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On Thursday, the nation's retailers turned in their worst January in almost four decades as high gasoline and food prices, a slumping housing market, tighter credit and a tougher job market squeezed consumers.

Sales at 43 retailers surveyed by the UBS-International Council of Shopping Centers rose just 0.5 percent in January, well below the original 1.5 percent forecast.

The results — based on sales at stores open at least a year — followed an anemic 0.7 percent pace in December and were below the 2.1 percent gain for all of last year.

Jill Panell, 26, a homemaker from Sterling Heights, Mich., was using a $20 Wal-Mart gift card Thursday to stock up on groceries and pet supplies. She wasn't in the market for a present for herself.

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Stop and say hello if you see two mini-peis

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I’m with Freako. Bring the funny back.

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Yeh Pope surely you have something sarcastic to rant on?

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Dang! You guys are demanding! I'll try to turn the funny tap back on, but its kind of rusty. Truth is I was out of Vancouver for a while and running this blog on autopilot. I'll try to get more funny in, thanks for the feedback anyways I guess.

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According to Statistics Canada's latest labour force data, BC lost 33,700 full time jobs in December 2007, and despite gains in part-time jobs, BC lost a net 7,000 jobs compared to the previous month.

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This blog provides snippets and anecdotes of what's happening in the housing market which I find very helpful.

Although I must admit the thing that VHB did better than I is the research and analysis angle.

Charts and statistics are very helpful only if they are unambiguous. For example, I find Paul Boenisch’s daily updates to be very helpful but I always have to do some quick if incorrect, mental arithmetic to come up with my own averages for housing deals done daily.

Once outliers like the several million dollar homes sold are included in the calculations the averages for more modest homes are grossly distorted or inflated. Very high and low outliers should be included in a different set of data. The problem is further compounded when sale prices for both Van east and west are thrown into the mixer to churn out a ‘typical’ average.

Having said that, I truly appreciate Paul’s diligence and find the daily updates very helpful (for a ballpark figure, like the median sales price).

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First of all don't tell me that you are first timer here,you are a very close friend to the pope. I know you since long time and i also know that once you have brought an issue on this site telling us about drug use at construction sites remember?…may be pine street,but yeah I also know that your are very decent person and working on your current job from last 30 year.sometime you sounds like strataman, I don't know why.

Ok answer to your question you say statistic canada definition about job that's right on their part their measurement method what make sense to call a job a part time-full time but what might other will say nothing to worry about it they are right on their part but not on my part.

Rebgv they also have their own method to measure the average price of homes that's their part as a home owner me my realtor my bank and evaluation person knows what is the current value of home.

What would you call an employee who work 80 hour per week? and other one who work 4 hours per week?,

A part time employee can work more hours than full time employees but the full time employee have the right to work guaranteed hour +full benefits,while part time employee are ristricted to work their schdule hour in case when their is equall volume of work which get divided to their schdule.lots more to go just point out if you like to go farther.

Comment by Anonymous

2008-02-10 19:49:31

Krrsh posts only positive news

anon,

most of poster do things on time when it takes place so I did that according to date and time. I have spend lots of extra time just to answer your question this is what I have found for you.

Canada's jobless rate dipped to 5.8 per cent in January, as the economy churned out a greater-than-expected 46,400 jobs, Statistics Canada said

December , the province still gained about 73,000 new jobs last year for a solid employment growth rate of 3.3 per cent.

Canadian economy adds 42,600 jobs in November

Canada added 42,000 jobs in November, surpassing expectations, while average wages rose 4.2 per cent. The jobless rate nevertheless climbed to 5.9 per cent from a 33-year low of 5.8 per cent in October as more workers entered the job market.

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Under McCain Canadians will no longer be secretly flown to be tortured in the middle east. Our house prices will go up.

If Obama gets elected drugs will be legalized all across north america, vancouver growing expertise will make us a central supplier. Our house prices will go up.

If Clinton gets elected the US will get socialized healthcare. Our house prices will go down as elderly canadians snap up property in depressed sunbelt states.

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The price of $799, or whatever it was previously, I remember as seeming ridiculous. The new price is still well above what I'd pay for an Onni building, or any building for that matter, but at least it's down into the area of reason, given the current market.

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