Why don’t we include developers vested in the downtown in the City’s ongoing “engagement” process on Grow Bold? Why not bring developers to the table?
Why are we afraid to ask the private sector, experts in development, to participate openly in the process?
Why not bring developers together in a room (initially away from the public – away from the anger, hostility and venom) and ask for their “help” in dealing with the public fears on:
The loss of sunlight;
Increase in vehicular congestion;
Loss of green and liveable space;
Ensuring safe pedestrian flow and places of gathering;
Promotion of downtown businesses;
Ensuring sufficient parking for residents and visitors; and,
Any other big issue item….
Developers are not afraid of criticism. They deal with it all the time. And, they can be a powerful team to help with resident issues if we ask them.
Why not ask them to sign onto a Memorandum of Understanding to come up with a coordinated design away from the fear of public scrutiny and criticism, at least in the initial stages of brainstorming and design.
Challenge them to put together a coordinated plan or design, and more than one plan or design, which addresses the public concerns and ensures an integrated approach to responsible development rather than the “one-offs” we are currently getting with individual development applications.
Put their coordinated plan or design(s) before the citizen engagement forums. At least the residents would have something tangible to review and comment on.
Developers will listen, and even though they may not like the resident feedback, the hope is that their engagement gives them an incentive to incorporate good design ideas into their individual development applications.
I believe it is everyone’s right to have a safe and affordable home to raise a family. The reality in today’s economy is quite the opposite. I see people making desperate decisions to buy a home out of their price range for fear that they won’t be able to afford anything similar if they wait. They are maximizing their credit cards, borrowing more from parents and cutting back on certain activities for their children just to make ends meet.
I had recently quoted Benjamin Tal, Chief Economist with CIBC World Markets, who spoke of a generation that is going to “inherit inequality”. I won’t even attempt to explore the depth of the subject, but suffice it to say that there is a growing demand for rental units. Just yesterday, I had a client that is selling her home because she can’t afford to live in it. Yes, she intends to bank the little amount of equity she will get out of selling her home and rent. I see this trend more and more.
The implication of what Tal was saying is that if you are not a homeowner now that you may not likely be a homeowner in the near future given the trend of skyrocketing home prices. And, today’s Globe and Mail article about Ontario pushing Ottawa for some form of tax on speculative buyers or increasing the capital gains tax is a sign that governments recognize the seriousness of the problem.
Just think, you have people buying properties based on speculation of profiting, low inventory of homes on the market and first-time home buyers trying to get into the market. How does a first-time home buyer compete with an investor with very few homes for sale?
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t criticize investors. After all, they have children for whom they want to provide a home and ensure a financial nest egg for themselves. I get it. But, if average people can’t afford to buy their own home and must turn to renting, that will put a corresponding strain on all levels of government, primarily provincial and municipal, to provide affordable housing. It is a storm brewing like no other.
Ironically, I know that builders are in tune with this growing demand for rental housing units and have already started building a mix of condominiums and rental apartments. The only issue is that market pricing remains an issue because demand is growing for good rental units.
My question is whether all levels of government can create a unified strategy in concert with builders whereby builders have the right incentives to build affordable rental units for growing families? A grand idea perhaps, but if it works, would this not be a more cost-effective alternative to managing government deficits and pressure to keep increasing tax revenues? Just saying……
Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist with CIBC World Markets, made a spectacular presentation to kick off the Landpro conference today at the Paramount Centre in Vaughn.
Tal spoke about the economy and real estate outlook for the GTA.
Tal started with Trump’s election and ended with the rise of housing prices, the trend towards a reduction in the number of CMHC insured properties and the need for “purpose built” developments (aka the need for more rental units).
Taking liberty with Tal’s insightful analysis, he believes Trump will only last 1 term as President because his expressed and demonstrated approach to creating more “jobs” (his mantra) is inconsistent with the economic realities occurring in the USA and the world. He called Trump “inflationary” and predicted that Trump will fail in creating more jobs and trade.
Tal pointed out that the manufacturing sector in the US is outperforming Canada which should be the exact opposite given our much lower dollar. But overall, manufacturing jobs have been falling long before China entered the WTO.
The number of American workers receiving disability benefits in 2016 outnumbered the number of production workers. Government tax cuts reduce revenue which increases government borrowing.
Canada’s share of low paying jobs is rising. And although there is an availability of good jobs, Tal said employers can’t find workers with the right skill sets to perform those jobs.
Canadian manufacturing is near full capacity and needs investment to lift exports.
From 2015 to 2025, there will be approximately $800 billion in the transference of wealth in the form of inheritances which Tal labelled as “inheriting inequality”. This is tied to an individual’s ability to buy homes at their current prices and future prices.
The Bank of Canada’s real motive in keeping interest rates low is to support our weak dollar and not necessarily to promote private homeownership.
Rising home prices in Toronto are forcing people to look further and further away from City centre to find homes within their price range. Although low-interest rates continue to promote new homeownership, the high cost of homes coupled with the new federal mortgage rules constricting the number of CMHC insured homes, Tal predicts will create an increased demand for rental units.
Sorry, Tal if I butchered your fantastic presentation – it was refreshing and insightful.
