It’s time for another edition of our weekly column from the A-Team. Here is some important news for this week.
Some positive housing market news came out this week. According to the Fort McMurray REALTORS®, there was a major spike of homes sold in the month of June:
Homes Sold See Major Spike in June
According to the Fort McMurray REALTORS® monthly report, 70 properties were bought – up from the 49 in May.
This is also up from the 48 sold in June 2017.
The Realtors note the 70 homes sold are the most in a single month since nearly 2015.
“The market seems optimist for those both selling and buying properties as recovery continues.” Via mix1037fm.com
This is the latest sign that a balanced market has taken hold on the region: buyers and sellers are on more of an equal platform than last year. However, we expect prices to continue decreasing.
In wildfire news, the Council will proceed with the firebreak safety project, according to Laura Beamish of Fort McMurray Today:
Council passes firebreaks, to talk property issues
The project will create a grass buffer of up to 30 metres between homes and trees. Beyond the 30 metres, trees will be planted.
The decision on proceeding with the project was deferred at a council meeting on June 12 after residents complained to council about a lack of consultation on firebreak boundaries.
In response, the municipality held a Here For You session for affected residents on June 21. The meeting saw 86 residents attend, while 15 written concerns were submitted to the municipality.
Erin O’Neill, operations manager for the Recovery Task Force, said concerns from residents were taken into consideration, including privacy issues for residents and finding solutions for the use of off-highway vehicles. h/t fortmcmurraytoday.com
Many residents agree with the decision, but issues with firebreak boundaries are proving to be a sticking point.
Credit: fortmcmurraytoday.com
Lastly, the local unemployment rate has increased for the third straight month. From My McMurray:
Slight increase to unemployment rate
Statistics Canada is reporting that the number slightly rose from 6.4 per cent in May to 6.5 per cent in June.
Roughly, 400 jobs were lost in the Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake region throughout last month.
Provincially, the unemployment rate also increased from 6.2 to 6.5 per cent.
The national unemployment rate is 6.0 per cent. read more at mymcmurray.com
The decline In the Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake region reverses a series of consecutive month-over-month gains.
That’s all for this weeks’ roundup. Check back on The A-Team blog for more news and updates on Fort McMurray.