British Columbia

Royal Dutch Shell, with Asian-based partners, has bought a liquids import terminal in Kitimat from Cenovus Energy, fuelling speculation of a new liquid natural gas (LNG) port being built in the area.

Also, unlike many municipalities in the Lower Mainland, Chilliwack has industrial land to spare, with five business parks developed over the past six years, totalling more than 300 acres. Today, about 350 industrial businesses occupy more than 1.

They came. They saw. They bought every condo in a New Westminster concrete tower in 42 minutes.

Sales of industrial property in the Fraser Valley crested at $217 million in the first nine months of this year, already roaring past the all-year sales volumes for both 2010 and 2009.

Speculators, once a flipping force in the Metro Vancouver condominium market, have virtually disappeared, according to Robyn Adamache, a senior analyst at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Victoria-based Aviawest Group has won an extension of credit protection from the Supreme Court of B.C. as it attempts to refinance nearly $100 million in debt on resort properties in B.C.

An apparent buyer's market in Metro Vancouver's high-flying housing sector is a seasonal blib that won't last the winter, according to a seasoned real estate developer, but some realtors warn it will be tough for sellers while it lasts.

Cross-culture miscommunication can derail house sale negotiations in Vancouver, where new immigrants and offshore buyers make up a substantial sector of the residential market, according to Ross McCredie, president and CEO of Sotheby's International

BC Place stadium in downtown Vancouver, which recently re-opened after a $563 million retrofit, could prove the catalyst for downtown redevelopment.

A recent Business Council of British Columbia conference on Asian opportunities revealed that, while exports of B.C. softwood to Asia are soaring, the wood is often seen as low value in the China market.