Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Servus Place Support Voted Down by Sturgeon County

Sturgeon County will no longer be sponsoring the Servus Credit Union, thanks to a recent vote at county council. Coun. Tom Flynn presented a motion to extend the sponsorship an additional five years. The original deal, worth some $100,000, expires December 31st of this year. Flynn was the only party with a yes vote, even though he emphasized that many residents support the facility.

Don Rigney, the mayor, has not been in favor of the deal since the beginning. He voted no, and attributed that vote, and the result, to budget issues. The county does face an increase of 14.5 percent as it is to make next year’s budget balance. Last week the major predicted the vote would fail, even before the budget was even being discussed. The timing is a bit off.

St Albert’s mayor Nolan Crouse was disappointed in the county’s vote, citing Sturgeon County’s lack of interest in working with St. Albert on any matter. This is despite the fact that St Albert has supported county projects such as Quail Ridge, 127th Street and Northern Lights.

The lack of cooperation may mean that St Albert will be reluctant to support issues that come up that favor Sturgeon County. It is obvious that this is not a fair playing field, and that St Albert is doing all the giving, while the county is doing the taking. The Servus Budget, which had counted on the county sponsorship, now has to be reworked.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Heartland Transmission Line Talks Produce He-Said, She-Said Situation

Last week Karen Shaw, Councillor with Sturgeon County, advised CBC that Jeff Johnson, an MLA, threatened to cut off funding to the county if the municipality opposed the Heartland Transmission Line. This is already a contentious subject in the area, and news like this is bound to turn heads. The thing is, Johnson says it is just not true.

Johnson noted that he had spoken to Shaw several times about the issue, which is to build high voltage power transmission lines through the area. He noted that Shaw was a passionate individual, but though they were in total disagreement, Johnson never threatened the community.

Shaw, on the other hand, noted that Johnson was scheduled to attend a power line meeting that was set up for residents, but he failed to show, stating he had other engagements. Shaw maintains he backed out, and his name was already in the meeting’s ad. Joe Anglin and Keith Wilson, both opponents of the line, did show up.

Shaw also maintains that Chris Micek, the administrative officer of Sturgeon County, received phone calls from provincial officials concerning the funding the area received. When questioned by CBC, Micek denied the calls. CBC tried to re-verify the story but Shaw was unavailable.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Sturgeon County Conducting School Faith Census for Morinville

Up until this fall the only schools in Morinville were part of the Greater St Albert Catholic Regional Division. The system included two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. The Sturgeon School Board, for the first time, began a secular school program in the district, which at present has roughly 100 students.

This addition to the Morinville school system comes after a number of families complained about the amount of religious education being taught, even to students who were not of the Catholic faith. At one time, some 150 years ago, most of the people living in Morinville were Catholic. That is no longer the case. The crux of the complaint was the fact that the Catholic school board acted as more of a minority faith board than a body that was to represent the entire population.

The city will conduct a census this fall to find out just exactly how much religious diversity is out there. There will be only one question, asking if residents are Catholic, Protestant or another religion. Results will help determine if more secular education is needed. It will cost the city roughly $125,000 to complete the census, which will be sent to some 70,000 people. Dave Hancock, the Education Minister, announced the study.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Alberta Signs 20 Year Agreement with RCMP

While most major cities in Alberta, as well as across other parts of Canada, have their own police forces, there are 43 municipalities in the province that rely on the RCMP for their police services. That is why the renewal of the 20 year contract between Alberta and the RCMP was good news for places such as St Albert, who rely on the provincial deal.

The current agreement took four years to hammer out. This past Friday, the agreement was signed by Vic Toews, federal justice minister, and Solicitor General Frank Oberle. That means the officers so familiar in their red serge coats will be part of the Alberta landscape for the foreseeable future.

Alberta was the first of the Canadian provinces to formally renew the RCMP contract. Others are expected to follow. Toews spent the summer visiting the different detachments throughout the province and was impressed with the organization’s professionalism. Toews also noted the symbolism involved in having the RCMP in province. It is an iconic police force, instantly recognizable as being Canadian.

