Is it going to happen or not? I have been asking that question since last year at this time. Will the project on Shelter Bay go ahead or is the deal between Concord Pacific and Ron Derrickson a dead issue? Last year in March I spoke with David Negrin, then Vice President of Concord Pacific, about the rumour on the proposed project for the Derrickson land on the lake. Was it going to proceed or were we just hearing rumours? Mr. Negrin said they certainly were working on the development with only a few "i"s to dot and "t"s to cross and they would be moving ahead. He was going to let me know. The following month our Real Estate Development conference “New Frontiers” was scheduled for the Coast Capri Hotel on Thursday April 12. David Negrin was one of our presenters. He came to me just before the show was to start to show me a rendering of the proposed project across the lake and said he would be showing it to the audience that afternoon. He expected the deal to be completed by Monday. Since that time I have met Mr. Negrin a couple of times and he stated that he was still working on the deal with the landowner. He seemed frustrated. Then the next word was that he had quit Concord Pacific to form his own development company and they have a project already for downtown Kelowna.

The project across the lake was to include seven towers and they would hold an estimated 1500 tenants in the condominium project. The graphics showed these beautiful white structures with full views of the lake and the city.

One report said that a senior executive of Concord Pacific called it a major focus of the company in North America.

Concord Pacific did have another project in the Valley with the Fitzpatrick family at their Greta Ranch property near Peachland. Nothing new to report there. I have tried to bring it up to date without any success. A classic site with an interesting history.

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Money Sense and Canadian Business Magazine is out with their annual list of Canada’s Best Places To Live, so let’s see where our cities in the Interior are on the list of 154 communities, up from 123 last year. The two writer-researchers are Phil Froats and Ian McGugan. The maximum number of points a community could earn was 104. The writers said that in order to make the listing as realistic as possible they put themselves in the position of someone moving to the city and struggling to buy a house. They awarded 15 points for affordable housing. Also, how many years of local salaries would it take to buy a typical home in each city based purely on affordability? They took weather into account, jobs, crime, the availability of doctors and how easy is it to walk or bike to work. Part of the sixteen indicators.

Vancouver made the top ten at number ten and Victoria was the second best place to live in Canada. Fort St. John was 24th. Richmond at 31.

Vernon continued to be the leading city in the Interior at number 71 and that is a substantial move up for the North Okanagan city as they were in 89th spot last year. Kamloops is 77th, Salmon Arm a good 85th. In the Okanagan, Kelowna was up from 103rd on last year's list to 98th place this year. Penticton moved down three spots from 109th to 112th. The researchers didn’t give Kelowna any points for the University but all of the cities in Okanagan were hampered by housing, jobs, discretionary income and crime.

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House prices have remained robust across most of British Columbia over the past year, with the most notable exception being Prince George, the major service centre in the province’s central interior to the ailing forestry sector, according to a national survey by Century 21 Canada brokers. In the British Columbia Interior, the strongest prices included:

Kelowna, where increases ranged from 13 per cent to $423,500 for a bi-level in Rutland to 15 per cent to $699,000 for a bungalow in Upper Mission.

Castlegar, where increases ranged from 16 per cent to $254,900 for a bungalow in the southern part of the city to 18 per cent to $259,900 for a bungalow in the rural area near the city.

Don Lawby, president of Century 21 Canada, said the Century 21 Canada survey results reflect the solid foundations of housing markets in British Columbia and all of Canada versus the boom-bust excesses of the U.S. housing market.

“The Canadian housing market is based on conservative lending practices and regulations, strong banks and Canadians’ pride of ownership and diligence at building equity in their homes. These characteristics will sustain our housing market as Canada’s economic growth rate slows this year,” says Lawby.

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In the midst of writing my weekly column, the owners of the Vancouver Canucks surprised the sports world with the announcement they had hired their new GM. I was making a guess on who I thought might be in the line-up for the GM job and I predicted that one smart fellow who would like to be in the NHL is Bob Nicholson, the Penticton native who is the boss of Hockey Canada. Since 1998 he has been the president and CEO of the governing body of hockey in this country. He manages 80 people and five offices across Canada. He has a good hockey brain and is a nice guy. Then I heard from Toronto that his name was on the list of many writers and broadcasters looking at what will happen with the GM job in Toronto. It is a good thought but it is difficult to forecast any change in the Toronto Maple Leaf organization.

Paragon Pharmacies Limited reported its financial results for the three and six-month periods ended February 29, 2008. Revenue was $21.590 million in the second quarter, an increase of 33.2% or $5.381 million over the same period last year. For the six-month period, revenue was $39.267 million in 2008, an increase of 22.2% or $7.145 million over 2007.

