Would You Quit Drinking Bottled Water?

photo credit: Hambo

One of my pet peeves is my wife buying bottled water, even though we live in one of the more pristine areas of the world.

Vancouver is planning on launching a marketing campaign aimed at getting more people to turn on the tap when they’re thirsty, Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson said.

That’s a better way than a new enviro-tax to get you to change your ways…

When you buy water here, you pay a deposit and a recycling fee. (What’s the difference you ask? Good question). That alone should be enough to make you at least refill your bottles.

You’re paying as much for bottled water as gas… skip the Smart car and drink tap water.

Airlines Giving Us A Break?

photo credit: caribb

Westjet and Air Canada Have finally decided to give us a break.

They’re dropping fuel surcharges on their flights.

Now a flight from Calgary to Vancouver has only a 50% surcharge:

One way Seat Sale Fare to Abbotsford $109.00 CAD

Nav-Ins $18.00 CAD

GST-HST $7.58 CAD

AIF $20.00 CAD

ATSC $4.67 CAD

Total Taxes, Fees & Surcharges  $50.25 CAD

Total: $159.25 CAD

In July, with the surcharges, this flight was $125. ($50 before taxes and surcharges.)

Thanks.

Too bad I really don’t want to spend any money right now…

When Pigs Fly?

photo credit: eqqman

Oil Falls to Six-Month Low as Refineries Escape Major Damage

By Mark Shenk Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) – Crude oil fell to a six-month low in New York and gasoline tumbled amid signs that refineries along the Gulf of Mexico coast will soon resume operations after escaping major damage from Hurricane Ike.

More than 20 percent of the U.S.’s oil refining capacity was shut, limiting fuel deliveries and prompting the Department of Energy to release 309,000 barrels from its strategic reserves. New York Mercantile Exchange electronic trading opened early today to allow traders to respond to Ike.

“It looks like we’ve dodged another bullet,” said Peter Beutel, president of energy consultant Cameron Hanover Inc. in New Canaan, Connecticut. “The refineries in the Houston area seem to have come out of the storm remarkably intact.”

Crude oil for October delivery fell $2.07, or 2.1 percent, to $99.11 a barrel at 5:10 p.m. on the Nymex. Futures touched $98.46, the lowest since Feb. 26. Prices are up 25 percent from a year ago. Gasoline for October delivery fell 11.33 cents, or 4.1 percent, to $2.6563 a gallon in New York.

Oil in New York has fallen 33 percent from a record $147.27 a barrel on July 11 as high prices and slowing global economic growth reduce demand for fuels. Sales at U.S. retailers dropped in August for a second straight month and July inventories at American businesses increased the most in four years, Commerce Department reports showed last week.

So when do we actually see the robbery stop?? Or better yet, let’s see how fast they drop - considering the jumped 15 cents a litre this weekend in anticipation of higher oil prices.

If they use futures pricing to instantly jack the pump price, let’s see if they use it to “adjust” when it’s not in their favor.

My estimate is that gas prices in Vancouver should be $1.15-$1.20.

By election time, oil could be in the $80 dollar range.  And predictions are they’ll be even lower for 2009.

Maybe this is why the desperate push on carbon taxes… it will take a lot of air out of the “enviro” effort.

Will Gas Prices Rise 12.9 Cents A Litre This Friday?

photo credit: bitzcelt

Liberal MP Dan McTeague says drivers in Toronto and Western Canada will face the largest one-day price increase ever seen this Friday, when pump prices could jump as much as 12.9 cents per litre.

If true, this means Toronto will go to the highest price ever - $1.37 a litre…

In Vancouver we haven’t dropped below $1.40 since oil hit $140/barrel. This is an indication of how a carbon tax will relate to a huge ripoff. BC now enjoys gas prices of at least 10-15 cents more than the rest of the country - thanks to our 2.4 cent carbon tax. Funny how that works.

The most incredible thing is how a  hurricane some 2,500+ miles from Canada can cause our gas to go up instantly - and although oil has dropped 30-50% since the peak, prices are still at a level of $130+/barrel.

Each time gas goes up it sets a new benchmark for pain. The oil companies then drop it a few cents when oil goes down, and then jack it again beyond this threshold on an uptick.

I can’t believe that this continues to go on - time to get serious about the collusion going on.

Just Call The Election, Steve…

photo credit: kagey_b

Prime Minister Stephen Harper seemed almost certain to call a general election next week to decide who will guide Canada.

It’s a great idea.

Although the election and candidates will be about as exciting as watching lawn bowling, holding an election alongside of the US election would let Canadians in on the fun.

We might be able to get rid of Gilles Duceppe, leader of the separatist opposition Bloc Quebecois. I always wonder what would happen if a traitor ran in the US…

Jack Layton, leader of the leftist New Democratic Party, also needs to go. With no possible chance of ever getting elected, it’s a wonder how the NDP has survived all these years. Note that the Riders have only won a Grey Cup when Conservatives have been in power in Sask.

