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Workers are seen placing a new billboard that is wrapped in 22-karat gold over an old ad near Granville Island in Vancouver, Wednesday, May 26, 2010. The billboard, the first of its kind in the world, advertises the "Treasure" exhibit at Science World and will have its own security guard 24 hours a day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

A worker is seen putting the finishing touches on a billboard that is wrapped in 22-karat gold near Granville Island in Vancouver, Wednesday, May 26, 2010. The billboard, the first of its kind in the world, advertises the "Treasure" exhibit at Science World and will have its own security guard 24 hours a day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

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People look on as Canada's largest blue whale skeleton is unveiled at the Biodiversity Centre at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Thursday, May 13, 2010. The skeleton is the largest in the world to be suspended without external support. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

• UBC ranks 34th among world’s top 100 universities (3)

A CF18 Hornet fighter jet, acting under the North American Aerospace Defence Command, intercept a Cathay Pacific passenger plane headed for Vancouver on Saturday May 15, 2010. Two Canadian fighter jets escorted a Cathay Pacific passenger plane to Vancouver International Airport on Saturday due to a security threat. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Beaton

CP – Two Canadian fighter jets escorted a Cathay Pacific passenger plane to Vancouver International Airport on Saturday due to a security threat.

Defence department officials and the RCMP said there was a bomb threat aboard the plane which originated in Hong Kong, but did not elaborate on details.

CF18 Hornet fighter jets acting under the North American Aerospace Defence Command intercepted the plane headed for Vancouver and flew alongside it until it landed safely around 1:40 local time.

The fighter jets have the ability to respond to security threats up to and including lethal force.

“As a precaution, NORAD fighters escorted the aircraft until it landed safely in Vancouver,” said NORAD’s Major Holly Apostoliuk.

Apostoliuk said the jets responded quickly from their base in Comox, B.C. once information on a potential threat was received.

They did not land with flight CX838, and have since returned to their base.

Television images showed the plane on an isolated stretch of tarmac, away from the main airport terminal.

RCMP said the passengers were safely taken off the plane and no one was injured.

Kevin Yip, who was in the airport’s arrivals area, he said he waited for his friends for three hours while the plane sat on the tarmac.

He said the family of four is moving to Canada from Malaysia and their first day on Canadian soil is not a good one.

“They’re starting their lives here in Canada,” Yip said. “It’s terrible. It’s not a way to land in your new country.”

The RCMP was investigating the incident.

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BCREA release — The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) residential sales in the province climbed 21% to 8,385 units in April compared to the same month last year. On a seasonally adjusted basis, MLS® residential unit sales in the province declined 4% from March 2010. The average MLS® residential price climbed 15% to $514,820 in April compared to the same month last year.

“BC home sales have trended on an annual rate of 84,000 to 86,000 units over the past three months, down from the 108,000 unit pace recorded in the fourth quarter of last year,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. A total of 85,028 MLS® residential unit sales were recorded in 2009. “Higher home prices, particularly in Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria as well as a recent lift in mortgage interest rates has eroded affordability and had an impact on overall housing demand,” added Muir.

The BC residential sales dollar volume increased 73% to $13.5 billion in the first four months of 2010, compared to the same period last year. Residential units sales rose 47% to 26,669 units year-to-date, while the average MLS® residential price climbed 17% to $507,616 over the same period.

• Laneway house… not a bad idea eh (4)
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• Vancouver house prices jump 19% in April 2010 year-on-year (0)
• [GB] The current BC education crisis (4)

One in Five Chinese International Students in Canada Pursues a Business Dream

APF and SUCCESS release — Chinese students represent 15% of Canada’s annual intake of international students, which forms the largest visible ethnic group studying in Canada. A survey on the intentions among Chinese international students after graduating in Canada was commissioned by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Business & Economic Development and conducted by Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. (full report here.)

