November 2012 Alberta Economic Fundamentals

[Ally]

CPR move from downtown Calgary good for core, says real estate board president



The downtown departure of Canadian Pacific Railway will help both Ogden and Calgary`s downtown core chug along, says the president of the Calgary Real Estate Board.





Canada`s second-biggest railroad is planning to relocate much of its headquarters from downtown to the Ogden area of Calgary.





The move was made under a restructuring and cost-cutting plan that its new chief executive will detail to investors next month.





Employees will move out of the company`s iconic glass building on 9 Ave. S.W., a move that Bob Jablonski, president of the Calgary Real Estate Board, said is a positive one.





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[Ally]

Albertans confident about economy heading into 2013





CALGARY ` Albertans are the most likely people in Canada to expect their personal financial situation will improve as well as believing the Canadian economy will get better in 2013, according to the quarterly RBC Canadian Consumer Outlook released today.




The survey also said Albertans are the least likely to be anxious about potential job loss.




Heading into 2013, more (43 per cent) Alberta consumers feel their personal financial situation will improve than they did at this same time last year (39 per cent).





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[Ally]

Shopping cart blues








Albertans may be paying a bit less these days for home electronics, clothes and natural gas. But of all of the essential items consumers purchase, food prices have shown little relief. In fact, the cost of loading up that cart at the grocery store is rising more than almost anything else we buy.







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[Ally]

Court denies aboriginal bid to block ruling on Jackpine expansion




EDMONTON - Two aboriginal groups have lost their court bid to block a ruling on Shell's Jackpine oilsands mine expansion in northern Alberta.




The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the Metis Nation of Alberta had asked the Alberta Court of Appeal to force a regulatory board to make a ruling on whether they had been adequately consulted on the massive project. They also wanted the board to rule on the issue before it made a decision on whether the project could go ahead.




But in a ruling released Monday, the court said the board was within its rights to refuse to deal with consultation, an aboriginal right guaranteed by the constitution.




"The Joint Review Panel is not required ... to make any determination as to the scope of the Crown's duty to consult ... or whether the Crown has met its respective duties to consult," wrote Justice Frans Slatter.





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[Ally]

Planning underway for hiring, highways, and housing




It`s a big step for Alberta, and a tale of success for Sturgeon County.




Last Wednesday, Sturgeon County`s Economic Development Board fall business breakfast celebrated the sanctioning of a $5.7-billion Phase One bitumen refinery in Sturgeon County.




The North West Redwater Partnership Refinery will be built and operated by North West Upgrading and Canadian Natural Resources (CNRL).




The refinery was in the works for almost 10 years. Construction was supposed to start in 2008 but plans were stalled by that year`s global recession.





Read the full article here.