy Board (NEB).

According to the federal regulator, Canadian gas output has been falling steadily since the start of the year, losing almost a billion cubic feet a day since January.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...88-6963702586ad

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008CALG
Building permits for Calgary down by 42 per cent

There were further signs of the slowing pace of Calgary`s economy along with uncertainty in the housing sector Friday, with figures showing the value of the city`s building permits in September plunged 42 per cent or $162 million from a year ago, while year-to-date figures are off $1 billion, or more than 23 per cent.

Leading the figures lower has been a contraction in residential building plans, with the $88.5 million in September permit value off nearly 64 per cent from September 2007 and the year-to-date level off nearly 39 per cent or more than $800 million to $1.3 billion.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...0a-f6d4331bec07

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008EDTN
Edmonton home sales skyrocket in September

While real estate in the rest of Canada sags, Edmonton`s market shows signs of rebounding as demand increases and supply shrinks.

The number of Edmonton-area homes sold in September nearly broke a record, leading a third-quarter upswing in sales activity from the same time last year, show figures released Thursday by the Realtors Association of Edmonton.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...b9-ae7100146982

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008REDR
Water project moves ahead despite costs

A $45-million regional waterline in east Central Alberta is about two-thirds complete and on schedule for a spring 2009 completion, despite tendering problems with a related Stettler water treatment plant upgrade.

"The project can go ahead," said Wayne Richardson, chairman of the Shirley McClellan Regional Water Commission. "The treatment plant has the capacity to fulfil the initial needs of the communities."

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

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008ALTA
Ontario job fair attendees keen on Alberta

Ontario residents may be warming up to Alberta.

That`s the perception Elin Ingolfsson was left with after she represented this region at the The National Job Fair and Training Expo in the Ontario capital on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

An economic development specialist with Red Deer Regional Economic Development, Ingolfsson was part of a delegation that set up exhibits at the job fair on behalf of RDRED and the Central Alberta Economic Partnership. Also taking part was B & M Recruitment Solutions, which had a list of jobs from about 10 local employers.

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

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008CALG
Plenty to see in the north

Earlier this week I went up the Calgary Tower for a tour of the soon-to-be-opened-again restaurant deck that has changed its name from the Panorama Room to SKY 360. It has been renovated and redecorated into a much more inviting dining area, but what really sets it apart from other establishments is its incredible views as it revolves above the city.

The 360-degree panorama offers not only spectacular vistas of the mountains, but a fascinating study of the city that shows in a dramatic way just how big Calgary is.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/l...8e-f57ec68b5f40

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008EDTN
Riverdale solar duplex nets wealth of public interest

EDMONTON -- When Kirsten Goa and her husband Shawn Robinson bought their 1950s bungalow in Old Strathcona seven years ago, they dreamt up design plans to make their "energy hog" home more energy-efficient.

At the time, they were a small family with a young daughter, energetic and full of ideas. Their plans were temporarily shelved when they had a set of twin boys, followed by a second set of twin boys.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...b5-44d6474cf28e

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008ALTA
Markets are what you make of them

Oh my. The market is turning. The market is crashing, the depression is coming, terrible things will befall us.

That is the content of some e-mail I am receiving. And, yes, the market is turning. In Vancouver, for example, pre-sales and the whole new condo market have stalled; listings are higher and sales are down 28 per cent.

Percentages matter not. So, the sales volume is off by 28 per cent. So what? The key in any market -- good or bad -- is to get your resale property placed into the 72 per cent which sell now.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...5e-7c7f9f5e2725

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008CALG
Stronghold Tory riding has new concerns

They may be competing with the most popular Conservative MP in the country, but candidates running against Kevin Sorenson suggest they are hearing anxiety at the doorsteps.

Candidates in the Crowfoot riding, which stretches across east-central Alberta, said there is growing concern about the environment and economy.

"Both of those are very, very serious issues," said Sharon Howe, a candidate for the Liberals. "Of course, with the way things are going in the States right now, people are a little confused about what`s going to happen in Canada."

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...73-f09e8934ec22

 

[joeiannuzzi]

1008ALTA
Optimism remains despite recession talk

Canadians are no longer used to economic recessions. It`s been 17 years since the country experienced one -- and that one was relatively mild.

The economy shrank for brief periods in 2001, 2002 and earlier this year, but never as long as six months -- the minimum duration needed to qualify as a recession.

Despite comments from some contenders in the federal election, it`s not even clear we are heading into such a period now.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...db-3954ec7bb967