Welcome To My Sherwood Park Realtor Blog®

In this section of the website I like to provide my clients with up to date information about the Sherwood Park market.  Included is real estate information and local tidbits.  If you have any input or would like to comment, please feel free to drop me an e-mail at info@jodiedrew.com.
 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Tuesday, March 9, 2010 - The Olympic Games Are Over, Now What?

The calculations now begin as the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver have wrapped up; while we remember the human stories of these games, and recount our medals it’s also time to determine the lasting financial legacy of Vancouver’s winning bid.

The tragic death of the Georgian luger on a practice run at the Whistler Sliding Centre prior to the opening ceremonies had many wondering if the ominous beginning of the games would carry through. On Sunday, however, when Canada’s men’s hockey team defeated the Americans in overtime, it was clear that our Gold medal victory, and Canada’s Olympic record for the most Gold’s ever won by any nation ended the games better than many Canadians ever would have expected.

So what does it all mean in terms of dollars and cents? Will the buildings that were home to the stories of tragedy, elation, defeat and glory also be financially victorious in the end? While the athletes fought for victory on the slopes, Fortress investment Group LLC was fighting to save Whistler-Blackcomb, an asset of its subsidiary, Intrawest ULC, from foreclosure during the Olympic games. Whistler itself has projected a surplus after the municipality for hosting the games.

It also will benefit for years to come from the infrastructure that is left as the games conclude. So, the story is not over after all. The legacy remains to be determined. One thing is certain, however; we Canadians have much to be proud of.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Saturday, February 19, 2010 - Sherwood Park Resident Celebrated for 600 Blood, Plasma Donations

A resident of Sherwood Park has given more of himself than any other donor, quite literally.  Last week, Paul Boisvert donated an incredible 600 bags of blood and plasma to the Canadian Health Services.  Boisvert made his incredible contribution February 16 at the organization’s office near Edmonton’s University of Alberta Hospital.

As his blood flowed into a bag, Boisvert had no idea of his milestone until staff at Canadian Blood Services notified him.  To celebrate his contribution, a cake awaited him after his donation.  

Lori Bosko, Canadian Blood Services’ coordinator of community development, lauded Boisvert’s significant effort, saying that few can match his accomplishment.  The 600 donations from Boisvert currently rank 12th in Alberta’s north area.  At the head of the donor list is a person from Alberta with an astounding 900 contributions.  

Boisvert has no intention of quitting, saying that his father finally stopped being a donor when he reached the age of 65.  He said that he first began to give blood some 40 years ago, at the behest of his father.  He started by contributing whole blood, but not plasma.   He decided to switch to plasma donations in 1982, because plasma can be donated once a week.  Blood can only be donated once in each 56 days.  

Boisvert’s father encouraged all of his children to donate, but only two of them have contributed on a regular basis.  Boisvert is urging his sons to participate, but they have not done so yet.  

Bosko reported that there is currently a good supply of blood and plasma, saying that the service would always have a healthy inventory if everyone registered to donate would do so twice yearly.
 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Friday, February 19, 2010 - Sylvan Lake’s Lyndon Rush Going for Gold

A gold rush in Sylvan Lake? Who knew?  The people of the town near Red Deer are brimming with excitement over their favourite son, Olympic bobsleigh pilot Lyndon Rush.  Signs that read “Go L.D. Rush” are found all over Sylvan Lake, promoting Lyndon Daniel Rush, whose “day job” consists of selling real estate with his father and brother in Central Alberta.    

Rush, who goes by “L.D.” among his family and friends, won his first World Cup victory in bobsleigh this past winter.  The 30-year-old has only participated in the sport for five years.  His father, Jerry, said that Lyndon was always athletically inclined.  He excelled in hockey as a child, and then discovered football.  Young Rush starred as a linebacker and place kicker in high school and at the University of Saskatchewan.  

Not long after Rush graduated university, he was invited to try out for the national bobsleigh team.  He was taken aback by the surprise phone call, but made the team, and specialized in piloting the sleigh.  

Most of Rush’s five siblings will be cheering him on in Vancouver this week.  His younger brother is serving as a volunteer at the Olympics.  

Jerry Rush said of his son that when Lyndon was around four years old, he asked his father about what the fastest thing in the world would be.  Jerry surmised that a fighter jet would hold that title.  Young Lyndon decided that he would want to be an athlete that pilots a fighter jet.  As it happens, fighter pilots must have the endurance to deal with forces that are at least five times the force of gravity.  Ironically, those are the qualifications necessary for a bobsleigh pilot. 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Monday, February 15, 2010 - Local Youth Participates in Global Warming Conference

A local teen girl, Sherwood Park native Tina Bylinski, participated in the world-wide Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.  She and a few other youth represented Kiribati, a small island nation in the central Pacific.

