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BC Economic Fundamentals

Hire a pro or do it yourself when carpets need cleaning

Question: Do you have a recommendation for cleaning wall-to-wall carpets? We`re not sure if we should try it ourselves or have someone come in.

Answer: Many options are available for cleaning your broadloom carpeting and both do-it-yourself and professional methods can be very effective, but keep a few things in mind before deciding:

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonis...8f-42e0a67e2bad
 
Kamloops buy a Mission accomplished

It doesn`t have the wineries of the Okanagan or the ocean breezes of Vancouver Island.

But Kamloops is attracting its share of recreation and investment property purchasers, including those from Alberta.

Darren Nyrose discovered the Mission Hill project while surfing the Internet and bought quickly.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...8f-ee05b5cc1758
 
FSJ mill complains about high property tax

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The general manager of the oriented strand board mill in Fort St. John says unreasonably high property taxes could force the facility`s closure.

Chris Baby says the Peace Valley oriented strand board mill`s annual property tax burden is over $2 million. The mill, which is the single-largest municipal tax contributor in Fort St. John, is in discussions with city council about a possible reduction to the rate for heavy industrial properties.

The category for the manufacturing sector is currently occupied by the plant alone, currently the only mill in western Canada that produces oriented strand board – an engineered wood panel made from resins and multiple layers of wood strands.

http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/Local%20...ews/392061.html
 
Legal advice before amending rules

Dear Condo Smarts: We are in a divided strata of a highrise and a commercial division. Several years ago, we voted to create sections so that the costs that were allocated exclusively to each section would be fairly divided.

In March, the residential owners were voting on a bylaw that would limit rentals to a maximum of five units. Several commercial-section owners registered their votes and voted against the resolution, preventing us from adopting a rental- limitation bylaw.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sto...d9-eb852bc39683
 
Courtenay water trustee quits to speak about expense

When Coun. Ronna-Rae Leonard received her Courtenay council agenda and saw a proposed budget item to change part of the Sandwick water system over to the city`s supply, she felt she had to do something.

After nearly 12 years, she resigned as a Sandwick Waterworks District trustee last week so she could speak up on the matter.

"When I saw the amount of money suggested being spent on severing from the system ... I really felt City of Courtenay taxpayers deserved my voice to be added to the mix," she said. "It is after all Courtenay taxpayers on the hook for this."

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/17528039.html
 
Real estate remains attractive

Local historian Coun. Randy Manuel stands on the edge of the grass-covered oval that bow-legs Windsor Avenue. A weathered, wooden marker describing the history of town founder Tom Ellis and a visitor are his only company on this morning.

Modernity hovers above, as a twin-egined plane ascends from the Pentiction Regional Airport, its engines drowning out the muffled sound of cars zipping up and down Fairview Road like metallic flashes. But Manuel`s mind is firmly in the second half of the 19th century as he describes the homestead where Ellis lived and built his commercial empire that eventually stretched across the South Okanagan.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/business/17564704.html
 
Cranbrook receives provincial grant for Asia twinning project

With the economy in the United States on the decline, countries like Canada are looking East to find new trading partners and new markets. With the help of a provincial cash infusion, the City of Cranbrook will soon start looking to establish some close ties with a community in Asia.

Last Friday, East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett, on behalf of the BC government, presented Cranbrook Mayor Ross Priest with a cheque for $50,000 to pursue twinning opportunities in Asia. "I am pleased that this grant will allow our community to strengthen our ties to Asia through twinning," Bennett said in an official statement. "As a regional hub, Cranbrook is in a great position to build in the Asia Pacific Initiative program and to help this province create new economic and cultural opportunities."

http://www.bclocalnews.com/business/17426354.html
 
Bridge is taking shape

It`s not exactly a secret, but few people in Langley and the rest of the Lower Mainland are aware of just how much progress has been made on the Golden Ears Bridge project.

Many now have a better idea, after TransLink and the Golden Crossing Constructors Joint Venture hosted a media tour to mark the halfway point in construction of the toll bridge and connecting road links.

http://www.bclocalnews.com/business/Bridge...king_shape.html
 
Real estate market gains balance

Early 2008 has seen the Fraser Valley real estate market continue to rebalance itself, with the moderation of once-dizzying home prices amid a glut of new listings.

Year-to-date, February home sales were down six per cent from the same period in 2007, coming in at just over 2,200 units, according to the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB).

Meanwhile, new listings jumped by nearly 14 per cent compared with early 2007, up to 5,658 (with 2,808 in February alone).

http://www.bclocalnews.com/business/17355489.html
 
Mission tax hike closer to five per cent

It looks like Mission property owners may face only a 5.08 per cent tax increase this year.

