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Good news report from Canada

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4 January 2009

24 December 2008 was the 24th day of the sixth month of the 3rd year of Canadian national consciousness rising to invincibility, as indicated by the following press reports:

24 December 2008

The Canadian Press - Top CEOs call for C$15-billion stimulus package to boost economy (23 December 2008) The Canadian Council of Chief Executives sent the prime minister and the finance minister a submission to the 27 January budget that calls on Ottawa to accelerate infrastructure project spending, cut personal taxes, and aid business. The CEOs note the country is better positioned than most developed countries to weather the storm. Canada continues to sell more than it buys, the country's financial institutions are sound, inflation and interest rates are dropping, and although unemployment is rising, at 6.3 per cent it remains near a 30-year low. They point out that after years of balanced budgets, 'our governments can afford to increase spending temporarily to blunt the impact of the crisis.'

The Financial Post - Fundamentals still good for Canada's commercial real estate, analysts say (23 December 2008) 'We believe the market is confusing the relative health of commercial property fundamentals with the dysfunctional current nature of credit markets,' a trio of analysts at Canaccord Adams who cover the Canadian real estate income trust sector wrote in a report published on Friday. In fact, they told clients that Canadian commercial real estate property fundamentals are in great shape in terms of vacancy rates.

Canwest News Service - Market for office space holds up (24 December 2008) Office space in Canada's major cities is still relatively tight, putting the market in good shape to weather the recession, a report says. 'Canada's office market is well positioned going into the projected recession, thanks to its strong performance during recent years that drove vacancy rates down to historically low levels and continued to drive rents higher through 2008,' said Colliers International in Canada in its report on six major cities—Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. 'These strong market indicators, coupled with a limited supply of new office space in most markets, will help the office market to weather the current economic slowdown,' the report said.

The Globe and Mail on shoppers prefer green malls (23 December 2008) In the Greater Toronto Area alone, malls such as Promenade, Fairview, Mapleview, Upper Canada, and Scarborough Town Centre are either undergoing, or have recently completed, multimillion-dollar renovations. And landlords are increasingly embracing green initiatives, with some promoting their green practices in the hope that consumers will be more loyal. At the grand opening of First Capital Realty's Morningside Crossing in east Toronto in September, it was touted it as the city's first green shopping centre because it was built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

'We feel we have to do it as a good corporate citizen. We feel, eventually, it will become essential not only because regulation will force us [to build greener malls], but also because retailers will force us,' said Sylvie Lachance, First Capital's executive vice-president and chief operating officer. 'Already, we can see that some retailers are insisting on these characteristics.' There is evidence to support the idea that shoppers prefer green malls. Polls conducted by Calgary's Sunridge Mall found 61 per cent of shoppers are 'somewhat' to 'highly likely' to shop at stores and centres that are more environmentally conscious, said Sunridge's marketing director Claire Salaysay. 'They have indicated in our research that they are more aware of the environment and are more likely to support businesses that are sharing their values.'

Sunridge has a comprehensive marketing strategy that promotes its green activities. In 2006, when the mall underwent a C$50-million redevelopment, it planned for an environmentally themed children's indoor play park. The park, built from recycled materials, opened earlier this year and promotes activities such as recycling, composting and planting seeds. Last April, Sunridge built a four-room environmentally friendly home inside the mall that showcased green products sold by retailers there—from bamboo mattresses and bedding, to energy-efficient appliances and eco-friendly household cleaners.

The Regina Leader-Post on Saskatchewan, Manitoba retailers enjoying busy holiday season (24 December 2008) 'Certainly in terms of what we are hearing from our members, Saskatchewan, in particular, and Manitoba are probably the best markets in Canada heading into the holiday season,'' said Lanny McInnes, director of government relations for the Retail Council of Canada. 'We are just as busy as we have been in the past, if not even slightly more so and this will be my 10th year with Visions,'' said sales manager Russell Hammond with Visions Electronics Store on Albert Street in Regina. And shoppers were snapping up everything green at the Roughrider Store in Regina's Northgate Mall. In fact, people were spending more this year than last year when the Roughriders brought home the Grey Cup. Salesman Gad Puskila, whose kiosk sells hand and body lotions, said people in the Northgate Mall were buying his product 'like bread.' 'It has been really busy at the mall,'' he said.

