First case of rare monkeypox in the U.S. was someone who recently travelled to Canada – CTV News

JASPER, ALTA. – The town council of Jasper, Alta., is set to discuss today if it will ask for funding from the provincial government to offset reduced property tax revenues for the next three years.

The potential request comes as town administration proposes property tax relief for residents affected by a devastating wildfire in July.

One-third of the town’s buildings were destroyed, and the municipality estimates it has lost access to $1.25 million in annual property tax revenue.

Under the town’s proposal, all property owners would be given a one-month tax break for when a mandatory evacuation order was in place.

Property owners whose homes or businesses were destroyed would have their remaining or outstanding 2024 bill nullified.

The proposal means Jasper would forgo over $1.9 million in municipal property tax revenue this year, or roughly 17 per cent of its overall budget.

Heather Jenkins, the press secretary for Alberta’s Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver, says the ministry would consider the town’s request if one is received.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to announce a plan to help school classrooms being squeezed by an influx of new families.

Smith has scheduled a televised address to air on Global and CTV and to stream online at 6:50 p.m. local time.

Smith says her government was taken by surprise at the number of people who moved to Alberta last year.

The province’s population grew by more than 200,000 people in 2023-24, and Smith says every single school is facing capacity issues.

The government promised an extra $215 millionin the summer for more modular classrooms and more teachers.

The province’s two largest divisions, Edmonton Public Schools and the Calgary Board of Education, say their schools are expected to have a utilization rate of well over 90 per cent this school year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

TORONTO – One expert predicts Ottawa’s changes to mortgage rules will help spur demand among potential homebuyers but says policies aimed at driving new supply are needed to address the “core issues” facing the market.

The federal government’s changes, set to come into force mid-December, include a higher price cap for insured mortgages to allow more people to qualify for a mortgage with less than a 20 per cent down payment.

The government will also expand its 30-year mortgage amortization to include first-time homebuyers buying any type of home, as well as anybody buying a newly built home.

CIBC Capital Markets deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal calls it a “significant” move likely to accelerate the recovery of the housing market, a process already underway as interest rates have begun to fall.

However, he says in a note that policymakers should aim to “prevent that from becoming too much of a good thing” through policies geared toward the supply side.

Tal says the main issue is the lack of supply available to respond to Canada’s rapidly increasing population, particularly in major cities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17,2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.