Bill Black stood several metres to the side of a podium in a southeast Calgary hall in early April, watching as Liberal Leader Mark Carney talked about energy and getting major projects completed in Canada.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/6kkt8pz8
Monthly Archives: April 2025
Red Deer economic development committee provides update
Red Deer’s position in the Calgary-Edmonton economic corridor should be driving growth better than the provincial average, said one of the leaders of a new economic development committee.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2t445dec
Claresholm councillor asking province for answers on education tax hike
In its Budget 2025, the Alberta government has raised education property taxes and one Town of Claresholm councillor is inviting ministers to explain what will happen with the increase.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/3f2euxf6
Council uses reserves to keep tax hike to 5.6%
Medicine Hat will dip further into its bank account to keep a tax increase to the approved 5.6 per cent after growth in the assessment base – estimated to be zero last year – actually shows a net negative.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/nwces9jh
Cities take the lead in battling rent-setting algorithms
Four high-cost cities — San Francisco, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Berkeley, California — have banned the use of rent algorithms. Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira explains their motivations and what might happen to the Biden administration’s challenge to these tools.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/mrx3xyvc
Reddit post sparks debate: Buy or rent amid Bengaluru’s realty boom?
A Reddit post from a Bengaluru resident has reignited an age-old debate: whether to buy a property or stay put in a rented accommodation? While on one side there is a spiralling rent, on the other is the rising cost of owning a home.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/5n8a2ex8
Weekly mortgage demand plunges nearly 13%, as interest rates hit 2-month high
Higher interest rates, as well as concern over where the broader economy is headed, is causing mortgage demand to drop sharply. Last week, total mortgage application volume fell 12.7% compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/mwykpxwb
County of Grande Prairie final budget: Roads a priority
County of Grande Prairie Council approved the 2025 budget with a 2.4 per cent municipal tax rate increase to ensure alignment with public feedback which consistently identifies roads and public safety as key priorities. The increase translates to approximately $57.85 annually, or $4.82 per month on a residential property valued at $575,000.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/bdzkzr82
No new RMWB property taxes but education taxes going up
Overall, the RMWB is expected to collect more than $505 million in municipal property taxes. This is a $45 million increase from the 2024 budget. Laurie Farquharson, the RMWB’s chief financial officer, warned this increase has happened while property tax revenue has dropped in recent years.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/4rcv6rss
Red Deer City Council approves downtown tax levy
A Red Deer city councillor wants to see changes in the way downtown-boosting efforts are funded.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/3wa74b53