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Rent 2010 features Vancouver accommodation and Whistler vacation rentals by owner for 2010. Rent 2010 also lists parties seeking private winter 2010 accommodations from Richmond (south of Vancouver) to Whistler ski resort. Whether you are renting out your Canada home, or whether you want to rent Vancouver accommodation or Whistler vacation rentals for winter 2010, let Rent 2010 help find your match.

Submit your free Rent 2010 vacation rental listing today!

On January 1, 2008 Metro Vancouver adopted a Zero Waste policy in our community. For years it’s been generally accepted that we shouldn’t throw things like cardboard, drywall and batteries into the landfills. Well you can now add to that list things like yard trimmings, blue box recyclables, electronic waste, and vehicle tires. If you’re saying to yourself, ‘we already recycle those items’, you’re right, we do. It’s just that now the municipalities plan to enforce those rules in order to make sure we practice what we preach. When waste removal companies haul debris to a landfill or transfer station they are charged by weight – they enter a scale, are weighed, tip their boxes, and exit a scale. Part of implementing the Zero Waste program means that any company dumping any of the banned materials will be charged half their tipping fee. While this deterrent has been in place for years, I can say that in our four years in business our loads were rarely searched, so it will be interesting to see if the rule is finally enforced. To date various employees have let me know that yes, they are checking loads at the dump now.

Perhaps the most intriguing item taken off the accepted list is electronic waste. For years electronic waste has been thrown into the metal recycling pile – the logic behind this being that most electronics, aside from televisions, are made of metal. En-Corp, a federal, non-profit stewardship corporation is heading up the electronic recycling. Much like car batteries and tires, when you buy any new electronics now you will be paying for the recycling at the time of purchase. According to this 36% of people replace their TV’s within ten years, just think how many televisions will be saved from the dump in one generation alone! For more information check out the

Recycling Council of BC’s website here.

Written by Chris O’Brien 604-TRASH-IT

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouvergo/1770085714/

It seems we can’t separate the Internet from our lives these days. Every day people use the Internet, whether to do a job, to help in studies or just for plain fun. Everything seems possible on the Internet: We can use it to talk to anyone no matter where they live, and we can track any information we are interested in, any time we want. As the Internet is becoming necessary in our lives, people have found ways to turn it into a job. Having an Internet shop is getting popular and a lot of people may have thought about taking the leap into an Internet business.

24 hours asked people working online about their Internet business. Kareen E. Van Nen is the owner of online shop for babies, the Nicebaby Design Co (www.nicebaby.ca). Allan Antonio runs eBusiness Connection. It is not itself an online business, but a unique and comprehensive collection of e-business information services to help B.C.’s small businesses adapt to technological change, and maintain and grow their businesses online

24 hours: How did you start that business?

Van Nen: I started this business as a creative outlet for myself. I wanted to run an ethical shop where people can find unique products for kids that are made in Vancouver. Building a web store is NOT like the movie Field of Dreams, if you build it, they won’t necessarily come. Running an online shop may not be as easy as what you might think.

Antonio: eBusiness Connection was started to help B.C. businesses remain competitive in our rapidly changing information economy by Western Economic Diversification, B.C.’s Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development and the Leadership and Management Development Council of B.C. eBusiness Connection was created in response to the entrepreneurial community’s demand for more and better e-business and e-commerce resources.

In Canada’s private sector, more than 75 per cent of businesses are estimated to be using the Internet to facilitate some aspect of their business. It is not only because of the growing number of Internet users, but also it is easy to approach to potential customers. Above all, the reason online businesses are popular is because of the low overhead.

24hours: Why do you think online businesses are getting popular?

Van Nen: The start-up costs can be very affordable, and people like the idea of being their own boss and working from home.

24 hours: What are the positive points/ negative points of running an online business?

Van Nen: One of the positive points of running an online business is being your own boss. You can work flexible hours and having full creative rein (to some degree).

One of the attractive points is working from home. While running an online business, you can do other things in your home. The negative point is not meeting customers face to face and having so many e-mails to read and write.

24 hours: In an online business, you can’t meet customers. How can you deal with them? How can you attract customers?

Antonio: In our opinion the main difference between online business and bricks-and-mortar business is the interaction within the sales process. The important thing is trust. Customers will not buy from your website if they can’t quickly determine who you are, where you are located and how to contact you. If customers don’t know or can’t find these three basic things, then they will not buy from you.

