Don’t you love it when you see your name on a list….particularly when it is at the top!!According to a study conducted by the magazine MoneySense, the following are ranked as Canada’s top cities to live in in Canada:

1. Ottawa
2. Victoria
3. Fredericton
4. Kingston
5. Levis, Quebec
6. Moncton, N.B
7. Winnipeg
8. Burlington, ON
9. Halifax
10. Vancouver

(by the way…….I have lived in three of these cities- Fredericton, Moncton & now Ottawa…so perhaps I bring good luck!)

For the complete list: http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/2008/prosperity/Default.aspx?sp2=1&d1=a&sc1=6&sub=n1&df=bestcities

“….Ottawa benefits from a major employee that’s never going to go out of business: the federal government.  Household income is quite high, housing is very affordable, crime is low, lots of doctors compared to the rest of the country, low unemployment rate and so on”.

“People earning the average income would need 2.93 times their annual salaries to cover the sticker prices of homes in the nation’s capitol while Toronto buyers would need 4.94 times the average annual income.”

For a list of prices of housing throughout Canada & how long it would take you to save to buy one: http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/2008/housing/Default.aspx?sub=n2&df=bestcities&sc1=3&d1=a&sp2=1&eh=ch 

For the full article and methodology go to http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/bestplacestolive/2008/Default.aspx?sp2=1&d1=a&sc1=6

I like my list of To-Do’s today (outside of the normal daily activities involved in operating a  business):

1.Get my allergy shot (ok…..so I really don’t look forward to this one!)

2. Catch a view of the total eclipse of the moon tonight at 10:26pm. (last chance for 2 years so DON”T MISS IT!)  The Canada Science and Technology Museumis hosting a free Eclipse of the Moon Star party. Don’t miss this opportunity to let Museum staff guide you through the night skies, otherwise you will have to wait almost two years – the next lunar eclipse will be December 21, 2010. When: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 7:30 p.m. Where: Canada Science and Technology Museum 1867 St. Laurent Blvd, Ottawa

3. Participating in Ottawa’s Kindness initiative. From Feb 15-24th it is Kindness Week in Ottawa, “celebrating the kindness that exists and encouraging the kindness that can be.” http://www.kindottawa.ca/ . I am watching for random acts of kindness today & then writing about them on the website (haven’t seen anything yet! Could be because my husband, who thinks that morning is the curse of being alive, is the only living being that I have as of yet seen)  AND more importantly, performing acts of kindness. My eyes are on you today!

My first day! It took awhile…..but I have finally entered the world of the inter-active website (blog)! Why?

Carole’s Top 7 reasons for creating a blog:

1. Firewalls- I have a love/hate relationship with them! We have a tremendous difficulty in getting our newsletters through them. Not a problem with a blog.
2. Timely- you can get up-to-date info on market trends, hot finds, municipal new alerts, events/activities. Instead of grouping our news in a monthly/seasonal package, we can get information to you on a more timely basis.
3. Info sharing- so many times we have clients looking for help in particular areas and an interactive website (a blog) is a tremendous method to meet this need. Need the name of a good mover, snow-plow company? Now you can post your request & get a first-hand reference.
4. When I view a really great house, listed with someone else, I can share this info with you. Let me know if you want more details (we will just email them off to you. No additional emails to you. You let us know if you want more info or want to see it.
5. Categories: you can do a search on my blog by category, i. e recipes or rebates.
6. Team input- I won’t be the only one inputting info on the blog. Sue Woodford, our star photographer/writer and Crystal Kluke, our Listings Manager & Office Manager will also be adding their news & views.
7. You can be automatically notified of any blog updates via RRS http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA101744611033.aspx
   

I welcome feedback! Happy New Year!

Carole