Smarter Growth Initiative aims to educate public about homebuilding and development industry

Guy Huntingford knows the value of providing people with useful and interesting information.

After all, the CEO of BILD Calgary Region was once in the newspaper business, as a publisher at both the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun.

That background gave him the spark needed to put together the Smarter Growth Initiative, a BILD-affiliated entity whose tagline is "fostering conversation about urban development," nearly four years ago.

How does your home rate?

Most energy-conscious Canadians wouldn't buy a new appliance without checking its EnerGuide label to see how it rates. EnerGuide labels for homes are starting to catch on with energy-efficient new-home builders. But did you know you can get an EnerGuide assessment for your existing home?

Plant-friendly solutions for icy walkways and homegrown winter refreshments

Slippery When Wet
It's nothing to brag about, but after months of false starts and delays, we finally got our new sidewalk poured this fall. It is so pretty, but it does get slippery when snow melts and water freezes.

So off to the store I went to buy a solution for icy walks. There was just one problem: almost every product for melting ice contains salt, and all the labels warn against use of salt on unsealed or new concrete.

Dear Santa,

I know you're pretty busy these days getting ready for your epic journey. You must receive millions of letters. I can't imagine how time-consuming it is for you, but if you have a chance, please read mine.

Calgary homebuilders adapt in the face of adversity

There's no question that demand in the Calgary housing market eased following the collapse of oil prices in late 2014.

The impact of that global event sent shockwaves through the local economy, as thousands of people lost their jobs through two brutal years of recession in 2015 and 2016.

A slowing economy and job uncertainty always have an impact on the housing market, and the city saw a corresponding ease in home demand.

However, Calgary's homebuilders have been resilient and creative.

A closer look at the numbers behind Calgary's apartment-style housing market

Statistics Canada recently released an interesting piece of information regarding Calgary's residential real estate market that went relatively unnoticed.

According to the government agency, the share of households in the Calgary census metropolitan area living in condominiums was 21.8 per cent in 2016. That represented the second highest percentage in the country, behind only Vancouver at 30.6 per cent, and was much higher than the national average of 13.3 per cent.

The arrow is pointing upwards for Calgary housing market as recovery continues

It's been a tough couple of years for Calgary's housing market, as it slowly recovers from the collapse of oil prices that started in 2014.

That pain created some deep wounds for the city's economy, which shed thousands of jobs and plunged into a recession for both 2015 and 2016. The light at the end of the tunnel began to materialize this year, and the recovery is expected to fully take hold in 2018.

That's good news for the real estate market, as job growth will fuel demand going forward.

Preparing for the winter ahead

It's October and it's time to get serious about the fall garden. Plant bulbs, rake apples, empty compost and clean out plant pots before the sleet and snow freezes everything solid like a jellied salad.

Reducing power consumption is easier than you think

What if we told you that with a few simple changes, you could cut your household electricity consumption in half? It's possible, and Ron Kube is living proof.

Kube recently installed a solar-power system on his St. Albert home. But before going solar, he checked to see how much electricity his home was using. He was shocked to discover his family was using 70 per cent more than the Alberta average of 7,200 kilowatt hours per year – they were energy hogs.