Hi All

Sorry I'm really late this week with my Top 10. I had a very busy weekend in Mackenzie with the annual Chamber of Commerce Spring Exposition. This year’s Exposition was very well attended and the mood was positive with everyone looking forward to the re-opening of the Paper Excellence pulp mill and the Conifix sawmills. In addition, I was able to announce a new funding model for the payment of Physicians in Mackenzie. This new salaried model is based on a pilot that has worked very well in Fraser Lake. The stability that has been seen in Fraser Lake will really help support Mackenzie’s long term health care goals.

In addition, last week I attended the "Site C" announcement and what a great day it was. The project has the potential to add significantly to the economic outlook of both Prince George and Mackenzie. This week I will focus the Top 10 on some of the details of Site C.

Have a great week!

Pat

1.       Stats on the Site C Clean Energy Project (Site C):

a.       It will be a third dam and hydroelectric generating station on the Peace River in northeast B.C.

b.       It will be an earthfill dam, approximately 1,100 metres in length, and 60 metres high above the river bed.

c.       The reservoir will be approximately 83 kilometres long and will be, on average, two to three times the width of the current river.

2.       Site C will contribute to the local and provincial economy by creating an estimated 7,650 direct construction jobs through the construction period, and up to 35,000 direct and indirect jobs through all stages of the project.

3.      As a source of firm energy, Site C will facilitate the development of clean energy projects by providing additional capacity to back up intermittent resources, such as wind, run-of-river hydro and solar.

4.       The Site C Clean Energy Project will help meet B.C.’s future electricity needs by providing 900 megawatts of capacity and 4,600 gigawatt hours of electricity each year

5.      Source of clean and renewable energy for over 100 years.  Producing enough energy to power approximately 410,000 homes per year.  BC’s electricity needs are forecast to increase by 20 to 40 per cent in the next 20 years, as the province’s population is estimated to grow by more than one million people.  Site C will allow British Columbians to continue to enjoy the benefits of clean, reliable and affordable electricity in the future.

6.       As the third project on one river system, Site C will gain significant efficiencies by taking advantage of water already stored in the Williston Reservoir. This means that Site C would generate about 30 per cent of the energy produced at W.A.C. Bennett Dam, with only five per cent of the reservoir area.

7.       To compensate for recreational impacts and opportunities identified through environmental and regulatory reviews, options to support or enhance new opportunities will be identified.  As an example, the reservoir would offer new lake based recreation and tourism opportunities such as boating, fishing, hiking and camping.

8.       The Site C Clean Energy Project will produce among the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per gigawatt-hour, when compared with other forms of electricity generation. This will help B.C. further displace fossil fuel-generated electricity with clean energy.

9.       Site C will prepare our province for the emerging electrification of the transportation sector — including rail, ports and electric plug-in vehicles — and other technologies aimed at reducing fossil fuel dependency will eventually place new demands on our electricity system. For example, early forecasts suggest that between 10 per cent and 60 per cent of vehicles purchased by 2025 will be plug-in hybrid electric or all electric.

10.   Site C will be a heritage asset of BC Hydro, which means it would be publicly owned by the people of B.C. in perpetuity.

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For Real Estate info just call or email. Cheers!

With all the missinformation out there I thought I would forward this email I got from Pat Bell our MLA for Prince George North.

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Hi All

I thought that even though I may be stirring up a Hornets nest that I needed to get some of the facts out there on HST. This has been a very controversial issue over the last number of months and it’s been difficult to penetrate the controversy and have people look critically at the policy decision for what it is, sound economic development policy. With the HST in place our big job creating industries (Forestry, Mining, Energy and Construction) become far more competitive and able to withstand economic downturns. This in turn protects jobs and creates economic stability. With that in mind this week’s Top 10 will provide you with some information that you probably have not seen before.

Some more great news for Mackenzie this week with the purchase of the closed Pulp Mill by ‘Paper Excellence” (Sinar Mas). This was a very innovative agreement with the McLeod Lake Indian Band becoming the fibre supplier and long term contracts in place to take the pulp into China. Congratulations to Mayor Stephanie Killam, Tanner Elton who negotiated the deal and Carl Bernasky head of the local CEP. This was a very special and emotional day for all of us and returns Mackenzie to a more stable economic environment. More on this next week.

Have a great week!

