ALBERTA: THE POTENTIAL OF ENERGY ALBERTA S ABUNDANT NATURAL RESOURCES

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1 CONNECTING ITALY AND CANADA T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E I T A L I A N C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E I N C A N A D A V A N C O U V E R E D M O N T O N C A L G A R Y ALBERTA: THE POTENTIAL OF ENERGY ALBERTA S ABUNDANT NATURAL RESOURCES SHARING THE WEALTH ALBERTA S GROWING AND UNRIVALLED WEALTH SOAKING UP THE SUN CALGARY S SOLAR SUBURBS GUEST FEATURE PUTTING OUR ENERGY CAPABILITIES TO WORK CLIMATE REPAIR BALANCING ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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3 features IN THE SPOTLIGHT Energy and the Environment Sharing the Wealth REGIONAL FOCUS Interviews with the Mayors of Edmonton and Calgary ASK THE EXPERTS Dragonfly Surfaces Ripple Effect Business Solutions Cole Freight Sealweld Corporation BEST PRACTICE Calgary s Solar Suburbs Nexos Consulting GUEST FEATURE Negotiating Gas Contracts Putting Energy to Work CHAMBER NEWS Missions & Events BUSINESS DIRECTORY Listing of Chamber Members Editor: Executive Director: Production: Graphic Design: Art Direction: Contributing Writers: Advertising Sales: Membership & Events: Tara Foote Elizabeth Iachelli Footeprint Communications Brent Foote JC Ospino, Alliter CCG Tara Foote, Elizabeth Iachelli Elena Ontiveros, Joe Ganci Joe Ganci, Dusan Rnjak Conexus (ISSN ) is published by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada in cooperation with Footeprint Communications. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada. Suite West Pender St. Vancouver, BC V6C 3B2 T: F: PM

4 Alberta balancing energy and the environment Faster and faster humans are transferring carbon from the surface of the earth into the atmosphere. Scientists see the risks growing so rapidly that carbon dioxide levels could be double their 18th century value within the next 50 years. Every increase in concentration carries risks which lead to irreversible climate changes. Human beings can emit only so much carbon dioxide into the environment before we severly disrupt the planet s ecosystems. Thousands of years ago an equilibrium was reached when the heat escaping the earth s atmosphere, and the energy coming in from the sun, exactly balanced. So for thousands of years, the temperature of earth has been stable. Minor fluctuations were brought back to normal by the self-correcting mechanism of a stable greenhouse.

5 But now there is 30 percent more carbon dioxide in our greenhouse. (The concentration in the year 1750 was 280 parts per million. Now it is 363 parts per million.) More of the heat energy is now reflected back to earth. If the current concentrations were maintained indefinitely, a new equilibrium at a higher temperature would eventually be reached. If, however, concentrations continued to increase, so would warming, until a point is reached where the system becomes unstable. The result is a runaway greenhouse effect similar to the disastrous fate suffered by Venus; this planet now has surface temperatures of thousands of degrees and is not capable of supporting life as we know it. Global warming is driving companies and governments to work toward unprecedented change in the way we use fossil fuels. Across the world regions are adopting policies to address climate change. These actions include increasing renewable energy generation, selling agricultural carbon sequestration credits and encouraging energy efficiency. A mechanism Suggested for battling climate change has been the idea of using Carbon Sinks to soak up carbon dioxide.

