amazon in canada

Amazon.com has applied to open and run its own fulfilment center in Canada. Currently, Amazon outsources all inventory control and delivery to Canada Post because of existing rules on foreign ownership of “book publishing and other cultural industries”. For those who don’t know, Amazon.ca has a very limited item selection compared to Amazon.com and pricing is higher. There’s also no fancy features like Amazon Prime. According to a Globe & Mail article it looks like the Harper government might approve the application. Unforunately, both book publishers and book sellers aren’t crazy about the idea. If Amazon lost its application the only winner would be Chapters/Indigo (which probably owns 90% of the bookstores in Canada) and places like BestBuy.

Personally, I can’t wait. Online retail in Canada is a certified wasteland. The only exception to that is Well.ca.

Jim Flaherty blasted for $3,100 flight – thestar.com. He took a private flight to London, Ontario to do a photo-op at a Tim Horton’s and talk about controlling government expenses. How many press conferences does the government need to do at Tim Horton’s? And there wasn’t a Tim Horton’s in Ottawa available?

What If Everybody in Canada Flushed At Once?. a graph of water consumption in Edmonton during the gold medal hockey game. people were really holding it until intermission.

Four Seconds – thestar.com. a frame by frame breakdown of Crosby’s gold medal goal.

36 hours in Vancouver – NYTimes.com. Vij’s & Rangoli are going to be so stupidly busy for the next 3 weeks. People line up there before the restaurant opens on a normal day let along during the olympics.

Snow & Ashes – Trailer. interesting looking canadian film about war reporters.

HSBC Business Direct: HSBC Bank Canada. a no fee chequing account for small businesses in Canada. holy crap, i just saw a flying pig!

CBC News – U.S. Steel challenges Investment Canada Act. the gov is suing them over not keeping employment levels they agreed to when they bought Stelco.

Proroguing Parliament – a travesty, yet clever – The Globe and Mail. Mr. Harper in 2002 talking about the Liberal government: “The government will prorogue the House so that it will not be held accountable for its shameful record”

Not a Tax Grab After All: CCPA report on HST | Canadian Capitalist. nice commentary on the sheer hysteria around the HST and a report for the Center for Policy Alternatives calling it a good policy change.

Edmonton shatters cold record. minus 46 outside the city. that doesn’t even include the wind chill. dear lord.

new national carrier

So the federal government overruled the CRTC concerning the foreign ownership of Wind Mobile and Wind might be offering wireles service as soon as Monday in Toronto and Calgary.

Hilariously, Rogers CEO commented that “There’s no question in my mind that Canada cannot support more than three national facilities-based players [...] It’s inconceivable to me”. Hopefully he’s right and that means one of our shitty existing telcos will finally go under. Wind’s CEO also had a great response: “I’m sure somebody told Starbucks that there wasn’t room for more coffee shops”.

Wind also has some pretty funny ads comparing cell phone plans to hot dogs, bike locks, and sidewalks.

Shopify — Build a Business Contest, Win 100k. the new shop with the most revenue in the first 6 months of the new year wins $100K. not too shabby.

In Vancouver, camping out for condos is the norm once more – The Globe and Mail. “Phew, what a relief. Insanity is back in the real estate market.”

Sake maker says he’s brewing the next big thing – The Globe and Mail. guy in vancouver who took early retirement and started making high-end sake. great story.

Canada’s image lies in tatters. It is now to climate what Japan is to whaling | The Guardian. that’s a pretty scathing op-ed.

Thoughts from the front lines – Entrepreneurs – The Globe and Mail. Ali made it in there. Interesting stuff about DNA11 out of Ottawa (they also did canvaspop.com).

BBC NEWS | ‘Thatcher dead’ text sparks fears. I like John Baird even less now.

‘Special’ EI benefits for self-employed to begin in 2011 – thestar.com. at first i was like “what group possibly lobbied for this?” then the article mentions that farmers are considered self-employed. via josh.

Real estate fees could be slashed – Yourhome.ca. the Competition Bureau might be making the CREA has to list homes on MLS without a listing agent.