logo
B.C. home sales up in July but down year-to-date

B.C. home sales up in July but down year-to-date

Global News2 days ago
See more sharing options
Send this page to someone via email
Share this item on Twitter
Share this item via WhatsApp
Share this item on Facebook
Sales of homes in British Columbia grew in July compared with the same month last year, but year-to-date numbers show transactions remain slower.
The British Columbia Real Estate Association says there were about 7,000 residential unit sales in the province last month, up 2.2 per cent from the numbers reported in July 2024.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Just under 43,000 homes sold in B.C. in the first seven months of this year, down 5.7 per cent from 2024 levels during the same period.
The association's chief economist Brendon Ogmundson says the numbers show markets in the province building momentum through the summer, with sales activity higher in all regions except the Lower Mainland.
Ogmundson says the association expects continued improvement in the market as 'tariff uncertainties fade.'
The average residential unit price listed on the market in July fell 2.1 per cent to $942,686, while the total sales dollar volume stayed flat at $6.7 billion.
Story continues below advertisement
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The dangers of Canada leaving its digital sovereignty in American hands
The dangers of Canada leaving its digital sovereignty in American hands

National Post

time3 hours ago

  • National Post

The dangers of Canada leaving its digital sovereignty in American hands

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. How Canada Wins: Having so many digital services that we rely on coming from U.S. companies has left us vulnerable to losing those services, Guillaume Beaumier warns 'There should be a strategy to invest and develop more national digital ecosystems, to reduce the reliance on American companies,' says Guillaume Beaumier, an assistant professor at Quebec's École nationale d'administration publique. Photo by Getty Images Canadians are waking up to just how much power American tech companies have over their digital life. In April, Microsoft confirmed that U.S. law can override foreign privacy protections, even for data stored on servers outside the United States. That means if Canadian data is hosted by Microsoft, Amazon or Google, it can be accessed by U.S. authorities. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors For Guillaume Beaumier, an assistant professor of political science and international studies at École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP) in Quebec City, it's a clear sign Canada needs to take digital sovereignty seriously. In a recent Policy Options article, he argues that Canada has grown too dependent on U.S. cloud providers and tech infrastructure, and risks losing control over its economy, governance and security in the digital era. National Post spoke to Beaumier about what digital sovereignty means and what steps Canada should be taking now. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length. Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again I think you can define digital sovereignty in multiple ways, and that's the issue with the concept. It can relate to the ability of the Canadian government to control its own digital ecosystem through regulation, and having the availability to force or influence companies to act in certain ways. It's also, to some extent, the ability to have the economic independence to be able to produce digital services for Canadian citizens, in ways that are not dependent on having access to services coming from other places in the world. It can also relate more broadly to the security of the nation. If you're depending on other countries for accessing specific digital services, in times of crisis, you can end up in a position where you don't have access to the services, and so the broader security of the country also depends on having the ability to produce the services on your own. For a very long time the United States has been using its control over the digital infrastructure around the world, so a lot of the digital services that we rely on are American companies and they also rely on physical infrastructures that are located in the United States. You can think of data centres in that regard. And so, for a very long time, we were fine with it, we forgot that other countries like Russia or China, might have used this control over this digital ecosystem to its advantage, to survey the world, to sometimes even impede other countries. You can see again what happened after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, where Microsoft stopped offering some of its services in Russia. And so, like I said, for a while most countries around the world would have been fine with that, especially western countries because we were allied countries with the United States, even sometimes collaborating with them. But as the (Donald) Trump administration came in and took a more coercive approach towards its traditional allies, it's also making these countries more insecure about their dependence on the United States. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I think that we do lack, to a large extent, sufficient capacity to operate on our own, to have a digital ecosystem that can function without American companies. And so, if you think about our digital ecosystem, most social media platforms, if not all, are American companies. If you think about data centres, the main ones that are operating right now and that we rely on, are either in the United States or are owned by American companies on Canadian soil. On the regulatory side, we have also seen the government struggling over the years, to enforce its own regulations, or to even want to regulate these platforms. So we threaten these companies, Google and Meta, to basically leave the country. More recently, the government decided to move back on this decision to impose digital services taxes, and it's an example of where the Canadian government seems to be struggling, because it relies primarily on American companies. So to summarize what I just said, I think just this lack of the ability to offer basic digital services by Canadian companies is one of the big gaps right now. In times of crisis, they can be used as leverage against the Canadian government, so like during this trade negotiation, they can threaten to stop offering some services to Canada. There's also the risk that when the government tries to regulate these companies, they can just threaten to exit the country. You can see in the example of Meta blocking news because of being asked to share the revenue with news organizations. This has left our media ecosystem in a worse-off position. And in times where there are forest fires or other emergencies, information can be more difficult to access by citizens. I think there should be a strategy to invest and develop more national digital ecosystems, to reduce the reliance on American companies. It also should not shy away from regulating these big tech companies and level the playing field for Canadian companies. Basically, making sure they are being taxed, and that they contribute to the national economy. Also, promoting the use of more open source software, in public administration and the digital ecosystem, could help reduce reliance on big tech companies, and prioritize the development of more digital expertise in Canada. When you're thinking of all the big projects the government wants to launch, like big national infrastructure projects, I think it would be a good moment to invest in having more data centres owned by Canadian companies, funded by the government. With the new investments coming in the defence sector, some money could go towards the development of artificial intelligence (AI). I think this broad national plan to invest in Canadian digital capacities would be an essential thing to do in the years to come. I think we just need to find a balance between still being open, we still want to rely on the valuable services that come from the United States, and elsewhere in the world, but to ensure our resilience in times of crisis, and have some basic capacities to function without the use of these services coming from the rest of the world. This is the latest in a National Post series on How Canada Wins. Read earlier instalments here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