Commenting on the three and six month periods, Craig Cameron, President and CEO stated, “We are pleased with our sales and operating income growth this year resulting from the successful acquisitions in November, December and January. 2008 continues to be a very busy year for Paragon as we integrate our recent acquisitions in both the retail pharmacy and central fill pharmacy sectors and expand the reach of our Paragon Community Pharmacy brand into the Alberta and Manitoba markets.”

The Company is continuing to identify and review acquisition opportunities in their target markets and intends to continue to pursue its strategy of growing its operations through acquisitions while at the same time continuing its focus on the operation of its existing pharmacy operations.

Paragon is headquartered in Kelowna, and currently employs over 500 full and part time staff. The Corporation owns and operates 18.5 retail pharmacies, 3 central fill pharmacies, and 2 home healthcare stores in BC, Alberta, and Manitoba.

Craig Cameron and his crew have done some marvelous things since establishing the new company and moving into the crowded marketplace with a solid brand and the right approach to service and quality. It has been a good one for the Kelowna company.

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With less than two years remaining before new Transport Canada regulations for the transportation of dangerous fluids comes into effect, two of Canada’s most respected automotive parts and equipment suppliers are now offering Enviroslip Double Walled Fuel Tanks. These tanks, called Intermediate Bulk Containers or “slip tanks”, as they are more commonly known, are used for carrying dangerous goods such as diesel and gasoline in the boxes of trucks or on trailers.

Lordco has 90 stores throughout the province and is one of the most respected equipment suppliers in BC. “Partnering with Lordco will enable us to reach into every corner of the province”, says Greg Webb, president of Enviroslip, “and give us the opportunity to reach an even greater number of potential buyers”.

Recognized throughout the Prairies and Ontario, Fort Garry Industries specializes primarily in the trucking and heavy equipment industries. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, FGI operates in most large urban areas from Alberta to Ontario. “Coupled with the other new members of our dealership team, Wagg’s Petroleum of North Bay, Ontario, and Kingland Freightliner in Hay River, NWT, we now have a dealership network that stretches from Vancouver Island to Ontario and Northern Canada. It is our intention to be Canada’s premier slip tank supplier before the new regulations become law”, promises Webb.

Enviroslip Double Walled Tanks is a wholly owned subsidiary of West Manufacturing located in Westbank.

It's the end of line for the Trailer Park Boys sitcom. It is not expected back for another season, say creators Mike Volpe and Barrie Dunn, though a new special is in the can and another feature is in the works...

New management will be in place at Wendy’s as the owner of Arby’s buys control of the company. Breakfast seems to be number one on the list of menu changes. I think they have been working on a breakfast menu for at least a year. A new coffee and wraps. Breakfast has been a sticky issue at Wendy’s because Dave Thomas, the founder and TV spokesperson for all those years, didn’t want to serve it. Breakfast is a certain possibility but you have to do something different and creative like Tim Hortons did with their breakfast sandwich. We have such a well managed Wendy’s operation in the Interior we don’t see any of the problems that may have been developing in the United States chain...

As the world faces its first global food crisis since World War II, even North American consumers are starting to feel the pinch. Media reports are starting to trickle in about grocers limiting some food purchases, while Costco Wholesale Corp. is seeing a higher than usual demand for staple foods such as rice and flour as consumers appear to be stocking up. Costco Chief Executive, James Sinegal told Reuters news service in an interview that the Issaquah-based wholesale company is managing the situation. "If we run out, we're usually back in stock the next day," he said.

The food price crisis is not something Canadians should be in a panic about. Food prices are definitely rising but there is no reason for Canadian consumers to be hoarding food. Our food in the Valley is always more expensive but you have the ability to buy specials every week from your favorite grocery store and now is the time to shop that flyer for the best buys and plan meals accordingly. The food executive I spoke with said there are going to be price increases on a number of items from time to time but they are all manageable. Like we have been writing about for months, we are going to see increases in the low single digits and in the grains, double digits. The strong Canadian dollar has really insulated us against high prices. This is our big plus as we have one of the most retail competitive markets in the world.

Such problems here pale in comparison to what is happening in desperate countries. The World Food Program says that rising food prices, and a corresponding food shortage, threaten 20 million of the planet's poorest children. Food prices have risen 40 percent on average since mid-2007, and have led to riots in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia...

