Despite ongoing concerns about access to water, roads and utilities, Lacombe County council has voted to send a proposed 423-unit recreational vehicle resort in the village of Sunbreaker Cove to second reading.
Developer Skyy Country has proposed building a boat launch and road upgrades to improve access to the area and a storm water runoff system that would keep a proposed golf course green.
Royal Dutch Shell PLC remains committed to investing in Canadian oilsands after putting on hold the expansion of the second phase of the Athabasca project in Alberta, its chief executive officer said Friday.
"Looking at the long-term energy agenda, the Canadian oilsands will be exploited,`` Jeroen Van Der Veer said in an interview in Shell`s corporate magazine to be released today. "And we will continue to expand, though we have postponed the expansion for now,`` Van Der Veer said.
0109CALG City continues transit expansion to keep pace with record ridership
Ridership on Calgary Transit jumped by more than five per cent last year, fuelled in part by high gas prices and economic concerns.
More than 95 million trips were taken on the city system in 2008, up from 90.5 million the year before.
"It`s heartening. It shows this is what Calgarians want," Ald. Brian Pincott, a longtime backer of public transit, said of the record ridership. "To me, it says we need to go further in our investment in transit."
0109CALG Buyers sitting tight as market stabilizes
Prospective homebuyers are chomping at the bit to spend their money, but are waiting for positive signs regarding the marketplace, says an resale housing industry veteran.
"All it`s going to take is a little bit of positive news to bring some of those hesitant buyers back into the market again," says Lowell Martens, broker-owner of Re/Max Mountain-view. "Current speculation about the marketplace and the economy is scaring the average consumer."
The Wood Buffalo region of Alberta, with Fort McMurray as its centre, has the highest rents in the country and the lowest vacancy rate, says a federal agency.
And the situation could get tighter, with oil sector plans to defer investment in the oilsands development, says Richard Corriveau, regional economist for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
I do love singing Christmas carols but must admit that I`d had enough of In the Bleak Mid-Winter by the time the twelve days were over and done with. The tree is down, lights taken down and decorations packed away under the stairs for another year--but the snow remains.
And being on a corner lot with a big driveway is no fun. There has been so much of the white stuff that it`s tough throwing it over the banks I`ve built and onto the lawn.
This year will be one of transformation for Calgary`s multi-family housing market. From dramatic, record-setting levels of construction in 2008 that were fuelled by strong sales activity in 2007, the number of apartments, townhouses and semi-detached units being worked on this year will drop just as dramatically, says Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
But the expected decline in activity won`t be all bad, say industry players--and it could last just this year.
Housing starts in the single-detached sector plummeted in 2008 to their lowest level in the Calgary area since 1995 because of a worsening economy and competition from the resale market.
Total housing starts, including multi-family units, in the Calgary census metropolitan area dropped by 15 per cent in 2008, sparked by the staggering 44 per cent plunge in the single-detached category, according to preliminary figures released Friday by Canada Mort-gage and Housing Corp.
0109ALTA Alberta clings to title of employment leader
Alberta shed nearly 20,000 full-time jobs in December, the largest decline of all the provinces, but still posted the lowest unemployment rate in Canada.
The trade, construction, and professional, scientific and technical services industries took the biggest hits, something economists say isn`t all that unexpected in an energy-driven province that until recently was pulling out all the stops to attract skilled workers to ease chronic labour shortages.
Although recession talk looms above, the Town of Cochrane`s planning department is predicting a 4.17 per cent increase in new parcels.
Julian deCocq, the Town`s Chief Administrative Officer, said Jan. 5 that we remains optimistic Cochrane will maintain a steady growth and out-pace neighbouring municipalities.
"It might be a little lower than we would have predicted a year ago based on the activity we were seeing," deCocq said. "If you look at some municipalities where they have slowed even more so, that`s were you see negative impacts where you have a de-growth situation."
House prices are coming down across Canada and Fort McMurray should be no exception, but the price drop here won`t be as dramatic as across the country, say experts.
