Developer Shape Properties has released renderings and a video on Deerfoot Mall's transformation to Deerfoot City.

"Deerfoot City will be unique to suburban Calgary, and will meet the growing demand from leading retailers and restaurants looking for creative new places with a vibrant, rich social experience and urban feel that differentiates them from traditional malls," said Darren Kwiatkowski, executive vice-president of Shape Properties.

Hot coffee and fires in winter good for both gardens and gardeners

If you are not already on a plane to a tropical destination, you are likely staying put this winter with a hot cup of coffee in front of the fireplace.

My friend Brenda McIntyre was doing just that when she sent a text and asked, whether it was alright to put wood ash from her fireplace into the composter?

"Is once-in-a-while OK?" she asked. "Maybe it will balance off all the acidic coffee grounds I add every day? The Calgary soil is higher pH, so is this useful?"

For real estate investing, Calgary is a safe bet

 It was already the perfect storm for long-term real estate investing in Calgary.

Now, lower interest rates, thanks to the Bank of Canada's unexpected-but-not-unpredictable rate  cuts, are adding fuel to the fire.

Since the beginning of December, I have focused this column on the alignment of five key rules for real estate investors. The rules – only purchase revenue properties in markets where rents are rising, vacancy rates are low, net migration is positive and housing costs are, on average, less than 45 per cent of incomes – have all aligned for the first time in Calgary since 2005. In other words, Calgary is a safe bet.

Small-town community feel, a stone's throw from Calgary city limits
While it's a quick jaunt from Calgary's southern limits, residents of Okotoks are happy with the small-town feel the town possesses.

"I like living in Okotoks because it is family-oriented, family-focused, has a small-town community feel and it is 10 to 15 minutes away from the city," said community resident Charlie-Mae Marlatt.

"There's so much to do here; fishing, rafting and camping, a person can go on and on."

Calgary Home + Garden Show and Revolve Furnishings give $5,000 to Women in Need Society

Two Calgary groups have banded together to make a donation to a Calgary society in the practice of giving back to those who need it most.

After Calgary's Women in Need Society (WINS) retail stores saw three separate robberies in December, the Calgary Home + Garden Show and Revolve Furnishings took the initiative of making a $5,000 donation.

"While we recover, we desperately need to rebuild our inventory to ensure that our programs are not negatively impacted by these incidents," said Yvette Rasmussen, communications and development with WINS.

Energy prices influencing choices in Calgary housing market

Jordan Meloches and his fiancée Ashley Hopkins didn't hesitate when they recently purchased a condominium in the northeast community of SkyView Ranch.

In fact, while many Calgarians were dissuaded from entering the resale housing market in January by lingering low oil prices, the couple said the current economic climate was the farthest thing from their minds.

"The market to us now really wasn't a concern. We bought in SkyView, which is still developing, so I think our value will only increase as the land out there develops," said Meloches, who cited the condo's proximity to their work and future potential as a rental property as factors when settling on a decision.

Derived from the Blackfoot word for "rock", Okotoks is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada.