Our Canadian neighbors have a positive outlook on their housing market, according to a the RBC Housing Affordability publication. Despite price increases and a rise in mortgage rates, Canadians have been able and are continuing to try to avoid a "housing bubble" that would cause homes to be unaffordable.

Canada's National Housing Agency predicted that building would increase this year and next, thus keeping increasing house prices down. An activity increase in the housing building industry happened during the last two quarters of 2009, ending with a total of 149,081 starts. The estimates for this year are already looking between 152,000 and 189,300, and next year's estimates are reaching over 200,000.

It seems Canada is not immune to the housing woes over it neighbors down south. Canada, however, has a different kind of housing problem: a shortage in available homes on the market. Canadians are taking advantage of low home prices and interest rates, making the available housing supply short for the upcoming spring market when things tend to heat up. The Toronto market will suffer most.

This morning Canada announced that it is tightening the mortgage rules so that potential homeowners don't get too much debt and be victims of mortgage loan speculators that promise more than what the reality is. The move has made many potential borrowers with many questions. Here are three areas that will be impacted by this change.

Canada is not immune to the global credit crunch housing meltdown experienced by its southerly neighbors; in fact the housing market crisis has prompted Canada’s finance minister to implement new mortgage rules. The rules are seen as a preventative measure. As of yet, the Canadian housing market has not experienced a bubble, but legislators do not want to see a repeat of the US housing fiasco.

Canada had expected its first gold medal in the women's moguls, but it was not to be, despite the presence of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Instead, the first gold for the host country came in men's moguls, to Alexandre Bilodeau.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Vancouver, currently hosting the Winter Olympics, has been named the world's most livable city (again) by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

Nodar Kumaritashvili, an Olympic luger from the ex-Soviet state of Georgia, has been killed in a training accident ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. He was 21.

Fans that want to buy or sell tickets to the 2010 Winter Olympics now have a website that offers several options. The Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) is operating a website provides buyers a secure way to buy legitimate tickets the Winter Olympics games and ticket holders a way to sell or donate the tickets they will not be able to use.

Major airports in Canada will have the full body scanners in place withing two months. This is the news reported by the top Canadian news media companies today. Body scanners should be installed in eleven of the country's top airpots within two months. Ottawa should make the announcement this afternoon.

It sounds like santeria, but it isn't. Sports medicine specialist Dr. Anthony Galea is under investigation in both the U.S. and Canada for allegedly smuggling and selling performance enhancing drugs to world-class athletes, possibly including Tiger Woods.