Indoor Air Quality Being Studied in Edmonton

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Almost on a daily basis we are reminded of the importance of good air quality for a healthy environment. We worry about the emissions from our cars, the pollutants in the oil sands and runoff from factories. But what about the air quality in our homes?

Right now the University of Alberta is conducting a study to see just how everyday cleaning items, cooking, even shedding pets affect our in-home air quality. The facility’s School of Public Health has outfitted 50 Edmonton homes with monitors that will test any particles floating in the air. To supplement the monitors, participating residents are asked to keep a journal of daily activities from cooking to cleaning to bathing Spot.

The study began last January, with one set of readings taken through March. A second set of readings will be taken in the summer. This will show if climate has any effect on in-home air quality. Does having windows open during the warmer months help or hinder the air situation? Does carpeting produce more of a pollutant problem than laminated floors?

The study will measure dust, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide levels that are in small enough particles to be inhaled. A particular focus will be on ventilation rates and whether energy efficient windows may trap harmful substances inside, as well as the type of pollutants emitted by newly installed carpets. Data will be combined with information collected in similar studies in Windsor, Regina, Quebec City and Halifax.

Edmonton International Most Efficient

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

A recent report from the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) named Edmonton International Airport as Canada’s most efficient small airport. EIA finished fifth overall of North American airports serving less than 15 million passengers per year. From 2001 to 2008, Edmonton’s non-aeronautical revenue jumped 144 per cent, pushing it past Calgary and Ottawa airports.

The report compares cost competitiveness and performance between 142 airports and 16 airport groups in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and North America using data from 2007-2008. Tae Oum, ATRS president, said airports with various sources of revenue, such as golf courses, retail space and real estate, have higher efficiency rates and perform better through recession periods.

Traci Bednard, spokesperson for Edmonton Airports, said increasing non-aeronautical revenue helps to keep Edmonton’s fees and rates for airlines and passengers down. Edmonton International Airport boasts amenities including a golf course, car wash, gas station, food and retail stores and a 7-Eleven.

The ATRS report noted that a majority private-ownership airport is the best choice for a high-efficiency airport, and a government majority with private partnership airport is worse than a government-owned airport. The worst performing airports are port-authority operated airports in the U.S.

For large airports serving over 15 million passengers per year, Hong Kong, Oslo and Atlanta ranked the best. For major airports serving less than 15 million passengers per year, Seoul-Gimpo, Geneva and Raleigh-Durham ranked the best.

The report uses research from 13 top academies from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Resale Real Estate Market Sales Slow Nationwide

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Home sales across most of the nation took a dip this past June. Not surprising because of the expected mortgage rate increase and the enforcement of more stringent mortgage qualifying rules. British Columbia and Ontario also have to deal with the Harmonized Sales Tax (HRT) that went into effect July 1st.

The Ottawa based Canadian Real Estate Association filed the report, showing the 8.2 percent decline in sales from May to June of this year. Nationwide, sales were down 19.7 percent when comparing June of 2010 with the prior June. The biggest drop in sales was in Calgary and Toronto. Edmonton showed an 8.5 percent decline during the same comparative period and a 37.1 percent drop since June of 2009.

Housing inventory is also up, creating a buyers market and the subsequent decrease in housing prices. In Edmonton there were 9,406 listings on the MLS service, almost as many as were listed during record setting September of 2007. Real estate professionals prefer to see listings in the 6,000 range. The current number of listings reflects 5.7 months worth of sales, or the amount of time it would take to sell every home on the list. A year ago, that figure was 4.2 months.

Enmax Corporation Wants To Make Alberta Green, One Home at a Time

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

The Enmax Corporation wants to help Albertans go green and is launching a $65 million onsite power generation project to prove it. The intent is to have as many as 9,000 homes across the province, both rural and in the city, use solar and wind technology to power at least a portion of their homes.

This would give home owners the option to lease the required materials, such as solar panels and wind turbines, from Enmax rather than have to put out up to $50,000 to install a system on their own. The benefit for homeowners is that the systems could take care of up to 40 percent of their energy needs. The benefit for the environment is the generation of clean, fossil fuel free energy.

Enmax is partnering with Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation which is contributing roughly $50 million towards the project. Ironically, this money is coming from fines paid by companies who have not successfully curbed their greenhouse emissions to the minimum 12 percent requirement.

Enmax still needs to sort out the permit issues with each municipality as well as the method of building and delivery of the structures. The project is generating interest and no doubt as people become aware of it, that interest will grow.