The Globe and Mail on lowest average gas prices in four years (24 December 2008) The economy is offering consumers one saving grace—the cheapest gas in four years. According to a weekly survey released Tuesday, Canadians are now enjoying the lowest gas prices that they've seen since December of 2004. This past week, the average price for a litre of gas in Canada was 74.9 cents (down from C$1.377 14 weeks ago). Ottawa had the cheapest gas, after prices there fell 4.7 cents to 65.8 cents a litre. Motorists welcomed the lower prices. 'It couldn't come at a better time,' said Greg Knudsen. 'I can tell you that at one point it was costing me close to C$100 to fill up my car and last time it was C$67,' said Debbie Aarons, a human-resources consultant in Vancouver.

The Canadian Press - Parties praise top court judge pick (23 December 2008) Prime Minister Harper has made Thomas Cromwell's appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada official. Cromwell, a widely respected former judge of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, will take the seat vacated by New Brunswick's Michel Bastarache. Opposition MPs and academics were unanimous in their praise of Cromwell, a 56-year-old judicial centrist renowned for clear and thoughtful rulings. Harper said he personally consulted Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff before taking action and received assurances the Liberals would 'welcome' an immediate appointment. Brian Murphy, the Liberal MP and justice critic, said there was little choice, given the pressing need to bring the court back to full strength and the impeccable credentials of Cromwell. 'He's a great choice, bilingual, steeped in the law, a track record at the court of appeal, the whole it,' said Murphy. 'Perfect. Great appointment.'

The Globe and Mail on unified First Nations to have strong presence at Vancouver Olympics (23 December 2008) As chief executive officer of the Four Host First Nations, Mr Tewanee Joseph, 36, is responsible for co-ordinating the Olympic involvement of aboriginal groups across Canada. A year after Vancouver won the bid for the 2010 Olympics, Mr Joseph, a member of the Squamish band council, approached Squamish Nation Chief Gibby Jacob and asked him if anybody was co-ordinating the four bands in whose traditional territories the Games are being held.

The Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh bands, whose territorial lands extend from Vancouver to Whistler, all have their own governments, each of which has a fierce pride in its autonomy. Mr Joseph throws back his head and laughs as he recalls the audacity of his meeting with Chief Jacob, at which he suggested he could draw all four bands together into one unified group. 'He just said, 'It's a great idea. Go for it',' said Mr Joseph, who was the youngest band councillor ever elected in Squamish when he took office at the age of 21. Nobody had ever tried to get the four bands to work together before, but Mr Joseph, who has a business diploma from Capilano College, succeeded with a simple pitch. 'Why don't we come together? We'll be stronger,' he told the band councils.

Mr Joseph negotiated a formal relationship with the Vancouver Organizing Committee that recognizes the Four Host First Nations as the organization that speaks for aboriginal involvement in the Games. 'For the first time in the history of the Olympics, an indigenous group is an official partner,' he said. Now he is busy nailing down agreements with aboriginal organizations in every province and territory. So far, every native leader he's spoken to has enthusiastically agreed to be part of the Games. 'It's big. It's overwhelming,' he said of the groundswell of support that is rising for the Games among native organizations across Canada. 'The Olympics are going to be the biggest potlatch the world has ever seen . . . aboriginal people are going to be everywhere.'

Mr Joseph's vision for the 2010 Games includes a big, centrally located pavilion that will feature aboriginal singers, dancers and artists—a place where native and non-native people can get to know each other. It will be a showcase of native culture. And it will bridge the old world to the new.

These are a few of the news reports reflecting Canada's rising invincibility from the growing Yogic Flying groups across Canada and the Invincible America Assembly at Maharishi University of Management and Maharishi Vedic City, USA.

For further information on creating invincibility for your nation, please visit: www.globalgoodnews.com/invincibility.

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