The youth helped the small nation of Kiribati by attending conferences and taking notes since the nation did not have enough government representatives to attend all of the meetings, many which were simultaneously happening.

The corresponded with members of the island nation through email to keep them up to date about the conference.  Each week they also met with Kiribati officials face-to-face to exchange notes.  The group of youth worked under the name of their online blog, UN Fair Play.  They helped many other small, developing nations by forwarding notes to state officials.

Unfortunately, the youth say that the meetings they attended moved quite slowly, accomplishing very little progress with regards to global warming.  She says the poor organization of the meetings and the poor rate at which items were discussed made her and her peers really question the effectiveness of the conference.

She met the other members of the blog in Wales, where she moved for two years to study at United World Colleges' Atlantic College campus.  At first, she says she was skeptical of global warming, but it became blatantly obvious to her that there were major problems across the globe.  She now intends to make a difference in the world by being a major advocate of climate change education.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Monday, February 8, 2010 - Visitors Provide Praise and Criticism for Re-Opened Art Gallery

Two nuns were among the first people to gain entry into the newly refurbished Art Gallery of Alberta when it opened for the grand re-opening January 31.  Sisters Germaine Chalifoux and Jeannette Filthaut were part of 10,000 people who received free tickets.  Filthaut said her secret to getting the complimentary ticket was to be early.  She went online before the announced distribution time of noon on January 18.

Despite the cold weather, thousands of people waited in line to enter the gallery for the 9 a.m. entry slot.  Workers at the gallery engaged in a countdown before shouting a hearty welcome to the visitors, and opening the glass entry doors.

The visitors received time slots of approximately one hour to visit exhibitions featuring works by Edgar Degas, Yousuf Karsh and Francisco Goya.  The gallery also features works from George Bures and Janet Cardiff, both artists from Canada.  

Visitor Steve Knish commented that the space felt bright, open and comfortable.  Grace Lee, a painter from Edmonton, commented that the gallery resembled a jewel.  Eight-year-old Suraj Gill approved of the building with its curved roof.

Others outside the gallery were not as enthusiastic, believing that money spent on the gallery’s renovation could have been used to help the poor.  A visitor leaving the gallery said he felt rushed during the tour, which was conducted by a museum guide.

According to Oksana Gowin, a spokesperson for the AGA, the grand re-opening had been designed to give visitors a taste of the gallery, and to encourage them to return soon. 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Friday, January 29, 2010 - Alberta Set to Welcome 24 Haitian Orphans

A woman from Fort Saskatchewan will meet the 22-month-old Haitian girl she is adopting, as the toddler arrives on a flight from the earthquake-stricken country   Bonnie Winarski has waited 21 months to adopt her daughter Sarah-Marie, who survived the January 12 catastrophe.  

Winarski and her fiancé are among the 21 families from Alberta who will welcome 24 adoptive children from Haiti this week.  The children are being flown from Haiti to arrive in Ottawa and Montreal.  After waiting for so long to adopt her daughter, Winarski says that the past two weeks have been even more traumatic.  She says she has not been able to sleep since hearing of the earthquake that killed more than 150,000 people.  

After Winarski and fiancé Mark Matichuk return to Fort Saskatchewan with Sarah-Marie, the family will be assisted by a doctor who specializes in providing care for children of international adoptions.  

The earthquake did not damage God’s Littlest Angels, the Haitian orphanage housing 20 of the 24 orphans heading for Canada.  Located near Port-au-Prince, the orphanage also housed 81 children that are being adopted by families in the U.S.

The Canadian government is expediting Haitian adoptions that were already underway when the earthquake struck.  So they can gain legal entry into Canada as soon as possible, temporary permits for residency are being issued to the children.  Glenn Thamer, vice president and chairman of God’s Little Angels, said that people have been clamoring to adopt Haitian orphans since the earthquake occurred.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Friday, January 22, 2010 - Proposed Route for Transmission Line

Epcor and AltaLink have chosen the utility corridor of Highway 216 as the route of preference for the 500 kV transmission line that the companies plan to build.  If they cannot find approval for the preferred route, they have chosen a second-choice route, which would bring the transmission line north past Spruce Grove and then have the line turn east once it has passed north of Morinville.

There have already been multiple routes that have been turned down.  These proposed routes east of Ardrossan and west of Edmonton have been removed from consideration.

The project consists of above-ground towers that will hold giant electrical lines, which would be erected over 50 meters high.  The two companies estimate that construction on the project will begin in 2011.  The company's preferred route for the transmission line would be the Anthony Henday ring road from southwest Edmonton to the northeast.  They would like it to pass through Strathcona County along Highway 216.

