Canada: Positive news reports, 7-9 November 2009

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9 November 2009

From 7-9 November 2009 positive stories for Canada were reported from several news sources, including reports from Reuters Canada, The Canadian Press, Bloomberg News, The Windsor Star, CBC News, and Canwest News Service. It is a joy for Global Good News service to feature this news, which indicates the success of the life-supporting programmes Maharishi has designed to bring fulfillment to every field: education, government, business, culture, and science.

Reuters Canada - Canada October housing starts rise to 2009 high (9 November 2009)

Canadian housing starts rose 5.4 per cent in October, a further sign that the housing sector is a cornerstone of the country's economic recovery. Starts rose to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 157,300 units, the highest level so far this year, from 149,300 units in September, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) said.

'This was a good report, and it adds to the growing list of indicators that have been pointing to a recovery in the Canadian housing market . . . ,' said Millan Mulraine, Economics Strategist at TD Securities. On a seasonally adjusted annual basis, urban housing starts increased 5.2 per cent in October as a hefty gain in multiple-unit buildings offset a small decline in single family homes.

New construction of condominium and apartment units climbed 13.8 per cent, while urban starts for single family homes fell 2.7 per cent. ('Despite a small decline in single home starts in October, the level of single home starts remains at its second highest level since October 2008,' Bob Dugan, CMHC's chief economist, said.) Urban start gains were led by a 15 per cent rise in British Columbia, and a 14.8 per cent increase in Ontario.

Last week, CMHC upwardly revised its forecast for starts next year to 164,900 from its previous forecast of 150,300, citing stronger demand and more favorable economic conditions. Further, the resale housing market has rebounded strongly this year, helped by low interest rates and mounting consumer confidence, and sales of existing homes have recovered to prerecession levels.

The Canadian Press on commodities lead the way to strong gains on TSX (9 November 2009)

The Toronto stock market jumped 2.1 per cent Monday in a broad-based advance, to add to last week's gain of about 3 per cent. The TSX composite index surged 236.46 points to 11,486.88. (Earlier in the day, the index touched 11,488.27, its highest level since October 26.) The financial sector was stronger, ahead 2.28 per cent. Investors got good news from the weekend gathering of officials from the G20 countries, including Canada, that governments are in no hurry to cut off stimulus measures. Low interest rates attract investors into the stock market because many have been sitting on cash and realizing little returns from money market funds. Irwin Michael, portfolio manager at ABC Funds, noted investors worldwide have about US$12.6 trillion in those funds, with Canadian investors holding around US$1 billion. 'This money is looking for an entry point into the marketplace . . . ,' he said. 'And now the G20 . . . they've basically said we're going to leave things as they are . . . so we know rates are going to remain low.'

The Canadian Press - APEC forecast predicts economy will grow in Atlantic Canada in 2010 (9 November 2009)

In it's annual economic outlook, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC) said the world economy is showing signs of recovery. The think tank said fiscal stimulus, a recovery in consumer and business confidence and a gradual pick up in global demand should help Atlantic Canada return to growth in 2010. APEC said Newfoundland and Labrador will lead the region in economic growth next year with a gain of three per cent.

Bloomberg News - Carney Says Data Doesn't Alter Canada Rebound Profile (7 November 2009)

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney told reporters on Saturday that there's nothing in recent Canadian economic data that would change the 'profile' of the bank's projections. The sum of the data 'suggests a somewhat softer third quarter, but again the profile of the recovery with growth strengthening into the fourth quarter and into 2010 I would say remains in place,' Carney said. 'We're at a turning point in the economic cycle, is our expectation, and the beginnings of the return to growth,' Carney said.

The bank forecast on Oct. 20 that the economy would grow at a 2 per cent annualized pace in the third quarter, following a recession that began in the last quarter of 2008. The bank also forecast fourth-quarter growth at a 3.3 per cent annualized pace.

