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April 2013 Alberta Economic Fundamentals

Ally

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News articles for April 2013.
 

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Colorado governor wraps up oilsands visit, thinks American attitudes are changing




CALGARY ` The governor of Colorado says he thinks Americans who are against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline may be beginning to change their minds.




John Hickenlooper has wrapped up a three-day visit to Alberta which included a tour of the oilsands.





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Klein ushered in modern era of oilsands development




As a politician, Ralph Klein may never be remembered as a statesman, but he was the salesman the oilsands needed in the 1990s.




When the gregarious former local television reporter became Alberta`s premier in 1992, the trillions of barrels of gooey bitumen buried near Fort McMurray were largely a decades-old experiment in engineering and science that still had more promise than production.





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Pentagon officials tour oilsands as part of effort to recruit veteran jobs




CALGARY - Representatives from the U.S. Pentagon were in Fort McMurray this week as part of an effort to get former American soldiers out of their combat gear and into careers in the Canadian oilsands.




The officials ` part of a Pentagon program aimed at helping military personnel transition back to civilian life ` were guests of the Alberta government, which has targeted veterans as one possible solution for the province`s labour-starved energy industry.





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RBC Economics predicts Alberta's boom will continue in 2013





RBC Economics recently released its quarterly Provincial Outlook report. For Albertans who want to know how the economy will fare during 2013 and 2014, the report offered predictions.







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Alberta committed to Redwater bitumen upgrader, but backs projects outside province




CALGARY ` Suncor Energy Inc.`s decision to scrap its partly built $11.6-billion Voyageur upgrader is `disappointing,` but the Alberta government remains committed to the planned Redwater upgrader, the province`s energy minister said Thursday.




Ken Hughes said every project has its own business model and the Redwater upgrader remains a value creator for the province.





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Colorado governor notes the benefits of the Keystone pipeline





CALGARY -- Colorado's governor leaned towards endorsing the Keystone XL pipeline Thursday while saying some environmentalists adopt a fact-free, street-fighting mindset.




During a visit to Calgary that followed a tour of the oilsands, Gov. John Hickenlooper said he's determined to gain from Alberta's oilpatch environmental expertise.





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Calgary shows Canada housing market on the upswing





(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 01, 2013 ) Calgary, Canada -- `A lone shining star` is the moniker added to Calgary when it comes to the Canadian real estate market, according to a report by TD Economics.







Calgary was the only city to report it had positive growth sales in 2012, with 14.3% reported, along with the benefiting of 38.2% in an increase in new-housing starts. Those numbers show a large rebound in from 2011, according to the report.





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Alberta real estate: What $600,000 will buy




From sun rooms and mountain views to owning a house in one of Canada's strongest real estate markets, buying a $600,000 property in Alberta has its share of advantages.






Alberta had the lowest rate of inflation across the country in February
, Statistics Canada reported, and that's just one factor that could attract more people to buy properties in a province that is already home to some of Canada's hottest real estate markets.





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Despite tepid housing market, Alberta still the place to be




EDMONTON - Real estate guru Don Campbell has a simple message for homeowners: chill out.




Ignore all those gloomy headlines in the Toronto press about a looming Canadian housing bust, he advises.




`There is no Canadian housing market,` says Campbell, senior analyst and founding partner with the 2,900-member Real Estate Investment Network (REIN).





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Albertans lead with confidence




Nearly nine-in-10 Albertans (89%) surveyed say buying a house or condo is a good investment, higher than the national average (84%), even as home buying intentions have dropped from a year ago (22%, compared with 31%), according to the 20th Annual RBC Homeownership Poll.




"It's no surprise that some Albertans are re-thinking their decision to buy a home, given the regulatory changes regarding mortgage rules and economic challenges in the past year," said Don Peard, vice-president, Mortgage Specialists, RBC. "The good news is that the majority of Albertan home-ow ners are confident in their real estate investments and their ability to manage mortgage debt."





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Number of oilsands jobs to jump by 70% in next decade




CALGARY - New industry projections suggest Alberta`s oilsands will see a 70 per cent increase in employment over the next 10 years.