Main findings of the study:

• China is currently the second-largest source country of international students entering Canada annually. Chinese students are the largest group among all international students studying in Canada.
• Nearly a quarter (28%) of all respondents report that they plan to return to China, half (51%) indicate that they would like to stay in Canada, and 14% intend to go to another country after graduation from a Canadian school.
• The majority of those who plan to return to China intend to work, as do those who plan to stay in Canada. Those who plan to go to another country will do so mainly for the purpose of further education.
• The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program seems popular among most Chinese students in Canada, especially for those study permit holders who also have an intention to stay in Canada. 44% of all respondents have applied for or have an intention to apply for permanent residence under the CEC.
• Chinese international students who have not yet graduated are significantly more likely to stay in Canada than those who have graduated.
• Chinese students who studied or are studying in British Columbia are more likely to stay in Canada and apply for the CEC than their peers who study in other provinces.
• Nearly one in five respondents has an intention to start their own business either in Canada or in China while some 31-35% of respondents have no interests at all in business. The majority (45%-48%) are potential entrepreneurs if an opportunity occurs, regardless of whether they are in Canada or in China.
• Male students are significantly more business oriented and have stronger intentions than females to start a business, whether in Canada or in China.
• Chinese students in Canada have shown diversified business interests. Finance, ICT and green technology, energy-saving related environmental businesses are sectors that Chinese students are interested in the most.
• Lack of capital funds, lack of knowledge about starting a new business, and lack of market information are perceived by respondents the top three barriers preventing them from starting up or advancing their own business.
• Nearly 60% of respondents are interested in learning more about government assistance programs in Canada for business start ups.

The primary goal of the survey was to understand the interests of the Chinese international students and the barriers they face upon completion of their study in Canada. The survey results demonstrated that a significant portion of the respondents intended to start their own business in either Canada or China. Nearly 50% of the students expressed interests in becoming entrepreneurs if business opportunities arise.

The results provided evidence of strong business interests among Chinese international students. However, lack of capital funds, lack of knowledge about starting a new business and lack of market information are the top three barriers preventing them from starting up their own business.

“It is important to retain and leverage this group of highly educated talents. They have language capacities and are nurtured by both eastern and western cultures. Canada needs them to further develop our economic ties with overseas. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Business & Economic Development provides consultation and training programs to help them realize business ideas,” said Eliza Chang, Project Director, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Business & Economic Development.

“Given the fact that Chinese students are the largest group among all international students studying in Canada, this is a group which will have significant impacts on the people-to-people relations between Canada and China,” said Kenny Zhang, Senior Project Manager of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. “With their diversified business interests after graduation in Canada, we can expect greater business opportunities between the two countries in the years ahead“, Zhang added.

• ‘Canadians Abroad’ website to link expats, home (1)

Wow, surprise! When we consumers suffer the highest taxes, the business is enjoying the lowest! The question remains: what are the incentives existing — if any — that would encourage businesses to pass on their tax savings onto consumers? And the key to this question is COMPETITION. Do we have a competitive environment that businesses would cut prices to the most to attract more customers? Or are we in a protective environment where certain types of businesses are protected by ridiculous government regulations? Until my TV and cell phone bills drop substantially by at least 50% I don’t see “competitiveness” exist in this economy.

Canada’s tax-friendly environment for business ranks second ahead of largest western economies

CNW release – Canada has the second lowest tax cost for businesses among 10 countries studied by KPMG for a special report on tax in Competitive Alternatives 2010, the firm’s guide to international business costs.

Special Report: Focus on Tax assesses the general tax competitiveness of 95 cities in 10 countries, focusing on 41 major cities with populations greater than 2 million, and compares the total tax burden faced by companies, including income tax, capital tax, sales tax, property tax, miscellaneous local business taxes, and statutory labour costs.

The report ranks 41 major international cities, with Vancouver ranking first, Montréal fourth, and Toronto fifth. The second and third cities are located in Mexico. Vancouver moved up from fourth place among a similar group of 35 large international cities studied in 2008.

“Vancouver moved up in this year’s report thanks to continued federal and provincial corporate tax rate cuts and the upcoming change to the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)”, says Walter Pela, Partner-in-Charge of Tax for KPMG’s Vancouver office. “Vancouver’s first place ranking among international cities in terms of tax competitiveness highlights just one of the many benefits of doing business in BC. These findings come on the heels of Vancouver’s recent profile on the world stage and its improved position in overall business cost competitiveness, as reported in March in our broader study Competitive Alternatives 2010. The city seems set to capture global attention as a good place for business.”

The report compares the total tax cost between countries and cities using a Total Tax Index (TTI) score for each location, expressed as a percentage of total taxes paid by corporations in the US. A lower score is better since it means lower tax costs for businesses.

By this measure, Vancouver, with a score of 50.5, compares favourably with Seattle, its natural US counterpart, which scored at 92.1.