Liberal leader Stephane Dion has proposed a tax grab similar to the National Energy Program they blessed us with in the last economic collapse. This is good for at least 10% more votes for Harper.

It’s time for change - as Barack Hussein Obama would say.

Best of all, it’s time to trounce the Liberals before their wacky carbon tax plan can see the light of day.

Here’s a video for more information on how the election will be decided:

Petro Canada Is Ripping Us Off

photo credit: JoshMcConnell

You’ve heard it before…

When oil prices rise, the price at the pump goes up within a day.

When oil prices drop, it takes weeks for the adjustment.

It’s a way the oil companies gouge us both ways - up and down.

Why hasn’t there been a government inquiry into this?

Oil peaked at around $140/barrel and gas went to $1.45/litre in Vancouver.

Now that oil has dropped to $115/barrel, you’d think that gas would be in the $1.14-$1.20 range.

It’s stuck at $1.40 - meaning they are ripping off consumers by 75 cents per gallon.

This would cause an uproar anywhere else.. out here, nobody seems to notice.

Between the oil prices being artificially raised each morning and the overcharging, the oil companies should be getting a lot of heat.

Instead, we pay whatever they demand and become poorer through our silence.

Need a $77,000 Pay Raise?

photo credit: estherase

Gord Campbell’s Liberals showed their true Liberal roots this past week… slipping in a pay raise on a late Friday afternoon, so the media coverage would be muted by Monday.

For the better part, it worked.

It’s enough to make the average BC resident wish their was a Conservative party in the province.

Seems it takes a pay raise of 43% to “keep the brightest minds”. With decisions like this, one wonders if there are any bright minds in this government.

Liberals gave B.C. members of the legislature salary increases of 29% earlier. Front-line provincial government workers in B.C. won 2% raises this year.

Try to defend this when contract time time comes around.

With Health Care costs running at 50% of the provincial budget, one wonders where this money will all come from.

Maybe a Carbon Tax?

Vancouver Will Pass Montreal In Olympic Debt

photo credit: kevindooley

It took Montreal 30 years to pay off it’s Olympic games - Vancouver is shaping up to blow away the record.

In 1976 the games left Montreal with a $1.5-billion debt, and oddly enough much of the debt was serviced through a special tax on tobacco. (At $10 a pack, not sure you can add more tax to raise any money here.)

Montreal projected the games cost to be $300 million.

The B.C. provincial government claimed the cost of the Olympics wouldn’t exceed $600 million. Estimates passed $2.5 Billion a while back and it’s still going strong. Best of all the B.C. taxpayers are on hook for at least $1.5 billion.

The auditor-general pegs the Games’ total budget at $4.3 Billion. About $1.8 billion of that will be recouped from Olympic revenues.

Ottawa will contribute $607 million and local government $389 million, leaving B.C. taxpayers on the hook for about $1.5 billion, the report estimates.

Some examples of surprises still to come:

- Security - 1 Billion - original estimate $175 mil.

- The Canada rapid rail line - way over budget (plus the destruction of Cambie Street small business worth millions)

- A $150 million US currency blunder (organizers delayed entering into currency hedging contracts).

- The sports facilities are all in trouble - no one dares to publish the actual overruns. They were given $110 million earlier to cover cost overruns. Expect these to be at least $200 million.

Projects being done for the Olympics (but not included in the budget):

- the $775 million Sea to Sky Highway

Good news: The $1.3 billion in infrastructure and other costs, including some serious cost overruns reported in the past, are mostly accounted for in its general budget. This means we get to start paying for these now.

This is starting to sound like the way the Gov’t has handled my favorite company - ICBC.

They should have hired Calgary to look after the management.

Best of all is that nobody is responsible for reporting to the public on the overall cost of the Games.

If you have a link to any finance reporting on the games, I’d be very happy to get it… the Province seems to be the only one privy to any details.

Your estimate of what the final tally?

My guess is $3 Billion in debt. $1.5 Billion if we’re lucky.

\

Vancouver’s Property Tax Windfall…

Is About To End.

photo credit: SqueakyMarmot

This year, with the rise of Vancouver property values, property taxes should ONLY increase by only 14.2% (that’s inflation x 700%).

Vancouver budget director Annette Klein said the 1.23-per-cent tax increase approved by city council was not reflected for single-family dwellings because their assessed values shot up 30 per cent.

Don’t you think they should have been able to drop taxes with assessments going up by an average of 30%?

I’d like to share the lesson I learned in Florida - because it parallels Vancouver’s situation…

In Florida, the the property tax rates never really went up, but our assessments rose an average 25-35% each year, for 4 years. In my case, that translated taxes going from $3,500 to $10,000 in 3 years.

This windfall gave Ft Lauderdale county approx. 1 billion more in revenue each year, without having to raise taxes.

When house prices dropped (crashed), I expected to see my taxes go down. They dropped $150.

