Alberta's housing market continues to hold top spot in all of Canada, sitting "head-and-shoulders" above the rest of the province in several economic categories.

The province's place at the top of the national outlook is the topic of a recent release from BMO Capital Markets, which points to employment, wages and interprovincial migration as the biggest reasons for the province's prosperity.

Chestermere's Town Council has approved the master area structure plan for the 2,400 acre Waterbridge Development in West Chestermere.

"After extensive review and hard work by all involved, we're excited to see the plan for Chestermere's West side take place," said Chestermere Mayor Patricia Matthews. "We expect future plans, including the large commercial area in phase one, will be reflective of Chestermere's unique character and anticipate we will be seeing those plans quickly."

Calgary's Chinook Centre is amongst the top 10 most productive malls in North America, according to a report from US publication Retail Insider.

Placing tenth overall and fifth in Canada, the southwest Calgary mall brought in $1,108 per sq. ft. in 2013. In 2012, Chinook Centre ranked seventh overall bringing in $1,055 per sq. ft. while retaining its status as the fifth most productive shopping centre in the country.

One possible concern pointed out in the report is the impact of the declining Canadian dollar on retailers north of the border. With dollar amounts for U.S. shopping centres in US dollars and Canadian centres in Canadian dollars, next year's ranking could change significantly.

With spring finally appearing on the horizon, Calgary's construction season will soon be kicking into high gear. Along with all the new homes breaking ground, contractors around Calgary will also be busy helping to undo the damage done by the June floods that struck the city.

With more than 2,600 buildings impacted as a result of the floods, the City has launched a safety campaign aimed at ensuring all the work is completed in proper fashion.

"We want to ensure property repairs and construction work is done safely and meets all safety codes and standards, resulting in a safe building," notes Kevin Griffiths, chief building official, Development & Building Approvals. "Creating a safe property for our families, tenants or customers requires construction work to meet the standards and requirements of all applicable codes and City bylaws."

As costs keep increasing to provide infrastructure to new communities, the City of Calgary is considering re-evaluating the feasibility of creating new communities.

A proposed plan was announced by the city's finance committee recommending that Calgary concentrate new infrastructure between 2015 and 2018 to two undeveloped sectors in Calgary's northeast and deep southwest.

Contained within the City of Calgary's Municipal Development Plan, the phrase "The city will face significant capital and operating shortfalls over the next 10 year period if it continues to provide the same services, in the same way, with the same revenue" sets the stage for a significant debate.

Alberta, along with British Columbia, posted the largest national advances in building permits in January, mainly as a result of higher construction intentions for residential buildings. Led by a 31.6 per cent increase in residential construction permits, the total value of permits issued in Alberta in January was $1.7 billion, a 31.6 per cent increase over December.

Residential building permits in the province jumped from $825 million in December to nearly $1.1 billion in January, a new all-time high.