About half Canadians don’t know the mortgage rules change today

Just read the news this morning regarding to the new mortgage rules in Canada. Yes I am part of the half Canadians that don't know about it. Apparently, federal government announce the new rules on Jun 21, 2012, and it will take effect on July 9, 2012

Picture from http://fortmcmurraymortgage.com

Here're the changes: 


- Reduce the maximum amortization period to 25 years from 30 years. This will reduce the total interest payments Canadian families make on their mortgage, helping them build up equity in their homes more quickly and pay off their mortgage sooner. The maximum amortization period was set at 35 years in 2008 and further reduced to 30 years in 2011.

- Lower the maximum amount Canadians can borrow when refinancing to 80% from 85% of the valve of their homes. This will promote saving through home ownership and encourage homeowners to prudently manage borrowings against their homes.

- Fix the maximum gross debt service ratio at 39% and the maximum total debt service ration at 44%. This will better protect Canadian households that may be vulnerable to economic shocks or an increase in interest rates.

- Limit the availability of government-backed insured mortgages to home with a purchase price of less than $1 million

The rule sound making Canadian buying house more difficult, but I think it's a good thing. Investing a house is great for saving and some good potential financial return, but if investing a house that cannot afford it may give you lots of pain.

Source: financial post

Receive 4 Disney Land / Disney World Ticket Free - Another Scam

Received another scam - Receive 4 Disney Land / Disney World Ticket Free today. In order to get the "Free ticket", you need to invite your friend to join this event.  This is almost exactly same as the Starbucks one - Receive $100 Starbucks Gift Card for FREE (Official). I am telling you again. This is a scam / spam. 

1. When you click on the page they created, it's almost nothing there. Official page should have more information.

2. It's too good to be true, just invite 50 friends, you can get 1 Ticket. There's no free lunch.

3. The link will redirect to "http://lnkgt.com/8v3" which will ask you to pick up Apple stuff instead of Disney Land ticket and continue.

If you did make the mistake of sharing the scam link, then you are now spamming your friends with the very same message. Clean-up your newsfeed and profile to remove references to the scam. (click the “x” in the top right hand corner of the post).

Be on the lookout for more marketing offers arriving to your email inbox and physical address if you submitted that information to the scammers. Also be aware and alert for possible identity theft attempts.

Receive $100 Starbucks Gift Card for FREE (Official) - SPAM !

Today I receive an invitation from my friend about receive $100 Starbucks gift card for FREE (Official). In order to get the gift card, you need to invite your friend to join this event. I almost invite all of my friends to this event, but I step back a little bit. I click the link show in step 3 first. I realized that this is a spam more than official.
1. When you click on the page they created, it's almost nothing there. Official page won't be like that.
2. It's too good to be true, just invite 50 friends, you can get $25 Voucher. There's no free lunch.
3. The link will redirect to http://lnkgt.com/8v3 which will ask you to pick up Apple stuff instead of Starbucks and continue.  

If you did make the mistake of sharing the scam link, then you are now spamming your friends with the very same message. Clean-up your newsfeed and profile to remove references to the scam. (click the “x” in the top right hand corner of the post).

Be on the lookout for more marketing offers arriving to your email inbox and physical address if you submitted that information to the scammers. Also be aware and alert for possible identity theft attempts.

Getting a tax refund is good, but Beware of fraudulent communications

I and my wife recently filed the tax for 2011. Within two days, my wife got an email from Canada Revenue Agency subject as Tax Refund Notice! We were sure that this email is a fraud. Here is the email.


From: refund@office.com
Subject: Tax Refund Notice !

This e-mail has been sent to you by Canada Revenue Agency to inform you that are eligible to receive a tax refund of 410.00 USD.  Kindly complete the tax refund request and allow 3-4 working days.   A refund can be delayed for a variety of reason.   For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline.                                   To access the, form of your tax refund we request you to confirm and update your information today by following the link below http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/taxpayers/refundation.html_verify_your email address (I change it to your email address instead of my wife email address)    If you have already confirmed your  information then please  disregard this message.    Regards, Canada Revenue Agency  Thanks for your cooperation.

