St Albert Property Report - February 27th

Puppies Head West for New Homes in Edmonton

Edmonton has new puppies to adopt, thanks to the Winnipeg Humane Society. The “puppy truck” loaded with 22 large and medium breed passengers headed west from the Winnipeg shelter and will be available as soon as behaviour and medical tests have been completed.  Those still needing spaying or neutering will have those procedures done as well.

The Edmonton Humane Society has an excellent reputation in being successful in finding homes for stray dogs.  It has even participated in the California Canine Cuties program by flying in 112 small breed dogs from that state and has already adopted out 90 percent of them.  The California program focuses on finding homes for the smaller dog breeds.

The transfer of the puppies was paid for by donations. Cochrane’s Automotive Repair, made sure the Edmonton Human Society’s truck was ready for the 1,700 mile trip and a Lexus dealership in the west-end donated $2,500 for fuel. The driver’s Les and Sandy Raubenheimer, volunteered their time and paid their own expenses.

The puppy mission took four days for the round trip, including an overnight in Saskatoon.  The four legged travelers were housed by the local SPCA.  Now they are here waiting for some of the many Edmonton dog lovers to take them home.

St Albert Property Report - February 9th

St. Albert to Change Its Image to Reflect a Love of the Garden Arts

The city of St. Albert is cultivating a new image and it’s going green.  The new campaign to promote the city as the “botanical arts capital” of Alberta is using the slogan “Cultivate Life.”  Branding expert Roger Brooks, owner of Destination Development International felt this theme suited a locale noted for green trails and tree lined streets.  The Hole’s Greenhouses and Gardens are already a big draw to the region, further solidifying the idea.

The city is confident that the “Cultivate Life’ slogan and campaign will benefit the area and is diverse enough in concept to appeal to most residents. It is hoped that before long the focus will be on the green beauty of the city, rather than St. Albert’s reputation of having some of the highest tax rates in the province. It is expected the rebranding process will take between five to ten years to be truly successful. 

City management is trying to avoid hiring an outside agency to develop the brand which would cost roughly $45,000.  The city staff has almost completed a style guide to be used in getting both the logo and the slogan “out there” and noticed. They are being assisted by a volunteer brand community leadership team, eager to get the process started.

Hole’s Greenhouses and Gardens is in full support of the rebranding project and will be an active participant in the process. Jim Hole, co-owner of the business, is already a member of the rebranding team.

St Albert Home Report - January 30th

Teen Social Networking Site Faces Privacy Charges

A prominent teen social networking website is under scrutiny from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) for making personal information available to major Internet search engines.  PIAC is prevailing upon Jennifer Stoddart, Canada’s privacy minister, to compel Nexopia to initiate privacy standards comparable to those launched recently by Facebook.  

According to PIAC, Nexopia has violated rules of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in six ways.  John Lawford, an attorney for PIAC, said that member profiles are available to anyone searching the Internet, and they can pop up in Google searches as well. 

Lawford noted that younger teens do not understand the consequences of posting on a social networking website.  He said that there are vast differences between the kind of content appropriate for 13-year-olds and that which is suitable for 19-year-olds.  He cited ads on the site for weight loss programs and gambling that are inappropriate for teens.

Based in Edmonton, Nexopia bills itself as a teen-friendly networking venue.  It has registered members in the ranks of 1.2 million, with the majority of the members living in the Western Provinces.  It claims to have more than a billion page views each month.  Nexopia also has members of age 13 and possibly younger.  

Stoddart’s annual report released in August 2009 noted that teen privacy is a key issue, particularly when it is at risk with an ever-increasing variety of technology.  Following the issuance of the report, California-based Facebook agreed to impose more stringent safeguards to ensure the website complied with Canadian privacy laws. 

