WEEK OF NOVEMBER 25 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
November 22nd was National Housing Day so it seemed fitting to look back and forward to see where we stand....
read moreWHAT IS YIELDSTAR, THE CONTROVERSIAL PRICING SOFTWARE SOME BLAME FOR RISING RENTS
Canadian officials are concerned about YieldStar, a controversial software that recommends rent prices to landlords that is currently the subject of a government lawsuit in the United States. In October, Canadian federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne said the government would launch an investigation into the allegations around price-fixing in the rental market, writing a letter to Competition Bureau commissioner Matthew Boswell. Champagne’s letter...
read moreHOUSING TURNS THE KEY TO CRUCIAL NOVA SCOTIA ELECTION ISSUES
All the parties vying for the votes of Nova Scotians agree on the importance of housing. “Affordability is an issue that permeates all aspects of life for many Nova Scotians right now but we know that housing is the largest driver of that,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said in an Oct. 31 announcement in Dartmouth. “If people can afford their housing, they can think about how to afford everything else because shelter is the number 1 concern.” In introducing the Liberal platform on Nov. 4, leader...
read moreLIBERALS ANNOUNCE 3% RENT CAP, WITH A CAVEAT
New Brunswick tenants can expect a promised three per cent cap on rent increases effective Feb. 1, but landlords will get some wiggle room, on a case-by-case basis, to help cover the cost of “capital renovations.” On Wednesday, Housing Minister David Hickey introduced amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act and its regulation to create a permanent rent cap but also to establish a process for landlords to seek rent increases above the new threshold. Under the proposed new rules, New...
read moreONTARIO EYES GIVING CREDIT BUREAUS ACCESS TO LTB ORDERS FOR RENTERS WITH HISTORY OF ARREARS
A proposal to make Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) orders accessible to consumer credit bureaus for tenants with a history of rent arrears would make it easier to weed out bad prospective renters, London, Ont., landlords say. Renters’ advocacy groups worry it could hurt low-income tenants who fall behind by damaging their credit scores and unfairly penalize tenants who withheld rent for negligent maintenance or other issues. The Ford government revealed the plan in a media backgrounder...
read moreWEEK OF NOVEMBER 18 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
Owners, managers and business leaders in the province of PEI, which has some of the strictest rent control laws in Canada, is seeing their housing crisis worsen and has now put out a report detailing the issues and how investments priorities are changing the housing industry....
read moreCANADIAN BUILDING INTENTIONS IMPROVE, BUT INFLATION KILLED REAL GROWTH
Canadians are getting used to spending more and getting less, even when it comes to building permits. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows total building permits made monthly progress in September, nearing new highs in seasonally-adjusted nominal terms. Before getting too excited, this growth was almost exclusively driven by state stimulus which tends to have an inflationary impact. Inflation-adjusted data shows the real dollar value peaked earlier this year and has slid in recent months....
read moreLIBERAL GOVERNMENT’S IMMIGRATION CAP WON’T FIX THE SYSTEM
If you want to know how messed up the Trudeau Liberals have made Canada’s immigration system, consider this: Between September 2024 and December 2025, 4.9 million visas for foreign students, visitors, tourists and temporary workers will expire. The problem is, there is no way to make sure anyone leaves the country. A high percentage of them won’t leave on their own. A recent examination by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that Canada had far and away the...
read moreMAYOR CHOW PROPOSING BIG CHANGE THAT WOULD SEE BUILDINGS GO UP ALL OVER TORONTO
Mayor Olivia Chow has proposed a major change to the process of how housing is built in Toronto, one that would allow a new generation of buildings to pop up on major streets across the city. Chow is looking to implement sweeping as-of-right zoning on Toronto’s avenues that would allow for drastic changes in the city’s built form. Toronto’s development scene has been dominated by tall towers in recent years, but Chow’s new push to change zoning regulations could result in a more Parisian style...
read moreIS IT A TENANT’S RIGHT TO CHARGE AN EV AT THEIR RENTAL?
An Ottawa man feels it’s his right to charge his car overnight at his apartment building since electricity is included in his rent, but his landlord disagrees. Joel Mac Neil says he has been charging his electric vehicle (EV) at his apartment building, the Park West, with no issues for three years, until now. “I should be allowed to do this and I don’t have to hide,” Joel Mac Neil said. “I have every right to do this and charge here.” On Oct. 7, he says the...
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