Discover Canada’s 1st Healthy Longevity Village Newscast – Vulcan, Alberta – Canada’s Podcast

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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Canada's Podcast.
[00:07] SPEAKER_00: Futureville. Building Canada's first healthy longevity village. Go to
[00:13] SPEAKER_01: Futureville.com to learn more. Hello, I'm Mario Tonagousi, managing editor of
[00:19] SPEAKER_01: Canada's podcast, joining me today in taking care of some business here is
[00:24] SPEAKER_01: Angela Bernard, who is founder of Futureville. Thanks for joining us today,
[00:28] SPEAKER_01: Angela. Thanks, Mario. Good to be here with you. All right, let's start with a
[00:32] SPEAKER_01: little bit about Futureville. Just maybe describe for us what it is. So we are
[00:39] SPEAKER_00: development directors for healthy longevity villages. So our building, we're
[00:44] SPEAKER_00: building our first prototype village in Vulcan, Alberta, where you can live long
[00:49] SPEAKER_01: and prosper. Okay, it obviously takes the the the the the moniker from the
[00:55] SPEAKER_01: Star Trek and from Vulcan's location. Tell me location wise, why did you choose
[01:02] SPEAKER_00: Vulcan? We actually have a criteria for where we look for properties and
[01:08] SPEAKER_00: villages that can be developed. So within one hour of a major urban center is
[01:12] SPEAKER_00: number one criteria. Safety and security is number two. So where there is a
[01:17] SPEAKER_00: perceived sense of safety and security for for people. We want to see a base
[01:22] SPEAKER_00: level of infrastructure in the town that we're also working in. There's a lot of
[01:29] SPEAKER_00: infrastructure, even though it's a small town. There is a whole list of
[01:34] SPEAKER_00: infrastructure that's there from recreation facilities to some of the highest
[01:38] SPEAKER_00: broadband internet. The you know, we're looking for a unique destination as
[01:42] SPEAKER_00: far as the natural attributes. So of course it is oil and gas country and the
[01:47] SPEAKER_00: heart of agricultural agriculture here in Canada. So those features will be
[01:54] SPEAKER_00: part of the actual experience in living in Vulcan. You can see the foot you can
[02:01] SPEAKER_01: see the foothills and they Rocky Mountains from there too. It absolutely
[02:04] SPEAKER_00: absolutely. It's it's Rocky Mountains one side per is together. We had some
[02:09] SPEAKER_00: customers that came over from Toronto as they flew in from the Calgary Airport
[02:14] SPEAKER_00: and went down to Vulcan. They just went, oh wow, there's such a sense of peace
[02:18] SPEAKER_00: and serenity here. There's fresh air that they hadn't experienced for a long
[02:23] SPEAKER_00: time and we took them on a tour of the town and the infrastructure that's
[02:28] SPEAKER_00: there. They experienced an amazing sense of welcome. There was lots of diversity
[02:33] SPEAKER_00: and who they experienced in the food and the and the community. So we know that
[02:40] SPEAKER_00: these are actually some of the pieces that that in selling communities that
[02:46] SPEAKER_00: people are often missing. You know, we they get sold properties in real estate,
[02:51] SPEAKER_00: but they're missing the soft attributes of the community and where it comes
[02:54] SPEAKER_01: from. So let's talk some numbers here and some specifics. How big you've
[03:01] SPEAKER_00: envisioned the site to be? So it's 63 acres, Mario. So it's right on the edge of
[03:07] SPEAKER_00: downtown. There's a 30 30 acre industrial service industrial site right across
[03:13] SPEAKER_00: the road. It's right beside a hospital walking distance from, you know, the
[03:18] SPEAKER_00: schools and the downtown core. So it you know, it probably fits the bill of the
[03:23] SPEAKER_00: 15 minute walkable city. Within the 63 acres, there's an approved area structure
[03:28] SPEAKER_00: plan already in existence. I would say it's a little bit outdated and so much
[03:34] SPEAKER_00: as it was sort of checked off and endorsed by the community back in 2008. So
[03:38] SPEAKER_00: we're looking at putting some fresh ideas into the development and which
[03:44] SPEAKER_00: includes a world class health and treatment center, a boutique hotel, commercial
[03:51] SPEAKER_00: services and common social spaces. So it really is going to be sort of its own
[03:56] SPEAKER_00: little village within a village. And it will be designed in such a way that
[04:02] SPEAKER_00: there's a lot of community engagement. You will absolutely know your
[04:05] SPEAKER_00: neighbors. The focus of the village is that you were coming there as a
[04:10] SPEAKER_00: resident or a visitor with the intention of adding 10 healthy years or more onto
[04:17] SPEAKER_01: your lifespan. So and roughly how many residences do you foresee there? And what
[04:24] SPEAKER_00: types of residences? First of all, population is there is an approved area
