Home prices are up in Canada, hovering around the record 6-year high point, but this is almost entirely due to trends in two areas: Greater Vancouver primarily and Greater Toronto on a smaller but still significant level, according to market authorities.

The Canadian Real Estate Association reported that Canada-wide, the average home price was now $454,000, up 12 percent on a year-by-year basis.

But factoring out the GVA and GTA, the average is only $337,000, up 5.4 percent.

Further, according to CREA, even this rise is due largely to price trends in areas near Vancouver.

Elsewhere in Canada, home prices are flat or declining.

Factoring out the provinces of B.C. and Ontario, the average home currently costs $294,000, a decline of 2.2 percent year-over-year.

The VGA home costs $761,000 on average, up 35 percent from 5 years ago, and houses in nearby areas such as the Fraser Valley are also up to nearly $500,000, representing a rise of over 23 percent in the last 5 years. In both of these areas, all types of dwellings are up — two-story single family, one-story, townhouse and apartment.

The biggest price rise in the last 5 years, though, was Toronto, where the average house price rose 42 percent to put it at $574,000, still $200,000 cheaper than Vancouver. All types of dwellings continue a steady rise in Greater Toronto — the steadiest rising trends of any market represented in CREA’s chart data.

Images:CREA

A phenomenon known as “jingle mail,” where home-owners faced with mortgages they cannot pay mail their keys back to the bank, may be taking place in Alberta’s slumping economy, concerning the Canadian federal government.

The name of the game is “strategic default” — where those who have recently bought houses but have not paid for them find walking away more attractive than trying to pay off the rest of their investment.

The number to watch for is 20 percent, according insolvency experts. When high-end house prices drop that much, people start to consider the option.

This is because the downpayment on a house is also usually around 20 percent and, unlike all other Canadian provinces, the home owners often suffer no liability when they take this course since non-recourse residential mortgages are so common in Alberta. Lenders cannot take the home owner to court to seize their other assets.

The peak for housing prices in Alberta was in 2014, so many new house buyers are now under water. Their mortgages are higher than house appraisals for the houses purchased during the industrial boom that has now passed.

Since 2014, oil prices have plummeted and many Albertans who had been taking home above-average incomes are now without job prospects in their fields.

Jingle mail also was sent in the province in the 1980s when a trend of leaving Alberta for work in other provinces began.

This time, according to bankers, it has started in towns like Grande Prairie and Fort Mac, where many people are involved in servicing the oil and gas industry in one way or another.

By Andy Stern

Due to the pressure of Canadians who have complained about Richmond’s predominantly-Chinese signs, the city has signed a contract for some signs — those at bus stops — to be predominantly English.

“We’ve had the ongoing issue in Richmond about signs on businesses being in Chinese only or predominantly in Chinese, and there’s great concerns and complaints in the community.” said Richmond city spokesman Ted Townsend.

“We’ve always made it clear that it’s our desire that signs should be at least 50 percent English. In this case because the signs and bus shelters are on city land we can take a proactive approach and actually put in the requirement,” he said.

The signs on city land, Townsend said, would be “predominantly English.” The city’s move does not affect signs on property not belonging to the city, where most of the Chinese-language signs are located.

The city has been dealing with controversy over the use of Chinese language instead of English or combinations of both languages.

Over the past 30 years, the percentage of people who self-identify as Chinese living in Richmond has shot up from around 5 percent to over half, due to mass immigration into the area. In 1981, there were around 5,000 Chinese in the city; in 2011, 90,000, while white Richmondites have been leaving the city steadily over the same period of time. The current percentage of Chinese and white Canadians in the city is not known because more recent statistics are not available. The last Census was taken in 2011.

The matter of English requirements for signs came up in Richmond city business in 2013, when the local council voted against banning signs that do not contain English. In 2015, a petition for English only signs was also voted down by the council.

The city also recently made news for complaints from English tenants of a condo where the strata council, composed of Chinese speakers, decided to conduct all official business in Mandarin only.

Chinese Canadian strata council president Ed Mao had informed tenants that while they were free to come to meetings, the council had no intention of using English, the tenants reported.

One tenant filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights commission on behalf of himself and three others.

