Job Bank’s Market Trends, News in Alberta

Source: jobbank.gc.ca

Week of Jun 08 – Jun 12, 2015

• Callidus Developments is planning a complex with three high-rises on the former Healy Ford site in downtown Edmonton. The towers will have an estimated 1,300 residential units as well as retail and commercial space.
• Cadillac Fairview, a major real estate company, has finalized an agreement with Target to buy back the leases at Chinook Centre and Market Mall in Calgary. The landlord did not specify any redevelopment plans for the stores.
• In a recent survey, commercial and industrial businesses in Airdrie have identified challenges facing the sector, such as employee access to affordable housing and the availability of skilled labour
• The City of Airdrie has approved a land use change that will allow Mattamy Homes to build a variety of housing in the South Windsong area
• GableCraft Homes, a real estate developer, has announced plans for a two-tower, 367-unit condominium project just outside of Calgary’s downtown core. The company plans to start selling the units in early 2016.
• The Global Energy Career Expo, part of the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary, has capped the 2015 attendance at 1,900, down from the 5,200 participants in 2014. Twenty actively recruiting companies were exhibiting, while in 2014, 84 companies were represented.
• Rocky View County has approved a $206,200 grant for specialized transportation with the Rockyview Handibus Society and other service providers. The money is intended to subsidize transportation costs for medical or therapeutic appointments.
• Edmonton Public Library has opened a new $21.3M branch in Mill Woods. The branch features a community program room, several study rooms, more than 45 public computer stations, an enhanced children’s area and a seniors and multicultural centre.
• Oilsands production at Canadian Natural Resources sites near Fort McMurray is expected to resume as the threat of wildfires in the region has declined. Wildfires on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range remain out of control but a limited number of employees have access to the oil sands sites. Cenovus and MEG Energy, are also ramping up production after employees returned to work following evacuations.
• The City of Edmonton is spending $12.3M to replace the aging escalators in the Shaw Conference Centre. Lorac Construction, the contractor, expects the work to be complete by the end of 2016.
• The Government of Alberta has announced $2M in new funding to increase the energy efficiency in municipal buildings. The money will come from the carbon levies paid by Alberta’s greenhouse gas emitters.
• Blacks Photography is closing all of its 59 stores in Canada on August 8, 2015, affecting approximately 485 employees. Telus, the parent company, may offer positions to some of the employees.
• Suncor Energy is planning a fleet of automated trucks to replace human operated trucks at its oil sands operations in Alberta. The company has signed an agreement with Komatsu Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer that provides autonomous-ready vehicles.
• A report prepared for Wood Buffalo Housing and Development has concluded that Fort McMurray cannot support an Aging in Place facility proposed for Willow Square. Seniors’ health care needs would be met by the Parsons Creek long-term care centre by 2024.
• The Peace Wapiti School Division is undertaking several construction projects over the summer of 2015 in both the City of Grande Prairie and the County of Grande Prairie. While new facilities are constructed, some students will be taught in portable classrooms.
• Construction on the second phase of the downtown infrastructure replacement program in High River is set to begin in mid-June 2015. The project involves both underground work and streetscape redevelopment.
• Teck Coal has released details of the planned summer 2015 shutdown at its Cardinal River operations near Hinton. The mine will be closed from July 6 to 13, and August 7 to 18, affecting approximately 335 employees.
• The staff of the Town of Innisfail Family and Community Support Services have recently resigned over organizational changes implemented by senior management. The department is responsible for a wide array of preventive social programs in the community.
• The Black Gold Regional Schools Division recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new West Haven Public School in Leduc. The school is slated to open in September of 2016 with a student capacity of 500.
• Monsignor McCoy High School in Medicine Hat has started a $9.2M modernization program that includes an expanded gymnasium and upgrades to the heating and ventilation systems. A separate $0.5M fundraising project is slated for a chapel space, fitness area, and drama space.
• Lloydminster Continuing Care, a seniors care facility in Lloydminster, is nearing completion and is expected to open during the summer of 2015. The facility will provide intensive care services to residents of the city.
• A Bit Extreme, a recreation and fitness centre in Lloydminster, is set to open by mid-July 2015. The owners are planning to expand the facility to include a go-kart track in the spring of 2016.
• Kids & Company, a corporate-sponsored child care centre, will open in the fall of 2016 in the new Edmonton Tower, located downtown. Kids & Company will offer office tenants and condo owners priority access to the child care centre.
• The University of Calgary has recently opened the Ron and Irene Ward Centre for Healthy Brain Aging Research, a $6M centre dedicated to the prevention and treatment of dementia-related illnesses
• McDonald’s Canada is opening a restaurant in the Town of Coaldale by mid-September 2015. The location is expected to employ approximately 55 people.
• Alberta Health Services has opened a new $6.7M Emergency Medical Services station in Stony Plain. The building, which can hold up to 10 ambulances, has equipment and personnel to service Parkland County and the surrounding area.
• The Northern Alberta Business Incubator, a St. Albert-based business incubator, is branching out to offer business space in Edmonton. Through a partnering agreement with TRTech, co-working areas and open office spaces are available for rent.
• The Government of Saskatchewan is promoting the province as an area of stability in the oil and gas sector, and is looking to attract oil and gas business from Alberta
• The Vulcan and District Chamber of Commerce has plans to oppose a proposal by the Government of Alberta to increase the minimum wage in the province to $15 per hour by 2018
• The latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for Edmonton shows 21 per cent of employers plan to hire for the third quarter of 2015, while 13 per cent anticipate cutbacks. Another 66 per cent expect to maintain their current staffing levels from July to September.
• The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey for Calgary has found that 13 per cent of employers plan to hire for the third quarter of 2015 but 11 per cent anticipate cutbacks. Another 74 per cent plan to maintain their current staffing levels and two per cent are not sure of their hiring intentions.
• The Government of Canada is partnering with YourLink and MCSnet to enhance rural internet services in the Westlock-St. Paul area. The project will provide high speed Internet access to 610 residences.
• Thorhild County has rezoned a parcel of land that will allow for the development of a 270 person workforce housing facility. The project is estimated at $6.3M and is expected to employ 20 to 30 people on completion.
• Mount Royal University in Calgary has graduated the first students from its midwifery program, but some students are leaving Alberta because of a shortage of jobs. The province has capped funding for midwives.
• The Government of Alberta has made a commitment to increase home care funding by $30M in 2015, and by $60M in each of the subsequent four years. Currently, Alberta provides home care services to nearly 115,000 clients.
• The Town of Coaldale is starting construction in 2016 on a new regional policing facility to house an RCMP detachment. The building is expected to have 50 RCMP members stationed by 2018.