The agreement means that the Alberta will pay 70 percent of the cost of running the RCMP detachments, and the federal government will pick up the remaining 30 percent. The agreement is flexible, allowing negotiations on staffing and other issues as they come up.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Morinville Receives $250,000 towards Community Cultural Centre

The town of Morinville is all that closer to getting its new Community Cultural Centre finished. At a June 28th meeting, the Sturgeon County Council approved $250,000 to go to the project, taken from the Capital Agricultural/Recreational Facility Development Grant, or CARF. The centre will cost roughly $11 million to build.

Originally it was to be approved along with the 2011 budget, but council was waiting for Morinville to guarantee that residents throughout the county would be charged the same rental fees as people living within the town’s city limits. Even though there has been an agreement between Sturgeon County and Morinville for other programs and facilities, the town was considering exempting the centre from that agreement because of the cost of construction. Part of the decision would be how much Sturgeon County would contribute towards that cost.

During a June 14th meeting an agreement was reached to include the centre in the agreement, which, upon written confirmation, led to approval of the funding a few weeks later. Though pleased with the solution, Mayor Don Rigney of Sturgeon County, voiced his displeasure at how Morinville went about asking for funds. Rather that seeking a contribution while the project was in the planning stages, the town waited until it was already under construction. Rigney noted that he hoped this would not happen when seeking money for future building projects.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Slave Lake Receives $10,000 Donation from Sturgeon County

The Slave Lake fire of May 16th devastated that community, and the Sturgeon County Council has decided to do what they can to help. First off was the approval on Tuesday to donate $10,000 to that stricken community via the Red Cross. That agency has been on the scene in the area since the fire hit. Chris Micek, who is County Commissioner, advised that many of Sturgeon County’s staff have family members affected by the fire.

Also discussed was the donation of two vans that were once used for senior transport and that were destined for the auction block. The retired vehicles could be relocated to Slave Lake. A decision will be made on that after the administration looks into the idea and reports back to council. Councillor Don McGeachy wants council to consider other ways to help, both before the summer recess break and/or in the fall when meetings resume. Calls went out to other areas for help in the fire-ravaged area.

The Slave Lake Public Library was also destroyed in the fire. Councillor Jo Milligan suggests that libraries in Sturgeon County could donate books as soon as the facility is rebuilt. A collection fund has already been established by the Morinville Public Library to help restock the Slave Lake Library shelves.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

St Albert Council Takes a Look at City’s To Do Wish List

St Albert City Council got its first look at the proposed ten year plan for the city that outlines the spending of $61.3 million throughout 2012. Of that $30 million has been designated for a new transit and park and ride station in the southern end of the city. Another $17.1 million has been put aside to complete the third phase of Ray Gibbon Drive.

Both projects will depend on additional outside money. Additional funds for Ray Gibbon Drive would have to be granted or borrowed. As for the park and ride, the city is hoping for $20 million in Green Trip money from the province. Only time will tell if either will happen during 2012.

Mayor Nolan Crouse noted that as of now the plan is one big laundry list without the funds to go ahead. No one can really offer an informed opinion if so much is dependent on funding that has yet to materialize. But there were still suggestions offered on how to improve the 2012 budget. One suggestion was $30,000 for web streaming. Another was to delay putting $175,000 into a mountain biking park because the location has yet to be determined. No doubt the entire list will see plenty of revisions.

One big ticket item is the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan, which council has already given approval for the creation of a plan which will be presented May 24th. It is unlikely that program will be started in 2012 because of the cost.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Morinville Catholic Schools to Offer Secular Option Next Fall

The St Albert Catholic Schools division is the only option for parents in Morinville. The Catholic district is publically funded, and will, as of September provide a secular option for classes. The district will not provide the secular education themselves, but will instead seek out a third party partner for those classes. At the same time, the district will have Pivotal Research conduct a survey to see how many people actually want the secular education option.

Some of the parents are not happy with the survey, since the option is supposedly already guaranteed. The district receives public funding and should provide non-denominational education, no matter how many people respond to that survey. Donna Hunter, one of the parents at the closed door meeting where the survey was announced, had a letter from Dave Hancock, the Education Minister, stating just this fact.

