Alberta Economic Fundamentals

[joeiannuzzi]

Epcor may bid for toxic-pond cleanup

EDMONTON - Epcor Utilities Inc. stepped forward Friday as a contender for the mammoth job of cleaning up lake-sized oilsands tailings ponds of toxic waste.

Northern Alberta bitumen mega-mines need a water doctor, and Edmonton`s civic service firm fits the bill with a record of success in the specialty, Epcor president Don Lowry said.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...b0-5cb65d52182e

 

[joeiannuzzi]

LRT threat grim news for steak house patrons

A new raised LRT platform on 7th Avenue S.W. could cause the demise of Quincy`s, one of Calgary`s premier steak houses.

Owner Al Chafetz is threatening to shut down the joint if the city doesn`t cough up at least some of the estimated $250,000 he says is needed to redesign the building`s entrance.

In a city built on steak and oil, this is grim news to Quincy`s patrons. With its dark, oak-panelled walls, fireplaces and ornate, wood-recessed ceilings, Quincy`s, located across from the new downtown courthouse, is sometimes referred to as a mini-Petroleum Club, attracting oilmen, lawyers, doctors and other professionals for its $65 Kobe beef steaks and thick, $25 steak sandwiches.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...d2-5bd3da82b28f

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Alberta parks buck popularity slump

Be it climate change, invasive species or the push for development, national parks in Canada are facing their share of challenges.

But there`s a new addition to the list -- declining attendance despite an increasing Canadian population.

"That is of serious concern to us, not from a revenue perspective, but it`s showing that there`s a reduced attachment and connection of Canadians to their nature," Parks Canada CEO Alan Latourelle said Friday.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...97-adf6c273bd3c

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Builder tests `good neighbour` conduct code

Dust, foul-mouthed labourers and surprise road closures can drive Calgarians crazy when construction crews show up in their community.

But Mission residents are hoping a new code of conduct one developer is voluntarily testing in their inner-city neighbourhood will make living with builders a little easier.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...17-f498105de20b

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Calgary may harmonize taxes

Calgary aldermen will Wednesday consider a report looking at ways to harmonize the city`s business tax with the non-residential property tax.

The report, released Friday, is a response to a request from city council in April asking bureaucrats to outline a process to merge the taxes without loss of revenue for the city or impact on the residential property tax.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...db-83e644486b6f

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Alberta`s job market best in the country

Calgary and Alberta boasted the lowest urban and provincial unemployment rates in Canada in April, Statistics Canada reported Friday, as Wild Rose Country set another record Canadian high for employment in the wake of strong job creation.

The federal agency said Alberta`s jobless rate in April edged down to a nation`s lowest 3.3 per cent from 3.4 per cent in March, as additions to the province`s employed easily outweighed growth in both the population and the labour force. That pushed Alberta`s employment rate -- the fraction of people who can work who are working -- to a record high 72.1 per cent.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...11-333e9e2608c2

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Building permits surge ahead at record pace

Despite clear signs Calgary`s single-detached housing market is skidding, the pace of building and construction in Calgary is on track to create a substantial new record in 2008, with numbers so far this year running 20 per cent ahead of 2007.

The City of Calgary said Friday that year-to-date building permits for the municipality sat at $1.7 billion at the end of April, well ahead of the record-setting level recorded a year ago, when the comparable figure was $1.4 billion.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...77-525a19eeeb18

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Sellers flood home market

Calgary`s MLS listings are "totally out of whack," surpassing 10,000 in April and growing by the day while sales are slumping.

Listings for single-family homes and condominiums have hit an all-time record.

April MLS sales of single-family homes (1,363) in Calgary metro were the lowest for the month since 2000 while condo activity (581 sales) was the slowest since 2003 -- even before the years immediately leading up to the city housing market boom in 2006 and 2007.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/c...d2-a213c950a758

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Resale prices stable as market balloons

The number of used homes for sale in Calgary skyrocketed by more than 255 per cent in April compared to the same month last year, says the president of the Calgary Real Estate Board.

Despite the large increase in available homes, prices for the first four months of this year were hanging close to where they were a year ago, says Ed Jensen.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/n...3a-ed280e310dfe