[04:29] SPEAKER_00: structure plan for 300 dwellings that is a mix of multi-family residential
[04:36] SPEAKER_00: row housing single family. So that's the density that we're looking at, you
[04:41] SPEAKER_00: know, up to potentially up to a thousand what I call residents on site, depending
[04:46] SPEAKER_00: on how many bodies per household. We are approved as a future zone, which is a
[04:53] SPEAKER_00: showcase of housing and lifestyle technologies. And we've worked with the
[05:00] SPEAKER_00: town of Vulcan to create that. And which will include short and long-term
[05:05] SPEAKER_00: stays. So people can actually live their full time or they can live their part
[05:10] SPEAKER_00: time and then, you know, rent out their house while they're not there in the
[05:14] SPEAKER_00: rental pool. The timeline is we would like to get a hundred community bonds
[05:23] SPEAKER_00: sold and that is pre-interest in living or working in Vulcan within the next four
[05:30] SPEAKER_00: months. That's our goal. It's very optimistic, but we've partnered with with
[05:34] SPEAKER_00: Gattas podcast to get part of the word out. And we know and we've been, you know,
[05:39] SPEAKER_00: working on our research over the last few years that wellness real estate is the
[05:43] SPEAKER_00: fastest growing niche in the world. And putting intentional health and spa like,
[05:51] SPEAKER_00: you know, an experience is built into real estate is a particular niche that
[05:56] SPEAKER_00: we're focused on. We have two years after the the initial early adopters to get
[06:02] SPEAKER_00: to a detailed area structure plan and three years to build. So really we're
[06:07] SPEAKER_00: looking at getting those early adopters who want to build out a showcase home
[06:11] SPEAKER_00: or a, you know, home and be part of the commercial builds in three years.
[06:19] SPEAKER_00: Futureville. Building Canada's first healthy longevity village. Go to
[06:24] SPEAKER_01: futureville.com to learn more. So it may be explained a little bit more, Angela,
[06:31] SPEAKER_01: the this bonds. I like what does that mean and maybe walk me through it. You know,
[06:38] SPEAKER_01: you're approaching me to be if I'm interested in this. What does that mean for me?
[06:43] SPEAKER_00: Absolutely. So keeping it as simple as possible in historical or traditional
[06:49] SPEAKER_00: construction builds you buy off spec, right? So the developer comes up with all
[06:54] SPEAKER_00: of the detailed design. You're buying a product. Community is secondary. We're
[07:00] SPEAKER_00: flipping that and saying we're looking for community bond holders to come in at
[07:07] SPEAKER_00: the ground level to get the detail in the design of the community. So we are
[07:11] SPEAKER_00: doing design charatts. We're doing, you know, what we're doing surveys on what
[07:16] SPEAKER_00: are the features and programs that you want to see in the community. So you are an
[07:21] SPEAKER_00: active voice in the getting from the detail now to what we want to build. So it's
[07:28] SPEAKER_00: very community centric. And there's a we've built in some safety and precautions
[07:36] SPEAKER_00: into the bond offer. So as a bond holder, you do collectively will have a
[07:42] SPEAKER_00: mortgage on on title on the property. So there it's backed by real estate. And
[07:47] SPEAKER_00: there's also a 7% return on the bond. And that is because we know that the
[07:54] SPEAKER_00: commercial interests in the community are going to return that just, you know,
[07:59] SPEAKER_00: alone in the real estate that the equity value of return in the real estate is
[08:03] SPEAKER_00: going to be that. So we're super confident. We and so that's the assured
[08:10] SPEAKER_00: guarantee for the early adopters. We also know that once you have skin in the
[08:15] SPEAKER_00: game, if you like to describe it as that or you you have a a stake in making sure
[08:21] SPEAKER_00: this community gets built the way you want it to, you'll talk about it with two
[08:24] SPEAKER_01: friends. So what would a bond be worth? Like what what's my, you know,
[08:34] SPEAKER_01: effort of financially to put in here?
[08:38] SPEAKER_00: So we've kept it really accessible because it's not an actual lot that we're
[08:43] SPEAKER_00: selling, right? We're not selling as a product yet. We're selling community first.
[08:49] SPEAKER_00: And just for the record, we have developed this with our finance team and our
[08:53] SPEAKER_00: and our legal team. We are, we are, you know, we're aligned with Canadian
[08:58] SPEAKER_00: securities commissions. So it is within our network that we're selling community
[09:03] SPEAKER_00: bonds, the minimum investment for a person is 5,000. We anticipate people like
[09:09] SPEAKER_00: medical practitioners, health and wellness coaches, nutritionists, we imagine
[09:16] SPEAKER_00: people who have services that will be retail related or commercial related,
[09:22] SPEAKER_00: buying in now and getting a first rate of refusal to have commercial space.