Pat Bell  -  http://www.patbellmla.bc.ca/

1.       You may have heard  “The HST adds $2,100 to your yearly costs”

a.       You would need to spend an additional $30,000 on currently PST-exempt items to reach $2,100

b.      For a Family of 4 with a $60,000 annual income the true impact is $8.91 per month.

c.       A Senior Couple with a $30,000 income will be impacted by an additional $1 per year.

d.      A Family of 4 with a $90,000 income will be impacted by an additional $14.83 per month.

e.      A Family of 4 with a $30,000 income will actually benefit by $44.58 per month (because of the BC HST Credit)

2.       You may have heard “Everything will cost more”

The vast majority of retail items will see no tax change with HST

Items on which you pay PST and GST today stay exactly the same. (7%PST + 5%GST = 12% HST)

a.       New cars, trucks, boats, recreational vehicles

b.      Furniture

c.       Electronics

d.      Kitchenware

e.      Toiletries

f.        Hardware and tools

g.       Adults clothing

h.      Pet Food

3.       You may have heard “Housing will cost more”

a.       No HST on used homes  which make up 80% of total sales in BC

b.      HST rebate will apply on new homes up to $525,000 – maximum $26,250

c.       Homes above $525,000 are eligible for a rebate of $26,250

d.      In BC -  73% of home sales are under $500,000

e.      In Northern BC  99%  of home sell for less than $500,000

4.       You may have heard  “You’ll pay more for car insurance, home insurance…”

The HST won’t change the price of any of those items. They are exempt.

5.       You may have heard “Staying warm and keeping the lights on will cost more”

Home heating fuels and residential electricity are eligible for a point-of-sale rebate, including:

a.       Oil

b.      Natural gas

c.       Propane

d.      Wood and wood pellets

HST won’t increase the cost of heating or powering your home

6.       You may have heard “It will cost more to feed my family”

These are ALL zero rated –

a.       basic groceries such as milk, bread, and vegetables.

b.      agricultural products such as grain, raw wool, and dried tobacco leaves.

c.       most farm livestock.

d.      most fishery products such as fish for human consumption.

e.      prescription drugs and drug-dispensing fees (in case you buy these at the grocery pharmacy).

The general rule of thumb is – if there is currently GST on any item at the grocery store than HST will apply.

7.       You may have heard “The disabled will be impacted by additional cost for medical devices”

These Medical devices are zero-rated:

(a)    hearing aids

(b)   heart-monitoring devices

(c)    hospital beds

(d)   breathing apparatus

(e)   asthmatic devices

(f)     prescription eyeglasses/contact lenses

(g)    artificial eyes

(h)   artificial teeth such as dentures, crowns and bridges, orthodontic appliances

(i)      aids to locomotion such as a chair, commode chair, walker, wheelchair lift or other aid to locomotion for use by an individual with a disability

(j)     patient lifters

(k)    wheelchair ramp; portable wheelchair ramp

(l)      modifying motor vehicles to adapt the vehicle for the transportation of an individual using a wheelchair

(m) prescription orthotic and orthopedic devices

(n)   prosthesis/devices

(o)   canes or crutches

(p)   articles for blind individuals

(q)   guide dogs for blind individuals and hearing ear dogs

(r)     supplies and services related to medical and assistive devices.

8.        You may have heard “Children’s clothes and items will increase”

Children’s clothing and items below will not be subject to the provincial portion (7%) of the HST or HST exempt

(a)     Children's clothing designed for babies, girls, and boys up to and including girls' Canada Standard Size 16 and boys' Canada Standard Size 20, or clothing designated for girls and boys in sizes small, medium or large if the clothing does not have a designated Canada Standard Size would be eligible for point-of-sale rebate.  This would not include costumes or clothing like sports protective equipment.

(b)    Children’s footwear designed for babies, girls, and boys up to and including girls' size 6 and boys' size 6, including footwear without a numerical size that is designated for girls or boys in sizes small, medium or large would be eligible for point-of-sale rebate. This would not include skates, rollerblades, ski-boots, footwear that has cleats, or similar footwear.

(c)    Diapers, including cloth and disposable diapers designed for babies and children, and diaper inserts and liners, rubber pants, and training pants would be eligible for point-of-sale rebate.   Incontinence products would be zero-rated under HST, in accordance with current GST rules.

(d)   Children's car seats and car booster seats that are restraint systems or booster cushions that conform with Transport Canada's safety requirements for Standards 213, 213.1, 213.2 and 213.5, as described under the federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act would be eligible for point-of-sale rebate.

