MEMORY?southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/part_24.pdf · how to boost your huma qureshi...

FOR BEST DEALS AND INFORMATION SEE PAGE 32

IMPALA’S 2.5L ENGINEDELIVERS QUIET POWER,

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HUMA QURESHI AND POONAM DHILLONSPOTTED WEARING SAME OUTFIT!

‘ONLY AUNTIES WEAR SAREES? RIDICULOUS!’

IIFT TORONTO 2013

‘THE TWO LADIES ENDED UP OPTING FORSIMILAR RANNA GILL CREATIONS. WHILEHUMA WORE IT AT THE KARAN JOHAR BASH,THE VETERAN ACTOR CHOSE THE CASUALSTYLE FOR A BOOK LAUNCH

Sedan benefits from powertrain refinement,computer-controlled valvetrain technology

MEMORY?

‘EVERY CELL IN OUR BODY NEEDS A STEADYSUPPLY OF OXYGEN IN ORDER TO WORKPROPERLY AND THAT INCLUDES BRAIN CELLS.HERE ARE SOME STEPS AND FOOD THAT ONECAN TAKE TO HELP OPTIMIZE BRAIN HEALTH ANDSHARPEN MEMORY.

Huma Qureshi seems to be a Ranna Gill loyalist. She has beenseen wearing her designs more often than not. But li’l didshe know that her style choice would end up coinciding

with Poonam Dhillon’s fashion statement. The white woven dresswith a pretty multi-coloured embellished hem costs around Rs 12,000.It has these pretty bell sleeves which give the ensemble a veryfeminine feel.

If you ask us it’s an apt choice for the two ladies who are leaningmore towards the well-rounded side. While Poonam ruins the showof the outfit by accessorising it heavily with chunky neckpieces, welike the fact that Huma has kept it absolutely no-frill. Keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check. Go for your

tests and if you find the figures elevated immediately takemeasures to bring it down. A healthy heart makes for a

healthy brain.Get enough sleep. Research shows that sleep deprivation caninterfere with memory. Try to get good seven to eight hours ofsleep.Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity has been shown todecrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease by about half.Aim for 30 minutes a day.Challenge your brain. Keep your mind active and challenged bytaking up assignments that requiresthinking, or solve puzzles, crosswordsas it will keep your mind engaged.Don't smoke. Just as smokingincreases risk of heart disease, it canalso decrease blood flow to the brainand cause serious damage.Give yourself a break. Seek outways to de-stress your life. Meetfriends, travel to differentdestinations, take uphobbies and do thingsyou have never donebefore.

Vidya Balan's look at Cannes this year has raised eyebrowsand enflamed opinions on an extreme scale. While most feltit overdosed on desi exotica, the man behind the look,

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, will have none of it."You want my point of view? I have already put it on the red carpet

in Cannes," the designer told Mirror from London. "India is dividedinto two major par ts: One that embraces cultural heritage, the otheris looking for newness. I don't mind opinions. We live in a demo-cratic country. But I would like to ask a few questions. How canpeople say that Vidya is looking older than she is? How can one saythat she is over tly dressed? These are such immature, stupid state-ments! I hear people saying that women are aunties when theywear sarees. It is the most ridiculous opinion I have heard."Sabya said he was disturbed with shouts and murmurs that hewanted 'to flaunt his collection'. "If I really wanted to flaunt mycollection, I would have given Vidya an array of strikingly differentoutfits," he said.Vidya, Sabya revealed, was not too hung up about her wardrobe."She clearly kept saying that I and she both shouldn't forget that shewas going there as a jury member and the look should be very, veryrespectable," Sabya said.Vidya, with whom he has spoken on the phone post the hullabaloo,is not really per turbed, the designer said.

Drivers of the C a n a d i a nbuilt, all-new 2014 Chevrolet Impala will enjoy sweet soundand sweeter savings at the pump thanks to precision noise

reduction and a new advanced valvetrain technology on the Ecotec 2.5Lfour-cylinder engine, arriving in dealerships this month. Chevrolet expectsthe 2.5L model to be a popular choice among Impala buyers. More than two-thirds of Chevrolet cars sold in North America in the first quarter of 2013 hada four-cylinder engine. “Impala customers have a wide array of needs andwe’ll soon have three engines for them to choose from,” said Marc Comeau,vice president, sales, service and marketing for Chevrolet in Canada. “Witha starting price of $28,445, just $145 more than the previous model, the 2.5Lequipped Impala offers both improved efficiency and exceptionalvalue.” Chevrolet expects its new flagship sedan to be more fuelefficient, due in part to the 2.5L engine’s Intake Valve Lift Controltechnology. In older engines, valves operate strictly based onmechanical camshaft rotation, opening and closing the same way allthe time. Chevy’s new system allows the valves to open and closeby varied amounts and at different times depending on power demandto provide greater fuel efficiency or power.

