'Relative' prosperity makes Alberta No. 1 in population growth - Despite mounting unemployment, a shaky economy and the ballooning provincial deficit, the grass still looks green enough in Alberta to lure thousands of newcomers who have an impact on everything from the jobless rate to the price of a home.

Alberta outpaced every other province in population growth in the second quarter, from April to June, at 0.59 per cent, according to the latest Statistics Canada figures.

"The main contributors to the province's growth were immigration and natural increase," said the federal agency 

Alberta's economy was strong enough to withstand the economic storm that has hit the global economy. Although appreciation will be slow over the next year, we will see a price rebound in the next 18 months.

Edmonton Real Estate prices recovering - "If you ask real estate agents, they'll tell you this year hasn't actually been that bad.

Home prices slipped, but they're bouncing back. And even with a flooded condo market, those prices are climbing again too.

"Some of them went into rental, some people have converted them into seniors homes," says Charlie Ponde, president of the Realtors Association of Edmonton. "So the builders and the developers have adjusted their inventory to reflect that."

Ponde says overall prices are still lower than the last couple of years, but they've recovered from last winter's freefall."

It's great to hear and we still have good prices on properties now.  With interest rates set to stay put until June and the coming winter cool down you can pick up some good deals that cashflow.

$2 billion investment in Alberta oilsands - A Chinese energy giant is making a nearly $2-billion investment in the Canadian oilsands. Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. says PetroChina is buying a 60 per cent working interest in its Mackay River and Dover oilsands projects in northeastern Alberta.

Although Canada's economy is tied to the U.S our oilsands are bringing interest from around the world. It is a valuable safe source of oil.

New online service makes home buying smarter, swifter for Canadians - Zoocasa.com -- a recently launched online site promises to make searching for a new home an exhilarating and productive experience for Canadians. Zoocasa offers a wealth of "neighbourhood information" for its more than 100,000 home listings.

Sounds interesting!

Location Selected For Alberta Nuclear Plant - According to a report by the CanWest News Service, Energy Alberta Corp. has said that it has formally requested permission from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to construct a pair of twin-unit Candu reactors about 500 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

"Building a nuclear power facility is a long and rigorous process. This is the beginning of a public and regulatory process that will include environmental, health and safety assessments," said Wayne Henuset, Energy Alberta's president and co-chairman, who termed the application a "historic moment" for the province's nuclear power industry.

Hopefully this will help reduce our greenhouse emmissons.

The emerging energy superpower - Canada's oil and gas industry is surviving the economic downturn. The boom times may be over, but stories of a bust are wide of the mark

AS A MEMBER of the G8, Canada is an anomaly: it is the only member of the rich nations' club that depends on a resource-based export industry to support its economy. Oil and gas are both central to this and Canada's energy sector increasingly influences the way it deals with the world. Prime minister Stephen Harper calls his country an "energy superpower". Notwithstanding the temporary slowdown in the US economy, Americans increasingly depend on imports of Canadian energy to support their lifestyle.

And, like much of the rest of the world, Canada depends on the US: its consumers almost monopolise Canadian energy exports and the political decisions made in Washington – like whether to adopt a cap-and-trade system to fight carbon emissions – will shape the Canadian energy industry and politics

"We are proud to be pioneers in bringing the benefits of clean, safe, reliable nuclear power to Alberta."

Canada is the economic leader in the G8 and Alberta is the leader in Canada, where else in the world should you put your investment money?

Alberta economy predicted to grow 3.3 per cent next year — "Alberta’s struggling economy will recover next year and grow 3.3 per cent, the Conference Board of Canada predicted Thursday.

Gross domestic product will contract 2.7 per cent in 2009 after a 0.2 per cent decline in 2008, the board said in its summer provincial outlook.

“Higher energy prices and lower construction costs should spur oil and gas activity, which will support a rebound in the domestic economy,” the report said.

Scotiabank also predicted that rebounding oil prices and falling inflationary pressures will bring a return to growth for Alberta in 2010, with GDP rising 2.8 per cent after a predicted 2.3 per cent contraction in the economy this year. The bank said the Canadian economy’s output will shrink 2.2 per cent in 2009 and grow 2.5 per cent in 2010."

