Vancouver East apartment sales up over 70% in Dec 2007

	BENCHMARK PRICE	PRICE +/-	3 MON. AVG	1 YR +/- %	3 YR +/- %	5 YR +/- %
Residential
Gr Van	$543,401	0.60%	$541,258	13.6	54.6	104
Detached
Gr Van	$730,399	1.10%	$729,810	13.5	52.6	95.5
Burnaby	$745,160	2.50%	$731,072	12.8	60	94.5
Coq	$614,075	3.70%	$624,039	8.4	47.5	86.1
S. Delta	$654,500	3.60%	$637,766	13.5	44.9	84.8
New West	$557,016	5.50%	$562,932	13.2	50.6	102.8
N. Van	$871,191	3.30%	$865,587	18.1	50.7	89
Pt Coq	$551,469	4.80%	$535,187	17.1	46.4	99.9
Pt Moody	$620,193	9.10%	$672,357	-8.7	52.6	74.3
Richmond	$722,316	2.00%	$722,722	13.2	52.8	95.5
Squamish	$505,208	7.90%	$537,325	20.6	34.5	78.3
Van East	$678,179	2.20%	$669,272	14.3	57.7	111.2
Van West	$1,396,490	3.10%	$1,378,914	27.1	70.2	109.6
West Van	$1,339,990	7.50%	$1,401,050	10.5	48.6	97.7
Attached
Gr Van	$456,941	0.90%	$455,640	11.4	47.6	100.8
Burnaby	$443,745	1.50%	$441,597	13.9	49.2	96.3
Coq	$408,207	2.60%	$411,303	7.5	47.9	95.9
S. Delta	$428,808	7.20%	$440,031	13.1	49.3	103.9
N. Van	$577,900	3.10%	$573,343	8.6	45	97.6
Pt Coq	$380,223	3.60%	$378,317	6.3	37.2	79.8
Pt Moody	$407,563	3.50%	$399,683	9	53	109.6
Richmond	$447,778	1.80%	$440,881	14.7	49.5	91.8
Van East	$494,838	3.60%	$505,412	11.7	47.1	124.8
Van West	$697,441	3.60%	$699,600	13.3	47.7	123.8
Apartment
Gr Van	$377,579	0.60%	$374,463	14.5	60.3	111.5
Burnaby	$335,018	1.30%	$334,843	14.7	61.5	118.6
Coq	$296,207	2.20%	$285,707	16.4	67.9	118.9
S. Delta	$344,397	6.80%	$337,230	17.4	54.8	77.1
New West	$293,140	2.30%	$292,339	14.4	62.6	114.7
N. Van	$397,423	2.30%	$384,397	15	61.4	129.8
Pt Coq	$251,982	2.10%	$249,012	14.1	69.8	140.9
Pt Moody	$300,816	3.20%	$300,122	12.6	68.1	145.4
Richmond	$307,608	1.40%	$305,541	12.5	59.7	115.8
Van East	$318,659	2.00%	$317,155	18.8	72.2	133.6
Van West	$480,453	1.20%	$478,033	13.7	54.9	101.8
West Van	$630,541	10.20%	$655,087	17.1	52.4	85.9

2007 residential housing sales rank second all-time

REBGV release - Residential housing sales for 2007 are the second highest ever recorded by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). The REBGV reports that residential attached, detached and apartment property sales totalled 38,050 between January 1 and December 31, 2007. This marks a 7.2% increase from 2006 and a 6.1% decrease from 2005, the record-setting year with 40,530 sales.

“The continued strength of the real estate market is a reflection of the economic vitality seen throughout the province. With overall wages on the rise and unemployment in decline, buyers and sellers are left with a healthy and strong climate in which to operate,” says REBGV president Brian Naphtali.

Sales of apartment properties in 2007 increased 9.1% to 16,456, compared with 15,088 sales in 2006, according to data from the Multiple Listings Service® (MLS®). Sales of attached units climbed 7.7% to 6,799, compared with 6,310 sales in 2006. Detached property sales increased 4.9% in 2007 to 14,795, compared with sales of 14,108 in 2006.

Overall, new listings for detached, attached and apartment properties increased 4% in 2007 to 54,945 units, compared to the 52,818 listed in 2006.

The aggregate residential sales in December 2007 climbed to 1,897, a 12.5% increase over the 1,686 December sales in 2006. These numbers are in contrast to each of the first five years of the decade where December sales exceeded 2,000.

Sales of apartment properties in December 2007 rose 21.6% to 901, compared to 741 sales in December 2006. The benchmark price, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, of an apartment property increased 14.4% from December 2006 to $377,579.

Attached property sales in December 2007 rose 1.6% to 317, compared with 312 sales in December 2006. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 11.4% from December 2006 to $456,941 December’s sales for detached properties increased 7.3% to 679 in 2007, up from the 633 detached units sold in the same period of 2006. The December benchmark price for detached properties increased 13.5% from December 2006 to
$730,399.

Bright spots in Greater Vancouver in December 2007 compared to December 2006:

DETACHED:
Richmond........................... up 57.4% (107 units sold up from 68)
Sunshine Coast..................... up 51.9% (41 units sold up from 27)
ATTACHED:
Burnaby................................ up 61.1% (58 units sold up from 36)
APARTMENTS:
Burnaby.............................. up 17.5% (114 units sold up from 97)
North Vancouver...................... up 50% (66 units sold up from 44)
Port Moody/Belcarra ............ up 91.7% (23 units sold up from 12)
Vancouver East................... up 72.6% (107 units sold up from 62)


More CIV real estate articles here.

More CIV real estate articles here.

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Sea otter video one of 2007's most popular

Sea-otter video hands-down popular

CanWest News - A video of two Vancouver Aquarium otters that became a YouTube sensation when it was uploaded last April has made an American magazine's list of the top 20 viral videos of 2007.

The video, which shows otters Milo and Nyac floating on their backs holding each other's front paws, was filmed in 2002 by Cynthia Holmes, who was then a PhD student at the University of B.C.

Since it was posted, the video has been viewed more than 9.4 million times and listed as a favourite by nearly 55,000 YouTube users.

The video's popularity helped it earn the 17th spot on a year-end list compiled by the editors of Nerve, a New York-based online magazine.

"Within two weeks, this clip of two Vancouver Aquarium otters was the most-viewed YouTube animal video of all time," wrote Nerve editor Gwynn Watkins. "Experts say the hand-holding is a survival instinct to keep the otters from drifting apart, but we don't buy it."

Also on the list were videos of prisoners in a Philippine jail dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," a chipmunk turning dramatically toward a camera and "Chocolate Rain," an indescribably off-the-wall song performed in basso profundo by the artist Tay Zonda (seven).

Topping the list is The Landlord, a video starring comedian Will Ferrell and a foul-mouthed toddler as his alcoholic landlord.

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World's first triangular coin

World's first triangular coin has been presented on December 6, 2007, to commemorate the return of treasures of Tutankhamun to the capital of UK.

The coins, having the shape of a pyramid, represent a part of a series depicting artifacts that were uncovered in the tomb of the young pharaoh. The place, were the tomb was unearthed in 1922 by Howard Carter, an English archaeologist, is called Valley of the Kings.

The coin includes the image of the coffinette, containing Tutankhamun's mummified internal organs.

Full story here.

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They proved it ... Women's fart more potent!

CP - So you think your husband's a little too adept at playing the colonic calliope? Wish your sleep wasn't interrupted by a fusillade of flatulence?

Well, if you think you've taken up residence in Beantown but he insists his output is normal, you can both at least take heart from the fact that debates like yours are raging all over.

You both should know this as well: Whether it takes the form of stealth bombers or noisy bottom burps, flatulence is a normal byproduct of the human body. Everybody farts, multiple times throughout the day and night.

But the whens and the hows can turn a basic bodily function into an inconvenient, unpleasant or downright embarrassing occurrence. And that leads some people to question what is normal and whether there's any way to turn down the tap, as it were, on the frequency, noise or odour quotients.

The fact of the matter is that while humankind has learned how to split the atom, manipulate genes and travel to the moon, it doesn't know all that much about how to reduce the production of natural gas.

“I know a lot about gas,” says Dr. Michael Levitt, the American gastroenterologist who has unravelled much of what is known about human flatulence.

“I really can't treat anybody.”

Levitt is a veritable gas guru, a leading expert on the underappreciated field of flatus - intestinal gas that escapes via the southern route. He admits his unusual expertise has put his three kids (one of whom is economist and “Freakonomics” co-author Steven Levitt) through expensive universities.

Levitt has gone to extraordinary lengths to plumb the mysteries of flatulence. He's captured farts in specially made Mylar pantaloons, measured the cocktail of gases they contain, even conducted a study devised to get to the bottom of what may be the most contentious question in the field: Which gender emits the smelliest farts?

So what have he and others learned about the fine art of flatulating?

It's a pretty common occurrence. Studies in which volunteers tracked their gas passage suggest people fart 10 to 20 times a day, with some hitting the 30, 40, even 50 mark, says Levitt, who is with the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

An Australian study that followed a group of men and women for a couple of months concluded men let rip on average 10 times a day, while women lag with eight emissions.

But producing less gas may create another problem for women - and the people around them. Levitt's research suggests women's flatulence is more ... aromatic.

The study was the first ever attempt to provide an objective evaluation of the odour of flatus, Levitt explains. Volunteer judges, blinded to the identity of the generating gender, were asked to rank the potency of the end product.

Volunteer producers - primed by a diet of pinto beans - farted into aluminum bags via a rectal tube. The contents of the bags were measured for volume and for sulphur concentration. (Sulphur gases give farts their foul odour.) Syringes full of gas were withdrawn from the bags and wafted by the nostrils of the unfortunate judges.

“Some journal reviewed the worst jobs ever performed in science and this became the number 1,” Levitt says with a chuckle.

“Now I might say the judges were paid well. Some of them complained of being dizzy and having a headache at the end of session.”

The conclusion: “Women had more sulphur gas and were judged to have more potent odour.”

Sulphur gases make up a tiny fraction of the overall volume of farts, Levitt says. But if that punch is concentrated, well, watch out.

“Individual passage of gas by males is appreciably greater than the individual passage by females - in volume,” Levitt explains. “So females could have a higher concentration of sulphur gases but the total amount passed per passage would be about the same.”

But who complains most about a partner's farts? Again, the distaff contingent takes the prize.

“It's often the women who are bringing the husband and saying: `He's got a problem with gas.' And he says: `No I don't,”' says Dr. Bruno Salena, a gastroenterologist at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Levitt concurs: “When I go to various parties, etc., I've never had a male complain about the gas passage of his female partner. But I've had so many complaints from the opposite direction it's ridiculous.”

In the main, flatulence is made up of five gases - nitrogen and oxygen, which are swallowed while talking, chewing or drinking fizzy beverages, and carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane, which are produced in the gastrointestinal tract during digestion of food.

Gas produced or trapped in the intestine only has three possible routes it can follow. Some will be absorbed into the body. Some will be burped out. And some will pass as flatulence.

People who lack bacteria that break down certain food components - say lactose, the sugar in milk or some of the sugars in carbohydrates - may produce more gas when they consume those foods.

That explains the potency of beans. They contain sugars humans can't break down. “So it's automatic that they're delivered to your large intestine, these sugars, where they churn out and make gas,” Levitt says.

As for the noise, well, that's a product of restriction and pressure, says Salena, likening the process to whistling.

“Depends on the variables: the volume and pressure and the restriction,” he explains.

“It's like making a sound with your lips, blowing air through your lips. And you can make that sound by some restriction and pressure. Similarly it (farting) is a combination of restriction and pressure. So it's a vibration of basically tissue, just like the lips.”

As for cutting back on flatulence production, Salena suggests trying to reduce the amount of swallowed gas. Levitt is pessimistic about that option, insisting breaking that habit is hard to do. That's because people who swallow air are generally unaware they are doing it, he says.

Diets with extremely low carbohydrate intake produce little gas, but are hard to live on, Levitt notes. And many of the foods those regimes eschew should be part of a healthy diet, Salena says.

Maybe years of exposure to the subject have inured Levitt, but he says he doesn't give a hoot about the occasional toot.

“I don't worry one bit about gas. And I don't worry one thing about what I eat. I eat everything.”

Some weird factoids about farting:

Blue angels: Only certain people have bacteria in the gastric systems that produce methane, Dr. Levitt says. And only methane-producers can perform the time-honoured frat house trick of igniting a blue flame when they hold a match to an escaping fart.

Musical toots: In the 1800s Frenchman Joseph Pujol apparently became so adept at controlling his flatulence flow he could sound musical notes. Called “le Petomane” - the fartiste - he was reputedly the highest paid performer in France at his prime.

Colonic explosions: In the early days of colonoscopies, attempts to burn off polyps in the colon ignited explosive hydrogen gas in the colon of several unlucky people, sometimes with tragic results. The colon-cleansing preparations people now take the night before a colonoscopy have solved the problem. Says Levitt: “I've never heard of an explosion in someone who's had a decent prep. But until they used these prep solutions, there was a problem with explosions.”

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Photos - Harbin Ice and Snow Festival 2007

Workers work to complete the buildings created from ice blocks and colored lights to serve as a highlight of the Ninth Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Saturday Dec. 22, 2007. The annual festival marks the peak of tourism to the cold northern region of China. (AP Photo)

Buildings constructed from ice blocks and lit by colored lights are the highlights of the Ninth Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Saturday Dec. 22, 2007. The annual festival marks the peak of tourism to the cold northern region of China. (AP Photo)

Workers put the finishing touches to a building built out of ice blocks for the Ninth Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Saturday Dec. 22, 2007. The annual festival marks the peak of tourism to the cold northern region of China. (AP Photo)

A 40-meter-tall tower named 'Sacred Tower of Olympics' serves as a highlight of the Ninth Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Saturday Dec. 22, 2007. The annual festival marks the peak of tourism to the cold northern region of China. (AP Photo)

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Photo of the day - Red Sea

Two veiled Saudi women enjoy Red Sea in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)

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Kenney, Day, Nicholson to discuss Amanda Zhao's case

CIV - Jason Kenney, federal secretary of state for multiculturalism, has had private discussion with the minister of justice last week regarding the unresolved case of the murder of Amanda Zhao, Kenney's director of communications Alykhan Velshi confirms.

"In the New Year, Kenney, Nicholson and public safety minister Stockwell Day will discuss this further," Velshi added.

Kenney has shown sympathy for Zhao's mother, Yang Baoying, after listening to a Ming Pao reporter on Yang's agony of her failing hope of seeing justice served for her only daughter when Yang is still alive.

After the meeting with the Ming Pao editorial board on Dec 1, 2007, Kenney promised to follow up the case with his colleague Rob Nicholson, the minister of justice.

Kenney almost immediate directed his staff to prepare briefing of media clippings on the case for him. Last week, Kenney raised the Zhao file with Nicholson. "They have had private discussions on the matter," said Velshi.

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British government chastizes Canada for not trying to free Khadr

CP - Britain's top law societies have issued a stinging rebuke to the Canadian government concerning its complicity in the upcoming war crimes trial of Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr.

The heads of the five legal organizations sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper saying he must take “urgent action" in securing Khadr's release.

They also criticized Canada for violating international laws that protect juveniles and said the Harper government breached ”fundamental international standards of conduct.”

Khadr was 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan on July 27, 2002, after a firefight with U.S. forces.

The Pentagon has charged him with murder for allegedly throwing a grenade that fatally wounded army Delta Force Sgt. Christopher Speer.

He also faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and spying. He is expected to go to trial sometime next year.

“The lengthy detention, and putting on trial for war crimes, of someone who appears to be a `child soldier' is contrary to the special protection to which Khadr is entitled," the letter stated. "We regret to see Canada appearing to be complicit in such breaches of fundamental international standards of conduct in relation to children."

Now 21, Toronto-born Khadr remains the only Western detainee at the U.S. naval facility in Cuba and one of the first who would be tried before modern-day war tribunals.

British detainees were repatriated due to their government's efforts by 2005.

Intense lobbying by the British government has also secured the release of British residents, three of whom returned home Wednesday after almost six years in custody.

“We do not believe that Canada, a Commonwealth partner, should remain silent while the U.S. subjects its citizen to such a process. Every other ally of the United States, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia, has acted to protect their citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay," said the letter to Harper.

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For same-sex relations, even more Tory voters are pro than against: Poll

CIV, Angus Reid release - People in Canada have generally liberal views on a wide range of social practices, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found. Pre-marital sex are okay to 81% of Canadians and same-sex relations are morally acceptable to 59%.

One interesting observation: Although Tory supporters are the least likely to support same-sex relation than supporters for the Liberals, NDP, BQ and Green, the number of Tory supporters who think same-sex relation is morally acceptable (49%) are higher than those Tory supporters who think otherwise (43%).

