Most Canadians can file their income taxes over the Internet using NETFILE. When you file your taxes online with NETFILE you'll get an immediate confirmation that your return has been received, and the Canada Revenue Agency claims you'll get a faster refund, possibly within two weeks. In 2010, the NETFILE service is open from February 15 to September 30. Your 2009 income taxes are still due by midnight April 30, 2010.

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Unusually warm weather on Cypress Mountain, the venue in West Vancouver scheduled to host freestyle skiing and snowboarding at the 2010 Olympics, has left organizers using every way imaginable to make sure the mountain is ready for the scheduled events.

Official training days have been cancelled or moved to Whistler, which has no snow problems;

snow was stockpiled at higher elevations, then pushed down the mountain;

snow has been trucked in from as far as Manning Park, 260 km (160 miles) away;

snow has been flown in by a Sikorsky S64 Skycrane helicopter, the world's second largest helicopter;

other helicopters have been flying in bales of straw to build up the courses; and

an artifical freezing technology has been used, involving pipes filled with dry ice under the snow to harden it. This technology works for snow for the aerial events, though it's not used for ski cross and snowboard cross events.

Forecasts are still calling for warmish weather. If you're planning to attend an event on Cypress Mountain, you might want to bring an umbrella or poncho.

Photo: Grooming Snow on Cypress Mountain
Kim Stallknecht / Getty Images

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If you have a simple income tax situation, consider filing your Canadian income taxes by phone with the TELEFILE service from the Canada Revenue Agency. It's a free service, and it's easy to use and quick. With TELEFILE you'll get an immediate confirmation that your return has been received, and you'll get a faster refund than filing by mail. The TELEFILE service accepts basic income tax information, such as employment income, pension income, interest income and registered pension plan contributions. This year the TELEFILE service opens on Monday, February 15.

More About Canadian Income Taxes
Canadian Income Tax Basics
Income Tax Service for Seniors
File Your Taxes Online

Prime Minister Harper has appointed five new Conservative Senators. This gives the Conservatives a small advantage over the Liberals in the Senate, and with the prorogation of Parliament allows them to reconstitute the makeup of Senate committees in order to get more of their legislation passed. Harper used to say he would never appoint Senators, however this brings to 33 the total number of his Senate appointments.

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