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Good news report from Canada

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6 December 2008

25 November was the 25th day of the fifth month of the 3rd year of Canadian national consciousness rising to invincibility, as indicated by the following press reports:

25 November 2008

The Globe and Mail - Retail sales soar past expectations (25 November 2008) Retail sales climbed a strong 1.1 per cent in September, the largest jump in eight months, Statistics Canada says. Excluding the auto sector, retail sales rose 0.8 per cent, far outpacing economists' expectations. Economists had expected total retail sales to climb 0.4 per cent in September. Excluding the auto sector, sales were forecast to rise 0.2 per cent. The gains were widespread across different types of stores. Car sales, in particular, were on fire in September. Purchases at new car dealers rose 2.9 per cent, the first jump since January. (General merchandise stores had the second-largest increase of 1.6 per cent.) Economists were surprised at the widespread strength in sales.

From an Ottawa Business Journal report on this: All of the provinces and territories reported month-over-month increases in retail sales, with seven provinces and two territories registering gains of more than one per cent in September. Quebec's 2.3-per-cent gain was the strongest regional increase and the fifth jump for the province in six months. Unadjusted year-over-year sales nationally were up 5.6 per cent to C$35.8 billion.

From a Financial Post report on this: Importantly, sales in terms of volume rose 0.7%, breaking a downward trend the last five months. Sales by volume is the key retail metric used in gross domestic product calculation. The rise in volume sales 'adds to earlier-reported increases in real wholesale and manufacturing sales', said Krishen Rangasamy, economist at CIBC World Markets.

From a Canadian Economic Press report on this: CIBC economist Krishen Rangasamy said the surprising strength in the retail sales report suggests GDP grew by more than 1% in the third quarter of 2008.

From a Bloomberg News report on this: 'The Canadian consumer is holding up fairly well, largely because of the very large job growth we saw late summer,' said Sal Guatieri, an economist with BMO Capital Markets. Canada had its biggest 1-month employment gain in at least 30 years in September, adding 106,900 jobs.

From a CBC News report on this: 'I feel it's a very positive signal, indicating that Canada still has a good confidence about their own economy,' said Statistics Canada spokesman Claude Bilodeau.

The Financial Post - Canada's bank lending to businesses isn't slowing down (25 November 2008) Business credit from the six largest banks in Canada increased by 11.3% from October 2007 to October 2008, according the Canadian Bankers Association. 'Our members have provided us with the most up-to-date facts that indicate they have significantly increased the amount of credit to businesses from this time last year,' said Nancy Hughes Anthony, President and CEO of the Canadian Bankers Association.

The National Post - A vintage touch for Toronto's newest skyscraper: windows that open (25 November 2008) The captains of finance arrived for the crowning of a new skyscraper in Toronto—the RBC Centre developed by Cadillac-Fairview. Royal Bank and RBC Dexia Investor Services are the main tenants. The building connects to a city-owned utility, Enwave, which will provide steam in winter and water from deep in Lake Ontario to cool it in the summer. 'Most buildings have the mechanicals in the ceiling,' Rory McLeod, divisional portfolio manager for Cadillac Fairview, said. 'If you think about it, it's kind of [unintelligent]. You need more energy to force the warm air down.' In RBC Centre, all the hot/cold air, water, and wiring flows through a space under the floor. At regular intervals are little round vents, which each office worker can open or shut to regulate their own workspace. And on the first 10 floors, the windows open. 'It's tremendously empowering for an employee to say, 'Man, I need a breath of fresh air,' and just open the window,' Mr McLeod said. 'They've done extremely well to date,' Glen Moore, a vice-president for realtor Cushman Wakefield Lepage, said. 'It will attract companies looking to make a statement that they're looking for green space.'

The Financial Post - Growth in alternative energy market not about to stop (25 November 2008) The alternative energy market, renewable energy retailers say, has been growing steadily since the start of the decade and it is not about to stop. Kevin Pegg, president of retailer and project developer EA Energy Alternatives in Victoria, while not expecting any sudden boom in demand, says the current period is 'a very positive time for the industry,' even accounting for the economic slowdown and nosedive in oil prices to around US$50 a barrel. That is because the fundamentals for growth have not changed. And contrary to popular belief, the advance in renewable energy had not been driven by the spike in oil prices earlier in the year.

