BC Economic Fundamentals

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BUSINESS EXTRA: Miners lay out cash for power line

MINING COMPANIES, suppliers, native ventures, local governments and others are putting up $300,000 to produce a business case study compelling enough to convince the provincial government to resume work on running hydro power up Hwy37 North.

The effort is being lead by the Mining Association of B.C. (MABC) which began working on a lobbying effort after two pieces of bad news came the end of November last year.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_north/terrac...s/17113656.html

 

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College builds on trade skills

An educational program that tries to remedy the growing shortage among the trades broke ground for a second time in the South Okanagan.

With support from local industry and School District 67, Okanagan residential construction will build a home in Summerland.

Nancy Darling, who administers the college`s trade programs, said the students will work with local contractor Carsten Neilsen in building the house from the ground up to lock-up when professionals will take over to finish the interior.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similk...s/17113516.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

NDP skeptical about TransLink`s real estate plans

TransLink is making a bet on Metro Vancouver`s hot real estate market with the hope of raising $1.5 billion over the next 10 years.

"It`s all tied into the desire to make the community and rapid transit work better," said TransLink`s Ken Hardie.

"[The project] will create an environment that is very village-like."

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/NDP_skepti...tate_plans.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Cap College puts course material on Web for free

NORTH VANCOUVER - Capilano College is to become the first post-secondary school in Canada to give course material away through an online consortium created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The dean of arts and sciences says the MIT project is as revolutionary as the printing press, and Capilano is delighted to be a part of it. "For the first time ever, anybody around the world can access these sites and find out what is being taught," Penny Le Couteur said in an interview.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/we...93-65f3fcbf9d3a

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Government brings in low-carbon fuel bill

The province wants gasoline and diesel sold in B.C. to contain five-per-cent renewable fuels by 2010, and on Tuesday gave itself the power to regulate fuel suppliers in meeting that goal.

At the same time, the province announced plans to level fines against high-polluting transport trucks as another measure aimed at reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from the transportation sector.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...4a-c4219d78b13b

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Townhouse units OK`d on edge of tony Shaughnessy

Vancouver city council struck a blow yesterday for EcoDensity -- and preservation of a historic city mansion -- with approval of 16 townhouse units on the edge of Shaughnessy.

The townhouses would allow the developer to make enough money to preserve a heritage mansion known as the Nichol House, which sits at one end of the massive lot. The new housing would fit into a wooded area near the Granville Street side of the site, and offer homes on a shop-filled strip of Granville that is served by transit and close to downtown.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...db-3575face3164

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Region`s real estate shows signs of cooling

Greater Victoria home sales have climbed each month this year even though national sales numbers for existing homes have slumped.

In Greater Victoria, 707 properties sold last month, up from 619 in February and 464 in January. However, March of this year trailed the same month in 2007, which had 833 sales.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...20-970d056eee9e

 

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Energy plant location nixed

A proposed $8.3-million district heating plant may go forward in the city, but not downtown next to the Millar Addition neighbourhood.
City councillors voted down the location during a sometimes heated and emotional hour-long discussion Monday night, while considering a motion by Coun. Debora Munoz not to proceed at all with the energy plant in the downtown area because of air quality concerns.

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/2008040...tion-nixed.html

 

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Heritage lodge property targeted for high-end townhomes

The mastermind behind Western Canada`s largest resort development has now set his sights on building luxury townhomes in Cowichan Bay.

Len Barrie, the man who brought the island the Bear Mountain golf resort wants to build more than 70, 1,200- to 2,000-square-foot townhomes at a site near Cherry Point, land that includes the dilapidated Wilcuma Lodge, said realtor Alex Robertson.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/Heritage_l..._townhomes.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Certificates can now be ordered online

You can now order a B.C.-issued birth, death, or marriage certificate from your own computer anytime of the day or night

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...a4-c122baad7784

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Colwood`s Coburg Peninsula under threat

Colwood council is being warned that next year`s winter storms could wash out the bridge at Esquimalt Lagoon.