KEY FINDINGS

• Abortion and euthanasia morally acceptable for at least 61%
• 93% accept contraception methods
• 77% see no moral wrongdoing in having a baby outside marriage
• Pre-marital sex OK for 81%
• 76% think married women or men having an affair is morally wrong
• 59% believe same-sex relations are morally acceptable
  

On the issue of pre-marital sex, similar pattern emerges. Tory supporters are the most likely among all parties to think pre-marital sex is no good (Tories 25% vs Liberals 10%, NDP 12%, BQ 7% and Green 5%), but 71% of Tory supporters do believe pre-marital sex is morally OK.

However, Canadians are less tolerant about cheating. Three-in-four respondents (76%) believe it is immoral for married men or women to have an affair. An overwhelming 84% think polygamy—whereby one husband has more than one wife at the same time—is also morally wrong.

In topics that deal with science and health, the poll found that at least 61% of respondents think abortion and doctor-assisted suicide are morally acceptable practices. Almost two-thirds (64%) feel the same way about medical research with stem cells obtained from human embryos. Almost all respondents (93%) have no moral qualm with contraception methods.

Cloning, however, is a whole different story. More than half of respondents (56%) think cloning animals is morally wrong, and the number is much higher (78%) when it comes to cloning human beings.

On animal rights, Canadians are clearly divided. While 47% of respondents think medical testing on animals is morally acceptable, 47% disagree. As for buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur, a majority (51%) takes no issue with it, but 36% do.

The survey also found that most Canadians (61%) regard gambling as morally acceptable. On the contrary, the use of illegal drugs is condemned by the majority (68%) along with suicide (62%), prostitution (55%) and pornography (54%). Pedophilia is seen as morally acceptable by only one% of respondents.

The opinions of men and women differ significantly. Most notably, more men (64%) than women (58%) think abortion is morally acceptable. Conversely, more women (88%) than men (78%) express no moral objections to divorce. A wider gender gap is found in the acceptance of medical testing on animals (men: 57%, women: 27%); pornography (men: 51%, women: 25%), and prostitution (men: 48%, women: 25%).

As for regional differences, more people in Manitoba and Saskatchewan (73%), and Quebec (69%), think euthanasia is morally acceptable than anywhere else in Canada. Alberta holds the lowest number of people (69%) who have no issue with divorce—and also the highest number of respondents who think pornography is morally acceptable (43%). In British Columbia, almost two-in-five respondents (38%) decry euthanasia.

Conservative and Conservative-leaning voters are evidently the most comfortable with wearing and buying fur clothing (64%), imposing the death penalty (61%), and performing medical tests on animals (55%). They also hold the highest number of opponents to divorce (18%), euthanasia (33%), having a baby outside marriage (27%), same-sex relations (43%), suicide (71%), and the use of illegal drugs (75%).

Liberal and Liberal-leaning voters are more inclined to see animal cloning (34%) and human cloning (16%) as morally acceptable; and to consider spouses cheating on each other as morally wrong (81%). Liberals also condemn the use of illegal drugs (71%).

From October 11 to 12, 2007, Angus Reid Strategies conducted an online survey among a randomly selected, representative sample of 1,004 adult Canadians. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 3.1 %, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

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Japan worries about 'legal issue' should UFOs intrude

This is a good one. I gotta love this minister, as much as I love the "Ultraman". :)

Japan Today — Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday that unidentified flying objects may exist and he would be troubled over potential legal issues if one arrives and it requires action by the Self-Defense Forces.

"There are no grounds that allow us to say definitively that they do not exist," Ishiba said regarding UFOs at a news conference, joining other top officials in talk about the subject triggered by a question from an opposition lawmaker. "Various possibilities should be considered."

"If Godzilla comes, typically it would require mobilization of SDF troops for disaster relief," the minister said, citing the monster character in the famous movie that destroys buildings and other things in sight. "It's the same with Mothra," he added, citing another character.

Ishiba indicated it would be difficult to determine on what legal grounds the SDF may be mobilized when, for instance, there is a violation of Japanese airspace but the violating subject is not hostile.

Full story here.

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Forecast 2008: Rapid transit will drive housing demand along route

Royal LePage release – The 2010 Olympic Games has Vancouver abuzz with growth, and contributes to the city’s zero unemployment rate and exploding job market. Vancouver’s burgeoning economy, improvements in infrastructure and transportation, and attractive lifestyle will continue to draw homebuyers to the city, pressuring average house prices upwards in the year ahead, according to the Royal LePage 2008 Market Survey Forecast.

Vancouver’s average house prices are expected to rise by a healthy 4.0% to $587,500 in 2008. The number of units sold in 2008 is expected to decrease by 4.5% to 37,000 units.

"The combination of moderate interest rates and the strength of the western Canadian economy has Vancouver’s real estate market poised for a golden year ahead," said Bill Binnie, president, Royal LePage Northshore, North Vancouver. "Vancouver is a favoured place to move to right now and that will keep house prices rising– a trend expected only to intensify as we inch closer to the Olympics."

First time buyers are anticipated to be the most active purchaser group next year. A growing subset of first time buyers will be professional single women who are breaking the traditional mold and stepping into home ownership on their own.

Interest in the condominium market shows no sign of waning, a trend largely supported by the swell of entry buyers drawn to the affordability of this housing type and lifestyle choices. The condominium market will also comprise a substantial percentage of investors and baby boomers.

The rising price of oil may also contribute to the popularity of the condominium market. Properties on, or near rapid transit are expected to experience increased interest from buyers who favour this more affordable and convenient method of transportation over driving. The development of rapid transit lines from the downtown centre to areas such as Richmond will likely attract buyers to the core throughout 2008.

As real estate prices continue to rise in Vancouver, single-family homes priced around $849,000 and condominiums priced at approximately $406,000 are likely to be most popular as they offer an entry point to the market.

However, the city’s more affluent properties, such as luxury condominiums in the $2 million to $4 million range are also expected to receive considerable attention in 2008. The market is expected to remain in the seller’s favour, with high buyer demand across all housing types.

Binnie adds: "Interest in the nearby suburbs that have good transportation will continue to prosper next year; The vastly improved highway to Squeamish and the new rapid transit into Richmond are prime examples. The further away you go from the city centre, the more affordable prices become."

Nationally, average house prices are forecast to rise by 3.5% to $317,288 in 2008, while transactions are projected to fall slightly from this year’s record high unit sales to 500,927 (–4.0%) unit sales in 2008.

After experiencing an exceptional year characterized by strong average house price appreciation and record breaking unit sales, the momentum from 2007 is anticipated to carry over and position Canada’s real estate market for steady, yet moderate growth in 2008.

"Canada’s housing market in 2008 should continue to thrive on a balanced diet of strong economic fundamentals, including high levels of employment, resilient consumer confidence, modest levels of inflation and the relatively low cost of borrowing money," said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage Real Estate Services.

"Canada is currently enjoying one of the longest housing market expansions in history; however, as we move into 2008 it is anticipated that slowly eroding affordability will cause demand to ease, allowing the market to move toward balanced conditions, with lower levels of price appreciation, and fewer homes trading hands."



More CIV real estate articles here.

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Forecast 2008: Nationwide, property markets will slow

Royal LePage release – After experiencing an exceptional year characterized by strong average house price appreciation and record breaking unit sales, the momentum from 2007 is anticipated to carry over and position Canada’s real estate market for steady, yet moderate growth in 2008, according to the Royal LePage 2008 Market Survey Forecast.

Nationally, average house prices are forecast to rise by 3.5% to $317,288 in 2008, while transactions are projected to fall slightly from this year’s record high unit sales to 500,927 (–4.0%) unit sales in 2008. Despite the year-over-year reduction in unit sales, the number of homes trading hands in 2008 is expected to remain higher than in all years prior to 2007.

Click:
"Canada’s housing market in 2008 should continue to thrive on a balanced diet of strong economic fundamentals, including high levels of employment, resilient consumer confidence, modest levels of inflation and the relatively low cost of borrowing money," said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage Real Estate Services.

"Canada is currently enjoying one of the longest housing market expansions in history; however, as we move into 2008 it is anticipated that slowly eroding affordability will cause demand to ease, allowing the market to move toward balanced conditions, with lower levels of price appreciation, and fewer homes trading hands."

With the most affordable major market homes in Canada, residents of Regina and Winnipeg are forecast to drive the greatest increases in house prices in 2008, as job opportunities and in-migration continue to soar in each city.

While Calgary and Edmonton will continue to boast healthy economies and high levels of home sale activity, the excessively fast run-up of home values in 2006 and the first half of 2007 priced people out of the market, causing inventory levels to rise late in the year. Alberta home price increases will be much more moderate in 2008 as the regional market continues to adjust to the new house value reality.

With the country’s highest home prices, Vancouver’s steadfast market will continue to expand on the back of a strong provincial economy. As the city readies itself for the 2010 Olympic Games, there will be an abundance of new jobs created.

Ontario and Quebec markets are anticipated to maintain their relative strength and vibrancy throughout next year, weathering stormy financial markets and adjusting well to the high value of the Canadian dollar. The services based industries that have become the backbone of the Toronto and Montreal economies have tolerated the rise of Canada’s dollar to parity very well, despite increasingly price competitive offering from overseas markets.

In Atlantic Canada, a slight depletion of inventory coupled with high immigration levels will see the housing market growing at a strong and steady pace – Halifax is expected to have higher than national average growth in 2008.

The frenzied pace of price inflation that has characterized the real estate market over the past two years in the resource rich west were unsustainable and should ease substantially in 2008. In Central Canada, price increases peaked in late 2005, and have been moderating since.

From coast-to-coast, the homebuyer demographic is anticipated to swell with first-time purchasers, as many flock to take advantage of recently reduced lending rates, longer amortization periods and the resultant manageable mortgage payments.

Added Soper: "The year ahead presents opportunities for those people who have shied away from the frenetic real estate market of the past few years, with its bidding wars and unconditional offers; while prices should continue to rise, they are expected to do so at a more reasonable pace. Canada’s economy is strong, and the desire for home ownership remains a vibrant and attainable goal – real estate remains a solid long term investment."

Highlight of 2008 Trends

Strength of the Canadian Dollar

The position of the Canadian dollar hovering at parity will continue to bolster the country’s high consumer confidence, and is anticipated to translate into continued growth in consumer spending. The negative impact of the high dollar on the country’s manufacturing sector for export trade will be mostly felt in Southern Ontario and Quebec; however, both regions are demonstrating considerable resiliency, with a concerted effort by both governments and industry underway to improve productivity and improve international competitiveness.

U.S. Economy

In sharp contrast to the weakening U.S. economy and deteriorating housing market, Canada’s economy and housing market continues to demonstrate staying power. Canadian mortgage products are markedly different from those offered in the U.S., and the sub-prime market makes up a significantly smaller portion of the overall Canadian mortgage market. It is unlikely that the residential real estate industry in Canada will have to endure the kind of sharp correction underway south of the border.

Employment

Employment rates across the country are expected to continue at the current very high levels, driven by the robust energy and general natural resource sectors specifically, and a very healthy services economy in general. In the year ahead, job market growth is anticipated to continue, especially in Regina, Winnipeg and Halifax.

Interest Rates

The move by the Bank of Canada to reduce its overnight target-lending rate by a quarter of a percent in December 2007 will bode well for first-time buyers planning to enter the market in 2008. The relatively low current interest rates, and the possibility that rates could fall even lower in response to moderating inflation and lower rates in the U.S., will continue to attract new buyers to the housing market.


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Canada's exports to China triple in 10 years

StatCan release - Canada’s total merchandise trade with China has soared in the last decade, reaching $42.1 billion in 2006 and accounting for 5.0% of Canada's world trade. Imports from China were five times higher in 2006 than in 1997 while exports to the country tripled.

(An earlier CIV report shows that Canada's exports to China in the first 7 months of 2007 surge 43% while imports from China only rise 17%)

In 1997, China was Canada’s fourth largest trading partner with total merchandise trade of $8.7 billion. By 2003, the country had emerged as Canada’s second largest trading partner surpassing the U.K. and Japan.

Click:
The growth in Canada's merchandise trade with China reflects the emergence of China as a global economic force over the past decade. In 1997 the country ranked as the 7th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP. By 2005 it had become the world's 4th-largest economy, smaller than the United States, Japan and Germany but soaring past France, Britain and Italy. Since it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, China has doubled its share of global manufacturing output, creating enormous demand for commodities and raw materials.

According to the latest revised data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics, the Chinese economy expanded by 11.1% in 2006, the fastest growth since 1995. The growth has been fuelled primarily by huge investments, and a boom in exports that generated a trade surplus of $177.5 billion (US Dollars) in 2006 creating a foreign exchange reserve reaching over $1 trillion (US Dollars).

Two-way trade within the same commodity groups accounts for a large share of the Canada-China trade

A significant part of Canada-China trade can be related to the globalization of production. In 1997, 34.3% of Canada's exports to and 37.6% of imports from China involved two-way trade within the same commodity groups.

By 2006, as exports increased to four-fold the level in 1997 and imports soared to over eight-fold the 1997 level, the two-way trade accounted for over 45% of exports and 57% of imports.

Click:Leading commodities in the two-way trade include organic and inorganic chemicals, plastic and rubber materials, iron and steel and articles made of iron and steel, industrial and agricultural machinery and equipment, electronics, automotive equipment and parts, optical, photo, medical and surgical instruments, wood products, paper and paperboard and fish products.

In addition to the leading commodities involved in the two-way trade, Canada experienced over the last decade a rapid growth in the exports of nickel articles, copper and metal ores. At the same time, imports from China of furniture, apparel articles and accessories, and aluminum articles skyrocketed.

The commodity-mix of exports to China has changed little in the last decade

As the commodity-mix has changed little, a number of commodities have become more important in the Canadian export to China. Indeed, of the 30 leading commodities exported in 1997, 25 remained in the list of 30 leading commodities exported to China in 2006. In recent years, wood pulp, organic chemicals, nickel articles, copper and articles have become increasingly important in Canadian exports to China.

Diminishing importance of wheat in exports to China

During the period 1995 to 1997 wheat was Canada's largest export to China averaging over 30% of the value of our total exports to the country. However, over the last decade, the importance of this commodity has declined in terms of its total value and its share in Canada's exports to China. In fact, during the three-year period 2004 to 2006 the share of wheat in Canada's total exports to China averaged only about 6.0%.

Growing importance of China as a source for machinery and equipment

In 1997 China accounted for 1.8% of Canada's total imports of machinery and equipment (in HS classes 84 and 85) from the world. Imports of machinery and equipment from China accelerated over the last decade and by 2006, the country's share in Canada's total imports in that category grew to 13.6%.

Our imports from China over 1997-2006 also became more intensive in machinery and equipment. The share of the commodity group in Canada's total imports from China advanced from 23.6% in 1997 to 40.5% in 2006. Dominant among these commodities are computers and computer parts, auto parts, cell phones and parts, TV, audio and video equipment, hand tools, and household appliances.

Canada's rising trade deficit with China

The growth in Canada’s imports from China during the past decade has outpaced the growth in our exports to the country.6 As a result, our trade deficit with China has expanded from $3.9 billion in 1997 to $26.8 billion in 2006. Canada’s overall trade surplus was $43.6 billion in 2006.

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Photos - A small waterfall

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Vancouver area home sales surpass 2006 total in 11 months

BCREA release – British Columbia Real Estate Association reports residential sales volume on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC climbed 26.4% to $3.21b in November, compared to the same month last year.

Residential unit sales increased 11.9% to 7,088 units during the same period. The average MLS® residential price reached $452,755, up 12.9% from November 2006.

"BC home sales have already surpassed the annual total for every year except 2005, and there’s still one month to go," said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist.

A total of 98,014 homes were sold through MLS® during the first 11 months of 2007, exceeding the 2006 total of 96,671.

"While home sales in the province are unlikely to break the record 106,310 units established in 2005, they are on track to exceed 100,000 units this year, the second highest ever recorded," noted Muir.

"Despite eroding affordability, consumer demand remains strong," added Muir. "Employment growth, rising wages and salaries and population growth buoyed by migration continue to underpin housing demand.

Access to home ownership is also being bolstered by an increasing proportion of relatively affordable condominiums in the housing stock, and many consumers are taking advantage of longer mortgage amortizations which lower their monthly carrying costs."

Year to date, MLS® residential sales volume increased 19.2% to $42.95b compared to the same period last year. Residential sales climbed 6.2% to 98,014 units over the same period. The average residential sales price rose 12.2% to $438,189 January through November.


More CIV real estate articles here.

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Isolated Canada grudgingly accepts Bali deal

Globe and Mail — After a failed attempt to block an agreement, Canada found itself isolated at the Bali conference Saturday and grudgingly accepted a new accord to set a target of 25 to 40 per cent for cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions by wealthy countries by the end of the next decade.

