Despite commentary by The City of Calgary about the reduced number of assessment appeals in recent years and less volatility in the real estate market there is nothing to suggest that the 2013 property assessments are on balance more fair and equitable then in prior years. In the circumstances continued vigilance [...]
BOMA Calgary Blog
A False Sense of Security?
By William G.R. Partridge, President & Chief Staff Officer A general evacuation order has been issued. You have a few short hours to prepare yourself. Are you ready? What are the consequences if you are not? Hurricane/tropical storm Sandy forced one of the largest evacuations seen on the eastern seaboard. It also precipitated the [...]
Municipality is Examining More Ways to Tax You
There is no denying that it costs a great deal of money to operate a city like Calgary. There is no denying that we must pay taxes, even though we may gripe about it. There is no denying that people in cities like Calgary continuously seem to demand more and more services from the City. [...]
Of Municipal Funding, Debt and Accountability
In previous blogs, we provided an overview of Charter Cities, and we briefly discussed the origins of responsible self-government in Canada. This serial entry on the larger issue of cities will focus on the nature of cities themselves and the role they could play in the future of Alberta. Are cities equipped for the future? [...]
The Origins of Local Government in Canada
Early history lessons about government in Canada are coming back to life as a consequence of looking into charter cities. Alberta will review its Municipal Government Act soon and one of the points of discussion will be charter cities or some special consideration for the two principal cities of Calgary and Edmonton. As point in [...]
Charter Cities: A Backgrounder
A “charter” is a document or a statute that grants specified rights, powers, privileges, or functions from the sovereign power of the state to an individual, corporation, city, or other unit of local organization. The charter cities that currently exist in Canada draw their origins back to early historic arrangements. Typically a charter is appropriate [...]
What People Are Saying About…Building on the Bow
“This book is very special to me. BOMA Calgary gave me a list of buildings, but I was given the freedom to make all of the artistic decisions like photographing the buildings from the street, and only from outside, and that the images would be in monochrome. I needed to take a broad view of [...]
Photographic Book to Artfully Capture Evolution of Calgary’s Commercial Real Estate
Calgary – 31 May, 2012 BOMA Calgary celebrates Calgary’s designation as Cultural Capital of Canada 2012 CALGARY, AB (Marketwire – June 5, 2012) — A fine-art photographic book and print exhibition is to be launched this month by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Calgary. This collection of 63 high-resolution monochrome images is [...]
Be the Keenest Eye in Calgary Commercial Real Estate
In celebration of BOMA Calgary’s Building on the Bow book launch, we thought we would challenge you – our highly knowledgeable BOMA Calgary members – to see if you can identify the buildings in these images, which have been cropped almost beyond recognition! Answers will be revealed at BOMA’s book launch event on Thursday, June [...]
Are Property Rights Under Assault?
In the 12 October edition of The Calgary Herald, it is reported that a member of City Council is seeking to block development of private land. The subject site is the Shaw-Nee Golf Course. The private golf course was uneconomic and its owners decided to sell. The new owners seek to develop the land into [...]