ottawa posts

Canadian business leaders have come out in overwhelming support of the free trade negotiations with the European Union and say a deal with China would also be beneficial to Canada's economy.

More than 90 per cent of Canadian business executives believe Canada has benefited from existing free trade agreements (FTA), a survey of 200 senior executives by national business law firm Miller Thomson LLP showed. Canada has FTAs with the U.S. and Mexico (NAFTA), Panama, Jordan, Peru, Chile and Israel.

About 60 per cent of Canadian business leaders said free trade with the European Union should be a government priority and 37 per cent said the government needs to urgently examine Canada's trade relationship with China.

In an attempt to curtail rising household debt, the Federal government has announced a second major tightening of mortgage lending rules -- a change that could affect up to 20,000 new mortgages and cause house prices to fall in the short-term.

According to media reports, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Monday that three main changes would be made to the mortgage rules: mortgages with amortization periods greater than 30 years will no longer qualify for government-backed mortgage insurance, down from 35 years; the refinance limit on a mortgage will be reduced to 85 per cent of the home's value, down from 90 per cent; and Ottawa will no longer insure home equity lines of credit (HELOC).

You'd have to be blind to not view this as a great freebie.

On Friday, January 14, Clearlycontacts.ca is giving away 5,000 pairs of free glasses to Torontonians. This will be followed by similar events in Calgary (January 20) and Ottawa (January 25).

Here's how it works:

1. To get a free glasses code, go to the Clearly Contacts Facebook page and click "like." Then click "Free Toronto."
2. Go to the Clearly Contacts website and select your favourite glasses (they recommend choosing 3-5 frames just in case things get crazy on Friday).
3.On Friday, starting at 9am PST, go to the website and order your free glasses!

Here's the fine print: this deal is for residents of Metro Toronto only (modify that to suit Calgary or Ottawa on the applicable dates). "Free glasses" means the frame and standard 1.5 index lenses. Upgrades like coatings, progressives, bifocals, tints and high index lenses aren't included, but you can get these for 25% off. Shipping and handling applies, and there's a limit of one per household. If you got free glasses from them in the past, you're outta luck.

If gas prices aren't enough to make you balk at the cost of driving a car, perhaps parking prices are - especially if you live in Calgary. The cost of parking a car in Canadian cities continues to climb, and little wonder considering fewer than 2,000 new parking spots are expected to be added across the entire country over the next two years, a survey shows.

An annual parking rate survey by real estate services provider Colliers International shows the median monthly parking rate across the country rose 2% to $224.10, including tax, in June compared with a year earlier, while the median daily rate was also up 2% at $14.83.

Of the 12 major cities surveyed, Calgary was once again the most expensive place in Canada to park and the city also made it onto the list of the world's most expensive parking places coming in 14th place with a price tag of $453.38. So how does the rest of Canada stack up?

Yoga classes are rejuvenating, revitalizing and restorative. Everything but their price, that is.

Shelling out as much as 20 bucks just for one measly hour makes my mouth stretch, too - into a pose that looks a lot like Edvard Munch's "The Scream."

That's why the Passport to Prana is a gem. With this little card, you can sidestep those yucky drop-in fees and explore some of your city's hitherto undiscovered yoga studios while you're at it.