Environment Minister John Baird spoke against the ambitious target, but found himself virtually alone. Only Russia supported him – so he withdrew his objection, sparking a lengthy burst of applause from other countries.

Mr. Baird also failed in his attempt to gain commitments by China, India and other developing nations to reduce their fast-growing emissions.

“We weren't pleased with the language that weakened and watered-down the agreement that was adopted here, but it's better than no agreement,” he told reporters later.
Delegates applaud during the UN Climate Change Conference in Nusa Dua, Bali island, Saturday. Nearly 200 nations agreed at U.N.-led talks to launch negotiations on a new pact to fight global warming after a reversal by the United States allowed a historic breakthrough.

“There are 190 countries represented here in Bali, and 38 of them agreed to take on national binding targets today,” he said. “We've just got to work on some of the other 150.”

The developments came on a day of high drama and tension at the Bali conference as the 190 countries worked overtime to reach two major agreements after 15 days of negotiations.

The first agreement, applying to all 190 countries, was softened significantly to satisfy the opposition of the United States. The agreement proclaims that “deep cuts” will be required in global emissions of greenhouse gases to respond to the “urgency” of the global warming crisis.

But this agreement fails to mention any specific targets, leaving that issue for negotiations over the next two years. The European Union had pressed hard for the targets, but had to give up on the issue when the U.S. refused to accept it.

Full story here.

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U.S. and Canada teaming up to stall climate talks: activists

CanWest News Service - The Harper government, along with the United States, once again found itself cast among the bad guys on the international stage because of efforts to block participants at a United Nations climate change summit from recognizing the scientific evidence that says stringent and binding targets are needed to avert dangerous and irreversible damage to the climate, sources confirmed.

The major players at the summit appeared to reach a compromise early Saturday morning on establishing a mandate to chart a course toward a more effective climate change treaty, to be finalized in 2009.

But sources close to the negotiations suggested that the U.S. and Canada worked in tandem in two separate committees to prevent the summit from recognizing that developed countries would need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 25% to 40% below 1990 levels by 2020.

Conservation groups at the summit suggested that Canadian Environment Minister John Baird was deliberately wrecking the discussions after he skipped a key meeting organized the previous night to resolve a negotiating deadlock.

Mr. Baird was personally invited to attend the meeting by the summit's president on Thursday, which was supposed to be the second-last day of the conference. But he failed to show up for the marathon negotiating session, which finished after three o'clock the next morning.

"What does it say about how seriously Mr. Baird is taking these negotiations?" asked Equiterre spokesperson Steven Guilbeault. "Imagine, you're a junior bureaucrat (from Canada), and you have in front of you the equivalent of a U.S. minister or a Chinese minister or a Japanese minister. I mean, there's a huge gap in terms of the authority, in terms of how autonomous the decisions you make can be, without having to go back and consult the delegation."

Government officials, however, said Mr. Baird read over a draft text of the issues and decided to give instructions about unresolved issues to key negotiators who were sent on his behalf to the special meeting of 40 ministers. He then went to a meeting of representatives from the so-called Umbrella group countries, which include Japan, Ukraine, New Zealand and Australia, because he felt that this smaller gathering was more important, federal officials said.

"The minister's job is to provide direction, inspire leadership, and get things done," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas. He declined further comment.

CanWest News Service has confirmed that Mr. Baird also left the final phase of crucial negotiations and retreated to his hotel room at least once on Friday. Sources say Canadian negotiators were left to create obstacles to stop Kyoto Protocol countries from recognizing the importance of binding targets.

The negotiating stalemate arose after Mr. Baird spoke to Mr. Harper to discuss Canada's strategy.

Some Canadians at the UN climate change summit say they were embarrassed and disappointed after waking up on Friday to see a full-page local newspaper ad that slammed the Harper government's policies on global warming.

The full-colour ad, purchased by a global civic advocacy group, appeared in a special climate change section of the Jakarta Post. It featured Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, U.S. President George W. Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper posing in a mock version of a promotional poster from the movie Titanic.

"No targets, no icebergs, just global disaster -- coming soon," reads the ad, which also appeared in Canada on Friday.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said the ad demonstrates that Canada has dramatically moved away from its traditional role on the international stage.

"I find this very unfortunate," Mr. Dion said, following a meeting with former U.S. vice-president Al Gore, who expressed similar concerns. "Canada is either silent, leaving the Americans to do the work, or obstructionist."

UN officials have said that a new climate change treaty should be finalized by 2009 so that it can come into force after the end of Kyoto's first commitment period in 2012. But the Harper government, which has already renounced its Kyoto commitments, has said that it cannot even meet more stringent targets over the next 12 years without wrecking the Canadian economy.

Meantime, developing countries said they would resist "pressure and even threats" of trade sanctions from some rich countries to step up the fight against climate change, as talks on a global climate pact went down to the wire.

About 190 nations are meeting on the Indonesian island resort for talks that are now going for an extra day on Saturday, when the UN secretary general will make an unscheduled return to the conference.

The main negotiating bloc of developing countries, called the G77, said they were not ready to make new efforts to fight climate change by cutting emissions from fossil fuels. They fear curbs would cramp economic growth aimed at lifting millions out of poverty.

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Baird a no-show at key negotiating session

Embarrassed.....

Globe and Mail — Environment Minister John Baird is facing criticism for skipping a key negotiating session on the eve of the last scheduled day at the Bali climate conference.

Senior federal officials have confirmed that Mr. Baird did not attend a lengthy negotiating session on Thursday night of the 34 countries that were chosen to resolve the thorniest issues at the Bali conference. Instead, he sent a bureaucrat to speak for Canada.

The officials said Mr. Baird gave instructions to the bureaucrat and was available just a few minutes away if the bureaucrat needed to consult him. Instead of attending the negotiating session, Mr. Baird attended a meeting of a bloc of several industrialized countries that have acted together at the talks, the officials said.

Environmentalists from around the world were unimpressed. They awarded a "fossil of the day" prize to Mr. Baird for skipping the negotiating meeting. "Mr. Baird is apparently so busy at the climate-change negotiations that he has no time for climate-change negotiations," said Ben Wikler, spokesman for a coalition of more than 400 environmental groups from around the world.

A day earlier, Mr. Baird faced similar criticism for stepping out of a negotiating session to attend a cocktail reception hosted by the Quebec Environment Minister. His officials said he was only gone for 10 or 15 minutes, but others said it was much longer.

Full story here.

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Photo of the Day - Strange 'snowball'

This week's high winds have created some bizarre snowballs known as "snowrollers" near Lake Ontario's Bay of Quinte at Belleville, Ont. Ont. on Friday Dec. 14, 2007. The circular shapes, some nearly 30 centimetres across, are everywhere along the shore and even at some open stretches inland. THE CANADIAN PRESS

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European Parliament passes resolution on justice for 'Comfort Women'

Xinhua - The European Parliament (EP) approved on Thursday a resolution on Justice for the "Comfort Women," women forced into sex slavery in Asia before and during World War II by Japanese Imperial Army, urging the Japanese government to formally apologize and compensate for the victims and their families.

After a debate at a session in Strasbourg, France, 57 representatives of MEPs passed the resolution with 54 in favor and3 abstentions.

The document has called "on the Japanese government formally to acknowledge, apologies, and accept historical and legal responsibility, in a clear and unequivocal manner, for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as 'comfort women', during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s until the end of World War II."

Author of the resolution Raul Romeva, a member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance in the EP, urged the Japanese government to comply with international law to do justice for the victims.

"We are talking about 200,000 women who were forced into sex slavery before and during the World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army," Romeva told the parliament.

"Sixty-two years later, survivors are still waiting for justice to be done," he said. "Throughout their life, they suffer from mental and physical in health and extreme poverty."

He said that it was striking that "the Japanese government has not comply with international law regarding reparations and compensations and rehabilitation to satisfy their basic needs" and not formally apologized.

The resolution has called on the Japanese government to implement effective administrative mechanisms to provide reparations to all surviving victims of the "comfort women" system and the families of its deceased victims.

It has also urged the Japanese parliament (the Diet) to take legal measures "to remove existing obstacles to obtaining reparations before Japanese courts; in particular, the right of individuals to claim reparations from the government should be expressly recognized in national law, and cases for reparations for the survivors of sexual slavery, as a crime under international law, should be prioritized, taking into account the age of the survivors."

It has prodded "the government of Japan to refute publicly any claims that the subjugation and enslavement of 'comfort women' never occurred."

The resolution has also encouraged the Japanese people and government to take further steps to recognize the full history of their nation, to foster awareness in Japan of its actions in the 1930s and 1940s, including in relation to a "comfort women," and to educate current and future generations about those events.

The MEPs urged EP President Hans-Gert Poettering to forward this resolution to the EU Council, the Commission, to the governments and parliaments of the EU member states and Japan, the U.N. Human Rights Council, the governments of the Asian countries, including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China.

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China recalls war massacre with sirens, warnings

Reuters - China marked 70 years since Japan's Nanjing massacre on Thursday, invoking memories of the atrocity to remind Tokyo that the wartime past remains a bitter backdrop to an improving relationship.

Sirens wailed, calling citizens to silence, a bell tolled, and tens of thousands of people, including frail survivors, gathered for the reopening of a newly expanded massacre memorial in the former national capital in eastern China.

The six-week wave of killing by Japanese soldiers after Nanjing fell was among the bloodiest episodes of Japan's invasion of China. Official Chinese accounts say 300,000 were killed.

For China, how Japan remembers the "Rape of Nanking" -- as the city was then called in English -- has become a test of how contrite its neighbour is about its brutal occupation of much of the country from the 1930s up to 1945.

Aged survivors came out to remind the world of the event. Chen Fubao, 75, clutched a black-and-white photo of his father, who was killed in the slaughter.

"We hope that the Japanese government, especially those in the nationalist factions, will admit the truth in history and learn from the Germans," he told Reuters. "They should not cover up their crimes any more."

Beijing and Tokyo have been moving in recent months to ease long-running tensions over history, territory and energy and commemorative propaganda has avoided harsh words about Japan's current leaders.

Full story here.

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China mourns for victims of Nanjing Massacre, wishes for eternal peace

Xinhua - People across China, particularly in Nanjing City, gathered on Thursday to mourn the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, murdered by invading Japanese soldiers 70 years ago, and to wish for eternal peace in the world.

The bell tolled and Nanjing was in grief as nearly 10,000 people gathered in the eastern Chinese city at 10:00 a.m. to mourn the 300,000 lives killed by the Japanese invaders 70 years ago.

The rally was held at a square in front of the memorial hall for the Chinese victims massacred by Japanese soldiers, with the crowd mourning the dead and presenting wreaths.

The mourners, including local school children, college students, survivors of the massacre and international friends, passed a Nanjing peace declaration that calls on "all the peace-loving people to be united in building a peaceful, harmonious and reconciliatory new world".

More than 100 massacre survivors attended Thursday's gathering. Xia Shuqin, 77, told Xinhua that seven of her nine family members were killed in the massacre.

"I was seriously wounded but fortunately survived," she said.

"I've been here to mourn the dead every year on Dec. 13," said Zhao Bin, 70. "We can forget hatred, but we must not forget history."

She Ziqing, 75, presented a bouquet to his mother, who was slaughtered by the Japanese. "Seventy years on, the pain is always there," he said tearfully.

"When the Japanese troops invaded Nanjing on Dec. 13, 1937, they killed almost every Chinese in sight. Many people fled to the bank of the Yangtze River but most of them were shot dead. My dad narrowly escaped and crossed the river, but my mum, who stayed home, was killed," said the old man.

"The China-Japan relationship has developed comprehensively since the two countries normalized their diplomatic ties 35 years ago," said Xu Zhonglin, chairman of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"But a few right wingers in Japan ignore historical facts, and attempt to deny the massacre. Their action has severely damaged the healthy and stable development of the China-Japan relationship," Xu said.

The Nanjing Massacre Memorial is an important facility to review the past and lament the dead. It has been enlarged and reopened today in order to reveal the atrocities of Japanese aggressors, to remind the Chinese nation to fight against the Japanese rightists' attempts to distort history and whitewash war crimes, he pointed out.

By recalling the past, the memorial also conveys Chinese people's wishes for peace with all nations in the world, the official noted.

The new memorial, built at a cost of 3 million yuan (405,000 U.S. dollars),is about three times larger than the old one with 111 mu (7.4 hectares) in floor space and 9,000 sq m exhibition area.

The exhibits on display include 3,500 photographs, audio-video materials, documentary pieces featuring three themes: the Nanjing Massacre, the Victory in the Anti-Japanese War and the remains of massacre victims, according to curator Zhu Chengshan.

The newly-added exhibits also include archives (names, portraits and brief introductions) of 10,000 victims in the massacre.

The hall had been closed for renovation since June 2006 after a decision was made to expand the hall as the number of stored articles increased to more than 10,000.

"With the name of 'peace ship', the main building of the memorial hall will play a role as a peace promoter while providing visitors with the truth about this past humiliation in Chinese history," Zhu said. Over 200 monks and Buddhist disciples from China and Japan also rallied and held a religious ceremony Thursday to lament the massacre victims.

In Xiamen, a port city in east China's Fujian Province, more than 100 Chinese musicians were preparing a symphony concert with the title of "History and Future" to mourn massacre victims and call for world peace.

In Beijing, thousands of people from all circles of life flocked into the Memorial Hall of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War, which opened to the public on Thursday.

On display are many records in the form of videos, audio records, pictures and diaries about the Nanjing Massacre and the Anti-Japanese War.

Japanese aggressors occupied Nanjing, then capital of China, on Dec. 13, 1937, and launched a six-week massacre. More than 300,000Chinese people, including disarmed soldiers and civilians were massacred, according to historical documents.

"We commemorate the day, to ponder upon the past, which can provide guidance in days to come, to take history as a mirror and look forward to the future, and to cherish peace," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

"The Chinese government advocates developing a lasting neighborly relationship of friendly cooperation with Japan, based on the spirit of taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future," Qin said.

He invited the press corps to observe a moment of silence with him for those killed in the Nanjing Massacre before he answered.

He said China hoped that this spirit would permeate, from beginning to end, the development of China-Japan relations, and inspire the two sides to continuously draw lessons from history, in a bid to cherish the good momentum of the improvement and development of China-Japan relations.

He urged joint efforts to develop friendship between China and Japan from generation to generation and enhance bilateral cooperation.

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Olivia Cheng continuing legacy with 'Iris Chang, the Rape of Nanking'

CP - Canadian actor Olivia Cheng developed such a strong passion for her role in the docudrama "Iris Chang, the Rape of Nanking," she now feels she's practically following in Chang's footsteps.

"I didn't ask for it but just in the questions that people ask and what they speak of, it's just like I've inadvertently stepped into kind of carrying on (Iris Chang's) legacy," Cheng said in a phone interview from her home in Vancouver.

"But I think that was the whole point of this film, to show people, 'Yes, this was Nanking,' but to also give people a glimpse of what her legacy spawned."

The film airs Thursday on History Television.

Cheng plays the late Chinese-American journalist Iris Chang as she researched the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, for her book "The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II."

The author, who committed suicide in California in 2004, was said to be deeply disturbed by her findings about the Nanking massacre. According to the film, the Japanese army killed tens of thousands of civilians and raped an estimated 20,000 women, yet some conservatives in Japan deny the horror and many in the West knew little about it until Chang wrote her book.

The docudrama, which includes interviews with Chinese survivors and former Japanese soldiers, is airing Dec. 13 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the invasion in the city now known as Nanjing.

Cheng, a Chinese-Canadian, read Chang's book two years ago - well before landing the role - and felt compelled to do her own research on the massacre and the author.

"I couldn't get 'The Rape of Nanking' out of my head and I especially couldn't get Iris Chang's story out of my head," said Cheng, who was in the Emmy-winning doc "Broken Trail."

"That eventually led me to calling up her widower one day a few months later and saying, 'Look, I'm really moved by your wife's story and I really want to write a screenplay about her one day. Will you help me?"'

Cheng flew to San Francisco in May 2006 to meet with Chang's widower, Brett Douglas, and see her archives at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Nine months later, she got an e-mail from her agent telling her about the role in the docudrama, directed by Bill Spahic and Anne Pick.

"I remember opening the e-mail at 2 in the morning, and by 10 the next morning I was phoning the production company in Toronto and basically asking for the e-mail addresses for the producer and directors," Cheng recalled.

"Within an hour I'd fired off a long letter to them detailing everything I'd done and telling them why it would mean so much to me to become part of this project and asking them to give me a shot."

"Iris Chang, the Rape of Nanking" had its big-screen world premiere in Toronto last month and has also screened in Vancouver.

