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John Thomson  

Here and there

I know if you have driven by the old CNR station on Ellis at Clement you have probably wondered what is going here? As you know we have reported that a group from Calgary has purchased the building and are planning a neat bar and grill for the location. There are also two more buildings scheduled for the site. A one storey for the western corner at Clement and Ellis and a two storey back behind the station. Both will have retail space and I’m not sure what the upper floor will house in the second building.

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As we head into the Christmas season, charities across Canada hope you will think of them when people are planning their budgets for Christmas. These charities typically raise the major portion of their funding at this time of the year. Give to those you think deserve some support. You can’t worry about everyone.

This is also the time of year, and it happens every year, that charities immediately start complaining that the money isn’t coming in as it should be and they are behind in their donations. This happens every year and they always seem to come through. It is never easy collecting funds from the public who are bombarded with requests for donations and those letters contain everything from pens, mailing stickers, cards and other goodies that always seem like a waste of those much needed funds every year. We certainly don’t give to a charity because they send us something in the mail. We pick and choose very carefully before we sign those cheques.

I think it could be a flat year for charities but they should be optimistic about their chances with the public because we do understand the need.

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The Toronto Star did a story on the kind of cars that the Maple Leaf players drive as their personal vehicles. They ranged everywhere from the top of the line sports cars to the top of the line well chromed trucks. So many of the players are family men and their choice was sports utility vehicles, fourteen to be exact.

Our boy, and former Kelowna Rockets star is making his first big money these days and when it was time to get a car he told The Star he likes to change all the time. He leases them and does try to change cars every month. A car is not a priority for the upcoming NHL star.

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Are you thinking of buying a new flat screen TV?

If that is the case then now is the time to buy because prices are the best they have ever been and the manufacturers have stocked the retailers with lots of choices.

TV prices have a history of going down year to year as new systems are put on the market to challenge the existing models.

I just read where TV makers have been getting super deals on the most expensive part, the glass LCD panels.

What happens in retail cases like this is the market determines the price for the consumer and that has happened big time this season. The old law of supply and demand starts to work and the prices adjust accordingly.

Overall the deals are better than they were last year, at least 15 percent to 20 percent lower.

Just look at the flyers and the ads because those prices are low and the deals are the best they have been in a long time.

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From one of my readers:

Hi John,

Just a quick note to let you know we are still around. Gerhard Blenk, the owner of the Wilden development, has taken advantage of the downturn by servicing another 100 lots and believe it or not, we have just brought them on with a starting price of $134,900.00! Match this lot up with a brand new house with a view! From $242,900.00 and you have one of the best deals around at $377,800.00! Why would you buy a used house? This new neighborhood is off the Clifton Road side of Wilden and is called “Lost Creek”. This new neighborhood compliments the Sky Lands neighborhood up top which has some of the best view sites in the Okanagan. This end of the market for us has been very strong as well with many out of town buyers wanting a quality view yet close to town. If it ever warms up, give me a shout and I will give you the cook’s tour.

Brent Couves
Wilden


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About the Author

John Thomson is the Okanagan's pre-eminent business columnist writing his column, Rumours and Things, for over 24 years. Plugged in to the valley's who's who, John keeps his readers coming back for more with his straight talk and optimistic perspective on where we are headed next.

When John is not writing his column, he runs a sixteen year old think tank called the Executive Roundtable and holds his popular "Thomson Presents" quarterly business speaker seminars.

Have a comment, question, or tip for John? 

E-mail John at
[email protected]
or send him a fax at 250-764-8255.

 



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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