Arctic Sovereignty, An Ongoing Non-Debate

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Does a polar bear really care about who has sovereignty over the Arctic? No, not really. All he really cares about is where the next seal is going to pop his head out of the water. But none of us really speak Polar Bear. For all we know they may be having private conferences or maybe even having séances or Black Magic sessions geared to send bad vibes towards the humans and their metal monstrosities that carve their way through “their” backyard.

We humans, on the other hand are constantly debating the possession of the Arctic, more specifically the Northwest Passage. Though one look at a map should tell you that Canada has won this debate hands down, there are nations that are disputing this very obvious, visual fact. Is this a true debate, or a show of bravado? Is this truly a quest for an easier way to get from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, or a way to assert rights to oil and gas reserves hidden beneath the Arctic Ocean and its diminishing ice pack?

It would be easier for Canada to maintain and defend its position that the Northwest Passage was part of Canada if the coastline wasn’t constantly shrinking. That brings up another question. If International Waters start twelve miles out from a country’s borders, what happens when those borders are an ice pack? Does a new line have to be drawn with each succeeding summer season?

Consider this. If for some reason a major earthquake struck along the Pacific Coast, and, hypothetically, San Francisco got separated from the mainland by an astounding 13 miles, would this iconic California city be up for grabs by the first country that placed a big toe on its shores?

As the expression goes “Not on your Nellie!” Why should Canada give up long established territory just because Mother Nature decided to turn up the thermostat? As for the polar bears, they are probably working on a class action lawsuit against photographers in all countries for all those years of unsolicited, unpaid photographs. “Please restock the seal population, thank you very much.”

First Year of Edmonton’s Fight Homelessness Plan - A Resounding Success

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Edmonton is on the fast track in getting homeless people into homes of their own. The goal was to find homes and accommodate 150 homeless people by the year 2010. Edmonton actually did that very thing for over 500 people by that self imposed deadline.

The first year of the ten year plan to end homelessness in the city is being hailed as a huge success. Pre-planning before the initiative was even passed is one reason for the resounding success. Another is tremendous support from the private sector and monetary help from the Alberta government.

Stephen Mandel, the city Mayor, thought that the original plan to help over a 100 people get into homes was a bit of reach. To say that he is pleasantly surprised in the over achievement is indeed an understatement.

Edmonton has also created its first furniture bank, a place where homeless people can go to get free beds and sofas and kitchen tables, whatever they need to make a house a home. Creating comfortable surroundings does a lot for increasing personal esteem and instilling a positive outlook for the future.

Landmark Group Of Builders Gets High Marks for Innovation and Contributions

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Reza Nasseri is a very innovative person. He has not only turned his Edmonton based home building business into a multi divisional company that makes and sells homes at many price points in the housing market, but has found a way to do it that leaves less of a carbon footprint on the environment.

His firm, Landmark Group of Builders has been divided into five sections, each targeting a separate segment of the housing market. The entry condo market is served by Urban Landmarks Master Builder which markets condos starting in the mid $170,000s. Next up is Best Communities offering townhouses and duplexes staring at the $210,000 mark. Homes with detached garages are offered for $290,000 and up from Summerhill Homes and Landmark Homes offers homes with attached garages starting at the $380,000 mark. The luxury market is served by Classic Landmarks Master Builders, offering properties starting in the mid $500,000.

Not only is this tiered company organization innovative, so is the method of construction for many of the homes. Nasseri owns and operates a unique manufacturing plant in the Edmonton area in which sections of the houses are prefabricated. These sections can then be assembled on site.

Roughly 60 percent of their homes are built in this manner, decreasing building time as well as the carbon footprint. Pre-fab building decreases the amount of waste material generated by 58 percent as well as a 55 percent decrease in CO2 emissions due to less fuel used during construction. Landmark is opening a second plant in the fall of 2010. This one, also an Edmonton facility, will offer 100,000 square feet of work space.

Nasseri gives back to the community in other ways as well. The company operates a Community Care Program which donates to groups such as the Canadian Red Cross, the Youth Emergency Shelter and the Alberta Hospitals Foundation. The company contributes a dream home to the Full House Lottery every year.

Alberta Environment asks Suncor for more details on plant failure

Monday, April 5, 2010

A technical failure at Suncor’s refinery resulted in a colorful cloud drifting over Sherwood Park on March 15 this year. Suncor have issued a report on the cause of the failure, but Alberta Environment are asking for more details on why and how it happened.

The failure occurred during an investigation by a plant technician into an abnormality in the system noticed over the weekend. While the technician was working, the blower system failed releasing a yellow-green cloud into the atmosphere. Because of the wind conditions, the cloud drifted east over Sherwood Park. Although the particles in the cloud did not represent a health risk, it was alarming to members of the public who watched it float overhead.