B.C. disability benefit policies questioned after couple faces huge rent hike
B.C. disability benefit policies questioned after couple faces huge rent hike

Global News

time13 hours ago

  • Global News

B.C. disability benefit policies questioned after couple faces huge rent hike

There are questions about disability benefit policies in B.C. after a couple living in a co-op said they are facing a rent hike of $920. 'The more money you make, the less money you have when you're a person with a disability,' renter Amelia Cooper told Global News. She and her husband, Aaron Busch, contacted Global News when they received less than a month's notice that their rent would increase from $1,345 to $2,265. The co-op board where they live had found the couple's household income is too high to be eligible for a subsidized program but Cooper said their income is only 'too high' by $2,000. 'When I make more money with my work, the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) income decreases,' Cooper said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's like, at what point can we actually start advancing our income without getting penalized with PWD as well as housing charges?' Story continues below advertisement 2:06 Vancouver couple in co-op handed $920 rent increase Busch said there needs to be an exception for people with disabilities. 'There are added financial challenges that we face on a daily, monthly basis,' he said. The housing critic agrees there should be different considerations. 'They are right, that if you are operating within an environment of many extended costs around your disability, that those all need to be taken into consideration,' Linda Hepner, the BC Conservative housing critic, said. The B.C. Ministry of Housing did not respond to those questions, but in an email to Global News, they said it is building more accessible homes. The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction told Global News in an email that is it continuing to ensure programs reflect the needs of people with disabilities. Story continues below advertisement 'This is a longstanding discriminatory practice of the federal government on many of the benefits that they have for persons with disabilities is that it's based on your household income rather than your individual income,' Bonita Zarillo, the former NDP federal critic for disability, said. Cooper and Busch said they feel punished for earning a comfortable income and for finding love.

Kelowna airport expecting travel disruptions amid Air Canada labour dispute
Kelowna airport expecting travel disruptions amid Air Canada labour dispute

Global News

time13 hours ago

  • Global News

Kelowna airport expecting travel disruptions amid Air Canada labour dispute

Kelowna International Airport was packed with summer travellers Thursday, but many of them flying with Air Canada are facing major travel disruptions amid a labour dispute between the airline and its flight attendants. 'I've been a bit worried for I would say the last 48 to 72 hours,' said Air Canada passenger Mikail Khamissa. 'I didn't know if my flight would be cancelled or not.' The disruptions are expected to be significant across the country. 4:26 Closer look at sticking points in Air Canada labour dispute In Kelowna, however, the potential impact is anticipated to be somewhat less as many of the airline's flights in and out of the Okanagan's largest airport are operated by Air Canada Jazz, one of the airline's three divisions not part of the current labour dispute. Story continues below advertisement The labour strife impacts Air Canada's Mainline and Rouge flights only. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We're connecting regionally into Calgary, into Edmonton, into Vancouver, for example,' said Sam Samaddar, the airport's chief executive officer. 'So those flights will remain going. They're not affected by this labour action.' Flying in and out of Kelowna, however, won't be an entirely smooth ride with travellers warned of possible disruptions based on where they're flying to and whether connecting flights are involved. For instance, travellers flying Air Canada Jazz out of Kelowna who may have connecting flights with Air Canada Mainline or Rouge out of larger airports may be impacted. 1:31 Air Canada flight attendants crash official press conference with silent protest And the potential disruptions don't end there, as Rouge offers direct flights from Kelowna to both Toronto and Montreal. Story continues below advertisement 'We have two daily flights, for example, into Toronto directly with Air Canada Rouge. Those will be impacted,' Samaddar said. 'And then we have flights twice a week with Air Canada Rouge into Montreal and certainly those will be impacted.' Air passengers are being advised to check with Air Canada on their flight status or any alternate travel options. 'It's important to get onto the Air Canada website,' Samaddar said. 'I'm told by Air Canada that they are responding to people's itineraries and giving them the information they need.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store