The District of Mission council was considering a 7.2 per cent property tax hike, but after hearing from the public, councillors asked district staff to go back and trim the budget, and discussed the proposed changes at a meeting Tuesday night.

http://www.canada.com/abbotsfordtimes/news...67-5949421615ad
 
SkyTrain talk attracts lots of interest

Next Friday`s Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce luncheon, where Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon is expected to formally announce his choice of a northwest route for the Evergreen Line, is attracting keen interest.

Chamber executive director Jill Cook said Thursday organizers are expecting "maybe 80, maybe 100" people at the event.

http://www.canada.com/coquitlamnow/news/st...ea-780005bfd681
 
Port Moody approves tax increase

Port Moody residents are expected to face a 3.6-per-cent increase in property taxes for 2008, with city council voting 4-2 in favour of the first three readings of a five-year financial plan presented Tuesday.

Paul Rockwood, director of finance and IT, made the public presentation of the 2008-2012 financial plan as required by the Community Charter.

http://www.canada.com/coquitlamnow/news/st...7e-98061560f2ac
 
Gateway eyes revision to highway alignment

It looks like the controversial alignment of the South Fraser Perimeter Road that had the future highway running along the edge of Burns Bog may be shifted, but not everyone is happy.

At Delta council this week, engineering director Ian Radnidge provided an update on the SFPR, noting Gateway officials recently informed his engineering staff that a potential shift in the alignment is under consideration.

http://www.canada.com/deltaoptimist/news/s...cefa&k=5122
 
Residents fret over rehab facility

A south Langley property will become a rehab facility for recovering women drug addicts this year, but neighbours say they should have been consulted first.

Several residents of the area around 216th Street and 4th Avenue spoke or attended Monday night`s council meeting with concerns about a new Wagner Hills Farm facility.

http://www.canada.com/langleyadvance/news/...01-bdc3be73c234
 
Opinions sought on $20 m projects

Taxpayers can help Maple Ridge council decide on its spending priorities.

Local policiticans are looking to borrow upwards of $20 million to build a new firehall, expand the municipal cemetery, construct a new animal shelter, improve drainage on River Road and acquire new future school and park sites, all of which council considers to be important municipal priorities.

http://www.canada.com/mapleridgetimes/news...22-5d54b7a46685
 
Slum landlords may face penalties

Maple Ridge council debated last week whether it`s appropriate for the municipality to try to enforce maintenance standards on deadbeat landlords when it`s a provincial responsibility to police rental unit conditions.

However, council did give first reading to a new standards of maintenance bylaw. Under the bylaw a tenant could complain if a landlord took no steps to fix a broken furnace, toilet, fridge or stove, a leaking ceiling or other maintenance issues. If District of Maple Ridge staff found the landlord hadn`t taken action in a reasonable amount of time the district could fine the landlord up to $1,000.

http://www.canada.com/mapleridgetimes/news...10-9a801fa549e0
 
City transportation plan ready

IT`S an ambitious, one-of-a kind, multi-modal transportation strategy with a 20-year view that prioritizes cycling, walking and transit use.

That`s how Dragana Mitic, assistant city engineer for the City of North Vancouver, described the city`s long-term transportation plan presented at a public policy meeting Monday.

"This is a truly sustainable, multi-modal transportation plan that sets transportation vision for the city for the next 20 years and beyond," said Mitic. "It emphasizes priority for sustainable modes of transportation and ensures future spending and funding are really toward making a more sustainable community."

http://www.canada.com/northshorenews/news/...e5-2155daeadfdb
 
Richmond no longer merely a gateway to Vancouver

For many tourists, the airport is the only glimpse of Richmond they ever get -- and a number of them don`t even realize they`re touching down in Richmond. Ever the bridesmaid and never the bride, the City of Richmond is the "gateway" rather than the "destination."

Tourism Richmond is hoping to change that with an ambitious plan to "rebrand" the city.

http://www.canada.com/richmondnews/news/st...de-b3c7d520ec91
 
Residents raise stink about compost plan

East Ladner residents don`t want it and neither does Delta council.

That`s the message Westcoast Instant Lawns received Monday as local politicians soundly voiced their opposition to an application by the company to expand its composting operation.

Almost 100 residents filled council chambers as civic politicians took turns criticizing the plan submitted to Metro Vancouver to increase the amount of materials to be processed at the 72nd Street site from 19,000 tonnes to 100,000 tonnes.

http://www.canada.com/surreynow/news/story...a1-7e2a2997c12c
 
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