September home sales in Greater Vancouver were consistent with activity experienced in the preceding two months across most categories.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that the number of residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 2,220 in September 2010. This represents a 0.8 per cent increase compared to August 2010 and 37.6 per cent decline from the 3,559 sales in September 2009.
In comparison, last month's residential sales represent a 40.1 per cent increase over the 1,585 residential sales in September 2008, a 20 per cent decline compared to September 2007's 2,776 sales, and an 11.9 per cent decline compared to September 2006's 2,519 sales.
"We've seen fewer properties coming on to the market over the last three months. This trend, combined with the continued attraction of low interest rates, is likely having the effect of less downward pressure on home prices," Jake Moldowan, REBGV president said.
Since spring, housing prices in the region have trended slightly downward, with a decrease of 2.7 per cent compared to the all-time high reached in April when the MLSLinkR Housing Price Index (HPI) residential benchmark price was $593,419. The overall benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver over the last 12 months has increased 5.5 per cent to $577,174 in September 2010 from $547,092 in September 2009. The current price remains consistent with last month, rising just 0.1 per cent between August and September 2010.
Total active property listings posted on the Multiple Listing ServiceR (MLSR) in Greater Vancouver currently sit at 15,401, basically unchanged compared to last month and a 22 per cent increase from September 2009. Over the last three months, active listings in the region have declined12.3 per cent.
New residential property listings posted in September declined 17.6 per cent to 4,731 compared to September 2009 when 5,746 new units were listed.
"We saw signs of more stability in our marketplace last month than we have seen since spring based on a variety of indicators that we look at each month," Moldowan said. "At 56 days, it took, on average, three days less to sell a home in our region compared to August. This is the first month-over-month decline we've seen in this category since April."
Sales of detached properties in September 2010 reached 866, a decrease of 39.1 per cent from the 1,423 detached sales recorded in September 2009, and a 58.6 per cent increase from the 546 units sold in September 2008. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 6.7 per cent from September 2009 to $790,992.
Sales of apartment properties reached 971 in September 2010, a decline of 34.7 per cent compared to the 1,489 sales in September 2009, and an increase of 27.1 per cent compared to the 764 sales in September 2008.The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 3.7 per cent from September 2009 to $388,373.
Attached property sales in September 2010 totalled 383, a decline of 40.1 per cent compared to the 647 sales in September 2009, and a 39.3 per cent increase from the 275 attached properties sold in September 2008. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 5.2 per cent between September 2009 and 2010 to $490,385.

Bob Dominick a long time Surrey resident and President and CEO of Lightyear Digital Theatre is said to have acquired the legendary Charles Aidikoff Screening Room - @ 150 Rodeo Dr. in the heart of Beverly Hills. 

Lightyear recently contributed $50,000 to a theater at SFU Surrey

A recent demonstration at SFU by Lightyear Digital showed how digitization of motion picture technology permits theaters to carry out enhanced and interactive educational programming.

Lightyear Digital Theatre is launching a roll out of unique high defination 3D digital theatres from Surrey, BC.

Compact Interactive Theatre (CIT), the business model adopted by Lightyear Digital (www.lightyeardigital.com) will blend  live events, theater, screened media, and digital technology to open a whole new world of exceptional quality entertainment, education, information arts and culture.

BC improves  access to Foreign Immigration : The demand for highly skilled graduates is rising in the province of British Columbia with over 95,000 jobs openings anticipated by 2020. Highly skilled labor is vital for the province to keep up in the future needs. One way of meeting this deed is attracting international post secondary students into the work force .

A three -year Pilot project by the province of B.C. will enable graduates from B.C.  masters and PhD Programs. in natural , health, and applied science to apply for immigrant status before receiving or accepting a full time offer for employment eliminating the need to wait for a job offer. B.C. is well positioned to tap into this market as it has more foreign students per capita than any other province.

Other changes to this program known as PNP or Provincial Nominee Program, will expand opportunities to include foreign gradutates students with degrees or diplomas from an eligible institutions across Canada, extend the application deadline form one to two years and broaden the range of employment options that qualify candidates for resident status.

Employers will find these changes critical as this will give them opportunities to find new and talented employees.

Coquitlam Council approved a development Permit for the rezoning of 500 block of Clarke Road. This is in anticipation of the Evergreen Line. Bosa Properties and Safeway have been working to make this project a reality.

The Mixed use high density project will include Two High Rises , Six townhouses, Three retail units and Grocery store.        

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 Pitt Meadows has banned everything. In it's bylaws it has banned  massage parlors, strip joints, X-rated video stores, nuclear power plants, hydroponic retail outlets, used car lots, including giant advertising icons on top of buildings. Now they are all set to ban medical marijuana production for personal use, despite the fact production of cannabis for medicinal purposes is legal, when sanctioned by Health Canada.

However, Individuals holding proper permits from Heath Canada can grow marijuana for medical consumption. Patients can obtain a permit from Health Canada allowing them to possess marijuana to alleviate symptoms associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, severe arthritis and spinal cord injuries and disease. Health Canada also issues a separate permit required to grow the drug.

The bylaw is apparently not aimed at individuals who grew a few marijuana plants for personal medicinal use, rather it was aimed at third-party operations selling marijuana to patients, who did not grow their own.

Port Moody Council unanimously passed a bylaw amendment that prohibits retail sale and manufacturing of firearms and ammunitions, as Canada crime rate dips to below 17%.
Read more: http://www.thenownews.com/Port+Moody+shoots+down+firearms+licences/3301494/story.html#ixzz0uLbyZVNx

This is an awsome tool to fill out pdfs. check it out. thank you Christianne For the post.

