Alberta

Calgary's East Village redevelopment project has taken another big step forward with the announcement of another mega-deal for the downtown neighbourhood.

Alberta municipalities feeling the financial pinch and looking enviously at their neighbours are keeping an eye on what's happening in part of northeast Alberta.

Alberta's oilsands boomtown continued to record strong population growth between 2008 and 2010, despite the economic slowdown that began in 2008.

After years of waiting, the tiny southern Alberta community of Fort Macleod will finally see provincial investment in a police training centre.

Certainly what's envisioned will be a work in progress for years to come, and based on public interest in the site, Edmontonians are keen on what the future might bring.

Nearly one-in-three people in Alberta and British Columbia are interested in buying real estate in the United States, the highest ratio in Canada, according to a survey by the Bank of Montreal.

The airport's growth is undeniable. It's the fourth-busiest airport in Canada, and one of only three with direct flights to both Asia and Europe. Passenger traffic dropped with the recession in 2009, but rebounded last year for a new record over 1.

Development of Edmonton's downtown arena district along 104th Avenue moved another step closer in January, with city council voting to rezone four blocks of the city's core for a new arena district and a surrounding entertainment and office district.

The real estate market appears to be on its way to recovery, according to the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB).

The Alberta government wants fewer departments scrutinizing new development in the energy sector - a move that may speed development approvals in the oilpatch but potentially hinder the property development industry.