| 
Talk about prosperity! The province of Alberta is experiencing
such an incredibly booming economy that a $400.00 cheque was
recently mailed to every man, woman and child in the province
of Alberta who had either filed an income-tax return for 2004
or is registered to receive a child-benefits tax credit .
So many cheques were delivered that delivery had to be staggered
to enable the postal authorities to get the cheques to mail
boxes. A total amount of $1.4 billion was distributed so that
Alberta residents could share in the resource revenue of that
province.
To sweeten the surprise and to promote their businesses, some
stores are offering cheque recipients a 20%, and in one instance
a 100% bonus if they use the money to buy merchandise from that
store.
I heard from a friend in Calgary, Alberta this week that a
local fast food outlet had been forced to close its doors because
it could not find employees to staff the business. Other people
tell me that there are very few stores that haven’t got
“Help Wanted” signs hanging in the windows. The
point here is that there are so many well-paying jobs available
that there just aren’t enough people to fill every employment
opportunity.
It was recently reported that in the entire Calgary area there
are only about 1 150 homes for sale, which if you consider the
size of Calgary, isn’t many. The average used to be about
6000 homes at any one time. There is such a strong flow of money
that homes are bought up in many instances the same day they
come on the market. The stories about the wait lines at the
high end car dealerships are another story! No wonder this city
is called “Boomtown!”
So, how do the two biggest cities in the province of Alberta,
Calgary and Edmonton compare, when it comes to buying a home?
The average price of a single family home in Edmonton will
cost you about 25% less than in Calgary and about 22% less for
a condominium (flat).
And when it comes to the weather, how does Alberta rate? Winters
in Alberta can be very cold with heavy snowfalls, but according
to Environment Canada (Canada’s weather department) Calgary
has the most sunny days year-round of any Canadian city, it
has the most sunny days in cold months and Calgary has the sunniest
winter of any Canadian city.
Nature has blessed Alberta with the incredible Rocky Mountains
and the province caters for ski enthusiasts from around the
world with top class ski destinations. There are also the most
incredibly scenic places to visit in Alberta, during both winter
and summer months.
So, if you’re thinking about coming to live in Canada,
you may want to seriously consider the province of Alberta and
its cities of Calgary or Edmonton as your destination.
Alberta is a province where wealth and income are on the rise.
Let’s face it. There are very few provinces, states or
countries outside of China where Gross Domestic product is projected
to rise by an incredible 7% this year as it is for Alberta!
|
The
first few weeks of a new year are when arguably more “big”
life-changing decisions get made than at any other time of the
year. It’s a time when we look forward enthusiastically
to the opportunities ahead of us and when we reflect on the
year that has passed. 
As
I mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter, the first few
weeks of a new year are when more “big” life-changing
decisions are made than at any other time of the year. It seems
that the beginning of each year brings with it the hope and
confidence that we can make the things happen that we want for
ourselves and for our families. 