Alberta

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.

A landlord investor would be better off buying a small apartment block than condominiums if they want to profit in Calgary's red-hot rental market, according to veteran commercial realtor in the city. The rental vacancy rate in Calgary is now 1.

Alberta's best-known former coal mining municipality is again flirting with the mining industry, and the hope that it could someday restart coal production around Crowsnest Pass. Bruce Decoux, mayor of Crowsnest Pass, just east of the B.C.

How things change. A few years back, the worry in Calgary was that the opening of The Bow in the city's downtown core would produce a huge glut of office real estate.

Lethbridge may eventually reap the benefits of increased oil and gas exploration in southern Alberta, but the city doesn't want oilpatch complications for its development sector.

The Town of Canmore has approved a controversial framework agreement that could potentially restart development on the massive Three Sisters project in the Rocky Mountain resort town.

Alberta's second oilsands city is urging the provincial government to consider all the options in its desire to ensure a stable water supply for the growing Lakeland region.

"We've come through a couple of tough years where growth was a little sluggish and fairly picky, you might say," explained Eggerer, who is now watching the industrial/service commercial vacancy rate decline in the Calgary metropolitan-area city.