6 IN THE SPOTLIGHT A mechanism suggested for battling climate change has been the idea of using Carbon Sinks to soak up carbon dioxide. To aid in this, reforestation, or planting of new forests, has been proposed. This is a popular strategy for the logging industry and for nations with large forest interests. While there may be some potential in this solution, it cannot be effective on its own. This is because it legitimizes continued destruction of old-growth and pristine forests which are rich ecosystems, and have an established biodiversity base that naturally maintain the environment. Creating new forest areas would require the creation of entire ecosystems. This method has been criticized for being a quick fix that does not tackle the root causes effectively and does not lead to actual emissions reduction. In September 2005, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations organization that includes scientists from nearly every country in the world, released a report estimating that two trillion tons of carbon dioxide could be captured and stored in old coal mines, abandoned oil and gas fields, and in various other geologic formations around the world. The estimated storage capacity equals about 80 times the total rate at which we make carbon dioxide from everything per year, said Robert Socolow, a Princeton University physicist who co-heads its Carbon Mitigation Initiative. Coal-power plants account for about 25 percent of that carbon dioxide, so it s 320 years of coal-power emissions. A long-term sequestration of carbon from forests comes from the use of wood products such as stick built (with lumber) homebuilding, the predominant form of home construction in North America. Because most buildings are eventually demolished, the carbon may be released into the atmosphere, depending upon the fate of the scrap lumber. Reusing the lumber, or using it as fuel to replace a fossil fuel, avoids an increase in atmospheric carbon. For carbon dioxide to be sequestered artificially (not using the natural processes of the carbon cycle) it must first be captured, or at least be significantly delayed or prevented from being re-released into the atmosphere from an existing carbonrich material, by being incorporated into an enduring usage (such as in construction). Afterwards it can be passively stored or remain productively utilized over time in a variety of ways. For example, upon harvesting, wood (as a carbon-rich material) can be immediately burned or otherwise serve as a fuel, returning its carbon to the atmosphere, or it can be incorporated into construction or a range of other durable products, sequestering its carbon over years or even centuries. There are three big sequestration programs underway in the world, not to mention scores of more modest pilot projects, including many in Canada that have been on the go since the late 1990s. The big three worldwide are: ü For carbon to be sequestered artificially it must first be captured. Norway s national oil company is stripping one million tonnes a year of CO2 from the natural gas it is mining under RETURNING TO THE EARTH: (LEFT) Huge 380 tonne trucks at the Suncor oil sands mine in Alberta help extract about 500,000 tonnes of oil sand per day. (RIGHT) Carbon dioxide is injected underground using an enhanced oil recovery technique at EnCana s Weyburn Saskatchewan Oilfield, site of the world s largest greenhouse gas sequestration project. ü ü the North Sea and re-injecting it back into empty wells. British Petroleum is doing the same with an oil well in Algeria and planning a similar project in California. A coal-gasification utility in Beulah, North Dakota, is shipping approximately 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 each year over 200 kilometres by pipeline to Weyburn, Saskatchewan where it is being injected into an old oil field to help with the recovery of new deposits. Over a 20-year lifetime, each of these projects has the potential to pull the equivalent of roughly five million cars off the road for a year. But their real beauty is that they show carbon capture can take place across the full range of energy production from extraction to electricity generation which in Canada s case accounts for 82 percent of the greenhouse gases we pump into the environment each year. EnCana Petroleum of Calgary, Alberta is conducting North America s first large scale sequestration project. The company buys carbon dioxide from an American utility and pumps the gas underground in southern Saskatchewan to force out oil that would otherwise be unrecoverable. During the six years that the project has been running, there have been no signs that any of the gas is escaping. EnCana ultimately expects to store about 20 million tons of carbon dioxide underground. Another project, in Salah, Algeria, expects to store 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide per year in natural gas wells. The idea is simple: injecting compressed carbon dioxide into the oilfield creates a carbon dioxide flood that forces the remaining oil into a well where it can be harvested; the carbon dioxide remains behind, safely and permanently stored beneath the earth s surface. The project s overriding goal is to expand the knowledge of the capacity, transport rate and storage of carbon dioxide in geological formations associated with enhanced oil recovery. CONEXUS SPRING 2007

7 Climate Change Global Temperatures Difference from 15 C Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage: Schematic diagram of possible sources, processes and storage options for carbon dioxide. Courtesy Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change In the first phase of the research project, co-funded by the Department of Energy, carbon dioxide was injected into the Weyburn Oilfield in Saskatchewan. The project increased the field s oil production by an additional 10,000 barrels per day and demonstrated the technical and economic feasibility of permanent carbon sequestration. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR), the technique used in the project, has the potential to increase an oilfield s ultimate oil recovery by up to 60 percent and extend the oilfield s life by decades. Scientists project that by using knowledge gained from the Weyburn Project, the oilfield will remain viable for another 20 years, produce an additional 130 million barrels of oil and sequester as much as 30 million tons of carbon dioxide. Next the Weyburn Project moves into Phase II where researchers will compile a best practices manual to serve as a worldclass industrial reference in the design and implementation of carbon dioxide sequestration in conjunction with enhanced oil recovery projects. They will also develop more rigorous risk-assessment modeling techniques, improve injection efficiencies and monitor carbon dioxide flooding and storage with a variety of methods, including seismic wave technologies and geochemical surveys. The Bush administration in Washington has just sped up its $2 billion Clean Coal initiative and says it wants a sequestration strategy in place by As well, the UN s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change touts sequestration as one of the important mitigating factors for climate change and points out that Canada, with its wealth of tapped-out oil and gas wells, provides a natural home. We re going to get more ideas on where to put this stuff, says Socolow. In a few decades, I think we ll have a sense of the formations we can access, and the numbers will go up. Conceivably, we may find that we were optimistic, and the numbers will go down. But we ve got to get going and learn the subject. It s like prospecting; you ll get some unsuccessful ones and some good ones. It s learn as you go but we re ready to start! What are Greenhouse Gases? Greenhouse gases are made out of: ü ü ü ü FIVE YEAR AVERAGE Carbon dioxide, one of the most common greenhouse gases, is released when wood and fossil fuels including oil, natural gas, and coal are burned. Methane is emitted during the production and transport of natural gas, coal and oil. It is also released during the decomposition of organic wastes in landfills, and from livestock. Nitrous oxide emissions result from agricultural and industrial activities, as well as the combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels. Manmade compounds such as hydro-fluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and chlorofluorocarbons (also linked with stratospheric ozone depletion) from various industrial processes. The prevailing scientific opinion on climate change is that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activity. CONEXUS SPRING

8 IN THE SPOTLIGHT ALBERTA: SHARING THE WEALTH A pumpjack near Calgary, Alberta. 8 CONEXUS SPRING 2007

9 ALBERTA S ABUNDANT ENERGY Alberta s growing and unrivalled wealth and the province s willingness to spend it may disrupt the rest of Canada s economy and pose a tremendous political challenge to the federal government according to Roger Gibbins, president and chief executive of the independent policy research institute, Canada West Foundation. With money piling up by the day, Alberta s spending power has put the federal government in the daunting position of assuring that the rest of the provinces realize similar financial stability without taking huge amounts of cash away from the oil-rich province. A recent Ipsos Reid/CanWest Global survey of online Canadian voters indicates citizens are divided over whether Alberta CONEXUS SPRING 2007

