TRUDEAU’S IMMIGRATION PLAN HINGES ON MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LEAVING
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to fix immigration in Canada depends on the biggest exodus of people since at least the 1940s — one that many economists doubt is feasible. Slamming the brakes on record-setting population growth requires 2.4 million non-permanent residents to leave or change status over the next two years, according to the government’s forecasts, which also see 1.5 million new temporary arrivals during that time. That projected net loss of about 900,000 international...
read moreCONSERVATIVE PARTY WINS SECOND STRAIGHT MAJORITY IN NOVA SCOTIA ELECTION
Nova Scotians have reelected the Progressive Conservative Party with a large majority in a victory for a political platform that includes trying to make home buying easier for some residents. As the final counting of votes occurred Wednesday, members of Premier Tim Houston’s PC Party won outright or were leading in 43 electoral districts. The NDP captured nine seats and the Liberal Party only two. An independent candidate is poised to hold one of the 55 seats in the Nova Scotia...
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 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...
read moreTORONTO REPORT RECOMMENDS FEE REDUCTIONS, OTHER STEPS TO CREATE NEW RENTALS
Of that total, the city would commit to build 7,000 rental homes through its own resources. The staff report is titled Build More Homes: Expanding Incentives for Purpose-Built Rental Housing. Among the recommendations, the city is proposing a new purpose-built rental homes incentive to move rentals through the pipeline and into construction. The program, developed in partnership with all orders of government, will advance the city’s own targets of 41,000 affordable rental homes, targets under...
read moreEDMONTON LEADS IN HOUSING METRICS
In an earlier blog this year, I discussed the Edmonton Region’s rapid and unprecedented population growth. Since writing that post, it looks like growth has accelerated and is set to surpass 2023 levels in 2024. While this influx adds pressure to services like infrastructure and education, the Edmonton Region appears to be responding effectively in one crucial area: housing. Housing Affordability As explored in another one of my past blogs, Edmonton continues to rank among Canada’s most...
read moreRENTS FORECAST TO SOAR IN MAJOR CITIES AS SUPPLY ISSUES PERSIST
If there’s one thing Canadians like to talk about, it’s home prices. That’s something Erkan Yönder, now an associate professor of finance at Concordia University, noticed when he arrived in Montreal more than five years ago and opened his first Canadian bank account. “The first question I got when I came to Canada was, ‘What will happen to the house prices in Montreal?’” he says, recalling a conversation he had with a bank employee at the time. “This is my sixth year in Canada, and everybody...
read moreFOR THE FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS, MAJORITY OF CANADIANS SAY THERE IS TOO MUCH IMMIGRATION
Public support for the number of newcomers coming into Canada has declined for the second consecutive year, according to a new national survey, just as Justin Trudeau’s government gets set to announce its new immigration targets. Almost six in 10 Canadians believe Canada accepts too many immigrants, the survey of roughly 2,000 people in September said, an increase of 14 percentage points from last year and 31 percentage points from 2022. “For the first time in a quarter-century, a clear...
read moreB.C. ELECTION 2024: 12 HOT TOPICS AND WHERE EACH PARTY STANDS
Wondering who to vote for in the 2024 B.C. election? Here are brief summaries of where the B.C. NDP, Conservative Party of B.C. and Green Party of B.C. stand on 12 major issues, and highlights of what they are promising British Columbians: Affordable housing and rental housing B.C. NDP: The NDP are promising to expand on many policies they have put in place since David Eby became premier, including additional density near transit stations, upzoning single-family lots to allow four to six...
read moreCALGARY HOUSING PRICES STILL CLIMBING, RENTS TAPERING AS CITY HITS RECORD FOR STARTS AND COMPLETIONS
Calgary’s home construction industry has supercharged as the city absorbs record numbers of newcomers arriving in the province — though its increasing population is still nudging home prices higher, housing data show. The city is an outlier among Canada’s major cities that are struggling to build new homes as they, too, continue to see high immigration. It comes as welcome news as Calgary’s housing prices have been climbing for several years. It’s also a departure from the rather grim tone at...
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