August 2016

 When comparing the housing market in Calgary to the state of affairs nearby in the Town of Okotoks, real estate seems to be on higher ground.  Of course, that depends on who you talk to.

The Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB®) oversees the numbers in Okotoks and believes the outlook is better than the somewhat gloomy scenario in nearby Calgary.  Prices in Calgary are expected to keep trending down while the number of houses for sale continues to reach the over-saturation point.

A similar story holds true in Okotoks with sales down about 14%, but in terms of inventory, there hasn’t been much of a change since the first six months of 2015.  Even better there hasn’t been much of a drop in home prices since then either.  Calgary prices have dropped by

Seems summer has barely begun when suddenly there are flyers and commercials on TV promoting Back to School Sales.   Families in homes throughout Okotoks are reluctantly starting to think about hitting the books again in just a few weeks.

However, the cost for kids to go back to school is always a concern for some parents and even more so this year.   That’s why the Okotoks Family Resource Centre offers assistance to families with school-aged children, in partnership with office supply retailer Staples.

During the school supply drive, Staples collects donations from the public and puts them towards gift cards which are then donated to the resource centre.  The gift cards are valued at $65.  The program has been going on in Okotoks for the last five

Beer lovers rejoice!  Local Okotoks breweries are about to get a heady financial boost from the provincial government.

Two suds aficionados in the Foothills region are looking forward to the cash injection because it will help them and other microbrewers hone their craft and grow.

Small beer brewers who make under 300,000 hectolitres or 1.01 billion fluid ounces of beer every year are eligible for grants under a new program called the Alberta Small Brewers Development courtesy of the NDP.

The owner of local small brewer, Six Corners Brew Works, told the Okotoks Western Wheel that it will help him and others compete with bigger companies. Luke Wooldridge said he’s hoping to expand by opening a brewery in Okotoks’ Southbank Business Park.  He

The much anticipated transit system that will connect Okotoks to Calgary and other centres in Foothills County is on track to start service in Fall 2016.

The greater Toronto area may have the Go-Train but Okotoks will be “On-It”, according to the Calgary Regional Partnership which has announced that its one stop closer to launching its pilot transit program.  Welcome news for folks who own an Okotoks home but work in Calgary.

The plan is to connect the smaller, bedroom communities surrounding Calgary to each other via transit.  Commuters living in other centres such as Turner Valley and nearby Black Diamond, as well as High River to the south.

It’s a two-year pilot project to see how it will be received, with service provided by Southland