Welcome to my Edmonton Housing Blog! I offer information on the Edmonton area real estate market in this section, including useful tips and reports on market conditions.

Edmonton Housing Blog, September 20, 2011 - Breakthrough For MS Sufferers Found at Edmonton’s U of A

Researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton are closing in on a cure for multiple sclerosis, or MS. They have been working with steroids, and have found that by increasing the levels of these drugs in the brains of MS sufferers, they may reverse the effects of the disease, and possibly even cure it.

The steroids apparently suppressed the genes responsible for the disease, noted neurologist Dr. Chris Power, one of the researchers. MS attacks brain tissue and the spinal cord, and causes an inflammation that can eventually cause paralysis and blindness. Neurosteroids enable the brain cells to keep communicating and also helps to spur the repair and re-growth of affected cells. After studying the brains of MS patients that had succumbed to the disease, it was discovered that their tissues had lower levels of these neurosteroids.

The study involves replacing these naturally occurring neurosteroids, either by injection or orally. Since these steroid replacement drugs are created from cholesterol, a naturally occurring substance, patients should have few if any side effects. Since the clinical trial is still underway, there is no timeline for when the treatment will be available to the public. Funding for the project came from the MS Society of Canada, Alberta Health Innovates and the Canadian Institute of Health Research.

Edmonton Housing Blog, August 29, 2011 - Financial Advisors Suggest Paying Off Debt Before Investing

Interest rates are at all time lows right now, but those considering investing in either real estate or other items might want to consider paying off debt first. Allan Hacking, who is a financial guru with Edmonton’s Fundex Investments, believes this is the best plan in this volatile environment.

Hacking also advises that you consider your temperament, and just how much risk that temperament can comfortable handle. On the debt paying strategy, he notes that doing so can actually help you to make money. He notes that a rate of prime at three percent would really cost investors about five percent, simply because the taxes are taken out before you can use the money to pay off debt.

The Bank of Canada is not going to be raising interest rates anytime soon, a measure to combat backwash from the financial minefield in the United States. That is good for those with variable rate mortgages or lines of credit. Rates are expected to stay low until perhaps 2013. Changes will depend on what happens with the global economy.

But if you plan on investing, the safest ventures right now are in stocks with a good dividend, corporate debt and real estate trusts. Corporations appear to be weathering the financial storm quite well. These types of investments do minimize your risk, but do not eliminate it.

Edmonton Housing Blog, August 20, 2011 - Tim Horton’s Not Quite So Fresh Anymore, Spurs Franchise Lawsuit

Tim Horton’s has always marketed their donuts as fresh, made from scratch bakery items. It turns out that once upon a time, that was true. In 2002, the head office started to switch to using a central factory to par-bake, or partially bake, the pastries. All of this was brought to light this past Monday when a class action lawsuit brought by franchise owners against the brand began.

The claim was spearheaded by two Burlington franchise owners, Archibald and Anne Jollymore. They alleged that the switch from fresh baked to par-baked was cutting into their profits. The claim has become known as the “Always Fresh” lawsuit. That is the tagline the company uses to market its products.

The par baking started when Tim Horton’s opened their own factory in Brandford, Ontario and required all of their outlets to buy their supplies, the frozen par-baked donuts, from that factory. The cost of buying the pre-made donuts tripled from the bake from scratch rates, cutting into the profits of the franchises. The plaintiff’s attorney, Jerome Morse, noted that the factory charged an unfair markup on the donuts.

Tim Horton’s attorneys, who will be arguing for dismissal, advised that the par-baked donuts save time and waste and cuts labour costs. Plaintiffs are seeking approval to go ahead with the class action suit, which seeks some $1.95 billion and which could have some 500 to 800 franchise owners signing on for the ride.

Edmonton Housing Blog, August 10, 2011 - Edmonton Folk Festival Makes Annual Appearance

The annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival draws visitors from across Canada and beyond. It is a ray of sunshine in a province fielding a host of problems ranging from a struggling real estate market to health-care budget woes. This year, the festival organizers are giving senior citizens something to smile about as well. Anyone 65 and older with proper government ID gets into the festival free.

Terry Wickham is the producer and his vision is turning out to be one big social experiment. In addition to the seniors, kids under 12 are also welcome at no charge. The festival will also continue its efforts to go green. No bottled water, plates are reusable and smoking only allowed in a few designated areas. Littering is frowned upon and the bicycle lock up has its own patrol. The physically challenged have their own section stage right.

Wickham advises there will be a concerted effort to get an accurate count of visitors, and also to see how many children and seniors are attending. The festival, held in Gallagher Park, was already sold out. One of the improvements intended for next year is to make changes in the way tickets are sold. This will give Edmontonians a bit of an advantage in getting tickets, and will help eliminate scalpers.

Also on Wickham’s agenda is to make the festival more appealing to those under 40. The folk music venue was created by the baby boomers. His challenge is to give the festival a more modern twist, while sticking to those over 40 roots. This year, younger festival goers are being enticed by artists such as Imelda May, the Magnetic Zeroes and Edward Sharpe.

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