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Canadian Immigrants Looking West

via: CBC News:

Canada's immigration patterns are changing, experts say, and western provinces are the beneficiary.

Only a decade ago, Ontario took in the lion's share of Canada's immigrants, with half going to Toronto and 60 per cent to Ontario as a whole. Last year, only 42 per cent of all immigrants went to Ontario, statistics show.
At the same time, immigration to Western Canada has surged, especially in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

One of the biggest reasons is a booming western economy, particularly in the farming and resource sectors, according to B.C.-based immigration expert Nick Noorani.
"Immigrants are going where they get jobs," Noorani told CBC News.

The change has also been fuelled by the provincial nominee program, which allows provinces to choose a certain number of immigrants each year, Noorani said. The program ensures those who come to Canada enter the workforce immediately, he said.

"What's happening is a lot of immigrants are coming in with prearranged employment," Noorani said, "and that's good because then you're reducing the unemployment or underemployment rate that immigrants seem to have."

The system is a far cry from previous decades, when the federal points system for skilled workers kept many aspiring newcomers waiting for years to immigrate and failed to meet the need for skilled tradespeople in the provinces.

The provincial system has resulted in economic payoffs for communities, Noorani said.

"From an economic perspective," he said, "let's remember every time you get people coming into a new community, business increases. So suddenly you'll have people putting up stores where they're going to have ethnic foods. Real estate has been bolstered tremendously by immigrants and their desire to own homes, more than Canadian-born."

Nevertheless, challenges remain, according to the University of Ottawa's Peter Showler.

Not all temporary foreign workers get the same level of support to become permanent residents, the former chairman of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada said, something that could leave too much power in the hands of employers.

"When you have very positive, future-looking employers, that works very well," he said. "If you have abusive employers, they can use that as a kind of threat or control to sometimes sustain improper labour practices."
As well, Showler said, the federal government needs to reduce wait times: The current immigration backlog has grown to more than a million people.

Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame, Re/Max Chairman's Club

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IS MARKHAM WOOING THE NHL? 19,500 SEAT ARENA POSSIBLE FOR MARKHAM, ONT.

Bob McKenzie
11/22/2011 6:31:24 PM

It needs to be said up front, and quite emphatically, that the NHL has no plans to put a second franchise in southern Ontario.

But if the league's view on that should ever change, there is a potential 19,500-seat arena project in Markham, Ont., that could one day turn out to be a viable option.
 
Sources tell TSN that Graeme Roustan, the chairman of the hockey equipment company, Bauer, who also moonlights as an arena builder, and Toronto-area land developer Rudy Bratty, ranked in 2010 by Canadian Business Magazine as the 62nd richest man in Canada with a net worth of $940 million, are working together in a massive real estate venture that includes a 19,500-seat facility that they hope will be built regardless of the NHL interest, or lack thereof, in southern Ontario.
 
The project is located a slapshot away from where Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos grew up in Unionville, or the western part of the town of Markham that is situated on the northeast border of Metro Toronto.
 
The arena would be built on a tract of land owned by Bratty, just west of the existing GO Transit train station in Unionville, and just north of Highway 407, but would be part of a much larger sports and entertainment complex, not unlike the Staples Center and  L.A. Live entertainment block in Los Angeles. And all of that would be just one element of what's known as the Bratty-inspired Markham Centre, a $3 billion , 900-plus acre  high-density residential, commercial and retail development that is part of the official plan of the town.
 
Markham mayor Frank Scarpitti is  believed to be  a proponent of an arena venture and town councillors are well aware of the project, although they have all signed non-disclosure agreements and cannot discuss it publicly. Mayor Scarpitti will reportedly update council on the project on Tuesday night during an in-camera, or private, segment of the regularly-scheduled town council meeting.
 
If this project is green lighted, the expectation is the arena will be economically viable even without a major spots tenant, that concert and show promoter Live Nation and arena management firm Global Spectrum are said to  have some interest  as well.
 
It is not a reach to suggest that Roustan's and Bratty's ultimate vision would be to one day secure an NHL franchise. Roustan was in the running to purchase the Montreal Canadiens at one point.
 
But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's message to all of would-be suitors, including those from Quebec City, has been the same: do not construct a building thinking there's a chance to get an NHL franchise because the league has no plans at this time to relocate another team.
 