10 should share its oil windfall with the rest of Canada (55%) or whether it should keep the extra money to spend on provincial priorities (45%). Nevertheless, despite increasing concerns regarding fiscal inequality between the provinces, most do not believe that Alberta s oil wealth poses a threat to Canada s federal system. Recent figures from Statistics Canada reveal the province s population is increasing at more than five times the national average, and there s no end in sight to the migration. The inherent problems associated with massive growth are not limited to the metropolitan area of Calgary. Smaller communities need more doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, bus drivers and other professionals to keep up with the new pace. The president of medical staff in the Grande Prairie region warned that northern Alberta s healthcare has reached a crisis because of the increased demand and decreased staff. In an interview, Dr. Miloslay Bozdech said it s unacceptable that the health system is so badly strained when Alberta boasts multi-billion-dollar budget surpluses. Imagine someone having a heart attack or a car accident requiring immediate medical attention, but unfortunately there is no surgeon or specialist available, writes Dr. Bozdech in a letter to the Grande Prairie Herald-Tribune newspaper. We only have two doctors to service the entire population of Grande Prairie, Peace River, Manning, Fox Creek, Grande Cache, Fairview, Valleyview, McLennan, Beaverlodge and the rest of the communities within our health region. Without the right people with the right training and in the right jobs, Alberta is not going to be able to manage its economic growth, stated Alberta Human Resources and Employment Minister Mike Cardinal when announcing the province s labour strategy. Clearly, with more than 86,000 additional Alberta workers needed over the next 10 years, we must take steps now to ensure that we have a common plan with our partners for building Alberta s workforce. This strategy is about the leadership that is needed to make sure we are all moving in the same direction. Housing all the newcomers represents yet another challenge. The average selling price of a home in Calgary is now $305,000, up almost 25 percent in one year. Contractors are short of carpenters and other trades needed to build new homes, apartments, sewage and water systems. Real estate prices and rents are climbing dramatically in many communities and rental rates are among the highest in the country. The province is working to meet the challenges of explosive economic growth directly, but it s hard to keep up when its population of more than three million people grew by 25,000 in the third quarter of 2006 alone. While the challenges are daunting, Darrell Toma, president of the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, says he wouldn t trade Alberta s situation for the problems of less economically robust parts of Canada. We have a debt-free economy and people are fully employed. Wages and house prices are going up. It is a great problem to have. Globally, the frenzied economic expansion in Alberta is almost as strong as in China, which has the fastest rate among the

11 Alberta Oil sands: Petro-Canada s MacKay River central processing facility. Photo Courtesy of Petro-Canada. world s large economies. Since 2002, China has posted 14.8 percent average annual growth, compared with a 12.7 percent average in Alberta. The concern for the rest of the provinces of Canada is that Alberta is engaging in what economists call beggar-thy-neighbour policies with regard to taxes. As they drive tax rates down, other provinces feel compelled to follow, so that businesses are not lured away. To stay competitive they risk seriously underfunding public services. Unlike other provinces, Alberta has not needed to institute a provincial sales tax. Alberta s personal tax advantage results from a low single rate tax system, including the highest basic and spousal exemptions in the country, the lowest gasoline tax rate among the provinces, and low property taxes. More recently, Alberta s surpluses have made it the only province in the country to completely pay off its provincial debt. In December 2006, Ed Stelmach was sworn in as the 13th Premier of Alberta, taking reesponsibility for Alberta s multibillion-dollar surpluses along with the dozens of problems associated with managing the province s explosive growth. According to Alberta s new Premier; there s no such thing as touching the brake on the aggressive expansion of the oil sands. Although the approval of $90 billion worth of projects in the past decade has created labour shortages and inflated construction costs across the country, Stelmach refuses to stop, let alone slow down. He has promised a review of Alberta s oil sands royalty system, which many feel doesn t give the province a fair return on its resources. He has also said that he wants to ensure as much of Alberta s raw materials as possible are processed close to home. Of course, one of the most glaring issues the new premier must handle is the province s previous threats to drop out of the federal government s revenue-sharing deal with Canada s other provinces, if energy continues to be included in the equalization formula. Equalization payments are money the federal government gives to poorer provinces to help narrow the gap between have and have-not regions. Parliament and the government of Canada are committed to the principle of making equalization payments to ensure that provincial governments have sufficient revenues to provide reasonably comparable levels of public services at reasonably comparable levels of taxation. To determine who gets what, Ottawa compares more than 30 taxes in each province. From this, a national standard is calculated showing how much tax revenue a province should be able to raise per capita. Any province that falls below the standard gets money. Four decades ago, Alberta was among those who received equalization payments. Possibly, these contributions and other federal infrastructure investments helped shape today s Alberta. Alberta is in an enviable position, Stelmach has said. We have the means to build a strong province and future. What Albertans can expect from me is to keep my word and to keep an open mind. And I promise an open, inclusive Alberta government that puts Albertans first. The economy, growth: that will sort itself out. We just want to make sure that we re globally competitive. CONEXUS SPRING

