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Those of you who subscribed to BIG Media Ltd. in the news platform’s inaugural year of 2021 might remember a piece I wrote about the power of critical thinking. I examined the idea of a “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (https://bigmedia.ca/taking-a-critical-look-at-the-great-pacificgarbage-patch/) – an area in the Pacific Ocean reportedly the size of a small country, and so densely packed with floating garbage that it presents a massive environmental hazard.

More than a quarter of Canadians have plans to purchase an investment property in the next five years according to a new survey from Royal LePage, while high interest rates have some real estate investors thinking about selling.

The survey, conducted by Leger, found that 26% of respondents said they are likely to buy an investment property within five years. Eleven per cent of Canadians currently own an investment property, and just over half of those investors said they planned to buy another within five years.

Canadian cities will see slow growth throughout 2023 as higher borrowing costs and inflation continue to affect local economies, according to research by the Conference Board of Canada.

“Major cities across Canada have largely recovered from the impacts of the pandemic, but new challenges are on the horizon,” said Jane McIntyre, principal economist at the Conference Board of Canada.

"Reduced consumer confidence across most of the country, inflation, and constricted labour markets will hamper growth in most cities."

Many prospective and current homeowners are familiar with the best qualities of real estate agents – for example, physically attractive, fun, and drive nice cars.

However, I think it is more important to identify bad realtors so you can avoid working with them. Therefore, for the final article of our Special Report on Real Estate, I spent dozens of minutes researching and compiling the Top 10 Signs You Are Working with the Wrong Realtor:

10. She insists that you pay for the limousine that takes you on the pub crawl between showings.

 Enterprise, a consolidator of energy services (including specialized equipment rental to the energy/resource sector), emphasizing technologies that mitigate, reduce, or eliminate CO2 and Greenhouse Gas emissions for small to Tier One resource clients, is pleased to announce its Q2 2023 results.

Arlene Dickinson is one of the most recognizable business people in Canada, thanks in large part to her role as one of the entrepreneurial backers on CBC TV’s Dragons’ Den. But she is much more than “the Funder” label that she was given by followers of the program.

When I moved to the West Coast from Halifax 22 years ago, I had heard that the Vancouver real estate market was tough to break into. But how bad could it be? I had just sold a beautiful three bedroom heritage house in one of Greater Halifax’s quiet neighbourhoods. It went for $134,000, 40% more than what I had paid for it a decade earlier.

As I write this on Dec. 16, I look back and see that all the way through 2022 we have been talking about facing tougher conditions such as supply-chain disruptions, inflation, higher interest rates, and the likelihood of a recession.