Rising food prices are heating up the food versus fuel debate in Canada, where critics say ethanol is diverting valuable commodities away from food markets and supporters say market economics will prevail. Do they mean the price of food will rise to the level that it will be more favorable to produce food rather than fuels?

The government has been pushing the use of grains for fuel in a large part as a means to compensate for a struggling grain sector in which producers suffered due to low prices and drought in recent years.

Last year, Ottawa launched a biofuels capital initiative that set aside C$200mn to lend to farmers engaging in such projects.

But those advocating sustainable food production say ethanol brings with it a host of new environmental problems. No mater where the ethanol is produced in this country it has to be moved by a fleet of trucks everyday so I ask what does that do to the environment?

First of all we don’t have enough farms to produce all the grains that would be needed. Right now in one plant in Saskatchewan the producers are bringing in corn from the U.S. The experts tell us we would need 94 per cent of our current farmland and at least three times what we are currently producing in wheat.

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What will happen to the Source by Circuit City stores in Canada, and there are 799 of them, if Blockbuster buys the U.S. company? About a year ago the U.S. owner of Circuit City said they were interested in the possible sale of its Canadian operations. But nothing ever did happen.

The stores in Canada are smaller than the huge stores the company operates south of the border. For the most part these are the former Radio Shack stores that have always been popular in this country and always seemed to have everything you needed. The chain has always had some good stores in the Valley...

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If companies are looking to retain older workers, they are going to have to offer perks such as shorter work weeks and flexible hours, according to a workplace survey from RBC. And it appears that, of those surveyed, employed Canadians who are 55 years of age and older would prefer to work Tuesday through Thursday and work mainly in the morning from nine to noon.

The survey also found that even though four in ten Canadians still plan to take full retirement when eligible, many older employees have changed their attitude towards retirement. While 22 per cent would like to phase retirement in gradually, more than a quarter (26 per cent) would like to retire and work on a contractual basis.

The survey also uncovered that older workers still feel a strong sense of loyalty to their existing employers, as more than a quarter of those surveyed would continue to work full-time as long as they could with their current employer. On average, older employed Canadians are looking to work with their current employer for 3.5 more years past their retirement date.

In looking at some possible reasons why older workers would delay retirement, almost half (49 per cent) believe that they need the money and don’t have enough saved to retire while 42 per cent want to stay mentally challenged and active. Almost one quarter (24 per cent) enjoy the social part of working, while 21 per cent love their job and don’t want to retire.
According to Statscan, just over two million Canadians age 55 to 64 were employed in 2006, 43 per cent more than in 2001-- 2006 Census data.