County to address access issues in subdivisions

County councillors got a glimpse Monday at how much it would cost ratepayers to construct a second access point to the 68 single-access subdivisions in the county: About $28 million.

“Those are pretty rough numbers, but yeah those are construction numbers on average road construction costs,” said Herb Pfau, public works superintendent.

Councillors approved providing money each budget year to complete the long-term project.

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Developer blasts city over approvals

Due to city hall red tape, Calgary has gone from one of the best to one of the worst places in Canada to develop and build homes — boosting prices for new home buyers, said a local developer.

“The approval process has become an incredible challenge,” Lesley Conway, president of Hopewell Residential Communities, told the recent Calgary Real Estate Forum.

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CAPP hails Alberta Energy Regulator aimed at streamlining project approvals

The petroleum industry is hailing a provincial plan to streamline and speed up approvals of energy projects.

But the province said the change to a single industry regulator would also bring tougher penalties for polluters.

On Wednesday, the government tabled legislation to create the Alberta Energy Regulator, a one-stop monitoring and approval body Energy Minister Ken Hughes said should shave off months or years off start-up waits.

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