CA Economic Fundamentals 2008-09

[joeiannuzzi]

Urban pleas receive scant attention

Municipal politicians keep harping on the desperate need to invest in city sewers, transit and affordable housing, but are the federal leaders listening?

With four out of five Canadians living in big cities, it`s surprising urban needs haven`t been front and centre this campaign, overshadowed by the economy, the environment and the war in Afghanistan.

http://www.thestar.com/FederalElection/article/503157

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Economy on minds of most voters, not the environment

OTTAWA - Stephane Dion has staked his campaign on it, there`s an entire party devoted to it, but the environment is being left in the dust as an election issue thanks to the economic turmoil in the U.S., a new Ipsos Reid poll suggests.

The environment, at 11 per cent, has fallen well behind the economy (26 per cent) and health care (19 per cent) as a priority issue for Canadians.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...aa-63411e1962f1

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Liberals vow to scrap tax on trusts

OTTAWA — Stéphane Dion`s Liberals are promising to scrap the Harper government`s hefty tax on income trusts as they release their campaign platform today, a pledge that offers a potential new lease on life for an investment vehicle much beloved by older voters. The Liberals hope a full costing of their promises will help counter Conservative attacks that have succeeded in raising questions about whether they are unsound fiscal managers who would drive the country into deficit as the economy worsens.

"A Liberal government will never put Canada into deficit. Period," party spokesman Mark Dunn said yesterday.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/politics/home

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Grits unveil $55B election platform

CALGARY -- The Liberals fiercely defended their newly released platform Monday after opposition parties focused their attacks throughout the day on the four-year, $55-billion election campaign plan.

Titled Richer, Fairer, Greener: An Action Plan for the 21st Century, the Liberal plan outlines sweeping tax cuts, an array of programs for the poor, parents, farmers and immigrants and other initiatives already announced by Liberal Leader Stephane Dion on the campaign trail or in the Green Shift carbon tax plan.

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix...e2-f40370dbdc2f

 

[joeiannuzzi]

NDP seeks to reopen NAFTA

HAMILTON - An NDP government would fight to reopen the North American Free Trade Agreement to enhance protection for Canadian jobs, NDP leader Jack Layton said yesterday.

"We want a new NAFTA. We want a North American fair trade agreement," Mr. Layton told a crowd of about 100 supporters. "We want a fair deal, not a sellout."

With the prospect of the reopening of NAFTA if the Democrats win the U.S. election, Mr. Layton said his party, among other things, would fight to add "meaningful" labour and environmental standards to the deal -- and reform the energy provisions, which require the export of fossil fuels to the United States.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...5b-60655e5ead9d

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Report lowers economic outlook

Hopes that Canada can avoid a recession are fading, a Canadian financial institution warned yesterday as it slashed its forecast for growth this year and next, adding that Ontario`s giant economy is already in a recession.

"Along with government spending, personal consumption is the only factor that is allowing Canada`s economy to keep its head above water," Desjardins Group said.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/b...7c-13b298a3cb6e

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Economy dominates voter concerns

Voters have consistently rated the economy as the top issue in this election campaign, and for good reason -- see-sawing stock markets, U.S. banks going under and continuing job uncertainty here have dominated the headlines since politicians began campaigning in early September.

The chief economic challenge for Canadian policy-makers is to find ways to manage what is essentially two economies within Canada`s border. Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C. and Newfoundland and Labrador are going through boom times, thanks to their resource-based economies -- and that creates problems of inflation and labour shortages.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...27-3efbe70a0008

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Bank mortgage clients warned

MONTREAL -- A "high percentage" of mortgage clients from the National Bank of Canada are being warned to be on watch for suspicious activity on their accounts after a company laptop was stolen.

National Bank spokesman Denis Dube said a laptop containing the bank`s mortgage database was stolen Friday from the company`s Montreal headquarters.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...3e-98cff4f80e63

 

[joeiannuzzi]

We`re spending more time online

Tech-savvy Canadians are spending an increasing amount of their time online, but not necessarily at the expense of watching television, reading newspapers or other forms of so-called "traditional media."

That was among the findings of a wide-ranging survey on Internet usage in Canada released yesterday by the Canadian Internet Project, a research consortium funded by both government and private sector partners.

While the study found that Canadians are increasingly living in a Web-centric world, it failed to find a link between a 10 per cent decline in people`s consumption of traditional media sources – namely television – between 2007 and 2004 and a simultaneous 30 per cent increase in time spent in front of a computer screen.

http://www.thespec.com/Business%20News/article/440735

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Economy will be `fine,` Harper says

The Conservative and Liberal leaders debated the U.S. financial crisis that threatens Canada`s economy by swapping insults yesterday: Stephen Harper called opposition policies "stupid" and the Liberals accused the Tories of offering "gimmicks" in tough economic times.

In a less-than-veiled shot at his political opponents, Mr. Harper said Canada`s economy will be "fine" despite the shakeout hitting the U.S. financial sector.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...e7-c5ccf07b8212

 

[jovanhove]

Hi there!