So far there is no word on who will provide the secular education. Talks have been ongoing for the last couple of months with the Sturgeon School Division, so that might be one option. The St Albert Catholic School district and Sturgeon are set to meet on April 20th. Superintendent Michele Dick from the Sturgeon District is not opposed to the idea, but will meet with Minister Hancock to discus the logistics of working inside another district’s boundaries.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Sturgeon County to hold SAFE Youth Conference

For years Sturgeon County had an annual youth conference but it has been mothballed for a while now. But this year at Camp Nakamun, which is just west of Morinville, the Stand-Up & Feel Empowered Youth Conference (SAFE) will be held. The dates are Friday April 1st to Sunday April 3rd. Kids ages 12 to 16 are welcome.

Jessica Gray, a recreation coordinator with Sturgeon County advised that the conference will focus mostly on healthy relationships and addiction problems. The relationship sessions will deal with the issue of bullying as well as how kids get along with their friends, boyfriends, parents and people in general. The addiction portion deals with tobacco, alcohol and drug issues.

Gray advised that the county had stopped holding the sessions because of a lack of interest. Sturgeon County took the break time and studied the program, got some community feedback and reshaped it to be more relevant. The Sturgeon County Youth Council also has new members and that will help put a new perspective on the meetings.

Guest speakers will include Jack Adkins, a councilor that helps with kicking the nicotine habit, Doug Chesbrough, a motivational speaker and Amy Dribnenky who will share her life-changing story. The council is hoping that members of the local RCMP will get involved. Registration forms may be found at www.sturgeoncounty.ab.ca or you may call 780-939-8334.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Sturgeon County to get Upgrader after Deal with North West Upgrading

North West Upgrading just struck a deal with Premier Ed Stelmach that makes the Sturgeon County upgrader project a reality. Construction can now start on the 50,000 barrel per day facility, which due to the recession and other factors was stalled for quite a while. The new upgrader will cost about $5 billion to build and will provide about 8,000 jobs in the process.

Stelmach pointed out that while this might be a bold decision, that the government is convinced that the oil sands are a reliable, viable resource that warrants the new facility. Rather than shipping the mined bitumen out of Alberta, the substance can be refined in province. Bitumen is refined to make diesel, which can then be sold direct from Alberta, through North West Upgrading. Alberta will receive a percentage of the profits from the sales. This is more profitable than shipping the raw material south, which has been the norm.

Sturgeon County has been busy putting in roads, water and sewer lines in anticipation of the projects. Regulatory approval has already been given by Alberta Environment and the zoning issues have already been cleared up by Sturgeon County. Also partnering in the project is Canadian Natural Resources. They will provide bitumen and contribute roughly half of the cost for building the upgrader.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Chief Bart Clark Retiring From Sturgeon County Fire Department

Bart Clark is stepping down as Sturgeon County’s fire chief after almost 40 years in the profession. Starting as a volunteer in Fort Saskatchewan, Clark was part of the firefighting team at the industrial firm Dow Chemical, worked with the Fire Commissioner’s Office in Alberta and then was deputy chief for St. Albert.

Clark is largely responsible for bringing the 911 emergency services to St. Albert and to his last post at Sturgeon County. He also helped with upgrading both the training and the equipment during his tenure as head of the Sturgeon County department. When he joined the department, the firefighters and community were holding raffles and doing all manner of fund raising to purchase equipment. There is more of a dedicated budget now, but the department is still largely staffed by volunteers. Clark stresses the need for a full-time fire department due to the ever increasing population.

Looking back at his career, Clark remembers the huge wildfires that threatened Sturgeon County. He was incident commander for the 2001, 2002 and 2009 fires. He does remember that though some homes were lost to the flames, things may have turned out a lot worse. Over 80 homes were in the path of the fire. No one was seriously injured, and that is always a plus. Clark can claim that during his tenure as chief none of his firefighters lost time due to an injury.