The Greater Vancouver housing market experienced steady activity to begin the summer season. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 2,972 in June 2010, a decline of 30.2 per cent compared to the 4,259 sales in June 2009, which was the second highest selling June on record.

"Activity in June marked a healthy balance between the near record setting pace of June 2009 and the considerably slower activity witnessed in June 2008, a period of recession as we all know," Jake Moldowan, REBGV president said.

Compared to June 2008, last month's sales represent a 22.6 per cent increase over the 2,425 sales recorded that month, but are 30 per cent less than the 4,244 sales in June 2007. June 2010 sales also represent a 5.8 per cent decline compared to the previous month's sales totals.

"We didn't experience any record-breaking activity in June, but we did see a stable summer market," Moldowan said. "The number of new listings coming on the market is not as dramatic as we saw over the previous three months and demand remains at a healthy level for this traditionally quieter time of year."

New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties totalled 5,544 in June 2010, a 3.2 per cent increase compared to June 2009 when 5,372 new units were listed, and a 21 per cent decline compared to May 2010 when 7,014 properties were added to the MLSR.

At 17,564, the total number of property listings on the MLSR increased 1.2 per cent in June compared to last month, and is up 32 per cent compared to this time last year.

"There has been less upward pressure on prices in our market the last few months, which has allowed prices to ease back from the record high numbers seen in April," Moldowan said.

Over the last 12 months, the overall MLSLinkR Housing Price Index (HPI) benchmark price for all residential properties in Greater Vancouver increased 11.8 per cent to $580,237 from $518,855 in June 2009.

Sales of detached properties in June 2010 reached 1,139, a decrease of 31.7 per cent from the 1,667 detached sales recorded in June 2009 and a 24.1 per cent increase from the 918 units sold in June 2008. The benchmark price for detached properties increased 13.4 per cent from June 2009 to $795,025.

Sales of apartment properties reached 1,258 in June 2010, a decline of 29.7 per cent compared to the 1,790 sales in June 2009 and an increase of 19 per cent compared to the 1,057 sales in June 2008.The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 9.7 per cent from June 2009 to $391,528.

Attached property sales in June 2010 totalled 575, a decline of 28.3 per cent compared to the 802 sales in June 2009 and a 27.8 per cent increase from the 450 attached properties sold in June 2008. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 11.6 per cent between June 2009 and 2010 to $492,861.

--From Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver Stats June 2010

Music in the Park is a series of free concerts held in Lions Park in Port Coquitlam, located off Shaughnessy Street and Lougheed highway.

There are picnic tables and a large playground, your little one will love it. (My little one loved to listen to the musice and watch the musicians play, then play in the playground... He enjoyed a lot last Sunday.)

Here is the schedule from Port Coquitlam City web site.

JULY 11
Singing Guitars
Masters of the Flamenco and Latin-American music, Singing Guitars' music fusion results in amazing masterpieces of sound and improvisation. The duo has performed at many venues and private parties and pro- vided musical accompaniment for flamenco dance companies, singers and dancers.

JULY 18
Ranj Singh & the Discriminators
Self taught guitarist/singer/songwriter Ranj Singh has devel- oped a new genre of music labelled "Indo- Folk". Raised in western Canada, Ranj has added a small taste of his roots from India to his western upbringing and created a fresh new sound. He has put together a new, diverse, and entertaining five piece band.

JULY 25
Heidi McCurdy With Urban Tribe Acoustic
Heidi has been a featured vocal-ist with Bittersweet, the Alexander Browne Orchestra and Johnny Ferreira and the Swing Machine, and a guest with Brick- house, Soul Stream, Jason Mitchell and Kia Kadiri. She has performed in Europe, the U.S.A., and Canada, including the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in 2005 (with Bittersweet). Her current backing band - Urban Tribe - consists of some of Vancouver's finest musicians, performing funky originals and jazz standards.

AUGUST 1
New Orleans Ale Stars
The New Orleans Ale Stars are a traditional jazz band based in Vancouver and formed in 2004 under the leadership of Australian multi-instrumentalist Simon Stribling. While the original vision was to play straight ahead in the New Orleans tradition, the Ale Stars can't help but pay tribute to the many masters in the field. Audiences love the energy of the Ale Stars, & there's always a mix of young & old, purist and adventurer, dancer and listener.

AUGUST 8
Sweet Pea Swing Band
The members of the Sweetpea Swing Band met for the first time in 2002. Since then the band's members have made it their mission to fan the embers of the jazz age to a flame that warms the hearts of listeners. Although the bands music is firmly rooted in traditional jazz, The Sweetpea Swing Band presents their music in a hip, modern style.

AUGUST 15
Company B Jazz Band
Company B Jazz Band, a Vancouver-based group in the style of the Andrews and Boswell Sisters, rouses crowds for dancing and smiles with their cheerful renditions of classic repertoire from the 1920s through 1940s (with a little bit of the ‘10s and ‘50s too!).

Be sure to also check out our Live @ Leigh Square series taking place in Leigh Square on Saturday afternoons.

AUGUST 22
Birds of Paradox
A collaborative formed 2007 to explore the fusion of composition and improvisation. The unique instrumentation - erhu/voice, guitars/effects, and tabla/alto saxophone, provides a wealth of textural possibilities for these versatile composer/performers. The traditional music of cultures are infinitely rich unto themselves - but the transformation and synthesis of these traditions into a contemporary expression of life in post-millennial Metro Vancouver for these artists.

AUGUST 29
Crossroads Hospice Showcase
A Music in the Park tradition, the Cross- roads showcase will host a number of talented singers, songwriters and performers from the popular Crossroads Coffeehouse held in Leigh Square.