The issues of language for business and residential meetings are new ones for British Columbia. Neither has been the subject of legislation in the past, so no rules yet exist to restrict the use of languages in place of English.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the longest-serving justice on the court, is dead.

Scalia was found dead Saturday morning at a ranch outside of Marfa, Texas, where the justice had been hunting quail. The death was of natural causes, according to federal officials.

A priest has been called to Marfa to provide for the deceased.

Scalia served as justice on the Supreme Court since 1986 when he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. He was 79 when he died.

Band leader Simon Fleury reveals his plans for the future and reflects on what the band has achieved so far.

Simon Fleury is a creative man. Simon Fleury is a well-travelled man. Simon Fleury has a lot of interesting things to say. Simon Fleury. It’s a name you should write down now. But you won’t. After this interview, you will. It’s an interview that transports itself from the streets of Cork to the metropolis of Paris, via the bass guitar and drums of Japan. He is a busker, band leader, and a bright light in the Irish music scene. This ex-bohemian (he lived in France) has released a critically acclaimed album with a band of international musicians. It’s a safe bet that Simon, with his band City Weezle, will get bigger and bigger. And you’ll need that name.

City Weezle & A Place Called Home

Simon hails from Tipperary but he divides his time between his hometown and Cork, the second city in Ireland. Cork is steeped in a grand musical tradition, with guitarist Rory Gallagher finding a home in the imagination of musicians throughout Europe, while bands such as Fred and the Frank & Walters provoke an intense local following. I ask Simon about the Irish music scene. He has mixed things to say. ‘Rural Ireland is dying out’, he tells me. The attributes this, in part, to the economic recession that impacted Irish life, as it has in Europe, over the last few years.  Bars are ‘getting squeezed a bit’ and Simon has seen places where he has done gig close down. He remains hopeful, though, and believes that ‘things change but they never disappear’.

Things were different in Paris. For a start, he wasn’t a professional musician over there, though he did busk, and ‘the music market was quite different’. He adds that ‘rap is massive in France. In Ireland, it’s more rock music while in France, for example, they don’t have a tradition of country music’. Simon sees Germany as being more similar to Ireland, as guitar based music and rock is more common there.

I always wonder if people abroad see themselves as ambassadors for their countries. Simon answers quickly, as he does throughout the interview. I imagine that he is an artist that always has a keen sense of his surroundings. He says that ‘I never saw it as my role to advertise Irish music. I mean, a lot of people in France have heard of Rory Gallagher’. His answer tallies with my experiences too. In Barcelona, rockers and aficionados of guitar riffs celebrate the Corkonian, a man that even Jimmy Hendrix defers to as the greatest guitarist that ever lived.

Another experience that strikes a register is a shared understanding of what being Irish means: ‘being Irish is an advantage when travelling. It opens a lot of doors as people generally react positively to you if you are Irish’.

Though it’s an advantage, this Irishman came home. ‘Ireland, and Cork, is my home. I identify with it because I love the vibe, the scene. I’m quite happy here’. He emphasises the point by concluding, ‘I could never live in a metropolis’ because people are less friendly and personal space is lacking. ‘You can make good music anywhere’, is his belief, but it’s better to do it in a place that makes you happy.

City Weezle & Musical Stylings

‘The best part of music is performing and connecting with an audience’. What is more, Simon finds creating music to be ‘invigorating’. Simon plays covers of songs he likes on the street but he really enjoys putting chords together and producing a song. It all started with listening to bands likes Nirvana when he was younger, and then trying to compose something influenced by those bands.

As the frontman for City Weezle, he has an opportunity to perform, connect, and write. The band started in Paris in 2005. After doing the underground circuit, they released a critically acclaimed album in 2010. Things were about to kick off for the band but their Japanese drummer had to go back to Japan. There were a few line-up changes and the replacements weren’t ‘up to scratch’. In 2012, City Weezle released the Lysergik Tea Party EP. It was released, in part, to send the message that the band would be back. Even though not all the band were in the same place, the EP had the familiar line-up with the Japanese drummer and bass guitarist, Ai and Kengo respectively, Frenchman Sach Yordanoff on guitar, and with Simon on vocals and guitar.

