Even before Calgary flood, Alberta renovation work plentiful

Only the most steely-eyed renovation contractor will enjoy the thought that Calgary’s devastating flood is good for the residential contracting business in the city.

But it’s interesting to note that, even before the recent flooding in Calgary, Alberta was just about the best place to be a renovator in all of Canada.

Alberta and Saskatchewan, both, it seems.

According to a recently-published AltusGroup report, renovation spending in Canada is expected to rise 1.3 per cent in 2013, to $61.2 billion.

It’s going to go up 2.0 per cent next year, the research company predicts.

The fastest-growing provinces for renovations, Saskatchewan increasing at 3.1 per cent this year and Alberta increasing at 3.0 per cent will both hit 3.2 per cent increases next year.

Now, with $61.2 billion in spending being ploughed into home renovations, can anyone name one thing either the Federal or Provincial governments have done across this country, in the last two years, to make sure this industry remains healthy?