To keep trust, put your address and telephone numbers on the bottom of every page. Provide information about you and your company, your location, office hours and contact numbers.

Also, it is imperative that the information on the website be accessible, easily understood and complete. Keeping in touch with and attracting new clients is one of the important things. Advertising is necessary. You can advertise your site though monthly newsletters, updates or promotions. It is not only important, it offers repeat customers incentives to keep returning to your site.

24 hours: Nowadays many people are interested in starting an online business. What kind of advice can you give them?

Van Nen: There is a lot of hard work involved, a lot of research, people to do jobs for you that you are not able to do, like web design, and more. Every day there is a new hurdle, but once you are over, the next hurdle doesn’t seem as high.

Setting up a business to sell online is subject to the same rules and regulations as if you opened a boutique on Robson Street, therefore you will need to register the business, sign up for a business number (of which your GST number is a component), and obtain the necessary licences and permits for the jurisdiction that your business is located.

Before you invest time and money setting up a business online you need to do some important research. There are a lot of competitors on the Internet. Starting an online business is not as easy as you might think.

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Business/2007/11/26/4685771-sun.html

A young B.C. woman says she lost $5,000 in a fraudulent deal brokered on Craigslist, a popular website of free classified advertisements.

Audrey Sobhani, a 23-year-old nursing student from Port Coquitlam, was conned out of the money after recently posting an ad to rent her apartment in Abbotsford.

She began corresponding with an interested renter, who sent her a certified cheque. The cheque she received was for more money than she was owed.

Under the agreement the two parties reached, all she had to do was deposit the cheque, then wire back the extra cash, amounting to $5,000.

The certified cheque she deposited, however, was counterfeit. Sobhani only found out after wiring the cash.

Louis Robertson of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said Sobhani shouldn’t expect to recover her loss.

“The chances of the victim there picking up her money is almost nil.”

Sobhani said she has heard stories about internet scams, but it never hit home until now.

“I just feel, like, pretty crushed, just crushed that someone can do this to someone else.”

She said she’s telling her story in the hopes that no one else falls victim to a similar scam.

From http://www.cbc.ca 

http://www.gettoknow.ca

The Robert Bateman art contest

“These kids are only ten years old!” marvels Corwin. He wishes he had some other skill besides wicked-mad photoshop-text-adding.

From http://flickr.com/photos/cool_dry_place/203362362/

It’s an effort to get kids off the couch - and back in touch with the great outdoors. World renowned Canadian wildlife artist and naturalist, Robert Bateman, is launching his “Get to Know Program” to students of the Greater Vancouver Area. Bateman says the interactive CD attempts to bridge the gap between kids and their environment - and that can have a positive effect.

“Here’s what happens - you get less obesity, less attention deficit disorder, less depression, less suicide, less drug and alcohol abuse and kids get better marks.” The CD features hikes and will allow students the opportunity to virtually explore parks in various Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton. The Get to Know Program is the result of years of collaboration with leading environmental organizations, educators and community stakeholders across the country.

Bateman founded and launched the program in the province of BC in 1999.

From http://www.news1130.com

Environmentalists, local citizens, and residents of Eagle Ridge Bluffs and their tent city which was an effort to block Olympic development. The construction is underway now and will bridge the cities of Vancouver and Whistle, each city a host for the 2010 Winter Olympic games.

Are these environMENTAL kooks? I’ll let you be the judge. For more information, visit http://www.eagleridgebluffs.ca/ - The Eagleridge Bluff Coalition

www.offsetters.ca

More and more people are putting climate change at the top of their worry list. A new poll says 93% of Canadians are worried enough that they’d switch their power or gas company to one that reduces carbon emissions.It’s called going carbon neutral, and a Vancouver-based not-for-profit organization called Offsetters is a leader in the field. They pool individual or corporate investments into quality projects that reduce carbon emissions so in effect you can buy out the equivalent of the carbon you produce.

And Offsetters James Tansey says it’s an idea taking off. He says in their first year of operation, they were not-for-profit by design and in practice but since last September, their business has increased dramatically.

There are even ways you can do it for free. Offsetters is helping companies like WestJet and Harbour Air offer carbon neutral travel. You can check it out at www.offsetters.ca.

from http://www.news1130.com

You have profile on FaceBook. To some, your information is meaningless. But to a predator, an academic adviser or employer, a few clicks can reveal details about someone’s life that could be used against them.

Social-networking sites are coming under scrutiny for just these reasons. Groups like the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s Cybertip.ca are trying to raise the alarm about web dangers.