The companies say they have talked to thousands of residents over the past year, and they have found that the east TUC route would create the least amount of environmental impact.  Leigh Clarke, AltaLink vice-president, is also quick to point out that there are not schools, hospital, or day-cares within 150 metres of the main line.

There is also a proposed underground route that in being considered, and there is presently a study being conducted by the Alberta Electric System Operator to determine if the underground route is technically feasible.

Responsible Electricity Transmission for Albertans has been a major opponent of the project since its introduction to local officials.  They also are fighting to make it known about the harmful health effects of power lines.

At this point, Epcor and AltaLink have made an announcement that they are happy to just have the proposed route considered, and they will support any decision reached by the local counsel.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Monday, January 18, 2010 - Suspects Named in Million Dollar Prank

Alcohol may have been the root cause of two men stealing a large piece of construction machinery and parking it on the middle of CN railway tracks near Clover Bar Road in Strathcona County in July of 2008.  

Miraculously no one was hurt.  This in spite of the fact that the 11,000 kilogram machine was T-boned by an 85 car train and 13 of its cars derailed.  By sheer luck the train cleared a highly travelled overpass before the derailment occurred.

Eighteen months later the police finally have suspects. Edward Arthur Vallee was arrested and charged with the crime by Strathcona County RCMP. He is currently out on bail with a court date of February 1st. His alleged partner, Ian Douglas Gillie, has had an arrest warrant issued with his name on it.  Police are hoping that the media attention will cause Gillie to turn himself in.

Both of the suspects face charges of theft over $5000, mischief over $5,000 and mischief endangering life.  The cost of clean-up and related issues for the incident was over one million dollars. The engineer, conductor, emergency responders and investigators all agree that the damage to property and loss of human life could have been catastrophic.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - Cpl. Zachery McCormack Laid to Rest in Sherwood Park

Nicole Brisson, fiancée of Cpl. Zachery McCormack, delivered the eulogy at his Sherwood Park funeral. The services were attended by hundreds. Many were friends and family, others were members of the public wanting to show respect to the soldier killed on December 30th by a roadside bomb south of Kandahar in Afghanistan. The 21 year old was later interred at Glenwood Memorial Gardens.

The deadly roadside blast also took the lives of fellow soldiers Sgt. George Miok, age 28, also of Sherwood Park, Pte. Garret Chidley, age 21 of Cambridge, Ontario, and Sgt. Kirk Taylor, aged 28 from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Michelle Lang, a 34 year old reporter from the Calgary Herald, was also killed in the explosion.

Brisson, who became engaged to McCormack while on a cruise, shared memories of the man she met when they were both only 15 years old. They intended to marry when each finished their educations. Brisson is studying to be a nurse and McCormack was working on becoming an electrician.

McCormack was remembered as being fun loving, bright, athletic and having a passion for roller coasters. He now will also be remembered as a hero that died in the service of his country.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Sunday, November 29, 2009 - Sturgeon River Watershed Initiative May Disband

The Sturgeon River Watershed Initiative, awash in internal conflicts, may disband in December. The group is one of some 150 committees that assembled after the 2003 creation of the Water for Life initiative. Starting at the east of the Pembina River and terminating at the river’s entry to the North Saskatchewan River, the watershed is a significant component of the fight to protect the Sturgeon River.

According to a source on the Watershed Initiative’s board of directors, the group has devoted six months trying to determine its objectives without having reached any kind of consensus. Part of the inability to reach common goals is that the group is composed of members from six organizations with varying opinions. People from environmental organizations and municipal factions, for example, have widely divergent views on how to help the watershed.

City of St. Albert committee representative Leah Jackson commented that discussions abounded regarding the need for regulatory actions, or controlling impact from towns and real estate developers. However, she noted, those conversations diverted from the Initiative’s original goal to develop strategies and not to discuss specific issues. Environmental activist Elke Blodgett, who had previously served on the board, said that the mining of sand and gravel in the watershed continues unabated. She believes that people responsible for such activities do not seem to be interested in proposed regulations.
 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Saturday, November 21, 2009 - Strathcona County Health Centre Providing Vaccines

This week, over 3,000 people received H1N1 vaccinations from the Strathcona County Health Centre in Sherwood Park, and the centre also administered about 2000 seasonal influenza vaccines. In Edmonton, over 13,500 H1N1 vaccines have been administered to citizens, as well as over 5,500 seasonal influenza vaccines being given to who ever wanted one.

