FIXING LANDLORD AND TENANT DISPUTE MECHANISMS COULD HELP ADDRESS HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Rental housing is scarce in Canada, with demand far exceeding supply. Consequently, rents have skyrocketed over the past few years. The solution, of course, lies in rapidly increasing rental housing, which has proven to be a significant challenge. The rental supply could be boosted immediately if over-housed homeowners made their redundant space available to rent. With aging demographics and many seniors choosing to age in place, tens of thousands of surplus basements and secondary units could...
read moreWEEK OF JUNE 17 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
From rent control to renoviction policies – local government are working overtime to implement new policies with little to no regard for unintended consequences and the furthering of the housing crisis. ...
read moreHUNDREDS OF RENTAL UNITS UP FOR DEMOLITION VOTE TUESDAY
About 240 rental units in Toronto could move one step closer to being torn down for new developments Tuesday, causing their tenants to be victims of a demoviction in the process. A demoviction, or demolition driven eviction, is when a landlord evicts tenants from a building so that it can be demolished and redeveloped into new apartments or condos. The applications to demolish and replace the units will be before the Toronto and East York Community Council Tuesday, which will decide whether to...
read moreEVERY NEW HOME BUILT REQUIRES $100,000 IN INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING: REPORT
As Canada aims to build homes faster, both the public and private sectors will need to boost spending on municipal infrastructure, a new report from the Canadian Urban Institute says. The report, funded by the Canada Infrastructure Bank, estimated the average cost of infrastructure needed to support housing likely exceeds $100,000 for each newly built home. That includes funding for resources such as public transit, roads, water lines, schools, fire halls or recreational facilities. The total...
read moreCANADIAN REAL ESTATE MARKETS WON’T SEE A BIG BOOST FROM RATE CUT
Canadian real estate markets hit pause, with the theory being rate cuts would revive the market. That theory is playing out for sellers, but one of Canada’s banks doesn’t see it driving many new buyers. A new analysis from BMO argues the Bank of Canada (BoC) rate cut may boost sentiment, but won’t provide much affordability relief. In the near-term, they see the market being contained by surging inventory and a lack of affordability. Canadian Real Estate May Get A Sentiment Boost From Cuts,...
read moreMISSISSAUGA MAYOR-ELECT WANTS TO WORK WITH FORD GOVERNMENT ON URGENT HOUSING NEEDS
The mayor-elect of Mississauga says she wants to work with Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government to build more homes and plans to strike a panel to speed up the building approval process in her city. Carolyn Parrish, a former long-time Liberal MP, was elected Monday in a competitive mayoral by-election that centred around the city’s housing needs – which she says are urgent. “It’s got to be done fast, because we’re losing people every day,” she said in an interview Tuesday. Mississauga, which...
read moreWEEK OF JUNE 10 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
The government loudly proclaimed the launch of another program intended to address affordable housing, they also quietly made changes to another program – why? ...
read moreAS MORE IMMIGRANTS MAKE SASK. HOME, PRESSURE ON THE RENTAL MARKET IS HURTING AFFORDABILITY
Shafqat Nabi and Aisha Jamal say that in their short time in the city, they have found Saskatoon to be a very welcoming place — but not its rental market. The couple and their twin daughters moved to Saskatoon from Qatar last month. They also visited the city last summer, and they say rents have really jumped since then. “I definitely feel there is a jump of almost 20 per cent in terms of rent, and there are a lesser number of houses available at this point of time,” Nabi said....
read moreMONTREAL TO BEEF UP INSPECTIONS FOR RENTAL UNITS
With an aging stock of rental units, Montreal aims to beef up inspections of buildings, hoping to crack down on slumlords and prevent a general degradation of living conditions. The city announced on Thursday it would spend $3 million to inspect 8,000 buildings and 130,000 apartment units over five years. A further $1.5 million over three years will be given to community groups that help tenants advocate for their rights. It’s good news for tenants living in unsafe or unsanitary conditions,...
read moreSEVEN YEARS OF NDP AND HOUSING KEEPS GETTING WORSE
After seven years under the NDP, British Columbians face an escalating housing crisis. Despite a series of big and shiny promises made since 2017, the policies implemented by David Eby’s NDP government has exacerbated the problem at a time when the government should be doing everything possible to help alleviate it. As the housing minister and now Premier, David Eby’s approach has been filled with empty announcements and a lack of results. British Columbia now has the highest rental costs in...
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