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MidWeek 27MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013fashion



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TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013body & soul

QUICK VISUAL TEST PREDICTS IQA brief test of a person's ability to filter out visual

movement-in this case, black and white bars movingacross a screen-can predict IQ.

The test is the first purely sensory assessment to be stronglycorrelated with IQ and may provide a non-verbal and culturallyunbiased tool for scientists seeking to understand neuralprocesses associated with general intelligence."Because intelligence is such a broad construct, you can'treally track it back to one part of the brain," says DujeTadin, asenior author on the study and an assistant professor of brainand cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester. "Butsince this task is so simple and so closely linked to IQ, it maygive us clues about what makes a brain more efficient, and,consequently, more intelligent."Watch the bars moveIn the study, individuals watched brief video clips of black andwhite bars moving across a computer screen. Their sole taskwas to identify which direction the bars drifted: to the right orto the left.The bars were presented in three sizes, with the smallestversion restricted to the central circle where human motionperception is known to be optimal, an area roughly the width ofthe thumb when the hand is extended. Participants also took astandardized intelligence test.As expected, people with higher IQ scores were faster atcatching the movement of the bars when observing thesmallest image. The results support prior research showingthat individuals with higher IQs make simple perceptualjudgments swifter and have faster reflexes."Being 'quick witted' and 'quick on the draw' generally go handin hand," says Michael Melnick, a doctoral candidate in brainand cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester.

'Much, much worse'But the tables turned when presented with the larger images.The higher a person's IQ, the slower they were at detectingmovement."From previous research, we expected that all participantswould be worse at detecting the movement of large images, buthigh IQ individuals were much, much worse," says Melnick.That counter-intuitive inability to perceive large movingimages is a perceptual marker for the brain's ability to suppressbackground motion, the authors explain. In most scenarios,background movement is less important than small movingobjects in the foreground.Think about driving in a car, walking down a hall, or even justmoving your eyes across the room. The background isconstantly in motion.Just a fluke?The key discovery in this study is how closely this naturalfiltering ability is linked to IQ. The first experiment found a 64percent correlation between motion suppression and IQ scores,a much stronger relationship than other sensory measures todate.For example, research on the relationship between intelligenceand color discrimination, sensitivity to pitch, and reactiontimes have found only a 20 to 40 percent correlation."In our first experiment, the effect for motion was so strong,"recalls Tadin, "that I really thought this was a fluke."So the group tried to disprove the findings from the initial 12-participant study conducted while Tadin was at VanderbiltUniversity working with co-author Sohee Park, a professor of

psychology. They reran the experiment at the University ofRochester on a new cohort of 53 subjects, administering thefull IQ test instead of an abbreviated version and the resultswere even stronger; correlation rose to 71 percent. The authorsalso tested for other possible explanations for their findings.For example, did the surprising link to IQ simply reflect aperson's willful decision to focus on small moving images? Torule out the effect of attention, the second round ofexperiments randomly ordered the different image sizes andtested other types of large images that have been shown not toelicit suppression.High IQ individuals continued to be quicker on all tasks, exceptthe ones that isolated motion suppression. The authorsconcluded that high IQ is associated with automatic filtering ofbackground motion."We know from prior research which parts of the brain areinvolved in visual suppression of background motion. Thisnew link to intelligence provides a good target for looking atwhat is different about the neural processing, what's differentabout the neurochemistry, what's different about the

neurotransmitters of people with different IQs," says Tadin.Cultural biasThe relationship between IQ and motion suppression points tothe fundamental cognitive processes that underlie intelligence,the authors write. The brain is bombarded by an overwhelmingamount of sensory information, and its efficiency is built notonly on how quickly our neural networks process thesesignals, but also on how good they are at suppressing lessmeaningful information."Rapid processing is of little utility unless it is restricted to themost relevant information," the authors conclude.The researchers point out that this vision test could removesome of the limitations associated with standard IQ tests,which have been criticized for cultural bias."Because the test is simple and non-verbal, it will also helpresearchers better understand neural processing in individualswith intellectual and developmental disabilities," says co-author LoisaBennetto, an associate professor of psychology.The National Institutes of Health supported the study, whichwas published in the journal Current Biology.