In less than 20 minutes, Suncor fixed the problem and closed off the emission. Samples of the emission were taken shortly afterwards showing a 0.278 mg/m3 concentration of particles as the cloud reached the plant perimeter, reducing to 1.00 mg/m3 as it travelled further away. An occupational hygienist from Suncor accompanied by an environmental advisor gave chase to the cloud in a car.

Ogho Ikhalo, a spokesperson from Alberta Environment, commented that all pollution incidents must be reported whether or not they carry health risks. From Alberta Environment’s point of view, no level of pollution is acceptable.

The Suncor report comments that the failure did not significantly affect SO2 emissions because of the way the plant is designed. Suncor estimate the failure probably added an additional 0.42 tonnes of SO2 to the environment.

Edmonton City Council Hopes to Identify, Restore Contaminated Gas Station Sites

Friday, March 19, 2010

The city of Edmonton seeks to expedite efforts to redevelop a number of sites formerly occupied by gas stations. The sites are contaminated by toxic chemicals often released by longtime underground fuel leaks. Before additional environmental damage occurs, City Council wants to take action.

Councillor Don Iveson is a member of a task force charged to return the sites to safety. He said that his group is creating an inventory of all contaminated sites that will indicate their level of damage, as well as suggest the best ways to take action. He said that the gas-station sites, especially those on street corners, are delaying improvements in high-traffic as well as residential areas. His group plans to present a final City Council report in July.

Iveson said he finds it difficult to understand why the oil companies profiting from Canadian operations are not stepping in to clean up their own cities. Iveson noted that City Council might want to issue a notice to the oil industry to make the contaminated properties more environmentally stable.

In 2006, Edmonton initiated a program that would provide five grants of up to $100,000 apiece to encourage development on “brownfield” land, that is, property that is polluted but has potential for redevelopment. Five applications were submitted, but no cash disbursals have been made, possibly due to excessive regulations, the money was not sufficient and the disbursal was not made in advance.

Iveson’s group may encounter legal problems if the properties on his list are not actually contaminated. He believes many of the sites were developed as gas stations before 1980.

Unhappy With Investments? Make Changes but do so With Caution

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Even before the start of the 2008 global recession, many people have not been satisfied with the performance of their investment portfolios, and sometimes, their financial advisors.  Investment vehicles can be re-evaluated and changed, as can advisors.  However, these changes should be made with care to avoid similar outcomes, as well as excessive fees.

It is certainly possible to “fire” an advisor, whether that means getting a different employee within the same investment firm, or hiring another independent.  If you switch advisers in the same company, you may be likely to receive the same advice, as investment companies often urge their brokers to sell certain products at any given time.  

To change companies completely, you can transfer funds from the old firm, and this can often be done via phone, Internet or mail.  You will probably receive a sales pitch from your former broker, urging you to stay with the company.  You may be required to remit commissions on the transfers, and pay a deferred-sales charge to transfer certain mutual funds that have been in you possession for less than seven years.  Expect the transition to take a number of weeks before you see the money in your new accounts.

A common complaint is that RRSP returns have been skimpy, and investors have been inquiring about alternate investment opportunities.  However, that return will be significantly higher upon retirement: If a person claims an RRSP deduction whilst in the 32-percent tax bracket, and that person withdraws the money upon retiring (scaling down to the 25-percent bracket), the return grows to seven percent via the combination of tax savings on the upfront contribution, as well as overall growth. 

Deserted Puppies Saved by Local Girls

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

When Anna Schneider, and her sister, Lena came across an ad on a popular classified website called Kijiji which begged residents around the Camrose area to search near the local dump to find a litter of abandoned puppies.  The girls immediately decided that they must find the puppies before the dogs became victims of the harsh winter.

Aparently the woman who posted the plea was only able to take in two of the dogs, she was forced to leave the rest of them, but knew she would do what ever it took to have someone come for them.

Anna and Lena has to trek through knee-high snow for four days before they were able to find the puppies.  They said they sound the puppies near a bale of hay in a random field.  When they found the dogs, the mother was injured and hostile.  The puppies, which the girls were so happy and surprised to see alive, took them home immediately.

The returned for the mother the following day, and the girls took all the dogs to be examined and vaccinated for free at the Camrose Animal Clinic.  The vet, Dr. Richard Bibby said he was very happy that the girls took such care with finding the dogs.  The mother has been adopted, and the two female puppies are already promised to homes.  The two male puppies are still available for adoption.