St Albert Real Estate Report - January 19th

Eco-friendly Experimental City Planned for St. Albert

Green city living just got a whole lot closer to reality in St. Albert, Alberta.  Newly annexed land has been set aside for the creation of an eco-friendly, $1.8 billion dollar project meant to house 6,000 residents in technologically advanced comfort.
Those responsible for the project include the Dutch investment firm of Rampart Avenir Communities, Melcor Developments in Edmonton, EnerTech Capital from the United States and the University of Alberta’s Nanotechnology Institute. Final approval on the project is still pending from the city of St. Albert.

This is an experimental community, rather like a laboratory setting for constructing a community. Contractors will pair their skills with scientists from the U of A to construct a zero energy model home. Once the home has been thoroughly tested and approved, a second home would be built intended for a resident. This second home would undergo evaluation by both the researchers and the residents.  If this home gets approval, then the project would go commercial.  More homes would be built and offered to the public.

Funding and technology for the project is coming from the partners. The main focus of the project is for the use of clean technology, including nanotechnology, for energy production as well as water recycling. A community food production program will also be part of the project.

The goal is to create a self sustaining community that is environmentally friendly and that can be recreated in other locations throughout the world. This community, which will be located west of North Ridge between Carrot Creek and Ray Gibbons Drive, is in effect a life size laboratory for the future.

St Albert Property Report - December 16th

St. Albert Hikes Property Taxes Three Percent

The St. Albert city council recently concluded its budget deliberations, and they warned city residents that the municipal property tax would increase as much as three percent after the city releases its new budget.

After almost a month of deliberations, the council came to an agreement to set the property tax increase for residential homeowners at 2.89% and property tax for businesses at 3.07%.  Even with the modest hike, come members of the council want less of an increase.

Council member Roger Lemieux is still pleading with the council to lessen the increase by almost an entire percentage and to instead come up with an additional half-million dollars in budget cuts to offset the need to raise property taxes.

He thinks increasing the property taxes is a bad idea because taxpayer’s funds will continue to dwindle throughout the next years as incomes drop because of the recession.  He does not want to see residents stretched financially because the city cannot meet budget obligations.  Its just not right he says.

Even with his protests, the final budget plan was passed, and there was also a vote of 5-2 against his proposed plan to offset the tax hike.

St Albert Home Report - December 2nd

Set the “Stage” to Sell Your Home

Buyers have the upper hand in today’s real estate market. With a huge amount of inventory for sale, including many foreclosures, your home needs to stand out in a crowded field. Many people are opting to “stage” their homes to put them in their best light. Staging a residence can mean anything from rearranging furniture and adding decorative touches to renting truckloads of furnishings to define empty rooms.

According to Paula De Young, executive vice president of DeYoung Properties, staging can show a home’s full potential, and that translates into sales. Her company, a major homebuilder in the Fresno, California area, has been staging model homes since the 1970s. However, now even foreclosures are getting into the act. Interior “re-designer” Nanci Hawkins, who charges $600 to $800 for a quick makeover, recently staged a vacant house at the request of the bank that owns it. Hawkins asserts that there is never a second chance to create a first impression, and that proper staging can generate a highly positive impact. Many landlords are accessorizing unoccupied apartments with items such as towels in the bathroom, candles and silk plants to give vacant spaces a homey touch.

Hawkins suggests painting the front door of a home to make the entry more inviting. Furniture can be arranged to highlight a home’s best features. Setting the table in the kitchen or dining room lets potential buyers feel at home. Painting walls a brighter or more neutral color will make a house ready to sell.

St Albert Real Estate Report - November 23rd

City’s Spending Questioned

A few unhappy citizens showed up at the town hall meeting to question St. Albert’s 2010 budget plan.  About twenty vocal people showed up to voice concerns about the 3% increase in property taxes for residential and business properties.  The city feels like the modest increase is very low and does not significantly impact homeowners.
 
While some attendees wanted to know why there were any tax increases, others ridiculed the city’s deteriorating snow removal service.  Many citizens wanted property taxes to stay untouched in light of the recession.  They argue that property taxes are raised every year.

