Alberta

Tax breaks eyed City council is also considering the merits of certain incentives designed to draw more businesses to the city.

Office properties offered the best returns for commercial real estate investors last year - and Edmonton proved to be the hottest investment market in Canada.

High commodity and livestock prices are pushing the demand for prime agriculture land in Southern Alberta, and fueling interest in investments both by producers and non-farmers alike. "We've never seen anything like this.

There is now more office construction underway in the suburbs of Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver than there is in the downtowns and - with the exception of a single Calgary tower - more space is being leased in the 'burbs than in the core of all thre

Alberta's best-known former coal-mining municipality is again flirting with the mining industry, not to mention the hope that it could someday restart coal production around Crowsnest Pass. Bruce Decoux, mayor of Crowsnest Pass just east of the B.C.

Property values may still be levelling off in some major Canadian cities, but Calgary appears to have weathered the storm and bounced back.

The City of Leduc is sounding positive it will be annexing lands in Leduc County sooner rather than later.

Central Alberta's business and population hub enjoyed a near-banner year in 2012. Building-permit values in the City of Red Deer topped $268 million last year and were up almost 58 per cent from 2011, which was up over 2010.

Lloydminster, the Alberta-Saskatchewan border city and heavy oil capital, is chasing future growth with some significant investment planned for 2013.

The company is, however, keeping the doors open on its opportunity in the region, and that has people like Strathcona Mayor Linda Onischuk remaining reasonably optimistic.