How the future of oil and gas in Alberta will affect Calgary's housing market

The plummeting price of oil is unlikely to affect Calgary's housing market in the immediate future, but a prolonged slump could eventually leave its mark on the local landscape, say Canadian economists.

"If the recent slide in oil prices turns down the migration taps, construction activity could begin to soften again in Calgary," said BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic, noting that, in the interim, Calgary's housing market remains red hot.

Once rundown community emerging as residential magnet

* Old neighbourhoods, new Calgary: A look at some of Calgary's earliest communities and how they're evolving with the times

Once home to the city's early elite, the historic community of Victoria Park is back on the map for Calgary homebuyers.

The Beltline neighbourhood has seen resurgence in its housing market this year, with several newly announced high-profile condo developments complementing a dramatic rise in resale activity over the last 10 months.

Bowness Park partially reopens to public after two-year closure

Two years after being closed for renovations – with some added delay due to flooding in June 2013 – Bowness Park is partially reopen for business.

The City said the entire west side of the park – including the parking lot, picnic areas and a new central square – is now open to the public. The east end of the park will remain closed until next year.

New guidelines aimed at encouraging travel by foot, bike and transit

A new policy approved by council could have more Calgarians ditching their daily drive in favour of greener transportation.

Seen as a way of encouraging Calgarians to travel by transit, bike or by walking, the Complete Streets Policy and Guide is expected to "improve both measurable and perceived safety, provide attractive streetscapes, provide transportation options, improve universal accessibility, promote economic well-being of both businesses and residents, and increase civic space" while reducing the total amount of paved space in the city, said council.

New film centre coming to southeast Calgary

After much delay, Calgary's burgeoning film industry is about to get a major boost.

Approved earlier this year but with roots dating back to 2009, the city's first major film studio broke ground late last week in a high-profile ceremony ironically set within an unassuming industrial suburb at 5750 76th Ave. S.E.

Spread out over more than three hectares of land, the $23-million facility will include 50,000 square feet of purpose-built sound stages, 20,000 square feet or warehouse space and 15,000 square feet of space for office and storage.

Cedarglen Homes purchases Harvest Hills Golf Course

Despite being purchased by Calgary developer Cedarglen Homes, there are no immediate plans to develop Harvest Hills Golf Course in the city's northeast, officials said.

"Cedarglen purposely didn't draw a plan in advance," said Chris Ollenberger, managing principal for QuantamPlace Developments Ltd., hired by Cedarglen to act as development manager on the project.

"They went with a blank sheet of paper. They knew it would have some questions from the neighbours in the very least, so they wanted to involve them from the start, which I think was the right thing to do."

Local Village Brewery uses locally grown goods for featured Calgary suds

Four Calgary communities have taken local gardening to a whole new level growing hops and lavender, and producing honey, for local beer connoisseurs Village Brewery.

The community associations of Bridgeland-Riverside, Inglewood, Parkdale and Killarney-Glengarry each grew their own hops and in return are given kegs of Village Gardener Community Ale for fundraisers or community gathering events.

Part three of a three-part series looking at the sinister and spooky side of Calgary's haunted housing history.

Serving as a place of work for more than 140,000 Calgarians, it may go unnoticed that the majority of this city's historic buildings also reside downtown.

Lurking among the plethora of glass-and-steel towers representing the core's newer additions are buildings that have managed to withstand the test of time. And, along the way, many of these same structures have managed to pick up a story or two surrounding their long - and sometimes eerie - history.

Some tips of the trade for making Canada your home

* This is the third of a four-part homebuying series for new Canadians in partnership with the Epoch Times. Each month, the series will explore hot topic issues such as understanding market trends, processes for buying a home, determining factors that influence house prices and more.

More than five dozen Calgarians from 24 different countries joined hundreds of others across the country in becoming Canadian citizens earlier this month as part of National Citizen Week in Canada Oct. 13-21.

To mark the occasion, CREB®Now is offering some tips on getting settled and, ultimately, finding that perfect place to call home.

The City is seeking public input Oct. 28, on a proposal from Canada Lands Company to change the type of development allowed on the east side of Currie Barracks.

If approved by council, the proposal would allow for a medium-density mix of retail, office and residential developments including a network of open spaces and pathways while preserving key aspects of the areas military history.