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Good news report from Canada, 7-11 April 2009

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11 April 2009

11 April was the 11th day of tenth month of the 3rd year of Canadian national consciousness rising to invincibility.

11 April 2009

Dr William Overall, National Director of the Global Country of World Peace in Canada, presented highlights of news reports reflecting Canada's rising invincibility from Yogic Flying groups across Canada and the large Invincible America Assembly at Maharishi University of Management and Maharishi Vedic City, USA.

Extensive scientific research has documented the Maharishi Effect of rising coherence, harmony, and peace created in the collective consciousness of a nation by large groups of Yogic Flyers. The effect has been found to extend beyond national borders when the group is of sufficient size.

Following are press reports from 7-11 April were featured in Dr Overall's presentation:

The Globe and Mail - Selection of envoy signals thawing ties with China (11 April 2009) The Conservative government is getting set to name a former top lobbyist as its next ambassador to Beijing, sources say, a move that would mark a sharp pro-business turn in Canada's re-engagement with China. According to Canadian sources in Beijing, the new ambassador will be David Mulroney, a veteran China hand. The move appears to be part of a multipronged effort by Ottawa to reheat relations with Beijing after years of frosty ties and lost trade opportunities. Trade Minister Stockwell Day arrived in China yesterday for a seven-city tour aimed at invigorating a commercial relationship. Prime Minister Harper is expected to visit China this year, as is Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon. The most significant of the latest signals, however, could be the appointment of Mr Mulroney, a career diplomat and bureaucrat with years of experience in Beijing and East Asia. A fluent Mandarin speaker, his only experience outside government in recent years was a 1995 to 1998 stint he did as the executive director of the Canada-China Business Council. Mr Mulroney also spent three years as Ottawa's consul to Shanghai and three more as head of the Canadian Trade Office in Taiwan, Canada's de facto embassy in Taipei. Though Mr Mulroney's name has not yet been officially presented to the Chinese government—which has the right to reject his appointment—his nomination is expected to happen quickly. In addition to being ambassador to China, the world's fastest-growing economy and Canada's second-biggest trading partner, Mr Mulroney would also become Canada's ambassador to Mongolia. John Shou, managing director of the Canada-China Business Council's office in Beijing, said he had heard Mr Mulroney's name rumoured as a potential new ambassador and said he thought Mr Mulroney would do an excellent job. 'We need someone who has good knowledge of China, and good experience in China with the business community. Mr. Mulroney used to be posted in China. He has a diversified—government, private sector, NGO—background. A person like him would very much contribute to a constructive relationship,' Mr Shou said.

The Canadian Press - Trade Minister Stockwell Day begins seven-day visit to China (11 April 2009) International Trade Minister Stockwell Day began a seven-day visit to China on Saturday. 'I am here to demonstrate that Canada views China as a key economic partner,' the minister said. Canadian exports to China totalled C$10.4 billion in 2008, up 9.1 per cent from the previous year. Mr Day—and representatives of the 16 companies and organizations that are with him on this trip—are hoping this visit will help to ramp that up. Mr Day met with the Communist party secretary of Liaoning province, Zhang Wenyue, in the city of Shenyang. The men talked about bilateral collaboration in a number of areas including aerospace, agriculture, education, construction, oil and gas information, and communications technologies, Mr Day's spokeswoman said. 'As Prime Minister Harper said at the recent London summit, strengthening international trade is critical to bringing the world out of this global economic crisis,' Mr Day said. The minister will also visit Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai during his trip.

The Globe and Mail - Remain calm, not all is lost (10 April 2009) Recent figures on the Canadian economy show a more varied picture than the one many would fear. The latest Statistics Canada data on international merchandise trade shows a C$1.2-billion deficit in January has become a small C$126-million surplus in February. It is good that both exports and imports are up, signs of demand for Canadian goods and of healthy demand from Canadian businesses and consumers. The makeup of the rise in exports is striking. Despite the troubles of the automobile industry, the production of auto makers was up in February. As a result, exports of automotive products rose 20 per cent in February; exports of trucks and motor-vehicle parts rose 28 per cent and 19 per cent respectively. Aircraft and machinery and equipment also moved quite vigorously back and forth across the Canada-U.S. border, belying the sense of doom about North American manufacturing. Likewise, the surprising 13.7-per-cent rise in housing starts in March largely consisted of new condominiums in Ontario and Quebec, the very provinces where manufacturing has long predominated. As for Canadian investment abroad, for the first time in statistically recorded history, Canada had a net asset position of C$17 billion at the end of 2008 vis-à-vis the United States, as opposed to a net liability of C$62 billion in 2007. In relation to all countries, our foreign investments rose by 24 per cent, mostly because the fall of the Canadian dollar raised the value of those assets in Canadian terms—but in any case the larger dividends and bond interest flowing into this country give Canadians more purchasing power.

