`PIONEERING' CANTIRO
Communities, homes built from dreams and vision
About 21 years ago George Cantalini was in the market for a new house.
But unlike most typical new home purchases, this one would reshape Edmonton for decades to come.
Cantalini, the founder and CEO of Cantiro, formerly the Beaverbrook Group of Companies, was living in the Blackburne area at the time in the vicinity of the Blackmud Creek Ravine. He liked the southwest and wanted to stay in the southwest but it hardly resembled today's version. There was no southwest leg of the Anthony Henday, the Currents of Windermere shopping district didn't exist and well-developed communities like Windermere and growing neighbouring areas, if anything, were just potential ideas on someone's drafting board.
“I was looking to build a new home in Edmonton and I thought what is the best amenity we have,” said Cantalini, who noted it would likely be the river valley. “So I wanted to back onto that and I had a few friends who thought the same way. I said, `Well, I'm in the business of doing that so why don't I find ourselves a piece of land where we can develop and we can build ourselves some houses that back onto the river?'”
That led to the purchase of an 80acre parcel in Windermere Ridge — there was development to the north and south of it so the thought was it would be good to finish the part in-between. Fifty-six of those acres were dedicated to the city for an environmental reserve while 40 lots were set aside for residential construction.
Services had to be brought in from five kilometres away from Terwillegar Towne — the existing houses around Windermere Ridge were on septic and or cistern systems.
“It was very pioneering,” said Cantalini, who would soon purchase nearby parcels of land when a new southern portion of the Henday was announced. “If there is going to be this Anthony Henday, there is probably going to be growth outside of that area as it was getting pretty built out inside,” he added.
That land would chart the path for Windermere's evolution with Beaverbrook's/cantiro's development of Upper Windermere, One at Windermere and the Drive in Windermere.