Only Because Canada Is the Best Country in the World

Canada – The Best Place on Earth

First Published Date : June 29, 2011

I have been contemplating writing about Canada’s being the best country on earth for a while. However, due to the volume of the good things about Canada to mention, I have been putting it off because I would have to write a book if I wanted to cover everything. Finally, instead of writing by myself, I took a short cut and gathered some of the rankings done by well-known and reputable organizations. Here is how it stands:

According to OECD’s Better Life Index, Canada ranks high in all measures of well being and Life in Canada Is Better Than Most Other Industrialized Countries.

According to The Economist Intelligent Unit’s Global Liveability Report, 3-4 Canadian cities are always in the top ten and Vancouver is usually always the world’s most liveable city.

According to Mercer 2010 Quality of Living Survey, several Canadian cities are always on the top and top five North American cities are Canadian – no cities from the U.S. can be found in the top 25.

According to the UN Human Development Index, which measures quality of life in countries around the world, Canada is one of the world’s best places to live and is always in the top ten.

According to The Heritage Foundations’ 2011 Index of Economic Freedom, Canada is the 6th freest country in the world.

According to the Vision of Humanity’s 2011 Global Peace Index, Canada is the 8th most peaceful country in the world.

According to The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011, Canada is in the top ten.

According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2010, Canada is one of the least corrupt nations on earth.

These are only a few to mention. Any way you look at Canada, using any reports or indexes, it is in the top ten consistently year after year. A point worth mentioning is that you will not find our big brother in the south in the top in most of these rankings. Canada is a multi-racial, multi-cultural, and multi-linguistic country. Canada’s diversified backgrounds and cultures make it more unique than any other country on earth. Canada is the first country in the world to declare itself a multicultural country and in 1982 Canada added multiculturalism to its constitution. Canada recognizes, values, and protects its citizens’ diversity and human rights and treats each individual with respect, equality, and dignity. Canada is like nowhere else on earth and this is because Canada is the best country in the world

The Tallest Skyscraper In Canada

The Tallest Building In Canada

First Published Date: Apr 14, 2011

Canada is not-known for skyscrapers, even though it has one of the tallest buildings on the planet; The CN Tower. However, if there is going to be a tallest building in Canada, then it should come as no surprise that it is found in Toronto, the commercial and cultural centre of the country.

First Canadian Place is the tallest skyscraper in Canada, sitting in the financial district of Toronto. It is the headquarters of the Bank of Montreal and it stands at 951 feet. It is the 11th tallest building in North America and the 68th tallest in the world. Within Canada, it is the third tallest free-standing structure after the CN Tower and the Inco Superstack in Sudbury, Ontario.

The building was designed by Bregman and Hamann  Architects (Image via Wikipedia) and constructed in 1975, when it was called the First Bank Building. It  sat on the site of the Old Toronto Star Building.
It took many years for the skyscraper to be built, before anything was dug because of bidding wars for the entire block during a revitalization of the area in the 1960s and the 1970s. Eventually however, the building was built and completed. It is identical in appearance to the Aaon Center in Chicago, which itself was built only two years earlier.

When you factor in the spire on the top of the skyscraper, the building is 1,165 feet. It has a total of 72 floors, and four floors that are below the ground. The building is served by 29 elevators and has a total floor area of 2.7 million square feet.

When the building was completed, it was the 8th tallest building to the structural top and the tallest building outside of Chicago and New York. It was also the tallest building in the British Commonwealth, until the Petronas Towers in Malaysia overtook them.

Until 1997, the ‘M’ sign of the Bank of Montreal on the building was the highest sign in the world.

In 2009, the building underwent a complete revitalization. Over 45,000 marble panels were replaced with new glass panels and white ceramic frits, along with bronze tint corners. New landscaping, handrails and water features were added in to change the look of the building even more and make it look more modern among the other buildings in the area. The total cost of the project was $100 million and it was paid by the owners of the building.

Canada may not be known for tall buildings but its three tallest structures just happen to be three of the tallest structures on the planet. That should say something about Canada, even though the world may not know that we have these structures, we find a way to sneak up onto lists and take them over.

While First Canadian Place may be the tallest skyscraper in Toronto, it is overshadowed greatly by the CN Tower. However, if you are in Toronto, make sure you check out this very tall building for yourself.

Global Real Estate Gets $1 Tn Injection

Global Real Estate Updates

First Published Date: June 19, 2016

China’s Global Real Estate Hunger Continues – A Chinese site, Tencent Finance, reports that Chinese investors continue to grab global real estate and these are some countries with the highest investments:

South Korea: Only in Seoul real estate purchased is 160,000 square meters and 9.14 million square meters in vacation destination paradise Jeju Island.