THAT COUNTER-INTUITIVE INABILITY TO PERCEIVE LARGE MOVING IMAGES IS A

PERCEPTUAL MARKER FOR THE BRAIN'S ABILITY TO SUPPRESS BACKGROUND

MOTION, THE AUTHORS EXPLAIN. IN MOST SCENARIOS, BACKGROUND MOVEMENT

IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN SMALL MOVING OBJECTS IN THE FOREGROUND.

“



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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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STATISTICS CANADARetail trade, March 2013

FOR MORE INFO.SEE PAGE 40

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Dreaming of demolition? 4 in 10 Canadians planning majorhome renovations in next two years: Scotiabank Study

Canada's Housing Affordability continues to exert mildstress on potential homebuyers: RBC Economics

COURTESY: IRFAN ALI

It's the season of homerenovations and accordingto the Scotiabank Mortgage

Landscape Study, 4-in-10 Canadianhomeowners (44%) are planningsignificant renovations to their homein the next two years.

QUICK FACTSThe majority of all

homeowners planning torenovate (93%) say they knowhow they will finance theirproject. The top financingsources being cash savings(62%) and a line of credit (29%).

Canadian homeowners saythey would most like to renovatetheir kitchen (33%), followed bytheir bathroom (16%) and theirbasement (16%).

Renovations that are eco-friendly can add real value tohomes and help owners savemoney over the long term. TheScotiabankEcoLiving HomeEnergy Savings Calculator helpsCanadians calculate homeenergy costs and see savings

financing a renovation shouldbe based on your goals withbudget and timeline being key tothe whole process," says DavidStafford, Managing Director ofReal Estate Secured Lending atScotiabank. "The top threethings to remember areunderstand what you can afford,have a budget and stick to yourplan."

"Renovations can add greatvalue to your home and whenyou choose environmentallyfriendly renovation options, youcan save energy, water andmoney," says KazFlinn, VicePresident of Corporate SocialResponsibility at Scotiabank."Making your home energyefficient will be a benefit that willcontinue to pay off over theyears. We recommend looking atour ScotiabankEcoLiving HomeEnergy Savings Calculator tohelp discover easy steps to makeyour home eco-friendly."

that can be achieved throughspecific energy efficient projects andeveryday practices. The calculatoris found at ecoliving.scotiabank.

com/calculator.QUOTES"From painting a room to

replacing your kitchen, DETAILS ON PAGE 34

Retail sales were flat in March, holding at $39.5 billion. After remov-ing the effects of price changes, par ticularly lower gasoline prices,retail sales in volume terms rose 0.7%.Chart 1Retail sales flat in March

Higher sales were reported in 6 of 11 subsectors, representing 47%of total retail sales.The largest increase in sales among all subsectors was a 3.1% riseat clothing and clothing accessories stores. Higher sales at clothingstores led the gain, rising 3.5%, the third increase in four months.Sales at shoe stores (+0.9%) advanced for a four th straight month.Following three consecutive monthly declines, gains were repor tedby jewellery, luggage and leather goods stores (+2.3%).Sales at motor vehicle and par ts dealers rose 0.7%, a third consecu-tive monthly gain. Higher receipts at other motor vehicle dealers(+6.1%) and at new car dealers (+0.3%) accounted for most of thegain. The advance in sales in the "other motor vehicle dealers" indus-try did not offset the decline in February. This industry includes retail-ers of recreational vehicles, motorcycles and boats.Furniture and home furnishings stores posted a 0.3% increase in sales,reflecting stronger sales at furniture stores (+1.2%). Home furnish-ings stores (-1.0%) declined for a four th month in a row.Sales at building material and garden equipment and supplies deal-ers edged up 0.1%. Sales in this subsector have been relatively flatsince the middle of 2012.Gasoline station sales decreased 1.3% in March, mainly reflectinglower prices at the pump.Following two consecutive monthly gains, sales at general merchan-dise stores declined 0.6% in March. Weaker sales were repor ted bydepartment stores (-0.6%) and other general merchandise stores (-0.6%).The 0.9% decrease in receipts at electronics and appliance stores didnot offset the sales gain in February. DETAILS ON PAGE 33

