In their new Supercentres, Wal-Mart has said they will be buying local produce. I don’t know what that means for the local stores but there should be some business there for some farmers...

TheBlue Jays were in town and Seattle was excited about the possibilities for business from the Canadian crowd who had tickets for the games between the Mariners and the Toronto club. The Seattle Team Shop opened a booth selling Blue Jays merchandise out in front of the ballpark. The owners said it sold very well. Kelowna based RCMP officer Martha Cormier, the sister of the Jay’s designated hitter, Matt Stairs, was there to see him play...

The rumour circulating now about the Jim Pattison organization interested in property just south of Osoyoos in Washington State came from down there. It is about a resort on land in that northeastern spot of Washington State. Pattison has the rights to the Great Wolf Lodge franchise in Canada. He built his first lodge in Niagara Falls, Ontario. They are quite impressive. I don’t know if the rumour is about such a lodge. His Ripley’s Niagara Falls Water Resort, owns the Canadian franchise...

I know if you read my column you can see I am fascinated by the water business and how we have bought the idea of buying are own drinking water. I am one of the worst. I wrote about this last year but I had to make this comment about water bottled in Tennessee called BlingH20. It is selling for $40 for a 750 ml bottle but they have special edition bottles going for $480. That is more than two million times the price of the wet stuff that comes out of your tap in the kitchen. Then there is the Fiji Water, from the island in the Pacific. Here is how they promote their water:

"Bottled at the source in the Fiji islands, FIJI Water is the #1 imported bottled water brand and the top selling premium bottled water in the United States. A product of one of the last virgin ecosystems on the planet, natural pressure forces FIJI Water out of its aquifer deep below the earth’s surface and into iconic square bottles through a sealed delivery system free of human contact. FIJI Water’s unique mineral profile is high in silica, which gives the water its soft, smooth taste. The cost for a 24-bottle case of 500 ml bottles is $37.50. Today, the finest restaurants and properties in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and Australia serve FIJI Water."

I first saw the FIJI in Trader Joe’s in LaJolla. Now I can buy it in Cooper’s on the Lakeshore. It is expensive. A six pack sells for $9.35. There is a larger bottle as well but couldn’t find the price of that size, maybe I didn’t want to know. They are packaged in a square bottle...

“Pierre Trudeau Still Seen as Best Recent Prime Minister of Canada”

One-in-four Canadians believe Brian Mulroney is the worst head of government since 1968.

Key Findings:

38% pick Pierre Trudeau as best PM since 1968

Trudeau is most admired in Ontario (49%)

12% of Canadians say Harper has been the best PM

25% say Brian Mulroney has been the country’s worst head of government in 40 years...

You know the thinking of all those travellers that bring everything but the kitchen sink onto the aircraft to shove it into the overhead bins. They were thinking about the charges the airlines were about to implement and those travellers were thinking they could beat the system.

If their bag wouldn’t go through the sample box displayed outside the airport gate they could grease it and it would fit through. Well don’t expect that free ride to last long. The airlines have figured out a new profit centre in what they can charge for bags and they will be watching with interest at what the travellers believe they can bring on board. There will be more staff to keep a closer watch. Everyone is going to follow the rules. In some cases it’s about time....