By next year Alberta will be leading the nation out of the recession.

Alberta still better off than others - "The state of the province’s economy one quarter into the 2009-10 fiscal year shows a sharper period of recession than expected, Evans said, but the province still expects a stronger recovery next year.

“It’s still a better news story in Alberta than anywhere else in the country,” she said.

The finance minister said interpreting the economic picture in “doom and gloom” terms would be “belittling the entrepreneurship of Albertans.”

So far, there is no sign of how the province plans to head off an economy that’s running red; the $6.9 billion deficit means the Sustainability Fund will be tapped, leaving it with a projected $9.3 billion by the end of the year."

►VIDEO Alberta in for a few tough years but better off than other provinces. Quicktime

Environment Carbon Crapshoot - "This year, the Alberta and federal governments are setting aside billions of dollars for subsidies that will go to some of the nation’s largest energy companies. The money represents a down payment on a grand experiment. The idea is to collect carbon dioxide generated by industry before it goes up the stack into the atmosphere, and cloister it underground for eternity. It’s called carbon capture and storage (CCS). It’s fearfully expensive, and there’s no guarantee it will work. Yet work it must. Because Canada has no Plan B for reducing the impact of its energy industry on the Earth’s climate."

U.S State Department OKs Pipeline From Canada's Oilsands - "The downward trend among private sector employees persisted in July, with large losses for this group partially offset by continued gains in self-employment."The U.S. State Department has issued a permit for a multibillion-dollar pipeline to carry crude oil from Canadian oil sands to refineries south of the border, triggering a court challenge from environmental and native groups. The State Department issued a Presidential Permit to Enbridge Energy, Ltd. for the Alberta Clipper - a 1,000-mile/1,607-kilometer crude oil pipeline that will run between Hardisty, Alberta, and Superior, Wisconsin. With supply of crude oil from Western Canada oil sands developments expected to grow by as much as 1.8 million barrels per day by 2015, the industry has asked for more ...

Statistics Canada July employment report.

"These are difficult times. It's going to be a difficult year. I've been saying that, to sort of calm the euphoria about, you know, 'We're out of a recession.' We are stabilized, and there are some good signs. But it's still the recession and we still have to work our way out of it."

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told CTV News.

"No one said it was going to be a smooth recovery, and especially not for employment. If there is any positive spin here for the broader economy, it's that the job losses were almost entirely concentrated among summer students (though try telling your teenager that's good news)."

BMO Capital Markets economist Doug Porter

"Even though the Canadian economy is likely to resume positive growth sometime in the third quarter, we are likely to continue to see the unemployment rate climb for up to six months after the recession has come to a close."

TD Bank economist Diana Petramala

"Sadly, today was not a happy day for the Canadian job market. It's critical when we see these disappearing jobs that we have an effective fiscal stimulus to create or to save jobs. And that means getting the money out the door because, no matter how many billions in commitments, you won't save one job if you don't get the money out the door.''

Liberal MP John McCallum, the party's finance critic

"Some people say that the recession is over, but try telling that to the unemployed and their families. Unemployment is going to get worse in the months ahead and the Harper government is leaving people to fend for themselves."

Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress.

Don R. Campbell's recent interview with CHED news on the long-term effect of transportation on real estate values. Properties near hubs of transportation i.e. sky train stations, LRT stations or subway stations see a larger increase in values (10-20% more) to other comparable properties.

Seems like clear directions on where to invest for the best R.O.I.  There's a lot of other good information why real estate is the best long-term investment for wealth building.

Alberta retail sales up slightly in April -"Albertans spent a little more in April than they did in March, but less than they did a year earlier.

Retail trade figures released Friday by Statistics Canada show sales in Alberta rose 0.6 per cent in April on a monthly basis. Compared year-over-year, spending was down 10.5 per cent.

“Purchases by shoppers are keenly regarded by economists as a good indicator of general consumer sentiment,” said ATB Financial economist Dan Sumner. “And these retail sales figures have revealed Alberta’s softening economy over the past eight months or so as sales have pulled back quite sharply.”