The Canadian Economic Press - Ottawa home sales rebound annualized 7.2% in March (7 April 2009) The Ottawa Real Estate Board reported 1,162 home sales in March, up 7.2% from the same time a year ago and up more than 47% from the 788 sales in February. The average price of a residential property was C$286,888, nearly unchanged from a year ago. The average price of a condominium rose 0.6% from a year ago. 'Confident buyers are taking advantage of the great opportunities that are available to them right now, such as historically-low interest rates and a good supply of properties for sale,' board President Rick Snell said.

Canwest News Service - Heart of Canadian oil industry goes green in construction (10 April 2009) Inside WestJet Airline's new, C$100-million Calgary campus, the sixth floor provides a view of the glass-walled offices and departments lining the inner atrium below—the natural light coming in is ample enough that slipping on a pair of sunglasses wouldn't be out of order. From a philosophical point of view, WestJet's six-storey, 321,000-square-foot Calgary campus building is focused on the right to light, said Fred Ring, WestJet's executive vice-president of corporate projects. Access to natural light is a predominant feature throughout the building and helped drive the design of the atrium and all the cubicle sizes, 'so you can stand at one end of the building and look at the other, so nobody blocks anybody's view to the outside,' he said during a tour ahead of its grand opening 4 May. WestJet emits a lot of carbon through the use of its aircraft—and the carrier has the most fuel-efficient fleet available, he said. 'So when there's an opportunity to reduce that in any way, shape, or form, we're going to do it. With this building, we're committed to doing that,' Mr Ring said. WestJet's campus was constructed following the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green-building rating system. Though considered a relatively new concept in Calgary as little as five years ago, LEED is becoming more mainstream in the corporate arena as society embraces the broader green movement. The cause received a huge boost from the City of Calgary, which in 2003 became the first Canadian municipality to adopt a sustainable building policy. Since then, the Alberta government has followed suit, adopting the LEED silver environmental standard. As of 31 March, there were 205 LEED projects registered in Alberta and 23 certified, leaving the province in third place behind Ontario and British Columbia. LEED measures performance in five areas of human and environmental health, sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. In addition to natural light, WestJet's campus building also features a rainwater-collection system on the roof; a geothermal heating and cooling system, and a high-efficient building envelope to minimize the effect of weather on the inside. Its carpet is 100% recyclable, the paint and concrete finishes are made of non-toxic materials, and the wood is harvested from sustainable sources. All the furniture meets LEED certification as well. Tanya Doran, executive director of the Alberta chapter of the Canada Green Building Council, said LEED was intended to get people thinking about designing and constructing buildings in a sustainable fashion. She argued it's done exactly that. Softer benefits, like fewer sick days and improved employee productivity, are also associated with sustainable building, she said. Leadership shown by the City of Calgary has helped. While its sustainable building policy initially required all new municipal buildings be designed to meet or exceed the LEED silver rating, last year the city upped the ante. Today, the city requires that all new building designs meet the gold rating of LEED for new construction. 'When you move into the other levels of LEED, gold or platinum, you have to perhaps expand your budget slightly and you have to expand your mind quite a bit,' Calgary architect Rob Adamson said. 'There's an economic driver, but there's also a real social consciousness and awareness that's changed in Calgary about sustainability and carbon footprint,' he said.