According to the Royal LePage 2009 Market Survey Forecast houses across Canada will see their average price decrease by close to three per cent.
Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage Real Estate Services, said there is no reason to believe that Fort McMurray won`t also see a price drop.
Mayor Jim Sheasgreen characterized 2008 as a year of planning for Fort Saskatchewan in a wide-ranging year-end interview last Monday in his festively decorated city hall office.
"2008 was maybe a year where the public might look back on it and say, `Too many requests for public input, workshops and open houses,`" Sheasgreen said, adding it was necessary to garner the feedback of residents on the several plans developed last year.
It would take a lot of opposition for city hall to stop a revised bike path in Erin Ridge from going forward, says the mayor.
About 60 people piled into the Cornerstone Pentecostal Fellowship Church in Grandin mall Thursday night to look at a new version of a proposed bike trail through a ravine between Embassy Place and East Park Drive. Many of them also attended a raucous outdoor meeting on the trail in late November, when they criticized it as too close to their homes and disruptive to wildlife.
Realtors expect homebuyers to be cautious in the first part of 2009 but gain confidence in the latter part of the year.
Throughout the Edmonton area, the real estate board expects to sell 15,500 homes in 2009, 10 per cent fewer than the 17,317 sold in 2008.
Board president Charlie Ponde, a St. Albert realtor, said there`s still plenty to be positive about in St. Albert and the Edmonton area. Statistics show people are moving back to Alberta and steady price drops since last spring`s peak are making the area affordable again.
0109PEAC
Highway 2 commitee gets to work in new year
One of the most interesting issues coming out of council at the end of 2008 was that of a potential Highway 2 bypass that could hit Peace River.
Late October the announcement was made a committee would be struck to gather information on whether or not the town of Peace River should remain on the National Highway System.
If taken off the National Highway System, Peace River could perhaps no longer be a drive-through town for traffic driving across the province.
A new subdivision might be in store for northeast High River in the new year.
Winalta Inc., an Alberta-based developer, recently presented plans to town council for an 88-lot modular-home subdivision to be located directly north of Eagleview Estates.
"It`s an excellent location for the town to get a diversity of housing," said Bruce Laing, the real-estate broker who represents the landowner group.
The diversity he spoke of refers to the factory-built, ready-to-move residential structures that Winalta specializes in.
"The days of the trailer are long gone," said Bob Hammond, a Winalta sales associate.
0109GRPR Lining up - Grande Prairie may look at bylaw on drive-thru operations to alleviate traffic issues with long lineups
Long lines at a Tim Hortons` drive-thru are ubiquitous in Grande Prairie, as hundreds of residents make daily stops for hot coffee.The coffee company recently made headlines after St. John`s, N.L. opted to ban new drive-thru operations in the city unless businesses can prove that vehicles will not line up on streets.The St. John`s decision came after safety concerns were raised due to traffic spilling out onto roads at a Tim Hortons location in that city.As to whether Grande Prairie would adopt a similar bylaw, Mayor Dwight Logan said absolutely.
0109GRPR
Looking forward - Grande Prairie mayor Dwight Logan says 2009 should be another good year
After a three-week stint spent recovering from surgery on his back, Grande Prairie mayor Dwight Logan returns to the big seat today with one New Year`s resolution accomplished and looking forward to 2009.He believes 2008 was, overall, a good year for Grande Prairie, particularly in terms of development and building permits. His city looks like it will continue growing at a steady pace."There are major projects happening. There`s likely to be another school. There will be the work on the Aquatics and Wellness Multiplex. There are commercial development permits going out and – oh please, please let it be true – the new hospital," said Logan.
Okotoks` lauded population cap could be "tweaked" as the Town and the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) ponder new plans for the future. Okotoks` mayor and two town councilors say they support altering the population cap.
"I believe we can put some growth into the equation and we can move forward that way and still be a strong member of the south region," said Mayor Bill McAlpine