The Canadian Press - B.C. joins California's court challenge over emission standards (25 November 2008) British Columbia is joining California in a court challenge after the US Environmental Protection Agency refused to implement the state's new vehicle emission standards. BC Environment Minister Barry Penner said the province has filed a legal brief in the United States court case. 'Our brief explains to the court that this is important not just to the United States or California but also to jurisdictions outside of the United States, like British Columbia, where we want to see a reduction in tailpipe emissions standards to help meet our overall goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020,' Penner said. In April, BC introduced legislation that would slash greenhouse gas emissions by one-third by 2020. British Columbia and California, along with six other states and three provinces, are part of the Western Climate Initiative to lower emissions from power plants, manufacturers, and vehicles.

The Regina Leader-Post - Smoking to be banned in all Sask. workplaces (25 November 2008) In a move hailed by health groups, the Saskatchewan government announced that a workplace smoking ban will take effect 31 May 2009. The province banned smoking in public places in 2005, but some workplaces not accessible to the public continued to be able to allow smoking. The ban will extend to lighting up in all 'enclosed places', including buildings, vehicles, and other enclosed structures that are part of the work site.

From a CBC News report on this: The government says the change will ensure that everyone is protected against the health hazards of second-hand smoke.

The Victoria Times Colonist - Program helps First Nations students stay in university (25 November 2008) A programme designed to help First Nations students adjust to post-secondary education has helped keep students in school, a new report found. The Le,nonet Project is a C$4.5-million, four-year initiative at the University of Victoria (UVic) funded by the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation. 'The preliminary data are very promising, showing that indigenous participants are less than half as likely to withdraw from classes than indigenous students who have not participated in the program,' said UVic president David Turpin. 'Financial aid for qualifying students, mentorships, research apprenticeships . . . a preparation seminar, community internships and increased awareness among faculty and staff, these elements look like they hold the key to success,' Turpin said. Geoff McKee, 21, said that as a student who was beginning to learn about his Metis heritage, Le,nonet was very valuable to him. 'I was incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to attend the Le,nonet preparation seminar last year,' he said. 'It provided such a welcoming environment and, as I had recently become aware of my heritage, an opportunity to become aware and understand further the traditions, history, and culture of aboriginal communities in Canada.' There are now over 600 aboriginal students attending the University of Victoria, an increase of about 700 per cent from the 76 attending in 1999-2000.

The Canadian Press - Ismaili Muslim leader says Canada's diversity is a model for the world (25 November 2008) The leader of the world's 15 million Ismaili Muslims says Canada's pluralism is a model to the world. The Aga Khan thanked Canada for welcoming Ismailis, a moderate group within the Shia wing of Islam, who were forced to flee persecution and conflict in their own countries over the years. 'Canada has been the country which has been most generous, most thoughtful, most helpful in bringing people to Canada from these difficult backgrounds, offering them a new opportunity . . . to live in a society which is pluralist, which is conscious of quality, which is conscious of human development and human values,' he told a luncheon group Tuesday. The Aga Khan held a private meeting with British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell before the two went into a lunch with about 100 prominent guests. Campbell praised the wealthy, Swiss-born religious leader's philanthropic work through his Aga Khan Development Network, which works in 29 countries. 'For decades now you have partnered with Canadians to build a new infrastructure of hope that's based on education and pluralism, on health, on creating for individuals the sense of themselves, the promise that they have and the possibility that exists in the world in which they live,' Campbell said. Canada's great strength is its diversity, said Campbell, a theme the Aga Khan built on in his address.

These are a few of the news reports reflecting Canada's rising invincibility from the growing Yogic Flying groups across Canada and the Invincible America Assembly at Maharishi University of Management and Maharishi Vedic City, USA.

For further information on creating invincibility for your nation, please visit: www.globalgoodnews.com/invincibility.

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For information about Maharishi's seven-point programme to create a healthy, happy, prosperous society, and a peaceful world, please visit: Global Financial Capital of New York.

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