I am told every day that so many people are down south looking for real estate to buy. Some real estate agents in Phoenix and Palm Springs are looking north for those good Canadian dollars to sell some of the bank-held property in those areas. There are discounts of up to fifty per cent. You have to be very careful in this situation because before anything happens you should be aware of the neighborhood where the property is located. Read everything handed to you very carefully and involve legal services...

I was reading a very interesting story on the 100 year old Quilchena Hotel and it got me thinking about Ernie Cowan our old friend who is no longer with us. Ernie came to me one year to tell me he was going back into the hotel business to help out the family that owned the legendary hotel. He was going to be the manager there for the summer. Ernie had been the manager of the Capri Hotel in Kelowna and the Kelowna Golf and Country Club before he retired. He wanted us to come up and see the hotel and the gun shot holes in the bar. You should drop in on this hotel. Take a drive up there to have lunch. Take the Coquihalla Highway fifteen minutes north of Merritt on Highway 5A...

I have always been concerned about taking vitamins and supplements without any information on what the medication is all about. I always made it my business to find out and ask questions. You know how it is out there, one minute you hear all the reasons why you should be taking Vitamin E and then some health organization like the Mayo Clinic tells you that is not the case anymore. What do you do? It happens all the time. I have just read a tremendous article written by Cathy Gulli, one of the good writers at Maclean’s Magazine. Her article is titled "How vitamins can be hazardous to your health." It is well researched and it is included in the April 9th edition. I have a piece of the article here for you to get interested in following up. If you can’t find the magazine then Google it under the title of the article. I must say Maclean’s is a must read around my home.

How much is too much?

MacLean's.ca helps you sort through the confusion over the proper amount of nutrients to take.

Convention says calcium is good for bones. But if you read recent research you might never take calcium supplements again. They may increase the risk of heart attack in healthy post-menopausal women, according to a report by scientists at the University of Auckland in January’s British Medical Journal. Incidentally, post-menopausal women are probably the group mostly taking calcium pills to prevent osteoporosis, which makes bones more breakable. Then, in March, the Harvard Health Letter announced, “high calcium may not prevent fractures.” Confused?

Across the spectrum, most nutrition experts agree that vitamin and mineral pills — even ones that hold tremendous potential and do provide benefits — can actually be harmful too. Most damage happens when they're consumed in excess — at doses 10 or more times higher than the recommended daily intake. Even multivitamins can contain very high doses of certain nutrients, as vitamins and minerals are collectively known. Nutrient supplements "can have very negative human consequences" if mishandled, says Bill Jeffery of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest in Ottawa.

The evidence is mounting: in January, the Mayo Clinic declared that certain nutrient pills such as beta carotene and vitamin E either had no effect or appeared to increase cancer incidence and mortality. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, in a 2006 study, concluded in part that the safety and quality of multivitamin and mineral supplements are inadequate, and uncovered "disturbing evidence of risk" associated with taking some nutrient supplements. And back in 2003, the U.K.'s Food Standards Agency studied 34 vitamins and minerals and found that one could cause cancer, six could induce "irreversible, harmful effects," and three could have "short-term harmful effects."

These cautions come at a time when vitamin and mineral supplement use is at a high — nearly half of Canadian adults have taken a multivitamin in the past month, according to Statistics Canada, and more than one in three children have too. That nutrient supplementation is so popular indicates that people are increasingly taking their health into their own hands. With five million Canadians now doctorless, who can blame them? Plus many don't eat as well as they'd like vitamins seem to be a quick fix. With relentless media reports that this nutrient can prevent or cure that problem, it's no wonder the nutrient market in Canada is worth at least $400 million this year, says Harrington.

Please take the time to read this article and get some of the facts on the table. It is important to your health.

British Columbia has its first Wal-Mart Supercentre as the company opens the store in North Cowichan on the island. The second is scheduled to open in White Rock in the summer and the third in Westbank in September. The company has plans for increasing the square footage of the stores in Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops. Word is that the Kelowna store has a construction schedule starting in September on the 40,000 square feet beside the present store. Once they get that underway it won’t be long before they will be tipping up the walls and before you know it, that store will be open with the Supercentre format I’m sure. Wal-Mart says it is the way of the future. What will happen to all those independents? There is tough competition and this isn’t the time to be fighting a price war but we have some very strong competitors that are efficient and focused...

Jeff Rubin, chief strategist of the CIBC World Market always has his neck stretched out there to the limit and his latest prediction, and you must admit he has made some pretty good ones, is for crude oil to hit $200 a barrel. The other economists don’t go quite that far and some are even predicting that according to history, this can’t keep going forever. Just remember, if forecasting was easy, everyone would be rich...