We`ve been hearing a lot about the 3 F`s at REIN... (food, fuel, and fertilizer). I subscribe to several free financial reports and this is one that reiterates our poised position in the global marketplace to provide the 3 F`s. The report is about China`s rising economy. I am not promoting this company by any means, but I think their research reaffirms what we are taught at REIN.

http://asia.investorplace.com/freereport/4..._sid_pay=GV1147

Hope all is well in investor-land...I have gone from 1-10 properties in six months...not bad for a `rookie.`

Sincerely,

Joy Van Hove (M.Ed)

Amex Broadway West Realty
[email protected]
www.joysellshomes.ca

 

[joeiannuzzi]

NDP surging in cities as Liberals languish: Poll

OTTAWA–New polling data suggests Jack Layton`s New Democrats have been reaping the benefits of an ongoing slide in Liberal support.

The latest Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll gave the NDP the support of 19 per cent of respondents, up from 14 per cent at the start of the campaign.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/507597

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Mexico not easing ownership rules anytime soon

Restrictive foreign ownership rules in coastal and border areas of Mexico are here to stay – at least for now – says that country`s ambassador to Canada.

"Right now, we have a minority (federal) government in Mexico and we need a two-thirds majority to make changes," Emilio Goicoechea Luna said in an interview after a recent meeting with the Toronto Star`s editorial board.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/503786

 

[joeiannuzzi]

The brain`s `programmed` to invest badly

In the midst of the ongoing financial crisis, one source of solace I found was reading Jason Zweig`s Your Money & Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich (Simon & Schuster, paperback edition, $17.50). The Wall Street Journal`s personal finance columnist published the hardcover edition a year ago, to much acclaim. The new paperback edition is being translated into a dozen foreign languages.

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/s....html?id=843684

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Russia`s housing hurricane slows, too

The whirlwind that was the Russian real estate market over the past few years has slowed to a light breeze in the global credit crunch.

Average residential prices in Moscow tripled over the past three years, The Wall Street Journal reports, and even added 30% this year to about US$465 a square foot. Pretty heady stuff for a place where less than 20 years ago the Kremlin was literally giving homes away.

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/s....html?id=843751

 

[DragonflyProperties]

Hi all:From the September 26th issue of the Globe and Mail (Report on Business):
CATALYSTS: WHAT`S DRIVING GROWTH IN DIFFICULT TIMES: CAMPUS GROWTH

A boom in bricks and mortarboards

As universities expand across the country, Oshawa, Ont., is one local economy looking to academia to lift it out of its manufacturing doldrums.

Excerpts:

Cranes are as common a sight on Canadian campuses these days as students tossing a football on the commons. Federal research money is flowing, private donors are being tapped as never before, and a multi-billion dollar expansion is under way to keep up with vast numbers of new students - 190,000 extra full-timers between 2000 and 2006 (a 30-per-cent jump), with analysts expecting 120,000 more over the next decade.

All that construction money may give a short-term boost to local economies, but when the cranes disappear, what remains to drive economic growth?

Large spinoffs tend to occur where universities are linked to technological centres through such faculties as engineering or medicine, says Mario Polèse, who holds the Senior Canada Research Chair in Urban and Regional Studies at a research institute affiliated with the University of Quebec.

The University of Waterloo provides Canada`s best example of how a school can drive economic growth, he says. "It now has a world reputation in computer science," and nurtures economic activity through the "Silicon Valley effect," says Dr. Polèse. "The kids come out of those faculties with bright ideas and start up their own companies." Soon clusters form - the dream of every bright-eyed economic planner.

"If companies know that`s where they`re going to find the most educated labour force. The type of nerds and kids they want, that`s where they`re going to build," he says.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080926.SRCATALYST26/TPStory/?query=sean+fine

Keith

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Liberals seen as `risky` while Tories `unfeeling,` latest poll reveals

The once-mighty Liberal brand has taken a torpedo to the hull, according to a new poll.

Canadians who responded to an Ipsos Reid poll taken exclusively for Canwest News Service and Global News were highly likely to associate the words dishonest, stale, phoney and risky with the Liberal party.

Darrell Bricker, president and CEO of Ipsos Reid, said it`s a sign that negative Conservative advertising is working. He also said the Gomery inquiry into the sponsorship scandal continued to haunt the party.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...b1-7ac8c190ee5c

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Cashback credit cards not all equal

What`s better than a credit card that gives points for free flights? How about a credit card that gives cash rebates?

You can book your own flights during seat sales, often a better deal than using the card.

There`s nothing worse than waiting years to collect points for a airline ticket, only to find you still have to pay hefty taxes and surcharges. If you have points piling up, you may be happier with cash rebates paid once a year that you can use to buy anything you like.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/507729

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Insurance Key To Managing Risk

Every business owner knows insurance is a fundamental part of doing business. What many may not know are the omissions that can blindside you if you don`t do your due diligence when shopping for business insurance.

Think of the whole process of insurance as hiring a risk manager, Harry Binks, president of Binks Insurance in Ottawa says. "A public company has a risk manager that handles all that. Smaller businesses don`t, and [owners] are not always entirely sure what they are looking for when it comes to insurance coverage."

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/s....html?id=846424

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Global economic crisis no time to bring in minority government

The first weeks of the Canadian election campaign have focused on attacks and gaffes, grand schemes to increase energy costs and dangerously unaffordable new spending promises.

What`s really needed is a focus on the best policy environment for both small and large businesses to weather the economic storm, continue to create jobs and help preserve the investments and pensions of Canadians. We need prudent spending policies that will balance the books and leadership that fosters confidence in our financial system.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...PStory/Business