Clark will take a year off to enjoy a bit of leisure time and then who knows. He may end up volunteering for the department if the need is there.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Sturgeon County Looking for More Recreational Opportunities

Residents of Sturgeon County would really like more recreational opportunities in the area, but don’t want to see their taxes go up significantly to pay for them. These are the results of a phone survey conducted by RC Strategies and presented to Sturgeon County’s council members this past week. Roughly 52 percent of those surveyed believed that the current facilities were limited. Also asked were questions about what type of recreational venues would be most wanted.

Pools made the top of the list, with 38 percent of those polls wanting more places to swim. Following closely were fitness or wellness centres, at 37 percent. Dirt bike and/or ATV trails came next, with 26 percent of respondents wanting more of these outdoor areas.

On the tax issue, 42 percent of people wanted no tax increase at all. Another 40 percent were willing to pay up to an additional $100 per year to cover the cost of adding some of these recreational options. Councilman Don McGeachy believes that if Sturgeon County works with other municipalities, they can achieve more with the money already on hand. But, there is not enough money in the bank to do everything the survey respondents asked for. Taxes would have to go up for that.

Another part of the survey asked residents what type of regional facilities they were already using. Almost 47 percent said they used Servus Credit Union Place, and an additional 30 percent said that Fort Saskatchewan’s Dow Centennial Centre was the venue of choice. Another 20 percent used Spruce Grove’s TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre. Nearly 18 percent of the 908 residents surveyed said they used the Morinville public library.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Private and Public Health Care Experiments Prove Compatibility

Mention private health care in Alberta and risk a heated argument, no matter what side of the fence you are on. The new Alberta Health Care Act is not supposed to have anything to do with privatization, according to Gene Zwozdesky, the province’s health minister. But the question keeps getting asked, would private health care actually help the public system function more efficiently?

Some enterprising residents in Sturgeon County decided to conduct a little experiment. They created the West Country Hearth, a health facility to house seniors that could no longer stay in their home because of health or care issues. The community got together and built the structure with $8 million in funding from public and private sources.

The West Sturgeon Aging in Place Foundation is running the facility. Just like public funded care centers, the mortgage needs paying and their must be adequate staffing and sometimes this is a challenge. But, as Colleen Soetaert advises, West Country Health is a place where seniors can go without leaving their community, which makes the effort worth it.

Saskatchewan has also been trying to mix private and public health care. An early experiment is the opening of the Omni Surgery Centre in Regina. This is a privately funded surgical clinic that the province has contracted with for pediatric dental and orthopedic surgeries. So far the wedding of private and public health services in that province has increased the level of patient care and decreased surgery wait times.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Sturgeon County Council Candidates Think the Property Tax Rates Are Reasonable

It’s council election time once again in Sturgeon County and one of the hot topics is property taxes. Candidates seem to agree that the taxes charged are reasonable but have questions about where the money is being spent. Even though there have been tax increases in all of the last three years, compared to the rest of the Capital region the tax rates are relatively low. In 2008 the increase was 4.9 percent, 2009 went up by 2.48 percent and in this past year the increase was 2.65 percent.

Dave Kluthe, candidate for division 4 would like to see lower taxes, but noted that Sturgeon County paid less than its neighbours. He does question the amount of money the county has contributed to other areas towards recreational projects. Kluthe cited the Servus Credit Union and wondered how many Sturgeon County residents use the facility that they partially paid for.

Al Homeniuk, also looking for a seat at division 4 wants more transparency as far as where the money is going. He stated that he did not feel the current council gave the public enough answers, especially since the county has taken on more debt. In 2007 the county’s debt load was $8.6 million. By the end of 2009 that figure went up to $13.6 million.

Wayne Bullock, candidate for a division 5 seat noted that the county’s reserves have been tapped, going from $12.2 million in savings down to $11.6 million. Joe Milligan, the incumbent explained that they did not want to use tax money, which might mean increases, and tapped the savings instead. He stated this year would be better. The reserve monies appeared to be of concern to several of the candidates.

Sturgeon County Property Report

Sturgeon County Sign Project On Designing Hold

Sturgeon County is in the process of creating new signs for roadways leading into the district. The project has already gone out for bid but only got four responses. Council has narrowed it down to two firms, Craig’s Welding and Virgil’s Welding Services. The administration is leaning towards the higher bidder; Craig’s Welding, because they would provide the lettering and logo design as part of the project.

