Today, I braved a day away from the office to attend the VBT British Columbia Economic Forum at the Wall Centre with my friend Suzanne Scott (who I met at the recent excellent Women’s Campaign School). David Emerson and Gordon Campbell gave the breakfast & lunch keynote speeches respectively – and while admittedly rallying the troops and preaching to their converted/core (blue chip business crowd), I nonetheless thought they both came off as innovative thinkers & deeply committed to the success of BC. A unifying theme on the upcoming federal and provincial agendas is a big focus on Asia, i.e. “to more effectively leverage BC’s close proximity to the emerging economies of China and India to drive future economic growth in an increasingly competitive global market.” A panel on the current real estate market, moderated by the always gracious Graeme Stamp, was fun with the always on optimism and charm of top realtors. And, yes, Ozzie Jurock, Gordon Maroney (BCREA), Georges Pahud, Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver predictably announced that it’s still a great time to buy. Although, Ozzie did concede that downtown condos have probably had their day in this cycle. The word is cash flow is where it’s at, which can only be had these days in places like Mission, Dawson Creek, Fernie, Prince Rupert. In 2004, there were 96,300 homes sold in BC and 28 billion dollars changed hands, with an average home price of $280,000. In our lovely Yaletown neighbourhood, for anything under 300k you’ll be lucky to get a condo slightly larger than 500 square feet, sigh.

The recent news about Terri Schiavo in Florida has drawn attention to the issue of care for those who cannot express themselves. There is a solution for these issues for BC residents.

The following information is from the CBABC website in response to numerous media and public inquiries following the high profile case of Terri Schiavo in the US, developed wiht the assistance of Hugh McLellan, Chair of the CBA National Elder Law Section.

Continue reading “The Terri Schiavo Case: A BC Solution”

A traditional lawyer’s role is to marry the trials, tribulations and opportunities in our client’s lives with a myriad of often conflicting laws and precedents that end up determining the structure of a particular business transaction or the outcome of a particular dispute.

Continue reading “Lawyers & the Information Age”

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Originally uploaded by Andrew & Nicole.

Yes, Andrew and I took the plunge and got married on January 15th at the lovely St. Francis in the Wood. Almost three months married & still going strong . You can check out our wedding at wedlog or the better half at andrewnoeljones.
Interestingly, Andrew and I met, albeit indirectly, through blogging. I had a semi-thought out, crazy idea for YVR based satire/socio-political commentary/social events blog (hazily, a Vancouver-style Gawker, perhaps just a tad nicer) and a writer friend suggested I contact a TO based journalist. I noticed a link on his site to a Vancouver situated bon vivant, who, based on his blog, appeared to be the single best person in Vancouver to discuss this concept with. Soon after, a New Yorker brandishing Jeff showed up at an opportune patio, and a friendship was born. Jeff, it turns out, had a partner in crime in Andrew, who in short order, became said husband.

If that isn’t a sign that blogging can open the vistas & alter the paths of one’s life, I don’t know what is.