This and That

$2 billion investment in Alberta oilsands - A Chinese energy giant is making a nearly $2-billion investment in the Canadian oilsands. Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. says PetroChina is buying a 60 per cent working interest in its Mackay River and Dover oilsands projects in northeastern Alberta.

Although Canada's economy is tied to the U.S our oilsands are bringing interest from around the world. It is a valuable safe source of oil.

New online service makes home buying smarter, swifter for Canadians - Zoocasa.com -- a recently launched online site promises to make searching for a new home an exhilarating and productive experience for Canadians. Zoocasa offers a wealth of "neighbourhood information" for its more than 100,000 home listings.

Sounds interesting!

Location Selected For Alberta Nuclear Plant - According to a report by the CanWest News Service, Energy Alberta Corp. has said that it has formally requested permission from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to construct a pair of twin-unit Candu reactors about 500 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

"Building a nuclear power facility is a long and rigorous process. This is the beginning of a public and regulatory process that will include environmental, health and safety assessments," said Wayne Henuset, Energy Alberta's president and co-chairman, who termed the application a "historic moment" for the province's nuclear power industry.

Hopefully this will help reduce our greenhouse emmissons.

The emerging energy superpower - Canada's oil and gas industry is surviving the economic downturn. The boom times may be over, but stories of a bust are wide of the mark

AS A MEMBER of the G8, Canada is an anomaly: it is the only member of the rich nations' club that depends on a resource-based export industry to support its economy. Oil and gas are both central to this and Canada's energy sector increasingly influences the way it deals with the world. Prime minister Stephen Harper calls his country an "energy superpower". Notwithstanding the temporary slowdown in the US economy, Americans increasingly depend on imports of Canadian energy to support their lifestyle.

And, like much of the rest of the world, Canada depends on the US: its consumers almost monopolise Canadian energy exports and the political decisions made in Washington – like whether to adopt a cap-and-trade system to fight carbon emissions – will shape the Canadian energy industry and politics

"We are proud to be pioneers in bringing the benefits of clean, safe, reliable nuclear power to Alberta."

Canada is the economic leader in the G8 and Alberta is the leader in Canada, where else in the world should you put your investment money?

Alberta economy predicted to grow 3.3 per cent next year — "Alberta’s struggling economy will recover next year and grow 3.3 per cent, the Conference Board of Canada predicted Thursday.

Gross domestic product will contract 2.7 per cent in 2009 after a 0.2 per cent decline in 2008, the board said in its summer provincial outlook.

“Higher energy prices and lower construction costs should spur oil and gas activity, which will support a rebound in the domestic economy,” the report said.

Scotiabank also predicted that rebounding oil prices and falling inflationary pressures will bring a return to growth for Alberta in 2010, with GDP rising 2.8 per cent after a predicted 2.3 per cent contraction in the economy this year. The bank said the Canadian economy’s output will shrink 2.2 per cent in 2009 and grow 2.5 per cent in 2010."

By next year Alberta will be leading the nation out of the recession.