Cheng now notices herself adopting the same passion for the subject that Chang had.

"When someone pointed out to me just like a month ago that I sounded angry, I was like, 'Oh my God, I've taken on that quality that struck me when I first watched her (on video),"' said Cheng.

"I didn't really understand at the time but now I do ... She wasn't angry at the people around her, she wasn't angry at the people interviewing her, it was just that she couldn't believe how anyone could deny what was done to so many people."

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Japanese teacher sets up hotline for ex-Japan troops

BBC News - Shortly after capturing Nanjing in December 1937, the Japanese army gathered together 1,300 Chinese soldiers and civilians at the city's Taiping Gate. They then killed them.

They blew them up with landmines then doused them with petrol before setting them alight, finally using bayonets to finish off anyone still left alive.

This was just one small incident in what has become known as the Nanjing massacre, a six-week orgy of violence in which tens of thousands of Chinese people died.

A day before the massacre's 70th anniversary, a small group of survivors, dignitaries and visiting Japanese citizens gathered at Taiping Gate to remember the dead.

It is just one of a number of commemoration events being held in Nanjing this week to mark a bloody episode that still reverberates in East Asia today.

We only know about the Taiping Gate killings because of the tenacity of Japanese teacher Tamaki Matsuoka, who wanted to know more about the massacre.

With a number of others, she set up telephone hotlines in several Japanese cities in 1997, inviting former soldiers who had served in Nanjing to call up.

The group interviewed more than 200 old soldiers and, from the information it gathered, was able to identify the exact army unit that had carried out the Taiping killings.

Ms Matsuoka told her story at the Taiping memorial ceremony, which took place on a cold, wet Nanjing morning.

Before helping to unveil a small monument, she said she hoped Chinese young people would not forget what had happened in Nanjing.

School lessons

There is little chance of that. The atrocities carried out by the Japanese in Nanjing, and elsewhere in China during World War II, are drilled into Chinese schoolchildren.

In a speech, 17-year-old Wang Lin, head of the school's student association, said historical events should not be allowed to simply fade from memory.

Using a well-known Chinese phrase, she said past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide to the future.

She added: "Chinese people love peace, but you will be bullied if you fall behind. This is a serious lesson passed down by our ancestors."

Diplomatic tensions

But not everyone is as keen about remembering the past as this Chinese schoolgirl.

Although the Japanese government - and most Japanese people - acknowledge what went on in Nanjing, a small group of people claim the massacre has been fabricated.

Others say the 300,000 death toll often cited by the Chinese government is too high.

It was an issue touched upon at the Taiping ceremony by Lin Boyao, who is ethnically Chinese but has lived in Japan since 1978.

"Even today, surprisingly, there are some people who deny the Nanjing massacre is a historical fact," he said.

"How can they be so shameless? This shows hatred for the dead and brings shame on the living."

The debate about what exactly happened after the Japanese army entered Nanjing on 13 December is not just about how to remember the past.

Even though the two sides are increasingly close trading partners, Japan's attitude towards World War II colours Chinese government policy to this day.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's frequent trips to the Yasukuni shrine, which honours convicted war criminals as well as other war dead, soured Sino-Japanese relations for many years.

They only improved in 2006 when Koizumi handed over power to Shinzo Abe, who did not visit the shrine while he was in office - he sent a pot plant instead.

Lasting memories

Inevitably, this debate also fuels the anger of some Chinese people, a sentiment Beijing has occasionally encouraged.

In 2005, there were rare street demonstrations in several major Chinese cities over Japanese history textbooks which critics claimed whitewashed the country's World War II record.

Despite the possible anger aroused by the anniversary, the owner of a Japanese restaurant in Nanjing said he was unconcerned.

"I've been here 15 years and am not worried at all. No-one talks to me about the massacre," he told the BBC as he waved goodbye to the final customers of the evening.

But the memory of the Nanjing massacre will not simply go away, at least as long as there are survivors such as Xiang Yuansong.

Now 80, Mr Xiang was just 10 when Japanese soldiers entered what was then the capital of China.

His 25-year-old brother was killed by the invaders. He remembers looking for him among the piles of dead bodies.

"We can never forget history," was his angry comment as he made his way home from the newly unveiled Taiping Gate monument.

NANJING MASSACRE

• December 1937 - Japanese troops invade Nanjing
• Witnesses estimate 250,000-300,000 people killed
• Reports of more than 20,000 women being raped
• Japan claims numbers are much smaller
• Some Japanese historians claim the massacre never happened
• Some of them - from Nanjing 's 34th Middle School - were even on hand at the Taiping ceremony to lend their support. They promised to look after the monument.

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Breaking the silence on atrocity in the East

NJ.com - The Japanese lost World War II. But they might have won the peace.

Their allies in Germany continue to confront their own guilt. Even those nations that fought for democracy still struggle with the decisions they made to win that war. Symposia are still held on the firebombing of Dresden. No American August goes by without soul-searching essays on the decision to drop the bomb.

But somehow Japan emerged with much of its past, and crimes, erased. Now "Nanking," a new documentary, brings one of them back into the light.

Full story here.

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Film remembers writer who insisted Nanking not be forgotten

The Montreal Gazette - It was 70 years ago today that one of the most numbing atrocities in history took place. Japanese forces invaded the Chinese city of Nanking and raped, tortured and murdered almost 300,000 Chinese women, children and soldiers in what is now referred to as the Rape of Nanking.

As indicated in an op-ed piece by Gary Evans in Monday's Gazette, Japanese authorities have never publicly acknowledged these atrocities, let alone offered an apology. Worse, despite the mountains of evidence to the contrary, some Japanese still have the temerity to suggest that the events were staged by the Chinese and the horror tales uttered by survivors were fabricated.

With the passage of time, a collective amnesia about the Nanking massacres seems to have prevailed throughout much of the rest of the world, too. But Chinese-American writer Iris Chang was hell-bent on making the world aware, and wrote the book The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. Today also marks the 10th anniversary of the publication of this tome, which has been largely credited for stirring new interest in the tragedy.

Unfortunately, Chang is not around to partake in the anniversary. She committed suicide three years ago. Friends reported that she was never able to break out of the depression that, among other factors, resulted from listening to the harrowing tales of Nanking survivors as well as those from other historical travesties she wrote about.

Fortunately, award-winning Canadian filmmakers Anne Pick and Bill Spahic have been able to carry the legacy of Chang to the screen.

Their staggering docudrama, Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking, premiering tonight at 8 p.m. on History Television, chronicles Chang's dogged quest to bring this ignored chapter of history to the forefront.

To Chang's disgust, she discovered that her battle to expose the truth was largely met with indifference. She wanted to know why Nanking had virtually disappeared from history books. But what she did grasp immediately was that Japanese forces met little resistance invading a China beset by civil war between Nationalists and Communists.

Chang tracked down survivors, and though events had taken place six decades earlier, they remained fresh, forever etched in their minds: absolutely repugnant accounts of kids being brutally tortured and raped, then being forced to witness their mothers undergoing the same before being murdered. She also uncovered gruesome archival material from newspaper and film accounts. Even Japanese troops admitted to being shocked by the barbarism.

Chang's parents, interviewed in this film, recount that their daughter's research took a toll on her mentally and physically. It had forever shaken Chang's fundamental belief that humans were basically decent at the core.

According to historians, more people died during the siege of Nanking than from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. There have been few more sadistic episodes in history. And yet almost as galling to Chang was the fact that many Japanese, among others, were in total denial.

In one video transcript, Chang asked: "When will the madness end?" She knew full well no answer would be forthcoming.

The husband/wife tandem of Pick and Spahic are in Nanking today for the anniversary commemoration of the tragedy. Like many others, Pick admits they had also been much in the dark about the events of 70 years ago.

Friends in Toronto's Chinese community helped make them aware, but it was their son's research for a Grade 10 essay on the theme of holocaust that really brought them up to speed. "He chose Nanking, and we started to learn a lot more," Pick says in a telephone interview from China. "Later we attended a fundraiser for the Chinese community and were so moved by the testimony of survivors."

In the course of their research, they read Chang's book. "It was so powerful, and the detail so horrific. You can feel her passion and can almost see her plea for justice between the lines. She was so determined to become the voice of the voiceless," Pick recalls. "Then there was no turning back for us to make the film."

The only problem was not having Chang on hand for the documentary, so they had to conscript an actress, Olivia Cheng, to re-enact parts of Chang's life. But Pick and Spahic managed to crosscut the Chang and Cheng sequences so seamlessly that viewers will hardly be able to differentiate.

"That was what we had hoped for, and that was the trickiest part of the film," Pick says. "Having been faced with the dilemma of showing the emotional side of Iris and how committed she was, we had no other choice. Her story was too important to omit key parts."

Given the gravity of the subject matter, History Television has made the decision to air Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking uncut and without commercials tonight.

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China commemorates Nanjing Massacre with quiet nod

(caption: A memorial reopened in Nanjing Thursday, on the 70th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of the city. Chinese officials have played down tensions with Japan over war history; AP)

CS Monitor - Seventy years after Japanese troops killed tens of thousands – probably hundreds of thousands – of Chinese civilians and prisoners of war in a six-week orgy of violence here, Thursday's commemoration of their deaths illustrated how deeply woven the massacre still is into the fabric of Sino-Japanese relations.

Anxious to improve ties with Tokyo, the Chinese government sent only junior officials to a ceremony unveiling a refurbished museum documenting the event. None addressed the crowd of invited students, soldiers, and construction workers.

"There isn't nearly the attention seen in previous years" in the state-run press, says Russell Leigh Moses, an analyst in Beijing. "There seems to have been a deliberate effort to downplay" the anniversary "tied into the state of Sino-Japanese relations and hopes for their future."

But as leaders on both sides of the Yellow Sea seek rapprochement, conflicting memories of Imperial Japan's eight-year occupation of China are proving "the key problem in our relations," says Bu Ping, a historian who leads a team of Chinese and Japanese scholars seeking common ground.

"Historical events should not normally impact bilateral relations like this," adds Huang Dahui, the head of Asian Studies at Beijing's Renmin University. "But they do indeed have an influence."

The horrors of the occupation are laid out in ghastly detail at the Nanjing Massacre Compatriot Victims Memorial Museum, a granite building on the site of a mass grave, parts of which have been left, strewn with skeletons, as it was found.

Reopened Thursday after two years of renovation, the museum uses photographs – many taken by Japanese soldiers – archive film, and contemporary artifacts to detail the slaughter that the Chinese authorities say left 300,000 dead and 20,000 women raped.

Though arguments continue over the death toll, "how many died is not important; the nature of the massacre is the main point," says Zhang Xianwen, a history professor at Nanjing University who recently edited an eight-volume collection of the details of 13,000 victims.

Doubts persist in Chinese minds, Professor Zhang adds, that the Japanese authorities fully acknowledge that what Tokyo refers to as the "Nanjing Incident" was in fact "a large-scale massacre in which Japanese troops killed a lot of peaceful citizens and unarmed soldiers."

Some right-wing Japanese nationalists deny the Nanjing Massacre ever occurred. The Japanese government, meanwhile, has never formally taken responsibility for what the Chinese side says occurred.

"There are a lot of different views about what really happened" in Nanjing, Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mitsuo Sakaba said recently.

Japan has issued a number of general apologies for its troops' wartime behavior, starting with its statement in 1972 normalizing relations with China that it was "keenly conscious of the responsibility for the serious damage that Japan caused in the past to the Chinese people through war, and deeply reproaches itself."

But that and subsequent declarations did not stop former Japanese Premier Junichiro Koizumi and other top officials from repeatedly visiting the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo to pay homage to Japan's war dead, including condemned war criminals.

"If they keep visiting the shrine, apologies mean nothing," says Professor Huang. "Yasukuni is the symbol of the invasion. It is like rubbing salt in the wound."

Since Mr. Koizumi stepped down 15 months ago, his successors have avoided going to Yasukuni, paving the way for better relations with Beijing.

Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited China soon after taking office, and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, returned the compliment last year. Current Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is due in Beijing next month, and Chinese President Hu Jintao is expected to go to Tokyo next April, the first presidential trip there for a decade.

Improving ties apparently dissuaded Beijing from making a major occasion of the anniversary, and from remonstrating publicly with Japan for alleged lack of contrition. "To remember the historical is to cherish the momentum of improvements so as to create a better future," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said this week.

"If Japan does not push us, the [Chinese] government will mark the anniversary in a low-key mode," says Mr. Bu. "There is no need to mark it very loudly."

But the way Beijing ties current relations to how history is remembered strikes some historians here as dangerous. "It is not normal that when relations are good, the governments don't talk about history, but when they are bad, they play the history card," says Mr. Zhang. "History is history ... we should learn from it. Commemoration should be normalized, not affected by relations between the two countries."

That is the goal Bu is pursuing with his team of 20 Chinese and Japanese historians, who are debating more than a dozen tough issues that dog bilateral relations.

Bu says "they should reach agreement on the nature of the war and the evaluation of major wartime events" in a report to be published next June. So far, he says, they have found general agreement on "historical facts," but encountered difficulty in agreeing on interpretation.

The project is perfunctory, he says, compared with the work French and German scholars did before compiling a joint history of 20th-century Europe. "We still have a long way to go," he admits. "But at least we have made a start."

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In Japan, denial over Nanjing still holds sway after 70 years

CS Monitor - On a crisp autumn evening, as some 1,500 people fill the hall near the Yasukuni war-memorial shrine to hear former Imperial Army soldiers tell "the truth of the Nanjing Incident" in World War II, Hideaki Kase wastes no time going on the offensive.

"When [the Allied Powers] opened the so-called Tokyo war-crimes tribunal [after World War II], they needed evidence that Japan committed greater atrocities [than the Tokyo air raids and use of atomic bombs], so they made up the so-called Nanjing Massacre, which was completely unfounded," declares Mr. Kase, chair of the Committee for the Examination of the Facts about Nanjing.

Satoru Mizushima, the director of "The Truth of Nanjing," a soon-to-be-released film supported by such politicians as conservative Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, echoes Kase, who served as a special adviser to two past prime ministers. Nanjing, he says, was a "fabrication, a campaign of Communist China."

During the Rape of Nanjing, as the event is generally known, 300,000 people were killed, 20,000 women raped, and the city ravaged, say Chinese authorities. But 70 years after Japanese soldiers took the then-Chinese capital on Dec. 13, 1937, battles over everything from numbers of casualties to the extent of the brutality in the six weeks after the Japanese marched in remain a point of contention. Japan has not, in its neighbors' eyes, fully addressed past wrongs – the result, say some experts, of a postwar lack of examination of the emperor's wartime role; an often-disdainful attitude toward Korea and China, which Japan occupied; and a lack of broad public awareness of wartime history.

In March, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denied the military's involvement in wartime sexual slavery, triggering an international uproar. In June, some 100 lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said that the number of those killed by Japanese troops during the Nanjing Massacre was closer to 20,000. Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 war criminals are memorialized with the rest of Japan's war dead, infuriated China and Korea, as have textbooks that experts say whitewash atrocities.

A vocal minority continues to go further in Japan. "I'm sure that there were absolutely no Japanese soldiers' assaults on Chinese civilians," says Masaru Naya, a former senior officer, at the Yasukuni meeting. Heidayu Kondo, a captain of the infantry regiment, said it was calm in the city, as did Tomeji Kita, an 89-year-old former infantry corporal.

Countering that view can be challenging. Akinori Fukuda is a leader of the Association of No More Nanjings, a Tokyo-based civic group that invited two Chinese victims to speak earlier this month and showed the not-yet-released independent film "Closed Memories" at the event, in which some Japanese soldiers acknowledge atrocities. He notes the lack of interest. "No media came here to report," he says. "There were no TV cameras."

"Reporting the denials sells well, while media downplay or ignore matters considered to bring discomfort," says Hiroshi Oyama, who served as a chief attorney for Chinese compensation cases related to the war and whose civic group held symposia this year on Nanjing around the world. He was named one of the most impressive people of 2003 in a poll of Chinese media and the public.

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Chinese remember Nanking Massacre

AP - Sirens sounded and students stood at attention Thursday to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's notorious wartime massacre of civilians in the Chinese city of Nanjing.

The commemoration, which comes as China's government pushes to improve relations with Tokyo and avoid inflaming nationalist passions at home, brought the city to a standstill, state television showed.

The city reopened a vastly expanded memorial to the victims of the massacre long known in the West as the "Rape of Nanking."

Air raid sirens blared at 10 a.m., followed by a moment of silence, and new artifacts testifying to the savagery of Japan's Imperial Army went on display in the memorial's collection.

In line with the move to boost relations with Japan, reports on the anniversary and commemorations in the entirely state-controlled media have been understated, avoiding mention of long-standing demands for greater displays of contrition from Tokyo.