Nevertheless, the wheels are in motion to get this arena built in Markham. While nothing has been formally approved by Markham town council, there appears to be a desire to  try to break ground on this project as early as 2012 with a potential completion date of sometime in 2014.

Whether that's realistic, remains to be seen, but it's quite likely we'll be hearing a lot more about this project.

Social Media - Are You In or Out?

From time to time I come across those that refuse to get on the Social Media bandwagon. "It's a fad", "it isn't going to last", and "it's a waste of time" are the most common reasons that have been mentioned. Sarah Evans has compiled many stats on the inevitable dominance that Social Media could provide for your brand or business. Here are her top 50. To the Unbelievers: See you on Facebook, or just tweet at me. ;)


November 20, 2011 Via: AdAge

On her social-media and PR blog, Commentz, Sarah Evans and her staff compile a lot of stats. Each quarter, she cherry-picks the most relevant for marketers to share with Ad Age.

1. eMarketer estimates there will be nearly 21 million Twitter users in the U.S. by the end of this year, and a sizable minority of those will use the service at least in part to follow brands. (eMarketer)

2. Forty percent of bloggers consider themselves professionals. (MediaBistro/State of the Blogosphere 2011)

3. There are now more than 800 million active Facebook users, with more than 200 million added in 2011. (Social Media Examiner)

4. B2C Facebook results are 30% above average on Sundays. (Convince & Convert)

5. Tweets last up to 67 times longer for users with higher Klout scores. (Mashable)

6. Nearly every large charity and university in America is on Facebook. Less than 60% of the Fortune 500 are. (Grow)

7. B2B marketers are spending millions of dollars annually on social-marketing programs, though nearly 30% are not tracking the impact of social-media programs on lead generation and sales. (TechJournal/Pardot)

8. Thirty-four percent of marketers have generated leads using Twitter, and 20% have closed deals using Twitter (AllTwitter)

9. Roughly two-thirds of social-media users say that staying in touch with current friends and family members is a major reason they use these sites, while half say that connecting with old friends they've lost touch with is a major reason behind their use of these technologies. (PEW Research)

10. The vast majority (95%) of the parents of 10-year-olds on Facebook were aware when their child signed up for the site, and 78% of those parents helped create the child's account [despite rules that prohibit children under 13 from joining the social-networking site]. (CNN Tech)

11. One in three respondents (33%) said that they would prioritize social-media freedom, device flexibility, and work mobility over salary in accepting a job offer. (GigaOm)

12. One in three texters would rather text than talk. (NYTimes: Bits)

13. Seventy-seven percent of consumers said they interact with brands on Facebook primarily through reading posts and updates from the brands [....] 17% of respondents said they interact with brands by sharing experiences and news stories with others about the brand, and only 13% of respondents said they post updates about brands that they like. (Mashable)

14. The average Facebook user has 130 friends and is connected to 80 pages, events and groups. (Social Media Examiner)

15. Seventy-three percent of people think employees overshare on social-media. (Marketing Pilgrim)

16. Forty-three percent of all online consumers are social media fans or followers. (HubSpot)

17. Netflix's price hike caused 805,000 paid subscribers to jump ship in the most-recent quarter. (Mashable)

18. Sixty-four percent of Americans stream mobile video at work. (Tubefilter)

19. The Mobile Marketing Association of Asia stated that out of the 6 billion people on the planet, 4.8 billion have a mobile phone while only 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. (60 Second Marketer)

20. According to ThreatMetrix survey of 722 active internet using consumers, 37% intend to make a purchase using their smartphone, nearly three times as many as those who plan to use their tablet. (Get Elastic)

21. A 2011 study by the National Restaurant Association confirms that consumers who use social media, including apps, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, UrbanSpoon and more, not only dine out more, but are more likely to become return customers. (ReadWriteWeb)

22. Ninety-five percent of Facebook Wall posts are not answered by brands. (All Facebook)

43. Twenty percent of searches on Google each day have never been searched for before. (HubSpot)

24. Tablet owners tend to consume a greater variety and volume of news on their devices, and tablets' visual, interactive features encourage in-depth exploration, according to a joint study from Starcom MediaVest and the online division of the BBC. (Mashable)

