China is the biggest exporter of mobile phones, TVs, CD players, washing machines, silk and perhaps most importantly for Vancouverites on those long rainy winter nights, sex toys.

Face it, China is moving up the value-added ladder even quicker than the Japanese and Koreans. I wish it wasn't so but Asia is going to steamroll many Western countries that are more interested in running up debts, happy clappy schools and banning the internal combustion engine.

It'd be interesting to see if people can really boycott 100% everything that comes out of China including those precious iPhones. Or is it all just big talk?

I am desperate for a retail store the sells stuff made in Canada, by Canadians, and that did not travel thousands of km to break after using them for 2 days. Any address?

@ best place on meth. I am on a different clock so forgive the lapse, yes I thought that was funny too and meant to write in my comment she pulled out the last stick! how ironic!

@chopper

Ha! I've had the same idea, so a lot of people must be thinking the same way.

@Patiently Waiting:

Patiently, I thought this was one of the funniest lines:

"The project was received favourably in a 1999 New York Times article, based on information provided by Wellsby."

I guess the New York Times doesn't do its research as stringently as Realty Radio 98, The Province, or The Vancouver Sun!

Golf courses are no different than Whistler…

The recreation facility anchors residential development.

I think the Chilliwack developer is full of shite re sewers (no pun intended) that's a red herring, as my travels in the Shuswap have shown many mini " poopoo and peepee" stand alone treatment plants for development at waterfront.

Basic answer is frivolous residential developments that lose their anchoring cachet are bad investemtns when RE tanks, especially given they likely have some strata components that further gouge the purchasers.

166 Priced Out Canadian Says: February 27th, 2011 at 3:48 pm Canadians will just stay here and declare BK as they always have. As for the “rich Asians”, I thought they all paid cash? ***** Rich asians may have the cash, but they don’t pay in cash. They borrow as much as possible from the banks because they view it as shorting the dollar, and if shit hits the fan and they need to walk, the Canadian taxpayer is on the hook instead of their own assets. ===================== Bang on…. A neighbour sold to some Asians…who offered them a good deal….over $1 million Out of curiosity, I did a title search, and they hold a mortgage registered with a major bank. My guess is these offshore interests can and will bail if the SHTF…..ie go back the Asia if the… Read more »

Gee……the truth oozes out….at the 11th hour,

Vancouver = # 1 City = why…..world's biggest $$$ laundry machine on perpetual "spin cycle".

No, our retarded Gov't/s allow offshore investment while pappa san goes back to the Far East, runs a sweatshop to manufacture i-pods, cheap electronics and 99% of most Wal -Mart stock etc.

Family is parked here, taking advantage of our hard earned and overtaxed social systems ie education, medicare , 17 year olds driving $ 50,000 cars…..driving up our ICBC rates. Universities WE pay for abuse the system and their lands hel in trust,….RE developemnt to attract offshore money……drive up the fees to de-facto exclude their own citizens.

Now there is an outrage re extended family immigartion restrictions, when an actuarial analysis indicates the STHF if we don't close the borders.

a major clusterf*ck….

171 Best place on meth Says:

February 27th, 2011 at 5:01 pm

@Boombust:

Top cities for what?

What does Vancouver have that anyone would want?

Melbourne and Vienna are both awesome by the way, although Melbourne is suffering from the same real estate stupidity we are at the moment.

==============

Yeah….you can tell a lot by watching Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee and Amadeus …..meth man

@Patiently Waiting:

"I was saying basically the same thing. "

Cool. I misread you. Sorry. I'm just so used to hearing people talk about things the other way that it makes me jump to conclusions.

China bracing for demonstrations … maybe "I buy three,my husband by three" wasn't such a bad idea.

On CNN this morning, they reported the TOP cities of the world in which to live…

Number ONE: Vancouver

#2 Melbourne

#3 Vienna

BTW…Honolulu was 30th, He he…

@patriotz:

"We don’t want anyone to “provide” jobs, we just want this idiocy to end so the real economy can have a fighting chance."

That's alright then. It's not what Patiently said, but as you are using the first person plural, I am going to take it that you are speaking for him (as a member in good standing of the Bear Block, I guess) and that that is what he meant. In which case I agree. BC would be more competitive if people spent their time making things instead of repricing land.

Canadians will just stay here and declare BK as they always have. As for the “rich Asians”, I thought they all paid cash?

*****

Rich asians may have the cash, but they don't pay in cash. They borrow as much as possible from the banks because they view it as shorting the dollar, and if shit hits the fan and they need to walk, the Canadian taxpayer is on the hook instead of their own assets.

They didn't get rich by being stupid – they got rich maybe through embezzelment, drugs, skimming from state enterprises – but not from being stupid.

And before this statement begs the question, "if they are so smart, why are they buying at peak pricing and not following fundaments" the questions has already been addressed many times – money laundering, buying citizenship, speculation.

@fixie guy:

"Governments can work towards providing the social environment that generates long term competitiveness and jobs, "

People are inherently competitive and people will produce things whether there is a govt or not. Job creation usually increases as govt interference declines. Texas created half of all US jobs last year even as its legislature is limited to meeting for 140 days a year and China/India only took off once the govt got out of the way.

We used to think that govt was necessary for basic infrastructure, defense and a smattering of other things. Now they have to provide all of our health care, insure our housing loans, tax carbon dioxide, provide daycare, fund films on Argentinian socialism by Naomi Klein, tell MacDonalds they can't fire employees with skin disease, mandate mercury-filled light bulbs and god knows what else.