The officials couldn’t complete the search warrants fast enough. In the end, fourteen stores have been charged in the Vancouver marketplace for selling fake goods. What surprised me were the brands that were on the shelves for all to see and buy. Here are a few on that list: Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Head & Shoulders, Red Bull, Gucci purses, Nike, Adidas, Timberland, 2010 T-shirts, Motorcraft, AC Delco. The RCMP seized 2,034 items. Like everything else these days, we don’t have enough police and enforcement people to do the job that is necessary. What was scary for me on that list were the fake auto parts that could be very dangerous. Also there seems to be a large amount of Winter Olympics clothing and souvenirs out there for sale that have been counterfeited...

Apparently there were 98 damaged and repaired vehicles sold to individuals and dealers by ICBC from their chop shop. This is of course important and shameful for the corporation, but don’t you think using the facilities to repair and paint employees vehicles is right up there at the top of the list? How much business did they take away from the small shops out there trying to make a living?..

On May 14th, in Calgary, the Car Crazy Spring Auction will take place with 150 classic automobiles, trucks and motorbikes on the auction block...

One of the big success stories for the Loblaw stores is their very chic line of clothing, Joe Fresh. The chain is telling us that their lineup for fall 2008 will be more dressed up. The clothing is featured at SuperStore...

Are there water problems in the fields on Swamp Road? I understand there could be another delay in the start of the final construction of the new road. The preload on Swamp Road continues to squeeze the water out from underneath. The roadway is still settling. It certainly has been a problem out there for the engineers and probably the road has the perfect name...

We just heard that Nishi's Japanese Restaurant on Bernard downtown has closed permanently. Victor Nishi is working for St. Hubertus Winery as a marketer to Asian countries and assistant to the wine maker...

B.C. Solicitor General, John van Dongen, was in Washington with a delegation from the Pacific Northwest Economic Region to discuss a few issues, including the successful launch of the B.C. Enhanced Driver’s License program and the importance of a smooth border experience for travellers in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. He is hoping the enhanced driver's licenses can speed things up at the border and took their case to Washington. He joined representatives from Idaho, Oregon, Alaska and Washington for the meetings the end of last month with members of congress, the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group, and with the U.S. departments of Homeland Security. Topics include improving the Canada-U.S. border, climate action, energy and renewable energy opportunities...

Alberta is serious about not letting their people out of their sight during the coming holiday season. Travel Alberta is spending some big bucks to keep people home for the holidays. It is the biggest campaign ever launched by the organization as a travel booster and the campaign is designed to keep people home and attract people from B.C. and Saskatchewan. The battle is on as B.C. does exactly the same thing...

A Safeway spokesperson says that promoting its own store brands in marketing will help to boost revenue. Safeway has a good lineup of house brands and is one of the first companies in the food business in North America to carry their own brands.

Every time I turn around one of my friends is telling how they have just been to Las Vegas for a short holiday and to take in the shows. Celine Dion attracted them in the first place and after her stint in the 4,100 seat theatre that they built for her there are some new entertainers on the block. Bette Midler has replaced Dion in the show theatre at Caesar’s Palace in the Colosseum. Cher will do the holiday weeks for the Midler extravaganza. Barry Manilow is housed at the Hilton and is packing them in. The first time we ever went to Las Vegas a few years ago it was to see acts that had been stars on the Ed Sullivan show. I have to admit we did see some good ones. This is a whole new world in the vacation town and they just keep building bigger hotels. I remember when Vegas went through that period of making it a family town, but that didn’t work.

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According to the Angus Reid Global Monitor, adults in Canada hold gloomy views on the relationship between former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and German-Canadian businessman Karl-Heinz Schreiber. According to a poll, 74 per cent of respondents believe we’ll never get to the bottom of what happened between Mulroney and Schreiber.

In addition, 59 per cent of respondents are tired of hearing about the Mulroney-Schreiber controversy, and 58 per cent think a public inquiry into the affair would be a waste of money.

Mulroney, a member of the Progressive Conservative party, served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1993, winning two majority mandates. His government cancelled the National Energy Program, which proved extremely unpopular in Western Canada, and negotiated two separate free trade agreements. Mulroney’s second term was marked by an economic recession and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Shortly after leaving office in 1993, Mulroney accepted thousands of dollars in cash from Schreiber. In public statements, as well as in testimony provided to a House of Commons ethics committee in 2007, the two men have offered differing accounts on the amount and purpose of the payments.

In November 2007, Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, voiced his intention to appoint "an independent and impartial third party to review the allegations" and vowed to "co-operate fully with the person appointed." A date for the inquiry has not been established, and no commissioner has been named.