Canada's housing market remained under moderateaffordability-related stress in the first quar ter of 2013, ashousing affordability stayed in the holding pattern that be-

gan in early 2010, according to the latest Housing Trends andAffordability Repor t issued by RBC Economics Research. Housingaffordability was largely unchanged in the latest period, as it waslargely the status quo for mor tgage rates, home prices and house-hold incomes. "The Canadian housing market cooled significantlyin the past year; however, there is mounting evidence that activityis no longer weakening," said Craig Wright, senior vice-presidentand chief economist, RBC. "A significant nation-wide price correc-tion does not appear to be imminent so long as affordability re-mains outside of the danger zone."The RBC housing affordability measure captures the propor tion ofpre-tax household income that would be needed to service thecosts of owning a specified category of home at going marketvalues (a r ise in the measure represents deter iorat ion inaffordability).During past housing market downturns in Canada, RBC estimates

that the measure for the benchmark detached bungalow most oftenclimbed above the 44.5 per cent mark before prices fell more than5.0 per cent (peak to trough). At 42.5 per cent (up by 0.3 percentagepoints) in the first quar ter of this year, the bungalow measure re-mained below this critical threshold. DETAILS ON PAGE 38

IIFT TORONTO 2013 DECOR AT GRAND GRAND VICTORIAN RADISSON PLAZA HOTEL IN MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO

VASTU CHECK-LISTFOR YOUR HOME

Here are some ways you can ward off negativities fromyour home Vastu shastra rules are based on eightdirections — magnetic field of the earth, five elements,

the spiritual concept of Vastu Purush and 45 deities who form avastu mandala. Says Dr Snehal Deshpande, Vastu and Feng shuiexpert, "Feng shui mainly gives us the Flying Stars chart of one'splace, which is a horoscope of the house. Both these elementsplay an important role in our lives and should not be neglected."

Check whether there is any cut in the south west side ofyour house/plot or office. This indicates that the legs of VastuPurush are missing. This problem may indicate instability in yourpersonal and professional life.

Kitchen and toilets should not be located in the north orthe north-east side of your plot.

It tends of bring financial troubles. Make sure that the main door of your house/work or

factory is not facing south- west.


TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013real estate

DREAMING OF DEMOLITION? 4 IN 10 CANADIANSPLANNING MAJOR HOME RENOVATIONS IN NEXT

TWO YEARS: SCOTIABANK STUDYCONTD. FROM PAGE 33Regional BreakdownPlans for Significant Home Renovations in Next 2 Years

ABOUT THE POLLING DATAUsing Harris/Decima's proprietary panel of Canadians, a total of 1,000completed surveys were collected from a random sample of panel mem-bers across Canada. The study was conducted from February 14-25,2013. Subsequent to completion of the study, the data was weighted byregion, age, and gender propor tionate to the population of homeowners.To qualify, respondents must currently own their primary residence.

ABOUT SCOTIABANKScotiabank is a leading multinational financial services provider andCanada's most international bank. With more than 82,000 employees,Scotiabank and its affiliates serve some 19 million customers in morethan 55 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a broad range ofproducts and services including personal, commercial, corporate andinvestment banking. In December 2012, Scotiabank became the firstCanadian bank to be named Global Bank of the Year and Bank of the Yearin the Americas by The Banker magazine, a Financial Times publication.With assets of $736 billion (as at January 31, 2013), Scotiabank tradeson the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more informa-tion please visit www.scotiabank.com.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 real estate

STATISTICS CANADA EMPLOYMENTINSURANCE, MARCH 2013

The number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI)benefits continued to trend down for the fifth consecutive month inMarch, declining slightly by 1.0% (-5,200) to 523,700. Compared witha year earlier, the number of beneficiaries was down 8.1%.All four Western provinces as well as Newfoundland and Labrador

had fewer beneficiaries in March, while there was little change in theother provinces.Char t 1Number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries continues totrend down.

