Lake Communities Feature
MIDTOWN MOVE
HAIL MARY
Long-delayed Airdrie project goes ahead
‘Tis the season for mother natures wrath
TOWNS A6
Amenities rank high for residents
INSURANCE A7
A8 – A9 FREE july 10 to july 16 2015 issue 05-26 editorial 403-781-1324 advertising 403-263-4940 crebnow@creb.ca
real estate news from industry experts
A CITY IN NEED Stampede event highlights continuing urgency to house Calgarians in need CODY STUART
managing editor
W
ith the Calgary Stampede shining a spotlight on our city’s sense of community, an event held during this year’s Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth highlighted the continuing needs of some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens. As part of Stampede Week, Horizon Housing – one of several local organizations dedicated to housing the city’s most vulnerable residents – held a barbecue, with residents on hand from the organization’s properties. Serving tenants with a variety of special needs – including those with mental health challenges, physical disability, families and seniors living below the poverty line and the working poor – Horizon Housing executive director Kim O’Brien said while the current state of Alberta’s economy is debatable, it hasn’t changed the willingness of Calgarians to give to a good cause. “The Calgary Stampede is all about coming together as a community and celebrating everything that makes this city great,” she said. “We’re very mindful and respectful of the fact that individuals and corporations that we’re in discussions with have seen their circumstances change, but the interest and the discussion and desire from those individuals to become engaged with the campaign has not changed,” she said. A testament to the sort of community spirit showcased during the Calgary Stampede, O’Brien relayed the story of Calgary law firm Osler, which, in light of the recent economic climate, put aside its plans for a Stampede Party in favour of contributing to the RESOLVE campaign - a one-time fun-
draising campaign designed to see Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness come to fruition. The first such initiative in Canada, the Plan to End Homelessness started in 2008 and aims to house those experiencing chronic and episodic homelessness. Linking nine Calgary social service agencies, including Horizon Housing and the Calgary Homeless Foundation, RESOLVE’s long-term goal is to build supported rental housing for 3,000 Calgarians by raising $120 million by 2018. Ongoing energy sector uncertainty has seen an increase in the number of Albertans finding themselves out of work in recent months. In May, Alberta’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8 per cent, up from 5.5 per cent in April up from 4.7 per cent a year earlier. With such a large increase in the number of financially vulnerable residents, the possibility to securing donations and the prospect of more Calgarians finding themselves without a home is one that can’t be ignored, said said Amy Hurst, senior manager of communications for RESOLVE. “Obviously homelessness is a huge issue in the city no matter what the economy is doing,” she said. “With Calgary, we’ve had these peaks several times, so it’s not anything new to the city. It’s just that – how we fundraise – we’ve had to be a little bit more creative and try to make sure that the donor is being represented better.”
HOMELESSNESS A3 Kim O’Brien, executive director of Horizon Housing, said the current state of the economy hasn’t changed the willingness of Calgarians to give to a good cause.
JUN13 2,998 JUL13 2,725 AUG13 2,773 SEP13 2,794 OCT13 2,521 NOV13 1,825 DEC13 971 JAN14 2,396 FEB14 2,711 MAR14 3,319 APR14 3,753 4,327 MAY14 3,817 JUN14 3,219 JUL14 3,147 AUG14 3,259 SEP14 OCT14 2,919 2,093 NOV14 DEC14 1,381 JAN15 3,288 FEB15 2,950 MAR15 3,136 APR15 3,064 3,161 MAY15 3,122 JUN15
CITY OF CALGARY
MLS® NEW LISTINGS* JUN ‘13 – JUN ‘15
*All statistics based on monthly data compiled by CREB® via MLS® activity. Includes detached, attached and apartment.
CODY STUART, Managing Editor
HOUSING STARTS CONTENTS INCREASE IN MAY NEWS BRIEFS
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CREB® STAFF
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algary housing starts increased by three per cent in May, thanks to a 79 per cent increase in the multifamily sector. Despite a decline in the single-family sector, the total number of housing starts in Calgary increased in May, according to the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC). actual total housing starts in the city increased by three per cent in May over the same month in 2014. The increase, which came despite a 50 per cent drop in single-family starts, marks the first year-over-year increase since October 2014.
CONSTRUCTION A3
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FIVE THINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 The Alberta economy
MORTGAGE RATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 EVENT LISTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 WEEKLY FEED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 POP THE QUESTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A10 Wendy Jabusch, CHBA Calgary
MLS® STATISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A10 June 2015
MAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 OPEN HOUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B19 @crebnow
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