With thirty percent of all properties in Alberta being
rental properties, the potential for issues between
landlords and tenants is great. If both the landlords
and tenants are aware of their own rights and responsibilities,
the renting process can be much smoother.
Until now, Alberta landlords had to rely on jargon-heavy
legal documents to outline the information contained
in the province’s Residential Tenancy Act. However,
as of March 1, 2006, landlords are able to access the
legal information about the recently revised Act in
the “Laws for Landlords in Alberta” site. The information
is now written in everyday, easy-to-understand English
and is put together in a user-friendly format.
The website, developed by the University of Alberta
Legal Studies Program with funding from the Alberta
Real Estate Foundation, covers a host of topics pertinent
to property rental. Landlords will find information
on becoming a landlord, possible issues that may arise
before a tenancy, during a tenancy and when terminating
a tenancy.
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Auto insurers report billions in profits
Figures released by Statistics Canada in late-February
showed that Canada’s
auto private insurance companies reported a record in
pre-tax profits in 2005 amounting to approximately $6.4
billion.
During the last three years, insurers posted about
$16 billion in profits, more than in the previous nine
years combined.
--
Stress proves costly at work
Many people have been dealing with workplace stress
for years, but now studies are finally attaching dollar
figures to the problems.
Costs are incurred from health-care expenses, absenteeism
and “presenteeism” – employees who physically show up
for work but are not mentally there.
The studies have shown that workplace stress costs
billions of dollars each year. About 20 percent of the
payroll of a typical company goes towards dealing with
stress-related problems, including employee turnover,
disability leaves, counseling and more, according to
the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Work-life conflict - that is the stress that arises
when work and family life clash - costs Canadian businesses
$4.5 billion to $10 billion each year, according to
Health Canada.
In addition, mental health problems such as stress,
depression and addiction tax the economy by about $33
billion annually.
--
Canadian salaries rose in 2005
Statistics Canada
recently announced that the average weekly Canadian
salary rose by 3.1 percent in 2005, reaching $724.60.
People who worked in the information and culture industries
saw the biggest gain with a rise of 5.9 percent.
As well, management salaries rose 5 percent, mining
and energy salaries by 4.7 percent and construction
and forestry by 4 percent.
Out of the provinces and territories, Albertans saw
the greatest gains with their salaries rising 5.2 percent
on average.
According to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian
worker puts in 31.7 hours weekly, similar to the amount
in 2004.
ILS Learning Corporation is excited to announce the launch
of accredited courses to help Ontario real estate professionals
obtain their required level of Mandatory Continuing Education
credits as prescribed by the Real Estate Council of Ontario.
As of April 1, real estate representatives can complete any
or all of the seven RECO-approved courses through ILS Learning
Corporation.
The courses are an easy, effective and affordable way to
obtain MCE credits. Those interested in subscribing or finding
out more about these courses should contact ILS Learning Corporation
at 1-800-404-2211. More information and subscriptions are
also available on the Web. Check out www.myrealestatecredits.com
or www.ilscorp.com.
CAIB
1 Online Video ILS Preparation Course now available!
For brokers looking to write their
CAIB 1 examination, the process just got easier, faster and
more econimical.
Please check our website
or contact
our office to discuss how you and your office can start
this interactive course right away.
*Press play to start video
Bad news for Honda owners
The Insurance Bureau of Canada released their list of Canada’s
top ten stolen vehicles in 2005 and Hondas were apparently
very popular with car thieves.
The full list is as follows:
2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door
1996 4 Wheel Drive Chevrolet/GMC Blazer/Jimmy S Series
2-door
1994 Honda Civic Si Hatchback 2-door
1993 Volkswagen Corrado 2-door
1995 Honda Civic Si Hatchback 2-door
1992 Chrysler/Dodge Caravan and Voyager
2002 All Wheel Drive Subaru Impreza WRX 4-door
1999 Volkswagen Golf GTI Hatchback 2-door
1993 Honda Civic Si Hatchback 2-door
There are some notable trends in this list. Not only did
the Honda Civic make the dubious achievement of being the
most stolen car in the country, but seven of the ten cars
listed are 2-doors. As well, none of the ten vehicles on the
list come with approved immobilizer systems.
Electronic immobilizers, which prevent a vehicle from being
started unless a specific electronic code is used, are becoming
standard on many newer-model vehicles. As a result, thieves
are turning to older cars simply because they are easier to
steal.
Owners of older cars should consider getting an aftermarket
immobilizer installed in their vehicle to reduce the risk
of auto theft.
Automobile theft costs Canadians millions of dollars annually.
Current estimates suggest that the theft of vehicles and their
components costs policyholders more than $580 each year.
A recent study conducted for Day-Timers Inc., an American
maker of organizational products, has shown that most U.S.
workers say they feel rushed while on the job but, compared
to previous years, are getting less done in a day.
The workers polled said that in 2005, they completed about
two-thirds of their work in an average day. A similar study
done in 1994 showed that workers were getting about three-quarters
of their work done in the same time frame.
According to the study, one of the biggest banes to productivity
is technology. Gadgets and devices which are supposed to make
work quicker and easier are in fact slowing workers down.
For example, in a single day workers typically receive 46
e-mails. About half of those are unsolicited. Sixty percent
of workers in the U.S. said that they always or frequently
feel rushed. Those who said that they feel extremely or very
productive dropped to 51 percent from 83 percent in 1994.
While there are no statistics for Canada at this time, there
is little doubt that the same trends are affecting those of
us in the Great White North. Reliance on e-mails, voicemails,
Blackberries and cell phones mean that while people are always
available, they’re also spending more time waiting.
With the newfound surge of techno-reliance, a good time management
strategy is very important. Do you have a time management
strategy in place? Do you prioritize well? You should be critically
analyzing how you spend your day so you are able to recognize
the areas that may need more or less attention. ILS Learning
Corporation has created a continuing education course on time
management to help you create the best possible strategy.
For more information on this course or any others, feel free
to contact ILS Learning Corporation at 1-800-404-2211 or at
info@ilscorp.com
Why not take a look at ILS Learning Corporation’s new
blog? You’ll find up-to-date information and postings
by the ILS team. Feel free to leave your comments.
As industries progress, new words and phrases are often introduced
and become common-place. Below is a list of words and phrases
that are looking to join the ranks.
BLAMESTORMING - Sitting around in a group, discussing why
a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.
CUBE FARM - An office filled with cubicles.
PRAIRIE DOGGING - When someone yells or drops something loudly
in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to
see what's going on. (This also applies to applause from a
promotion because there may be cake).
MOUSE POTATO - The online, wired generation's answer to the
couch potato.
XEROX SUBSIDY - Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from
one's workplace.
PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE - The fine art of repetitively whacking
an electronic device to get it to work again.