Here are the lists of why we thought this is a fraud
1. The email address from refund@office.com. If Canada Revenue Agency sent me email, they will send under something@cra.ca
2. Receive a tax refund in USD. What I joke, I file tax in Canadian dollar. 
3. I believe CRA has all of my personal information again, why do I need to update it again? 
4. The link looks so weird, at the end showing verify_your email address. Later on I found that the actual link is http://52weeksof25.com/wp-admin/js/sulf/index.php

After my first investigation, I went to Canada Revenue Agency official web site to find more information regarding to the fraud. 

Occasionally, taxpayers may receive, either by telephone, mail, or email, a communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) but is NOT. In all these cases, the communication requests personal information, such as a social insurance, credit card, bank account, and passport numbers, from the taxpayer. These fraudulent communications are also referred to as scams or phishing.
Invariably, the communication argues that this personal information is needed so that the taxpayer can receive a refund or benefit payment. Another common scam refers the person to a Web site resembling the CRA's Web site where the person is asked to verify their identity by entering personal information. Taxpayers should not respond to such fraudulent communications.
To better equip taxpayers to identify those communications that do not come from the CRA, the following general guidelines are provided.
The CRA does not do the following:

• The CRA will not request personal information of any kind from a taxpayer by email.
• The CRA will not divulge taxpayer information to another person unless formal authorization is provided by the taxpayer.
• The CRA will not leave any personal information on an answering machine.

When in doubt, ask yourself the following:

• Am I expecting additional money from the CRA?
• Does this sound too good to be true?
• Is the requester asking for information I would not include with my tax return?
• Is the requester asking for information I know the CRA already has on file for me?
• How did the requester get my email address?
• Am I confident I know who is asking for the information?

The CRA will continue to post notifications of fraudulent communications as we become aware of them and encourages you to check our Web site should you have concerns.

You will find examples of a fraudulent letter, emails, and online refund forms on the CRA's Web site. As per telephone calls, the CRA will occasionally leave messages for taxpayers on their answering machines. In these cases, a callback number will be provided along with a request to have the taxpayer's SIN available upon callback. However, it is important to note that not all telephone messages purporting to be from the CRA are genuine. Should taxpayers wish to verify the authenticity of a CRA telephone number, they should contact the CRA directly by using the numbers on ourTelephone numbers page. For business-related calls, contact 1-800-959-5525 and for individual concerns, contact 1-800-959-8281.


There's always fraud email around. Do not want to be a victim, beware of the email you receive from someone ask for "update," "validate," or "confirm" your account information or face dire consequences with the link. 
Want more information about Email Fraud. Royal Canadian Mounted Police has full details. 

Tesco Opens Worlds First Virtual Store in South Korea

I heard about shopping in virtual store last year. The idea is great. People can buy groceries while they are waiting for subway at the station. You can simply use your smart phone scan the code shows on the screen. It will ship it to your home at the time you request. At that time, I didn't really pay attention, and I thought it just an concept. Now it comes true.  For me, I will stick shopping at the real store. I like to see the real products, especially for meat. 

Read this article from Archello.com 

Tesco Homeplus in South Korea is opening the world’s first virtual store today in the Seoul subway to help time-pressed commuters shop on the go using their smartphones.

The walls of the Seonreung subway station in downtown Seoul came to life today with virtual displays of over 500 of the most popular products with barcodes which customers can scan using the Homeplus app on their smartphones and get delivered right to their doorstep.

The beauty of the idea is that busy commuters can scan their groceries on their way to work in the morning and, as long as their order is placed before 13.00, their items will be delivered home that same evening, creating even greater speed and convenience in the whole shopping experience.

DW Seol, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Tesco Homeplus, said: “I am extremely proud of the great work the Tesco Homeplus team have done to launch this idea in the Seoul subway. We are always looking to make the shopping experience easier and more convenient for our customers and the introduction of the virtual store is a great achievement. This is a real triumph for the Korean retailing industry as it continues to be at the forefront of technological innovation.” 

The displays, which include a range of different daily items from milk and apples to pet food and stationery, will be placed on the pillars and the screen doors at the subway station. Commuters can then scan the QR code beneath the desired item via the Homeplus app on their smartphone and the item will then be delivered direct to the customer’s home at a time of their choosing.