25. Auto-posting to Facebook decreases likes and comments by 70%. (Inside Facebook)

26. LinkedIn has 64 million users in North America alone. (All Twitter)

27. Twitter updates that include verbs have a 2% higher shareability than the average tweet. (HubSpot)

28. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are now considered cornerstones of most social-media strategies in larger companies. Ninety-four percent of respondents said Facebook is one of their top three social media platform priorities. Twitter was second with 77%, and YouTube trailed with 42%. (Search Engine Watch)

29. SEO still dominates for marketers, with both B2B (57%) and B2C (41%) businesses stating it makes the biggest impact on their lead generation goals. (AllTwitter)

30. Overall, 57% of comments about U.S. airlines on social media in the past year were negative. But American Airlines -- the world's fourth-largest airline -- stood out with only 12% of social-media opinions about the airline being positive. (The Realtime Report)

31. Fifty-six percent of consumers said they are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after becoming a fan on Facebook. (Mashable)

32. Fifty-six percent of college students said that if they encountered a company that banned access to social media, they would either not accept a job offer or would join and find a way to circumvent corporate policy.  (GigaOm)

33. Johns Hopkins, Facebook's birthplace Harvard, and Notre Dame are the top schools for social media. (Boston.com)

34. Only 15% of the average local business's fans are in the city where the business is located. (WSJ)

35. More smartphone and tablet owners are researching products than purchasing them -- 80.8% compared to 41.4%, according to BIGresearch -- but attitudes vary quite a bit among different age groups. (eMarketer)

36. When you're cruising around the internet, how much of your time is spent on a social network or blog? According to a new study published by Nielsen, those two categories eat up 23% of internet usage overall. This is double online gaming, which comes in at number two and after that, it takes 75 different categories to account for the remaining 35% of time spent. (Marketing Pilgrim)

37, When it comes to liking brands on Facebook, the reasons are varied, but for the most part, respondents said they "Like" a brand on Facebook because they are a customer (58%) or because they want to receive discounts and promotions (57%). (Mashable)

38. There are 245 million internet users in the US, according to Internet World Statistics. Nielsen estimates that social media sites and blogs reach 80% of all active U.S. internet users. (PR Week)

39. IT professionals see serious risks associated with enterprise social network use -- and only 29% say they have adequate protection. (InformationWeek: The BrainYard)

40. There are now 100 million active [Twitter] users -- users who log in at least once a month -- with half of those users signing in at least once a day. Fifty-five percent of them access Twitter via mobile; 40% actually don't Tweet but simply dip into their Timelines to keep tabs on what people are saying. (CNN/Fortune)

41. Fully 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social-networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 61% one year ago. This marks the first time in Pew Internet surveys that 50% of all adults use social-networking sites. (Wired PR Works)

42. The mean half life of a link on Twitter is 2.8 hours, on Facebook it's 3.2 hours and via "direct" sources (like email or IM clients) it's 3.4 hours. So you can expect, on average, an extra 24 minutes of attention if you post on Facebook than if you post on Twitter. (bitly blog)

43. Social media is responsible for one-third the web traffic in Malaysia. (ReadWriteWeb)

44. There are more than 3.5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, etc.) shared each week on Facebook. (HubSpot)

45. According to a survey of 1,897 senior executives conducted by Weber Shandwick in partnership with Forbes Insights, 84% of the execs believe their brand's sociability is not up to world-class standards. (Mashable)

46. Beyonce's pregnancy news at MTV's VMAs birthed a new Twitter record of 8,868 Tweets per second. (TechCrunch)

47. Forty-four percent of companies track employees' social-media use in and out of the office (TheNextWeb).

48. What makes people retweet? 92% interesting content. 84% humor. 66% personal connection. 21% celebrity status. 32% offered incentive (tangible or virtual). 26% "Please RT!" (WhiteFireSEO)

49. Among college students and young professionals, 24% experience three to five interruptions in a given hour, while 84% get interrupted at least once while trying to complete a project. (GigaOm)

50. All but 7% of social-media campaigns used Facebook. (All Facebook)


Asif Khan, ABR
www.asifkhan.ca
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame

York Regional Police Mapping Out Crimes

 
Via: Joe Fantauzzi 

York Regional Police has launched a new online map in an effort to arm you with information about where crime is occurring.
The map, which is hosted on the York Regional Police website, was launched today at the Richmond Hill police station. The initiative coincides with this year’s provincial Crime Prevention Week, which is focused on innovation and technology in crime prevention.
The point of the map is to provide an overview of criminal activity, rather than a detailed account, Deputy Chief Bruce Herridge said.
You can expect to see information about policing programs, break-and-enters, thefts, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles, homicides, assaults, sexual offences, arsons, missing persons, weapons offences, traffic enforcement and liquor and drug violations plotted on the map with clickable flags.
And you can customize the map to show you incidents in your community.
But not every crime will appear on the map, Deputy Chief Herridge said.
Domestic violence and family sexual assaults, for example, will not be posted. If an ongoing investigation results in an arrest, you may not see that plotted either, so as to not comprise the larger probe, he added.
Atop the map are crime prevention tips.
You will not see the specific address at which an incident takes place due to the privacy considerations. Rather, the map will plot incidents by block, according to police.
Typically, the map will be refreshed every 24 hours.
The map itself runs on software developed by U.S. company CrimeReports, which is being used by several other forces in Ontario including Ottawa, Windsor and Thunder Bay.
If you have any information about a crime plotted on the map, tabs allow you to send an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers, Sgt. Karen Hodge said. You can also e-mail the incident to a friend.
The force is also a strong supporter of community policing and the map is a tool with which it hopes to grow that, Staff Sgt. Jim MacSween said.
“The reality is, preventing crime is not just a police responsibility — it’s everyone’s responsibility,” he said. “We need the assistance of the community to succeed in preventing crime.”

Find the map at http://www.yrp.ca/crimemap.aspx

Gretzky asked to buy MLSE

As buyers start to come forward for the coveted MLSE stake, Wayne Gretzky has admitted that he has been approached to be part of a group intending to purchase the Teachers' Pension Plan shares.

With the way the Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled under the ownership of the Pension Plan, this is welcome news to those waiting to see a winning team in Toronto. It has seemed as though MLSE's focus had shifted from sports team ownership to business development as it diversified into Real Estate and Entertainment businesses.

Here's hoping that new ownership group comes in, cleans house and brings a hunger to win at all costs attitude - a passion that has been missing for decades. The city deserves it, and most of all the fans deserve it. Whether Gretzky be added for a management role or as a Canadian content figurehead to mask American ownership, this is good news for Toronto. Let's hope this "Gretzky to Toronto" rumour is more than an April Fool's joke, and MLSE stays out of the Rogers family.


TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
Published: November 18, 2011 5:59 a.m.
Last modified: November 17, 2011 9:59 p.m.

Add Wayne Gretzky’s name to the list of people now said to be interested in buying Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

The Great One has been asked  “months ago,” according to a source, to be involved by groups kicking the tires on the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Fund’s $1.5 billion share of the conglomerate.

Gretzky told Sportsnet he hadn’t decided on whether he would be involved with the unnamed U.S.-based interests.

What exactly his role would be — whether figurehead, president or in the management team — is unclear, but trying to add him as “Canadian content” for a U.S. owner makes a lot of sense, said Sportsnet analyst John Shannon, a former league executive.

 “They are trying to make it look like there is a Canadian-content factor,” said Shannon. “It’s Wayne Gretzky. There’s nobody more passionate about the game of hockey than The Great One.”

One executive within the MLSE empire thought having Gretzky on board was a “dumb” idea.

“Whoever buys this needs $1.5 billion, not Wayne Gretzky,” said the executive, asking not to be named.
Rogers is also said to be interested.

Housing Forecast for Canada

By The Canadian Press
 
OTTAWA - The Canadian Real Estate Association says home sales in Ontario were stronger than anticipated during the third quarter — resulting in a slightly brighter outlook for CREA's 2011 and 2012 national forecasts.

The industry association is now projecting sales this year will be up 1.4 per cent from 2010, half a percentage point better than the previous forecast.
CREA expects there will be slightly fewer units sold next year than in 2011, but the 0.5 per cent decline is an upward revision.

The association is now forecasting 453,300 home sales countrywide this year, up from 446,915 in 2010. The forecast for 2012 is 451,200 homes sold.
The revision comes at a time when central banks in Canada and the United States are keeping their key lending rates low to counter the economic drag caused by the European debt crisis.

The assurance of relatively low borrowing costs has probably given home buyers confidence while rising home values have kept new listings at a healthy level. Stable employment has provided some assurance to owners and buyers alike, although they have also been monitoring the darkening economic clouds.
"There was no shortage of headline news in October about global financial market volatility and economic uncertainty, but it doesn’t appear to have dampened homebuyers’ spirits," said Gary Morse, CREA’s president.

