Airdrie, AB

Airdrie RCMP members are warning residents to trust their instincts and err on the side of caution in relation to a recent fraud scheme. On April 3, the RCMP was notified about a recent scam occurring in the community in which a senior was conned out of a significant amount of money. The senior received a call at her home from a male claiming to be the employee of a local financial institution. He made inquiries about which local bank he senior used, recent transactions and he suggested there may have been a computer error that compromised her account. He stated he would make some inquiries about the account and call her back. When he called her back, he said it was possible a teller had taken money from the account with the intention of replacing it. He said the account was now closed with a new dummy account in its place. The con artist advised the senior to go to the bank, withdraw the funds from the dummy account and act in a way the tellers would not be alerted to the operation. He then advised he would send a security guard to meet with the senior at a separate location to pick up the money so the senior could tell the man which teller had taken the money and tampered with the account. The senior was then instructed to go back to the bank on April 6 to re-open a new account when the situation would be rectified. She was advised not to say anything to anyone about this because it would jeopardize the investigation. RCMP suspect the male who posed as the security guard is likely the same individual who posed as the bank employee. He is described as between 30 and 40 years old, approximately 5'8" tall with a stocky build, dark hair and medium skin colour. He wore a navy cap, a navy jacket, glasses and was clean shaven. Unfortunately this type of scam is all too common and trusting individuals often fall prey to such predators, said Airdrie RCMP Cst. Francine Hennelly. We are reminding residents to be wary of individuals that make contact and request personal information. It is best to never give out any personal details over the phone or online. This incident remains under investigation. If anyone has any information on this occurrence, they are encouraged to contact Airdrie RCMP at 403-945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit: (www.crimestoppers.ab.ca)

An Airdrie high school student was lucky to avoid injury after he claims his Apple iPhone internally combusted and began smoking, hissing and expanded in his hand before he threw it to the ground.

The student said he  was texting on the phone when it suddenly got hot and began expanding, it started to smoke a bit and then combusted inside .

He said he threw the phone to the ground where it burnt the floor and melted a nearby electrical cord, resulting in the school being evacuated and the Airdrie fire department called in.

His mother, has filed a complaint with the Canadian Safety Board because she fears the product could end up hurting someone else.

Calls to the Apple media relations line seeking comment were not immediately returned.  A technician at Apple’s telephone help center said he was unable to comment, but noted that Cryderman’s case was extremely rare.

The iPhone in question was an older generation model and not a newer 3G version.   A representative who answered the phone at the Apple Store in Calgary’s Market Mall deferred a call for comment to Apple’s media line, but also noted that it was not common for iPhones to combust. During a telephone interview with MacKay, he explained the situation and asked what would likely cause an electrical device to act in a manner like Shayne Cryderman’s.

Apple said they’ll send a cheque and will replace his phone with whatever phone he chooses

Airdrie Skate Board Park to Break Ground This Spring

It has been a long, arduous process in the eyes of the Airdrie skateboarding community, but the long-awaited skateboard park at Chinook Winds will break ground this spring and is expected to be completed by fall. The conceptual plans for the park were unveiled Wednesday night at city hall by New Line Skateparks Inc who have handled the design aspects. Skateboarding enthusiast and co-owner of Sully Boardsports, Jon Salomons, is excited to see the park so close to becoming reality. 

Chinook Winds Park is 65 acres of sport and recreation land that will add to the city’s plan of having one major recreation destination in each area of the city.  “When we did our parks master plan two or three years ago, we wanted various major park destinations in all areas of the city,” Greene said. “East Lake is our destination in the east; Nose Creek in the central part of the city is a major regional park and Chinook Winds is the major multi-use recreational park in the southwest of the city.”

The $900,000 price tag on the skatepark will be paid for by developer funded contributions and the Airdrie Extreme Athletics Association had agreed to raise $30,000 through various fundraising events.  In addition to the ball diamonds that already grace the site and the skatepark, other recreational options are being looked at for Chinook Winds Park.

“What we’re looking at right now is another playground, natural areas, trail systems and we’re contemplating a splash park, tennis courts, or football,” Greene said.

Bill

New home buyers and existing home owners can benefit from these new proposals from our Feds.

There are three actions proposed by our government to help stimulate the housing industry.

1.First-Time Home Buyers Tax Credit...the 2009 proposed budget will introduce a new non-refundable tax credit based on $5,000 for first time home buyers who purchase and take possession of a qualifying home after January 27, 2009.

2. The Home Renovation Tax Credit...A temporary 15% tax credit for home renovations with eligible expenditures exceeding $1,000 but not exceeding $10,000 with up to $1,250 in relief.

3. Home Buyers Plan...Homebuyers can withdraw up to $25,000 from their RRSP's tax free to buy or $20,000 to build their first home.

For full information visit http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/rrsp-reer/hbp-rap/menu-eng.html

The market is still in the buyers court. Prices are slowly dropping and downward pressure is continuing due to the world wide recession and overall economic outlook.
People need to find confidence before things will turn around.
First time buyers should give good thought to getting their first property as rates are at an all time low and there are many homes to choose from. Some lenders still offer the Zero Down as an option so if you have stability in your continued earning potential or job security then now is a good time to buy.
If your considering moving up this is also a good time as the higher priced properties have dropped the most dollar-wise.
Don't hesitate to call for your free market anaysis or information about buying or selling today