My wife had difficulty getting home from the south where she was vacationing with our daughters.  The return flight couldn’t leave because of mechanical problems and WestJet had to bring in a mechanic from Los Angeles. She said that WestJet did everything to make the passengers comfortable. When they arrived in Calgary, too late to connect, the WestJet agents met them with their room reservations and food vouchers.  She arrived home the following morning. She was very impressed with WestJet’s service. She knows the troubles we have had with Air Canada.

Here is a positive story.

WestJet announced that its flight attendants have been voted Canada's best in an annual poll conducted by the online travel website FlightNetwork.com.

Of the 976 Canadian consumers surveyed, 63.5 per cent said WestJet has the best flight attendants of any Canadian airline. Over 90 per cent of respondents identified "a good attitude" as being the most important attribute for a flight attendansts, followed by "friendliness" and "a quick response."

"Our WestJetters continue to be a driving force behind our success," said Tyson Matheson, WestJet Vice-President, People Relations, Inflight and Culture. "This is a particularly tremendous honour for our nearly 2,400 fabulous flight attendants who work hard and always strive to deliver a great guest experience. And, by the way, we think they're the best, too!"

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QHR Technologies Inc. Kelowna, a leader in the Canadian Healthcare Information Technology sector, reports that its EMS division QHR Software Corporation has recently signed new contracts valued at $1,000,000 with new and existing clients.

These contracts are for new and/or expanded licensing of the Enterprise Management Software division products and the related implementation services for clients installing Quadrant Workforce and Financial solutions. The EMS division’s specialized installation and training services are utilized when clients expand their user base or additional healthcare sites are added.

The majority of the new $1,000,000 in licensing and related services contracts is expected to be delivered during ‘Q1 2011.

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Chapman has over 40 years of real estate expertise with 15 years in the Kelowna Real Estate market. Premier Canadian Properties at| #102 - 1180 Sunset Drive, Kelowna has this advice for those locals who are looking at owning vacation property in the south.

Four things to consider before you buy in the USA:

1. Don't buy thinking you can flip the property for a profit. When you buy a foreclosure you are the highest bidder. That means no one else thought it was worth what you just paid.
2. If you buy U.S real estate, buy only what you will personally use. If you will spend several months every year at your place in Phoenix, Florida, Nevada or California, then fine. It works for you.
3. Don't buy a second property as an investment because it will take years and years to realize a gain. The banks only have about 1/3 of their foreclosed homes on the market right now. If they tried to sell them all now, they would further depress the already depressed market. The banks have a "shadow inventory" said to be 2 to 3 times larger than the present number of foreclosures for sale. It will take years to clear this oversupply.
4. Plan to keep your U.S. property for at least 10 years and be sure you can get enough personal use to make it worthwhile. Then if you can sell it for a profit "good on you."

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The Lake Country Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that this year’s Valley Wide Business after Hours will be held on Thursday May 12, 2011 at Gatzke Farm Market located on Highway 97 North in the Oyama area of Lake Country from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The annual event involves Chambers from Osoyoos through to Vernon. Attendance this year is anticipated to be in excess of 400 people and the theme is “Fresh from the Farm” to reflect the agricultural history of Lake Country.

“This is such a great event,” said Chamber President Bill Clark. “We look forward to it every year and our members who attend tell us it’s a terrific way to meet new business people from throughout the valley and learn about new opportunities.”

The annual Valley Wide Business After Hours features a trade show with over 50 participants. Ticket and Vendor information regarding attendance and or participation in this trade show registration is now available from your local Chamber office.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Valley Chambers to our community,” says William Clark, President of the Lake Country Chamber of Commerce. “We look forward to hosting this important event in May.”

Get your group together now and plan to attend the annual Okanagan Valley Chambers of Commerce Business After Hours May 12, 2011. You’ll be glad you did.