Simon is making plans for the release of a new City Weezle album. He recorded it in a modern studio that was recommended to him by his friend, Steven McGrath. He plays in Crow Black Chicken and the band reached #5 in the Irish charts. He wants to put together ‘interesting gigs’ so the internatonal bandmates can be enticed to Ireland. Simon envisages a future for the band ‘where it pays for itself’ and where they can continue to produce and perform their music.

City Weezle & Where to Find Them

The interview finishes but Simon’s answers have provoked more questions. His rich musical life and plans for the future are impressive and he speaks with a passion that makes the listener want to know more.

If you want to find out more, you can find the band on YouTube, while you can find their EP here. Simon can be seen busking around Cork, particularly on Oliver Plunkett Street. He also does gigs at different venues in Cork and Tipperary. City Weezle are preparing for the release of their new album, so stay tuned for news about its release. The street where he usually busks, Oliver Plunkett St., has just been named the best street in Europe, so why not take an amble down one of Cork’s main arteries to take in the sights and the sound of Simon busking.

If you like your music to be a fusion between rock, jazz, and soul, then City Weezle will satisfy the musical bones in your body.

By Enda Kenneally

Joggers and festival-goers will convene again this year for the world’s first night running music festival. The event will take place in 35 locations around the world, including two Canadian cities and dozens of U.S. cities.

The 2016 Night Nation Run now has over one million registered members.

On the night of the event, runners will dress up in bright colors and don glow-in-the-dark and illuminated items. Check-ins start at 5:30 p.m. The pre-party will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The run — along an illuminated 5 kilometer course — will be accompanied by live music, lights and lasers, and will start at 8:30 p.m.

At the end of the run, a party will be held for the runners, featuring fog, lights, cyro, confetti guns, and giveaways, besides the music — including a surprise headliner DJ.

The run will happen in Toronto on July 23 and Vancouver on August 6.

Tickets for the event cost $70, but early bird prices of $35 are available until February 12. Tickets include a T-shirt, race bib, and glow necklace, besides admission to all of the night’s events. Kids under 8 years old are free when they accompany a paying adult.

Proceeds from event tickets will go partly to fund the charity organization Stand Up To Cancer.

Night Nation Run is reminding all participants to bring a copy of their confirmation email to the event for faster processing.

By Andy Stern

A new Wes Anderson-directed picture will feature the return of actor Bill Murray to the cast. Murray will provide the voice of a dog in a the stop-action film.

The film is inspired by a Japanese story, and will be a film similar to “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Murray said.

The film will be comedic, Murray also said, but no further details have been released about the film except some of its other case members.

Other voice roles will be taken on by Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Edward Norton (all of whom played in past Anderson films), and Bryan Cranston, known for his role on the television series “Breaking Bad.”

By Andy Stern

In one of the biggest-grossing films of movie history, Kate Winslet’s character Rose bid a farewell to DiCaprio’s character Jack — a farewell that left many movie-goers in tears.

Now, 20 years later, the actress admitted publicly that the death of her character’s lover was probably unnecessary. The statement came while Winslet was being interviewed on the popular American late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The two were discussing a recent awards show, at which Winslet had been seated nearby DiCaprio’s, when Kimmel put it out there, saying that Winslet’s character had let DiCaprio freeze to death at the end of the film.

“I agree,” said Winslett. “I think he actually could have fitted on that bit of door.”

“There was plenty of room,” Kimmel continued, emphatically. Winslet repeated that she knew.

The popularity of the 1997 film is still high, Winslet continued as she spoke with the talk show host about the excitement people still show whenever she and DiCaprio share the same space.

“People are always so excited to see Leo and myself in the same space,” said Winslet. “Which you know, at the end of the day, that is so lovely, isn’t it?

“It’s been 20 years and people still get such a kick out of it.”

By Andy Stern
Image: FameFlynet

A new development in Vancouver is getting a city first: a shared swimming pool with a glass bottom. Underneath the glass floor panes of the pool is a drop of 200 feet.