Many citizens are also upset about the proposed 10% annual increase in utility fees for the next three years, which would equate to about $100 a year per home.  The Mayor says the increases are necessary to build financial reserves for the future.

The city always plans for the future, and there are already plans in the works for 2020, when the city plans to rebuild one of its water reservoirs. 

Because of the recession, the city council claims that preparing the 2010 budget was the most intensive process they have had to undergo since the early 1990s.  The City Manager assured citizens that the majority of new spending is within budget, and most of the funds have been reserved for infrastructure, such as roads and sewage.

St Albert Property Report - November 18th

Bird-Protecting Markers Installed Along St. Albert Power Lines

Operating from a “whirlybird,” an AltaLink lineman worked last month on wires near Big Lake to reduce deaths among real birds. Transmission lines represent a significant electrocution hazard to birds. This is especially true where the Sturgeon River connects with Big Lake, a “rest stop” along the migration path for thousands of fowl. Ducks, swans and Canada geese travel north and south along this route, and birdwatchers have spotted many carcasses under the transmission lines. Despite AltaLink’s offer to relocate the lines, the City of St. Albert was not able to include the relocation costs in its 2009 budget.

Markers are being installed along the wires to alert birds to the presence of the wires. The markers are an amalgamation of insulated, coiled wire to wrap along transmission lines. White tags combined with yellow tabs also help to make the wires more visible to the birds. AltaLink spokesperson Lyndsay Thorlacius says the markers are a temporary measure, noting that the company plans to permanently move the lines when St. Albert has the financial resources to help complete the mission.

Thorlacius reports that the installation of the markers in other areas tends to reduce bird collisions by an estimated 60 to 90 percent. She indicated that AltaLink hopes for similar results along the Sturgeon River. Others are not as optimistic: St. Albert birdwatcher Rod Day reports that despite the marker installation, he continues to see bird carcasses. He believes that line relocation will be the only measure to prevent bird deaths.
 

St Albert Home Report - November 12th

Swine Flu Has Strong Impact on Alberta’s Schools

With only days remaining until the vaccine for the H1N1 flu is rolled out across Alberta, some Edmonton schools have already reported instances of flu-like symptoms among students. A Spokesman for the school district would not go as far as saying that the district is in a panic mode.

According to officials in the area, 15 schools have already experienced a rate of absence in excess of 10 percent. North of Edmonton, at St. Albert’s St. Marguerite Louisville School, a reported 30 percent of all students were reported to be ill on Friday.

St. Albert School superintendent David Keohane announced that the schools have sent letters home with every student, encouraging them to utilize necessary precautions to avoid the illness - including frequent hand-washing.
There was also a warning to any parents that have family members who may be considered at higher risk for the illness. Make sure that you get you child vaccinated to protect you and you child from getting the H1N1 virus.
Keohane has offered reassurances that absenteeism is being closely monitored by school officials so that they can determine the necessity of additional letters to other parents in the area.

In other news, Health Services in Alberta have announced the death from H1N1 of a man in Calgary, the ninth person to die from the illness so far.

Beginning Monday, the H1N1 vaccine will be available to Albertans. People in Alberta are encouraged to get the H1N1 vaccine as soon as it is available, while they are not suggestiong that people run out like pandemonium. Many People in Alberta have said that they will get the vaccine as soon as it is available. Others are less optimestic about getting their child vaccinated with the H1Ni vaccine.

St Albert Real Estate Report - November 3rd

Hundreds Line Up For Flu Shot

There was well over 1,000 people filing in line at the St. Albert Flu Immunization Clinic on the first day of a huge local campaign to guard each and every Albertan against the H1N1 influenza strain commonly known as the swine flu. According to statistics from the Alberta Health Services the clinic gave out 1,412 shots of the H1N1 vaccine and 512 shots of the seasonal flu vaccine.

