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Issues & Experts Archive > Passion, health, homebuyers, ferries — Issues and Experts
Passion, health, homebuyers, ferries — Issues and Experts
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February 26, 2004
Passion stirs response….Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ opened this week on Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season according to the Roman Catholic religion. Humanities lecturer and Anglican minister Don Grayston can share his thoughts after viewing the controversial movie with members of his local parish and a Jewish friend. School of communication PhD candidate Michael Markwick, a practicing Catholic, can discuss the film's resonance in a multicultural society.
Health report targets improvements….The Canadian Population Health Initiative's new report, Improving the Health of Canadians, asserts that "patterns of health and disease are largely a consequence of how we learn, live and work." The report focuses on four areas of population health: income, early child development, aboriginal peoples' health, and obesity. Michael Hayes, associate director of SFU's Institute for Health Research and Education, served on the expert advisory panel and can explain the key findings, including three innovative strategies for improving the health of Canadians.
Zero down but how much owed?…The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) decision to eliminate the minimum five percent down payment required to finance a home is receiving mixed reviews. The CMHC has made the move to make it easier for high-income earners with no down payment to purchase a home. While many potential homebuyers are celebrating the increased opportunity to get into the housing market, some business economists fear it could land a lot of people in trouble. SFU business professor Lindsay Meredith says, "If interest rates rise, you could have a real problem of foreclosed housing hitting the market. Those first-time buyers are the folks that don't have a lot of cash and are vulnerable to an interest rate hike."
Pay more at the dock…That is something that many ferry travelers are beginning to fear will happen. B.C. Ferries, now a private company, recently announced it will need about $1.5 billion to replace many of its aging vessels over the next 15 years. The provincial government has yet to tell B.C. Ferries how much of the cost of 22 new vessels it is willing to pick up. The B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union maintains that the privatization agreement allows B.C. Ferries to raise ticket prices to pay for new boats. SFU business economist Aidan Vining can comment on the business sense of replacing several ferries, the optimal methods of payment and the transportation justification for such replacement.Aidan Vining, 604.291.5249, vining@sfu.ca
- Don Grayston, 604.291.5516, donald_grayston@sfu.ca Michael Markwick, 604.925.2864,michael_markwick@sfu.ca
Health report targets improvements….The Canadian Population Health Initiative's new report, Improving the Health of Canadians, asserts that "patterns of health and disease are largely a consequence of how we learn, live and work." The report focuses on four areas of population health: income, early child development, aboriginal peoples' health, and obesity. Michael Hayes, associate director of SFU's Institute for Health Research and Education, served on the expert advisory panel and can explain the key findings, including three innovative strategies for improving the health of Canadians.
- Michael Hayes, 604.268.6648, cell: 250.818.2410, mhayes@sfu.ca
Zero down but how much owed?…The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's (CMHC) decision to eliminate the minimum five percent down payment required to finance a home is receiving mixed reviews. The CMHC has made the move to make it easier for high-income earners with no down payment to purchase a home. While many potential homebuyers are celebrating the increased opportunity to get into the housing market, some business economists fear it could land a lot of people in trouble. SFU business professor Lindsay Meredith says, "If interest rates rise, you could have a real problem of foreclosed housing hitting the market. Those first-time buyers are the folks that don't have a lot of cash and are vulnerable to an interest rate hike."
- Lindsay Meredith, 604.291.5554; lindsay_meredith@sfu.ca
Pay more at the dock…That is something that many ferry travelers are beginning to fear will happen. B.C. Ferries, now a private company, recently announced it will need about $1.5 billion to replace many of its aging vessels over the next 15 years. The provincial government has yet to tell B.C. Ferries how much of the cost of 22 new vessels it is willing to pick up. The B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union maintains that the privatization agreement allows B.C. Ferries to raise ticket prices to pay for new boats. SFU business economist Aidan Vining can comment on the business sense of replacing several ferries, the optimal methods of payment and the transportation justification for such replacement.