Michael loved to play football. For many years, he was smaller than the other kids his age, so he spent a lot of time on the bench, but his dad still cheered as if he was the star of the team.

Although a few people thought it was strange that Michael signed up every year to play, the coach saw his diligence and dedication, and always found a slot for him on the roster.

While in college, Michael received the tragic news that his father had passed away. At practice that afternoon, Michael told the coach about his father’s death and asked him, “Would it be all right if I miss practice today?”

The coach gently put his arm around his shoulder and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son, and don’t even plan to come to the game on Saturday.”

That Saturday, the team was losing in the first quarter when the coach and players saw Michael coming toward them. The coach decided instantly to put him in the game.

As soon as Michael took the field, his team caught up, and by halftime, the game was tied. However, the real cheer came when he intercepted a pass for the winning touchdown. His entire team congratulated him on the win.

After the game, the coach approached Michael, who was seated alone in the corner of the locker room, and asked him, “Where did that come from?”

Michael looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, you knew my dad passed away, but did you know that he was blind?” The young man swallowed hard, forced a smile and said, “Dad always came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play and I wanted to show him I could do it!”

or the complete news release, including detailed statistics, click here.

Vancouver, BC – June, 2023. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 9,191 residential unit sales were recorded in Multiple Listing Service^® (MLS^®) systems in May 2023, an increase of 9.9 per cent from May 2022. The average MLS^® residential price in BC was $1.02 million up 3 per cent compared to May 2022. The total sales dollar volume was $9.4 billion, representing a 13.2 per cent increase from the same time last year. 

“Home sales in May were surprisingly strong,” said BCREA Chief Economist Brendon Ogmundson. “Normally we’d expect to see a more persistent, negative impact from the last year of rising interest rates on sales. Instead sales staged an early recovery in the spring returning to a normal pace of sales well ahead of schedule.”

The average home price in BC has now recovered much of the decline over the past year and is now back over $1 million for the first time since April 2022.
 
Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume was down 33.9 per cent to $30.8 billion, compared with the same period in 2022. Residential unit sales were down 28.1 per cent to 31,631 units, while the average MLS^® residential price was down 8.2 per cent to $973,085.

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

As we celebrate Father's Day, I've been reflecting on the important role that dads and father figures play in our lives. I wanted to start a fun and meaningful conversation to help us appreciate and cherish the incredible fathers in our world.

Today, I pose the question: What are your favorite Dad Superpowers?

Here is a list of twelve "superpowers" that many dads possess. Take a moment to read through these examples, and feel free to share your thoughts, personal experiences, or even stories of your own father or father figures who've had a significant impact on your life.

Dad reflexes: The incredible ability to catch a falling child, toy, or object with lightning-fast reflexes, often saving the day.

Super strength: The power to lift heavy objects, carry kids on their shoulders, and open tightly sealed jars with ease.

Grill master: The uncanny ability to cook the perfect barbecue, ensuring every burger and hot dog is cooked to perfection.

Home repair hero: The talent for fixing almost anything around the house, from leaky faucets to assembling furniture.

Infinite patience: The capacity to remain calm and composed while dealing with temper tantrums, sibling rivalries, and other challenging situations.

Endless energy: The power to keep up with their children's boundless energy, whether it's playing sports, chasing them around the yard, or taking them on adventures.

Storyteller extraordinaire: The gift of spinning captivating tales and bedtime stories, sparking their children's imaginations.

Wisdom dispenser: The ability to provide sage advice and guidance, helping their children navigate life's challenges.

Dad jokes: The unique humor that may induce eye-rolls but brings laughter and joy to their family.
Protector: The innate sense to keep their family safe and secure from harm, both emotionally and physically.

Master negotiator: The skill to peacefully resolve disputes between siblings and enforce fair compromises.

Unconditional love: The most important superpower of all - the capacity to love their children deeply and unconditionally, providing support, encouragement, and understanding throughout their lives.
We all have unique perspectives, and our individual experiences with fatherhood or father figures may vary.

I invite you to respond to this email with your thoughts on the best kind of dad, any anecdotes that you feel comfortable sharing or even your favorite dad jokes.

Let's celebrate the amazing dads and father figures in our lives, learn from each other's stories, and appreciate the qualities that make them so special.

Wishing you a Happy Father's Day and I look forward to hearing your heartwarming perspectives on this special occasion.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, more research is needed to determine whether collagen supplements can help humans grow new collagen, which diminishes as we age. And as The New York Times reports, while some studies have indicated that taking collagen for several months might improve skin elasticity, those studies were small and received their funding from collagen supplement manufacturers.

Greens powders—which usually contain some combination of dried and ground leafy greens and seaweeds, grasses, probiotics, and herbs—fare somewhat better under scrutiny, but experts still encourage skepticism. According to WebMD, greens powders can be useful to supplement a healthy diet with additional vitamins and antioxidants. One study linked greens powders with improvements in blood pressure. But greens powders are not equivalent to whole foods—some nutritional content, such as fiber, is lost during processing, and overconsumption of some vitamins can be harmful.