12 REGIONAL FOCUS Q&A WITH MAYOR DAVE BRONCONNIER Q: Considering the tremendous growth and building that is happening in the city, what is currently being done to maintain green space? The City of Calgary Parks continues to be one of the best park systems in North America. We currently have over 600 km of pathways and 20,000 acres of open space, and our city Council recognizes the importance of maintaining our existing green space. As part of this effort, we have allocated $60 million over three years for lifecycle maintenance and redevelopment of existing parks in Calgary. On top of this, we are working to protect valuable and scarce open space in the downtown as schools close, and as part of our effort we recently agreed to purchase one of these schools for an estimated $5 million. In addition to maintaining our current open spaces, we have recognized the importance of acquiring and preserving key areas for future growth. As a result, we have expanded our parkland outside the boundaries of the city while land is still affordable. We established a program called The Enmax Legacy Park Program the largest of its kind in Canada which has allocated approximately $65 million for land acquisition and park development and re-development both within the city of Calgary and outside the city boundaries in future development corridors. This program represents a long term vision that signifies the importance that open space and parks have now, and for future generations to enjoy. D: Tenendo conto dell enorme sviluppo a livello urbanistico che sta avendo luogo nella città, che cosa si sta effettivamente facendo per mantenere lo spazio verde? La citta di Calgary continua ad avere uno dei migliori sistemi per i parchi di tutto il Nord America. Possiamo godere di oltre 600 km di strade verdi e oltre 20,000 acri di spazi aperti, e il nostro Consiglio cittadino riconosce l importanza di mantenere il nostro gia esistente spazio verde. Come parte di questo sforzo, abbiamo stanziato 60 milioni di Dollari i prossimi tre anni per il mantenimento e la ricostruzione degli attuali parchi di Calgary. A monte di cio stiamo lavorando per proteggere l importante ma scarso spazio verde vicino alle scuole nel centro citta e per permettere cio ci siamo recentemente accordati per l acquisto di una di queste scuole per un valore stimato attorno ai 5 milioni di Dollari. Al fine di preservare il nostro attuale spazio verde, abbiamo riconosciuto l importanza di acquistare e proteggere queste aree strategiche per una futura espansione. Di conseguenza abbiamo esteso la nostra area parchi al di fuori dei confini della citta quando la terra era ancora acquistabile. Abbiamo dato vita ad un programma chiamato The Enmax Legacy Park, il piu complesso nel suo genere in Canada, per il quale sono stati allocati circa 65 milioni di Dollari per l acquisizione di terreni ma anche per lo sviluppo e la riqualificazione dei parchi sia all interno dell area cittadina di Calgary che al di fuori dei confini in aree dal potenziale sviluppo. Questo programma rappresenta una visione di lungo periodo mirata a sottolineare l importanza rivestita dagli spazi aperti e dai parchi sia per le generazioni attuali che per quelle futura. 12 CONEXUS SPRING 2007

13 Q: In the past year, 25,000 people moved to Calgary (about 70 people a day). What is being done to keep up with the demand for property without infringing on this green space? City Council has a goal to increase density in the city, but not at the expense of open space. In recognition of this goal, we have developed several strategies, and there are three key points to mention. First, it is important to note that none of the City s open space has been used for development. This is critical because it has ensured that our city-owned open spaces have been maintained as open spaces, and not sacrificed for other forms of development. Second, developers are required to contribute 10% of developable land for parks in the city when new land is developed. This ensures we will maintain a balance between residential expansion and park development. Third, in the downtown what we call the Centre City we have the highest residential densities and the lowest quantity of open space, and we recognize that the value of land within the Centre City can make it extremely difficult to acquire future open space. With this in mind, we have endorsed a Centre City Open Space Management Plan that focuses on accessibility and quality and includes strategies to protect all current open space, and further, to acquire open space in order to ensure local residents are within 450 meters of a park, which is about a five minute walk. Calgary s parks are a huge contributor to the quality of life in Calgary, socially, environmentally and economically. This world class system, along with close access to the mountains, attracts companies, families and young workers to settle in Calgary and ensures Calgarians continue to enjoy high quality park and open space opportunities now and into the future. Labour shortage: Calgary experienced record growth in With the rapid growth felt in the past year, challenges such as increased housing prices and labour shortages in key sectors have come to the forefront. Increased housing prices have an impact on Calgary s ability to attract labour and, attracting labour has an impact on increasing housing prices. However, it is important to keep in mind that Calgary remains one of the lowest major Canadian centres for housing costs when you factor in property tax and utilities. In order to attract new people to Calgary we would like to see additional rental housing come on-stream to help alleviate some of the pressure. We also ask people to be informed before they make the decision to move to Calgary. To ensure a successful relocation to Calgary, we highly recommend that they secure housing prior to moving or at least fully inform themselves of the reality of Calgary s real estate market. They can visit for information on moving to Calgary. D: Nell ultimo anno si sono trasferite a Calgary all incirca 25,000 persone ( quasi 70 persone al giorno). Che cosa e stato fatto per rimanere al passo con le richieste di acquisto di immobili senza infrangere gli spazi verdi? Il Consiglio Cittadino ha come obiettivo quello di aumentare la densita cittadina, ma non a spese dello spazio verde. In ragione di cio abbiamo sviluppato diverse strategie e qui di seguito ne verranno spiegati i punti principali. Quale primo punto e importante sottolineare che nessuno spazio aperto della citta e stato utilizzato per l espansione demografica. Tale punto e cruciale perche assicura che i nostri spazi verdi sono stati mantenuti tali e non sono stati sacrificati per altre forme di sviluppo. Come secondo punto, sottolineo che agli sviluppatori viene richiesto di dedicare il 10% della terra edificabile in ciascun nuovo progetto nella costruzione di parchi cittadini, Questo ci assicura il mantenimento di un equilibrio fra l espansione residenziale e lo sviluppo dei parchi. Quale terzo punto, nel centro cittadino abbiamo la piu alta densita residenziale, ma la piu scarsa concentrazione di spazio all aperto e riconosciamo che il valore della terra all interno del centro citta puo rendere estremamente difficile l acquisizione di terre per il futuro spazio verde. A tal fine, abbiamo approvato un programma denominato Centre City Open Space Management che si focalizza sull accessibilita e sulla qualita e che include strategie volte a proteggere il corrente spazio aperto, ma che ci permette anche di acquistare nuovi spazi aperti in modo da assicurare ai residenti la possibilita di raggiungere un parco in 450 metri, ovvero con una passeggiata di 5 minuti. I parchi di Calgary costituiscono un grande contributo alla qualita della vita dal punto di vista sociale, ambientale ed economico. Questo fattore, insieme alla vicinanza alle montagne, costituisce un punto d attrazione per molte aziende, giovani lavoratori ma anche famiglie intenzionate a stabilirsi a Calgary e permette ai cittadini di poter continuare ad approfittare sino in fondo delle opportunita offerte da questi meravigliosi spazi verdi. Carenza di manodopera: Nel 2006 Calgary e stata protagonista di una crescita da record. Problematiche come l aumento dei prezzi delle case e la carenza di manodopera in alcuni settori chiave stanno emergendo a seguito di questa rapida crescita verificatasi nell ultimo anno. L aumento dei prezzi degli immobili ha un impatto sulla capacita di Calgary di attrarre forza lavoro e il fatto di attrarre lavoro ha, a sua volta, un impatto sulla crescita dei prezzi delle case. Comunque e importante ricordare che Calgary rimane una delle citta del Canada dove i prezzi delle case si mantengono piu bassi per quanto riguarda le spese di gestione e le tasse relative alla proprieta. Per poter attrarre nuovi cittadini a Calgary sarebbe auspicabile un aumento del numero delle case in affitto per permettere di alleviare la situazione venutasi a creare. Chiediamo, inoltre, alle persone che intendono trasferirsi a Calgary di informarsi anticipatamente. Onde evitare spiacevoli sorprese raccomandiamo fortemente ai cittadini che intendono trasferirsi di provvedere anticipatamente ad una sistemazione o,al limite, di informarsi sulle reali caratteristiche del mercato immobiliare di Calgary. CONEXUS SPRING

