TransCanada Corp. alone plans to ship more than one million barrels a day of oilsands production to the United States with an expanded pipeline construction program unveiled Friday.
The Alberta oil and gas delivery mainstay added a second leg to its new Keystone export service that would more than double the system`s capacity and extend it to the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Global wheat production expected to rise, easing price pressure
Canadian wheat production is expected to jump this crop year as farmers seed more acres on the heels of high prices.
Durum production is expected to rise more than 40 per cent and other types of wheat more than 20 per cent, Agriculture Canada said in its grain and oilseeds bulletin.
When Pat and Kevin Lote set out to design the interior of their 2,600-square-foot townhouse, they sat down to watch TV.
Like millions of homeowners, they tune in every week to home-design television shows, hoping to find ideas and inspiration. Most programs show amazing results with just a little elbow grease and a few supplies.
Some viewers end up wishing they`d left the job to a professional, but not the Lotes.
Calgary homeowners could see a 5.4 per cent tax hike -- or an average $106 increase -- on their property taxes this year, after the education portion of the bill went up.
City officials found out this week the province is increasing the amount of money it collects for education tax in 2008 due to Calgary`s growth.
It led to immediate criticism from Mayor Dave Bronconnier, who warned it would ultimately hurt local taxpayers.
Residents near west LRT line get fresh look at design
People who live along the west leg of the LRT will sit down with city staff this morning to offer thoughts on its design, a month before the first public hearing on the project will be held.
"We see this as a preliminary step in opening up the consultation process that previously hasn`t been very open," said Peter Rishaug, spokesman for the Best West LRT committee, a group of residents that has been critical of the design and process.
New office developments in the Beltline, adjacent to the downtown, are now offering tenants larger floor plates typically unavailable in this area in the past.
And a report by Barclay Street Real Estate Ltd. says this has increased leasing activity by traditional downtown companies that are exploring the Beltline as an alternative home.
Edmonton`s housing sector suffered dramatic declines during March, says a federal housing agency.
Construction starts of single-family homes dropped by more than 61 per cent from the same month a year ago, while multi-family housing activity suffered a decrease in excess of 57 per cent, says Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
With Canadian residential mortgage credit expected to reach the $1-trillion threshold in 2010, mortgage brokers are continuing to raise their profile with consumers.
In Calgary, as in most larger communities in Canada, brokerage houses are opening up storefront locations to make themselves more accessible -- a move that Gary Siegle says is paying dividends.
I confess to being a packrat, but the stuff I keep around includes interesting clippings from newspapers and magazines that I always intend to read through again.
Sorting through what I obviously deemed to be an important pile, last weekend I came across one from a British newspaper that got me thinking about affordable housing again.
The article announced that flat pack homes had gone on sale in England which would help buyers beat soaring house prices. They are timber-framed houses by IKEA.
The $16-million first phase of what will be a 193-unit multi-family project in southwest Calgary has received approval to begin construction.
Today`s Communities expects to break ground soon on its three-phase Evergreen Grove multi-family development, according to company president Karl Parrington. The first phase of construction will have 75 units, made up of a blend of 75 two-storey stacked townhouses and two floors of single-level apartments.
Joan Currie and her husband, Rick Newcombe, spent nearly a decade searching for the perfect getaway.
They finally found it on the shores of an Alberta lake just a short distance from their west Edmonton home.
"If we`ve looked at one place, we`ve looked at a thousand," says Currie.
The couple`s quest for a vacation home came to a halt last summer when Currie, 49, and Newcombe, 51, found the Estates at Waters Edge, a resort-style community on the north shore of Lac Ste. Anne.
Water reservoir projects in Ardmore and Fort Kent are one step closer to happening, but there`s nothing new on the Municipal District of Bonnyville`s lagoon issue.
Darcy Zelisko, the MD`s director of transportation and utilities, briefed council on the progress of individual projects at its last meeting.
He said the consultant the MD hired to assess the water system`s capabilities submitted updated flows and volumes and projected increases. The information has been forwarded to Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation for a more accurate funding projection.
In tandem with Carstairs` annexation, alterations have been made to the town`s land-use bylaw in hopes of gaining more control over future developments.
A municipal land-use bylaw is a document that regulates and controls the use and development of property and buildings within a community. The new bylaw will introduce seven new districts, while reclassifying existing designations.
Innisfail - The Red Deer River is experiencing pressure, but there are various measures that can help alleviate this, says a recent report.
The Red Deer River Municipal Users Group conducted a water assurance study to look at increasing water security for its members. The Red Deer River "is experiencing water use pressures in a rapidly developing economy," stated the study. "As a result, municipalities are concerned that their water availability will be constrained."
All recreation boundaries within Mountain View County should be under the microscope when the six area municipalities undertake a review of the Recreation and Culture Master Plan.
That was the recommendation of MVC council following a request to review the Carstairs recreation district`s boundary. County Reeve Al Kemmere said the forthcoming inter-municipal review is the appropriate forum for scrutinizing the boundary between Carstairs and Didsbury, when all issues in regards to recreation and culture will be on the table.
While it may be a number of years before a transit service connects Foothills municipalities with the city of Calgary, municipalities near the city feel the time to start planning for that day has come.
Municipal councils in the MD of Foothills area signed on to a Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) transit exploration study that will look at how transit service can be planned for and provided across the Calgary region.
"Now is the time to be looking at it to decide where it should be," said Okotoks Mayor Bill McAlpine.
Conserving water has become an important issue for the Town of Okotoks, and a goal set in 2002 for residents to conserve water will be the focus of an education program. In 2002 the Town of Okotoks` Water Management Plan set the target of reducing water consumption to 318 litres (70 gallons) per person per day. Current usage is 354 litres (94 gallons) per person per day. Dave Robertson, operations manager for the Town, said the importance of reaching that goal is growing. "We have to look at water like a precious resource," said Robertson.
Olds - Third reading of a bylaw to create a narrow lot residential district (R-2N) was passed by a 4 - 1 majority on April 14 at the regular meeting of Olds town council. Coun. Harvey Walsh was the lone councillor to oppose the motion.
Walsh said in his view, the bylaw did not meet several tests for affordability, sustainability and increased density. "I`m thinking there`s got to be a better way. I`m suggesting ... this needs to be re-thought. I can`t support this the way it is," he told fellow councillors.