It was reported that people actually began lining up for the shot an hour prior to the clinic being opened that Monday morning. There was even a period where the line apparently travelled the full length of the mall’s primary section. When noon finally arrived the line had diminished considerably to roughly 100 people; however, people still had a couple more hours to wait.

The following day the same thing was duplicated which prompted Keith Blanchett who arrived around six in the morning to conclude that getting a shot will be predicated upon standing in line. There weren’t very many complaints in the air either. As matter of fact, people like Anne-Marie Kiryczuk, a 37 year old young mother of two who went on Monday stated that she decided to come with the children because it was something that needed to be done immediately and many people probably don’t want to be here but they were free and patience was something they had to exercise that day. According to some media reports out of Edmonton it was suggested that some lines extended over a period of 4 to 6 hours.

The senior medical officer of health in Alberta, Dr. Gerry Predy, said that they were glad to witness the lineups from one perspective because it demonstrated the interest that people had in the vaccine while on the other hand, it also showed where we failed to provide a quicker way to get people inside the clinic. Nonetheless, the Alberta Liberals complained that on account of there being only five vaccination clinics in Edmonton and only four in Calgary, it brought unnecessary waits for people who were up in age and young children. The leader of the liberals, David Swann, said it was totally unacceptable. They complained that the government should be held responsible for not having enough outlets available.

Mr. Swann went on to say that this approach was not uncommon during season flu time and its surprising see that our government haven’t more outlets in place at a time when a pandemic is running rampant. Ron Liepert, a health minister, answered these complaints by announcing that the province will provide 11 more outlets around the province including one in Calgary; however, there will no more in Edmonton. Nonetheless, the clinics in Edmonton administered 13,579 shots on the H1N1 vaccine based upon a study conducted by Alberta Health Service.

The health officials of Alberta wanted to see the initial wave of vaccine being administered to people that are considered high risk for serious complications from the H1N1 virus. These are women that are pregnant, children that are six months to nearly six years of age, those caring for children under six months, people whose immune system is compromised and healthcare workers. Mr. Predy went on to say that no one will be turned away; however, he would prefer that those who aren’t considered high risk to wait a few days before coming in.

School Situations

The schools are also feeling the effects of the flu by causing a great deal on absenteeism in various schools in Alberta; nevertheless, there are signs of decrease in absenteeism on a day by day basis prompting discussions concerning the closing of doors or not.
 

St Albert Property Report - October 23rd

St Albert Leaders Disparage Proposed Wage Freezes

Leaders across Alberta are critical of Premier Ed Stelmach’s latest televised address, some venturing that an upswing in Stelmach’s political fortunes depends on an end to the current recession. Jack Flaherty, previously St. Albert’s Liberal MLA, contended that many of Stelmach’s constituents have lost confidence in his abilities. He also believes that Stelmach’s pledge to reduce his own premier’s allowance by 15 percent is merely a token gesture.

Others question Stelmach’s proposed two-year pay freezes for civil service managers. This announcement especially irked labor groups, which accepted voluntary wage freezes in the 1990s in order to save jobs. Mel Knight, president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, observed that despite the 1990s limit on pay raises, jobs were lost nonetheless.

Ken Allred, Alberta MLA, asserted that Stelmach’s actions are necessary in light of a still-faltering economy. He noted that although he is on the receiving end of a barrage of anti-Stelmach letters and email messages, he perceives that many constituents do not comprehend the depth of the problems Alberta faces. Allred also blamed the media for providing inaccurate information about the government’s initiatives.

Stelmach will undergo a leadership review at the November 7 annual meeting of the Progressive Conservative party.

St Albert Home Report - October 15th

Minor Increase in Canadian Home Prices, Inventory Lower in Some Areas

The housing market is registering a modest upswing, but there are fewer homes for sale in southern Ontario and other areas in Canada. According to just-released home price research from Royal LePage, home prices are becoming more stable, and buyers are taking advantage of these prices. The real estate firm also reports that the average price of a Canadian two-story home ($409,335) increased by only 0.1 percent versus 2008. The average value of bungalows rose 0.06 percent versus a year ago to $341,146. A 0.09 percent increase was recorded for the average condo price of $243,748.