14 REGIONAL FOCUS Q: Calgary s housing prices are becoming out of reach for many. Can you explain any low cost housing initiatives? Affordable Housing While close to 70% of all Calgarians are home owners, Calgary City Council recognizes the need to ensure that citizens have access to safe and affordable housing. The City works in partnership with many local organizations to address the needs within our community. Affordable housing is a City Council priority, with a target of increasing the non-market rental affordable housing supply by 600 units from 2006 to Council unanimously approved the commitment of $20 million to support this target over the three year timeframe. In 2006, The City of Calgary participated in the establishment of 214 affordable housing units through partnership or direct development. Q: How is the problem of homelessness being managed? Homelessness Despite considerable efforts over the past two decades by The City of Calgary and local organizations, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Calgary continues to grow. The City of Calgary s response to homelessness is three-fold: a focus on funding preventive programs through the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) program; a commitment to increase the supply of safe and affordable housing (a key component to prevention and ending homelessness); and a focus on research and advocacy. On January 9, 2007, The Calgary Committee to End Homelessness was established as a result of increasing community concern for this issue and to go beyond managing the poblem to finding a solution. The committee brings together all orders of government and all sectors of the community to develop a ten-year plan to end homelessness that will be presented to Calgarians in early While the provision of homeless shelters is the responsibility of other orders of government, The City frequently plays a role in supporting emergency responses. This includes the recent initiative by The City and community organization to implement a temporary solution for the 2006/07 winter months. City Transit vehicles were used to provide warming facilities. The Calgary Stampede Grandstand was temporarily opened as an emergency response, and a temporary shelter was opened in December that will be operated by a community agency until the end of March The City also contributes to the community s knowledge of homelessness and related issues through the undertaking of research projects (eg. Biennial Count of Homeless Persons in Calgary) and reports on households at risk. This information is used by The City and local organizations to assist in understanding the current situation and address the needs of Calgarians. D: Il mercato immobiliare di Calgary sta diventando molto costoso. Potrebbe informarci circa le iniziative piu economiche? Case a prezzi abbordabili Nonostante quasi il 70% di tutti gli abitanti di Calgary sono proprietari della propria casa, il Consiglio Comunale riconosce il bisogno di assicurare ai cittadini una sistemazione sicura e a basso costo. La citta lavora in partnership con molte organizzazioni locali per rispondere ai bisogni all interno della nostra comunita. La necessita di garantire delle case popolari rappresenta una priorita per il consiglio cittadino che si e posto l obiettivo di aumentare l offerta degli alloggi popolari di 600 unta tra il 2006 e il Il Consiglio ha approvato all unanimita l impiego di 20 milioni di Dollari per supportare tale iniziativa nei prossimi tre anni. Nel 2006 la citta di Calgary ha partecipato, attraverso partnership o investimento diretto, alla creazione di 214 alloggi a prezzi abbordabili. D: Come viene gestito il problema dei senza tetto? Senzatetto Nonostante i considerevoli sforzi negli ultimi 20 anni da parte della citta di Calgary e da organizzazioni locali, il numero dei senzatetto e in continua crescita. La risposta della citta a questo problema e triplice: focalizzazione sul finanziamento di programmi mirati alla prevenzione attraverso il Family and Community Support Services (FCSS); impegno ad aumentare l offerta di case popolari (componente fondamentale per prevenire e diminuire il problema); focus sulla ricerca ed una pressione maggiore verso queste tematiche Il 9 Gennaio 2007 e stato stabilito il Comitato di Calgary su End Homelessness come risposta all aumento delle preoccupazioni dei cittadini per questo problema e per riuscire ad andare oltre alla semplice ricerca di una soluzione. Il Comitato riunisce tutti gli organi di governo e tutti i settori della Comunita con lo scopo di sviluppare un programma, che ha come fine quello di far diminuire il problema dei senzatetto, della durata di 10 anni e che sara presentato a Calgary all inizio del Mentre la fornitura di ripari ai senzatetto è di responsabilità di altri ordini del governo, la città svolge frequentemente un ruolo chiave nelle risposte a questa emergenza. Questo include la recente iniziativa promossa dalla citta e dalle organizzazioni della comunita per implementare una soluzione provvisoria da attuare nei mesi invernali del 2006/2007. Alcuni veicoli per il trasporto cittadino sono stati usati per garantire delle strutture di riscaldamento, lo Stampede Grandstand di Calgary e stato temporaneamente adibito come risposta all emergenza e un riparo provvisorio e stato aperto a Dicembre e sara gestito da un agenzia della comunita fino alla fine di Marzo La citta, inoltre, contribuisce alla diffusione di una maggiore conoscenza in merito alla problematica relativa ai senzatetto attraverso l istituzione di progetti di ricerca (per esempio: Biennial Count of Homeless Persons a Calgary) e di rapporti sulle famiglie a rischio. Queste informazioni sono usate dalla citta e dalle organizzazioni locali per aiutarci a capire la situazione corrente e per dare risposta ai bisogni dei Calgaritani. 14 CONEXUS SPRING 2007

