You’ve heard the saying, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” It’s one of those bits of wisdom we tend to brush off — until life reminds us why it stuck around. In today’s fast-paced world, we often rush to experience results and define success by what we can measure. But that endearing phrase is a gentle nudge to slow down.

Each unhatched egg holds more than just potential; it holds a promise. It's not a guarantee; but an invitation.

A quiet chance to nurture something without demanding immediate proof that everything will eventually work out. Yet we find ourselves penciling in outcomes and charting the end before the beginning has had its moment.

Some of the most meaningful things in life unfold on their own time. Love, growth, creativity and healing don’t thrive under pressure or deadlines: instead, they need space, patience and trust. The kind of care that doesn’t rush, but simply shows up repeatedly.

What if we stopped counting and started tending? What if we stopped chasing certainty and started honoring the mystery? Life is a garden, not a scorecard — messy, unpredictable and often slow to bloom.

Maybe the real measure of success isn’t in how many chickens you end up with.

Maybe it’s in how tenderly you hold the unknown, how willingly you trust the process and how bravely you believe in beginnings — even the uncertain ones.

Canadian prices, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose 1.7 per cent on a year-over-year basis in April, down from a 2.3 per cent increase in March. Month-over-month, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI was down 0.2 per cent in April. The overall slowdown in headline CPI is largely driven by lower energy prices, catalyzed by the removal of the consumer carbon tax. The CPI ex-energy rose by 2.9 per cent in April. While shelter costs remain the main driver of inflation, grocery price growth has also outpaced the headline CPI over the past three months, with prices rising 3.8 per cent year-over-year in April. In BC, consumer prices rose 2.0 per cent year-over-year, down from 2.6 per cent in March. The Bank of Canada's preferred measures of median and trimmed inflation, which strip out volatile components, are at 3.2 per cent and 3.1 per cent year-over-year, respectively.

While April's CPI report saw inflation fall comfortably into the target range, several underlying trends illustrate upward pressure on prices across many sub-components beyond energy/gasoline. Moreover, the Bank's core measures of inflation rose above their target range, suggesting that  almost all deceleration in the headline CPI was driven by volatile components. Taken together, the Bank faces the decision of either overlooking these pressures in favour of a rate cut or holding its policy rate to defend against further price growth. All eyes shift towards next week's GDP report, which will better show how tariffs are beginning to affect the Canadian economy.

https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/canadian-inflation-april-2025

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

Canadian housing starts rose by 30 per cent to 278,606 units in April at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). Starts were up 15 per cent from the same month last year. Single-detached housing starts increased by 15 per cent from last month at 57,026 units, while multi-family and other starts rose by 35 per cent to 221,582 units (SAAR).

In British Columbia, starts rose by 71 per cent from last month to 53,195 units (SAAR) in all areas of the province. In areas of the province with 10,000 or more residents, single-detached starts decreased by 5 per cent to 3,582 units, while multi-family starts rose by 87 per cent to 47,499 units month-over-month. Starts in the province were 3 per cent below the levels from April 2024. Year-to-date starts are up by 141 per cent in Abbotsford, but down 78 per cent in Nanaimo, 30 per cent in Kelowna, 29 per cent in Victoria, and 25 per cent in Vancouver.

https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/canadian-housing-starts-april-2025

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

To view the full interactive BCREA Market Intelligence report, click here.
To view the latest Market Intelligence report PDF, click here.

Summary of Findings

• Uncertainty related to the threat of tariffs has depressed home sales through the first quarter of 2025.

• As that uncertainty subsides, the path of sales activity will depend on the prevailing tariff regime and the ultimate impact of tariffs on the economy.

• A strong monetary policy response from the Bank of Canada could counteract the negative impact of tariffs, leading to a stronger, faster housing market recovery.
  

The economic uncertainty engendered by the stochastic trade policy of the United States under President Donald Trump has upended what was set to be a return to normalcy in the British Columbia housing market. However, that uncertainty, while still elevated, appears to be subsiding. So, what comes next?

In this Market Intelligence report, we’ll explore some potential scenarios for the BC housing market amidst a cloudier-than-usual outlook.

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani..

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

Vancouver, BC – May 2025. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that 6,453 residential unit sales were recorded in Multiple Listing Service^® (MLS^®) Systems in April 2025, down 14.6 per cent from April 2024. The average MLS^® residential price in BC in April 2025 was down 6.1 per cent at $942,884 compared to $1,003,638 in April 2024.

The total sales dollar volume was $6.1 billion, a 19.7 per cent decrease from the same time the previous year. BC MLS^® unit sales were 27 per cent lower than the ten-year April average.

“Regional activity continued to diverge in April with more expensive regions experiencing a larger drop in sales activity,” said BCREA Chief Economist Brendon Ogmundson. “Uncertainty regarding trade and monetary policy has caused trepidation for prospective buyers, largely in the Lower Mainland, prompting overall provincial activity to fall far below historical averages.”

Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume is down 11.7 per cent to $20.7 billion, compared with the same period in 2024. Residential unit sales are down 7.9 per cent year-over-year at 21,676 units, while the average MLS^® residential price is also down 4.1 per cent to $953,674.

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

During 2015, the city of Melbourne came up with a clever idea: give each of its 70,000 trees a unique ID number and an email address. The practical goal was to help citizens report fallen branches, damaged trees or tree-related trouble. Each tree’s email was linked to a database, making maintenance a breeze.

But then something adorable happened. People didn’t simply send emails to report issues; they wrote to the trees. They sent love letters, shared life updates and checked in on their leafy friends. One particularly lucky elm received a sweet note: "I hope you're doing well this autumn!"

Instead of shutting down the program, the city leaned into the fun and turned it into a PR success. Some emails even got replies (although Melbourne’s city employees might wish the trees could type the responses.)

Of course, these trees aren’t actually scrolling through their inboxes, but that hasn’t stopped people from sending a little love to their favorite branches!