Exciting things happening in Vancouver

Exciting things are going to happen in Vancouver and the future looks brighter than usual. There’s a good chance that Vancouver will win the bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics. And the federal government will contribute more than $200 million toward the $495-million Vancouver Exhibition Centre expansion project. Construction will begin next year on the west side of the legendary Canada Place and will be completed by 2008. When finished, our already breathtaking waterfront will be amazingly spectacular.

We have a new Vancouver mayor who is determined to clean the city of homeless people, drug addicts, derelicts, delinquents and assorted creatures of the night. To top the above, the current Premier is pushing his visionary project into reality, a high-capacity rapid line connecting Canada Place (former Expo site) in Vancouver downtown, the airport and downtown Richmond City. There’s also a plan to refurbish the deteriorating Granville Mall, once a dazzling, vibrant, first class entertainment center in the ’60s and ’70s until the economic downturn plagued it with sex shops, grubby stores, fast food joints, pawnshops, cheap hotels and bars.

We’re hoping that the Granville "cityscape concept" will materialize because Granville Street is one of the most significant public spaces in Vancouver downtown. A newer, cleaner, safer and trendier Granville area is a key determinant of the city’s international image and quality of life.

During the height of the 2001 terrorist attacks, the overzealous federal government banned metal knives aboard Canadian airlines. Plastic knives replaced the dull edged steel dinner knives. A recent review of the Public Safety Act post September 11 by Transport Canada concluded that metal knives can be used again during air meals. As one politician said – "You can do as much damage with a metal fork as you can with a metal knife."

A new study revealed that California is the No. 1 destination for the largest chunk of an increasing number of Canadians moving south of the border. One in 10 of Canadians who moved to the United States last year settled in California, specially Los Angeles, Florida and Texas. Canada is said to be losing talented Canadians, among them engineers, scientists and high-tech specialists. In comparison, the number of Americans coming to Canada remained flat.

A new almanac indicated that British Columbia has the largest contingent of millionaires residing in Canada. So it was not a surprise to learn that Vancouver parents hire the most nannies, according to a study conducted by Citizenship and Caregiver Program.

But why? Four main reasons were given. I) Couples can’t survive on one income so mom and dad must work to survive in our housing market. 2) It is our West Coast lifestyle. People have a need for self here. They want to continue to do the outdoor activities or whatever they do to promote their spiritual or emotional well-being. 3) The population is aging but they pursue new interests or there are career shifts. 4) There’s an abundance of foreign nannies and it reflects the traditions of some of the city’s ethnic communities. 5) B.C. continues to attract large number of wealthy immigrants. Some bring nannies from their home countries or hire local live-in care givers. According to statistics, two-thirds of foreign live-in caregivers come from the Philippines.

Will and Ian Ferguson’s best-selling book "How To Be A Canadian" is not fun reading but also loaded with Canadian trivia of places not often talked about or known such as:

• Newfoundland was England’s first overseas colony and was also where the British Empire was born. In every survey, Newfoundlanders rank far and away as having the most sex of any Canadians.

• Nova Scotia is Canada’s Celtic connection or where Scots Canadians gather every year to honor their great Scottish heritage. The first European settlers in Nova Scotia were French Acadians. The largest city of the province is Halifax and the main export is comedians.

• Prince Edward Island has a lot of majestic potato fields. The islanders are said to be wonderfully kind to strangers but they can’t stand their neighbors.

• New Brunswick is the Land of the Loyalists and has the world’s longest covered bridge. More Canadiana in future columns.