15 Q&A WITH MAYOR STEPHEN MANDEL Q: Considering the tremendous growth and building that is happening in the city, what is currently being done to maintain green space? Edmonton s parks, trails, river valley and natural areas connect Edmontonians to their community, to the environment and to one another. Open spaces provide yearround recreation, relaxation, natural beauty and ecological integrity to Alberta s capital city. Our parks breathe life and sustainability into a vibrant urban environment. The City of Edmonton recognizes the importance of protecting and preserving these natural treasures, and so we created an Urban Parks Management Plan mapping out a plan to manage the City s parkland through 2016 and beyond. It looks at how the City will acquire, design, construct, maintain, preserve and use parkland. This vision for the future park system ensures that all Edmontonians will benefit from the rich, green legacy that we require and enjoy, for generations to come. Q: Edmonton is expected to experience Canada s biggest hiring boom in 2007, how will these positions be filled considering the enormous manpower shortages the province is facing? Filling all the jobs, even with the 200,000 newcomers expected to move to Edmonton in the next decade, is going to be a challenge. Business and the economy will create the jobs. Our challenge is to attract the professionals, service-industry workers and trades people and their families by capitalizing on all the factors that make Edmonton a desirable place to work, live and raise their families. D: Tenendo conto dello sviluppo e delle continue costruzioni che stanno avendo luogo in città, che cosa si sta effettivamente facendo per mantenere lo spazio verde? I parchi, le aree naturali, i fiumi e i sentieri di Edmonton collegano gli abitanti di Edmonton alla loro comunita, all ambiente e tra di loro. Gli spazi all aperto garantiscono la possibilita di rilassarsi, di godere delle bellezze naturali e dell integrita ecologica offerta dalla capitale dell Alberta per tutto l anno. I nostri parchi infondono vita e sostenibilita in un vibrante ambiente urbano. La citta di Edmonton riconosce l importanza di proteggere e preservare queste bellezze naturali e per questo abbiamo creato un Urban Parks Managment Plan che ha come obiettivo quello dare origine ad un piano per la gestione dei parchi cittadini fino al 2016 ed oltre. Tale piano definisce come la citta acquisira, progettera, costruira, manterra, preservera e utilizzera i parchi. Questa visione per il futuro assicura che le prossime generazioni beneficeranno di questa ricca e verde eredita. D: Si preannuncia che Edmonton sara protagonista del piu grande boom in Canada delle assunzioni nel 2007, come si pensa che questo verra gestito considerando l enorme carenza di forza lavoro all interno della provincia? Riuscire a coprire tutte le posizioni, anche considerando i nuovi abitanti che secondo le previsioni si trasferiranno ad Edmonton nei prossimi dieci anni, rimane una sfida.il commercio e l economia creeranno i posti di lavoro. La nostra sfida CONEXUS SPRING

