Airdrie, AB

The city of Airdrie is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. Capitalizing on the growth of the Calgary region, Airdrie is focused on the expansion of commercial and industrial development. Currently, there are new commercial/industrial developments underway, providing excellent opportunities for new regional commercial, light industrial and mixed use projects adjacent to the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor (Queen Elizabeth II Highway - Provincial Highway #2). Airdrie also provides an excellent opportunity for small business development, with a population of 34,116, an estimated primary trading area of 60,000 and easy access to over 1,000,000 people living in Calgary, it is the perfect environment for storefront, home-based and manufacturing businesses. Quick Facts about Airdrie Population - 34,116 (2008 Civic Census) Location - Calgary-Edmonton Corridor (Queen Elizabeth II Highway-Provincial Highway #2) 6 kilometres north of the city of Calgary and 32 kilometres north of Calgary's downtown Lifestyle - Young, family oriented community with a focus on a high standard of living and building a sustainable city Local Economy - Local and regional retail, construction, manufacturing and professional services Easy access to local, regional, national and international markets (20 minutes north of the Calgary International Airport)

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Residents gave Airdrie a 97 per cent rating for quality of life and the overall Citizen Satisfaction Index came out at 3.81, which is second highest in the survey's history to last year's 3.86 rating. Also, 97 per cent of respondents considered Airdrie a safe place to live, which was the highest score in the municipal comparison group. The results were put together from 400 telephone interviews between Jan. 5-9, 2009 by Bannister Research and Consulting Inc.

Two areas dropping considerably were Efficiency of City Services - from 85 per cent to 79 per cent - and the happiness with city recycling programs, which went from 77 per cent to 61 per cent.

One of the reasons for the drop in Efficiency of City Services rating and the Satisfaction with Public Works from 66 per cent to 42 per cent is suspected to be the timing of the survey as it occurred during a time when roads were slushy and tough to navigate after the December snow thawed.

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Blue not green is the color originally associated with St Patrick. “St Patrick’s Blue” is used on Ireland's Presidential Standard or flag, while the Irish Guards sport a plume of St Patrick’s blue in their bearskins. The emphasis on green is thought to be linked to “wearing the Green”, a symbol from the 18th century on, of sympathy with Irish independence.

The first St Patrick’s Day parade took place in 1737 in Boston, followed in 1762 by New York. George Washington allowed his soldiers a holiday on March 17, 1780 as “an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence.”

Until the 1970’s, all pubs were shut in Ireland on St Patrick’s Day, and the sole venue selling drink the annual dog show. Lenten fasting – and the obligation to abstain from meat – were lifted on the day, which most families would begin with Mass.

Since 1962, tons of green dye are tipped on St Patrick’s Day into the Chicago river, although the quantity has reduced, for environmental reasons, from 100 to 40.

Home Buyers Tax Credit in Canada (HBTC)

The Federal Government hasintroduce a new non-refundable tax credit for Home Buyers, based on an amount of $5,000, for certain home buyers that acquire a qualifying home after January 27, 2009.   A home buyer has to qualify for the HBTC in hte following ways;

They acquire a qualifying home; and neither the individual nor the individual's spouse or common-law partner owned and lived in another home in the year of purchase or any of the four preceding years. ( Basically you need to be a First time Home Buyer) - Except if you are a person with a disability or are buying a house for a related person with a disability, you do not have to be a first time home buyer.  However, the home must be acquired to enable the person with a disability to live in a more accessible dwelling or in an environment better suited to the personal needs and care of that person.  You or the related person with a disability must intend to occupy the home as a principal place of residence no later than one year after buying it.

Qualifying Home? 
A qualifying home is a housing unit located in Canada. This includes existing homes and those being constructed. Single-family homes, semi-detached homes, townhouses, mobile homes, condominium units, and apartments in duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, or apartment buildings, all qualify. A share in a co-operative housing corporation that entitles you to possess and gives you an equity interest in a housing unit located in Canada also qualifies. However, a share that only provides you with a right to tenancy in the housing unit does not qualify.

For more Information on the HBTC - Follow this Link: MORE INFO: HOME BUYERS TAX CREDIT  

The City of Airdrie is pleased to announce participation in the One Million Acts of Green program, accepting Okotok’s challenge. Mayor Bruce was excited to accept the challenge on behalf of the enVision Airdrie Citizen’s Advisory Group.

"This challenge is a great opportunity to show how our citizens can ban together to make a difference and demonstrate all the green acts we are already doing as a community and as individuals every day and to challenge us to do more," says Mayor Linda Bruce. "We have always been the environmental leaders in the region and we’re not going to give up our title now."

One Million Acts of Green is the environmental awareness program initiated by CBC’s ‘The Hour’ with George Stroumboulopoulos and Cisco Systems Inc. The objective is to get Canadians to complete One Million Acts of Green. An act can be as simple as switching to CFL light bulbs, starting a recycling program, or walking to work. The idea behind the campaign is that one small act can make a big difference.

Residents of all ages can get involved in the challenge by visiting www.onemillionactsofgreen.com. Residents can post their green act by:

1. Visiting www.onemillionactsofgreen.com.
2. Under HOME, click "create an account."
3. Enter your e-mail address, choose a password, enter your province, and click "Create Account."
4. Under GROUPS AND CHALLENGES, click on "Find Groups."
5. Search for CITY OF AIRDRIE. Click "Join" on the right hand side of the screen.
7. Click on "ALL ACTS OF GREEN" from the top menu. Pick an item from the list of Acts.
Click on it, and you'll be taken to a page for that act. In the middle of that page click the "Add This
Act Now" button. Go and add more acts.

Residents have until the end of March 2009 to post their acts of green. Residents must join the Airdrie group on the www.onemillionactsofgreen.com web site in order for the act to count towards the overall total. The individual with the most acts of green from the Airdrie group will win a $500 gift certificate from Home Depot.

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