When home becomes an obstacle course

Home is where many Calgarians seek refuge, rest and relaxation. Yet for people with limited mobility, home can become a stressful obstacle course where everyday tasks are nearly impossible.

"People don't know that their neighbour three houses over is trapped in their home, and with an aging population, I think we're going to see it all the more," said Jeff Dyer, executive director of Accessible Housing Calgary.

"The need (for accessible housing) is really great. It's a very hidden problem."

Screamfest
One of the more fright-inducing events around the city, Screamfest lets visitors experience haunted houses, Halloween-themed games, creepy and disturbing entertainment and flat-out fear. The event is rated PG-13 and takes place at the Grandstand Building at Stampede Park. Visit www.screamfest.ca for more information.

Calgary Ghost Tours
With tours showcasing local ghost stories and tales from some of the city's most historic neighbourhoods, locals and visitors alike will get a glimpse into the mischief, mayhem and even murders of Calgary's storied past. Inglewood Ghost Walk (Oct. 24; Oct. 30) takes visitors through "Calgary's most haunted neighbourhood," while the Oct. 23 tour will showcase the city's downtown ghouls. Visit www.calgaryghosttours.com for more information.

Scaring others a family tradition for Calgary household

For most of the year, Calgarians go to great lengths to boost their homes' curb appeal. After all, removing unwanted trash and old rubbish to make a home welcoming is part of what makes a neighbourhood great.

Yet around this time of the year, these same people will do their best to make their homes as unwelcoming as possible – when those old garbage bags, stained sheets and broken furniture become valued commodities.

Welcome to Halloween in Calgary.

Higher inventory levels consistent throughout surrounding area

Alberta's economic downturn caught up with the residential housing industry outside of Calgary in the third quarter as price declined for the first time in 2015, says a new report from CREB®.

Despite the slight scale back, prices remained relatively resilient when compared to double-digit declines in sales that sparked a rise in inventory levels.

In its latest surrounding area quarterly summary, CREB® reported benchmark prices from July to September fell by 0.41 per cent from the previous quarter to $433,033. That compares to gains realized in the two previous quarters.

Roots run deep when talking about timing

Dear Donna,
"I appreciate all of your gardening work, and thought you might be able to help me with a general question I have (or perhaps guide me to someone who can; so far a web search has not been successful)? When, roughly speaking, is the best time to plant trees in Calgary? Spring or fall? If spring, are we talking early spring – i.e. beginning of April, or more like the end of May?
- Joe K

Dear Joe,
With exceptions, I would plant trees in Calgary when the soil is thawed fully in spring from May into June. This gives the tree a chance to root more efficiently and benefit from our normal spring rains.

Residents tout benefits of acreage living

Anna Garcia loves her neighbours.

The Bragg Creek resident says they're relatively quiet, active and the kids are cute.

Did she mention they're a family of moose?

"We saw her (the mom) almost daily, licking right off our deck. Those moments are spectacular. It makes us feel exceptionally lucky," said Garcia.

The lure of living so close to nature was too much for Garcia and her husband to resist when the couple uprooted from Willow Park in southeast Calgary to their largely forested Bragg Creek acreage in 2001, where Garcia's husband also owns a furniture business.

Q&A with SAIT Polytechnic School of Construction dean Scott MacPherson

The homebuilding industry is undergoing unprecedented change – from new technologies to a new-look workforce. Calgary, in particular, has witnessed, and even ushered, much of this change first-hand, thanks in part to SAIT Polytechnic's School of Construction.

CREB®Now recent sat down with the school's dean Scott MacPherson to talk about everything from densification to East Coast dinner parties.

Urban planners designing with public places in mind

Placemaking, the popular term coined by urban planners to address the management of public spaces, is slowly weaving into the fabric of Calgary's burgeoning satellite communities.

Local planners say the concept, once reserved for major metropolises, is becoming a focal point in the respective redevelopment of their existing spaces and development of new ones.

"It's a key element for us," said Tracy Corbett, manager of planning and sustainable development at the City of Airdrie. "We hear time and time again in our citizen surveys that parks and pathways come out number one on what people really value about Airdrie.

"There are not a lot of natural amenities – a river or a lake. So you have to work a little harder at creating great place and effective placemaking."

How Calgary is contributing to low-carbon living

It's a number so big, it's hard to comprehend: $17 trillion US.

According to the New Climate Economy report released by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, that's how much cities worldwide could realize in direct energy savings by 2050 by investing in low-carbon technologies. This includes public transportation, efficiency in building design and waste management.

Is such a target obtainable?

In 2014, the City of Calgary spent $140 million on energy, just for its own facilities, "to keep our pools warm, our street lights on and our LRTs moving," said Arsheel Hirji, leader of sustainable infrastructure with the City.

How Calgary fits into parties' promises

As part of the build-up to the upcoming federal election, the City of Calgary has published a new edition of its Cities Matter survey.

Since 2011, Mayor Naheed Nenshi (on behalf of Council and the City) has surveyed candidates and parties during provincial elections to better understand their positions on municipal issues.

CREB®Now delves into some of the issues surrounding Calgary and the responses provided by Canada's major political parties.