The reason is, like gas, they rise fast on the upside… and drop painfully slow on the downside.

The reason I was given was that although prices went down by 25%, the cut-off for setting the assessments is 12 months before the tax bill is set, so the lower assessments would take a year to hit my tax bill.

Now it’s been almost 2 years since my Florida home price has spiraled down, I am hoping (not holding my breath) that my taxes will come back to where they started off.

Well run cities (i.e Calgary) determine property taxes by the cities operating costs. Once the budget is set, they add up all the assessed property values and divide the budget into the gross. This results in everyone paying their fair share based on property value, and the city becomes accountable to budgeting…

… Not by counting on a windfall gained from raising property taxes.

There’s a lesson (or warning) to be learned. Cities quickly get addicted to increasing revenues, and lose all accountability. Can you  notice any difference in Vancouver after all these years of property tax increases many times greater than inflation??

When the revenues go down, all hell will break loose…

We’ll hear about the drastic cuts to police, parks, libraries, health, teachers, etc. It will sound like an Armageddon.

(Remember how many cops, teachers, etc. they have actually added…)

It’s all BS, and a great cover to keep blowing your money… money they shouldn’t have received in the first place.

With property prices now set to fall significantly in Vancouver, don’t say I didn’t warn you…

…

Vancouver BMW Dealerships - Are You Listening?

One of the great challenges in moving to Vancouver from the US, is having to deal with the stress of importing your vehicles. Not for the fainthearted or the thin of wallet.

Importing a car, even for a returning resident, is no easy task.

Here’s the overview:

2007 BMW 530:

To get it to “Canadian” Standards I was advised by BMW Vancouver that it would cost:

• $5,500 to change dash speedometer to Km
• $1,500 to turn on running lights
• $1,500 to change the automatic climate control (???? - no explanation of what this means or why)
• $6-7,000 Taxes and duty
• $850 for two form letters
• $500 to Canada Border and Inspection fees.
• $1,000  PST
• Total=$17,750

Total Investment=$64,000

I had no other choice than to get rid of the car in the US. The car was $46,000 new in the US  - it’s $76,000 in Vancouver.

After the devious paperwork and compliance BMW charges, it still would have been less than the inflated price of Vancouver BMW, but I couldn’t swallow paying another $18,000 for a car that I already owned. Or know is only worth $46,000.

I had to sell it, Lost $12,000 on the sale.

Gained one unhappy wife who lost her 45th birthday present… thanks to BMW Canada.

2002 BMW X5

• $850 for two BMW form letters
• $1,800 for turning the running lights on
• $500 to Canada Border and Inspection fees.
• Total=$3,150

I paid $38,000 in 2002 for it (new BMW X5 is now over $75,000 in Canada).

But it was worth keeping, as the car is worth double in Canada and I can’t replace it.

So I joined the class action lawsuit. Hoping to get my money back.

I’ve been a BMW owner for over 10 years and have purchased 4 of their cars and the motorbike. That’s 1 every 2 years.

As of this moment, BMW has lost a customer that was worth another $100-200K to them over the next 5 years. An extremely loyal customer that will carry the frustration of having been gouged out of a new car by BMW Canada.

They just don’t get it.

In the US, BMW has done a great job of mainstreaming their cars - simply by pricing in line with Lexus, Acura and the other premium car brands.

My friends and neighbors all have brand loyalty to BMW unlike anything I’ve seen for any other car brand (and I owned 14 Honda cars before switching).

BMW Canada is going down a slippery slope… sacrificing customers for short term profits.

With the move to micro cars, SUV sales dropping off the charts, and the drop in sales for anything that gets less than 30 MPG, they continue to charge over 50% more than real price of the car. It’s incomprehensible now that the Canadian dollar has been at par for over 6 months.

Wost of all, the dealerships in Vancouver defends it by a simple shrug. No trying to explain why they charge $850 for two form letters, or why the selling prices are 50% more.

It’s take it or leave it.

Well BMW Canada, I have no choice but to leave. Been a great 10 years. Hope Acura will take me back.

If you have any thoughts on this rip-off, or have been screwed importing a  BMW like me, drop them a friendly email at admissibility@bmw.ca

I’m sure they’ll get right back to you with a good explanation.

See you in court.

….

Endangered - A Canadian Perspective

Since I’ve arrived in Canada, I can’t say I’ve paid too much attention to what the politicians say. Most bad news is blamed on the US, so I tune out.

Then a gentleman named Garth Turner, the Member of Parliament for Halton, Ontario, comes along…

His current blog post sums up what is on the horizon.

“Welcome to the second half of 2008. Hang on. It gets worse.

I have some ideas of where we’ll be soon, but first have a look at where we are. The economy of our friend and client is shredding, and we’re not immune”

A really good article, in language I haven’t heard from a politician before.. even a former PC turned Liberal..

Refreshing.

Check it out here..