A similar advantage is shown for Toronto (67.6) and Montréal (60.3) compared to cities in the US eastern corridor, such as New York City (101.9) and Philadelphia (88.9), and Boston (87.9).

Although not included on the list of 41 large international cities, other Canadian cities, such as Halifax (55.2), also compare favourably with their US counterparts, such as Bangor, Maine (84.6). The other BC city in the report, Prince George, also scored well at 54.0.

In the country rankings, Mexico came in first, with Canada second and the Netherlands third, followed by Australia, the UK, the US, Germany, Italy, Japan, and France.

The report also compares tax costs between industries, which vary widely. In a breakdown by business sectors, Canada comes second in manufacturing with a score of 67.7, compared to 100 for the US, with Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal placing in the top five cities.

Vancouver also topped the chart among the 41 cities for the corporate and IT services industries with its improved tax regime benefiting Vancouver firms in this sector, including software and video game developers, corporate regional offices, and firms managing international financial and logistics activities between Canada and Asia.

Tax costs in the R&D sector vary significantly from other sectors and the overall results due to the impact of tax incentives targeted to foster R&D activity. In this industry, Canada ranks second, after Australia, and Montréal, Vancouver, and Toronto rank second, fourth, and seventh among the 41 large international cities.

“These rankings reflect our tax policies and efforts to enhance R&D incentives relative to developments elsewhere,” says Walter Pela. “Despite these good results, there’s always room for improvement across all sectors, but it’s also fair to say that around the world expectations for further tax cuts or incentives will have to be curtailed by the impact of the global economic downturn-with falling tax revenues from lower corporate profits and mounting deficits, many governments will have fewer options. Canada is in relatively better shape considering public debt levels in other parts of the world, which suggests Vancouver may be able to sustain its competitive tax advantage as other jurisdictions feel greater pressure to raise taxes.”

KPMG’s Competitive Alternatives 2010 report and its Special Report: Focus on Tax are both available at www.competitivealternatives.com/download.

Results for Major International Cities

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Rank      City                             Total Tax Index
————————————————————–
1              Vancouver, CA            50.5
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2              Monterrey, MX           59.8
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3              Mexico City, MX         60.0
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4               Montreal, CA               60.3
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5               Toronto, CA                 67.6
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6                The Hague, NL            76.1
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7               Amsterdam, NL          76.7
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8                Manchester, UK         77.4
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9                Melbourne, AU          78.9
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10              Baltimore, US             81.8
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11               Sydney, AU                 82.8
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12              Minneapolis, US        86.5
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13               Boston, US                  87.9
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14              Philadelphia, US        88.9
————————————————————–
15              Detroit, US                  90.7
————————————————————–

• Laneway house… not a bad idea eh (4)
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Graffiti from famed British graffiti artist Banksy is displayed on a wall in Toronto on Tuesday, May 11, 2010. It appears legendary British graffiti artist Banksy has left his mark on Toronto. The Show & Tell Gallery blogged about several supposed sightings of the artist's street work, posting photos of mostly black-and-white paintings apparently found hidden away in downtown back alleys. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Graffiti from famed British graffiti artist Banksy is displayed on a wall in Toronto on Tuesday, May 11, 2010. It appears legendary British graffiti artist Banksy has left his mark on Toronto. The Show & Tell Gallery blogged about several supposed sightings of the artist's street work, posting photos of mostly black-and-white paintings apparently found hidden away in downtown back alleys. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

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Meet Vancouver’s – and North America’s – first laneway house!

Located in Vancouver’s east, this laneway house has 710 sq ft spread over two storeys. The rooms are small but the layout is well-designed. I’m sure a lot of Chinese homeowners will be interested in the idea. This one took $190,000 to build with a potential monthly rental of $1500-1700. Not a bad investment given the expensive real estate world in Vancouver!

