vancouver posts

The steady decline in mortgage rates combined with slow house price appreciation has made the past few months some of the most affordable in recent years to buy a home in Canada. In fact, a report by the Royal Bank of Canada shows that housing affordability improved for a second straight quarter at the end of 2010.

However, as the Canadian economy continues to improve, the experts say that these attractive buying conditions will not last.

Toronto attracted a record number of tourists and made strides in a number of key tourist markets in 2010, triumphing over significant headwinds from the high Canadian dollar and weak U.S. economy.

Canada's largest city welcomed more than 10 million overnight visitors during the year with the number of hotel rooms sold reaching over 8.93 million, the highest level ever, according to Tourism Toronto. These tourist spent a combined $4.5 billion, providing a significant source of income for local businesses.

The success has been a boon for Toronto, which outshone Vancouver despite that city playing host to the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Airplane tickets are so cheap these days, I probably wouldn't take the train unless the ticket was heavily discounted. But, truth be told, I relish the more enjoyable pace of overland travel.

If you feel the same, you're in luck: until January 25, all of VIA Rail's adult regular fares in economy, sleeper and sleeper touring class, are discounted by 50%. These prices are valid on tickets for travel until May 31, 2011.

Examples of the one-way, economy class fares:

Toronto - Montreal : $67.50

Montreal - Ottawa: $27.00

Toronto - Vancouver: $394

Halifax - Montreal: $114.50

Click here to browse the sale.

CTV has released its list of the most popular television broadcasts for 2010, revealing the TV watching habits of Canadians.

So what is it we like to watch? Turns out it is sports, more sports, and a bit of celebrity. But what's missing from the list is just as telling. What don't Canadians like to watch?

Unfortunately, the answer is Canadian TV shows.

With the exception of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics which dominated the year -- even if it was just a one-off historical blip -- only four Canadian broadcasts in a list of 70 programs made it into CTV's list of most watched TV shows and events. No homegrown sitcoms made the list.

The two best performing Canadian broadcasts were both sports related. The Grey Cup garnered a respectable turnout of 5,027,200, making it the fourth most watched broadcast of the entire year (excluding the Olympics). Meanwhile, the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship twice made it into the list of most watched sporting events for 2010 -- once for the gold medal game vs. the U.S., and also for the playoff against Switzerland. Even so, it came in behind the Superbowl showdown between New Orleans and Indianapolis with an audience of 6,297,400.

The social adapted model of disability suggests that although a person's disability poses some limitations in an able-bodied society, more often the surrounding society and environment are more limiting than the diagnosis itself. As a person with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy who often drives a three-wheeled electric scooter to get around, I can tell you that there is no more disabling a city that I have lived in or visited in Canada than Toronto. Still, among its myriad failures, there is one piece of Toronto's isolating environment that affects my wallet directly.

As a scooter user and non-driver in this city, I have three public transportation options and each has its own uniquely limiting features.

In my other life as a travel writer / videographer, I recently took the VIA Train from Toronto to Vancouver (you can check out my video here).

The experience really exceeded my expectations, which is why I can whole-heartedly recommend that you jump on VIA's latest 50% off sale. If you opt for the Vancouver - Toronto route, I'd suggest springing for the Sleeping Touring Class fare. That way, you get a decent night's sleep and all meals are included. You can get your z's in a berth (curtained sleeping area that transforms into seating during the day), or private cabins of various sizes.

Here are are the base prices in this sale:

Toronto to Vancouver: from $682

Montreal to Halifax: from $199

Montreal to Gaspé: from $133.50

The sale is on until November 30, and is good for travel between October 14 to December 14, 2010 or January 5 to February 28, 2011.

It's been a long time since a fully electric car has held as much promise as the Nissan Leaf. In fact, the vehicle has been garnering solid reviews and appears so promising that some governments, municipalities and electricity companies are preparing to meet the Leaf's recharging needs, anticipating that it will be the first of many viable electric cars on the market.

The Leaf will be released in Vancouver, Canada toward the end of 2011 and rolled out in other provinces in 2012. Nissan hasn't released an official Canadian price for the vehicle as yet, but the car maker has released figures in U.S. dollars, allowing us to get a rough estimate of how much the electric car will cost consumers. The early verdict looks very positive.

Elite investment networking group TIGER 21 may only have 140 members, but with about US$10-billion stashed in assets, this club for the super rich packs a punch. And starting in January, the New York City-based group plans to open offices in four Canadian cities -- Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary -- admitting up to 56 Canadians.

TIGER 21, which is an acronym for The Investment Group For Enhanced Results in the 21st Century, facilitates monthly meetings between groups of between 12-14 millionaire investors so they can talk about and analyze their investments in order to preserve and grow their wealth. The members are encouraged to be candid, divulging any personal family details that could affect their investment decisions.

So what does it take to become a member?

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.