Real-Time GPS Tracking Is Rolling Out on Calgary Transit Buses

It's a new and innovative service that's being offered on select buses to passengers. Calgary Transit is testing its new information system on certain buses across the city. This system works on real-time and approximately 200 city buses out of the 1000 that are a part of the fleet have been equipped with the new devices.

If you're on one of these buses you'll be able to see a visual display that shows the next stop location. The display will also be able to announce the next stop through its built-in speakers.

All buses will carry this new technology within three months. Riders are encouraged to send feedback on the new system. Bus operators will have the forms available or you are welcome to call 262-1000 to leave your comments.

By the end of…

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The Perfect Summer Camps for Children That Love Science

If you have a young, budding, mad scientist on your hands, you may want to check out the Mad Science Camps that are being run this summer. There are 4 different camps to choose from and they're all different and unique.

Mad Science Mayhem

This is an awesome camp for children from 6 to 10 years of age. Every day, kids will be able to discover something new and exciting about science. On one day a child may learn about crazy chemistry and then explore outer space the following day.

Robot Madness

This is a 5-day robot camp that gives kids the chance to explore robotics in depth. Campers will learn about robots through experiments and interaction and then will build 2 robots themselves! This camp is available to kids aged 7 to 12.

Mini Mad Science

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Canadians Are Carrying Less Mortgage Debt

There has been a lot of concern lately about the amount of debt that Canadians have been accumulating. Many people have been stretching their limits to get a bigger home, a better car and faraway vacations. According to a new report that has been released by Royal Bank, however, Canadians are now taking on less debt overall.

In May, the overall debt accumulation growth per household in Canada remained at 4.2%. This was approximately the same level as the 3 previous months. Outstanding debts for mortgages were at $1.23 trillion with the annualized growth slowing down a bit from 5.1% in April to 5% in May.

Borrowing for other items other than mortgages increased from 2% in April to 2.2% in May. Borrowing for business purposes also became stronger during…

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Upcoming Festival: Marda Gras Street Festival

Every year on the second Sunday of August Marda Gras comes to town. This New Orleans themed street festival makes the streets come alive. And the best part is the entire event is free to the public. You can come out and hang out at the Marda Loop and have a great time.

As you can imagine there are a lot of really great events schedule on this day. The party gets started at 10am and goes until 5pm. During this time thousands of Calgarians will make their way to the Marda Loop to experience not only the culture of New Orleans but the food as well. If you have children you can bring them along for fun and games too. The entertainment is free for everyone.

At the Kids Quarter you will find face painting, sports, games, a bouncy castle and so much more.…

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Get Ready to 'Slide the City'

If everything goes as planned, Calgarians will have the chance to ride down a 300m water slide as part of a 'Slide the City' event. It's a new concept that would close a city road or two in order to accommodate a giant slide.

The first event was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was a roaring success. The idea was created by T. R. Gourley, a movie producer that loves water. At the first event, a crowd of 3,000 people arrived to make their way down the giant slide.

Mr. Gourley is interested in expanding his operations and has put together a plan for a 2015 Canadian tour. Calgary is one of the cities that is on the list. Nothing is official yet, however, since city administrators will need to be contacted and they must give approval first.

Other…

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Why Calgary Can Be Considered the Hottest City in Canada

While Calgary isn't actually the hottest city temperature-wise in Canada, it can be considered to be the hottest city in a variety of other ways. Below you'll find the 6 factors that make Calgary stand out above the other major metropolitan centres in Canada.

1. Economic growth

It's expected that Calgary will be leading the other cities in terms of economic growth in 2014. The Conference Board of Canada predicts that the economic growth in the city will rise at a pace of 3.4%.

2. Employment opportunities

The jobless rate in Calgary sits at a low 5.4%. The Conference Board of Canada also predicts a 2.2% increase in employment growth for this city from 2015 up to 2018.

3. Calgary's housing market

The housing market in Calgary is smoking hot with…

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High Sales and Lower Prices in Airdrie in June

Airdrie is one of the surrounding towns around Calgary that is famous for its lower-priced real estate and its quiet bedroom community. As the market continues to remain tight for single-family homes in the city of Calgary more and more people are looking at Airdrie as a possible long-term place to call home.

In June, record high sales were reported in Airdrie and at the same time the average sale price for a home dropped on a month over month basis. The average home price dropped from $399,000 to $384,000 in June. Although prices fell on a month over month basis in June in Airdrie, they were still up 12.2% when compared to the June 2013 figures. In Calgary, the overall average sale price of residential homes increased in June to $492,000 from $487,000,…

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Calgary's Population Reaches Close to 1.2 Million

Calgary continued to grow at a record pace during the last year with its population reaching close to 1.2 million residents. Right now, there are 1,195,194 people living in the city. This is a rise of 3.33% and an increase of 38,508 residents when compared to last year's figures.

More people are moving into Calgary than out of it and this growth level is close to the level that was seen back in 2010. There were 28,017 more people moving into this city than moving away from it from April 2013 up until April 2014. As well, Calgary experienced a natural increase of 10,491 residents due to the number of births over the amount of deaths.

These numbers are coming from the Civic Census Report Book, which takes a look at the population growth in Calgary.…

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Canada's Condo Generation in 2014

Recently, Maclean's magazine ran an article about the condo generation that was extremely interesting. If you have a family and are thinking about purchasing a condo, this is a must-read. While there are a lot of benefits to condo living, there are some drawbacks to family-living in a condominium that you should think about first.

Lack of 2-3 bedroom units

It will be harder to find a 2 to 3 bedroom condominium unit than it would be to find a one-bedroom. When the developers are putting together their plans to build a high-rise building, they need a certain amount of pre-sales before the actual construction can start. In most cases the developers are looking for sales of at least 80% of the units. Pre-sales carry forward the construction process and…

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Upcoming Event: The Calgary Highland Games

Calgary Highland Games have something to offer everyone. Games begin on August 30th and is held at Sprinbank Park. Some of the games that are offered include heavy events, piping, dancing, Viking battle, and free Ceilidh.

These games are very popular in the Western Canada region. They have been held every since 1913, and happens to be one of the oldest events in North America. The Calgary Highland Games are having their 100 year celebration this year. This event allows individuals from West Alberta to embrace their Scottish heritage.

This is an amazing opportunity for others to learn about the Scottish heritage, including food and traditions. The games will start on Friday, August 30th with a Scottish Highlander Kicking hunger. Numerous soccer games…

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