In its annual labour demand outlook released Thursday, the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada states there will be 31,850 job openings in the oilsands between 2012 and 2022. Half of these will be new jobs created as a result of industry expansion, while the remainder will be due to normal turnover and retirements.





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What you need to know about Alberta's 40/40 carbon pricing proposal




News broke this week that Alberta is considering strengthening greenhouse gas regulations on the province`s energy industry. The so-called `40/40` plan proposed by the Environment Minister Diana McQueen would increase Alberta`s intensity-based emissions target and its carbon price. The very mention of such a move has kicked off a long-overdue conversation about what it`s going to take to curtail greenhouse gas pollution and develop Alberta`s resources responsibly.




First things first: the Minister and her government deserve credit for acknowledging that Alberta`s regulations need to be strengthened and starting the work of improving the province`s carbon pricing system.





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Edmonton sales and prices up







Edmonton, April 3, 2013: The REALTORSÂ Association of Edmonton reports that residential property prices in the Edmonton CMA1 were up again in March. The all-residential price (includes single family detached, condominiums, duplexes and row-houses) rose 3.5% in a month and single family detached prices were up 3.9%. Compared to March 2012, the all residential price was up 4.3% and the SFD price was up 7.0%.




`The average price increases are influenced by the prices paid on particular properties as well as the product mix in the period,` said President Darrell Cook. `Because of a shortage of lower priced homes, the average price is pushed up as buyers move up-market to find a home. The increase in average price may not increase the market value of a particular property.` The relative number of homes sold in the $450-650k price range increased from 12.2% to 14.5% year-over-year while homes under $300,000 dropped from 40.7% of the market to 38.2%.





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Calgary luxury sales booming




CALGARY ` Calgary`s luxury home real estate market continues to climb as sales in the first quarter of this year are on an upward trend.




According to Mike Fotiou, associate broker of First Place Realty in Calgary, a total of 74 MLS properties sold for $1 million or more during the month of March, the highest March level ever recorded and the second highest overall, surpassed only by May 2012`s 80 sales.





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Arguments against Keystone far from reality




WASHINGTON ` The polarized debate over the Keystone XL pipeline suffers from `glaring deficiencies` that are overshadowing the truth, Premier Alison Redford told a Washington crowd Tuesday in a discussion repeatedly interrupted by protesters.




`The most basic truth is that the stark choice Keystone`s opponents have put at the heart of the debate is an illusion,` the Alberta premier said in a strongly worded speech to the Brookings Institution.





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Data suggests soft landing for Canadian housing market




TORONTO ` Canadian housing starts edged higher in March and building permits were weaker than expected in February, reports released on Tuesday showed, offering some reassurance that Canada`s housing sector is simply cooling, not crashing.




While housing starts rose for a second straight month, all the strength was in the rural market ` urban starts dropped sharply ` and a longer-term trend showed construction is continuing to moderate, according to a report from government agency Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.





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Okotoks, Cochrane housing market sales climb




CALGARY ` A dwindling supply of single-family homes for sale in Calgary has contributed to a spike in MLS sales in Okotoks and Cochrane in the first quarter of this year.




The Calgary Real Estate Board, in a report released Tuesday, said tightening market conditions in the city are supporting sales growth in both those communities, where property inventory levels remain relatively healthy.





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Low vacancy rate a problem for Lloyd





Issues surrounding affordable housing have many faces. It could be the mother of two spending 80 per cent of her income on a sub-standard rental unit, or the man who holds down two jobs but lives at a shelter because he can`t afford to move out onto his own.





It could also be the homeowner who, after paying taxes and mortgage and utility payments, can`t afford anything more than the bare necessities, like food.





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Calgary industrial real estate market sees declining vacancy





CALGARY ` The Calgary industrial real estate market has shown a strong start to 2013 with overall vacancy dropping, according to a new report by Colliers International.




The report said vacancy has dropped to 4.72 per cent in March from 5.05 per cent at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012.




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