The Board of Governors of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation approved $353,500 in community investment projects at their recent meeting.

The Alberta Real Estate Foundation (AREF) supports initiatives that enhance the real estate industry and benefit the communities of Alberta. AREF was set up in 1991 under the Alberta Real Estate Act. Since then, it has awarded approximately 17 million dollars in community and industry grants to over 550 projects across Alberta. Next year, AREF will be celebrating its 25th anniversary of making a difference in Alberta. We are excited to be launching a new area of interest and highlighting past grantees. Keep in touch with AREF through our website or on Twitter (@arefabca) to ensure you do not miss out on what is to come!

Projects approved at the October meeting include:

University of Alberta – Alberta School of Business Real Estate Program Practice of Commercial Real Estate Program

The Real Estate Program at the Alberta School of Business in collaboration with the Faculty of Extension proposes to develop the curriculum defined by RECA in a document entitled ‘Practice of Commercial Real Estate’ or PCRE dated October 31, 2013. RECA (the Real Estate Council of Alberta) currently offers the Fundamental of Real Estate which is a prerequisite for taking commercial pre-licensing courses which were offered through AREA (Alberta Real Estate Association). RECA is seeking to develop course materials for a more intensive college or university level course for Commercial Real Estate Pre-licensing.

Southwest Alberta Sustainable Community Initiative (SASCI)Pincher Creek RCADE (Regional Centres for Arts, Design & Entrepreneurship)

RCADE is a community based development that operates on two levels. On a local level, it is a community based enterprise that supports learning, innovation, and creativity. On a regional level, it is a way to direct resources and expertise to develop shared use resources, best use practices, and a regional approach to economic development. Learning-focused institutions and organizations in the town of Pincher Creek will collaborate to design Pincher Creek RCADE (Regional Centres for Arts, Design & Entrepreneurship), a sustainable and scalable system for building community capacity for learning, creativity and innovation. RCADE is pronounced ‘arcade’. Design objectives are to support communities in southwest Alberta in developing innovation and entrepreneurship as core competencies, and to support residents in fulfilling their creative potential. The project will involve the public schools (K-6, 7-12); private school (K-12); municipal library; Aboriginal friendship centre; Allied Arts Council; Adult Learning Council; and post-secondary institutions including Lethbridge College and the Alberta College of Art & Design (ACAD).

Arts Habitat EdmontonEdmonton SpaceFinder

Edmontonspacefinder.ca, launched in 2010, is an online resource, to post or find, non-profit and community space; to assist renters find venues and venues to find their renters. Challenges with the original proprietary programming language make alterations or improvements to the current Edmonton SpaceFinder difficult and ultimately not possible. New York-based Fractured Atlas has the desired platform to replace the existing Edmonton SpaceFinder that is now out of date in its capabilities.

University of Calgary, Faculty of Environmental DesignSenior Research Studio on Aging-in-Place Laneway Housing

This project will look at options for aging-in-place in laneway homes and secondary suites. It is being conducted in the context of a senior graduate level architecture research studio in the Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary. 10-14 concept designs will be developed in conjunction with industry and diverse academia to demonstrate how secondary suites and options for aging-in-place can fit into our existing neighborhoods.

Alberta WaterPortal SocietyA Sustainable Water Supply for Alberta: Managing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

This project will research and define the scope of the Nexus issue and use water valuation principles to develop an Alberta-specific, publicly available water valuation tool and a guidance document for using the tool.

St. Albert Housing SocietyHOMEstyle Benefit Breakfast

The HOMEstyle Breakfast is the Housing Society’s signature event set to educate about the critical need and societal benefits of affordable housing in building communities. The event is also a fundraiser, although considered the secondary purpose. Avi Friedman, an international expert in innovative housing and urban design is the speaker.

Edmonton Public LibraryForward Thinking Speakers Event – Building Better Communities

The Edmonton Public Library, with its extensive and diverse reach, is in the unique position to bring together community members to share insights, ideas, experiences and viewpoints through our Forward Thinking Speakers Series. With the support of AREF, we would like to present a speaker to our community in 2016, with a focus on building better communities and a goal of engaging more Edmontonians in this concept.