Council members are not sure this is worth the extra $20,000, which is the difference between the quotes of the two firms. Tom Flynn, one of the council members thinks the designing could be done for much less, even doing it on an AutoCAD designer. Counsel member Jerry Kaup agrees with him. As such, council could not agree on assigning the project.

The sign project has been tabled until council discusses the logistics of possibly putting it out to bid again, if that were even possible. Another idea is to get a quote from a third party to do the logo and lettering design and see if that came in significantly under $20,000.

For now the county’s 12 signs, budgeted at $85,000 including installation, are on hold. Six of the signs were to be done by the end of 2010 with the remainder, on secondary roads, to be completed sometime in 2011.

Sturgeon County Homes Report

Newly Formed Regional Food Council Welcomes Sturgeon County

There is strength, and a stronger voice, in numbers. This is the idea behind the recently created food council that just welcomed Sturgeon County as its newest member. The council was stared in the Leduc/Nisku area and also includes Strathcona. The idea is to create a sustainable and diversified food cooperative with better access to markets.

In this time of big agricultural farms, the idea of several smaller operations banding together to promote themselves along with the idea of marketing local product is refreshing. After all, items not trucked in leave a smaller footprint on the environment.

Once the organization gets fully underway, the plans are to provide farm investing, information on land use planning, processing, distribution warehouse and marketing. Technical training will be available, as will information on farm labour development. Most of all, the food council will promote public awareness and encourage support of local farmers.

Sturgeon County’s agricultural make up is very diversified. The 2006 figures from Statistic Canada listed grain and oilseed as the county’s lead products, at 34 percent of the industry market. Next came beef at 29 percent, then the equine trade at 13 percent. Nine percent of production went into the hay market and greenhouse products came in at six percent. The county also produces pottery, goat, sheep and pig products as well as assorted vegetables and melons. With all of this variety, Sturgeon County is a valued asset of the new food council.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

To Build Or Not To Build, Perhaps Where Is More The Question For 127th Street in Sturgeon County

It looks like the province of Alberta re-routed 127th Street without figuring out where that road was going to go and the city of St. Albert is paying the price. The Sturgeon County councillors were wrestling with the problem at its last meeting. The road, which may not be built for several years, must be realigned but it may cause problems with anticipated development projects.

The plan is for 127th Street to be connected to Anthony Henday Drive in 2011 and then eventually connect to Highway 2 north of the city. No formal route has been decided upon yet. A plan for building a new subdivision in Sturgeon Heights is on hold, pending a route that is mutually acceptable to Sturgeon County, the city of Edmonton and the province of Alberta.

Some of the obstacles in rerouting 127th Street are the crossing of a major rail line, which would most likely require an overpass and crossing over the Sturgeon River. The river crossing will require additional environmental and other surveys and several regulatory approvals before construction can begin.

The Quail Ridge development, another subdivision planned for north of River Lot 56 may also be held up by the road diversion. It appears that all the proposed routes go right through the section of land targeted for the subdivision. Best guess is that the entire road, bridge and all would most likely not be completed for a good 30 years.

Sturgeon County Property Report

Strathcona County Faces Challenging Deficit

Strathcona County is developing its 2011-2013 business plan and 2011 budget in light of the challenging $13.3 million deficit.

For 2010, Strathcona County did not implement any tax increases due to expenses that are going to be added to 2011’s budget. Municipal operations’ first projected tax hike will be approximately 6.13 per cent and will help to sustain service.

To sustain current service levels, $100,000 in library operation revenue, $4million in utilitiy operations and $9.2 million in municipal operations needs to be raised.

Of those funds, $200,000 will annualize new services, $600,000 will go to the business plan initiatives of 2010, $1 million will go to Station 6 Emergency Services, $3 million will go to the utilities debt for the water supply system, $3.8 million will go to Centre in the Park and $9 million will annualize budget items already approved.