“With these networking sites typically, you’re exposing everything,” says Signy Arnason, Director of Cybertip.ca.

“What’s not resonating with children is that the Internet is a public space. You’d equate it to your child going with a photo album into Safeway and allowing people who pass by to view it. You’re doing the same thing placing all this information on the Internet.”

That openness is risky. In its first year of operations, Cybertip.ca logged 5,771 reports of potential online child sexual abuse: 21,000 to date. It found 93 per cent of those lured are female, 73 per cent aged 12 to 15. Ninety-five per cent of the suspects are male.

In the most recent B.C. case, Burnaby RCMP revealed Thursday they were investigating an elementary school janitor for having online contact with a female student, though no sexual allegations have been made.

In the U.S., the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states one out of five kids online have been propositioned.

Just last week, a 15-year-old Florida girl disappeared after she snuck out of her house to meet a 24-year-old man she’d met on MySpace — a man who turned out to be a 46-year-old sex offender.

The primary fear about the safety of social networking sites (and there are dozens besides MySpace and Facebook — see sidebar) remains sexual predators. But there are other risks for kids, too. One concern is innocent photos a child or teen uploads could be used for insidious purposes.

“Kids need to know that once a picture, once anything, is posted on the Internet, quite often it is there forever,” says Const. Annie Linteau of the B.C. RCMP’s E Division.

“You don’t know who at the other end of the line is seeing that photo. You don’t know what they are doing with it. It is certainly possible for children to become victims [of sexual exploitation] without knowing the adults who are looking at the photos.”

Photo from http://flickr.com/photos/mtbtrials/418035922/

TimberWest Forest Corporation has selected Internet real estate auction specialists, LFC Online, in conjunction with Avison Young Commercial Real Estate Inc., the premier Canadian commercial real estate company, to sell over 14,000 acres of unique forest land on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In this accelerated online auction marketing campaign, bidders will have the opportunity to acquire six separate land parcels of Canadian wilderness with merchantable timber value in three beautiful locations: Capes Lake, Port Renfrew and Campbell River.

Capes Lake is a one-of-a-kind mountaintop parcel offering over 12,000 acres of pristine forest, cascading waterfalls, serene private lakes, merchantable timber and unsurpassed views of picturesque Georgia Strait. Located just 350 km (217 miles) from the City of Victoria and adjacent to Strathcona Provincial Park, the Capes Lake parcel would be the perfect addition to any exclusive real estate portfolio. As the gateway to some of the most breathtaking coastlines in the world, Port Renfrew, “The Undiscovered Jewel of the West Coast,“ offers over 1,400 total acres of secluded forest land divided into four distinct parcels, ranging from 165 to 800 acres. With its tranquil landscape that has made the west coast of Vancouver Island famous, the properties provide pieces of untouched wilderness for the most discriminating buyer. Finally, perfectly situated on a highly-accessible, waterfront lot, the Campbell River parcel is located in a growing industrial area, neighboring a barge loading dock, an industrial park and a Catalyst Pulp Mill. Complete with a functional office building, an 11,000 sq. ft. workshop with adjoining oceanfront office premises, a concrete boat launch and a wharf with adjoining dock, this 33-acre, waterfront industrial development site is ready for use.

“Our innovative online auction program breaks down traditional barriers for real estate buyers. Unlike conventional, live ‘outcry’ auction events, our buyers don’t need to be in a specific location at a certain time. They can conduct the bulk of their property research online, visit the properties at their own convenience and then place their bids from literally anywhere in the world. In today’s Internet-based world, the conventional sales process just isn’t the most efficient vehicle for either buyers or sellers of real estate,“ remarks Bill Lange, President of the LFC Group of Companies. “Vancouver Island’s prime Pacific Rim location makes it extremely attractive to American, Canadian and Asian buyers. Our online program literally allows anyone in the world who may be interested in purchasing these quality properties, the opportunity to do so at prices of their choice.“

The bid deadline is November 8, 2007, and prospective buyers are encouraged to visit www.LFC.com/686R1 to review more information about the available properties and register to bid in this rare online auction.

From http://www.ndtvprofit.com

All Adult Basic Education To Be Tuition-Free In B.C.

The Province is investing $17.5 million under the second phase of ReadNow BC to make adult basic education tuition-free for all students and increase financial aid for adult learners, Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell and Education Minister Shirley Bond announced.

Go to http://www.learnnowbc.ca to find more

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