The Windsor Star - BioCar parts to take root (9 November 2009)

When the recession ends, expect the biocar and the development of car parts made from plants to pick up speed, farmer and former CEO of the Ontario BioAuto Council Terry Daynard said Friday in Windsor. 'This whole bio area will be huge,' he said outside the Ontario BioCar Conference at the University of Windsor.

Daynard said consumers want less expensive and greener cars, and the auto industry is under pressure to use cheaper and lighter materials in cars. That's where biomaterials come in. Daynard said the corn and soybeans farmers grow for bioplastic car parts will be different than the crops they grow for food. Anything made out of plastic can be made with biomaterials, but automobile manufacturers have to make sure the biomaterials will stand up in a crash and withstand different temperatures, he said. Some of the research that is expected to bring products from the field to the highway was being discussed Friday at the one-day Ontario BioCar Conference at the University of Windsor that brought together university researchers and auto industry experts.

The Ontario BioCar Initiative has received C$18 million over four years to find more ways to use renewable materials in car parts, said Milka Popov, the research project manager for the BioCar Initiative from the University of Guelph. The research team from the universities of Windsor, Toronto, Guelph and Waterloo received almost C$6 million from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. The rest of the funds came from the universities and private sector partners.

Natural fibres such as wheat straw and corn stalks along with grasses, soybeans and residue from the corn ethanol industry can be used to make interior car parts such as door panels and car foam seats, Popov said. If the biomaterials pass tough auto standards, they could also be used in construction and the furniture industry, she said. Ellen Lee, a technical expert in plastics research with the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Mich., said the interest in bio auto parts is accelerating. Less dependence on materials made from oil helps the company be more sustainable, she said.

From a Toronto Star report on this:

Four southern Ontario farmers send straw from soft, white winter wheat to an auto parts plant in Ohio for plastic production that is ending up as third-row storage bins in the Flex crossover vehicle in Oakville. Ford says it is the world's first automaker to develop and use straw for plastic in a vehicle. Ellen Lee, a technical expert in plastic research at Ford, said the biomaterial is stiffer, lighter and more environmentally friendly than other substances. 'It has a lot of potential for other auto applications in the interior, exterior and underbody,' Lee added in an interview. Lee said the switch to the new composite material reduces dependence on petroleum, lowers energy use, cuts carbon dioxide, and cuts waste from discarded straw.

CBC News - Canadian technology could help China's housing (9 November 2009)

A promising Canadian technology may turn agricultural waste into a building product that could remedy problems of housing, carbon emissions and earthquake-proof construction in China. Developed by the Alberta Research Council (ARC) in Edmonton, the technology uses wheat straw—the residue from cutting the crop and removing the grain—to make a plywood substitute called Oriented Split Straw Board (OSSB). Netherlands-based Panel Board Holding Ltd. (PBH) is using the technology at its new plant in Yangling, in Shaanxi province, which went into production Oct. 18. The panels are made by compressing straw and adding resin. The plant can produce up to 5,000 four-by-eight-foot panels a day, enough to build between 30 and 35 houses.

China doesn't have enough trees for large-scale lumber production, but it has plenty of wheat straw. It will need 200 million new houses in the next 20 years, and PBH is planning two more factories. PBH president Krijn Leendertse says the technology will help reduce carbon emissions, 'preserve the world's forests, and develop sustainable growth in developing and emerging economies.' OSSB panels are also more flexible and make buildings 'more likely not to completely collapse in earthquakes,' Wayne Wasylciw, ARC's project leader, told CBC News.

OSSB panels would also reduce carbon emissions by creating a market for the straw that farmers now burn to clear their fields. Mining the clay needed to make bricks also requires removing topsoil and losing arable land. Future products could include furniture, concrete forms, interior decoration and fireproof panels.

CBC News - N.B. town gets cutting-edge salvage plant (8 November 2009)

A cutting-edge appliance plant slated for the town of Caraquet, on New Brunswick's Acadian Peninsula, will help the environment and the economy, the owners say.

