Clearwater County calls on province for advice about trail
Clearwater County wants the province`s help in sorting out access issues along a proposed scenic trail along an abandoned rail line west of Rocky Mountain House.
A letter has been sent to Alberta Sustainable Resources Development Minister Ted Morton asking that the province get involved in smoothing the way for the trail by working out agreements with companies owning timber rights along the anticipated 120-km trail route from Nordegg to Rocky Mountain House.
A business owner who says she`s lost profits since her storefront was completely blocked by construction, may soon be allowed to advertise on the other side of the equipment.
Chura Montgomery said Wednesday she has seen a dramatic decline the number of customers visiting her cafe, La Tienda Latina, since construction began on a 12-storey office building at the fromer CIBC site next door.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE — Preliminary work has begun on a commercial development at the former site of Will Sinclair High School that will include a Shoppers Drug Mart and a number of smaller stores and businesses.
"We`re on site and we have conditional development permit approval," said Ryan Darragh, leasing and development manager with Ronmor Developers Inc.
Residents of Teepee Town feel the planning done to control the redevelopment of the area is on course, but some of the buildings put in so far do not meet expectations.
The recommendations of the annual review of the Teepee Town task force were presented to council Tuesday (April 15) and six land use bylaw amendments are expected to come out of it.
Time to face it: Higher-density housing is the new reality
So life is all petunias and paycheques until the day comes when a sign is pounded into the sacred soil of your idyllic home neighbourhood.
The sign warns of a developer`s plans to build an affordable housing complex -- duplexes, row houses or highrises -- within a stone`s throw of your dream home.
So you get upset, just like people did recently in Glenora, Strathearn and Bergman. Just like them, you band together to strategically oppose the developer at a public hearing in front of city council.
EDMONTON - St. Albert homeowners learned this week that massive deficits run up by their city`s new recreation complex will cost each of them an average of $98 in increased property taxes this year.
That increase amounts to one-third of the 8.77-per-cent 2008 municipal tax hike approved by city council when it met Monday night.
We export wheat, beef and oil -- why not electricity?
EDMONTON - Alberta`s electricity powerhouse maintains there is a way to generate both jobs and consumer savings. Encourage exports, says TransAlta Corp.
"We export everything else. Oil, gas, wheat, beef, hogs -- you name it," TransAlta president Steve Snyder observed in an interview after the firm held a quiet annual shareholder meeting in Edmonton this week.
EDMONTON - Technology giants like Google and Canadian aerospace firm MDA might not be where they are now without getting venture capital funding when they were risky startups.
Now, Alberta`s knowledge-based entrepreneurs are getting their own homegrown source of potential venture capital to bring their innovations to market.
iNovia Capital, a Montreal-based manager of seed and early-stage venture capital funds for junior tech companies, announced Thursday it has set up operations in Edmonton`s Enterprise Square downtown.
For Albertans planning summer vacations, but wary of paying record high gas prices to make a long drive, the government has a suggestion -- stay here.
Travel Alberta has launched a $5.6-million marketing campaign aimed at promoting the many destinations in the province that may be a little closer to home and easier on the wallet.
It`s the biggest regional campaign ever launched and will also target travellers from British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
Two of the areas being restored under Calgary`s Legacy Parks program are starting to see visible signs of improvement: Ralph Klein Park and Central Memorial Park.
Launched in 2003, the program was set up by city council to create public parks using electricity and natural gas profits from municipally owned Enmax.
It was extended for another five years last November when council dedicated another $75 million.
The last remnant of the General Hospital was torn down Thursday as an old laundry room was taken apart to make room for the third phase of The Bridges development.
Project manager Colleen Roberts said the building materials are being recycled as much as possible for use in future projects across the city.
"We`re building a green community; we`re building a sustainable community that integrates in the existing Bridgeland-Riverside community," Roberts said.
Jeff Rubin, the ever-bullish oil forecaster and chief economist at CIBC World Markets, can`t keep pace with crude`s meteoric rise.
Four months after predicting world oil prices will soar to $150 US a barrel by 2012, Rubin adjusted his outlook much higher Thursday -- a day crude prices declined more than $2 US a barrel as investors bolted from commodities -- in a report that stands to drive North American bicycle sales through the roof.
High oil prices are unsustainable but won`t derail Suncor Energy`s ambitious oilsands expansion plans, its CEO said Thursday.
"I don`t believe $115 (US) oil, which is where we`re at today, is really sustainable long-term," Suncor president Rick George told reporters following the company`s annual meeting in Calgary.
"Your guess is as good as mine about where oil prices end up."
The Summer Village of Birchcliff is interested in testing the annexation waters.
A representative for the community of 125 permanent residents sent a letter to Lacombe County recently requesting the start of informal discussions on future annexation options.
Myra Reiter, administrator for Sylvan Lake`s five summer villages, said on Thursday that Birchcliff is running out of room for growth.
There are about 138 single-family dwellings in the lakeside community and only 16 empty lots were left at last count.
Central Alberta passenger counts show there is more than enough demand out of Red Deer Regional Airport for Air Canada Jazz service, says airport authority chairman Randy Preece.
A 2007 study showed Central Albertans bought 232,000 airline tickets, but only about 1,000 flew out of the regional airport 10 km south of Red Deer because of the lack of full passenger service.
SYLVAN LAKE — Residents of Ryders Ridge subdivision will soon be able to shop close to home as the first businesses in Ryders Square Shopping Centre near completion.
Ryan Darragh, leasing and development manager with Ronmor Developers Inc., said buildings for Shoppers Drug Mart and the Royal Bank have been completed. Those premises are now undergoing leasehold improvements, he said.
A 38-year-old Bow Valley man who ripped off more than a dozen Banff, Canmore and Calgary businesses using fraudulent credit card information has been sent to jail for six months.
Ismodes Diego Alonso Carbajal, who had previously pleaded guilty to 22 out of 108 charges of fraud and unauthorized use of a credit card, was also ordered to make restitution of nearly $10,000 to 13 of his victims.
