Check out Competitive Broadband
A CRTC ruling back in December 2008, stating that Bell and Telus do not have to share their high-speed internet infrastructure with smaller, independent, internet service providers, such as Execulink, is under protest by a consortium of smaller internet providers.
Canadians already pay some of the highest rates for internet access amongst modern nations. This consortium argues that this decision by the CRTC does nothing to protect the individual users, and only serves to re-monopolize the industry and protect Bell and Telus.
Form your own opinions, but keep in mind that for YEARS, taxpayer money subsidized the infrastructure that Bell and Telus built. They have gained a competitive edge at the hands of the taxpayer, and currently control 90% of the local market for business telecom. Keep the door open for competition!!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Big Brother inches closer....
Planned Internet, wireless surveillance laws worry watchdogs
Reprinted courtesy of The Globe and Mail
Canada's federal and provincial privacy watchdogs are expressing concern about two proposed laws that would give authorities much greater surveillance powers over Internet and wireless communications.
Led by federal privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, privacy commissioners and ombudspersons are calling on federal Parliament “to ensure there is a clear and demonstrable need to expand the investigative powers available to law enforcement and national security agencies to acquire digital evidence.”
In June, the Conservative government introduced two bills – the Investigative Powers for the 21st Century Act and the Technical Assistance for Law Enforcement in the 21st Century Act – that would give police sweeping new powers to collect information about Canadian Internet users without a warrant, and activate tracking devices in their cellphones and cars, among other things.
“Canadians put a high value on the privacy, confidentiality and security of their personal communications and our courts have also accorded a high expectation of privacy to such communications,” Ms. Stoddart said in a statement Thursday.
“The current proposal will give police authorities unprecedented access to Canadians' personal information.”
Canada's privacy commissioners are in St. John's, Newfoundland, for their semi-annual meeting.
Ed Ring, Newfoundland and Labrador's privacy commissioner and host of the meeting, said the government has not yet shown compelling evidence to justify the new powers proposed in the bills.
“We feel that the existing legal regime governing interception of communications – set out in the Criminal Code and carefully constructed by government and Parliament over the decades – does protect the rights of Canadians very well,” Mr. Ring said.
The commissioners are asking that if new powers are introduced, Parliament ensure that they are “minimally intrusive” and include a five-year Parliamentary review.
Bank of Canada keeps key rate unchanged
Reprinted courtesy of CBC NEWS
The Bank of Canada left its key overnight interest rate unchanged Thursday as it again warned that a high Canadian dollar poses a risk to economic recovery.
The target for the overnight rate will remain at 0.25 per cent. Economists had expected no change.
The central bank also reiterated its commitment to leave the key rate at that level through the middle of next year as long as inflation remains in check.
The central bank said growth for the remainder of the year will likely be higher than it forecast earlier this summer.
"Combined with recent information on inventory adjustments and automotive production, this suggests that GDP growth in the second half of 2009 could be stronger than the bank projected in July," it said in a release.
The central bank said it still expects inflation will remain low and will return to its two per cent target in the second quarter of 2011 "as aggregate supply and demand return to balance."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Government softens impact of HST on new housing
Reprinted courtesy of CREA
The Government of Ontario is proposing two measures that will soften the impact of the harmonized sales tax (HST) on new housing. The HST was introduced in the 2009 Ontario Budget.
Under the first measure, the province proposes to enhance the new home HST rebate so that it
would be calculated as 75 per cent of the provincial portion of the HST payable on the purchase
of a new home, up to a maximum rebate of $24,000. Under the government’s initial proposal only homes under $400,000 qualified for the 75 per cent rebate.
Similar to the enhanced new housing rebate, the province is proposing a rebate for new residential rental properties. Landlords who purchase new rental homes would be eligible for the rebate, calculated as 75 per cent of the provincial portion of the single sales tax payable on the purchase of a new rental home, up to a maximum rebate of $24,000.
The province is also proposing HST transitional rules for new housing. Generally, as part of the
transitional rules, sales of new homes under written agreements of purchase and sale entered into on or before June 18, 2009 would not be subject to the provincial portion of the single sales tax, even if both ownership and possession are transferred on or after July 1, 2010.
For more information on the HST - click HERE
There you go - buy your new house before June 18, 2010 and save!
The Government of Ontario is proposing two measures that will soften the impact of the harmonized sales tax (HST) on new housing. The HST was introduced in the 2009 Ontario Budget.
Under the first measure, the province proposes to enhance the new home HST rebate so that it
would be calculated as 75 per cent of the provincial portion of the HST payable on the purchase
of a new home, up to a maximum rebate of $24,000. Under the government’s initial proposal only homes under $400,000 qualified for the 75 per cent rebate.