Subsidized Housing Causing a Problem

Wednesday, January 25, 2010

Residents in McCauley want the city to end the subsidized housing program that has practically ruined their community. They say the problem is so bad that it threatens to ruin the entire community.  Over fifty percent of the housing units in the area are subsidized, which is the highest percent ratio of subsidized housing in Edmonton.

In adjoining Boyle Street community, another 1,400 subsidized units exist, making the area swamped with one in five of Edmonton's subsidized housing units.  President of the local community league says that the concentration of subsidized homes is creating an unhealthy environment and prevents the community from growing naturally.

Residents and home owners are dreading the closure of the Alberta Hospital, and the negative financial effects the community will feel.  They believe it is an injustice that the poorest and most vulnerable community suffer more hardships.

While locals believe that helping the homeless return to functioning members of society is important, they just want the city to plan the process better, and create a longer-term plan for the homes they give to the poor and downtrodden.  The local leaders believe that the city simply dumps all of the poor, homeless people in a concentrated community to keep them isolated.

City officials do recognize the build up of subsidized housing in the area as a problem, and they say they will take action to plan better regarding subsidized housing.

Big Bang Wakes the Neighbourhood, Exposes Possible Drug Lab

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Neighbours near 1404 Latta Crescent got a big surprise around 9:30 pm on Sunday when the garage door at that address blew off its hinges. The cause is allegedly attributed to a hash oil operation, which uses a heat source to manufacture this derivative of marijuana. In this case the heat source is suspected to be butane which exploded with a bang loud enough to be heard throughout the area.

Once the garage was deemed safe, police officials sealed off the home as a crime scene to await the issue of a search warrant. Drug and gang investigators then entered and found evidence of the alleged drug manufacturing operation. Search of the property continued into the following afternoon.

A woman, aged 20 and a man, aged 31 are facing charges of possession and producing of a controlled substance as well as trafficking of that substance. A mischief charge was also laid. Two other men who fled the scene are being sought. Police have an idea who they are looking for according to responding Detective Calvin Mah.

Neighbours, some of whom helped pull the damaged garage door down, were surprised at the alleged drug lab so close to home. But many agreed, this sort of operation can take root anywhere. 

New Budget Plan Passes Unanimously

Saturday, December 12, 2009

One of the strictest budgets that the city of Edmonton has seen in 25 years was passed by the council recently.  Because of the recessionary times in which the country finds itself, the 2010 budget not only calls for over $50 million in service cost cuts, there will be a five percent tax increase for the city.
 
Council member Jane Batty proclaims that although the budget seems harsh, it will actually help Edmonton by creating services that are affordable to everyone during the financially tough times.  City manager, Al Maurer, mentioned that its the tightest financial squeeze since the early 1980s.  He plans to retire next year.  The budget is not ideal, but it will not send shock waves through the system either.  It is fair and balanced, claims members of the council.  For an owner of an average priced home, they will pay no more than an extra $200.  The tax hike is modest.

Obviously the budget was not that out of line because it passed approval unanimously.

The 5% Cap or Exceeding Expectations: What Will It Be?

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

There’s a rising concern over reducing critical municipal services in the city of Edmonton as city officials and/or politician began crunching budget numbers for the upcoming year. This comes on the heels of a 5% cap imposed upon the following year’s hike in property taxes and based upon the prediction of Councilman Don Iveson it would probably take a miracle to ensure low figures while at the same time avoiding the neglect of city service. I predict this will cause fiddling around with the self-imposed tax ceiling.

Iveson believes that this is an excellent place to begin but based upon recent history, it’s virtually impossible to not have cutbacks in the police department and possibly other areas in which council won’t be ready to cut; therefore, additions will be carefully placed. We’ve already witnessed cases where the administration has began to cut back on the hours of employees in local facilities while at the same time increasing user fees in hopes that it will reduce the hit upon homeowners.

While all of this is taking place in the civilian life, city cops are making their presence felt by putting a hold on hiring officers and the Edmonton Public Library are suggesting they may very well cutting hours as well and if push comes to shove, they may even close a branch or two in order to meet certain restrictions.

In the event the council does maintain the status quo (5% cap), homeowners could see that increase in property taxes by $70 in 2010 and this doesn’t include the utilities that will be used to meet the proposed $1.4 billion outlined in the financial statement. The fact of the matter is that, immediately following the release of the budget statement, council must be geared up for deliberation to address these issues or concerns. From what I gather, it would be virtually impossible or ridiculous to try and sweep these issues under the rug; they must be addressed regardless of the possibility of exceeding the 5% cap. Although some politicians and government officials may consider that 5% to be the cutoff point, there’s always the possibility of exceeding these limits.

