0109MTBA Lawyers now required to get clients` ID MANITOBA lawyers now have to know who their client is. Under new rules which came into effect on Dec. 31, the Law Society of Manitoba has enacted Client Identification and Verification to help prevent lawyers from being scammed or being...

0109WNPG Credit crunch worries builders Winnipeg`s construction lobby says the global credit crunch could stymie the city`s public-private partnerships, including the one being used to finance and rebuild the Disraeli bridge. Winnipeg Construction Association head Ron Hambley said construction...

0109LMLD (New Westminster) Developer pitches higher tower - again Aragon Developments is hoping the second time is a charm for its highrise proposal in Queensborough. At its Jan. 19 meeting, New Westminster city council will give residents a chance to comment on a proposed highrise at the...

0109LMLD (North Shore) Developer proposes new rec centre Lower Capilano may get its long-awaited community centre if a new proposal for redeveloping the former Capilano Winter Club is ultimately approved by District of North Vancouver council. The community centre would be part of the final...

0109LMLD (Coquitlam) City finalizes plan to borrow up to $25 million for overpass A bylaw allowing the City of Port Coquitlam to borrow up to $25 million for rising Coast Meridian Overpass costs unanimously passed fourth and final reading Monday. The move was finalized as a result of a stall...

0109VERN Real estate sales decline Real estate activity continued its downward slide as 2008 came to a close. In the North Okanagan, total sales dollars of all property types decreased 36 per cent in December and units sold dropped 41 per cent from the same month in 2007 (47 units sold...

0109VERN Four-plex proposal bylaw turned down A controversial housing project in Okanagan Landing has been scrapped, but that may not stop development. In a 4-3 vote Monday, Vernon council shot down a bylaw that would have changed the zoning on an Okanagan Avenue property from mobile home...

0109KLNA Latest building numbers confirm local economic slowdown The second half of 2008 continued to be tough for the construction industry on the Westside. And the Central Okanagan Regional District`s building statistics for November provide the confirmation. Construction started on just...

0109OKVL Development may slow down Residential growth in north Oakville and Milton could slow down in two years as developers have requested less than half the sewer and water pipe allocations forecast by Halton Region, according to Regional Chair Gary Carr. The Region had expected developers...

0109KWCG Dickson Street makeover planned for 2015 in Cambridge CAMBRIDGE -- It will cost about $425,000 to make Dickson Street pedestrian friendly in front of the new $30 million city hall. Council approved the plan Jan. 12, but it`s not proposed the work happen before 2015. It`s waiting to...

0109HAMN (Burlington) Builder predicts chaos if growth is halted A battered residential building industry, already suffering from a 25 per cent drop in new home sales through the first 11 months of 2008 and struggling to get financing for new projects, is warning Halton Region that its plan to...

0109HAMN (Ancaster) Residents hope to ground aerotropolis A group of Hamilton residents are gearing up to ground the city`s idea to develop the agricultural land around the Hamilton Airport into a commercial and business complex. "(Councillors) need to know that there are citizens who are...

0109BPTN Regional council approves 4.1 per cent tax increase for 2009 Peel councillors signed off on the 2009 budget on Wednesday, voting to increase the regional portion of the property tax bill by 4.1 per cent. That means, for an average residence in Peel assessed at $342,100, homeowners...

0109BPTN Brampton asks feds for infrastructure cash that would create 21,500 new jobs On her way back from Ottawa Thursday, Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell said she is "cautiously optimistic" that the federal government will come through with easy-access cash to build needed infrastructure here...

Real estate industry seeks jump-start The real estate industry wants the federal government to bolster the housing market, as it bids goodbye to a bleak 2008 and braces for an even tougher year ahead. The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), a trade organization representing real estate...

0109MTBA Need advice on wills? Get a lawyer VANCOUVER -- You see will kits advertised on television and online as a cheap and easy way to determine who gets your stuff when you die, but experts say they`re not for everyone, in particular those with complex assets and multiple marriages. Most...

Bank of Canada to chop interest rates again, but will lenders follow? OTTAWA - The Bank of Canada is all but certain to again take an axe to interest rates Tuesday, but as economic woes deepen and money markets tighten - despite aggressive central bank action globally - a sense of the very real...

0109MSJW Housing market in Moose Jaw moderating in 2009; average price was still $172,000 in Nov. Moose Jaw`s housing market will moderate in 2009, slowing down from the heady days of 2007, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Prices moderated but did not reverse and...

0109LETH Development strong in `08 for Coaldale Development was the buzz word in Coaldale over the past year. Mayor Kim Craig said development was strong throughout the year with new residences in Cotton Wood and Parkside Acres. Several multi-family projects increased the mix of housing...

0109LETH County utility rate increase given first reading County residents who receive water and sewer service could be looking at an increase in their utility rates come spring. At last Thursday`s county council meeting first reading on Bylaw 1320 was approved calling for rate increased in...