[09:28] SPEAKER_00: As a business, it's $10,000 investment for the same for the same idea.
[09:34] SPEAKER_00: And we, you know, we want to build in healthy returns on investment at each
[09:39] SPEAKER_01: step of the development process. Okay. Now for residences, who do you think
[09:45] SPEAKER_01: this is going to appeal to like in, in demimic family demographic point of view
[09:51] SPEAKER_01: and curious?
[09:53] SPEAKER_00: If I could describe the niches, people who have already made the
[09:57] SPEAKER_00: commitment and are willing to invest more in making healthy choices daily.
[10:04] SPEAKER_00: It's, I have a vision. No, it's my, my partners won't let me talk about how long
[10:08] SPEAKER_00: I want to live for, but I believe that I can live very healthy over a hundred
[10:12] SPEAKER_00: years. And, and I've made a lot of changes, lifestyle changes, and, you know,
[10:18] SPEAKER_00: food and optimal nutrition, optimal relationships. And I want to surround
[10:22] SPEAKER_00: myself with people who are on the same quest. So, you know, you'll be making
[10:26] SPEAKER_00: choices in the detail of your home. You'll have water filters in your home,
[10:32] SPEAKER_00: for instance, you'll have, you know, you'll have healthier cars, you'll have
[10:36] SPEAKER_00: healthier environments. You know, we know that living in this small town,
[10:42] SPEAKER_00: it already has a healthy impact versus the hustle and bustle of a major urban
[10:48] SPEAKER_00: center. We want to bring the additional services so that they're close to
[10:53] SPEAKER_00: home. And, you know, you, you'll have a budget and you're willing to pay for
[10:56] SPEAKER_00: those.
[10:57] SPEAKER_01: When the time comes, but shovels in the ground, so to speak, you know, do you
[11:04] SPEAKER_01: have a vision of who do you want to partner with? Or what's a great
[11:08] SPEAKER_00: question? We have been intentionally researching and sourcing different
[11:12] SPEAKER_00: developers who have created what I describe as kind of like the Disney land of
[11:19] SPEAKER_00: lifestyle experiences. So, but day to day, it's not just a resort you go to,
[11:25] SPEAKER_00: it's actually what you're experiencing day to day. There's a few developers in
[11:28] SPEAKER_00: British Columbia right now that have built sort of all inclusive destination,
[11:34] SPEAKER_00: living experiences. You know, we were in a very early stage, just talking to
[11:40] SPEAKER_00: them, but that's who we envision coming to the table.
[11:43] SPEAKER_01: Okay. And, you know, as you look into the future, Angela, like, do you
[11:48] SPEAKER_01: foresee this kind of model, I guess, that being rolled out in other areas?
[11:55] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, our big picture goal, Mario, is to develop this prototype village,
[12:01] SPEAKER_00: perhaps two others, I have a vision for three different prototypes of different
[12:06] SPEAKER_00: sizes for the purpose of open sourcing the process so that anybody can be their
[12:13] SPEAKER_00: own village developer. So, we envision it being able to scale, we're developing,
[12:20] SPEAKER_00: you know, we're putting together portfolio and brochure of providers. When I say
[12:24] SPEAKER_00: providers, housing providers, we're talking to a 3D printed home builder out of
[12:29] SPEAKER_00: Toronto, we're talking to some modular home builders in Western Canada to say,
[12:34] SPEAKER_00: listen, you can come in, you can buy the lot, you can, you know, you can pick,
[12:38] SPEAKER_00: here are the features and benefits of these home builders, who we've done all
[12:42] SPEAKER_00: the research with if you like to to make sure that their quality approved and can
[12:47] SPEAKER_00: build fast, but they're now they build is with less harm to the environment,
[12:54] SPEAKER_00: they're faster, they have a longevity feature to the materials and their
[12:58] SPEAKER_00: build is those are the pieces that we're putting together on top of the
[13:03] SPEAKER_01: programming experiences in the village. All right, wonderful, thanks Angela for
[13:07] SPEAKER_00: joining us today. Fantastic, thanks, fun to be with you Mario. All right, that
[13:13] SPEAKER_01: was Angela Bernard, who is founder of Futureville, I'm Mario Tonagousi,
[13:18] SPEAKER_01: managing editor of Canada's podcast, thanks for joining us today. Futureville,
[13:24] SPEAKER_00: building Canada's first healthy longevity village, go to futureville.com to learn more.