That comes amid plans for President Hu Jintao to visit Japan next year — the first visit by a Chinese head of state in a decade. Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is also expected to visit China soon.

"The Chinese government hopes that on the basis of taking history as a mirror for the benefit of the future, to develop long-term good neighborliness and cooperation with Japan," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular news briefing.

The events that began on Dec. 13, 1937, in Nanjing are still the subject of debate and controversy.

Angered by resistance as they invaded central China, Japanese troops began a rampage that many historians generally agree ended with the slaughter of at least 150,000 civilians. Soldiers were disarmed and executed and tens of thousands of women were raped in Nanjing, then the capital of China's Nationalist government.

China puts the number killed at 300,000, making it one of the worst atrocities of the World War II era. The official interpretation of the event as a "national shame" is used in schools and propaganda to rally Chinese behind the communist government, whose policies are portrayed as keeping China strong.

Japan has fringe groups that deny any atrocity took place, saying the massacre was a fabrication of the Communist government. Their denials and Tokyo's more assertive foreign policy have touched off Chinese fears of a revival of Japanese militarism.

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Money can't repair damaged image, only action can

A few snapshots about what the Tories are doing and experiencing in Bali:

• After shutting down a federal climate research network last summer, the Harper government announced Monday that it would restore $85.9 million in funding over four years to protect Canadians from the impacts of global warming. But Environment Minister John Baird was unable to say whether the program would be any different than the Canadian Climate Adaptation and Impacts Research Network that it shut down last July. (CanWest)
  

• Baird also handed over a $7.5-million cheque for a new global initiative to promote clean energy projects in developing countries. More good news announcements will be rolling out throughout the week: such as a long-overdue $1.5-million payment for the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, and a $15-million announcement to fund green energy in the north. (CanWest)

• The United Nations top climate change official, Yvo de Boer, was among those who questioned the Harper government's position, noting that he couldn't understand how Canada expected to demand binding commitments from India and China when it wasn't planning to keep its own promises to fight climate change. (CTV)
  

• "I personally find it interesting to hear Canada just a little while ago indicating it would not meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol," said de Boer. "Now (it's) calling on developing countries to take binding reduction targets." (CTV)
  

• Rajendra Pachauri, the chairperson of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also criticized Canada last week, noting that its current administration was "a government of skeptics."(CanWest)

• Officials from China and Europe have also suggested that Canada's position in international negotiations is putting a future climate change treaty in danger. (CanWest)

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Canada losing title as human rights champion: Amnesty

CP - Conservative wavering on the world stage has risked Canada's reputation as a human-rights champion, Amnesty International says in a report released Monday.

The report - Canada and the International Protection of Human Rights: An Erosion of Leadership? - slams the federal government on several fronts.

It cites Ottawa's sudden refusal last month to fight the death penalty in all cases; its vote against a United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous people; the short shrift given to abuses in Colombia; and how the Tories played down reports earlier this year that Taliban suspects handed over to Afghan authorities were later tortured.

"There's no question that the concerns we've highlighted are things we've seen in the last 18 months or so," since the Tories took power, says Amnesty spokesman Alex Neve.

"It's not that we're trying to make this a political issue," he said in an interview. "But we are taking note of the fact that this government is pursuing policies and adopting positions with respect to some crucial human-rights issues that ... we believe risks selling Canada's long-established leadership short."

The Conservatives countered by stressing efforts to protest abuses in Iran, rebuild and restore security in Afghanistan, and impose sanctions after the Myanmar regime cracked down on peaceful demonstrators - many of them monks.

"We are acting to promote human rights, the rule of law and democracy all across the globe," Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier told the House of Commons.

Liberal MP Irwin Cotler challenged Bernier to make the conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region Canada's top foreign policy focus. More than 200,000 people have died and some 2.5 million have been displaced since ethnic African rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government in 2003.

Yet, "Darfur is nowhere a priority for this government," Cotler said of the "mass atrocities" being committed there.

Canada has so far provided $286 million to the African Union Mission in Sudan. Moreover, Bernier noted that the human-rights monitoring group UN Watch rated Canada in its 2006-07 scorecard "at the very top - in both the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly - for its record of consistent support for positive initiatives, and solid opposition to malicious measures."

The report also noted, however, "that Canada falls short in its failure to speak out often or strongly enough for victims of most of the world's worst regimes." Ottawa was silent, it says, when it came to notorious abuses in China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe.

Neve credits the federal government for working toward a more assertive human-rights policy regarding China, for example. Ottawa has also raised the delicate matter of violations in Russia.

"While those sorts of occasional examples are obviously welcome, in our view they're more than overshadowed by the numerous areas ... where we're seeing quite the contrary," Neve says.

"Some of this absolutely is a stepping back. It's not even that it's just that we'd like to see Canada do more. We're seeing instances where Canada has stepped back from positions of leadership.

"That conveys a very strong message to the rest of the world."

Especially alarming was Canada's refusal in September to support the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous people, Neve said.

Canada was one of just four countries to vote against the non-binding document, citing potential conflict with Canadian laws that critics said were unsubstantiated.

"What was most disheartening was the failure on the part of the government to recognize how desperately necessary this declaration is for the rest of the world," Neve says.

"There are so many countries where indigenous people have absolutely nothing to turn to."

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Most new immigrants will buy a home within 3 years: survey

Genworth Report – Just over one half (52%) of new immigrants to Canada have already purchased a home and did so, on average, within three years of arriving in the country, according to a new study by Genworth Financial Canada.

Genworth’s fall First-Time Homebuyer Monitor documents a strong desire by recent immigrants to own a home of their own, with 91% saying that purchasing a home is either very or somewhat important to them. Reasons included a “good investment,” “having children”, “needing more space” and “owning gives you a feeling of pride.”

The desire for homeownership among new immigrants is widespread. Here are the main findings:

• More than half (52%) of immigrants to Canada purchased a home within three years of arrival.
• Among those who do not own a home 91% say that homeownership is either very or somewhat important.
• Neighbourhood safety, location and price are the most important factors to new immigrants; the least important factor is whether local residents share same ethnic background.

The report is based on the experiences of Canadian immigrants polled in Toronto,
Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Ottawa-Gatineau who have come to Canada within the last 10 years.

“This study illustrates how critically important the dream of homeownership is to recent immigrants to Canada,” said Peter Vukanovich, president of Genworth Financial Canada. “Lenders, builders and realtors have done a good job serving this market, but we need to provide even more information about the home buying process so those new to Canada understand the options available to them before making this major decision.”

“The information Genworth is releasing today marks an important step in our understanding of how immigrants experience the housing market in Canada,” said Prof. Michael Haan, a leading expert on the immigrant homeownership experience in Canada.

“Some international academic studies have strongly suggested that immigrants place a higher importance (than native-born residents) on homeownership, and that they have additional incentives for ownership, such as demonstrating success and permanency to themselves and others. This new data illustrates that desire among Canadian immigrants.”

The survey highlighted some unique challenges facing immigrants who want to buy
a home, including:

• 72% of respondents recognized that buying a home without a credit history in Canada is a barrier.
• Two-thirds (66%) said they lacked information about financing options. Over three quarters of respondents (77%) said that finding a job in Canada that suits the level of education they attained in their country of origin was a problem.
• Almost half of respondents (45%) said it is difficult to find information about financing a home purchase that is available in a language that is easy for them to understand.

Respondents also shared some concerns common among all homebuyers, including high housing costs (90%), and saving for a downpayment (83%).

“This new study highlights some of the challenges that remain in the homebuying process for new immigrants. But make no mistake, as this study shows, buying a home is a very important goal for most new immigrants. I see that on a daily basis,” said Toronto real estate agent Bill Thom, who specializes in serving clients in Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, & Toisan.

The Genworth First-Time Homebuyer’s Monitor is based on a telephone survey conducted between September 17 and October 3, 2007 among 418 new immigrants living in the five census metropolitan areas (CMAs) identified by Statistics Canada as having the largest proportion of new immigrants: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary and Ottawa-Gatineau. Results of this survey are accurate to within ± 4.8%, 19 times out of 20.

More CIV real estate articles here.

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Immigrants to Quebec should make pledge to province's core values

Very interesting development there in Quebec. Bet this must ripple off to the rest of the country. Then we'll need to make the definition of "Canadian values"... but hard it is, as not all parties can agree upon the same set of "values". For instance, Harper says upholding human rights is a Canadian value. Well, we all agree. But upholding for who and which countries surely will ignite hot debate.

CP - Aspiring newcomers to Quebec should be made to sign a "moral commitment" to the province's core values as part of the immigration process, the Quebec Liberal party said Sunday.

The party will make the recommendation on Monday to the contentious government commission looking at the accommodation of minorities.

Liberals claim their proposal will provide a frame of reference for those immigrants thinking about coming to Quebec.

"It is simply important to make sure that there is no misunderstanding before the future new immigrants come to Quebec," Saul Polo, a member of the party's working group on identity and federalism, told a news conference.

"We live under a certain structure and values."

The proposal would see hopeful immigrants sign a pledge to Quebec values, and appears aimed at dealing with concerns that mainstream culture does too much to accommodate the lifestyles of newcomers.

Liberal party officials indicated that secularism, gender equality and respect for the francophone majority are among the values immigrants should promise to respect.

But they demurred to Liberal members of the provincial legislature to elaborate on the details of their proposal.

"We agreed more on a principle," admitted Christian Ouellet, who heads the party's policy commission. "What will go in it? We didn't address the words that would be in the declaration."

The party's brief to the commission asks that immigrants respect Quebec values even before coming to the province. And while the brief stresses that "we must ensure they (immigrants) adhere" to Quebec values, party officials were careful to play down the implications of the commitment.

"In this declaration there are no coercive measures, there are no police," Ouellet said. "It's a declaration based on honour. People will be aware of a document that testifies to the Quebecois reality and Quebecois values. It's as simple as that."

The proposal to have immigrants sign a social contract of sorts is included in the five key recommendations the party will make to the commission.

The Quebec Grits are also calling for higher immigration levels, more knowledge about the benefits of immigration, better recognition of foreign credentials and guarantees for gender equality.

Premier Jean Charest has already pledged to amend the province's charter of rights to give gender equality precedence over religious freedoms.

His party will be among the last groups to present briefs before the so-called reasonable accommodations hearings, also known as the Bouchard-Taylor commission after co-chairs Gerard Bouchard and Charles Taylor.

Charest called the commission prior to last spring's provincial election, and since then it has served as a forum for xenophobic comments and indignation at racism.

The Parti Quebecois is also expected to present a brief to the commission before it wraps up its hearings in Montreal later this month.

Liberal party president Marc-Andre Blanchard took advantage of Sunday's news conference to blast the official Opposition Action democratique du Quebec for not presenting its own recommendations to the commission.

He accused ADQ Leader Mario Dumont of exploiting anxiety over immigration during the spring election campaign, only to now balk at entering the debate.

"Imagine the ADQ not participating in this commission after what they did in the last election campaign," Blanchard said. "In the last election campaign, Mr. Dumont... was creating fires all over the province on this issue."

The Bouchard-Taylor commission will deliver its final report next spring.

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One in four face discrimination

I'm sure a lot of people would think this is BS. Don't get me wrong, I don't.

Vancouver Sun - One in four Canadians say they have been the victim of discrimination based on their race or ethnicity, says a new study to be released today.

Respondents to a national survey cited race, ethnicity, skin colour and gender as areas where they felt their rights had been violated.

The survey, sponsored by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and the Association for Canadian Studies, is being released today to coincide with the 59th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

"This is, in our opinion, a high percentage," said Ayman Al-Yassini, executive director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. "It demonstrates the urgent need to ensure that the rights of all individuals in society are protected."

The federal government needs to do more, he said, to strengthen the "sense of belonging" and citizenship across Canada.

Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association of Canadian Studies, said the findings have implications for the Canadian workplace, which faces a shortage of skilled labour and must rely on a steady flow of immigration.

Jedwab said the findings should provoke discussion given that earlier this month, Statistics Canada released its 2006 Census on immigration and citizenship that showed that nearly one in five Canadians was born on foreign soil, the highest proportion in 75 years.

The survey found that among people who identify with an ethnic or racial minority, one in five said that the discrimination they experienced came from an employer or potential employer.

Jedwab said that because Canada's population is evolving, one of the biggest challenges facing policymakers is dealing with employment and economic integration issues.

This includes ensuring skills and education from abroad are recognized, and as more newcomers arrive, ensuring that workplaces are more harmonious.

"That's the biggest challenge to our multicultural policy right now," said Jedwab.

The study was based on a survey conducted by Decima pollsters on behalf of the Canadian Heritage Department over a 10-day period this past March. Some 2,050 respondents were surveyed, with a margin of error of two per cent, 19 times out of 20.

The impact of Canada's changing demographic face was brought into focus by the latest StatsCan census data, the survey states.

The census showed that Canada's foreign-born population grew by almost 14 per cent between 2001 and 2006. That was four times higher than the 3.3 per cent growth rate of the Canadian-born population in the same time period.

In the last six years, visible minorities have overtaken European-born immigrants coming to Canada.

The largest proportion of newcomers to Canada arrived from Asia and the Middle East, accounting for 58 per cent of the new arrivals, according to the 2006 census data. That was roughly the same as the 59 per cent recorded in the 2001 census.

"At a certain point, if a perception of discrimination is very high, it does tear away at the strength of our democracy," said Jedwab.

"Given that our population composition is evolving more towards a greater degree of visible minority presence in Canada, that's an issue we need to pay a lot of attention to."

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Photos - Xmas lights in Vancouver1

Just came back from some X'mas lights shooting :)

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X'mas tree in Lost Lagoon, Stanley Park



The famous giant X'mas tree of English Bay





And, of course, the Inukshuk that has inspired Chinese in Vancouver. :)

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Robert Pickton found guilty of 6 counts of second-degree murder

CP - There were gasps, then muffled cheers as Robert Pickton was found guilty Sunday of six counts of second-degree murder.

Family members of the six women fled the courthouse in tears, running into the courtyard to huddle near a Christmas tree hung with lace angels representing their loved ones.

Greg Garley, whose foster sister Mona Wilson was among Pickton's victims, told the The Canadian Press in his first interview after the verdict that his whole family was ecstatic

"We knew it. We knew that he was guilty. And now the province knows it. And now the whole world knows it."

Garley said he feels like a burden's been lifted off his shoulders.

Pickton was facing trial for killing Wilson, Georgina Papin, Marnie Frey, Brenda Wolfe, Sereena Abotsway and Andrea Joesbury.

The jurors responded not guilty to each charge of first-degree murder, causing tense family members to draw in their breath sharply.

But when the jury announced guilty verdicts on the lesser charge of second-degree murder, family members quietly rejoiced.

Pickton stood in the prisoner's box, flanked by his lead lawyers. He bowed his head and looked at the ground while the verdicts were read, but he showed no emotion.

Lead Crown prosecutor Mike Petrie removed his glasses and put them back on his nose several times, but otherwise showed no reaction to the verdict.

The verdicts mean Pickton will still face a life sentence, but he could be eligible for parole in 10 years rather than the automatic 25 years a first-degree conviction calls for.

Jurors had no recommendation on parole eligibility and court was adjourned until Tuesday when sentencing will be decided and victim impact statements will be read.

Justice James Williams commended the five women and seven men of the jury for spending 10 months hearing evidence and then a further 10 days deliberating.

"Over the last long long time - it's a year now - while carrying out your obligations, you've represented the people of Canada in this very important task and on their behalf, I want to offer you my most sincere thank you," Williams said.

"You know now what an enormous responsibility it is to judge your fellow man and you have performed this task admirably in my view."

Pickton is also charged with a further 20 counts and that trial is to get underway later.

Gladys Radeck, who described herself as a support worker for family members, was disappointed in the verdict.

"I don't think justice was served. It should have been first-degree," she said.

But she added: "The jury did the best they could. They had a lot on their minds. he will be in jail for the rest of his life."

When court adjourned, a crush of photographers and reporters flowed into the courtyard.

Family members stood in a silent circle, holding lit candles. Support worker Elaine Allen read a poem about the women and a song written by Victoria poet Susan Musgrave about the women was played.

Some of those in the circle sobbed.

Murray Watson, who was a friend of one of those other 20 women, said the verdict was overwhelming and it leaves many of the families asking the million-dollar question: Will there be a second trial?

Anticipation about the verdict had been building since Thursday, when jurors asked the judge whether they could find Pickton guilty if they concluded he acted indirectly in the killing.

Family members of the murdered women had been staked out for 10 days, along with reporters, waiting for a decision.

When word the verdict was coming was announced, they entered the courtroom shaking.

In his final summation, Crown prosecutor Mike Petrie urged jurors not to let Pickton "put one over on them."

He said all of the evidence - beyond a reasonable doubt - pointed to Pickton being responsible for the deaths of the six.