"Interest rates are at low levels and are likely to stay that way for some time to come. Homebuyers clearly see the opportunities that the current interest rate environment presents."

October's sales activity through CREA members was the highest since January and the national average price was up 5.5 per cent from October 2010.

Sales through the Multiple Listing Service operated by CREA members totalled 38,533 in October, including 35,837 homes — up 8.1 per cent and 8.5 per cent res
pectively.

A total of 397,561 homes have been sold through the MLS system in the first 10 months of 2011, up 1.2 per cent above the comparable period last year but in line with the 10-year average.

The national average price for homes sold in October was $362,899, up from $343,950 — although average prices in local markets varied widely.

Vancouver, as usual, was by far the most expensive market with an average sales price of $767,325. The nearby Fraser Valley area of B.C.'s Lower Mainland was second-most expensive at $483,965 followed by Toronto at $478,137.

The three lowest local average prices tracked by CREA was $154,537 in Trois-Rivieres, Que., $161,691 in Saint John, N.B. and $167,424 in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The forecast national average price for 2011 and 2012 is $362,700, up from $339,049 last year.

Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame
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Winter Tires vs All Season Tires

November 15, 2011 - Jeff Voth - Via Yahoo

“Tis the season to be jolly”, or so claims the famous Christmas song we know and enjoy at this time of year. But does this hold true when it comes to driving our vehicles as temperatures drop, snow starts to fall and winter shovels replace garden rakes at the side of the shed? 

With each change of season comes the need to adjust our driving habits and the equipment found on our vehicles. Although all-wheel and four-wheel drive vehicles offer greater traction and all-weather drivability in general, they can be just as hazardous as any other vehicle when equipped with all-season or "M + S" tires in the winter.

All-season tires are designed to perform best when the temperature exceeds 7°C. Below this, they become hard and begin to lose grip. Winter tires are specifically designed to remain flexible in cold weather. Plus, their deeper tread pattern acts as a shovel to clear away snow and water from the tire as it rotates. With more rubber exposed tothe road surface, traction improves dramatically when compared to all-season tires.

The hard part is, however, investing in winter tires can be very expensive. In fact, a full set of four “snow” tires (it is never recommended to use only 2 winter tires even on a front-wheel drive vehicle), will easily cost upwards of $600.00, plus fees for mounting and a set of seasonal steel rims. Should you spend the extra money? In general, yes.

Let’s say, for example, you drive back and forth from the country or suburban areas to the city each day for work, plus spend time taking the kids to the arena and running a few errands. If this is your typical winter day of driving, snow tires are definitely worth the investment.
On the other hand, should you live in a major city with easy access to mass transit once the snow starts to fly, the added expense of winter tires may not be worth the investment. Traction will certainly improve on your vehicle, but your money may be better spent taking the bus or subway and letting someone else do the winter driving instead of you.

To better test the theory of winter tires, we contacted Continental Tires of Canada this past winter and asked them to supply two different sets of winter tires for long term evaluation. The late model test mules used in our evaluation represented everyday vehicles, typical of what many Canadians drive.  

The first was a set of 215/55R16 Altimax Arctic tires from General Tire.  Designed to aid in cold weather driving, key features and benefits included the following:
Features:
-    Multi-Angle Sipe System
-    Directional Pattern with Center Stability Rib
-    Reactive Contour Technology (RCT)
-    All-Weather Dual Tread Compound
Benefits:
-    270 degrees of sipes with biting edges that enhance traction in any direction of travel.
-    Water evacuation is amplified and straight-line stability is improved.
-    Contour reacts to different road conditions to maintain optimum contact with road surface throughout the life of the tire.
-    Exceptional cold-weather flexibility and excellent wet traction.
The second set we tested over the winter of 2010-2011 was the top-of-the-line 195/65R15 ExtremeWinterContact Continental Tires. Designed to look and perform at the highest level, features and benefits included the following:
Features:
-    Compact outside tread with elevated lateral grooves
-    Inclined longitudinal grooves
-    Maximum void and grip edges in center contact patch with traction ridges in grooves
-    High sipe density. Highly flexible compound
Benefits:
-    Improved dry handling
-    Swift removal of water
-    Excellent traction and braking on snow
-    Reduced braking distance

Over the course of a five month period, we drove both sets of tires on city and country roads, in blinding snowstorms and on clear days when it was simply too cold for mere mortal man to enjoy. We also spent time driving when the weather was clear, above freezing and, for the most part, favourable.