Tesco Homeplus is actually owned by Tesco and Samsung. It is the second largest discount retail chain in South Korea. Back in 2008, the Homeplus CEO Lee Seung-han had the vision of starting virtual store at Seol leung station. He chose this location because over 200,000 commuters use it every day. Also, he foresaw the number of smartphone users is expected to skyrocket and noticed that the smart phones usually use at subway and bus stations. The virtual store works under a "order-and-delivery" model. Delivery time is flexible based on the customers' requests. 

100 years old almost got a speed ticket in Victoria

I know Victoria is a perfect place for retirement, and many health seniors live in Victoria. If someone told me a 80 years old lady or man driving on the road, I think that is a little bit too heavy for them, but it still doable. I have never thought that 100 years old man still driving on the street, and he may pass by me or follow me when I drive on the street. My friend told me there was a 100 years old man almost got a speed ticket in Victoria/ Saanich few days ago. The most interesting part is the 100 years old man just got a renewal for another 5 years. At this moment, he still has flawless driving record. He must be a very good driver, of course with a very healthy body. I found the news from Saanich News and Victoria Times Colonist. 

Saanich News

A centenarian driver still has a spotless driving record after being issued a warning ticket when he was caught speeding in a school zone Tuesday afternoon.

The 100-year-old man was clocked driving his Buick Century 50 km/h in the 5000-block of Cordova Bay Rd.

Saanich police Sgt. Dean Jantzen said the traffic safety unit officer “wasn’t about to wreck his perfect driving record,” and issued him a warning.

Despite school not being in session on Tuesday, due to the teachers’ strike, Jantzen said there are reasonable expectations that children will be at school, and school zone speed limits are still in effect.

Victoria Times Colonist
It took 100 years for one Saanich man to tarnish his perfect record.
The centenarian was stopped for speeding in a school zone Tuesday, a shock to a Saanich traffic office when she saw the 1911 birthdate on a driver's licence, which was good for another five years. The traffic officer pulled over the 100-year-old driver in a Buick Century when he was spotted going 50 kilometers an hour in a school zone, where the limit is 30 kilometers an hour. The man had a flawless driving record, so the traffic officer gave him a warning ticket.
"I was shocked, not only at the 100 years of age, but the brand new five-year renewal driver licence," said Const. Janice Carmena.

© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Cedar Hill Golf Course Restaurant Closed

Stair to the Restaurant

Cedar Hill golf course is one of my favorite places to visit in Victoria. I was running on their trail a lot. I love their restaurant. I always recommend people to have lunch there. With less than $15 for a meal, you can have a good view of blue sky with fantastic green and very relaxing atmosphere inside the restaurant. People who work there are very nice and smile all the time. That's why my wife and I chose here to held our wedding banquet. Dino Clarkson who was the executive chef of the restaurant gave us a lot of advices on our wedding banquet such as decoration, flooring plan, and food selection. Thank you so much Dino Clarkson. My wife, the guests and I were very enjoyed the food, and we had a unforgettable night. 

Recently, I found that the cedar hill golf course projected $820,000 deficit for this year. Closing the restaurant (I didn't know the restaurant called Shank's Pub until I read the news) can save $100,000 for the deficit. It’s sad that my wife and I  didn’t get a chance to object or visit the restaurant again before they closed. The last day for the restaurant was Feb 17, 2012.  Now Cedar Hill Golf Course Restaurant / Shank's Pub is only in our memory. 

I find a history of the Cedar Hill Golf Course on Saanich News.

Looking outside from the restaurant

- The first time a round of golfing was 100 years ago.

- McRae family owned the land of Cedar Hill Golf course until November of 1967.

- 133-acre property was used as a dairy farm.

- The location of Cedar Hill rec center, built in 1972, was the McRae’s old cattle barn

- Cedar Hill Golf Course was a nine-hole course. Until 1951, it expanded to 18-hole course.

- In 1967,  the District of Saanich expropriated the McRae property for 1.2 million.

- Saanich began operating the course in 1971.

- In May 1996, the clubhouse was destroyed by the arson attack from two teens.

- The new clubhouse, cost 1.3 million, opened in 1997 till today.

- The golf course has been getting complaints of errant golf balls damaging surrounding properties from the neighborhood since 1939.  

- By 2008, the golf course and clubhouse began to face deficits.

Photography by - Adrian Lam, Times Colonist

News from CTV regarding to the closing Shank's Pub