Due to reduced inventory in some areas, bidding wars are starting to resume for selected properties in Montreal, Toronto, St. John’s, N.L. and Moncton. Additionally, St. John, N.B., Calgary, Edmonton, North and West Vancouver, as well as Victoria have fewer homes for sale.

Significant rebounds in home prices are seen in the Atlantic provinces, but the West, still smarting from 2008 pricing shortfalls, is experiencing weaker progress.
 

St Albert Real Estate Report - October 7th

Health Care Cuts Are Unacceptable According To Recent Poll Of Albertans

61 percent of Albertan’s are against making any sort of cuts to the provincial health care system, according to a recent poll by the CBC.  The respondents were asked a series of questions about the overall system quality and how it could be affected by cuts to funding.  The government recently announced that it will be implementing a cost saving measure of closing 250 beds at the Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, which is the area’s biggest psychiatric facility.

Doreen Roberts, a St Albert resident, is leading the fight the make sure those beds remain open.  Her son suffers from schizophrenia, and unfortunately sometimes has to choose between life necessities and preventative medication.  Without the medication, which runs about $600 every month, Doreen’s son suffers a crash and likely ends up in hospital.  Afraid of the possibility of her son not having a hospital to gain access to for treatment, she decided to lead the campaign against the closure.

Many prominent local doctors are citing the closures that happened during the deficit trimming years in the 1990’s as mistakes to avoid.  And considering we are talking about mentally ill individuals with this round of cuts, the pitfalls are endless.  While Stephen Duckett, CEO of Health Services Alberta, has promised that individuals will not be forced out of the Alberta Hospital unless there is somewhere else to go, many people in the community are very skeptical that this promise can be kept.

St Albert Property Report - September 30th

Parking Overflow at Park ’N’ Ride

The City of Edmonton’s park ‘n’ ride program is quite popular. In some cases there are not enough parking spaces to keep up with public demand. The Village Landing park ‘n’ ride and the St. Albert Centre have had parking issues for so long that the city has come up with a pilot shuttle transfer service between the two scheduled to begin October 13th. It will run every 15 minutes from 7am to 7pm daily until December 4th.

The city hopes to alleviate the parking problem that has been affecting neighbouring businesses, especially the St. Albert Inn and designated shopping centre spaces. The city provides 500 parking stalls at Village Landing, but by 8am these are usually full. The overflow ends up on the lots of these and other local businesses. This year over 100 parking tickets were issued from September 1st to the 22nd.

The transit system has seen a 20% increase in ridership over the last half decade, partially due to the popular subsidized U-Pass program. While the shuttle will provide temporary relief, the city is negotiating for land to create additional parking. One location they are looking would be at the intersection located at St. Albert Trail and the Anthony Henday where estimates say it would be possible to create 1,000 new spaces.
 

St Albert Home Report - September 22nd

New Levies in St. Albert

It looks like its going to get even more expensive to build a home in St. Albert. A new offsite levy proposal was sent to the city council’s audit and finance committees on Monday night for review. A final approval is expected in October.

Developers can expect to pay levies of $201,282 per hectare for projects north of Villeneuve and Coal Mine Roads. Developments west of Ray Gibbon Drive are expected to be levied between $177,628 and $206,203 depending on sewer system connection methods. Fees are set to cover sewer and water fees. Most of the money is going towards road costs.

It is thought that the increase is because the current infrastructure is at capacity, so an entirely new system of sewer lines and water mains has to be built. In many ways it is comparable to building an entire new city on the annexed acreage.

The as of yet not passed Smart Growth initiative may double the estimated levy fees. Smart growth, the idea of building up rather than out in order to leave a smaller ecological footprint causes a greater demand on services. The developers do have the advantage of selling more units. Smart Growth has been left out of the equation for now.