The Globe and Mail on Ontario law firms changing to accommodate women (11 April 2009) With her three children approaching school age, Ontario lawyer Sarah Hyndman Fitzpatrick felt an urge to resume her career. 'There was absolutely nothing for me,' Ms. Fitzpatrick recalled. 'Nowhere to go. Nowhere to network. No way to understand what opportunities there were.' It's a familiar story in a profession that has lagged behind most others when it comes to retaining women. The culture of law firms remains firmly rooted in punishing hours and a suspicion of women who crave a balance between work and family. Laurie Pawlitza is co-chair of a Law Society of Upper Canada group that recently studied the problem. In a sign that a change is coming, 52 Ontario law firms have just signed on to a detailed commitment to better accommodate women. Inspired by Ms. Pawlitza's committee, the firms will produce written policies for maternity leave, part-time and flex-time work for women. 'We were gob-smacked by the number of firms that wanted to participate,' she said. The law society is also pioneering a policy for granting benefits of C$3,000 to sole practitioners who need help paying office rent and overhead while they are on maternity leave, as well as a 'locum registry' of lawyers who can take over temporarily. Simultaneously, the University of Toronto law school will launch a novel programme in June aimed at helping women who are planning a return to the legal world. A moving force behind the programme, law dean Mayo Moran, said shifts in attitude may soon transform the old firm mentality. 'A lot of male lawyers have told me that they were extremely unhappy about losing these really high-calibre people. Another thing is that lots of senior partners have daughters who are now trying to work out these same, anguishing work/life choices. They feel keenly their daughters' talent, and how wasted it is.'

The Toronto Star - 'Food is not just about fuelling the body' (10 April 2009) At Winchester Public School in Toronto, students have developed a taste for kale and parsley. Anywhere else in the city, these two leafy greens would be universally reviled by the elementary-school set, but these kids have helped sprout the seeds, tend the plants, and harvest the vegetables. 'Kids will gobble them up,' says Sunday Harrison, executive director of Green Thumbs Growing Kids, a non-profit organization that works with FoodShare to run the garden programme at Winchester. Two days a week, those children get a salad bar in the cafeteria, and the cook makes a mean sweet potato lasagne. Winchester is one of four Toronto schools involved in a pilot project funded by the Ministry of Health Promotion called Community Nutrition from the Ground Up. The others are Nelson Mandela Park, Firgrove, and Willow Park Junior, all in what the school board calls 'at-risk' neighbourhoods. 'It's about bringing people together and having them establish links between growing food and bringing it to the table,' says project co-ordinator Deirdre Norman. People are in all four schools daily, teaching the children about food and related topics such as composting, Norman says. At a weekly community dinner the students help serve the food, welcome guests, and learn about food hygiene. The dinners, which Norman calls 'interactive seminars', are a chance to educate parents about healthy eating options and introduce new Canadians to local food. Even though the garden, a quarter of an acre at Winchester, could never feed the whole school, it does feed the curriculum. 'Food is not just about fuelling the body,' says Harrison.

CBC News - B.C. gives naturopaths right to prescribe drugs (10 April 2009) . . . . New regulations, announced by Health Services Minister George Abbott on Thursday, significantly expand the role of naturopaths and other health professionals, including midwives and registered nurses. 'Expanding the role of midwives, registered nurses and naturopathic physicians allows B.C.'s health system to offer more options for patients,' Abbott said. Dr Christoph Kind, president of the B.C. Naturopathic Association, hailed the government move. 'It will also allow better co-management with other heath-care providers, including medical physicians, so I think all in all it's going to enhance the care that patients get in B.C.,' he said. . . . Naturopathic medicine is practised by more than 300 registered naturopaths in B.C. In addition, registered nurses will now be authorized to independently provide a broader range of health services. Registered nurses working triage will now also be able to immediately order diagnostic ultrasounds and X-rays. As well, registered nurses will be able to dispense or administer prescription medications in urgent situations. There are more than 34,500 registered nurses in the province. Also under the new regulations, midwives will be authorized to deliver a broader range of services to new and expectant mothers, including use of acupuncture for pain relief during labour. These specialized practices will be performed by midwives who have obtained additional education and certification. There are close to 140 midwives practising in British Columbia. Terry Lyn Evans, president of the College of Midwives of B.C., remarked, 'The new regulations are great news for the midwifery profession and for the new and expectant moms who choose to use the services of a midwife.'

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For information about Maharishi's seven-point programme to create a healthy, happy, prosperous society, and a peaceful world, please visit: Global Financial Capital of New York.

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