Rental crunch, rising housing costs highlight value of secondary suites for first-time homebuyers

Like many buyers, Karen Coyle had a checklist when shopping for her first home.

Near the top of that list was the option to add a secondary suite.

"I wanted to make sure I bought a house I would be able to afford without the help of the income from the suite," said Coyle. "But I also wanted to buy a house that could easily be suited, so that I would have a buffer in case mortgage prices rose."

We all crave a little more colour in your lives, especially as summer approaches

Making the leap to adding colour in your home can be a small commitment or a fairly large one depending on your comfort level. I'm going to show you five great ways to add a pop of colour to your interior without painting the walls.

Celebrating recognition of heritage conservation, the Calgary Heritage Authority Lion Awards are introducing a new category this year.

In the wake of the flooding in June 2013 the awards, taking place July 31, are introducing a sub-category for flood recovery.

The Province has released a new Alberta Rivers app providing advisories and information about area lakes and rivers.

"Creating this app is just one of the many actions we are taking as a government to ensure that people have the tools and information they need when they need it most - especially in emergency situations," said Robin Campbell, minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.

Calgarians should be opening their mailboxes to their 2014 property tax bills this week, here's a few facts and tips on what's occurring.

• The City mailed bills for approximately 460,000 residential and non-residential properties.


• For property owners who have not received their bill by the first week of June, they should contact 311 to obtain a copy.

Parks Foundation Calgary has raised $40 million of the $65 million needed to complete the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway.

When completed, the pathways system will be the largest urban system of pathways and parks in the world. The project is the largest in the Park's Foundation's 29-year history and is currently in phase two of three.

"This is truly a remarkable example of the collaborative community spirit of Calgary," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. "Calgarians are exactly the kind of people who can bring together all levels of government, corporations, charitable organizations and individual citizens to create an amazing, unparalleled space to be enjoyed by everyone."