After three years of construction, the west leg of the Calgary LRT system will commence service Dec. 10.

"You'll notice if you tour the west line that there's many, many workers out there still patching up some of the surface works that need to be done but with respect to the rail lines and the stations they are substantially complete, they've been turned over to Calgary Transit and Calgary Transit are doing their testing as we speak,"

Nestled beside Shaw Millennium Park along the new West LRT line, the Mewata Armoury and Drill Hall is a one-of-a-kind building in Calgary's inner city.

The word "Mewata" is said to be derived from the Cree word for 'O be joyful' or 'to be happy'. With construction beginning 1915 and a completion date of 1918, the structure was the brainchild of architect Thomas W. Fuller.

There's another new bridge coming to town with a $25 million price tag and a fall 2013 completion date.

Much like the highly publicized Peace Bridge to the west, this new bridge is also set to span the banks of the Bow River, this time connecting Calgary's East Village to St. Patrick's Island and then onto the community of Bridgeland.

Over the past two months, City of Calgary Transportation has been hitting the local malls to talk to Calgarians about programs, services and funding options.

"It was great to speak with so many Calgarians and hear what's on their mind, how we can improve their commute and where they think we should focus our energies and money in the future," said Transportation general manager Mac Logan of the roughly 700 Calgarians engaged during the five mall events.

There is finally progress in the vacant lot that has scarred the Mission district in southwest Calgary for more than a decade. Referred to by some as Mission's "hole in the soul," the long-awaited commercial development at the corner of 4 St. and 20 Ave. S.W. moved one step closer to completion recently.

With a ceremony celebrating the final pouring of concrete on the site, the last major milestone has been cleared before the six-storey, 140,000 square-foot building is fully unveiled in late spring, 2013.

A stretch of Memorial Drive in the community of Parkdale is about to get a little artsier.

The sculpture, by New York artist Brian Tolle, will be integrated into an existing storm water outfall along the Bow River pathway system. The intent of the piece is to heighten public awareness of the interface between Calgary's storm water infrastructure and natural landscape.

Calgary and Alberta continue to be the exception to the rule when it comes to the Canadian housing market.

"Alberta and the rest of the country are clearly on different train tracks when it comes to the housing market," said ATB senior economist Todd Hirsch. "Back when Alberta's home prices were booming, the explanation was pretty straightforward: very high in-migration combined with strong wage growth and the introduction of 40-year mortgages."