Earlier this month, Mulroney issued a statement, which read: "The only possible basis for believing that more evidence might be available is the oft-repeated promise by Schreiber that he has evidence that he will share with a public inquiry. (...) It is incumbent upon Schreiber to turn over any documents he may have withheld."

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I'm sure it was in the plan and the plan is in place and working. The current CEO of Sun-Rype Products Ltd, Eric Sorensen, has capped off his short run at the Kelowna food manufacturer with the announcement he will be stepping down.

He was brought into the picture to do a job, make some serious changes both in the direction the company will take in the future and in the manufacture of the products the company produces. Mr. Sorensen came from a background in the food and confection industries, moving to Kelowna and using his vast experience to become a consultant to business. He won’t leave the company until a new boss is approved and in the chair.

While many things have happened over the last number of years with the company as changes were taking place, there was a constant interest from shareholder Jim Pattison’s organization to buy up more shares. Now with control of just under fifty per cent of the shares available, in about two moves Pattison could be in control of the food manufacturer. That we expect to happen.

Merv Geen remains Chairman of the Board. Longtime director Robert Dawson whom I guess must be one of the last fruit farmers on the board of directors, is retiring.

Some speculate Mr. Sorensen may move into the development business.

Garco Building Systems Inc., the Spokane subsidiary of NCI Building Systems Inc., of Houston, is manufacturing a custom-designed, 82,000-square-foot aircraft hangar to be erected at Vancouver International Airport, in British Columbia.

The hangar will be owned by London Air Services, a division of Richmond, British Columbia-based London Drugs Ltd., a big retailer with 68 stores in four Canadian provinces.

"The $1.8 million job includes manufacturing the main hanger shell with a structural support system that will have the largest truss that Garco Building Systems has built", says Lee Stanton, the company’s district sales manager for British Columbia and Alberta.

It was designed so the 44-foot-high structure would not require internal support columns, enabling it to house several aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 737.

The hangar also will include a two-story office wing with about 25,000 square feet of floor space.

The project is to be completed in October.

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This email from one of my readers.

I really enjoy your articles and have a tidbit of information for you.

I read your article on April 18th about the numerous junk e-mail and telephone messages that we all get and that the proposed federal legislation was very minimal. I thought you might like to know about a new web site.

A professor from Carleton University in Ottawa agrees with you that the federal legislation leaves a lot to be desired so he created a new web site. It is called “iOptOut.ca” and there is no charge to become a member. Apparently he has received assurance from the industry that they will comply with the wishes of those that sign up NOT to be sent or receive obnoxious mail and telephone messages.

When you go into the web site it provides a background on the author and why the site was developed. It clearly explains what it can do for you and is very easy to use.

I have joined and completed the forms on line. It took me just a few minutes and I have received confirmation that the various charities, newspapers, banks etc. have been sent my do not call wishes.

I just thought you might like to pass this message on to your readers.

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She is one of our best business writers and Diane Francis has a new book in your favorite bookstore, “Who Owns Canada Now: Old Money, new money and the future of Canadian business".

She profiles seventy billionaires, and eight of those wealthy folks live in B.C. most of the time.

John and Allan Thorlakson from Vernon who own Tolko Industries, a company started by their father in 1956, is now one of the world’s largest lumber manufacturers.

Jimmy Pattison went into the car business with little more than his good name and his good credit. He now heads a list of companies that had sales of $6.3 billion in 2006.

There are always those you never hear about but who are powerful and giving back to their communities. Vancouver Billionaires Laljis, the Ismalli family behind the Larco Group of companies, is one of the largest real estate empires in Canada, with hotels, apartments, shopping centres and some inherited wealth as well.

Back in 1986, Diane Francis wrote hard-hitting "Controlling Interest" revealing the startling facts that one-third of Canada's wealth was in the hands of just 32 families and five conglomerates. At the time, Bernie Ghert, president of Cadillac Fairview, prophesied, "In a number of years, there will be six groups running the country." Was he right? Media coverage would have us believe that the last two decades have only increased the concentration of power. Diane Francis disagrees, and she's here to deliver some good news: a positive transformation has taken place in Canada, with both free trade and tough competition legislation creating a new and better nation. Players who are ready to offer innovative policies and visions for the 21st century drive the country. She conducted extensive interviews with Canada's economic leaders—from individuals to families to international conglomerates—with Francis' biting analysis, "Who Owns Canada Now" will be the most talked-about business book of the year.

I am reading the book now and find it fascinating. It is such a good read.