The Crown's evidence was among the most grisly ever aired in a Canadian courtroom.

One witness, Scott Chubb, testified that Pickton told him a good way to kill a junkie is to inject her with windshield washer fluid. The Crown called a forensic investigator who testified a syringe filled with windshield washer fluid was found at the farm.

Another witness, Andrew Bellwood, testified Pickton once pantomimed how he would have sex with the women, handcuff them from behind, kill and dismember them, then feed their remains to his pigs.

Police found the personal effects of some of the women named on the murder indictment in Pickton's trailer and in some of the buildings on the Pickton farm in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam.

Among the findings were handcuffs and handcuff keys and a gun fitted with a dildo.

Lynn Ellingsen testified she was at Pickton's trailer one night and while high on drugs, she wandered into the slaughterhouse to see him butchering a woman.

Forensic investigators testified about finding the badly decomposed heads of three of the women on the farm. The skulls had been bisected lengthwise and the women's severed hands and feet had been placed inside.

Two partial jawbones and some handbones were also found.

Full story here.

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Suzuki: be a doer now, Canada

(caption: David Suzuki talks to Global TV)

Environmentalist guru David Suzuki said today in a rally in Vancouver that it's time Canada takes the lead of cutting green house emissions and not pressing for a unreachable goal of putting binding emission targets for all major emitters. Here is what Suzuki said:

If we can't begin to reduce our emissions... and Canada is part of that, why should China, India, Brazil, Indonesia pay any attention?

We created the problem and we are not doing anything, and we are telling them: "No, you can't do it"? It's just not fair!

Environmentalists say the unrealistic position means inaction, i.e. the issue will be dragged on forever before anyone really kick-starts on any action. In Vancouver today, the protesters asked everyone to bombard PM Stephan Harper with text messages demanding action on climate change.

And see what our government is doing, according to CP:

... a leaked government document showed that Canada would hold firm to its position that binding emissions targets should apply to all countries.

The one-paged document, obtained by the Climate Action Network, an international group of environmental advocates, lists nine factors that the federal government wants in a post-2012 agreement. The document calls for a clause that would take into account the “national circumstances” of countries, and ensure that none of their economies would be “unduly” harmed.

That language mirrors wording that Canada pushed the Commonwealth to adopt — over the objection of almost 50 other member countries that had been pushing for binding targets on industrialized countries.

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China heralded as leader on green initiatives

CTV - Canada has ranked close to last on an annual index that evaluates and compares the climate protection performances of 56 industrialized and emerging countries.

The 56 countries are together responsible for more than 90% of global energy-related CO2 emissions.

Canada placed 53rd on the index, down two spots from 2006.

The study, compiled by the environmental organization Germanwatch, compares the countries in three different ways, and then calculates a combined Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).

Canada ranked 46th for its emissions levels, 43rd for its emission trends, and 55th for the effectiveness of its national government policies.

The United States and Saudi Arabia ranked the worst on the list, at 55th and 56th.

Meanwhile, China was heralded as a leader on environmental initiatives even though it ranked in the 40th spot.

While still low on the list, the ranking is an improvement of four places from last year, mostly due to new policies to promote renewable energy use and slash industrial energy consumption.

"China's relatively positive political assessment gives hope that emission growth will slow down in the future," Germanwatch's Christoph Bals said in a press release.

Historically, China has maintained a defensive position over its environmental policies, but that seems to have given way recently to a more proactive stance at the Bali talks, according to delegates.

"China has made up its mind about a year ago that it was going to get serious," Hans Verolme, director of WWF International's Global Climate Change Program, told The Associated Press.

"They want to show to the world it understands and it wants to do what is necessary to stop dangerous climate change."

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Sammo Hung dies -- IT'S A HOAX!

Just heard that kung fu king and Jackie Chan's best friend, Sammo Hung (洪金寶), died yesterday at age 55. No details yet on how and where he died. Stay tuned....

============================

SORRY... Sammo's son just clarified that his dad is still alive... it's a hoax.

============================
NOTE: Sorry I spread the wrong news.

The story originated from China's Xinhua agency, which is -- supposed to be -- as credible as AP, AFP etc. No one would question about the source. In fact, Chinese presses even began to publishing eulogy. Even Wikipedia updtaed his profile 3 hours ago (see picture below). However, Sammo Hung's eldest son, Tin Ming Hung, just appeared an hour ago in Hong Kong to deny his dad was dead.

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Religious prosecution of modern age?

I know nothing about Scientology. I learnt about the term only because I heard that Tom Cruise was a follower. What I wanna say here, is, hey, it's cool to see a major western power trying to ban a "religion" deemed "cult". If Scientology was banned, wonder if guys like Cruise would start practicing/preaching outside the German embassy in the US? :P

German officials eye banning Scientology

Reuters - German federal and state interior ministers declared the Church of Scientology unconstitutional on Friday, opening the way for a possible ban on the organization.

Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and 16 state interior chiefs agreed "that we do not consider Scientology an organization that is compatible with the constitution", Ehrhart Koerting, Berlin's interior minister and chairman of a ministers' conference in Berlin, told reporters.

Germany does not recognize Scientology as a religion and regards it as a cult masquerading as a church to make money. Scientologists reject this view and said in a statement more than 50 court decisions in Germany had acknowledged the group as a religious community. "The interior ministers' statement has no factual basis and serves only to discriminate against our community and to damage our reputation," said a spokeswoman in an e-mail.

The government permits Scientology to operate as an organization. In January it opened a headquarters in Berlin.

Earlier this week, a Berlin district set up an office to deal with complaints about Scientology.

Koerting said Germany's domestic intelligence agencies should continue gathering information on the legality of Scientology's activities in Germany so that a decision could be made on what to do about it next year.

Earlier this year, the German Defence Ministry said it would not allow a movie about an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Hitler to be filmed at military sites because actor Tom Cruise, a Scientologist, was appearing in it. The government later said Cruise's personal beliefs had nothing to do with its initial decision to prevent him from shooting scenes at a site in the Defence Ministry complex and let the actor to film there.

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Two new songs inspired by 'Nanking'

The movie Nanking is already leading to some spill-offs in the US popular culture. Blogcritics said two songs have been written in response to Nanking:

A testament to the movie's potential effectiveness can be seen by noticing who it has already inspired. A testament to the movie's potential effectiveness can be seen by noticing who it has already inspired. I don't know if somebody approached him, or if he was just inspired on his own, but Lou Reed has written two new songs, "Gravity" and "Safety Zone", in response to the movie.

"Gravity" is a short, driving song that is more open to interpretation. Given the context of the film it feels to me like Mr. Reed is saying that gravity keeps us here, but we can choose how we act or what we do in any given situation. Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it and follow the example of those who founded the safety zone.

The invasion of and subsequent sacking of Nanking sound like events from a more barbaric age, not the twentieth century. Then again, we don't have to look far into our own recent past for examples of behaviour that makes Nanking look like the norm in our world instead of the aberration it should be. Think of the recent excesses in the prisons of Iraq, and a government that says it doesn't object to the use of torture. Is the message being sent to soldiers in the field about the humanity of the people they meet much different from what the one the Japanese government gave their soldiers? We may not say "take no prisoners," but the reduction of an enemy to sub-human status is a given.

Full story here.

International human rights day is just around the corner. Let's remember one of the most barbaric chapters in modern history.

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Nanking Massacre made up by Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Zedong knew: Japanese right-wingers

Was the Imperial Japanese Army guilty of any war crimes? “None,” he replies. “In war, atrocities will always be carried out by a small number of individuals, but did the Japanese army systematically commit war crimes? Absolutely not.”

-- Mizushima Satoru, filmmaker of The Truth of Nanjing

Japan Focus has an expanded version of an article carried in The Independent.

David McNeill's well written article reports that:

“The evidence for a massacre is faked,” explains the president of right-wing webcaster Channel Sakura. “It is Chinese communist propaganda.” For support, he brandishes a book containing what he says are dozens of doctored photos. One shows a beheaded Chinese corpse with a cigarette stuck in its mouth. “Japanese people don’t mistreat corpses like that,” he says, stabbing the page for emphasis. “It is not in our culture.”

However, Ara Kenichi (阿羅健一), a commentator on Japan's modern history, told Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun today that Nanking Massacre was "made up by Chiang Kai-shek during war time" and that even "Mao Zedong knew about it."

Chiang Kai-shek was the head of Kuomintang, or KMT, which fought Mao Zedong's communist party during the Chinese civil war, which coincided more or less with the Japanese invasion of China.

What about the numerous accounts by Europeans and Americans who were in Nanking when Japan captured the Chinese capital in 1937?

Ara said his research indicated that all these foreigners sided with Chiang to "advocate anti-Japanese propaganda."

Ara claimed that the term "Nanking Massacre" never appeared in Chinese history textbooks during the entire Mao Zedong's reign. Mao died in 1976.

To Ara, that proved Mao Zedong "knew that Nanking Massacre was a propaganda of Chiang Kai-shek."

Ara said "Nanking Massacre" began to appear in Chinese textbooks only after the 1980s, when Deng Xiaoping became the ruler of China.

It is amusing to see the Japanese right-wingers change tones. I wonder why they now said it was by Chiang Kai-shek instead of the communists. Is that because they knew the Sino-Japanese relation is improving recently as indicated by the historical visit of the Chinese navy to Japan? Is that because they knew Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian recently renamed the so-called "Chiang Kai-shek Temple" to "Liberty Square" and started an all-out campaign to smudge Chiang? Is that because they realize that they better slap those who are now powerless than an emerging friend?

See also:

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China names massacre victims on 70th anniversary

Reuters - China has published an eight-volume list of 13,000 victims of the Nanjing massacre in which it says invading Japanese troops killed 300,000 civilians, state media said on Tuesday.

The Chinese publications, released to mark the 70th anniversary of the start of the massacre, also known as the "Rape of Nanking", include the names, ages, sex, occupations and residential addresses of the victims, which Japanese army unit was responsible and how the victims were killed.

"The books are the most complete name lists of the known victims of the slaughter to date," the China Daily said.

"The publication of name lists is just a start. We will continue collecting information about the victims," the newspaper quoted Zhang Xianwen, editor-in-chief of the compilation, as saying.

The lists are part of a 27-volume series of historical materials on the massacre and were released before December 13, the day in 1937 when Japanese troops took over the city, then known as Nanking and the capital of Nationalist China.

China, where many people still harbor deep resentment over Japanese wartime atrocities, says Japanese troops killed 300,000 men, women and children, many of the victims raped or otherwise tortured.

An allied tribunal put the death toll at about 142,000. Some Japanese historians say the numbers are exaggerated, estimating as few as 20,000 soldiers and civilians were killed.

Japan does not present any figure, although it acknowledges that many civilians were killed by invading Japanese troops.

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MPs, reporters poles apart on journalism fairness: study

Canadian Media Research Consortium release - Members of Parliament and the journalists who report on them agree on the importance of accuracy, balance and impartiality in reporting, but are poles apart on just how far journalists should go to get their stories. Those are just some of the findings in an insightful new study of fairness in the media by the Canadian Media Research Consortium.

The Fairness in News Study reveals that while MPs and reporters agree on many elements of fairness in journalism, they disagree when it comes to the rules of engagement between journalists and sources.

In particular, there is disagreement over the limits of privacy of public figures, using hidden cameras and tape recorders, reporting off-the-record conversations and quoting unnamed sources.

"Clearly, politicians and journalists see the news quite differently," says Dr. Fred Fletcher of York University, Past Chair of Canadian Media Research Consortium and co-author of the Fairness in News Study.

"Although more than two-thirds of MPs believe that Canadian news media live up to their role in the democratic process, as many as 84% do not believe that most stories present the news in a fair way. By contrast, the overwhelming majority of Press Gallery members in Ottawa consider the majority of their stories to be fair."

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Other significant findings include:

• MPs are much more likely than journalists to regard media criticism as excessive
• Only half of the journalists surveyed and fewer than one in four MPs were aware of the existence of journalistic codes; fewer than 20% of journalist reported referring to such a code
• In their assessment of journalistic practices, MPs tended to be more in tune with public opinion than journalists
• MPs and journalists agree that knowledge of a subject is an important basis for fair journalism and most journalists agree they are not as knowledgeable as they should be
• Broad dissatisfaction with the Ottawa-centric nature of the news.
• Nearly half of the journalists and just under two-thirds of the MPs reported dissatisfaction with the variety of regional viewpoints in the news.

About the Study

The Fairness in News Study arose from concerns about defining fairness and journalistic accountability expressed in recent court cases and in various journalistic forums. It is based on the findings of a Pollara research survey commissioned earlier this year by the CMRC and analyzes the perceptions of fairness in the news held by 61 Members of Parliament and 64 journalists in the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery.

Detailed findings and methodology are available on the CMRC website.

The Study was co-authored by Fred Fletcher, professor emeritus of communication studies and political science at York University, and André Turcotte, professor of communication at Carleton University and Research Director of the Fairness in the News Project.

About the Consortium

The Canadian Media Research Consortium is a non-profit partnership of the University of British Columbia School of Journalism, the York Ryerson Graduate Program in Communication and Culture and the Centre d'études sur les médias at Université Laval. The Consortium is committed to conducting applied research on issues of importance to Canadians with particular emphasis on important economic, social and cultural issues related to technological change in the media and sharing those findings with scholars, media and the public.

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Mother tongue Chinese have highest proportion of speaking neither English nor French

CIV, StatCan - In Vancouver CMA, just over four out of 10 residents (41%) are allophones, compared with 38% in 2001. Of these allophones, 332,000, or 38%, have a Chinese language as their mother tongue.

People with Chinese as their mother tongues have the highest percentage of them speaking neither English nor French, among people with all other mother tongues, Census 2006 finds.

CENSUS 2006 - KNOWLEDGE OF OFFICIAL LANGUAGES, MOTHER TONGUE CHINESE
		Total - knowledge of off. lang.	English only	French only	English and French	Neither English nor French	% Neither Eng nor French	% Eng only	% Eng and French
CANADA
Chinese languages		1,012,065	771,785	8,590	49,285	182,405	18.02	76.3	4.87
	Cantonese	361,450	274,340	950	14,735	71,430	19.76	75.9	4.08
	Mandarin	170,950	136,695	985	7,070	26,205	15.33	80	4.14
	Taiwanese	9,620	7,530	-	560	1,520	15.8	78.3	5.82
	Chinese, other dialects	470,040	353,220	6,655	26,925	83,255	17.71	75.2	5.73
BC
Chinese languages		342,920	267,475	90	8,015	67,340	19.64	78	2.34
	Cantonese	131,245	100,840	15	3,220	27,170	20.7	76.8	2.45
	Mandarin	72,155	58,230	50	1,860	12,015	16.65	80.7	2.58
	Taiwanese	5,750	4,620	-	145	990	17.22	80.4	2.52
	Chinese, other dialects	133,760	103,785	30	2,775	27,165	20.31	77.6	2.07
VANCOUVER
Chinese languages		324,840	252,100	80	7,615	65,045	20.02	77.6	2.34
	Cantonese	125,940	96,385	15	3,110	26,430	20.99	76.5	2.47
	Mandarin	69,265	55,650	40	1,755	11,820	17.06	80.3	2.53
	Taiwanese	5,345	4,260	-	130	950	17.77	79.7	2.43
	Chinese, other dialects	124,290	95,800	25	2,615	25,845	20.79	77.1	2.1
SOURCE: STATCAN, CENSUS 2006

However, if age is taken into account, the proportion of school-aged students not speaking either English or French drop significantly. This may indicate that younger immigrant students are in a better position of integrating into society.

KNOWLEDGE OF OFF. LANG., MOTHER TONGUE CHINESE AGE 10-14
CANADA
		Total - knowledge of off. lang.	English only	French only	English and French	Neither English nor French	% Neither Eng nor French	% Eng only	% Eng and French
Chinese languages		50,885	41,090	1,325	7,340	1,125	2.2	80.8	14.4
	Cantonese	18,480	15,960	110	2,190	215	1.2	86.4	11.9
	Mandarin	9,800	7,955	150	1,390	305	3.1	81.2	14.2
	Taiwanese	140	105	-	35	-	0.0	75.0	25.0
	Chinese, other dialects	22,450	17,065	1,060	3,720	600	2.7	76.0	16.6
KNOWLEDGE OF OFF. LANG. OF MOTHER TONGUE CHINESE AGE 10-14
BC
		Total - knowledge of off. lang.	English only	French only	English and French	Neither English nor French	% Neither Eng nor French	% Eng only	% Eng and French
Chinese languages		17,895	16,105	-	1,290	500	2.8	90.0	7.2
	Cantonese	6,950	6,400	-	460	90	1.3	92.1	6.6
	Mandarin	4,615	4,000	-	465	150	3.3	86.7	10.1
	Taiwanese	85	75	-	-	-	0.0	88.2	0.0
	Chinese, other dialects	6,245	5,635	-	360	255	4.1	90.2	5.8
SOURCE: STATCAN, CENSUS 2006

On the other hand, the three other largest language groups in BC are also Asian: Punjabi, with 122,000 people; Tagalog, with 52,000; and Korean, with 42,000.

