Speaker: Thomas Mueller, President of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC)

Q: We are distributors of natural stone, tiles and ceramic and porcelain tiles. How can we be included in the LEED® program?

A: The Canada Green Building Council does not certify or endorse any kind of product, technology or service. The best way for any company to get involved is to:

• Become a member of the Council;
• Demonstrate that their products have environmental benefits and/or can help meet certain LEED credits;
• If the company doesn’t have products with environmental merits, then it can think about developing new products along this line.

Speaker: Warren Jestin

Q: Why are forestry exports expected to continue declining?

A: The near-term weakness in forest products is related to the recession in U.S. housing, which may last into 2009.

Q: What is holding up the BC economy?

A: The lower mainland in B.C. is booming with activity surrounding the Olympics, the construction of Pacific Gateway Infrastructure and the very strong demand for industrial metals. Energy development, including natural gas, will continue to add substantial support for the economy. The province also is in a very strong fiscal position and is providing significant stimulus.

Q: NAFTA: What impact does it have on our Canadian economy and our resistance to U.S. economy woes?

A: For Canada, NAFTA is centred on the U.S. Trade between Mexico and Canada is relatively small. However, NAFTA offers important access to the U.S. market, an important positive if the U.S. becomes more restrictive on trade as appears likely.

Speaker: Alex Carrick

Q: Is it possible to get ICI starts for CMAs like Kitchener, Windsor, Barrie, etc?

A: Yes, CanaData has starts for all CMAs (Census Metropolitan Areas), all CAs (Census Agglomerations) and down to the county level.

Q: Job creation in Canada affects part time (no benefits = less wealth, no high wages): it should bring our economy down and it's not; why?

A: Both part-time and full-time employment growth has been strong. The unemployment rate at 5.8% is at a 33-year low. Incomes are growing strongly and this is one of the chief drivers of the economy.

Q: Does CanaData have market ranking for selected trades in 2008? In Quebec?

A: CanaData does not have this information.

Q: Given the lack of space in Toronto for residential, how do you see the condo market going — is it becoming overbuilt or is it still growing?

A: I would say the condo market is becoming overbuilt. This seems like a traditional cyclical overheating situation. It happens, in some form or another, in every cycle — sometimes in office buildings, sometimes in single-family housing. The usual reason that condo construction takes over from single-family housing is price. Singles become too expensive and first-time homebuyers opt for condo or apartment living instead. Many of the condos that are being built in Toronto now, however, can't be described as low priced.