Additionally, $1.2 million will be given by operations to capital contributions, $1.2 million will be reinstated for the internal capital borrowing fund and $1.5 million will be transferred to the replacement reserve for transit.

Strathcona County will also need to make adjustments for revenue loss such as: discontinuing annexation taxes, $1.1 million new initiatives allowance, $3.1 million in one-time adjustments, $2.9 million in emergency dispatch reduced funding, $400,000 in utility operations and $100,000 in library operations.

Sturgeon County Home Report

Man-Caves the New Trend in Housing Designs?

Men are happier when they have a place to put and play with their toys. Of course, as the saying goes, the “difference between men and boys is the size of their toys” does very much come into play. Instead of two wheeled bikes and skate boards, man caves consist of places to put large screen TVs, home theatre sound systems, recliners with built in munchie and beer holders and remote controls within easy reach. Karaoke machines are not out of the realm of possible toys either.

Some man caves become private video game parlours. Collectors of those fast paced brain and finger numbing objects de-non-art fill them with everything from the dinosaur age Pong games, once found only in bars and Chuck E Cheese pizza outlets to state of the art high definition wonders that vie with reality.

Other man caves have items of a more traditional nature. Garages house primo muscle cars such as vintage Camaros or Mustang Cobras that get lovingly tinkered with and polished. Or maybe that treasure is a low slung Harley with dual pipes and a throaty growl that makes its appearance outside as soon as the snows of winter fade away.

Whether a man cave houses state of the art electronics or nostalgic pieces of Detroit machismo, they are becoming more popular in the modern home. Perhaps these sanctuaries, set up to stroke the testosterone gene actually fill a much needed purpose. They do provide, just as much as the off limits sewing rooms of an earlier era, a private gender specific (usually) place to just hang out and stay awhile. Sharing is optional.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

Meet Strathcona County’s First Mayoral Candidate

Linda Osinchuk is Strathcona County’s Ward 3 Councillor, a two-term councillor, a one-term Elk Island Catholic Schools board trustee, and now, a mayoral candidate for the 2010 municipal election.

A self-proclaimed people-person, Osinchuk recognizes the importance of self-sustainability and wants Strathcona County to maintain its identity as a strong, independent community.

Osinchuk said that hard work on her family farm in Cudworth, Saskatchewan and her work as a nurse prepared her for a political career.

She noted that the next five or six years will be crucial for Strathcona County and wants to become its advocate, addressing issues like buried transmission lines, a new court house, affordable housing, recreational facilities for seniors and youth, employment, LRT service and a hospital. She also wants to continue advancing the work done on the Capital Region Board.
Naming the people as Strathcona County’s best natural resource, Osinchuk said they are depended on to keep the community growing. And in that light, she adds that it is important to provide them hope that business, low taxes and quality of life be taken care of.

Osinchuk says this is a community journey and wants to communicate with the people by creating a new spirit of collaboration, listening and mutual respect.

Sturgeon County Property Report

New Budget Aims to Have Books in the Black In Seven Years

Canada’s economy appears to be back on track and the federal government is taking steps to trim down the deficit with the latest budget proposal.  Still awaiting approval from the House of Commons, the budget aims to take the next seven years to try and get the deficit reduced to $1.5 billion.  The original intent was to have the budget balanced by 2014 but the stifled economy made it necessary to increase the timeline.

Starting next year, all department budgets, except National Defence, will be frozen.  That department won’t take any cuts until after the Afghanistan missions are coming to a close, sometime in 2012.  Governmental departments are expected to review their procedures and expenses in order to save money.

Reaction to the budget has been mostly positive.  The opposition parties, though they did complain somewhat, were rather weak voiced in their opinions. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, led by director Kevin Gaudet, thinks that government can do more to control costs. He believes that some of the roughly $164 billion that will be spent over the next seven years could be saved, rather than having that entire amount fall into the debt column.

Though a balanced budget is preferable sooner than later, the government will continue its stimulus funding which will amount to $19 billion this year.   Canada just went through the worst recession in over 60 years, and it is needed.

