Demand spikes for Calgary homes outside of flood-affected areas
Last month's record floods are driving up demand for homes as both displaced millionaires from posh neighbourhoods that were flooded and former renters jump into the market, Calgary realtors say.
"What I've been seeing is a crazy amount of activity, as far as buyers go," said Thomas Keeper of Tink International Real Estate.
No secondary suite relief in Calgary as housing crunch worsens
Mayor Naheed Nenshi predicts the rental vacancy rate will approach zero after the floods pushed hundreds from their homes, but also notes that it probably won`t be possible for city council to ease secondary suite rules until near the end of 2013.
Calgary`s rental vacancy rate stood at 1.2 per cent in April, less than half what it was a year ago, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. has reported.
The provincial government`s flood zone maps are causing uproar in High River where residents of the worst-hit parts of town were baffled to learn their properties aren`t considered at risk.
Alberta flood insurers forced to respond to angry 'name and shame' public backlash
Insurance providers who reversed their decision to deny Calgary residents flooding claims after last month`s weather catastrophe may have found their brands were worth more than the water damage.
Several large property and casualty insurers faced a customer backlash in the weeks following the flooding that ravaged Southern Alberta, as neighbouring homes with various insurance providers received different levels of coverage for repairs. Some customers were flatly denied any insurance compensation.
Homeowners fear financial ruin amid confusion over government relief
Three weeks after the surging Bow River roared head high through their home, Susan and Robert Watts want to make a new start far away from the risk of flooding.
But the retirement-age couple worry the province`s disaster recovery program will force them to remain in their Bowness two-storey or face financial ruin.
Warm summer nights in Calgary are usually filled with the noise of children playing outside, the smell of backyard barbecues and adults re-connecting with neighbours. That's not happening in a number of city neighbourhoods this year.
Instead, a walk through areas devastated by floods during the evening hours reveals only the sounds of generators on streets dotted with porta-potties and flood debris still in evidence.
Labour shortage to cost Alberta economy $33 billion over four years, report finds
EDMONTON - A new report says Alberta`s labour shortage will cost the provincial economy billions of dollars, but one of its recommendations to solve the problem ` phasing out government-supported immigration of unskilled temporary workers ` is sparking opposition from industry and government.
The recommendation is one of nearly two dozen contained in the report, titled An Examination of Alberta Labour Markets, that was commissioned and released Thursday by the University of Alberta`s Institute for Public Economics. The report was funded by the Government of Alberta and 12 industry associations and unions.
Realtors seeing a deluge of homebuyers in Calgary after last month's flood
CALGARY - Last month's record floods are driving up demand for homes as both displaced millionaires from posh neighbourhoods that were flooded and former renters jump into the market, Calgary realtors say.
"What I've been seeing is a crazy amount of activity, as far as buyers go," said Thomas Keeper of Tink International Real Estate.
More than four weeks after the flood roared through southern Alberta, it is clear rebuilding devastated communities is going to be a long process, if in fact they all get rebuilt.
There will definitely be an impact on the new home building industry, most likely in the areas of labour and materials, but what the exact impact will be is about as clear as the mud brought by the flood.
Push to ease limits on secondary suites fails again
Calgary homeowners may be prohibited from rebuilding several legal basement suites that were destroyed in last month`s flood, council heard Monday.
The revelation came during a dramatic council debate on whether council should erase zoning prohibitions on suites in many Calgary housing districts. The long-standing push from the mayor and inner-city aldermen failed in the latest bid, despite trying to base the move on an emerging rental housing crisis after the flood ` in a likely preview a hot election debate in several wards this fall.
Secondary suites shaping up to be key Calgary election issue
Calgary`s controversial secondary-suite issue was thrust back onto the council agenda Monday and likely secured its place as a key issue in October`s municipal election.
Citing a near-zero vacancy rate and an especially dire need for post-flood rental accommodation, Ald. John Mar raised a sudden motion to legalize secondary suites across the city to relieve the housing crunch.
Provincial flood recovery program will fund complete rebuilds, basement mitigations
Newly announced details on flood assistance and mitigation should provide homeowners with the clarity they need to start rebuilding their lives, the provincial government said Sunday.
In the wake of the largest flood in Alberta history, the government announced a plan earlier this month to ban new development in floodways ` the areas most at risk from so-called `100-year floods` ` and encourage residents in borderline flood fringe areas to undertake flood mitigation measures to protect their properties. However, few details were available about what that would mean for homeowners.
In Calgary's increasingly tight rental market, some landlords have stopped advertising widely because they are routinely flooded with responses from eager, hopeful tenants.
And there are concerns the competition could grow even fiercer as apartment buildings remain uninhabitable following last month's flood and university students return to classes.
Milestone land agreement gives Fort McMurray room to grow
EDMONTON - Another 22,000 hectares of land has opened up for the expansion of Fort McMurray under a `milestone` agreement that prevents further oilsands development in the area by immediately cancelling leases.
Mayor Melissa Blake said the released land, which the municipality will have to purchase from the province on an as-needed basis over the next five to 15 years, will be enough to handle a population expected to double by 2030. As of 2012, 76,000 people lived in Fort McMurray.
Census collection takes approximately three weeks to complete. Census Takers/Enumerators wear City of Calgary photo identification tags and will be going door to door to collect information digitally with mobile tablet devices.
Information collected through the census is used by The City for a variety of planning and program service delivery purposes, and by the Province for the determination of grants if available. Your participation is essential and only takes a few minutes to complete.
Properties says it will soon begin construction of Calgary`s tallest office tower, a 56-storey high-rise that will anchor a block-big, 2.8 million-square-foot downtown development.
At 247 metres, Brookfield Place will represent the highest office building in Western Canada. It is to be complete in 2017, with construction to begin this September. The tower will stand taller than Calgary's The Bow, which is 236 metres high.
Enbridge Inc. CEO Al Monaco told media June 5 that he retains hope his company's proposed $6 billion Northern Gateway pipeline will eventually get the go-ahead to carry Asia-bound oil from Alberta through British Columbia.
B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake agreed the "pathway to yes" still exists for the proposed pipeline, but it's a narrow one.
