WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 30 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
Multiple reports this week have concluded the housing crisis is not getting better, in fact in the coming years will only get worse....
read moreMANITOBA GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES $1.2M TO END PAUSE ON RENT TOP-UP PROGRAM FOR LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS
The Manitoba government says it’s spending another $1.2 million to end what it previously called a “temporary pause” on a program that hundreds of people at risk of homelessness count on to pay their rent. The province had in recent weeks paused new applications to the youth and homelessness streams of the Canada-Manitoba Housing Benefit, which it said in a letter issued to some community organizations last month was because of “unprecedented demand” for the...
read moreCALGARY BUILDERS LURE INVESTOR BUYERS
Amid a housing affordability crisis, new construction is essential to meet the demand of Calgary’s growing population. As home-ownership costs rise beyond the reach of many, investor buyers in the new-build condo market play an important role in securing a steady supply of new homes. Investor activity, however, can create significant challenges for first-time buyers, as competing interests emerge. “Developers need to cater to investors to get their projects off the ground,” says Natasha...
read moreCANADIAN TEMPORARY RESIDENT GROWTH FALLS 48%, LONG “OVERDUE”: BMO
Canada’s policymakers went from explaining that millions of temporary residents are needed, to cheering on the reversal of their policies over a few short months. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the flow of non-permanent (temporary) residents slowed in Q2 2024. After doubling in a couple of years, the temporary population remains robust but marks a stark shift in policy. Consequently, one of the country’s largest banks is telling investors to pay close attention, as it can mean big...
read moreCAPITAL GAINS TAX BREAKS IN THE CROSSHAIRS IN HOUSING AFFORDABILITY REPORT
The corporate quest for profit via real estate holdings is exacerbating Canada’s rental affordability crisis, according to a report from Canadians for Tax Fairness. The report, released earlier this week, blamed capital gains and residential real estate investment trust tax policies for “financializing” housing — “increasing ownership by financial actors” — with the organization suggesting that Ottawa’s much-criticized change to the capital gains inclusion rate is needed to shift the tide....
read moreWEEK OF SEPTEMBER 23 2024 NEWSREEL WITH VANESSA TOPPLE
The Trudeau government, while recently announcing mortgage changes also updated the federal Renters’ Bill of Rights and managed to impress no one, not even advocates....
read moreWHY ARE CITIES LIKE VANCOUVER STILL BANNING APARTMENTS IN MOST AREAS?
Vancouver is the epicentre of B.C.’s housing crisis and shortage. So why does the city still effectively ban new apartment buildings on most of its residential land, reserving it exclusively for low-density housing While there have been small steps toward reforming single-family zoning in Vancouver in recent years, apartments are still not allowed on more than three quarters of the city’s residential land. Much the same is true in other big, expensive cities in British Columbia and across...
read moreHOW P.E.I. RENT INCREASES COMPARE TO INFLATION OVERALL
Rents were a major driver of the post-pandemic inflation surge on P.E.I., but a number-crunching exercise shows they may not yet have reached the point of being unreasonable — at least compared to how much it costs landlords to own the buildings being rented out. P.E.I.’s consumer price index rose 17.7 per cent from 2020 to 2023. A look at where the consumer price index breaks down to rent specifically shows an increase over that same period of 22.7 per cent. This led to complaints from...
read moreEDMONTON RESIDENTS EVICTED BY FEDS FROM AFFORDABLE GRIESBACH RENTALS
Rows on rows of aging red brick townhomes sit around a quiet grassy courtyard in a residential area of north Edmonton. Empty, lifeless.Until a few months ago this part of the Griesbach neighbourhood was bustling with activity: groups of children playing and roaming the vast green space, birds singing, adults walking dogs after work. One of these townhouses was Laidler’s home for more than a decade.Hers and 173 other families were evicted by their landlord, federal Crown corporation Canada...
read moreSASKATCHEWAN HOUSING INDUSTRY LEADERS RELEASE POLICY BLUEPRINT TO MEET DEMAND FOR NEW UNITS
Saskatchewan needs between 60,000 and 80,000 new housing units by 2030 to keep up with population growth and demand, according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Housing leaders in the province say there needs to be some policy adjustments to make that happen, and on Monday, the Saskatoon and Regina home builders’ associations, the Saskatchewan Landlord Association and the Saskatchewan Realtors Association released their blueprint to achieve it. Nicole Burgess, CEO of the...
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