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BC Economic Fundamentals 2008-08

Tweaking blueprints for an aging population

Before the floors are stacked on top of each other, before holes are dug for highrise apartment buildings, even before the blueprints are mapped out, builders need to have a plan for accessibility to meet the needs of a changing demographic, says one Vancouver developer working on a major accessible housing project in downtown Victoria.

Half of the suites in the 108-unit condominium planned at 834 Johnson St. will be wheelchair-friendly, said David Chard, president of Chard Development Ltd.

"We`re talking about slightly larger washrooms, the doors leading into the washroom are two-foot ten-inches so a wheelchair can enter that washroom and be able to turn around," said Chard.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...fc-282b766fc6da
 
Now the real work begins at idle mill

NANAIMO -- Now that Nanaimo Forest Products has been given the nod to purchase the Harmac pulp mill, the real work begins.

The daunting task will be to open the idle mill by the fall -- and then make it competitive.

Many issues must be addressed before NFP can get the mill, closed since May, back into operation.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...bc-6376dfef29e4
 
TransLink to scrap Pattullo

A new toll bridge will be built to replace the 70-year-old Pattullo Bridge, TransLink said yesterday.

"Our direction will be to build an entirely new bridge and tear the old one down," TransLink CEO Tom Prendergast said in a news release.

The board met in private to deal with a report on the bridge from Delcan Consulting.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...32-7bfb66a44a2b
 
Renewed lease on horizon for Vernon airport

Negotiations on a new lease to allow Vernon Regional Airport to keep operating took flight yesterday.

Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert told The Province he expects to have the lease signed "within a week."

The old lease on 2.8 hectares of Okanagan Indian band land that stretches across the middle of the airport`s runway ran out in 2006.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...25-2311fcfa71d3
 
Burnaby gains ground in office construction

While developers are building a trickle of new office projects in downtown Vancouver, they are pouring a deluge into Burnaby, where lower land costs and rising rents have made it an attractive location to build, according to a report from commercial realtor Avison Young.

The tale of two office cities is a continuation of the trend in Metro Vancouver`s hot office-leasing market that has seen the cost of new construction downtown become prohibitive to new office development, although demand for space is high.

And the surrounding cities, particularly Burnaby, have benefited by having more land that is readily available at less-expensive prices.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...6b-2b564f221e33
 
Prince George mill won`t be rebuilt

PRINCE GEORGE -- Rather than build a new North Central Plywood plant in Prince George, Canfor decided it would be better to concentrate on upgrading the company`s existing operations, officials said in a conference call Thursday morning.

"When we took a look at the long-term forecasts for plywood prices as well as the availability of suitable fibre and the alternatives that we have with respect to our sawmill operations, those combined factors indicated that the best decision was not to rebuild," Canfor vice-president of manufacturing Mark Feldinger said.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...c9-b2afab6c1d6c
 
Goldcorp pays richly for Gold Eagle Mines

Vancouver-based Goldcorp Inc. has reasserted its dominance at Ontario`s Red Lake gold camp by agreeing to buy Gold Eagle Mines Ltd., a month after a rival made an audacious approach to the junior company.

On June 26, Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. startled Bay Street by investing $50 million in Gold Eagle and offering to help the company develop its world-class Bruce Channel discovery at Red Lake.

The deal was a surprise because it nearly infringed on Goldcorp`s turf.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...f2-91d7f74d6dd4
 
NovaGold sells hydro projects for $40 million

Vancouver-based NovaGold Resources Inc. has sold its run-of-river hydro projects for up to $40 million in order to focus on gold.

AltaGas Income Trust, which is headquartered in Calgary, will pay $35 million for the projects, owned by NovaGold subsidiary NovaGreenPower Inc. An additional $5 million will be paid on completion of certain conditions afterwards, such as transferring permits.

NovaGold put together a strategic plan and decided "to focus on gold . . . and divest itself of non-core assets," NovaGold`s president and CEO Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse said in an interview.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/bu...c5-015b7d12a14c
 
`Bigger is better` as port breaks yet another record

Shooting up from behind the multi-coloured shipping crates, the Napoli`s white bridge was an awe-inspiring sight. The ship, which had traveled from China, docked at the Prince Rupert Port at approximately 10:30 am.

Carrying 8,200 TEU containers - far more than any other ship that has called at the facility before - the Napoli measured a staggering 355 meters long and 43 meters wide.

"Impressive," said Brian Smith, who brought his wife Gale and two sons, Jordan and Max, along to see the offloading of the vessel.

http://www.canada.com/cityguides/princerup...a2-b7c1f9ad81e4
 
BC Ferries steams ahead with optimism

BC Ferries released an optimistic annual report last week that outlines the company`s financial situation and its many plans for moving forward into the 2008/09 year.

The cover page the report proudly proclaims "A Super Year" on the 2007/08 report, with the company recording net earnings of $37.1 million and reporting an overall higher customer satisfaction rate. While the company`s net earnings were down from the $48.8 million of 2006/07, the report says the decrease can be attributed to significant new assets that came into service during the year.