In the City of Burnaby, 55.5% of its residents are allophones, making it one of the three Canadian cities with a population of over 200,000 where allophones are in the majority. The other two cities are Markham and Vaughan, both located in Toronto CMA.

According to the 2006 Census, 98% of the Canadian population can speak one or both official languages. The proportion of Canadians reporting being able to conduct a conversation in English and French increased to 17.4% in 2006.

For Anglophones, almost seven in 10 (68.9%) living in Quebec are bilingual, while this is the case for 7.5% of those living outside Quebec.

For Francophones, the rate of bilingualism is 35.8% in Quebec and 83.6% for those living outside Quebec. With regards to allophones, 50.2% of those living in Quebec stated that they could carry on a conversation in both languages, while only 5.6% outside of Quebec reported knowing both official languages.

In British Columbia, 6.6% of Anglophones and 4.5% of allophones said they could carry on a conversation in both official languages in 2006, up from 6.0% and 4.4% respectively in 2001.

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China is No.1 sender of immigrants to Vancouver

Profile of Vancouver CMA

StatCan release - The population of foreign-born people in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver increased five times faster than its Canadian-born population between 2001 and 2006, according to the census.

The census counted 831,300 foreign-born people in the Vancouver CMA, up about 92,700 from 2001. Between the two censuses, the foreign-born population in Vancouver increased by 12.6%, compared with the growth rate of 2.3% in the Canadian-born population.

Place of birth for the immigrant population VANCOUVER
	COUNTS					% DISTRIBUTION
	Imm. pop.	Period of Immigration				Imm. pop.	Period of Immigration
		Before 1991	1991 to 1995	1996 to 2000	2001 to 2006		Before 1991	1991 to 1995	1996 to 2000	2001 to 2006
Total	831,265	388,740	142,130	148,700	151,690	100	100	100	100	100
China	137,245	43,580	23,520	30,350	39,790	16.5	11.2	16.5	20.4	26.2
India	90,095	37,335	17,035	16,945	18,765	10.8	9.6	12	11.4	12.4
Hong Kong	75,775	33,445	25,115	14,335	2,875	9.1	8.6	17.7	9.6	1.9
UK	63,935	54,395	3,130	2,645	3,765	7.7	14	2.2	1.8	2.5
Philippines	62,960	20,855	12,610	13,040	16,460	7.6	5.4	8.9	8.8	10.9
Taiwan	40,805	4,930	11,630	17,290	6,950	4.9	1.3	8.2	11.6	4.6
S. Korea	30,990	5,895	5,220	8,210	11,670	3.7	1.5	3.7	5.5	7.7
USA	24,780	15,215	1,970	2,985	4,610	3	3.9	1.4	2	3
Vietnam	22,945	15,095	4,940	1,620	1,295	2.8	3.9	3.5	1.1	0.9
Iran	21,615	5,295	3,315	6,675	6,325	2.6	1.4	2.3	4.5	4.2
Fiji	17,245	11,115	3,190	1,275	1,670	2.1	2.9	2.2	0.9	1.1
Germany	15,680	13,770	620	675	610	1.9	3.5	0.4	0.5	0.4
Italy	12,400	11,905	105	210	185	1.5	3.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Poland	11,035	7,730	2,280	645	380	1.3	2	1.6	0.4	0.3
Japan	8,860	3,930	1,055	1,690	2,185	1.1	1	0.7	1.1	1.4
Netherlands	8,295	7,615	180	220	280	1	2	0.1	0.1	0.2
S. Africa	8,235	3,480	1,715	1,960	1,080	1	0.9	1.2	1.3	0.7
Malaysia	7,565	5,270	1,330	380	585	0.9	1.4	0.9	0.3	0.4
Pakistan	7,460	1,550	1,375	2,340	2,190	0.9	0.4	1	1.6	1.4
Russia	5,770	765	725	1,960	2,320	0.7	0.2	0.5	1.3	1.5
SOURCE: STATCAN, CENSUS 2006

Foreign-born people accounted for 39.6% of the Vancouver metropolitan area's total population of 2,098,000. (Vancouver is the third-largest CMA in Canada. It consists of municipalities such as the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Richmond, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Port Moody, New Westminster, Delta and Surrey.)

In 2001, Vancouver ranked third in the proportion of foreign-born among major Canadian, American and Australian cities.

In 2006, its proportion was second only to Toronto, where the foreign-born represented 45.7% of the population. Vancouver had surpassed that of Miami (36.5%), Los Angeles (34.7%), Sydney (31.7%) and Melbourne (28.9%).

The Vancouver metropolitan area has a long history of immigration. Its foreign-born population has more than doubled in just a quarter-century since 1981.

Back-to-back declines in newcomers to Vancouver CMA

The number of recent immigrants who chose to settle in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver has declined for two consecutive censuses.

Between 2001 and 2006, an estimated number of 151,700 newcomers, or 13.7% of all new arrivals in Canada, chose to live in the Vancouver metropolitan area.

This was a decrease from the 169,600 individuals who arrived in Vancouver between 1996 and 2001 and well below the 189,700 who arrived during the early part of the 1990s.

Vancouver was the only metropolitan area of the three largest that experienced a decline in new arrivals during the past five years. Both Toronto and Montréal recorded increases.

The main factor in the back-to-back intercensal decline was a slowdown in immigration arriving in Vancouver from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which has been the source of many newcomers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Just over one-quarter of newcomers in Vancouver CMA are from the People's Republic of China

Most of the 151,700 immigrants who arrived in Vancouver CMA during the past five years were born in Asia and the Middle East. In fact, the five leading source countries were in this world region.

Just over one-quarter of newcomers (26.2%) came from the People's Republic of China. In fact, of all new arrivals in Canada who were born in the People's Republic of China, Vancouver received the second-largest share (25.7%) after Toronto (41.2%).

The other leading source country of Vancouver's recent arrivals was India, which accounted for 12.4% of newcomers. Vancouver was home to 14.5% of all recent immigrants in Canada who were born in India.

Another 10.9% of Vancouverites who came to Canada in the last five years were born in the Philippines, 7.7% born in South Korea and 4.6% born in Taiwan.

A higher proportion of recent arrivals (57.2%) than the Canadian-born (42%) in the metropolitan area of Vancouver were in their prime working years, aged 25 to 54. Recent immigrants in this age group made up 8.9% of Vancouver's prime working-age population.

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In addition, about 27,600 children aged 5 to 16 who were in Vancouver's school system during the past five years were new to Canada. These newcomers represented 9.3% of Vancouver's school-aged population.

As a whole, school-aged children born outside Canada accounted for 18.1% of Vancouver's school-aged population. Most of them (53.7%) reported often speaking a language other than English or French at home.

City of Vancouver received the highest number of newcomers

Three-quarters of the Vancouver metropolitan area's newly arrived immigrants (74.7%) chose to live in one of the region's four largest municipalities: the City of Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby or Richmond. These four municipalities combined also accounted for 73.5% of immigrants who had lived in the census metropolitan area (CMA) longer than five years. In comparison, 56.8% of the Canadian-born population in the Vancouver CMA resided in these four communities.

Other municipalities that took in at least 2% of immigrants who arrived in the past five years were the City of Coquitlam (5.9%), the City of New Westminster (2.8%), North Vancouver DM (2.7%), Delta DM (2.4%) and the City of North Vancouver (2.3%).

As the largest municipality in the metropolitan area of Vancouver, the City of Vancouver had the largest population of both longer-term and recently-arrived foreign-born people of all the municipalities in the metropolitan area.

The census enumerated a total of 260,800 foreign-born people in the City of Vancouver in 2006, almost one-third of the total foreign-born population residing in the metropolitan area.

The city was also the destination of 28.7% of newcomers who arrived between 2001 and 2006. In contrast, only around one-quarter (23.9%) of the Canadian-born in the CMA lived in the City of Vancouver.

Foreign-born people accounted for nearly one-half (45.6%) of the city's total population of 571,600. About 7.6% of this population was made up of newcomers to Canada. Between 2001 and 2006, the City of Vancouver's foreign-born population grew by 5.3%. However, this growth rate was slower than those of the three other large cities: Richmond (+12.9%), Burnaby (+12.5%) and Surrey (+30.9%).

Those born in the People's Republic of China made up the largest proportion (36.1%) of newcomers to the City of Vancouver. The other leading source countries of newcomers in the city were the Philippines, which accounted for 12.2% of newcomers, followed by India (4.8%), Taiwan (4.2%) and South Korea (4%).

Richmond: Highest proportion of foreign-born among all Canada's municipalities


Foreign-born people outnumbered the Canadian-born in Richmond, according to the 2006 Census.

Of the 173,600 residents in Richmond, more than one-half (57.4%) were born outside Canada. In fact, Richmond had the highest proportion of foreign-born of all Canada's municipalities.

Between 2001 and 2006, the foreign-born population in Richmond grew by 12.9%, whereas the Canadian-born population decreased by 2.3%.

About 1 in 10 (10.8%) of Richmond's population were newcomers who had arrived in Canada within the last five years. Among these 18,800 recent immigrants, fully one-half were born in the People's Republic of China.

In fact, immigrants from the People's Republic of China, whether they had lived in Canada for some time or had arrived recently, made up the largest group of the foreign-born population in the city.

Newcomers born in the Philippines accounted for 14.2% of people who arrived in Canada within the last five years. Another 7.4% were new immigrants from Taiwan, 4.7% from the Hong Kong Special Administration Area and 4.3% from India.

Of all school-aged children between 5 and 16 years old in Richmond, 15.4% were recent immigrants who came to Canada in the last five years. The majority (66.3%) of these school-aged newcomers reported speaking a language other than English or French at home.

As the People's Republic of China was the leading source country of immigrants in Richmond, Chinese dialects such as Mandarin and Cantonese were the languages spoken most often at home by the largest share of recent immigrants living in Richmond.

One-half of Burnaby's residents were foreign-born

The immigration trend in the Burnaby was similar to that of its neighbour, Richmond. The 2006 Census counted 102,000 foreign-born in Burnaby, who accounted for one-half (50.8%) of its population of 200,900.

As a result, Burnaby had the second highest proportion of foreign-born in the census metropolitan area of Vancouver, after Richmond.

Like Richmond, Burnaby experienced a growth of 12.5% in its foreign-born population and a slight drop of 2.3% in its Canadian-born population. As well, about one in 10 (10.8%) of Burnaby's population were newcomers who had arrived in Canada between 2001 and 2006.

Burnaby attracted 14.4% of recent immigrants in the Vancouver metropolitan area, the third largest share after the City of Vancouver (28.7%) and Surrey (19.3%), and slightly more than Richmond.

The People's Republic of China was the leading source country of Burnaby's newest immigrants. It was followed by South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan and India. Collectively, recent immigrants from these countries made up 64.4% of all newcomers to Burnaby.

Surrey had the fastest-growing foreign-born population in Vancouver CMA

Surrey had the second largest number of foreign-born people of all the municipalities in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver, after only the City of Vancouver.

The census enumerated 150,200 foreign-born people in Surrey, nearly 4 out of every 10 (38.3%) of Surrey's total population of 392,500.

The proportion of foreign-born people in Surrey was the lowest of the four largest municipalities in Vancouver CMA. However, Surrey recorded the highest growth rate of the foreign-born population between 2001 and 2006, at 30.9%.

This rate was due to the higher number of newcomers to the city. In 2006, Surrey attracted 19.3% of all new recent immigrants to metropolitan Vancouver during the past five years. During the previous five years, Surrey had attracted only 14.1% of all new arrivals.

In fact, Surrey was the only municipality among the largest four that experienced an increase of share of newcomers from 2001. The shares of newcomers for the City of Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby all declined.

Overall, newcomers during the past five years made up 7.4% of Surrey's total population. By far, India was the top source country, accounting for over 4 in 10 (41.9%) of all foreign-born newcomers to the city.

The other source countries were the Philippines, South Korea, the People's Republic of China, Pakistan and Fiji. In total, newcomers from these five countries accounted for another third (33.9%) of all newcomers to Surrey.

Languages

In Vancouver CMA, just over four out of 10 residents (41%) are allophones, compared with 38% in 2001. Of these allophones, 332,000, or 38%, have a Chinese language as their mother tongue. The three other largest language groups are also Asian: Punjabi, with 122,000 people; Tagalog, with 52,000; and Korean, with 42,000.

In the City of Burnaby, 55.5% of its residents are allophones, making it one of the three Canadian cities with a population of over 200,000 where allophones are in the majority. The other two cities are Markham and Vaughan, both located in Toronto CMA.

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Chinese is 3rd most spoken language in Canada: Census 2006

StatCan release - Canadians reported more than 200 languages in response to the census question on mother tongue.

TOP LANGUAGES CENSUS 2006
1	English	18,232,200
2	French	6,970,405
3	Italian	476,905
4	Chinese - all other dialects	467,235
5	German	466,655
6	Panjabi (Punjabi)	382,585
7	Chinese - Cantonese	369,645
8	Spanish	362,120
9	Arabic	286,790
10	Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)	266,445
11	Portuguese	229,280
12	Polish	217,605
13	Chinese - Mandarin	173,730
14	Urdu	156,420
15	Vietnamese	146,410
16	Ukrainian	141,805
17	Persian (Farsi)	138,075
18	Russian	136,235
19	Dutch	133,240
20	Korean	128,120
21	Greek	123,575
22	Tamil	122,020
23	Gujarati	86,285
24	Hindi	85,500
25	Cree	84,905
26	Hungarian	75,595
27	Creoles	61,380
28	Bengali	48,075
29	Niger-Congo languages	14,380
30	Sign languages	5,780
SOURCE: STATCAN

The 2006 Census counted 18,056,000 Anglophones, up 3.0% from 2001, and about 6,892,000 Francophones, just 1.6% more than in the previous census.

Anglophones still make up for the majority of the population. While the number of Anglophones continued to increase, their share of the Canadian population dropped from 59.1% in 2001 to 57.8% in 2006.

The same is true for Francophones. Their share of the population declined from 22.9% in 2001 to 22.1% in 2006.

The remaining 20% have a mother tongue other than English or French. In 2006, there were 6,293,000 allophones, an increase of 18% since 2001.

The Chinese languages are the third largest mother tongue group – more than a million people (1,034,000) reported a Chinese language as their mother tongue in 2006, an increase of 18.5% since 2001.

Punjabi was the fourth most frequently reported mother tongue and its rate was up 34% from 2001.

Of the 10 largest allophone groups in Canada, Urdu experienced the highest growth since 2001, increasing by 80%, from 87,000 in 2001 to 156,000 in 2006.

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Richmond, BC leads all Canadian cities in proportion of foreign-born

StatCan release – New data from the 2006 Census reveal that the proportion of Canada’s population who were born outside of the country reached its highest level in 75 years.

The census enumerated 6,186,950 foreign-born persons in Canada in 2006. They represented virtually one in five (19.8%) of the total population, the highest proportion since 1931, when 22.2% of the population was foreign-born. In 2001, foreign-born persons represented 18.4% of the Canadian population.

PLACES OF BIRTH - CENSUS 2006
RICHMOND
			% of TTL POP
Eastern Asia		59,590	34.16
China		26,750	15.33
Hong Kong		22,915	13.13
Other Eastern Asia		9,925	5.69
TOTAL RICHMOND POP		174,461
VANCOUVER
			% of TTL POP
Eastern Asia		118,860	20.56
China		68,050	11.77
Hong Kong		29,345	5.08
Other Eastern Asia		21,460	3.71
TOTAL VANCOUVER POP		578,041
BURNABY
			% of TTL POP
Eastern Asia		48,555	23.94
China		21,465	10.58
Hong Kong		11,120	5.48
Other Eastern Asia		15,965	7.87
TOTAL BURNABY POP		202,799
SOURCE: STATCAN

The People’s Republic of China was again the leading source country of newcomers to Canada. A full 14% of recent immigrants who arrived between 2001 and 2006 came from the People’s Republic of China. It was followed by India, representing 11.6% of new immigrants, the Philippines (7%) and Pakistan (5.2%) — the same order as in 2001.

The majority of the foreign-born population (86.8%) lived in three provinces: Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. As well, the three provinces received 85.8% of newcomers who arrived in Canada since 2001.

The census enumerated 1,119,200 foreign-born persons in British Columbia. They accounted for 27.5% of the province’s population, up from 26.1% in 2001 and 22.3% in 1991.