The architects of Concord Pacific’s upcoming building — called the ARC after its distinctive shape — are sacrificing residential space for iconic impact. It is estimated that the space unused inside the building’s “arc” would be worth millions if developed into dwellings, but in order to create a distinctive impression the company is forgoing the revenue.

“What we realized is that there’s an opportunity here where if we actually have these two towers that are in fact connected at a higher level, we could put the amenity up there and all the residents from their homes could go up and enjoy the views and outlets from this higher level amenity,” said Concord Pacific Senior Vice President Peter Webb.

In order to manage the “arc” structure, the building will include giant steel and concrete beams that will be made at the building site. Glotman Simpson Engineers will undertake the engineering work for these elements as well as the 60 foot horizontal span that will sustain the pool area.

“In this particular case we really challenged our office and went back and forth with Walter and with Peter to try and create a space that gave them what they wanted, which was this really cool clear span space that’s high, that has the ability to put a pool in it, between the beams,” said Principal at Glotman Simpson Geoffrey Glotman. “And to do that overall was a really interesting, exciting opportunity for us.”

By Andy Stern
Images: Concord Pacific

In the first month of 2016, Islamic attacks in 23 countries took the lives of at least 1,508 people and injured 1,714 others, according to Islamic violence watch group The Religion of Peace.

Among the 138 attacks that took place in January, 38 were suicide blasts.

Since the World Trade Center attack in 2001, when TROP began its count, there have been 27,712 attacks that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths around the world.

Read more: Islamic Extremists Killed 27,000 People In 52 Countries In 2015

 

Bigelow Aerospace’s inflatable BEAM module — a new lightweight activity module, part of Bigelow’s continued endeavors toward putting into use a wide range of portable expandable habitation spaces, including the living-and-working-space BA-330 (pictured above) — has been scheduled for a March NASA mission to the space station.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module will be sent to the space station in the SpaceX Dragon capsule, and will be berthed to the space station’s Tranquility node. It will then be pressurized and expand to its full size with air stored in the compressed module.

BEAM will then be monitored through a test period of two years. Astronauts will periodically enter the module to inspect it and gather performance data.

After the test period, BEAM will be jettisoned and will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, burning up.

Bigelow Aerospace is working with NASA to produce expandable systems, including habitational systems, and has already completed two succeful missions with its Genesis pathfinder I and II spacecraft — missions noted for their relatively low-cost.

The low cost comes from the low weight of the Bigelow constructions — one-tenth the weight of some similar modules. Improvements in craft weights have come in large part from advances in lightweight, strong materials such as Kevlar.

The BEAM module walls are made of many layers of Vectran, a material similar to Kevlar but made of spun liquid crystal fibers, and fire-resistant Nomex.

The Nevada-based company is working towards a standalone space habitat in addition to its current module projects. A large expandable module is already being developed by Bigelow — three times the size of any individual module on the ISS, the BA330 is designed for a maximum crew size of six in its 330-meter square environment. The BA330 is designed to be used in conjunction with other modules to build larger module complexes in space.

By Andy Stern

Some images of future BEAM modules

In China last year, approximately 2.8 million people died of cancer, and 4.3 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed, according to a new study by researchers at the National Cancer Center in Beijing.

The new figures are based on newly available information: several population registries have been made available through China’s National Central Cancer Registry.

Seventy-two such cancer registries were analyzed in the new report. The data represented 6.5 perent of the Chinese population between 2009 and 2011.

The figures showed that every day in China almost 12,000 new cases of invasive cancer are diagnosed.

Approximately 7,500 Chinese die of cancer per day within the country. Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer leading to death. Among men, lung, stomach, esophagus, liver and colorectal cancer accounted for most cancers. Among women, breast, lung, bronchus, stomach, colorectal and esophagus accounted for most cases.

The researchers found the leading contributor to cancer deaths that could be avoided is chronic infection. This resulted in 30 percent of cancer deaths, notably from stomach, liver and cervical cancer. Tobacco smoking — which is currently on the rise in the country — accounted for approximately 25 percent of cancer deaths.

The report also cited China’s notorious air pollution — outdoor and indoor through coal heating and cooking — as well as pollution-contaminated soil and drinking water — as contributing causes of China’s ill health.

By Ray Korshunova