Chart description: Number of regular Employment Insurance beneficiaries continues to trend down

Highlights on the provinces and metropolitan areasThe number of regular EI beneficiaries in Saskatchewan fell 3.1% inMarch. This was the fourth consecutive monthly decrease for theprovince. Both Saskatoon (-3.8%) and Regina (-2.1%) had fewerbeneficiaries than in the previous month.In Alberta, the number of people receiving benefits fell for the fourthconsecutive month, down 2.6% in March. In Calgary, the number ofbeneficiaries decreased for the third month in a row, down 2.5%. At thesame time, there was little change in Edmonton.The number of people receiving regular benefits in British Columbiadeclined 2.4% in March, continuing a seven-month downward trend. Ofthe four metropolitan areas in the province, three posteddeclines, with Abbotsford-Mission (-6.6%) recording thelargest. The decline in Abbotsford-Mission was also the largestmonthly percentage decline among all metropolitan areas in thecountry. Decreases also occurred in Vancouver (-1.8%) and

Victoria (-1.3%). In Kelowna, the number of beneficiariesincreased 1.9%, following a decline the previous month.There were 2.1% fewer beneficiaries in Newfoundland andLabrador, the four th consecutive monthly decline in the prov-ince. In the metropolitan area of St. John's, the number ofbeneficiaries decreased by 1.7%, continuing an eight-monthdownward trend.In Manitoba, the number of people receiving regular benefits fell1.4% in March, the fif th monthly decrease in a row. In Winnipeg,the number of beneficiaries was down 1.7%, the secondconsecutive monthly decline.After four months of decline, the number of beneficiaries inQuebec was little changed in March. There was also littlechange in Montréal, where the number of people receivingbenefits stood at 55,000.The number of beneficiaries in Ontario was vir tually unchanged

from the previous month. In Toronto, 62,900 people receivedbenefits in March, unchanged from February.Compared with 12 months earlier, most metropolitan areas hadfewer beneficiaries, with the declines ranging from 2.0% inHalifax to 20.7% in Abbotsford-Mission. At the same time, fourmetropolitan areas posted increases, ranging from 4.3% inOshawa to 15.9% in Greater Sudbury. Regina was the only areawhere the number of beneficiaries was vir tually unchanged.Employment Insurance beneficiaries by occupationIn March, three major occupation groups posted notabledeclines in the number of beneficiaries compared with theprevious month. The largest decrease came in ar t, culture,recreation and spor t, where the number of people receivingregular benefits fell for the second consecutive month in March,down 2.3%.Notable monthly declines also occurred in health occupations (-2.1%) and in occupations in social science, education, govern-ment service and religion (-1.9%). In both of these occupationgroups, the decline in March was the fif th in a row. There waslittle or no change in the other occupation groups.Compared with 12 months earlier, all occupation groups posteddeclines, with the exception of natural and applied scienceoccupations where the number of beneficiaries was unchanged.These declines ranged from 3.1% in ar t, culture, recreation andspor t to 11.5% in occupations unique to processing, manufac-turing and utilities.Char t 2Number of Employment Insurance beneficiaries by occupation,percentage change, March 2012 to March 2013.Employment Insurance beneficiaries in major demographicgroupsThe number of regular EI beneficiaries among women fell forthe fifth consecutive month, down 1.6% in March, and wasshared between women aged 15 to 24 (-2.2%) and those aged25 to 54 (-1.7%). Among women 55 and over and men of all agegroups, the number of beneficiaries was little changed from theprevious month.On a year-over-year basis, the slowest rate of decline continued to beamong people 55 and over (-1.9%).Claims increase in MarchTo receive EI benefits, individuals must first submit a claim. Thenumber of claims provides an indication of the number of people whocould become beneficiaries.The number of initial and renewal claims rose by 6,800 (+3.0%) to230,700 in March, partly offsetting the decline observed the previousmonth. Alberta (+12.6%) posted the largest percentage increase inclaims in March, followed by New Brunswick (+4.1%).Smaller percentage increases occurred in Nova Scotia(+3.5%), Quebec (+3.5%) and Ontario (+2.7%), while therewas little or no change in the other provinces.


TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013décor

STATISTICS CANADA

RETAIL TRADE,MARCH 2013CONTD. FROM PAGE 33SALES UP IN SIX PROVINCESRetail sales rose in six provinces in March. Ontario(+0.4%) repor ted the largest increase in dollar terms and athird consecutive monthly sales gain. This increase was inpar t the result of higher sales at new car dealers.The 0.9% rise in sales in British Columbia was led by gainsat motor vehicle and par ts dealers.Receipts in Quebec (+0.4%) and New Brunswick (+1.2%)both increased for a third straight month.Retail sales in Nova Scotia (+0.6%) increased in Marchafter three consecutive monthly declines.Following two consecutive monthly gains, retailers inAlber ta registered a 1.8% sales decline.Retail sales in Saskatchewan (-1.7%) fell for a four thstraight month in March, with widespread declines acrosssubsectors. COURTESY: IRFAN ALI

IIFT TORONTO 2013 DECOR AT GRAND GRAND VICTORIAN RADISSON PLAZA HOTEL IN MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013 décor



CONTD. FROM PAGE 33During the first quar ter of 2013, measures at the national level wereunchanged in the two other categories of homes tracked. RBC mea-sures for the standard two-storey home and condominium apar tmentcategories remained at 48.0 per cent and 28.1 per cent, respectively.Exceptionally low mor tgage rates have been the chief factor in keep-ing homeownership costs relatively affordable, RBC says."While affordability levels are manageable at this point, we'd be hum-ming a very different tune if interest rates were to suddenly rise sub-stantially. For tunately, the likelihood of a surge in rates is slim at thisstage," said Wright. "We believe that the more probable scenarioin Canada is one of low interest rates over the next two years; weexpect the Bank of Canada to begin gradually raising the over-night rate in mid-2014."RBC notes that when interest rates eventually rise, it will be be-cause the Canadian economy is on stronger footing. Par t and par-cel of this stronger economic environment will be heftier house-hold income gains, which would work to offset any negative im-pact on affordability.The housing market is clearly cooler than it was just a year ago; homeresales were down 13 per cent nationally in the first quarter of this yearrelative to the same period in 2012. RBC notes that much of the declinetook place in the months following the latest changes to government-insured mortgage insurance rules implemented in July. Activity appearsto have stabilized since then - first-quarter resales were unchanged fromthe fourth quarter of 2012.Home prices in Canada gave up some ground after a peak in Juneof 2012, but have generally held up so far in 2013, thanks to pre-dominantly balanced markets in Canada. RBC says that in thepast year as demand cooled, the supply of homes for sale alsocurbed, helping to maintain balanced conditions.RBC expects market activity to remain subdued this year. How-ever, as the negative effects of the mor tgage insurance rulechanges gradually dissipate, there could be a mild strengtheningfrom recent monthly levels.In Canada's local markets, there were some divergences in affordabilitytrends in the first quar ter of 2013, but, in most cases, changes wereminimal. Vancouver continues to be the least affordable market in thecountry by far. RBC notes that, to a lesser extent, Toronto and Montreal

are other city markets showing signs that homeownership is a bit ofa stretch for a typical household budget - par ticularly in the single-family home segments. Other local markets tracked by RBC standwithin historically safe ranges.RBC's housing affordability measure for the benchmark detachedbungalow in Canada's largest cities is as follows: Vancouver 82.3 percent (up 0.1 percentage points from the previous quar ter); Toronto53.8 per cent (up 0.8 percentage points); Montreal 40.1 per cent (up0.6 percentage points); Ottawa 39.1 per cent (up 0.1 percentage points);Calgary 38.7 per cent (up 0.8 percentage points); Edmonton 30.4 percent (down 0.2 percentage points).

The RBC Housing Affordability Measure, which has been compiledsince 1985, is based on the costs of owning a detached bungalow(a reasonable proper ty benchmark for the housing market inCanada) at market value. Alternative housing types are also pre-sented, including a standard two-storey home and a standard con-dominium apar tment. The higher the reading, the more difficult itis to afford a home at market values. For example, an affordabilityreading of 50 per cent means that homeownership costs, includ-ing mor tgage payments, utilities and proper ty taxes, would takeup 50 per cent of a typical household's monthly pre-tax income.

Highlights from across Canada:British Columbia: affordability improves, but still has a long way to goHomeownership in the province became slightly more affordable inthe first quar ter, though the market has a long way to go beforehomebuyers can experience more normal levels by historical stan-dards. RBC measures fell by 0.4 percentage points for bungalows andby 1.3 percentage points for two-storey homes. The measure for con-dominiums remained unchanged.

Alberta: slight erosion in affordability does little to deter homebuyers

High household incomes in the province kept homebuyers unfazed bythe slight erosion in affordability in the first quar ter. Alber ta's housingmarket remains a bright spot in Canada despite the fact thataffordability measures rose slightly by 0.2 percentage points acrossall housing types tracked by RBC.

Canada's Housing Affordability continues to exert mildstress on potential homebuyers: RBC Economics



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