August 2014 Alberta Economic Fundamentals

[Ally]

Alberta population cracks 4 million





Alberta`s latest statistics are anything but boring.





The province`s official statistics for 2013 describe conditions or changes taking place in our province, covering a wide range of topics, including employment, healthcare, social services, the environment and the economy.





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[Ally]

Calgary and Alberta outstrip Canadian growth inflation





CALGARY - Both the Calgary region and Alberta outstripped the annual rate of inflation in July experienced across the country.





Statistics Canada reported Friday that the Consumer Price Index rose by 2.9 per cent in the Calgary census metropolitan area and by 2.5 per cent in Alberta compared with a 2.1 per cent hike in Canada.





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[Ally]

Alberta a great place to live, stats say





It`s well-known that Alberta is a great place to live, but having the numbers to back up the claim up never hurts. Alberta`s Office of Statistics and Information released some new data Thursday that give a glimpse into what makes this province so special.





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[Ally]

Telling Alberta's story through numbers





Alberta`s 2014 Official Statistics provide interesting insights into life in Alberta.






You might be aware that Alberta is the fastest growing province in Canada, but did you know the average weekly earnings in Alberta are more than 20 per cent higher than the national average? And did you know that Albertans are big on volunteering? More than 80 per cent of Albertans do some kind of volunteer work. These are just a few of the interesting facts you`ll find in the 2014 Alberta Official Statistics.





Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

Albertans spending their cash





Rising prices on many consumer goods are not preventing Albertans from ringing up record sales.





Statistics Canada said Friday that retail sales in the province reached $6.6 billion in June, the highest annual increase of any province at 8.8 per cent. The 1.7 per cent monthly increase from May was largely attributable to higher sales at new car dealerships, it said. Nationally, retail sales rose 1.1 per cent to $42.6 billion - a third consecutive month of increases that added up to a nearly five per cent rise in sales during the first half of 2014. "The strong income and employment opportunities are fuelling consumer confidence, which has sparked record spending (in Alberta)," said Todd Hirsch, chief economist with ATB Financial.





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[Ally]

Edmonton post-secondary schools grappling with shortage of student housing





EDMONTON - In a bittersweet ritual marking the end of summer and the start of adult lives, thousands of post-secondary students moved out of their parents` homes Sunday and into campus residences across Edmonton.





But with the supply of student housing outstripped by demand and a citywide rental vacancy rate at 1.4 per cent, the nervous ones moving into residence with the help of siblings and parents were lucky.





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[Ally]

Calgary's new city manager hopes to repair 'broken' relationship between city hall and developers





There has been a debate or an argument, depending on how you look at it, between the City of Calgary and the land development industry about the number of serviced lots that are available for new home construction in Calgary.





Rollin Stanley, general manager of planning, development and assessment for the City, told council on July 28, `...we have 19,000-plus lots of unsubdivided, serviced land, with land use, in our inventory...` while a report commissioned by the industry says that by the end of this year, the serviced lot supply in the city will be in the neighbourhood of 3,000 and looks even worse by the end of 2015.





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[Ally]

Twin towers in Edmonton's Chinatown get council OK





EDMONTON - City council approved zoning for twin 38- and 28-storey condo towers in Chinatown Monday just north of Station Lands and the new Royal Alberta Museum.





The Chinese developers hope to start pre-selling condo units here and in Asian markets next year. The $200-million project would rise out of a two-storey commercial podium that would fill the surface parking lot behind the existing Yorkton Pacific Mall on the west side of 97th Street.





Read the full article here.