The Canada Pension Plan fund is one of the world's best investors, showing sterling returns in the worst decade for investing we've seen in the past 200 years. But nobody outside the investing community seems to know about it.

If you’re worried about your government pension in the future, don’t be. The Canada Pension Plan is doing very well, thank you. And it will continue to do so for the next 60 years or so.

The plan’s fund hit a record high of $161.6 billion last year, a 6.6-per-cent increase over the previous year (which in turn showed an 11.9-per-cent increase over its...

May 17, 2012 The Insider: Homes and Real Estate

Falling Prices in Real Estate

Skyrocketing real estate prices have reached their inevitable conclusion, apparently stopping the real estate frenzy of recent years. This year so far, house prices have fallen by some 20 per cent in the Vancouver region. It's about time.

All those taking part in Vancouver’s favourite investing game – real estate – may want to consider another pursuit. Meanwhile, those who were shut out of the market because of absurd prices may be getting some relief, albeit still minor.

It seems the local real estate market is on the skids – not exactly crashing, but certainly slowing...

May 11, 2012 The Insider: Energy and Resources

Canadian Commodity Update

Stocks in companies that mine gold and other commodities are currently down; and nobody is suffering more than B.C.'s large cohort of junior mineral exploration companies. But the world is changing, and the market will change with it.

Gold stocks are in the dumper these days – although, paradoxically, gold prices aren’t – and so the promoters and other denizens of Howe Street are pretty gloomy. While gold is the thing most of them chase, stocks of companies in other commodities or resources, except for oil, aren’t doing so well either.

There are many theories (take...

May 08, 2012 The Insider: Media, Arts and Entertainment

The Creative Sector's New Star

Digital effects are the new star in Vancouver's creative sector. But before we shower too much love on digital special effects, we might want to look at what's happened to some of the other creative industries here.

It looks like the creative industry has found a new star.

By that, I mean Vancouver’s rising new “star” on the global stage – its digital media sector – which was touted by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson in a recent Vancouver Sun story.

Gregor was agog (sorry, I couldn’t resist) over Vancouver being invited to one of...

May 04, 2012 The Insider: Food and Agriculture

Bringing Urban Farming to Vancouver

The City of Vancouver (and related municipalities) should fast-track their trimming of bylaws that prevent urban farming. It's an innovative industry whose time has come.

It seems the City of Vancouver is going to take a scythe to the tangle of laws that prevent urban farming businesses within the city boundaries.

Finally.

Urban farming has a lot of “green” and locavore overlay, so it’s often sneered at by more, shall we say, urban folk. But when you really get down to it, it’s about creating more innovative small businesses within the city. Even the...

May 02, 2012 The Insider: Energy and Resources

Arrogant Pipeline Politics

Northern Gateway Pipeline in B.C. | BCBusiness

The proposed oil pipeline in Northern B.C. may not have found itself facing so much trouble and strife if Alberta hadn't so arrogantly believed that it was the entire West.

The Alberta and federal governments are said to be considering sharing the spoils of the Northern Gateway pipeline with B.C. They’re hoping that may mute the escalating opposition to the massive project.

Don’t hold your breath, Alberta. The pipeline is all but a loser in B.C.

The $5.5-billion pipeline is shipping Alberta oil from its oil sands (“tarsands” if you’re of that...