Another thing for consumers to consider: The supplement market is largely unregulated, and poor-quality products with inaccurate labels are common. In an interview with The Cut, Evan Reister, a Doctor of Nutrition Science at American University, advises consumers to look for brands that are USP or NSF certified. These certifications require manufacturers to label their products accurately and submit them to third-party lab testing for certain contaminants.

While the year started slower than usual, Metro Vancouver’s housing market is showing signs of heating up as summer arrives, with prices increasing since December 2022.

Here's a summary of the May 2023 housing market statistics.

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

Canadian employment fell by 0.1 per cent to 20.11 million in May. The Canadian unemployment rate rose to 5.2 per cent after holding steady at 5 per cent since December. A decline in employment of 77,000 for youths (aged 15 to 24) more than offset a 63,000 rise in employment for middle-aged workers (aged 25 to 54). Total hours worked were up 2.2 per cent year over year, while average hourly wages were up 5.1 per cent from May of last year.

Employment in BC was little changed in May, rising 0.1 per cent to 2.781 million, while rising by 0.7 per cent in Metro Vancouver to 1.575 million. The unemployment rate held steady at 5 per cent in BC and fell to 4.9 per cent in Metro Vancouver. 

Link: https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/canadian-employment-may-2023-june-9th-2023

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

In a small village, a wise man was renowned for his wisdom and advice. People would seek his guidance on various issues, but he noticed a pattern among them. Many villagers would repeatedly complain about the same problems, despite his advice. He realized that his words were not being taken seriously and people were making no effort to change their situations.

One day, he used humor to make a point. He told a joke that made everyone laugh aloud. He repeated it, but the laughter dwindled. On the third telling, no one laughed. The wise man smiled and said, "You can't laugh at the same joke over and over, so why are you always crying about the same problems?"

The people, surprised by his words, realized they needed to be responsible for their lives and make changes to improve their situations. They began to heed the wise man's advice and work toward solutions.

His joke had a profound impact, teaching them the importance of taking action instead of just complaining about their problems.

The Bank of Canada raised its overnight policy rate this morning by 25 basis points to 4.75 per cent. In its statement accompanying the decision, the bank noted that the Canadian economy was stronger than expected in the first quarter and spending in interest rates sensitive sectors, like the housing market, has picked up. On inflation, the Bank continues to expect CPI inflation to ease to 3 per cent by summer, however, monthly inflation continues to trend about two times higher than its 2 per cent target, a circumstance the Bank fears could become persistent without immediate action. 

After signalling a pause in its monetary tightening just a few months ago, the Bank of Canada has already changed course. While inflation has come down significantly, core inflation has been stubbornly trending around 4 per cent, and with home prices already recovering across the country, inflationary pressures are rising.  In the Bank's estimation, interest rates will need to move higher to slow the economy and bring inflation back to its 2 per cent target. The Bank will likely raise its overnight rate at least once more to 5 per cent.  Those expectations are already being priced into 5-year Canadian bond yields, which rose to their highest level since October 2022 following the rate decision. That increase will prompt mortgage lenders to follow suit, likely bringing 5-year fixed mortgage rates back to above 5.5 per cent.   

Link: https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/bank-of-canada-interest-rate-announcement-2sv9ev4btu 

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, and ChatGPT 4 now stands on the shoulders of the wildly popular ChatGPT 3 and 3.5 AI tools. As ChatGPT 4 rolls out, it might prove even more disruptive.

Launched in late November 2022, ChatGPT 3.5 was a resounding success. The bot's website, Chat.openai.com, received only 153,000 visitors in November.

Visits climbed to 266 million in December and 616 million in January. Since then, the website has seen more than 1 billion searches a month. Perhaps traffic will cool, but ChatGPT 4 will drive even more engagement.

ChatGPT 4 might also drive revenue growth. OpenAI expects revenues to hit at least 200 million this year and one billion in 2024.

OpenAI makes money by lending its AI solutions to various platforms for a price. The company has also rolled out a $20 monthly subscription plan that offers faster services and exclusive access to ChatGPT 4.

ChatGPT 4 could become handy for everyday uses, such as checking prices, shopping, meal planning, and travel and vacation planning—nearly anything that requires aggregated data.

What makes ChatGPT 4 a better solution than ChatGPT 3 and 3.5? As you might expect with AI, the newest iteration is smarter. OpenAI claims that ChatGPT 4 is ten times more powerful than ChatGPT 3.5, although they haven't fully explained how. Reported internal evaluations did find ChatGPT 4 to be 40% more likely to produce factual responses, 60% less likely to make up stuff, and 82% less likely to respond to disallowed requests. Producing violent content, among other things, is banned.