The GreenSafe Demanufacturing plant will dismantle old appliances, such as fridges and stoves, and recycle the materials, including plastic, aluminum, copper and steel. It will also extract the environmentally harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) found in some appliances and convert them into a product that can be used as an alternative to road salt, making it a first in North America, according to president Peter Swire.

'I can take an environmental nasty that has been proven to be bad for the ozone layer and convert it into something that we need,' he said. It's expected to be operational by the end of 2010, Swire said. At least 40 truckloads of used appliances will be delivered to the plant at the town's industrial park each day, he said. GreenSafe plans to build at least two other similar plants and is currently in negotiations with communities in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Swire said.

CBC News - Green power firm plugs into N.S. (9 November 2009)

Dartmouth's Mic Mac Mall is among the new customers of an Ontario-based company bringing renewable electricity to Nova Scotia. Bullfrog Power gets its electricity for the province from wind and hydro projects in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.). The power is sent through the regional grid. Starting next month, the heat and lights in the mall's corridors and food court will be powered by Bullfrog. Bank of Montreal, one of the mall's tenants, has also signed on to buy power from Bullfrog. In fact, BMO Financial Group announced last week that all of its 64 facilities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. are now customers. Lil MacPherson, a downtown Halifax restaurateur, believes the extra cost [of two cents a kilowatt hour] is worth it. 'We're basically doing this for our children,' said MacPherson.

CBC News - N.S. wind project gets Spanish money (9 November 2009)

The largest wind energy project developed by a Nova Scotia company is about to take off in Pictou and Antigonish counties, with the financial backing of a Spanish utility conglomerate. Executives with Shear Wind Inc. announced that Inveravante had paid C$27 million to purchase a 62 per cent controlling interest in Shear Wind.

The Spanish company already has billions of dollars invested in renewable energy projects in Latin America. Inveravante founder Manuel Jove said he was pleased to expand his company's activities into Canada. 'We're looking for some company with a great portfolio of projects ready to go,' Jove said. 'We found Shear Wind.'

Shear Wind has been ready to proceed with its Glen Dhu wind project for more than a year, but the credit crisis stalled the project last fall. 'We plan to invest immediately upwards of C$180 million in phase one of this Glen Dhu project,' said Mike Magnus, president and CEO of Shear Wind. The first phase will include erecting 30 turbines in Pictou County. Magnus said phase two of the project would involve another investment of approximately C$500 million.

If both phases of the project are completed as planned, Glen Dhu wind farm will include between 75 and 100 turbines spread over 10,000 acres in Pictou and Antigonish counties. That would supply enough electricity for up to 70,000 households. The company's comeback is also being applauded by Nova Scotia Power, which needs renewable power from Shear Wind and other companies to meet its environmental obligations by 2011. 'An aggressive transition to renewable generation is underway here in Nova Scotia and the Glen Dhu project, providing 60 megawatts of nameplate capacity, will be a vital part of that,' Robin McAdam, the vice-president of sustainability for Nova Scotia Power, said. 'Inveravante and Shear Wind will be an important part of Nova Scotia's green energy future.'

The Canadian Press - Canada commits to wilderness deal (9 November 2009)

The federal government has agreed to what's being billed as an unprecedented commitment to wilderness conservation in North America. Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced at the 9th World Wilderness Congress in Merida, Mexico, that he's signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States and Mexico that binds the three countries together in defending uninhabited spaces. The agreement is an international first in the area of wilderness protection. Mr. Prentice says the process of setting commons goals and building a well-connected continent-wide network of protected areas can now begin. The goals include enhancing wilderness, both on land and at sea. Built into the arrangement is a regime that mandates the monitoring of existing protected areas to make sure they remain healthy. Mr. Prentice described that preservation aspect as the No. 1 priority of each country. Canada was recognized at the congress for expanding Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories, making the World Heritage Site the sixth largest national park in the world.

From a Canwest News Service report on this:

Mr. Prentice said in a statement:

'We will be working toward common goals of building and restoring resilient, well-connected networks of protected areas that will be a wilderness legacy for the future.'

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