The weather is warmer people are going out more. The article states sales dropped in fall and picked up in May. That's called winter in Alberta.

Advocate sees nuclear energy boosting Alberta's economy - "Edmonton physician and businessman Dr. Peter Silverstone wants to see 100 nuclear power plants built in Alberta, Canada, and to sell the electricity to the U.S. to meet new mandates for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Silverstone's plan calls for Alberta residents to get a $32,000 annual bonus for allowing the plants to operate, which could add up to $1 million over the lifetime of someone who is now 20 years old."
 

An obvious and economic way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The Peace River nuclear energy power plant's talks are almost finalized. A savvy investor would purchase land around the area for the long-term investment.

PM Stephen Harper's June 2009 economic progress report - -Some signs of stabilization have been appearing in the world economy. And Canada's economic performance, though pulled down by the global recession, remains the best among all major developed countries.

-These measures are creating and protecting jobs, building infrastructure, easing the tax burden on families, supporting Canadians who have lost their jobs, helping threatened industries, and laying the foundations for our future prosperity.

-Combined with the actions taken by provinces and territories, Canada's economic stimulus this year and next is proportionally the largest of any country in the G7!

Canada was never completely pulled under by the recession in fact our banks were a model of safe banking practices effectively side-stepping most of the major crash.

Confidence in housing market a 'good sign': economist -Despite a stream of negative economic news, most Canadians who've recently bought a home have confidence in their decision, according to a survey by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

A national consumer survey released Tuesday said 90% of recent home purchasers believed that a house is a good long-term investment. Almost 70% of respondents also said they felt that this is a good time to buy a home.

BMO economist Robert Kavcic said he's not surprised that consumers might feel this way. "We've seen house prices come down across the country, and mortgage rates are bouncing around record lows," he said. "The cost of having a home right now looks very low relative to the past five or six years."

If you are in a position to buy a house as an investment then now is the time to do so for all the same reasons.

Alberta consumers optimistic about economy: report - "Despite an economic downturn, half of Albertans say now is a good time to buy big-ticket items while a quarter expect their household income to increase in the next year.

Consumers in Alberta are in an unexpectedly optimistic mood, according to a confidence survey of 900 Albertans sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC and conducted by Leger Marketing Inc. released Monday."

With stores offering incentives to buy and many people realizing, "Hey I read about the recession but my life hasn't changed THAT much", stores are going to start seeing improvements in sales.

Highway Improvements to Create Jobs in Alberta - "Stimulating our economy and keeping people working during these tough economic times is a top priority for our Government," said Minister Merrifield. "The strong relationship between our two governments enables us to work together to help Alberta communities remain competitive and prosperous, while contributing to the long-term economic growth of our country."

"Our Government is fulfilling the commitments we made in Canada's Economic Action Plan," said Minister Ambrose. "By investing in roads and highways, we will help give our economy the boost it needs, while also creating opportunities to keep Albertans working throughout these difficult times."

End is at hand for downturn: Expert- Hype over the economic meltdown has inspired unnecessary panic, as recessions are part of the ebb and flow of a healthy economy, chamber president Martin Salloum said, adding that speculation among members indicates the downturn will reach cessation within 18 months.

“Edmonton’s economy is diverse enough to weather the storm,” he told Metro, adding that proof of the Alberta advantage is omnipresent.

The biggest misconception, Salloum said, is that oil is Edmonton’s economic lifeblood.

“We’re not just a one-trick pony,” he said. “We’re much more diverse than people think.”

Alberta cities score high on economy - Cowtown is Wowtown but Edmonton isn't far behind, says a report released yesterday that gave Calgary a top-of-the-class grade on a global scorecard for overall economic prosperity.

Calgary was the lone metropolis in a survey of international commerce heavyweights to earn an A grade in the Calgary Economic Development-commissioned Conference Board of Canada report.

Edmonton was third. Dallas was sandwiched at second between Alberta's two major centres in the 23-city ranking.

Such results aren't surprising for Calgary, which accounts for 5% of national gross domestic product, despite a local economy cooled by the recession, said Cowtown Mayor Dave Bronconnier.

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