Sturgeon County Home Report

North West Upgrading Partners with Canadian National Resources in Profitable Bitumen Processing Venture

Edmonton’s economy is getting a boost.  The North West Upgrading plant, located near Redwater is the first company to partner with Canadian National Resources in a $4 billion project with the intent of keeping bitumen upgrading in province. Up to 3,000 construction jobs will be created by the project, set to begin in the fall of 2010.  Projected opening date is targeted for sometime in 2013 according to Ian MacGregor, North West chairman.

The mayor of Sturgeon County, Don Rigney is happy to have such a big venture in his backyard. Not only does it create jobs for local residents, but greatly increases the tax base of the area. The project may just be the cornerstone to Sturgeon County’s industrial future.

Premier Ed Stelmach is making good on his 2006 promise to make Alberta’s bitumen resources more profitable.  Rather than exporting it raw, upgrading bitumen in province makes it more valuable.  Some have suggested banning the export of the raw material, thus keeping more money in province.

Other companies have submitted proposals for upgrader projects. It could be that the North West co-venture with Canadian Natural Resources could be the beginning of a potential billion dollar industry for Alberta.  The province has the natural resources. Processing those resources in house would increase their value, exponentially.

Sturgeon County Real Estate Report

- January 11th, 2010

Local Officer Faces Assault Charges

The provincial court recently heard the case of Fort Saskatchewan Mountie, Mario Jimenez, who is accused of pinning a fellow officer up against the wall and making sexually harassing comments directed to the officer.  Jimenez claims that he cannot remember the incident because he was intoxicated.

Jimenez plead guilty to assault charges, and he was discharged from the force.  He will not face a criminal record as long as he completes a successful probationary period.  Jimenez says that it is unfortunate that is has taken the incident to make him realize that he has an alcohol abuse problem.

He is accused of grabbing a female RCMP officer by the arms, pinning her against the wall, and making multiple sexually suggestive comments after she refused to drink his whiskey.  The next day, Jimenez showed up at work still intoxicated, and the RCMP began a formal investigation.

Jimenez was sentenced to twelve months of probation, while abstaining from alcohol.  He also must perform 100 hours of community service and avoid contact with the complainant.  The decision will be subject to an appeal.

Sturgeon County Homes and Property Report

- November 19th, 2009

Transmission Line a Nightmare

Life has been quite and peaceful in Sturgeon County for the past 35 years.  The county is a agricultural area, comprising mostly of ranches and farms.  As of late, residents find themselves at the center of the Heartland Transmission Project.

AltaLink and Epcor are the two corporate giants building the project, and they seem to have no regard for the county’s citizens or their wellbeing.  The project will comprise of tramission lines heading straight through the county, and residents say they have aready caught survey teams on their land.  Residents believe that the surveyers are taking measurements for the site of transmission tower.

The thought of a 200-foot-high, double-circuit, 500-kilovolt transmission tower is a nightmare to residents who appreciate their serene home of natural habitat and wooded forests at Sturgeon River.  Not to mention, the environmental impact of an industrail project could ruin the natural habitat that so many creatures call home.

The good news is that the AEUB has not yet authorized the construction of the transmission line.  AltaLink and Epcor say that the line is needed to supply industries in Strathcona and Sturgeon County, but residents say the size of the line is excessive.

The AEUB insists these transmission lines area absolutely needed, but many knowledgeable people do not agree.

Sturgeon County Homes and Property Report

- November 17th, 2009

Alberta is for the birds

AltaLink used a helicopter in conjunction with a very courageous lineman to install special markers on power lines running aside of Big Lake. The project to protect the birds cost $50,000.

The company’s power lines at Big Lake run over the moth of the Sturgeon River. There are also transmission lines running between Riel Pond and a nearby marsh. I know that the lake is an important point for waterfowl during migration. Canadian geese and tundra swans often pass through, along with ducks and many varieties of shore birds.

Birdwatchers report seeing birds hit the transmission lines and plenty of bird corpses have been found beneath them.  AltaLink was willing to relocate the lines altogether in a deal with the provincial parks department, but the city of St. Albert dropped the project, removing it from their annual budget.