Japan: 2 billion last year.

Singapore: At least 10 percent of the properties in recent years.

USA: Top destination for Chinese investors. At least $110 billion in the last five years, excluding purchases made by business entities.

Canadian Office Real Estate Company Is Among The Top Five: Canadian office space company Brookfield and Ivanhoé Cambridge are among the top five office real estate owners in the world. Some of the landmark properties owned by Brookfield are in Toronto, New York City, Los Angles, London, Sydney, Perth, and Berlin.

Global Real Estate Investments Skyrocket: Property consultant CBRE reports that global real estate will receive more than $1 trillion investments in 2016, which is 6 percent higher than last year.

North America is on the top list for global real estate investors at 48 percent, ahead of Western Europe, which receives 26 percent of investments.

U.S. Retailers Are in Deep Push into the Global Retail Real Estate Market: Another report by CBRE points out that U.S. retailers have expanded faster in 2015 than 2014 into the global retail property market. American retailers’ presence is more in the global retail space than Europe and Asia combined. Italy and the UK were at 2nd and 3rd position.

What Is OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program)?

The Ontario Student Assistance Program

First Published Date: Sep 29, 2011

The Canadian Government does not want any students stop going to college or university because of the lack of financial support. In order to prevent that, the Government provides financial assistance to eligible students in paying for their post-secondary education through various programs and services throughout Canada. OSAP or Ontario Student Assistance Program is the main source of assistance in the province of Ontario. OSAP is a student loan program which is made up of both federal and provincial funding for the eligible post-secondary students living in Ontario.

OSAP Loan Amount

The amount students receive will be based on their financial need. This amount is designed to cover expenses such as tuition, books, living costs, transportation costs, and so on. There are various factors that determine the loan amount such as parent’s income, marital status, student’s own or spouse’s income, course type (full-time, part-time) course length, and so on. There is a financial aid estimator or calculator available to give you an approximate idea of the amount based on your scenarios. To find out more, check Government of Ontario OSAP website.

OSAP Eligibility

There are many criteria that need to be fulfilled in order to be eligible for OSAP. Some of them are:
– You have to be a Canadian Citizen, permanent resident, or a protected person.
– You have resided in Ontario for the last 12 months
– You academic standing is satisfactory
Visit the OSAP site mentioned above for full eligibility criteria.

How to Apply For OSAP?

There are two ways to apply for OSAP: via paper application and online. Online application is quicker and therefore the preferred way. There is a cost of $10 to apply via paper application.

OSAP Loan Repayment and Interest

Once students graduate, stop attending school, or reach lifetime maximum, repayment of OSAP will start. Loan repayment starts 6 months after the student ends full-time status. The loan is interest-free and interest is paid by the government as long as students remain full-time.

Last Word

OSAP is no different than any other loan and as such, you should treat it with responsibility and care. Not handling the OSAP properly can affect your credit rating. If you have difficulties paying OSAP, don’t wait for the last moment. Contact the National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC) at 1-888-815-4514 or visit their website at NSLSC.

Can This Possibly Be The Lowest Interest Rate Credit Card in Canada?

American Express Launches 8.99% Rate Interest Rate Card

First Published Date: September 20, 2016

American Express, or AmEx, is known for its upscale cards that usually target customers with heavy spending. The annual fee for some of its cards skyrocket to $700 or even $900. However, this time Amex seems to be targeting traditional consumers who carry a balance with its new low-rate American Express Essential Credit Card.

While you will find most credit cards charge 20 to 30 percent interest, the American Express Essential Credit Card charges only 8.99 percent interest with no annual fee. This low rate is not a promotional rate and is here to stay unless market conditions change.

A few other credit cards in Canada, such as BMO Preferred Rate, Scotiabank Value Visa, CIBC Select Visa, and RBC Visa Classic Low Rate also provide low-rate cards where the interest rate can run 12 to 17 percent, but they don’t come close to the new American Express offer.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

Another card worth mentioning is the MBNA Trueline Credit Card. This no annual fee credit card charges interest rate based on your credit score and it can range from 5.99 to 14.99 percent. What I like about this card is that on the MBNA website it will tell you what your interest rate will be by doing a soft credit check that does not affect your credit score even before you start the application process.

As more players are offering more low-rate credit cards, consumers are the winners from the competition. And there definitely will be more credit card companies entering the arena of low-rate cards following the American Express Essential credit card in the future.