16 REGIONAL FOCUS One strategy is finding ways to help immigrant and newcomer populations fit in and quickly feel like Edmonton is home identifying some of the barriers to immigration and find ways to relieve them. We re also making sure Edmonton has the quality-of-life elements that people expect and deserve things like parks, art galleries, entertainment and sports and recreation opportunities that will make workers want to come here, bring their families, and stay. Edmonton Economic Development Corporation is playing a role with projects like Images if Edmonton magazine, focusing on Edmonton s enticing portfolio of people advantages: a diverse, affordable quality of life; top-rated health care and education; great recreational opportunities; and rich cultural amenities. And their online initiatives like the Tell Somebody recruitment campaign ( and Move to Edmonton ( that tell people about the quality of life in Edmonton, our health and education systems, housing information, job searching and more. Q: A recent count of Edmonton s homeless population showed 2,600 people don t have a place to live, a 20 per cent increase from two years ago. What is being done to deal with this? The City has been working diligently to address affordable housing through initiatives like Cornerstones a five-year plan to help increase affordable housing and ensure adequate and decent housing for Edmontonians. The goal is to create 2500 more affordable housing units in the next five years. One aspect encourages developers to build affordable housing units by the City reducing some of the development costs rebating municipal fees and charges (building permit fees, water/sewer hook-up fees, water and gas servicing, electrical/ mechanical permits for example) when developers build affordable housing units. We ve already reached an agreement with a developer that has agreed to make five percent of the units in a new project available to the city at 15 percent below list price or giving the city that discount in cash. We also launched a pilot project that offers a $200 per month subsidy on 400 existing rental units for the next five years, making those units affordable to more Edmontonians. Five million dollars has been allocated to the Cornerstones initiative. Q: What type of urban planning is presently being done to stop the urban sprawl and maintain Edmonton`s green spaces? Edmonton is changing the way the city develops. The City s Smart Choices initiative is designed to reduce urban sprawl, make suburbs more energy efficient, encourage pedestrianfriendly communities and redevelop older neighbourhoods. It includes policies that encourage redevelopment in existing e quella di attrarre professionisti, lavoratori nell industria dei servizi e operai specializzati, con relative famiglie, puntando su tutti quei fattori che rendono Edmonton un paese felice in cui lavorare, vivere e crescere la propria famiglia. Una strategia risiede nel trovare delle soluzioni che possano aiutare gli immigranti ed i nuovi arrivati ad integrarsi e ad identificare Edmonton come la propria casa, attraverso ad esempio l identificazione delle barriere all immigrazione e di possibili modi per superare questo problema. Al contempo ci stiamo assicurando che Edmonton abbia gli elementi di qualita di vita che le cittadini si aspettano e meritano: parchi, gallerie d arte, divertimenti, opportunita di svago e attivita sportive, che spingano i lavoratori a trasferirsi qui con le proprie famiglie. L Edmonton Economic Development Corporation sta avendo un ruolo attivo in diversi progetti come la rivista Images of Edmonton e che si focalizza sull intera gamma di elementi positivi che le persone possono trovare ad Edmonton: una qualita di vita differente ed accessibile; un sistema sanitario ed educativo di livello superiore;una vasta gamma di opportunita di svago e di attivita culturali. Ma anche servizi disponibili on-line, come la campagna per il recrutamento Tell somebody ( e che informa le persone sulla qualita di vita di Edmonton, sul nostro sistema scolastico e sanitario, sulle informazioni per cercare casa, un lavoro e molto altro. D: Una recente stima circa la popolazione dei senzatetto di Edmonton afferma che circa persone non hanno un posto dove vivere, un aumento del 20% rispetto a due anni fa. Cosa si sta facendo per affrontare questa problematica? La citta sta lavorando attivamente per per dare un alloggio a queste persone attraverso diverse iniziative come, per esempio, Cornerstones ovvero un piano di durata quinquiennale che ha come obiettivo quello di aumentare il numero degli alloggi popolari e assicurare un alloggio decoroso agli abitanti di Edmonton. L obiettivo e la creazione di 2500 nuove sistemazioni economiche nei prossimi cinque anni. Incoraggiamo i costruttori nella costruzione di queste unita abitative riducendo alcuni costi edilizi, sgravando gli oneri municipali (tasse di licenza per la costruzione, per il collegamento alle fognature ed ai servizi di acqua e gas, ma anche permessi per l elettricita solo per citare alcuni esempi) ogni volta che costruiscono unita abitative economiche. Abbiano gia raggiunto un accordo con un costruttore che ha accettato di destinare il 5% delle unita abitative di un nuovo progetto, ad un valore inferiore al prezzo di mercato di circa il 15% o donando alla citta un importo in contanti pari a tale risparmio. Abbiamo anche lanciato un progetto pilota che offre un sussidio pari a 200$ al mese per 400 unita abitative da affittare, rendendole economicamente accessibili per un maggior numero di abitanti di Edmonton. All iniziativa Cornerstones sono stati destinati 5 milioni di dollari. 16 CONEXUS SPRING 2007