The placing of markers on the transmission lines is a temporary measure, necessary until the city of St. Albert determines to help out. Reportedly, the markers used in other areas have reduced hits by 60% to 90%.

AltaLink has been very interested in dealing with these sorts of problems and has taken a proactive stance to do whatever they can. I hope the markers will help until the city of St Albert gets on with the relocation plan.

Sturgeon County Homes and Property Report

- October 27th, 2009

Edmonton Area Faces Swine Flu Virus Head On

As swine flu panic sets in across the world, five clinics throughout Edmonton are offering the vaccine against the virus. The vaccine is being offered on a first come, first served basis; however, health clinic workers recommend that members of high-risk groups such as the elderly and those who suffer from asthma get the shot first.

People who work in large companies or at camps with hundreds or thousands of people are among those who should get the shot right away. Pregnant women and small children are also encouraged to get the vaccine. Health care workers and people who live in small or distant villages with no local health care should also get the shot.

Some people are concerned about the long-term effects of the vaccine. Some nursing mothers and pregnant women are concerned that the shot itself could harm their children, as there are not yet studies demonstrating its safety. However, health officials urge everyone to get vaccinated, although those not in high-risk groups are asked to wait a few days so that the people in most danger of contracting swine flu can be vaccinated first.

Sturgeon County Homes and Property Report

- October 7th, 2009

Sturgeon County Mayor Claims New Power Line Isn’t Needed

According to Don Rigney, the new power line that is meant to feed into the northeast of Edmonton isn’t required, according to his latest statements.  He claims that the province is not accurate in it’s claim that the power is needed for the area.  Most of his reasoning seems to stem from the fact that a large amount of oilsands projects in the Sturgeon area have either been scrapped or put on hold due to the economic slowdown.

The large scale power line is scheduled to be built by a combined Epcor and Alta link effort, and the final route is meant to be decided soon.  There are many voices that are speaking out against the line, however, and if it’s proven that it isn’t need then those voices are only going to get louder. 

Those that are against the proposal mainly want the line to be buried in certain parts, but the mayor doesn’t really understand why the power line is scheduled for construction right now anyway.  According to the provincial government we do need to upgrade the entire system, with this being only one of many projects throughout Alberta.

Claiming forward thinking is the reasoning behind the upgrade, and sources are citing many public debates from the past where residents asked for these types of upgrades.

Sturgeon County Homes and Property Report

- September 21st, 2009

Federal Government to Help Alberta Farmers That Have Been Affected By The Current Drought

Finally, some good news for Canadians that have been hit hard by drought. The Government of Canada is offering the opportunity to delay tax payment to selected communities that have suffered the financial effects of drought.

Many are thankful for this decision, as the tax postponement will allow eligible residents of designated areas to delay paying income tax on breeding livestock for one year. This tax deferral will help replenish breeding stock through next year and beyond.

If you are a Canadian resident and would like to know if you are living in any of the qualified areas, and you have reduced your breeding herds by at least 15%, visit this website: http://www.agr.gc.ca/drought. This website will help you determine if you you are eligible to receive this tax deferral, and educate you regarding what else is required to receive a postponement in tax payments. If you find that you are an appropriate candidate for tax deferral, you can request it when filing your 2009 income tax.

Sturgeon County Homes and Property Report

- September 8th, 2009

Alberta’s Heartland Transmission Project

Conflicting reports emerged concerning Alberta’s Heartland Transmission Project on September 4th, with the mayor of Sturgeon County claiming that its power lines would be used for export. He cited the president of the Treasury Board, Lloyd Snelgrove, as saying that the power was to be sent to the United States even though Alberta citizens would be paying the costs of the lines.

The Treasurer’s Office and Alberta Energy, however, denied these claims. They said the power absolutely was not for export, and that it would be used for Alberta’s power needs. They claimed that it would require more electrical transmission capacity to be able to meet the growing needs of Alberta in the years to come.

Far from wanting to export, an Alberta Electric System Operator spokeswoman said that the province has been a net importer of power over the last several years.

On September 17th, the Capital Region Board will determine whether it should take an official position on the Heartland Transmission Project.

 

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