9.       You may have heard "Education costs are going to increase including my child’s music lessons”

Educational services such as courses supplied by a vocational school leading to a certificate or a diploma which allows the practice of a trade or a vocation, or tutoring services made to an individual in a course that follows a curriculum designated by a school authority;  music lessons are not taxable.

10.   You may have heard “HST will hurt small business”

HST will be good for business. It will replace hidden sale tax and small businesses will get additional tax cuts.  Currently, PST is applied at every step in the creation of a product. Those multiple PST charges are embedded in the price you pay at the store – even though you can't see it. And of course, you pay PST on the final purchase price. Under the HST system, most of those embedded costs are removed and savings can be passed on to the consumer.

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Canada's great recession wasn't that bad after all: Statistics Canada
By: THE CANADIAN PRESS 

OTTAWA - It's been called the Great Recession by many around the globe. 

But Statistics Canada says the economic meltdown that devastated the economies of dozens of countries large and small in 2008 and 2009 left Canada relatively unscathed. 

According to the federal agency, Canada did suffer through a technical recession - a 3.3 per cent drop in gross domestic product over three quarters between the fall of 2008 and the summer of 2009. 

But that was shorter and milder than Canada's previous two recessions. For example, the 1981-82 slump saw GDP fall 4.9 per cent over six quarters, while the 1991-92 downturn resulted in a 3.4 per cent fall-off in output over four quarters. 

Recessions are mostly felt by those who lose their jobs, and on this measure the latest downturn was especially mild. 

Statistics Canada says employment fell just 1.8 per cent in the recent recession, compared with 3.2 per cent in 1991-92 and five per cent in 1981-82. 
Best regards,
Dean Birks - REALTOR
Royal LePage Prince George 

Sent via BlackBerry

The 1st quarter of 2010 turned out much better than this time last year. Home prices are basically stable with good, clean, updated home fetching more attention than the rest. With the mortgage rates still low most buyers have a low appetite to fix anything up and would just rather buy a home done as the extra monthly payment to get what they want is less than spending hard earned after tax savings on renovations.

Click Here to access the latest BC Real Estate Associations 1st Quarter Report.

Cheers!

Dean Birks
Prince George Real Estate

Last week there was a radio talk show on CBC in Vancouver where the callers called in commenting on the high 'Average Price' of homes in the Vancouver area almost reaching one million dollars. Many said where can we live and asked the DJ for suggestions with no mention of any particular city in BC.

Well let me promote Prince George BC. We are the best deal in Western Canada and if you make a check list of all our amenities, opportunities, wages, resources and not to mention direct West Jet flights to Mexico and the average home price at only $240,000 range!

So if a good wage, good community, 15 minute drive max to anywhere you need to drive the kids or work, cost of living and very friendly people then Prince George is very worth looking at.

To learn about Prince George visit my website www.DeanBirks.com and click on 'Local News, Info' tab.

Have a great weekend.
Cheers
Dean Birks - Full Time REALTOR

1. Lumber prices continue to escalate as well with the “Composite Index” at $342 this past week compared to $202 a year ago. This has led to a reduction in the border tax as of May 1 from 15% to 10%. I really believe we will start seeing some mills re-open and shifts being added back. In addition I would expect a significant increase in logging activity this summer.
2. The real driver behind price increases was seen in January 2010 when B.C.’s total softwood lumber exports increased by 22% over January 2009. This includes a four-fold increase in the exports to China, a six per cent increase in exports to the U.S. and an 11 per cent increase in exports to Japan.
3. In February 2010, B.C.'s average weekly wage was $813, fourth highest in Canada. The average weekly wage has risen by $165 - or more than 25 per cent - since 2001, when it was $648.
4. Consumer confidence in British Columbia rose by a record 25.9 points in March and now sits at 121.1 points. The Conference Board of Canada reports B.C.’s consumer confidence level is 28.6 points higher the Canadian average of 92.5.
5. In December 2009 China granted Canada approved destination status, allowing tour operators and travel agents in China to advertise and organize tours in Canada and British Columbia. Approved destination status could increase Chinese tourism to B.C. by 25 per cent annually over the next few years.

Government Committee Working on Wood Innovation Centre

By 250 News  Tuesday, April 06, 2010 10:37 AM

By 250 News Thursday, April 08, 2010 04:07 AM

Fraser Fort George Region: