INSIDE: LIFE AT THE LAKE Calgary Lakes: old and new PAGES A5-6 Lake community snapshots PAGES A6-7
The history of Lake Bonavista PAGE A8 Sikome: Calgary’s public lake PAGE A9
Reservoir communities PAGE A10 Community Profile: Sundance PAGE A11
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LAKE LIVING
Lake communities merge city and cottage life for an experience you can’t get anywhere else in Calgary
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WE FIRST BOUGHT A HOUSE IN MCKENZIE LAKE IN 1999. WE SOLD IT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN THE MARKET STARTED TO TURN, BUT WE JUST BOUGHT BACK IN THE AREA BECAUSE WE LOVED LAKE LIVING SO MUCH.” GREG MACDONALD MCKENZIE LAKE HOME OWNER
KATHLEEN RENNE creb®now
G
reg Macdonald is a selfdescribed “fishing fool.” “I’m either fishing, or thinking about fishing,” he said, laughing. This love of fishing is one of the reasons Macdonald and his wife are buying back in to the community of McKenzie Lake. “We first bought a house in McKenzie Lake in 1999,” said Macdonald. “We sold it a couple of years ago when the market started to turn, but we just bought back in the area, because we loved lake living so much.” Donna Cuthbertson is another
CITY OF CALGARY
longtime lake-community resident – she has lived in Sundance for nearly 30 years. “I fell in love with the place,” said the Ontario native. “In Ontario, we’re used to growing up around water, and Sundance felt like a nice place to raise children.” Cuthbertson recalls being at the beach and associated park – the spot of choice for neighbourhood youngsters to meet up and play – every day when her children were young. “It’s a very close community. You get to know your neighbours at the beach. People look out for others’ kids,” she said, adding she and her husband were considering downsizing out of Sundance, but changed their minds when they found out their son is having twins.
MLS® NEW LISTINGS* MAY ’15 – MAY ’17
“It’ll be a great place for grandkids. I like that you don’t need to have a cottage if you live in a lake community. You can spend the day at the lake and then pack up and go home.” Currently, there are nine lake communities within Calgary city limits. Most of them are located in the southeast. Coral Springs is the northeast quadrant’s only lake community, while Arbour Lake is the only one in the northwest. “Each lake has something just a little bit different,” said Cuthbertson, noting features like the man-made mountain and two waterfalls in Chaparral, which also has an underwater course for scuba diving, and the islands where interested parties can purchase estate homes in the communities of
JOSE QUIROZ / FOR CREB®NOW
Former (and future) McKenzie Lake resident, and president of Sage Appraisals, Greg Macdonald’s love of fishing is one reason he and his wife are buying back into the Calgary lake lifestyle. McKenzie Lake and Mahogany. One thing all lake communities have in common, however, is that houses within their boundaries have higher market values because of the lakes they surround. Macdonald, who is president of Sage Appraisals, says a waterfront location (or first-tier lake access) adds “a huge amount” to house value.
LAKE LIVING A3
CALGARY BID CONTENTS EXPLORATION CHARITY COMMITTEE PREDICTS $2.4B REQUIRED IN NET BUYER PROFILE FUNDING
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3,064 MAY15 3,161 JUN15 3,122 JUL15 2,733 AUG15 3,081 SEP15 2,678 OCT15 2,182 NOV15 1,491 DEC15 2,741 JAN16 2,906 FEB16 3,227 MAR16 3,217 APR16 3,319 MAY16 3,078 JUN16 2,683 JUL16 2,759 AUG16 2,976 SEP16 2,364 OCT16 1,985 NOV16 DEC16 993 2,385 JAN17 2,457 FEB17 3,245 MAR17 3,296 APR17 3,866 MAY17
Investing in Hope 2017
*All statistics based on monthly data compiled by CREB® via MLS® activity. Includes detached, attached and apartment.
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Jennifer and Justin Humphries
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CREB® STAFF
MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1
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OPEN HOUSES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B23
n a presentation to Calgary City Council today, the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee (CBEC) provided a potential economic picture if Calgary were to bid for and win the right to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
OLYMPICS A3
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