So far, efforts to prepare for the H1N1 outbreak have been smooth, with over 38,000 people across the province receiving the H1N1 vaccination on the last Monday in October.  People waited in line for over three hours to receive these vaccines, so it shows that there is a demand for the shot.  Similar demand was the same throughout the region, and on October 27, the Albertan government made an announcement that even more clinics would be opened to meet the growing demand.  So far there have been 87 deaths from H1N1 in Canada.

The Strathcona County Health Centre will be administering the vaccine to the general public on Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Monday, November 16, 2009 - Canadians Generally Agree With Government H1N1 Response

While following some of the most recent polls on Canadian responses to how various entities have responded to the H1N1 issue, I was frankly amazed to discover that reactions to those responses were not what I had expected. Overall, most Canadians seem to give high marks to the way all levels of government have handled the pending crisis – but media did not fare so well.

It’s almost amusing when you think about it. Day after day, I’ve watched various politicians attack their opposition and the various governments for the way that the H1N1 virus has been handled. The media, of course, has been right in the mix – criticizing all levels of government for not reacting quickly enough to stem the tide of the pandemic.

The public, however, seems to see things a little differently. In fact, a sizeable majority of the public rate the government response at the territorial, provincial, and municipal level as somewhere between fair and good. Only about a third indicated that government officials’ response to the crisis was poor.

Of course, those feelings were not uniform across the country. In Alberta, for instance, nearly two thirds of respondents believe that actions at the provincial level have been far too slow to be effective in dealing with the crisis. Looking at the data more closely, I couldn’t help but notice that many of the people polled resented the way certain groups – like the families of professional hockey players – received the vaccine for the virus even as members of the general population waited in line for vaccinations that never came.

One of the elements of the poll I found most interesting centered on the difference in attitude between older and younger Canadians. In general, younger people seemed to give the government higher marks than did their older counterparts. It would seem that the virus’ disproportionate impact on the young has left those younger people feeling some sense of gratitude for the efforts that the government has taken to protect them.

Alas, for the media’s role in covering the crisis, there are few admirers.

Nearly two thirds of Canadians polled indicate their belief that the organizations that bring them the news have sensationalized the H1N1 virus and led many people to overreact. Moreover, there seems to be no split among age groups on this issue – young and old alike have been seriously disappointed with how the media has covered this situation.

The only slight difference seems to be between the opinions of Conservatives who were more likely to disapprove of the media coverage than their opponents in the Green, Liberal, or New Democratic parties.

As I read the poll numbers, I take heart in seeing that Canadians feel less apprehensive about the future of the H1N1 pandemic. That feeling alone is perhaps one of the surest signs that Canadians are comfortable with the way the crisis has been handled.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Thursday, November 5, 2009 - One Of The Best Quarters For Canadian Home Resales

Despite being faced with recession, an official statement that was released by the Canadian Real Estate Association stated that re-sales of homes have been the strongest so far in this quarter yet. Even though the financial market may not be looking so good in recent months, the property market has definitely picked up and is expected to remain this way.

Looking at the statistics shown in the report, it clearly states that Canada’s realtors reached an amazing 135,182 sales in the third quarter alone. This is an increase of about 20% from the previous quarter in itself. In looking at year over year gains, this year alone has already broken the previous record that took place in the year 2002. This clearly shows the stable nature of the market regardless of the state that the financial system is going through.

There are many theories behind why such an increase was suddenly seen in the real estate market. The Association president, Dale Riplinger said it was due to low interest rates that have been introduced through the government and how the confidence of the people is gradually coming back. With the numbers rising of houses being sold, the average price value of a house has also seen a drastic increase as well. In the previous month alone we saw an increase of about 14% which equates to $331,602 for a house on average.

The option of getting back on track would not be possible until and unless consumer confidence was restored. As we can see today from various quotes of prestigious individuals and news headlines, the trend of consumer confidence is gradually returning.

Even though there has been a significant amount of increase in the amount of house re-sales due to low interest rates, it is expected that the figure could fall in the future. The reason being is that as more homes are being sold and the financial cash flow is slowly being restored, interest rates will gradually peak to the point they initially where. This could mean that we would be at square one again.
 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Tuesday, October 26, 2009 - Strathcona Community Hospital In On The Way

Iris Evans, Alberta’s Minister of Finance and Enterprise, announced that the Strathcona Community Hospital is finally entering its final stages of design, and she claims the government has assured her that construction of the project will begin as soon as the designs are approved.

Construction on the project was supposed to begin in 2008 and be finished by the end of the year, but because of deficit problems in Alberta, the project has been delayed. Alberta has seen its deficit grow to $50 billion in light of the recent economic downturn. Evans claims that although the deficit seems horrible, the premier has already reduced the providence’s expenditures to line up with its revenues within three years. The new budget will help the providence surpass the deficit problems it faces.