Hot Real Estate Market Getting Even Hotter

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

While the stats don’t show the trend just quite yet, many in the Real Estate market are seeing the signs of a hot market becoming even hotter. This is a trend that seems to be happening all over Canada. In the latest number from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) it shows that there is just a lack of supply for new homes as the demand is surpassing the supply, this is making an already hot market catch on fire.

CREA Said Tuesday that simply put the supply is not able to keep up with the demand. The figures from a year earlier show that there is a 20% increase in the demand for new homes as compared to this time last year. This is a problem that is being seen and felt all over Canada as supply is not able to keep up with the demand for new homes. Every major city in Canada has seen at least a 25% increase in demand from the previous years.

These days homes are just being snatched off the market almost as quickly as they are going on the market. This is a market that is as hot as it has been for years. Many real estate experts feel that this trend could actually go even higher than it already has. CREA Says that the supply and demand situation will probably resolve itself as builders will realize that they have the advantage in the fact that they will be able to set their own prices instead of just taking what they can get from it.

One source with CREA was quoted as saying that at first there was a “logjam situation that is becoming less congested as the market is correcting itself over time.” Other experts expect the trend to continue for another few months, with things slowing down around Thanksgiving since many people will not want their home on the market during the holiday’s.

Many in the real estate industry are pleased to see the market turnaround, as many of them saw the worst market in six years just a few months ago. “Now we are in the hottest market we have had in ten years” one expert said.
There are several factors that will drive a market, and in this recent housing market all the factors have come together in an effort to combine for a boom housing market.

This is the best time to buy a new home as the market is on fire and prices are still at a level that will make it affordable to buy a new home.
 

Single-Family Home Construction Surges in Edmonton

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Nearly twice as many single-family homes were built in the Edmonton market in August versus a year ago. Per Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, construction was initiated on 376 residences, versus 184 housing starts last year. Despite this significant upswing in August, construction for January through August increased only two percent versus 2008. The availability of larger-than-usual quantities of new inventory contributed to sluggish activity during the first quarter.

Edmonton multi-family housing starts continue to be weaker, with work beginning on 184 units in August. This number is down 24 percent versus the same period last year. Through 2009, production started on a total of 1,156 residences in this category, which includes semi-detached town homes and apartments. This number represents a 64 percent decrease versus 2008’s tally of 3,235 homes.

Driven by the rebound in single-family home construction, housing starts for all housing categories surged 32 percent in August over the same period last year. However, total year-to-date new construction starts of 2,922 are down versus 4,972 in the first eight months of last year.
 

How Are Things Looking In Grande Prairie?

Monday, October 5, 2009

Grand Prairie, Alberta’s real estate market is holding its own in a tough economic climate. There have been an increase in vacancies recently, but local commercial realtors remain optimistic. The retail market had a vacancy rate of 3.68% compared to 1.89% for the same period in 2008. Likewise, commercial space had a vacancy rate of 4.37% compared to 3.68% from 2008.

Grande Prairie has added a considerable amount of available space to its commercial market, including 300,000 square feet of retail space, so taking this into account, the numbers are very good. Single occupancy buildings actually had a decrease in vacancy numbers.

One reason for the decline is the slowdown in the oil and gas industry, a prime investor in this northern city. There has also been considerable relocation from the Richmond Industrial Park to county areas. The downtown core had the highest vacancy rate increase. In 2008 the vacancy rate was 3.11%, compared to 9.23% this year.

Since the survey, one large property at 101st Street and Richmond has been leased and is scheduled to be turned into a wellness centre. The executive director of the Grande Prairie Downtown Association, Helen Rice, is convinced the core will remain the domain of specialty shops that will keep the downtown economy going strong.
 

Residential Real Estate Recovers

Friday, September 18, 2009

Lower interest rates and increasing consumer confidence are causing an up-tick in housing sales, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. Alberta is one of the leaders in the escalating recovery in both the number of residential sales and the selling prices.

The association’s current forecast for Alberta calls for a 2.5% drop in MLS residential sales in 2009. As recently as May, the association’s forecast called for a 24.7% decrease this year. The association also forecasts a 10.5% increase in home sales for 2010.
Selling prices are also showing signs of firming. The association predicts that the average sale price in Alberta this year will decrease to $337,300, a 4.4% drop. For 2010, it forecasts an increase in price of 1.7% to $343,200. Its May forecast predicted a price decline of 8.8% this year and a further drop of 1.1% next year.

Low mortgage rates are credited with spurring the resurgence in the home sales market. Government incentives aimed at first-time home buyers are an additional factor in the improvement in the market, the association said. Also, the apparent end of the falling prices is encouraging homebuyers who have been waiting on the sidelines to enter the market and buy.

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