The report said net earnings will decline during the next few years as all retained earnings are invested into a new asset renewal program, and is consistent with the BC Ferries long-term financial plan.

http://www.canada.com/cityguides/princerup...09-17377938e26e
 
New Jobs for Chetwynd

After the closure of the Canfor Mill in Chetwynd earlier this year put some 200 employees out of work, a new project will now see the creation of 180 new jobs. Surerus pipeline has been awarded the Grizzly Valley loop project by Spectra Energy. The project will see the construction of a new 17 kilometre 24 inch pipeline constructed in the rugged terrain of the Grizzly Valley region.

http://www.cjdccountry.com/node/762853
 
Half-month`s rent: It`s the law

Whistler – A long-time tenants` rights advocate wants to remind both tenants and landlords in Whistler that a half month`s rent is the maximum allowable security deposit that a landlord can request under B.C.`s residential tenancy laws.Tom Durning of the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre said last week that it seems more landlords in Whistler than any other place in B.C. charge more than the permitted half-month`s rent for a deposit. The advisory centre gets about 60 calls a year from the Whistler area, many from tenants who have paid more than the maximum security deposit, he said."It`s written in stone in the Residential Tenancy Act that it`s half a month`s rent, not a penny more," Durning said. "There`s no excuse and no reason to charge more than half a month`s rent."

http://www.whistlerquestion.com/article/20...1001/whistler01
 
Water being used up?

DAWSON CREEK – South Peace drinking water could be threatened if industry continues to drain water at the rate it has been and that could end up being a real problem says Dawson Creek water manager Rod Harmon.

"We have no authority," he said. Even though the Kiskatinaw River is the only water supply for 20,000 people, the city has no mechanism to guarantee industry can`t just take whatever they need, even it it`s at residents` expense.
Urban, rural and industrial needs are all competing for what is, this year, a limited supply of water.

The city can enforce water restrictions on its residents when needed but for industrial use, they are limited. The only recourse they have is to request that the Oil and Gas Commission intervene as they issue industrial water permits.

http://www.northeastnews.ca/index.php?opti...77&Itemid=1
 
Plan A projects right on track

On time and on budget, the city`s three Plan A projects are expected to "forever change the face of Abbotsford," according to city staff.

The new cultural centre, recreation centre and 8,500-seat entertainment and sports complex, all opening within the next year, were described as being integral parts of keeping up with Abbotsford`s increasing population.

During a media tour of the three facilities Wednesday, city staff walked through the highlights of the facilities and spoke about the "positive influence" they will have on the whole community.

http://www.canada.com/abbotsfordtimes/news...7f-ba8193f239d7
 
Grow rip not part of grow op

The two incidents were just hours and blocks apart, but Chilliwack RCMP have so far found no evidence that an armed break-and-enter and a fire at two marijuana grow-operations on Promontory are connected.

One man was assaulted in a failed grow rip (robbery) by four men at a house on Teskey Road early Tuesday morning, and about an hour later the Chilliwack Fire Department (CFD) responded to a structure fire at a house on Woodspring Place that was allegedly caused by faulty wiring because of a marijuana grow operation.

http://www.canada.com/chilliwacktimes/news...a9-a20397ced52c
 
It`s back to the future for today`s developers

In determining trends in planned communities, architects and land developers are going "back to the future" to create neo-traditionalist homes and traditional neighbourhood developments that appeal to today`s buyers.

Typically these neighbourhoods meet many of the desires today`s consumers express by returning to a traditional neighbourhood design with a well-defined town centre and a high-density, mixed-use balance of shops, offices, schools and recreational facilities.

Public spaces and civic buildings are given priority and so are parks, which tend to be centrally located instead of on the periphery. Sidewalks are a must, and pedestrian traffic is encouraged.

http://www.canada.com/coquitlamnow/news/st...ae-0df1a5d42261
 
Highway gets approval

It`s both a betrayal and the height of hypocrisy, the president of the Burns Bog Conservation Society says about the South Fraser Perimeter Road receiving an environmental assessment certificate.

Eliza Olson couldn`t hide her frustration last Friday after hearing the B.C. Ministry of Transportation`s announcement that the proposed highway has moved a step closer to reality.

The ministry announced Environment Minister Barry Penner and Community Development Minister Blair Lekstrom have granted the SFPR a certificate after reviewing a report from the provincial Environmental Assessment Office.

http://www.canada.com/deltaoptimist/news/s...fd-b6462ffcac06
 
Migrant workers can be housed on farms

Delta now has the provisions needed to allow local farmers to house temporary foreign workers on their land.

Delta council gave final approval to its migrant farm worker housing bylaw Monday night.

The regulation will allow farmers to house a maximum of 42 workers through either the Federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training. Many of the workers come from Mexico and are typically in Canada to work for eight months a year.

http://www.canada.com/deltaoptimist/news/s...47-8414f41f3172
 
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