But, with the potential of millions of dollars being needed for remediation, councillors are wrestling with what steps to take to protect the Coburg Peninsula that fronts the lagoon. Options even include letting nature run its course, which would mean eventually washing out the bridge. That option also comes with the potential of turning the peninsula into an island.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...34-63dee0a421ba

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Price of rice set to soar

Food-price inflation is about to hit one of the main staples for local shoppers at Asian supermarkets: rice.

At T&T Supermarket, executives have been watching wholesale prices rise more than 100 per cent during the past year.

"Prices have basically more than doubled," said Herman Poon, T&T`s marketing manager. "If we take a specific example, like rice from Thailand [the world`s biggest exporter], there is still a lot of upward movement. It has gone up 30 per cent in the last month."

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...2c-876c87ee3a4e

 

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Metro`s diversity grows

The number of members of visible minorities in B.C. surpassed the one-million mark in 2006 and the majority of them live in Metro Vancouver, according to the latest census data.

About 86.8 per cent of visible minority members in the province lived in Metro, which is fast closing in on Toronto as the country`s most diverse region.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...68-cee1320415bc

 

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TransLink offers Facebook application allowing users to find out when the next bus is arriving

TransLink is appealing to "tech-savvy young people" by allowing them to use the popular social networking site, Facebook.com, to find out when their next bus is coming.

Facebook users can get updates on the schedule of their favourite stop location by inputting the transit route number, a TransLink media release said Wednesday.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/we...9f-7ac2f9df9113

 

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Nanaimo logging equipment maker bankrupt

One of the province`s main manufacturers of logging equipment has been declared bankrupt and placed in receivership.

Madill Equipment of Nanaimo, builder of the giant machines that defined the rugged nature of logging in B.C., was ordered into receivership April 1 by B.C. Supreme Court after creditor GE Canada Finance Holding Co. said it had failed to meet its debtor liabilities.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...ed-07071814fc20

 

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Housing sales slow to 2001 levels in Greater Vancouver

Greater Vancouver closed March with its slowest first-quarter for sales since 2001, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. analyst Robyn Adamache said Wednesday in an interview.

Both the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley real estate boards reported Multiple Listing Service sales off 2007`s pace, with inventories also climbing, which Adamache said is consistent with her forecast for the market to moderate.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...2b-159794526479

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Flipper or investor? Find your comfort zone

Yes, affordability is a real issue...it takes 67 per cent of our income in Vancouver to buy the average priced property. Clearly and substantially out of whack. But supply and demand is in check, we have large inward migration, huge capital investment in the province and we live clearly in a (largely) unreported inflationary environment.

We do love owning and buying real estate, we love to own and buy it in Canada. But - in any market - pick your real estate carefully. Go back to the basics.

Understand yourself first.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...a9-9ae835f70c58

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Surrey fire plan smokes out area grow-ops

As the small station wagon loaded with plastic water pipes sped around the blind corner north of Mission recently, I didn`t notice anything unusual -- but the RCMP constable standing next to me certainly did.

We were waiting for a tow truck following my involvement in a minor motor-vehicle accident and the officer immediately recognized the station wagon`s cargo as marijuana grow-op equipment.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...b7-1deef65072de

 

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Transit plan would dig up both sides of Douglas

Both sides of Douglas Street would get a major facelift, complete with buried power lines, under B.C. Transit`s revised plan to build a $25-million busway in the middle of the road.

In order to keep costs down on the controversial project, Transit originally planned to dig up and rebuild the curb on only the west side of Douglas. The road widening is needed to accommodate the proposed busway in the middle of Douglas from Fisgard Street to Carey Road.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...3f-908e039e68b4

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Sales triple 2006 figures

More than $170 million worth of apartment buildings changed hands last year in Greater Victoria, tripling the dollar volume of transactions done in 2006, according to Colliers International`s apartment market overview.

Two massive transactions, TransGlobe Properties` $50.1-million purchase of eight properties from the Jawl family, and CAP REIT`s $46.18-million purchase of three properties from TransGlobe spurred the record year.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...1b-ee2a586d2523