Both sets of tires performed flawlessly, providing superior contact with the road in every case when compared to equally new, all-season tires. This should hold true for any competitive tire of equal value and age to the Continental tires we tested. Why? Simply put, winter tires are specifically designed to work best when the weather turns cold and all-season tires are optimized for warm weather driving. 

Winter driving is a fact of life in Canada. That doesn’t mean we always have to enjoy it when the weather outside turns frightful. But, with the right set of winter tires, it may be somewhat less intimidating and potentially a little fun. Spring is still a long ways off. Put on some “snows” and have a safe driving winter.

Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame

Google me: Asif Khan ReMax

Toronto may launch bid for 2024 Summer Olympics

John Stall and 680News staff Nov 15, 2011

TORONTO, Ont. - Could the third time be the charm for Toronto and the our bid to host the Olympics?

The head of Toronto's successful Pan-Am Games bid, Bob Richardson, told the Globe and Mail he is working on organizing a team and putting together a campaign to launch a bid to bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to the GTA.

Richardson is the man who spearheaded both the Pan-Am Games bid and the city's last Olympic bid, which went to Beijing in 2008.

Richardson had already put together a lot of pieces for a bid for the 2020 games, until Mayor Rob Ford nixed the idea.

He now says that his core group of backers remains in pace and is prepared to resurrect a bid for 2024 that would be pitched to the International Olympic Committee in just three years from now.

This would be the city's third Olympic bid, but Richardson says that doesn't hurt the city's chances at all.

Paris pitched four times, London pitched three times before it got the games, and Istanbul made five pitches for the coveted games.

Toronto also lost a 1996 bid for the games to Atlanta.

The formal bidding race begins in 2015  while the winning city is announced in 2017.

If Toronto does go forward with the bid, it will likely have to compete with countries like South Africa, France and the United Arab Emirates, who have all hinted that they may have interest in the 2024 games.

Winter driving tips: Should you warm up the car?

- Jeff Voth, Yahoo! Canada Autos
Those of us who live in a four season climate are comfortable with the idea of allowing our vehicles to warm up on a cold winter’s day before driving off to work, or taking the kids to weekend hockey practice. But with the technology available in today’s automobiles, is this still something we should be doing?
The simple answer is no. For the most part, letting your vehicle idle for long periods of time when it is cold is not only bad for the environment, but can cause serious damage to your engine and emission system.
In the past, most vehicles employed a carburetor to deliver fuel to the engine. Today, almost all new automobiles employ some form of electronic fuel injection. During cold engine startup, the computer management system tells the fuel injectors to stay open longer allowing more fuel to flow into the engine in part to keep it running cool. Trying to warm up the engine at slightly above idle speed is actually doing the reverse and inviting additional problems.
Cold engines produce a much higher level of unburned hydrocarbons as fuel needs heat to burn efficiently. Even the best catalytic converter is unable to process 100 percent while running at maximum temperature. Allowing the engine to idle for extended periods of time will, over time, begin to clog the exhaust system.
In addition, spark plugs may also become plugged or dirty due to inefficient fuel burning. Older vehicles require regular maintenance, most calling for spark plugs to be changed approximately every 30,000 km. The good old days weren’t always so good.
Today, almost all engines employ an electronic ignition system that requires spark plugs to be changed at intervals in the range of 100,000 kilometres. An engine at idle for extended periods of time could dramatically shorten the life of your plugs, causing you to spend hard-earned dollars on unnecessary service and repairs.  
A better approach is to start your vehicle and let it run for up to one minute before driving off to work or play. This will allow fluids to start flowing through the engine and then warm up to efficient temperatures under normal driving conditions.
Should the temperature outside dip below freezing, allow up to a maximum of five minutes of idle time before driving away. In most cases, this will be just enough time to clean off any snow or ice that may have accumulated on the windows.
While you may not be warm as toast on the way into work, school or taking the kids to hockey practice, you will benefit by saving money at the pump and the repair shop by driving a vehicle that runs cleaner and more efficient for many years to come.   

Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame

Google me: Asif Khan ReMax