Learning Day - Fun Facts
I recently attended an event that included discussions on City Economic Trends, Housing Market, Municipal Finance, City Planning, Housing Affordability …… and other topics along this vein.
Did you know that?
- Population growth in existing communities within Calgary City limits between the years 2006 and 2039 is expected to be 800,000
- The political administration is offering to increase the home buyers plan from the current $25,000 to $35,000 if re-elected and to introduce “more than one use” special circumstance criteria
- The Government mandated Fintrac program will be doing random audits of real estate brokerages, checking for compliance, in November. Fintrac paperwork is required for all real estate transactions – anti terrorism/money laundering – and includes such things as driver’s license/passport, details of deposit money etc.
- The City spends $10,000,000 annually on sidewalk repair and maintenance – not including new sidewalks
- Oklahoma needed “x” amount of dollars for infrastructure upgrades – the residents voted to be taxed additional money to pay for the specified projects (a surprise to everyone that it was adopted!). The extra taxation had a “sunset clause”
- What is a “sunset clause” you ask? The extra taxation disappears once the projects are completed. It’s like having an expiration date
- Outlying municipalities with under 5,000 people don’t pay for policing as it’s provided without cost by the RCMP
- Alberta is the lowest taxed province in Canada
- More future development is expected to have the work/live component like Quarry Park for example – amenities/employment on one side and housing on the other
It was a busy, information packed learning day and these are just some of the “fun facts” from the day.