17 D: Che tipo di progetto urbano e stato attualmente previsto per fermare l espansione urbana incontrollata e per garantire il mantenimento degli spazi verdi di Edmonton? Edmonton cambia a secondo di come la citta si sviluppa. L iniziativa cittadina denominata Smart Choice e stata progettata per ridurre l incontrollata espansione cittadina, rendere i sobborghi piu efficenti dal punto di vista energetico, incoraggiare la creazione di quartieri destinati unicamente ai pedoni e per ricostruire i quartieri piu antichi. Include inoltre politiche per la ristrutturazione dei quartieri gia esistenti, per costruire case piu vicine al sistema dei trasporti ferroviario e stradale e per avere quartieri e cittadini che possono vivere piu vicino al centro cittadino. I benefici che ne derivano sono molteplici: riusciamo a far un miglior uso dei servizi e delle infrastrutture cittadine gia esistenti e riduciamo la necessita di costose strade, fogne, marciapiedi, scuole, parchi e ambienti ricreativi. Nel momento in cui mettiamo a disposizione una piu ampia scelta di abitazioni per le giovani famiglie creiamo anche una citta piu sostenibile dal punto ambientale, piu vivibile a piedi e meno dipendente dalle automobili. neighbourhoods, housing that s close to LRT and transit routes, and having more neighbourhoods and more people living closer to the city-core. The benefits are numerous: we make better use of existing community facilities and infrastructure and we reduce the need for costly new roads, sewers, sidewalks, schools, parks and recreation facilities. We also create a more environmentally sustainable city that is more walkable and less automobile dependent while providing greater housing choice for young families. Q: Rapid population growth has led to heavier demands being placed on the Edmonton Transit System (ETS). The equipment is aging and perhaps not sufficient. What type of funding and other measures are being put in place to curtail this growing problem? Last year there were 57 million passengers on Edmonton s buses, trolleys and LRT trains up 5.5 percent from 2005 the largest annual rise in our history. We re looking at buying another 11 LRT cars to handle higher volumes, and have approved funds to replace old buses and enhance service with more than 200 new modern, more efficient low-floor buses over the next 18 months. As well, the South LRT extension to Century Park will help address growth in south Edmonton, and to ensure we keep pace with future growth, this year we ll hire a consultant to assess our public transit needs and develop a five year plan to make sure we can meet them. D: La rapida crescita della popolazione ha incrementato la domanda di disponibilita sul sistema dei trasporti di Edmonton (ETS). Il sistema e vecchio e forse non ha capacita sufficiente. Che tipi di finanziamenti ed altre misure state prendendo per limitare questo crescente problema? Nell ultimo anno sugli autobus, filobus e tr0eni di Edmonton hanno viaggiato circa 57 milioni di passeggeri. Cio corrisponde ad una crescita del 5.5% rispetto al 2005, il piu alto incremento annuale della nostra storia. Stiamo pensando di acquisire eleven nuovi vagoni ferroviari per affrontare questa maggiore domanda e abbiamo approvato i fondi necessari per sostituire i vecchi bus e potenziare il sistema nei prossimi 18 mesi con oltre 200 nuovi mezzi, moderni e piu efficienti. Inoltre, l estensione del sistema ferroviario in direzione di Century Park aiutera ad indirizzare la crescita nella zona a Sud di Edmonton, e per assicurare una tranquilla gestione della crescita futura, quest anno assumeremo un consulente che valuti i nostri bisogni in merito ai trasporti pubblici e che sviluppi un piano quinquiennale con l obiettivo di assicurare il raggiungimento degli obiettivi preposti. CONEXUS SPRING

18 ASK THE EXPERTS All leather is not created equal Going cheap can cost you more in the end Be wary of cheap knockoffs; they may look nice in the showroom but can quickly fall apart with use Leather is arguably the most luxurious and desirable upholstery material available. However, like anything in high demand, the consumer must be wary. With a recent explosion of inexpensive leather furniture flooding local retail and wholesale markets, it may have become one of the most difficult to purchase without getting ripped off. What is so special about quality leather? Fine leather furniture is an investment which can last a lifetime. The depth of colour, rich textures, and resilient strength are features any synthetic alternative is hard pressed to match. These enviable characteristics are only found in premium quality leather, most notably, leather created by Italian tanneries. For centuries, Italian craftspeople have been fine-tuning the art of leather tanning, passing down their well-guarded knowledge to subsequent generations. Their expertise in selecting the best raw materials, their processes for tanning, and of course, their passion for design all contribute to a finished product which is world renowned. A timeless classic, this authentic Barcelona chair starts at US $3499 and takes 28 hours of highly skilled labour to hand sew and pipe it s quality Consequences of buying cheap leather furniture Taking advantage of the demand for Italian leather furniture, low-cost foreign manufacturers are producing cheap knock-offs which, to the untrained eye, look very similar to the real thing. Advertisements boasting terms like 100% Leather or Real Italian Leather confuse consumers into thinking that they are buying the same premium leather products that sell for many times the price. Because of weak labelling requirements, none of these terms actually indicate the true quality of the leather being used. a leather buying tip $1299 for a Real Italian Leather sofa? No way. Raw materials alone would cost near that amount, before import costs and retail markup. The cost of your furniture is more or less directly related to its quality and performance. Look to spend $3000 and up for a quality, 3-person, real Italian leather sofa. Low sticker price aside, consider the following realities of buying cheap leather: ü ü ü cheap leather will crack or pool in as little as a few months colours will fade, and in some cases even stain clothing the leather grain (which is fake) will quickly disappear in high wear areas. Protecting yourself against imitations and knock-offs Ask questions and do your homework. Find out where the product was manufactured, and then research the manufacturer s reputation and choice of materials. Don t be afraid to have your furniture custom built locally with materials you can pick yourself. See our online resource for more information on leather types and origins. Chances are, if the retailer doesn t know the answers to your questions, you are probably not getting what you want. You can find more information on buying leather, recommended local manufacturers, and access to unbiased leather experts that can help provide practical answers to your questions at com/resources. Dragonfly Surfaces Inc. is a Vancouver-based importer of fine European materials and hardware which caters exclusively to designers and manufacturers in Western Canada. importers of fine italian leather and furniture hardware CONEXUS SPRING 2007

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