The Olympic Village, intended to be a showcase for Vancouver and a prime real estate locale, is still not fully sold. Only 62 percent of the condos are filled and 96 percent of the affordable housing units. All the market rental units are full. Putting this all together means that 74 percent of the village is occupied.

That still means that taxpayers could still be left with a $100 million bill. Vancouver is still sitting on $446 million worth of loans on the project, according to Penny Ballem, the city manager. The city has sold 173 units this year, but there are still 301 on the market. Coun. Geoff Meggs, ever mindful of an election in the near future, advised that the city has tried to recover from the $1 billion loss created by the Non-Partisan Association council in the previous administration.

But Meggs is unsure whether the city will be able to avoid bankruptcy on the Millennium Development. If that happens, it is uncertain what the city will be able to recover from the project. Meggs believes the city will be roughly $100 million shy. That doesn’t count the $170 million still owed by Millennium to the city for the land purchase.

Ballen advised council that the exact amount Vancouver will be able to recover won’t be known until all of the condos are sold. So far the city has already counted on a minimum $48 million loss. Ballen declined to get more specific until the next financial report comes out in March of 2012, only noting that the 74 percent occupancy rate is encouraging.

If you are young family in the Metro Vancouver area, then chances are you are having a rough time paying for a mortgage and the monthly bills. Usually there is not much, if anything, left over, even if both parents work. Between that mortgage, daycare, student loans, transportation costs and groceries, things are stretched pretty thin. And, since both work, the family is not eligible for assistance. The pair makes too much money.

Studies show this is becoming the norm for such families in British Columbia, where the standard of living has decreased by a larger measure than anywhere else across Canada within the last 35 years. One study looked at the difference between incomes in 1976 compared to the present. On average, those couples between 25 and 34 saw a six percent decrease in income, when that income is adjusted for inflation. This is despite the fact that the number of women entering the workforce to contribute to the family income has increased by 42 percent.

Nowhere else in Canada is seeing this sort of problem. British Columbia is seen as the most difficult province in the country to raise a family. These families are having a much tougher time than the Baby Boomers, who are now on the verge of retirement. Baby Boomers already owning homes are cashing in on the increased value of those homes, while what is called the “Squeezed Generation” is having trouble affording not only the down payment, but the monthly mortgage. Some young families have to choose between the dream of home ownership, or more quality time with their children.

According to an editorial that appeared in the National Post website, Canada is in the midst of a housing bubble not unlike the one that spurred the 2008 economic crisis in the U.S. In the editorial, written by thevolunteer.ca editor Mike Brock, Canada is no more protected against such a condition than the U.S. was.

Brock asserted that Canada’s banking system is not as stringent in lending practices as it claims to be. He contended that economic problems in the States began long before the onset of the glut of subprime mortgages. The entire U.S. mortgage system is to blame, he said. He lent his name to the growing group of people and organizations that seek the end of Bank of Canada’s and CMHC’s stronghold on interest rates. Brock said that the sooner that the entities release their grip on rates, the easier it will be on the Canadian economy when the bubble bursts.

Andrew Mickey, who is the editor of wealthdaily.com, agrees that Canada is experiencing a bubble. He said that he has heard of 100-percent profits in Vancouver on selected homes. Mickey expressed his belief that given such extreme activity, Canada is poised for an even worse economic setback than that which the U.S. experienced.

Despite the uptick in comments about a housing bubble, most of Canada’s middle-of-the-road analysts do not feel that the market will be imperiled. According to a report released by Scotia Economics the week of September 26, continuing low interest rates will enable affordability despite increasing prices. In the most recent report from the CMHC, price corrections will not occur during the rest of this year, and prices are expected to increase in 2012.

These days people tend to spend much of their lives in offices, in front of computers and basically walled off from the natural world. But we were meant to go out and “smell the flowers” at least once in a while. Health guru Trevor Hancock figured out that between the office and home we spend about 90 percent of our lives indoors. Add another five percent for time spent in our cars, and that leaves a mere five percent to explore the outdoors.

Hancock notes that we should take that five percent, at least, and go out and walk, jog, plant a garden, anything to reconnect with the earth. This will have positive effects on our physical health, from helping to fight depression, ward off or lower blood pressure and even help you to lose a few pounds. Mentally, getting outside is a natural high. If we spend time out with real people it also helps to further keep us connected.

As far as going out and getting a bit dirty, go for it. We evolved to live among the trees, grasses and other animal life. The bacteria and fungi normally found in soil may help our immune system fight disease. Actually, a bit of good old fashioned garden soil is way healthier than those cleaning solutions used to spiff up our homes.

It is the children that get the most out of being outdoors. Rather than sitting and playing computer games, going outside to play basketball, fly a kite or to simply roll down a hill helps to bulk up immunes systems and keeps excess weight off. Getting outside is not usually a hard sell with kids. Most have a natural affinity for plants and animals and an endless capacity for curiosity and imagination. They just need pointed in the right direction…got that mom and dad?

The September 30th match up between the Edmonton Eskimos and the B.C. Lions will take place in the newly renovated BC Place Stadium. The makeover cost $563 million and workers are just putting the final sparkles on the project. The media have already received a tour of the upgraded arena.

The building has new seating, a retractable roof and a revamped playing surface. New windows, as well as the newly designed roof lets in more natural light, making the place seem even larger. Even with the air circulation system off, it was cool and comfortable inside, despite a hot day beyond the stadium walls. They basically gutted the old structure, took the old bones and fleshed out a new skin.

Bob Lenarduzzi, who is president of Vancouver’s resident soccer team the Whitecaps, is pleased with the new seating design. Some of the seats retract, allowing fans to get closer to the action. A special curtain will cover the upper seating at soccer games, giving the feel of a more intimate venue. Another concession to the hockey team was to mark the field for soccer only rather than just put the marks over the CFL football grid. Currently the team is plying at Empire Field. The first game for the team at B.C. Place will be on October 2nd. They will be hosting a team from Portland, Oregon.