A modern kitchen with up-to-date appliances. (Photo: Ming Pao)

The balcony is small but cute. (Photo: Ming Pao)

Homeowner Mendoza and his proud Vancouver's first laneway house. (Photo: Ming Pao)

A long line up was seen outside the laneway house on the first day of open house. (Photo: Ming Pao)

Bathroom -- remind me of that on a plane. :D (Photo: Ming Pao)

The interior is quite impressive. (Photo: Ming Pao)

Bedroom is small and dark. (Photo: Ming Pao)

Cute little storage space under the stairs. (Photo: Ming Pao)

Stairs and laundry area. (Photo: Ming Pao)

More coverage here. The City’s requirements on laneway housing:

A laneway home is a small house (500 – 750 square feet) built on a single family dwelling sized lot (RS-1 or RS-5). These buildings occupy the footprint of the allowable garage space for the lot.
Application process

All laneway housing proposals must go through the same application process described for 1 & 2 family dewellings. If you are proposing to build a 1 or 2 family dwelling and a laneway house at the same time, one application will suffice. All laneway houses must have a dedicated sanitary system and a dedicated storm water system as well as a fire suppression system.

The City of Vancouver will supply only one sanitary service, one storm service and one water service to a property regardless of the number of buildings situated on the lot. If you are proposing to add a laneway to an already developed property you may want to contact the Sewer and Water Design office through a citizen service representative at 3-1-1 to discuss servicing options prior to moving ahead.

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Barbecue chef Ted Reader spreads sauce on a hamburger weighing in at 590lbs, seeking to break the record for world's largest, at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto, on Thursday May 6, 2010. Reader led the team that carefully cooked and assembled the epic burger, but it will take time for Guinness to judge on the burger being officially named largest ever. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Dell

A hamburger weighing in at 590lbs, seeking to break the record for world's largest, is weighed at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto, on Thursday May 6, 2010. BBQ chef Ted Reader led the team that carefully cooked and assembled the epic burger, but it will take time for Guinness to judge on the burger being officially named largest ever. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Dell

People help assemble a hamburger weighing in at 590lbs, seeking to break the record for world's largest, at Yonge Dundas Square in Toronto, on Thursday May 6, 2010. BBQ chef Ted Reader led the team that carefully cooked and assembled the epic burger, but it will take time for Guinness to judge on the burger being officially named largest ever. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Dell

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French paper La Presse has summed up my fear all along…. that the Canadian general public is making a right turn in social and political stance after 4 years of conservative leadership.

In a La Presse column Monday, Alain Dubuc argued the Harper government’s stance on abortion funding is just another example of a “profound” shift to the right in Canadian society. “It’s not just that the government is very far to the right,” Mr. Dubuc wrote. “That, we already knew. What is more significant is that the support for its conservative ideas is much bigger than we could have imagined.”

Mr. Dubuc observed that when Mr. Harper panders to his “Reform base,” he doesn’t necessarily rise or drop in opinion polls, nor do his action solicit any significant amount of “popular indignation” from citizens. He went on to argue that the “wave” of conservatism that has swept across Canada since the election of the Harper government “has been strong enough to transform the political debate” and “shift the Canadian consensus” away from a traditionally more liberal approach to abortion and other controversial issues.

We all know that Stephen Harper et al are evangelicals. What we rarely see is Harper letting his religious self to appear in the public. An earlier article in the Vancouver Sun has dissected this side of Harper and why he keeps his evangelical faith under the carpet.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is damned if he does talk about his evangelical beliefs and damned if he doesn’t. If he continues to avoid answering questions about his religious convictions, political observers say he appears secretive, like he’s hiding something. But, at the same time, most Canadians do not share the moral convictions of his evangelical denomination, the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church.

The Alliance Church, to which Harper has belonged for decades, believes Jesus Christ will return to Earth in an apocalypse, won’t ordain women, strongly opposes abortion and divorce, condemns homosexuality as the most base of sins and believes those who aren’t born-again are “lost.”

They believe:

The denomination also stresses that Jesus Christ’s return to Earth is imminent, says the evangelical specialist, who was raised in the Alliance Church.

Alliance Church doctrine, like those of other evangelical denominations, strongly oppose homosexual relationships, describing them as the “basest form of sinful conduct.”

The Alliance Church is also tough on divorce and holds that Christians who have been adulterous do not have a right to remarry.

The denomination’s leaders, in addition, oppose abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, the use of marijuana and ordained female clergy.

To me, the most distasteful aspect of this belief is that they force others to become them. Otherwise, if you go practice whatever you believe in private and not meddling with others’ life, every belief is equal and should be respected.

The Canadian church’s website features a list of sample prayers “for the lost,” so members can pray for sinful non-Christians they hope Jesus Christ will save from “eternal damnation.”

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