LANDLORDS SIGN ON TO HALIFAX’S NEW RENTAL REGISTRY, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF UNITS LISTED
The deadline for landlords in the Halifax Regional Municipality to register their rental properties has come and gone, with tens of thousands of units now catalogued under a long-awaited new bylaw. The municipality said 10,360 registrations have been received so far, representing 66,590 rental units. Since the April 1 deadline, no landlords have been fined for failing to comply with the mandatory registry. Brynn Budden, a spokesperson for HRM, said staff are using an education-based approach...
read moreWEEK OF MAY 6 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
The capital gains tax debate – is it really a debate? We analyze and include historical perspectives.
read moreA GROUP OF TENANTS HAVE BEEN ON A RENT STRIKE FOR A YEAR AND SAY THERE’S NO RESOLUTION IN SIGHT
Dozens of Dozens of tenants of Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park area have now been withholding their rent for one year, and it’s unclear when the dispute will end. Last May, approximately 100 households at 71, 75, and 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr. launched a rent strike after they said that their landlord refused to withdraw applications for an above-guideline rent increase. Starlight Investments, which co-owns the buildings in question with the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP...
read moreCANADIAN RENTERS NOT CONFIDENT TRUDEAU’S POLICY WILL EASE HOUSING CRISIS: POLL
Canadian renters are not confident in Trudeau’s housing policy outlined in the latest federal budget, a new poll says. A majority of respondents are aware of the Liberal government’s housing measures but most were either not confident in or unsure about its ability to ease housing woes, according to the survey, carried out by rentals.ca. “While there is a clear recognition of the government’s efforts, the prevailing skepticism and concern among renters highlight the challenges ahead,” the...
read moreCMHC REVEALS HOUSING MARKET OUTLOOK FOR 2024
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has released its highly anticipated Housing Market Outlook, offering a bleak forecast for the housing market, with rising costs and shrinking supply set to create significant challenges, especially for renters. The CMHC report traces the current affordability issues back to interest rate hikes implemented in 2022 to combat inflation. While necessary for macroeconomic stability, these hikes have eroded affordability for potential homebuyers....
read moreCANADA’S HOUSING PLAN ‘BUMPING UP AGAINST’ CAPACITY RESTRAINTS, INTEREST RATES: ECONOMIST
A new report from TD Economics says the federal government’s ambitious housing plan faces supply-side capacity constraints and demand measures that are not expected to have a significant impact. In a report Monday, TD Bank Economist Rishi Sondhi evaluated the federal government’s plan to address housing affordability. Canada’s Housing Plan, released last month, includes several measures intended to impact demand, supply and productivity. By 2031 the plan sets out to build 3.87 million...
read moreWEEK OF APRIL 29 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
Debunking that housing is a human right. This week, the media asked the provinces for comment on housing, human rights and legislation.
read moreRENTAL MARKET SPURRING MONTREAL HOUSING CONSTRUCTION
The Montreal housing market has seen a sharp increase in rental construction versus single-family homes, driven by simple economics. According to CMHC market analyst Francis Cortellino, it’s a trend that has been ongoing for 20 years. “Not a lot of land is available, and land is expensive, so there’s not a lot of single-family homes being started,” he said. Add to this factors like tough zoning regulations where municipalities purposely “want to increase density.” There is also less family...
read moreCITY TARGETS TORONTO’S ‘BAD FAITH’ LANDLORDS WITH MORE INSPECTIONS
Toronto city council has approved a beefed up apartment inspection and enforcement program designed to improve safety and provide readily accessible online updates on building conditions across the city. Councillors approved the new standards for RentSafeTO at a meeting late last week. The program, which began in 2017, is a bylaw enforcement system designed to ensure owners and operators of over 3,600 apartment buildings are meeting maintenance standards. The new rules include targeted...
read moreLIBERALS’ HOPED-FOR SUPPORT SURGE IN WAKE OF UNDER-40 TARGETED SPENDING BLITZ HAS YET TO MATERIALIZE
A month-long political sales job by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his cabinet and caucus attempting to raise awareness and – crucially – support for a slew of budget spending measures aimed making life affordable for Canadians has yet to pay off. In a bid to climb out of a 20-point deficit in vote intention, this year’s budget invested heavily in Gen Z adults and Millennials, loading $8.5 billion in spending on housing and other affordability measures, to woo Canadians under 40, while...
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