The Bank of Canada has maintained its overnight rate target at 0.25 per cent, the effective lower bound, and released its updated outlook for the economy and inflation.

Economic growth forecasts paint cautiously optimistic picture for Calgary housing market

Calgary's housing market lives and breathes based on the whims of the city's overall economy.

While the city had an impressive gain of 6.9 per cent in economic growth in 2017 compared to 2016, according to the Conference Board of Canada, the economic engine will slow down this year and in 2019.

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.

Government tightens lending guidelines

With concerns regarding overheated housing markets and household debt levels rising nationwide, the federal government has enacted new rules governing mortgage lending and borrowing.

The biggest change, and the one most likely to have an impact on Canadian homebuyers, is the reduction of the maximum amortization periodfrom 30 years to 25.