Alberta politicians at both the provincial and municipal level have recently spoken out against Canada's mortgage stress test.

Lakeview ring road letter drives controversy

It sounded innocuous at first: a letter from the Lakeview Community Association to the province and the City of Calgary to reconsider plans for a portion of the Southwest Ring Road that would link the neighbourhood to a Tsuut'ina development. If you're wondering what could possibly go wrong, the answer is just about everything.

The letter was prompted by concerns that some Lakeview residents expressed about increased traffic that might come with the new $4.5-billion development planned for the Tsuut'ina First Nation. The development would include retail, residential and entertainment elements, and at least one access point at the 5600 block of 37th Street S.W.

CREA voices concerns about home cannabis cultivation

As Bill C-45 continues its journey through the different levels of Parliament, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) presented some feedback on how the legalization of cannabis would affect homeowners.
"We've heard from homeowners and tenants across the country who are worried about living beside grow-ops," said CREA president Barb Sukkau.

"What does this do to their home value? Will this increase their rent? How safe will their kids be? Will their quality of life diminish because of the prevalence of drugs in their neighbourhood? These are all concerns that need to be considered before the passing of Bill C-45."

Plans for Anderson Station transit-oriented development approach final approval

A new outline plan and land use application for the lands surrounding the Anderson LRT Station was approved at the Calgary Planning Commission in February and will now go before city council on April 16 for final approval.

Doug Cassidy, director of real estate and development services for the City of Calgary, said Anderson Station has many characteristics that make it viable as a transit-oriented development (TOD) site.

Ring road construction accelerates plans for new Richmond-Sarcee interchange

Plans for a $106-million interchange at Richmond Road and Sarcee Trail are taking on added importance as construction continues along Calgary's southwest ring road.

Residents of surrounding communities, and the area's city councillor, want the interchange plan to be funded and built in time to handle traffic when the ring road opens around the end of 2021.

New Green Line LRT stations are poised to bring transit-oriented development to several communities

Proposed transit-oriented development (TOD) around first-stage Green Line stations is expected to turn city thoroughfares that currently lack curb appeal into new live, work, shop and play destination areas.

Later this year, station area plans or area redevelopment plans will go to city council for six of the 14 stations in the initial stage of the new LRT line – 16 Ave N., Inglewood/Ramsay, 26 Ave S.E., Lynnwood/Millican, Ogden and South Hill.

The Green Line's first phase will extend from 16th Avenue N. to 126 Avenue S.E., with construction slated to begin in 2020.

Chestermere's local government gets a facelift, with new mayor and councillors on the job

In October's municipal election, residents of the City of Chestermere elected both a new mayor and an entirely new city council. The fact that no incumbents were re-elected would have been notable, except that in Chestermere's case, no members of the previous council chose to run again.

As a result, the new council is planning a fresh start for the community after several tumultuous years that saw rampant complaints from residents over utility rates that increased by more than 50 per cent in five years and property taxes that some homeowners claimed had doubled over the course of a decade.