One day I overheard the teacher tell the inspector that I was "addled" and it would not be worthwhile keeping me in school any longer. I was so hurt by this that I burst out crying and went home and told my mother about it.

Then I found out what a good thing a strong mother is. She came out as my fierce defender. Mother love was aroused, and mother pride was wounded to the quick.

She brought me back to the school and angrily told the teacher that he didn’t know what he was talking about. In fact, she was the most enthusiastic champion anyone could ever have, and I determined right then that I would show her that her confidence was not misplaced.

The man telling the story about his mother’s love and commitment is Thomas Edison.

One of the most prolific and ingenious inventors of all time, Thomas Edison was homeschooled until he set out on his own at the age of sixteen, openly grateful for his mother’s support and education throughout his life.

Not only can we acknowledge Edison’s mom, who eventually lit the way for us all, we can also acknowledge all moms who respond with love, courage, and wisdom every day.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Gino Pezzani
DIEN Realty
604-418-9366

After growing in February and March to a record level, Canadian employment was little changed in April at 19,601k. The labour market is tight, with the Canadian unemployment rate declining by 0.1 to 5.2 per cent, the lowest rate on record since comparable data became available in 1976. The total hours worked fell 1.9 per cent in April while average hourly wages were up 3.3 per cent on a year-over-year basis, similar to March and February. Wage gains are below the inflation rate, however, which clocked in at 6.7 per cent year-over-year in the most-recent data. The employment rate held steady at 61.9 per cent.

Employment in BC was largely unchanged in April at 2,736k. Metro Vancouver's employment growth was also largely flat at -0.2 per cent month over month. The unemployment rate rose in April for a second month in a row, reaching 5.4 per cent and surpassing Canada's rate for the first time since mid-2020. 

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.
Link: https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/canadian-employment-april-2022

National Bird Day, May 4. An annual holiday with half a million adherents who celebrate through birdwatching, studying birds, and other bird-related activities. 

Mother’s Day, May 10. Honor the mother or mother figure in your life.

National Senior Health & Fitness Day, May 27. The common goal for this day is to help keep older Americans healthy and fit.

Memorial Day, May 25. A federal holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The Canadian economy jumped 1.1 per cent in February, up for the ninth consecutive month. Goods-producing sectors rose 1.5 per cent while services-producing industries were up 0.9 per cent. Canadian real GDP is roughly 1.5 per cent above its pre-pandemic, February 2020 level. Preliminary estimates suggest that output in the Canadian economy grew 0.5 per cent in March.

With a a very high figure for February and strong preliminary numbers continuing into March, the Canadian economy appears to be on a strong growth path as it emerges from the Omicron-related slowdown. The Bank of Canada has noted that the slack in the Canadian economy is largely absorbed, which is partly why it has hiked rates from 0.25 in March to 1 per cent currently. Amid strong GDP growth and high inflation, the expectation is that the bank will again raise rates at its upcoming June 1st announcement by another 0.5 per cent. BCREA forecasts that the bank will continue raising rates until the overnight policy rate reaches 1.75 per cent, the level which prevailed prior to the COVID-19 crisis.

Link:  https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/canadian-economic-growth-real-gdp-february-2022

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

In BC in March, sales, starts and new listings declined. Sales rose in the Kootenay and Northern regions, while declining in all other areas of the province. Rental costs in Vancouver and Victoria continue broadly rising and remain elevated relative to most other points since the onset of the pandemic.  

Retail sales eased somewhat in February but remain close to record highs. As for March, restaurant reservations in Vancouver are at roughly 86 per cent of the pre-pandemic level. In BC, Google’s measure of movement trends is currently about 17 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.

Although aggregate employment has recovered in BC to pre-pandemic levels, the accommodation and food service sector was about 12 per cent below the pre-pandemic level in March. The labour market has served high-income workers much better than low-income workers. Employment in high-income industries is about 10 per cent above pre-pandemic employment levels, while employment in low-income industries is about 5 per cent below pre-pandemic employment levels.  

Manufacturing and exports both rose to a fresh record in February, while imports rose but remained just shy of a record level.  

Both consumer and business confidence rose slightly in March.  

The number of US and non-US tourists rose in March, with US tourists reaching the highest level since the onset of the pandemic. Still, tourism remains more than two thirds below pre-pandemic levels.  

For a more comprehensive overview of BC's economic recovery, click here.

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

Harrison said he didn’t remember, but he still had the master tapes and promised to take a look. Three weeks later, Collins got a package from Harrison with the master tapes from the session. When he listened, though, he realized that the congas sounded terrible. He also heard Harrison tell producer Phil Spector, “Get rid of that lad with the congas; he’s absolute rubbish.” 

Mortified, Collins called Harrison to apologize. After a few minutes, though, Harrison started to laugh. “Those tapes I sent you - they’re not the real sessions.”

He’d hired a band to re-record the song and played the congas himself, as badly as he could, then said the line about Collins being useless.

“I wish I could have seen your face” Harrison said. “I’ll send the real sessions to you; you sounded great.”

The Times Now News website reminds us that these foods can help everyone fight off infections more easily:

•Vitamin A. Known as beta carotene, this boosts the health of the intestines and respiratory system, protects eyes from night blindness and age-related decline, lowers the risk of certain types of cancer, and improves bone health. It’s found in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, and red bell peppers.

•Vitamin C. This helps stimulate the formation of antibodies. Fortunately, vitamin C is found in many foods, like fruits including lemons, oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and strawberries, as well as vegetables like bell peppers, spinach, kale, and broccoli.

•Vitamin E. An antioxidant, this nutrient helps the body fight off infection by neutralizing free radicals. It also helps your body's cells regenerate. It’s found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and avocados.

•Protein. Protein contains amino acids essential for the function of T-cells, which protect the body against pathogens. Meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, nuts and seeds are excellent sources.

•Zinc. Zinc deficiency has been linked to immune dysfunction. Zinc assists the body in making proteins and DNA, and also contributes to wound healing, as well as supporting childhood growth and development.

Canadian seasonally-adjusted retail sales rose 0.1 per cent to $59.9 billion in February. Despite declining sales at sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers (-5.1 per cent), higher sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores (+15.1 per cent) and gasoline stations (+6.2 per cent) drove the total upwards. Core retail sales, which strips out gasoline and motor vehicle and parts dealers, increased 1.4 per cent in February. In volume terms, sales were down 0.4 per cent. 

In BC, seasonally-adjusted sales declined 0.9 per cent in February. Compared to the same month last year, retail sales were up 0.2 per cent in the province. In the Greater Vancouver region, sales fell 0.7 per cent month-over-month and were up 6 per cent year-over-year. 

In February, Canadian e-commerce sales declined 16 per cent to 2.6 billion. As a result, e-commerce decreased from 6.2 per cent of total retail sales in January to 5.3 per cent in February. This percentage remains elevated relative to pre-pandemic levels. 

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.
Link:  https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/canadian-retail-sales-february-2022