BC Economic Fundamentals

[joeiannuzzi]

No end in sight for B.C. forestry woes

The B.C. forest industry is bleeding thousands of jobs, but it`s not bleeding them quickly enough, a forestry expert said yesterday.

The sector will idle more mills and chop more jobs as it flounders through its worst year ever, PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Craig Campbell told an annual forest gathering in Vancouver.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...42-660b8d49935c

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Mackenzie faces uncertain future with latest mill closure

Rick Berry views the "for sale" signs lining his street as a sign of the times.

News Wednesday that the Pope & Talbot pulp mill, one of Mackenzie`s major employers, is headed for receivership was met with dismay and an increasing sense of hopelessness in the northern town of about 4,500 people.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...b2-3cc117364681

 

[joeiannuzzi]

New SkyTrain cars not expected until 2009

If you are finding your morning commute in your SkyTrain-brand sardine can a little more snug than you`d like, you have a long wait ahead of you. More rolling stock is on order, but the first new cars aren`t expected to be delivered until November 2009.

TransLink has 34 new cars on order to go into service on the Expo Line by 2010, adding at least 8,700 rush-hour trips per day to the system. Until then, the Expo Line`s rush-hour trains will be at or near capacity.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...4e-a92937b3c300

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Economy, carbon tax threaten stronghold

VICTORIA - If an election were held today, Premier Gordon Campbell and his B.C. Liberal government would almost certainly win a third term.

Of course the election is not today, and even a casual observer knows that in British Columbia, political fortunes can turn as quickly as the weather.

This year, B.C.`s suffering forest sector will continue to struggle, Campbell`s climate action policy will start becoming a reality and B.C. will join the rest of Canada in attempting to buffer itself from a predicted U.S. recession.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...01-767722a1e453

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Million-Dollar Man or Myth?

The Kelowna Daily Courier described him as the "Realtor to the Stars." It`s a label that Robert Zoost, just 26 years old, doesn`t discourage.

"I have relationships with some of the best hockey players in the world," he told Homes & Resorts magazine last year. "My clients include A-list celebrities and some of the most successful business people in the country."

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...95-35f6672f421f

 

[joeiannuzzi]

14-storey hotel possible for Seymour

Graham Alexander wants to build downtown Vancouver`s newest boutique hotel -- a 14-storey, 91-suite development on a site now occupied by a vacant retail building at 620 Seymour Street.

He even has a name for the $27-million proposal -- the ParaYso Hotel Vancouver.

Alexander is president and majority owner of Rancho Santa Monica Developments, which recently bought the Seymour property from Taiwanese owners for $5.5 million.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...57-5e23a1e51664