UNESCO has designated the Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia as a World Heritage Site. The cliffs stretching 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) at the head of the Bay of Fundy are sometimes described as the Coal Age Galapagos because of their fossil record of terrestrial life 300 million years ago. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs join 877 other sites worldwide with the World Heritage Site designation, including the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, the Great Wall of China, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Taj Mahal in India.

Fossils exposed at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs include 6-foot tree trunks, early reptiles and amphibians as well as the earliest land snails. The cliffs and beach at Joggins are administered by the Joggins Fossil Institute, which conducts studies and research, provides educational programs and protects and conserves the cliffs. The Institute, local residents, scientists, and all three levels of government worked together to have the Joggins Fossil Cliffs named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photo: Courtesy of the Joggins Fossil Institute

More About Fossils
Fossils and Paleontology in Canada
About.com Dinosaurs
Fossils, Time and Evolution - About.com Geology
Insect Fossils - About.com Insects

The Canadian federal government is tightening the rules for government-guaranteed mortgages. The changes are designed to protect and strengthen the Canadian housing market and to prevent the turmoil that has happened in the United States from happening here, according to a news release from the Department of Finance.

The changes include

• fixing the maximum amortization period for new government-backed mortgages to 35 years, down from 40 years
• requiring a minimum down payment of five percent for new government-backed mortgages
• establishing a consistent minimum credit score requirement, and
• introducing new loan documentation standards.

The changes are expected to take effect October 15, 2008. They will only affect new government-backed insured mortgages. Canadians who already hold mortgages will not be affected.

More on Financing a Home in Canada

Backgrounder on Residential Mortgage Insurance - Finance Canada

Mortgage Loan Insurance - CMHC

FAQs on Mortgage Loan Insurance - CMHC

Housing Finances in Canada