The new budget plan will save money for the providence through a number of new policies, such as freezing the wages of city workers, while investments in infrastructure will keep 70,000 jobs in the providence. These are just two ways the city has planned to overcome its deficit.

Although there has been a string of negative stories in the press about Alberta, many positive events have been taking place, such as the creation of over 15,000 new housing spaces and emergency shelters for senior citizens.
Evans believes that with community support, the providence will have no problem making it through these touch times.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Monday, October 19, 2009 - Snap Fitness to Open Gym in Sherwood Park’s Glen Allan

Snap Fitness is launching a 24-hour health club in Glen Allan, offering residents the ability to work out at their convenience. The club, located at 201-101 Granada Blvd., is scheduled to open October 16. Sara and Wes Secrist of Fort Saskatchewan are managing the facility. Sara Secrist advised that monthly Snap Fitness memberships are a reasonably priced alternative to clubs with pricey features such as swimming pools and racquet courts.

In addition to its cardio workouts and strength-building exercise equipment, the club provides members personal websites, which will allow them to monitor their fitness goals and utilize meal-planning services.

The grand opening of the Sherwood Park Snap Fitness coincides with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Secrists purchased a pink treadmill for the facility to honor family members affected by the disease. The treadmill’s manufacturer (Cybex) will contribute six cents for every kilometer run on the machine. The Secrists will match this donation.
 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Thursday, October 8, 2009 - Municipal Waste to Heat Sherwood Park

As part of the Canadian initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Enerkem GreenField Alberta Biofuels has been awarded a $7.45 million grant to construct the nation’s first commercial municipal solid waste-to-biofuels plant, at the old Cloverbar landfill, to heat 1600 homes in Sherwood Park, Alberta.

Enerkem has pioneered the process of turning waste that cannot be recycled or composted into biofuels and green chemicals. The management of waste that otherwise would turn into methane in the landfill is crucial to improving waste control, reduce GHG, and create new fuels and chemicals to replace those made from fossil fuels.

Sorted municipal waste will create a low-grade waste heat through Enerkem’s gasification process. The heat will be captured and transferred to the community energy system in Strathcona County, replacing natural gas currently fueling hot water boilers, which produce heat that travels to local homes and businesses through a system of insulated, underground pipes.

The Enerkem process of gasification of solid waste has the ability to convert one tonne of raw material into 360 litres of cellulosic ethanol, which would enable one to drive approximately 2500 kilometers. The process will lower greenhouse gas emissions by about 7,000 tonnes per year, when fully developed.

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Monday, September 21, 2009 - Mixed Blessings Filmed in Sherwood Park

Sherwood Park and areas surrounding the park has been the filming site for the APTN comedy series, Mixed Blessings. The series depicting a blended family from differing cultural backgrounds has used the park for taping scenes for its third season. Set in Ft. McMurray, Mixed Blessings has used Strathcona County as its filming site for this season.

In August, the outlying streets at Sherwood Park were lined with the trailers of the cast and crew of Mixed Blessings. Earlier this week trailers were relocated to the News building where actors used the space to undergo costume changes for scenes taped at the Baseline Crossing Shopping Center. Some residential homes in outlying areas were used in taping as well.

Cast and crew have been on site to prepare for taping as early as 4:30 a.m. Actor, Big Daddy Tazz, who plays a friend of the family, told reporters that taping the show required them to work crazy hours. Tazz indicated that the show didn’t have the type of set that some of the most popular comedies which made the show unique in its own rite.
Actress Michelle Thrush indicated that the crew would end taping at Sherwood Park late next week.
 

Sherwood Park Realtor® Blog - Friday, September 11, 2009 - Price of Food Increases, Where is Farmers’ Share?

As the price of food increases, people start wondering why the farmers are driving up the prices. However, they are doing no such thing. In fact, their earnings are even less than before.

In a recent study, it was found that food enough to feed a typical family with four members cost almost twenty dollars more today than it did approximately a year ago. In one year, the cost of food has risen more than 3%, but farmers receive almost 2% less profit.

How can this happen? Farmers are being pushed out by processors. Their share of the profit is being eaten away by the various steps the food takes on its journey from the farmer to the consumer. Consumers now eat more processed foods. These cost more because they go through more hands as they become processed. Soon, you have to divide the cost of the food item by the number of hands it goes through; the farmer is not the only one who wants a share of the profit.

To cut down on the price of food, simply buy more unprocessed food. While it may take longer to cook and prepare, consumers can be sure that they are not falling into the processed food trap.
 

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