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Paramedics in demand

MAPLE RIDGE -- The shoe is on the other foot these days, and by the sound of it, local B.C. Ambulance Paramedics need resuscitating.  Maple Ridge mayor and council heard recently just how in demand area paramedics have become, and how long waits at hospitals, and a lack of resources, an aging staff and increasing responsibilities, have eaten away at the first responders.  Council and mayor expressed their concern that because paramedics are so short on time, more often, the costs of first response is being passed to the municipally funded fire department. Along with call volumes on the rise, the biggest issue facing paramedics is hospital waiting times, said local paramedic unit chief Bob Sutherland.  Source.

Canada Revenue testing "Spider"

Internet tax evaders beware.  Canada's revenue agency is testing a software program known as a "spider" that methodically crawls the Internet looking for online tax cheats.  The software, called Xenon and created in the Netherlands three years ago by Amsterdam-based Sentient Machine Research, is ideal for going after online auction, gambling, and shopping sites that operate out of Canada but neglect to pay their taxes.  Story.

Northern gas pipeline

EDMONTON -- There may be more than one way to build a northern pipeline.  Enter MGM Energy Corp. with a new idea for taking Arctic natural gas more by stealth than by storm.  Full story here.

Vista goes public today

EDMONTON -- If Microsoft's long-overdue Vista operating system had taken any longer, a digital Caesarean section might have been in order.  But now that Vista goes public today, don't expect consumers to line up at stores for midnight-madness launches, like the bygone era of Windows 95.  Vista's "soft" launch to the business community last month took the edge off the new operating system, and today's computer-savvy consumer might take technology more in stride.  But that won't stop Microsoft from spending hundreds of millions to promote its flagship operating system, along with a smartly revamped Office 2007.  Source.

Mining

Compelling evidence of British Columbia's re-emergence as an international mining centre surfaced on Monday at the opening of the B.C. exploration sector's annual conference.  Other provincial governments sent senior administrators to scout the competition, presentations on B.C.'s advanced mining projects attracted standing-room crowds and some suggested B.C. is already on track to break last year's record-setting pace for exploration investment.  Organizers of the four-day Mineral Exploration Roundup Conference at the Westin Bayshore expect 5,000 delegates from 28 countries.  "I take some pleasure from the fact that the Canadian Mining Association is very well represented. All of their senior people are here," said B.C. Minister of State for Mining Bill Bennett, the keynote speaker in morning sessions, said in an interview.  Source.

Average weekly earnings

British Columbian payroll employees saw their average pay increase by 3.7% from January to November of last year. That's a much bigger raise than what employees got in Ontario, but we in B.C. lagged behind our neighbours in Alberta.

Average weekly earnings, % change Jan.-Nov. 2006:

B.C. +3.7

Alberta +4.6

Saskatchewan +3.6

Manitoba +2.1

Ontario +2.5

Quebec +2.7

New Brunswick +3.3

Nova Scotia +2.6

P.E.I. +3.4

Newfoundland +4.1

Canada +3.0

Source: Statistics Canada

Tourism in 2006

Coming to America wasn't the big thing in the global tourism industry last year, which set a record of 842 million international arrivals. That was an increase of 4.5% over 2005, but visits to North America were up just 2%. By regions, Africa posted the biggest growth rate at 8.1 per cent, benefiting from travellers' fears of terrorism elsewhere in the world. All these numbers come courtesy of the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization. Source.

BC lags in trade with India

Total exports from B.C. to India jumped 36 per cent in 2005, but efforts to develop this dynamic market still pale compared to the province's competitors, according to the Asia Pacific Trade Council.  "There has been a lost opportunity over the last decade where Canada, in general, and B.C., in particular, have made limited impact in India," says a report by the advisory body appointed by  Premier Gordon Campbell to investigate business opportunities in Asia. "This is of special significance as other countries have established major presence during this time." 

The council recommends creating a B.C.-India network, along with a B.C. business development presence in India, "regardless of model or scale." Both ventures should receive enough funding to carry out industry-led marketing, it said.  The report says there is limited market intelligence about India among B.C. firms. At the same time, Indians know very little about B.C.'s brands, apart from word of mouth from friends and relatives in Canada.  To build awareness of B.C. in India, the council suggests encouraging Indian movie and TV producers to include tales of a prosperous Indian diaspora in B.C. and Canadian society. Or pay them to showcase scenes of B.C.'s natural beauty.  Source.

Forestry & Tourism

The mountain pine beetle epidemic is expected to sweep through the Okanagan this year, raising the risk of wildfires and threatening the region's vital forestry and tourism sectors.  Source.

Manufacturing

The manufacturing recession in Central Canada will continue until the spring at least, analysts warned yesterday after survey results showing that factory bosses remain pessimistic about the outlook for production and employment.  Source.