Calgary Real Estate Blog

Despite sensational headlines and the occasional, truly shocking and tragic violent crime (of which there have been two too many in recent months), it bears a reminder that Calgary is a remarkably safe place in which to live. Our crime rate, along with the rest of the country, has been on a downward slope over the past 40-plus years, and last year our fine city was ranked 25th out of 33 cities in terms of crime rate (Toronto had the lowest number of crimes-per-100,000 people, while Kelowna, BC had the highest).

Surely there are a multitude of factors contributing to our safe streets. Effective policing, especially on the prevention side, our mayor’s efforts to build a greater sense of community through things like Neighbour Day, the high rate of employment and relatively good wages available, even our cliched-but-true notion of cowboy hospitality. Are there some neighbourhoods that are rougher than others? Sure there are, as there would be in any city. But they’re all pretty safe, especially compared to pretty much anywhere south of the border.

As we grieve, en mass as a city, for Nathan O’Brien and his grandparents, along with the five university students murdered at a party in April, it’s important to maintain perspective with regard to how violent – or not violent, as the case may be – Calgary is as a whole. There will always be senseless crimes in the world, but there will also be inspiring feats of generosity and caring, and in Calgary the latter greatly outnumbers the former.

Just prior to the civic election, an article appeared in the Calgary Sun, furnished by the Canadian Home Builders Association – Calgary Region (CHBA-CR), raising the old arguments of a lack of serviced land in the city. The article ominously predicts the city will run out of serviced land by 2018, and bedroom communities such as Airdrie will be the only hope for those looking to purchase new homes.

However, a joint statement released last March by both Mayor Nenshi’s office and the very same CHBA-CR responsible for the Sun article detailed how Calgary currently had 22 square kilometres of serviced land available for new developments – enough for six new Auburn Bay-sized communities – with another 28 square kilometres planned for approval by the end of 2014. That remains as true today as it did seven months ago.

So, now that the election’s over, lets all just calm down and enjoy the fantastic shape our city’s in, the high quality of life Calgarians enjoy, and the wide diversity of new and longstanding communities in which we can raise our families.