Similar to the enhanced new housing rebate, the province is proposing a rebate for new residential rental properties. Landlords who purchase new rental homes would be eligible for the rebate, calculated as 75 per cent of the provincial portion of the single sales tax payable on the purchase of a new rental home, up to a maximum rebate of $24,000.
The province is also proposing HST transitional rules for new housing. Generally, as part of the
transitional rules, sales of new homes under written agreements of purchase and sale entered into on or before June 18, 2009 would not be subject to the provincial portion of the single sales tax, even if both ownership and possession are transferred on or after July 1, 2010.
For more information on the HST - click HERE
There you go - buy your new house before June 18, 2010 and save!
Canadian housing starts jump in August
Reprinted courtesy of CBC News
Canada's housing sector continued on the comeback trail in August as home starts for the month jumped more than 12 per cent, according to new figures released Wednesday.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said construction companies started work on 14,177 new homes in August, for a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 150,400.
The August jump represented a 12.1 per cent increase versus July and reinforced CMHC's belief that the housing sector is seeing a sharp rise in activity.
"Housing starts are trending higher, reflecting improvements in both the single and multiple segments," said Bob Dugan, chief economist at CMHC's market analysis centre.
"The improvement in housing starts is consistent with our expectation of a stronger second half for 2009," he said.
Building rise
Similar to the American housing market, Canada's home sector has seen increased activity, both in new house construction and resale activity, in recent months.
Markets in the two countries had been pounded during the past year as a slumping economy cut house values and reduced the incentive to buy a new abode.
Thus, even with August's increase, housing starts were still down more than 25 per cent compared to the same month in 2008.
Analysts have pointed to record low interest rates and relatively low mortgage costs — currently hovering around four per cent at many institutions — as major factors underscoring the housing comeback.
In a report also released on Tuesday, RBC Economics backed up that point, noting that home affordability in Canada improved in the second quarter of the year.
B.C. gain
The big provincial winner in the CMHC figures appeared to be British Columbia as annualized housing starts reached 17,000 for the country's most westerly province. That represented a jump of 56 per cent versus July's figure.
The Prairie region was the area with the second best growth rate for August, up 16 per cent compared to the previous month while Ontario saw housing starts rise by more than 13 per cent.
Housing affordability improves, RBC says
Reprinted courtesy of cbcnews.ca
It's becoming easier to carry the costs of home ownership in Canada, but a survey by RBC Economics on housing affordability suggests this may be as good as it's going to get.
Home ownership became more affordable in the second quarter, the bank said Wednesday. It was the fifth straight quarter that the measure improved, it said.
"The national home affordability level has been restored to pre-housing boom levels," senior RBC economist Robert Hogue said in a statement.
But he warned that consumers shouldn't expect affordability to improve much more.
"The recuperative phase of the affordability cycle seems to be drawing to a close, with housing prices firming up in many parts of the country, and mortgage rates no longer trending downward," Hogue said.
Most banks lowered their mortgage rates in the last week, reversing this summer's earlier rate hike. A five-year fixed closed mortgage can now be obtained at 4.19 per cent at many banks and as little as 3.99 per cent at a few smaller financial institutions.
The RBC affordability study measures the percentage of pre-tax household income needed to service the costs of buying a home (mortgage payments, utilities and property taxes).
The study found that it took an average of 39.1 per cent of income to pay for a detached bungalow in the three months ending in June — down from 39.7 per cent in the first quarter.
The priciest market continued to be Vancouver, where it took 63.4 per cent of pre-tax income to service a bungalow purchase.
Nationally, the RBC study found that affordability also improved for two-storey homes, townhouses and condos.
Despite predictions that home affordability is levelling off, RBC economists say the recent bounce-back in the housing market is not likely to wane any time soon.
"Supply of properties for sale is dropping as demand bounces back, which is working to heat up prices again in many parts of the country," RBC's Hogue said.
Figures from the Canadian Real Estate Association showed that 50,270 homes changed hands in July via MLS — a record for any July.
The average residential resale price rose 7.6 per cent from a year ago to $326,832.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Distractions: T-Pain - Buy you a drank iphone app.
I spend a fair amount of time on the internet. Looking about for various forms of internet tripe to digest. I thought this was funny enough to share.
T-Pain shows the world how easy it is to be T-Pain. (if you don't know who t-pain is, it's ok. He sounds like everyone else "them kids" listen to these days. Mechanically tuned singers and underproduced post-hip-hop hand-clap beats.
Worth a laugh though!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btN5yuVcRes&feature=player_embedded
T-Pain shows the world how easy it is to be T-Pain. (if you don't know who t-pain is, it's ok. He sounds like everyone else "them kids" listen to these days. Mechanically tuned singers and underproduced post-hip-hop hand-clap beats.
Worth a laugh though!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btN5yuVcRes&feature=player_embedded
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