Ontario Government Announced its Housing Supply Action Plan: More Homes More Choice
The Honourable Steve Clark announced the provincial government’s Housing Supply Action Plan. The measures proposed will help get more purpose-built rental housing built in Ontario. It will reduce barriers to development by: Speeding up the development approvals process by reducing the costs of delayControlling fees and charges that must ultimately be paid by the renterUpdating policy to encourage more units in the right places, like transit hubs, and other places where density is both...
read moreImmigrant demand to fuel housing activity in the largest cities
Immigrants, mostly young individuals and households, will account for a significant portion of renewed housing demand in Canada’s largest cities, according to RBC Economic Research. The millennial influx will be especially important in light of the increasingly important role that the tech industry is plating in Canadian real estate. Considering the nation’s status as a world leader in innovation, a significant portion of the demographic is expected to work in the technology sector. In 2018...
read moreKenney and Ford discuss carbon tax, pipelines at Toronto meeting
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney visited Ontario on his fourth day on the job to meet with Premier Doug Ford and discuss their mutual opposition to the federal carbon tax. Both premiers are strongly against the levy, and Kenney thanked Ford for being a key player in a coalition of provinces fighting the carbon tax. “Premier, as you know, my party even in Opposition has been in court supporting you, fighting for Ontario taxpayers, because ultimately you’ve got to fight for Canadian...
read moreWorld’s tallest wood tower proposed in Vancouver
A Vancouver developer is proposing a new 35 to 40 storey tower for the Broadway corridor, but the plan isn’t for a typical high rise. Bruce Langereis, president of Delta Land Corporation, is working with architect Peter Busby from Perkins + Will to design a mass timber building that could revolutionize the way developers build. The tower would be mostly mass timber, likely with a concrete core. The building will use a fraction of the carbon needed to build something similar in steel. According...
read moreSask. Court of Appeal rules federal carbon tax is constitutional
A slim majority on the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has ruled that the federal government’s national carbon-pricing system is constitutional. In a decision issued Friday, the court found that requiring a national price on carbon pollution fell within federal jurisdiction under the national concern branch of its peace, order and good government (POGG) power stipulated in the Canadian Constitution. This allows the federal government to legislate on matters of national importance that have a...
read moreToronto – Vital Service Disruptions in Apartment Buildings
Toronto’s Planning & Housing Committee meets tomorrow to discuss a Vital Service Disruptions in Apartment Buildings report. The City emailed the details to your designated contact in their database, so you should have already received notice. The report “provides an update on measures being undertaken by the City of Toronto to respond to Council directives on apartment building safety issues identified in the St. Jamestown catchment area.“ We have all closely followed...
read moreU.S. Economy continues to make strides
The US economy is in its 10th year of expansion and there is no sign that it’s slowing down. The US Commerce Department report today that GDP rose to an annualized 3.2% in Q1 (January to March), adjusted for inflation and seasonality, marking it the strongest first quarter in 4 years. This was propelled by a dovish Federal Reserve, which has allowed the economy to heat up just a little more with their “easy money” rate outlook. Inflation was still reported below the Feds 2% annual...
read more‘Unicorn sites’ touted to boost housing supply
Rental completions in Toronto hit a quarter-century high during Q1-2019, and it’s buoying hopes that the city might finally be on its way towards solving a critical supply problem. The 1,849 units were nearly five times the quarterly average going back to the first quarter of 2016, according to Urbanation, which furthermore noted that, considering there have only been 13,250 units built in 14 years, it is a considerable improvement. “While vacancy rates surveyed within purpose-built projects...
read morePost-graduate housing complexes to arise in Montreal
The federal and Quebec governments have announced the first of a series of new developments aimed at the growing post-graduate student demographic in Montreal. Woodnote Co-operative is slated to be a 90-unit affordable housing project, and it will herald the construction of over 160 affordable rental units in up to three separate developments across the city. “Post-secondary students in Quebec will soon have new affordable housing options thanks to a new funding model dedicated to creating...
read moreBank of Canada abandons rate-hike bias amid economic slowdown
Policy makers in Ottawa left their benchmark overnight rate unchanged at 1.75 per cent for a fourth straight decision Wednesday, and dropped a reference to future increases that had been in every rate statement since the end of 2017. While Poloz had been reluctant to fully discard the idea that his next step is likely higher — making him a bit of an outlier — Wednesday’s changes indicate policy makers now expect interest rates to remain on hold indefinitely as the economy copes...
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