LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
Lake Living Feature
City’s accessibility going under microscope
Amenities play role in buying decisions
MUNICIPAL A6
Ellyn Mendham
1993 CREB® President
A9
A5
FREE may 20 to may 26 2016 issue 06-19 editorial 403-781-1324 advertising 403-263-4940 crebnow@creb.ca
real estate news from industry experts
GLASS HALF FULL
Calgary Economic Development’s top boss promotes collaboration, innovation CODY STUART
managing editor
O
n the heels of flooding, low oil prices and, now, raging wildfires, Calgary Economic Development’s top boss admits it might be easy for people in the province to see the glass half empty. Yet Mary Moran, as well as other community leaders, urged those people to keep current conditions in perspective before claiming the end is near. “These are historically challenging times for both Calgary and Alberta’s economy,” said CED’s president and CEO, who likened the province’s current situation to a game of Whac-aMole. “It seems we barely finished covering up the scars of the flood of 2013 when our number-one energy customer became our number-one very intense competitor. “But collaboration and innovation will be critical to creating tomorrow’s energy and tomorrow’s Calgary. That mindset applies equally to the entrepreneurs in the fast-developing sectors of our economy like agri-business,
renewables, clean-tech transportation and logistics, as well as film, TV and other creative industries.” Moran’s comments came earlier this week as CED issued its latest Report to the Community, which included details of the organization’s 10-year economic strategy, as well as discussions on how to address the changing economy and prosper in “Tomorrow’s Calgary.” Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi pointed out that while Calgary has been quietly diversifying since the 1980s, and that, despite current challenges in the economy, there is still plenty of reason for optimism. “We remain an incredibly prosperous place and an incredibly welleducated place, so if we can’t get this right, if we can’t craft our future in a time of economic downturn, nobody in the world can,” he said. “The good news is that we can do it.”
CED A3
$93.17
32.4%
$80,579
West Texas Intermediate crude averaged $48.66 US per barrel in 2015 versus $93.17 in 2014.
Calgary’s GDP contracted by 2.4 per cent in 2015 after expanding by 32.4 per cent from 2005 to 2014.
Calgary had the highest workforce productivity in Canada in 2015 with $80,579 in GDP per employee.
US EIA
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the city added more jobs than it lost in 2015.
CANADIAN HOME SALES SET RECORD IN APRIL
MLS® TOTAL SALES* APR ‘14 – APR ‘16
2184
1764
1588 763
APR14 MAY14 JUN14 JUL14 AUG14 SEP14 OCT14 NOV14 DEC14 JAN15 FEB15 MAR15 APR15 MAY15 JUN15 JUL15 AUG15 SEP15 OCT15 NOV15 DEC15 JAN16 FEB16 MAR16 APR16
879
1127
1263
1421
880
1082
1217
1448
1643
1995
2190 1782
1779
1957
2145
2146
2263
2328
2539
2664
CREB® STAFF
*All statistics based on monthly data compiled by CREB® via MLS® activity. Includes detached, attached and apartment.
THESE PROPERTIES JUST GOT
BETTER Lee Edwards
Statistics Canada
CODY STUART, MANAGING EDITOR
2945
CITY OF CALGARY
Statistics Canada
403.540.0540
M
LS® home sales in Canada set an all-time record for April, rising by more than three per cent from March, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. Sales were up in about 70 per cent of all local markets, led by the Ottawa area and Edmonton. Following small declines the previous month, activity held steady in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and edged lower in Greater Vancouver.
CONTENTS NEWS BRIEFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 FIVE THINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Fire information for landlords/tenants
WEEKLY FEED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 EVENT LISTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 OPEN HOUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B23 MORTGAGE RATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B23
MARKET A3
@crebnow
CREBNow
@crebnow
www.crebnow.com
69 Wolf Drive
38 Elk Willow Road
$449,000
$699,000
• • • • •
• • • • •
New pricing Backing onto golf course Golf membership included Great family home MLS®C4045208
lee@braggcreekrealestate.com
New pricing Beautiful views Huge deck on 3 sides Kananaskis 5 min. walk away MLS®C4049524
CANYON CREEK