The proportion of foreign-born persons in British Columbia was second only to that in Ontario, where they represented 28.3% of the total population. About 16%, or 177,800, of the 1.1 million newest immigrants who came to Canada during the past five years settled in British Columbia.

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The census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver was home to 831,300 foreign-born persons, or 39.6% of the total population in 2006. The foreign-born population in Vancouver CMA grew by 12.6% between 2001 and 2006, five times faster than the Canadian-born population, which increased by 2.3%.

In 2001, Vancouver ranked third in the proportion of foreign-born persons among major Canadian, American and Australian cities. In 2006, its proportion was second only to Toronto, where foreign-born persons represented 45.7% of the population, and had surpassed that of Miami (36.5%), Los Angeles (34.7%), Sydney (31.7%) and Melbourne (28.9%).

Nearly three-quarters (74.7%) of recent immigrants in Vancouver CMA lived in just four municipalities: the cities of Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby and Surrey.

In the City of Richmond, foreign-born persons outnumbered their Canadian-born counterparts in 2006. Of the 173,600 residents in the city, more than one-half (57.4%) were born outside of Canada. In fact, Richmond had the highest proportion of foreign-born persons of all municipalities in Canada.

Between 2001 and 2006, the foreign-born population in Richmond grew by 12.9%, whereas the Canadian-born population decreased by 2.3%.

About 1 in 10 (10.8%) of Richmond's population were newcomers who had arrived in Canada within the last five years. Among these 18,800 recent immigrants, fully one-half were born in the People's Republic of China.

In fact, immigrants from the People's Republic of China, whether they had lived in Canada for some time or had arrived recently, made up the largest group of the foreign-born population in the city.

Newcomers born in the Philippines accounted for 14.2% of people who arrived in Canada within the last five years. Another 7.4% were new immigrants from Taiwan, 4.7% from the Hong Kong Special Administration Area and 4.3% from India.

Of all school-aged children between 5 and 16 years old in Richmond, 15.4% were recent immigrants who came to Canada in the last five years. The majority (66.3%) of these school-aged newcomers reported speaking a language other than English or French at home.

As the People's Republic of China was the leading source country of immigrants in Richmond, Chinese dialects such as Mandarin and Cantonese were the languages spoken most often at home by the largest share of recent immigrants living in Richmond.

The City of Surrey had the fastest-growing foreign-born population in Vancouver CMA. It recorded the highest growth rate of the foreign-born population between 2001 and 2006, at 30.9%. India was, by far, the top source country, accounting for over 4 in 10 (41.9%) of all foreign-born newcomers to the city.

Comprehensive data, thematic maps as well as two analytical articles titled “Immigration in Canada: Portrait of the Foreign-born Population, 2006 Census” and “The Evolving Linguistic Portrait, 2006 Census” respectively are now available at Statistics Canada’s website (www.statcan.ca). Additional data tables on mobility and migration (without detailed analysis) are also available.

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0 death in Nanking Massacre: Japanese filmmaker

The Independent - One way to learn what happened in one of history's most noxious but disputed episodes is to ask Satoru Mizushima. After what he calls "exhaustive research" on the 1937 seizure of the then Chinese capital by Japanese troops, estimated to have cost anywhere from 20,000 to 300,000 lives, Mizushima offers a very precise figure for the number of illegal deaths: zero.

"The evidence for a massacre is faked," he explains. "It is Chinese Communist propaganda." For support, he brandishes a book containing what he says are dozens of doctored photos. One shows a beheaded Chinese corpse with a cigarette in its mouth. "Japanese people don't mistreat corpses like that," he says, stabbing the page for emphasis. "It is not in our culture."

The world will soon get a chance to assess his claims when Mizushima's movie, The Truth of Nanking, reaches the cinemas. Arguments over what occurred in Nanking began almost as soon as Imperial soldiers marched into the city on 13 December 1937 and have only grown in ferocity since.

These smouldering disputes are set to cross over into mass entertainment on the 70th anniversary of the massacre, with nearly a dozen movies, backed by US, European and Chinese money, set to pick again at Nanking's scabs. Whatever the end result, one thing is certain: Japanese neo-nationalists have little hope of winning the propaganda war second time around.

Yesterday, Chinese historians published an eight-volume list of 13,000 victims of the invasion, which includes the names, ages, sex, occupations and addresses of the victims, which Japanese army unit was responsible and how the victims were killed. But the work of the historians will make little impact in comparison with that of the film-makers.

Mizushima's reputed $2m (£1m) budget for The Truth is dwarfed, for example, by the $53m Purple Mountain filming in China. Adapted from the bestseller The Rape of Nanking by the bête noire of Japanese conservatives, Iris Chang, the US-Chinese film is aiming for nothing less than an Asian version of Schindler's List.

The $35m Nanking Xmas 1937, helmed by the Hong Kong art-house director Yim Ho, meanwhile, will depict the efforts of foreigners in the wartime city to protect civilians from Japanese troops. The award-winning Japanese actors Teruyuki Kagawa and Akira Emoto appear in John Rabe, a German movie also starring Steve Buscemi and Ulrich Tukur (The Lives of Others) as the eponymous Nazi, dubbed the "Schindler of China" for rescuing Chinese civilians. Nanking! Nanking! stars other big names in Chinese cinema.

The fact that various tentacles of the Chinese state are involved in these productions will doubtless fuel the suspicions of neo-nationalists in Japan. "China is trying to control what the world thinks of Japan," said Mizushima.

Beijing faces a tricky balancing act. Nanking occupies a central place in the foundation myths of post-1949 China and the success of the Communists in beating both the Japanese and the nationalists. The government hopes to ensure an event that was for decades ignored in popular culture is not forgotten. At the same time it must avoid damaging bilateral ties as its growing power contrasts with the decline of Japan.

One sign that the horrific events of Nanking are no longer only a bilateral issue is the growing interest of foreign film-makers. Oliver Stone is in script development for a Nanking film, and Roger Spottiswoode is in post-production with The Bitter Sea, about a British journalist who witnesses the massacre. The powerful documentary Nanking, directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman (Twin Towers) is already out.

Most frustrating of all for Japan, however, is a documentary by the Canadian husband-and-wife team William Spahic and Anne Pick. The Woman Who Couldn't Forget: The Iris Chang story focuses on the author of the book that dragged Nanking back into the daylight, igniting calls to remember the massacre among the Chinese Diaspora in North America. Chang, who committed suicide three years ago, is the inspiration and unofficial patron saint to most of the new movies. Her book was picked apart by conservatives in Japan who accused her of exaggerating, sloppy research and – the biggest sin – failing to distinguish between the truth and wartime Chinese propaganda.

At the very least, anti-Japanese sentiment is likely to be inflamed in China, where nationalist passions are already high. More bad publicity is certain to come from Europe and America.

As for Mizushima and other deniers, how will they react to taking such a monumental beating in the propaganda war? "I think that it will reinforce their siege mentality," said Koichi Nakano, a political scientist at Tokyo's Sophia University. "They seem to think that they are the sole possessor of 'truths' and 'historical facts' under siege [by the anti-Japan Chinese among others], and that those 'truths' will prevail, if only they are widely and correctly disseminated in the international community, particularly to the American audience. Of course, they are only deluding themselves, and they end up digging a deeper hole for themselves."

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Another year of Dine Out Vancouver!

ADD SOME SPICE TO YOUR JANUARY - dine OUt vancouver™ IS BACK!

In its sixth year, the promotion boasts record number of participating restaurants and new awards program.

Vancouver, BC: Come in from the cold this January and take a bite out of Vancouver's top food and wine event! Presented by Visa®, Tourism Vancouver's Dine Out Vancouver 2008 will take place over 19 days, from Wednesday, January 16 to Sunday, February 3. The promotion offers a number of ways for diners to do something a little different and spice up their January.

* Try that restaurant that you've been meaning to check out - you have over 180 to choose from!

We all have our old favourites - restaurants that we fall back on. Dine Out Vancouver offers the opportunity to find a new favourite to drop into the rotation. "In Vancouver we're so lucky to have an international culinary scene that is the envy of others," said Rick Antonson, Tourism Vancouver's president and CEO. "With a record 180 restaurants offering menus at $15, $25 and $35 price points, Dine Out Vancouver is a low-risk way to try a new restaurant to add to your list of favourites."

* Experiment with a new cuisine - take your tastebuds on a trip around the world

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Winter is no time for bland food. Warm up by trying some new dishes that reflect Vancouver's multi-cultural diversity. Dine Out Vancouver boasts flavours that span the globe - everything from African favourites to Spanish tapas, Mandarin cuisine to our own West Coast bounty of seafood. "With its commitment to culinary diversity and innovation, the Vancouver restaurant community has evolved into a world-class dining destination," said Marina Chernyak, director, Merchant Partnerships and Market Development, Visa Canada. "Visa is proud to help showcase the city's vibrant culinary scene to both locals and those outside of Vancouver."

* Give food and wine pairing a try - good food deserves good wine

Trying exciting new food is the perfect opportunity to find your new favourite BC VQA wines as well. Dine Out Vancouver presents a great opportunity to sample British Columbia's award-winning VQA wines, with appropriate wine pairings suggested to complement the menus at an additional cost.

* Gift wrap your dinner

Make Dine Out Vancouver the ultimate indulgence by treating yourself to a gourmet Vancouver getaway. A selection of hotels are offering one-night Dine Out Vancouver packages that not only offer the only way to reserve your dinner before January 2, but also make the perfect holiday gift. Packages feature a three-course dinner in the hotel restaurant, one night's accommodation and other value-added amenities for as low as $129 CAD, double occupancy. Specials and packages can be found and booked online now at tourismvancouver.com/dineout.

All the dine out vancouver details you need to know…

From January 16 to February 3, consumers can enjoy a special three-course dinner at many Greater Vancouver restaurants for $15, $25 or $35 per person, complemented by fabulous BC VQA wine pairing suggestions. The promotion is now in its sixth year, and the culinary extravaganza has been extended from 17 days to 19 days due to consumer demand. The list of participating restaurants, menus and reservation information will be posted online at tourismvancouver.com on January 2, and many participating restaurants can be booked through the site.

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Vancouver average home prices near $600,000 in Oct 2007

BCREA release - British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports residential sales volume on the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in BC climbed 23.5% to $3.40b in October, compared to the same month last year. Residential unit sales increased 12.8% to 7,358 units during the same period. The average MLS® residential price hit $462,912, up 9.5% from October 2006.

“While home sales continue at a brisk pace, prices in Vancouver and Victoria are climbing at a more moderate rate,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. Compared to October 2006, the average sales price increased 7.8% in both markets.

Fraser Valley and Chilliwack prices climbed 6.2 and 6.3%, respectively, during the same period. “Eroding affordability is providing less upward pressure on home prices in both Victoria and the Lower Mainland, as many first-time buyers no longer have the financial wherewithal to bid up prices,” added Muir.

In contrast to the South Coast’s major urban areas, home prices in the interior and northern markets continue a rapid ascent. “The Okanagan, Kamloops and Kootenay markets are benefiting from strong demand from retiree, investor and recreation buyers,” noted Muir. “Abundant natural amenities and relatively low prices are drawing considerable attention from empty nesters around the province and across the country.”

“Housing markets in the north that are receiving new investment in resource extraction and transportation are performing well,” added Muir. “However, sluggish US demand for softwood lumber is impacting housing demand in many communities.” The average sales price of a home in the BC Northern Real Estate Board area rose 11.3% last month compared to October 2006.

In the Northern Lights Real Estate Board area, the average home sales price climbed 18.5% during the same period.

More CIV real estate articles here.

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Jenny Kwan writes to RCMP re Amanda Zhao's murder

NDP MLAs Jenney Kwan and Mike Farnworth wrote a letter to the deputy commissioner of the RCMP demanding answers and/or actions on Amanda Zhao's case. Looks like my extra effort of putting the story together in English is paying off :)

Here's a copy of the letter:

4 December 2007

Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass
Commanding Officer
RCMP Pacific Region
657 West 37th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1 K6

Dear Deputy Commissioner Bass:

We are writing to inquire about the case of Ms. Amanda Zhao. Base on various media reports, Ms. Amanda Zhao, a 21 year old Chinese national student as reported missing on October 9, 2002 after she did not return from a trip to a convenience store. Her murdered body was found by hikers on October 20,2002 near Stave Lake north of Mission. After Zhao's body was found, Ang Li, her boy friend at the time was questioned by police. Ang Li was a Chinese national and computer science student at Simon Fraser University. A break in the case came after police interviewed Ang Li's cousin, 19 year old Han Zhang who implicated Ang Li in the murder. Han Zhang was later charged with being an accessory after the fact in Amanda's murder. Seven months after Zhao's body was found, the RCMP issued a warrant for Ang Li, long after he had gone to China. It was further reported that Ang Li was taken into custody in China in early 2004 but released shortly after by Chinese authorities for lack of evidence.

We have written to both Federal Minister of Public Safety, Stockwell Day, and Provincial Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, John Les, regarding the jurisdictional authority in the murder of Amanda Zhao. Both levels of government are suggesting that it's the other's responsibility to ensure Ang Li faces prosecution for the murder of Ms. Amanda Zhao. In the meantime, the Zhao's family's health is failing and they are further tormented as the alleged murderer walks free without being tried in a court of law. This is obviously unaccepted to the victim's family.

We are writing to inquire whether or not Chinese authorities had made any requests for the investigative information/evidence gathered by the RCMP regarding the murder of Ms. Amanda Zhao. If so, was the information/evidence released? If it was not released, could you please advise why not and under whose authority the information/evidence was refused to Chinese authorities?

Alternatively, if the Chinese authorities did not request the information/evidence regarding the murder of Amanda Zhao, could you please advise if the RCMP would be willing to release the information and evidence to the appropriate authorities in China so that due process and justice could be administered in the murder of Ms. Amanda Zhao? In that scenario, who from the Chinese authorities make the request and what procedures must one follow in order to obtain the information/evidence?

Five years have lapsed and the Zhao’s family has not been able to bring closure to the tragic loss of their only daughter. Additionally, they have received little or no information from Canadian authorities since the discovery of Amanda's body. The Zhao family faces language, financial and jurisdictional barriers ill their pursuit for justice regarding the murder of their only daughter. In a heartbreaking plea to Canadian officials, Amanda Zhao's family wrote:

Greetings to the head of Canada Department of Justice:

I'm Amanda Zhao's mother. I am extremely outraged at your cold-bloodedness and remorselessness, and your non-interest, no-sincerity approach to apprehending the murderer.

We lost our only daughter. Five years are gone and justice still isn't served. Is this fair?

The two old people are still in extreme pain, so painful that we don't want to live on. Everyday is a torture. If the same thing happened to you, would you be able to take it?

I beg you tell us your timeline or agenda on this case so that at least we know something. Don't let us wait, wait, wait forever. There should be an end to that wait. The days of our lives are numbered. And if you don't bring justice to my daughter, we will not die in peace.

Please stop pressing for some unreasonable requests ... so many years have passed and there is no excuse for you to not finishing the case.

China-Canada cooperation to catch and punish the criminal is our common goal. Please reply to us as soon as possible!!!

Signed by Yang Baoying (mother), Li Junjun (cousin) and Zhao Zisheng (father)

*Translated and posted on Chinese In Vancouver blog site.

We are therefore requesting your urgent attention in this matter and look forward to your prompt response.

Jenny Wai Ching Kwan, MLA
Vancouver Mt. Pleasant

Mike Farnworth, MLA
Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain

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Toronto records best ever November home sales

Toronto Real Estate Board release - A record-breaking November saw 7,313 sales, driving year-to-date totals to 88,695 sales, TREB President Maureen O'Neill said.

"We have already exceeded the 84,145 sales recorded during 2005, which was our previous record," said the President. "By the end of December we will have crossed the 90,000 sales mark for the very first time. As 2007 winds down, the GTA resale home market is looking as healthy as it has ever been."

Prices were almost unchanged in November, with the average at $393,747, down marginally from the $394,646 recorded in the previous month. It was up 11% over the $355,727 recorded during November 2006. Meanwhile, days-on-market came in at 32, and the list-to-sale price ratio was 98%.

Breaking down the total, 2,725 sales were reported in TREB's 28 West districts and averaged $362,272; 1,529 sales were reported in the 14 Central districts and averaged $519,841; 1,354 sales were reported in the 23 North districts and averaged $417,967; and 1,705 sales were reported in TREB's 21 East districts and averaged $311,738.

Orangeville

In the first 11 months of 2007, the town of Orangeville has experienced 679 sales, up 21% over the same time-frame in 2006. The average price is $282,313, up eight% over the $261,234 recorded to November of last year. Detached homes formed the bulk of sales in Orangeville (488), and averaged $314,648. This is up seven% over last year.

Full story here.

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