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PROVINCE WILL INCREASE HOMEOWNER GRANT THRESHOLD

VICTORIA – British Columbia will raise the home owner grant threshold in response to significant increases in property values, Finance Minister Carole Taylor announced today.

“British Columbia enjoyed another year with a booming construction sector, strong real estate market and increased investment in our economy,” said Taylor. “We also recognize property values continue to rise across the province and that’s why, for the fourth consecutive year, we will increase the threshold to assist B.C. homeowners with their property taxes.”

The new threshold at which homeowners may be eligible to receive the full grant will be $950,000 in assessed property value, up from $780,000.

“Higher property value assessments are certainly a mark of our economic strength in British Columbia and demonstrate that this is a truly desirable place to live,” Taylor said. “On the other hand, higher values don’t always translate into more money in people’s pockets. Through this increase to the homeowner grant threshold, we can continue to make a real difference for B.C. homeowners today.”

Consistent with adjustments made over the previous three years, the new threshold ensures more than 95 per cent of B.C. homeowners receive the full grant.

The Home Owner Grant Program reduces the burden of residential property taxes for eligible homeowners. The basic grant entitles a homeowner to a maximum reduction in residential property taxes of $570. An additional grant of $275 is available if the owner is over 65, or permanently disabled, or eligible to receive certain war-veteran allowances.

Over the past year, assessed residential property values in British Columbia, including new construction, increased by 24 per cent. The new threshold will allow up to 41,000 homeowners, who would otherwise face a reduced benefit, to receive the full grant.

In Budget 2006, government also increased the basic grant from $470 to $570.

More information on the Home Owner Grant Program is available online at www.sbr.gov.bc.ca/hog.

This bill has not passed yet...
(From http://www.boingboing.net/2006/09/18/canadians_howto_stop.html )

Canadians: HOW TO stop the Canadian DMCA, act now!

For the past 30 days, Michael Geist has been listing reasons why Canadians should be alarmed at Canada's proposed new copyright law, which will bring the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act to Canada's lawbooks. The DMCA has been roundly criticized as terribly upsetting the copyright balance, resulting in researchers being jailed and threatened with lawsuits, an unchecked expansion of the copyright monopoly into areas unenvisioned by law (region-coding, limiting compatibility), and a chilling effect on free speech.

Canada's DMCA, Bill C-60, is slated to be one of the first orders of business for the new Parliament. Today, Geist has posted a list of thirty things you can do to fight Bill C-60 in Canada. This is the make-or-break moment, when Canada decides whether it is going to follow the US down the same tiger-pit it fell into in 1998, giving American media and technology companies the legal tools to clobber Canadian culture and industry, or whether Canada is going to learn from America's mistakes and produce a copyright law for the digital century that promotes new forms of expression and creativity.

Write to your local Member of Parliament. Letters (which are better than email) from just a handful of constituents is enough to get the attention of your local MP. Contact information for all MPs is available here. Online Rights Canada also provides an easy way to write to your local MP.

Write to the Prime Minister of Canada. Contact information here.

Write to Bev Oda, the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Minister Oda is one of the two ministers responsible for copyright policy in Canada. Prior Canadian Heritage Ministers have been perceived to be close to U.S. copyright lobby groups and copyright collectives. Ministry contact information here. Minister Oda's contact information here.

Write to Maxime Bernier, the Minister of Industry. Minister Bernier is responsible for the Copyright Act in Canada. Despite the fact that Minister Bernier is viewed as a strong advocate of reduced government intervention, the rumour mill suggests that he supports DMCA-style reforms. Minister Bernier's contact information here.

Ask each political party where it stands on copyright. Copyright policy could prove to be a divisive issue in the months ahead - ask each political party for their views on the issue.
Write to Canadian Heritage's Copyright Policy Branch. The Copyright Policy Branch is home to a large contingent of bureaucrats focused on copyright matters. Contact information here.
Write to Industry Canada's Intellectual Property Policy Directorate. The IPPD is Industry Canada's counterpart on copyright policy, though it addresses a broader range of IP issues. Contact information here

Go here for easy way to write your letter ... http://www.onlinerights.ca/get_active/copyright_reform_action/

Record Real Estate Sales Values Reached in 2006

The value of all property transactions through the Victoria Real Estate Board’s (VREB) Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) hit a new record high of nearly $3.4 billion in 2006, up from $3.2 billion in 2005. For the first time, the value of single family home sales exceeded $2 billion; the value of all condominium sales increased by nearly seven percent to over $614 million. Victoria Real Estate Board President Bev McIvor noted that although the overall number of MLS® sales declined by nearly seven percent, all major property types showed strong price increases. "Last year more properties became available for sale and the rate of price increases eased somewhat as we saw a return to a more balanced market." McIvor noted that the overall average price for single family homes for the year rose by 12.5% to $521,460; the average for condominiums rose by 13.6% to $286,058 and the average for townhomes rose by 6.3% to $366,080.

There were 2,650 homes and other properties listed for sale at the end of last month - a 32% increase over the 2,005 properties available for sale in December, 2005. There were 385 sales in December, down from 571 sales in November. There were 391 sales in December, 2005.

The average price for single family homes in Greater Victoria last month was $502,447; the average for the last six-months was $521,995. The median was lower at $433,000. The average price for all condominiums sold in December was $289,761; the average for the last six months was $300,369. The median was again lower at $250,000. The average price for townhomes last month was $428,394 the average for the last six months was $373,151. The median was $362,750. MLS® sales last month included 211 single family homes, 107 condominiums, 30 townhomes and 13 manufactured homes.

McIvor notes that all indications point to a strong and stable real estate market in 2007. "We expect to see a wide choice of properties available for buyers coupled with strong demand for homes that are priced realistically. Prices are expected to increase during the year, but at a more modest pace than in recent years."