In fact, you may also forget with time what assets and liabilities you have. That is why I always recommend that clients prepare a simple checklist having key pieces of information, like:
Name and location of where they do their banking;
Account details – ie. chequing/savings and estimated balances;
List address of real estate you own – ie. home/cottage (keeping an old tax bill with the checklist is great because it has key details about the property) & estimated balance of any outstanding mortgage and name and contact information of lender;
Name and contact details of Insurance Agent & policy number of any life or home insurance;
Name and contact details of Financial Adviser/Planner & account/portfolio number with estimated balance;
Name and contact details of Lawyer;
List of credit cards
List details of any corporate holdings you may have including any business or partnership interests;
Anything else you think is necessary for the Executor or Power of Attorney to know.
Make sure to put the date at the top of the page & sign your name at the bottom.
At our firm, we keep the original Wills and Powers of Attorney stored in a fireproof vault with a unique client number for easy retrieval when required. We advise the clients to provide us with a copy of the checklist to store with their Wills/Powers of Attorney.
Our clients are provided with a signed copy of their Wills and Powers of Attorney and we advise them to keep those documents along with a copy of their checklist stored together. The signed copies don’t need to be in a vault since the original is already in our vault. We simply advise clients to keep them in a file wherever they keep important documents at home but to also inform their named Executors and Powers of Attorney of their whereabouts
This saves everyone a lot of grief and stress when the time comes to rely on those documents.
Selling your home privately? Resources from a Real Estate Lawyers
Then you should know that there are resources out there that can help you get your home ready and in tip-top shape to get the best possible selling price. Selling your home privately requires the assistance of professionals to reach your’e asking.
Realtors typically know all kinds of people and businesses from roofers, and home inspectors to home stagers to prepare your home for sale. But do you?
I was at a Realtor’s event recently and met some incredible people who can help you prepare your home when trying to sell it privately. Buyers may also be interested in some of these services like home inspectors, moving boxes and environmental remediation people.
PICTURES & FLOOR PLAN LAYOUT – Brian Brown from Snapd iGuide has a remarkable business that comes into your home and takes professional photos – but the remarkable part is that his photo technology actually measures the dimensions of each room and maps out a floor plan layout of your home. The floor plan layout can be posted on the internet and viewers can click on every room and they will get a virtual view of the entire area. It looks amazing and professionally done for a very low cost. Only $250 for homes up to 2500 sq ft. To me that is a remarkable price for what you are getting. Check out their website at www.snapdiguide.com or just contact Brian at brian@snapdiguide.com / 519-831-7322. www.snapdiguide.com.
HOME STAGING – And you must meet Jill Ackerman and Shardie Stevenson from Stage Right. Jill and Shardie are remarkable individuals. Jill reminds me of the famous actress Maude. Strong, bright and that golden white main is stunning. Jill will come to your home and, regardless of whether you have moved out or not, she will stage your home for viewings so that it makes the best possible impression on potential buyers. How can you go wrong with that kind of assistance? Just call Jill at 289-880-0500 / jill@stageright2sell.ca or check out her website at www.stageright2sell.ca.
Left to Right: Jill Ackerman, Karmel Sakran and Shardie Stevenson
SIGN POST & PACKING BOXES – And then there is Jim Osborne who thought he had retired and ended up buying a couple of businesses. One is Smartposts which manufactures lawn signs that advertise your home for sale. They look professional like any other realtor sign. Smartboxes is Jim’s other business which provides a variety of eco-friendly green moving boxes you can rent for packing your belongings. They are strong and easily stackable. You can call Jim at 905-960-1021 or sales@postinstallers.com – or check out his 2 websites: www.smartboxes.ca and www.postinstallers.com.
UNWANTED STUFF – Of course, there may be stuff you don’t want to take with you and that is when you want to call my friend, Chris Wade of Goodwill Amity to donate those items. If memory serves me correct, Chris’ team will come out to your home to pick up those generously donated items. You can reach Chris at 905-526-8482 or cwade@goodwillonline.ca.
MOULD REMOVAL – I had a great time chatting with two wonderful people, Richard Hughes and Kerry MacMullin. Richard is a bright and engaging fellow who owns and operates HIP (“Home Improvement Professionals”) Mould Pros. Richard’s business is to remove mould from your home. Kerry makes Richard look good by providing him with all the back end support while he`s is on the road. Richard explained that there are a variety of ways to remove mould from homes and he swears by his technique which he says is fully insured, fully guaranteed and certified by a professional engineer. Richard took the time to explain the various methods used and why his method is second to none. Check him out at www.H-I-P.ca or call him at 519-766-2042 or richard@H-I-P.ca.
Left to Right: Kerry MacMullin, Karmel Sakran and Richard Hughes
HOME INSPECTION & ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION – There were several other professionals with whom I did not really get a chance to chat with for very long….but here they are:
Henry Kwasniak of Healthy Environmental.ca seems to focus more on Commercial/Industrial buildings. His information shows that he is an MOL certified trained technician for Abatement and MOE licenced disposal for mould and asbestos. You can reach Henry at 1-855-666-6853 or henry@healthyenvironments.ca / www.healthyenvironmental.ca;
John Hansen of HouseMaster serves Hamilton, Burlington & Surrounding Areas and he can provide a WETT Certificate for fireplaces. John provides 20% discount for all veterans and can be reached at 905-966-7378 or hansen@housemaster.ca / www.housemaster.ca;
Ed Iwanchuk and Dan Davies of TeamOne are certified in the use of Infrared Camera technology. A realtor was at their booth and swore by them. Ed and Dan can be reached at 905-745-9250 or teamonehomeinspections@gmail.com / teamonehomeinspections.com; and,
Dan Kern of HomeWorks Inspection Services Ltd. is a registered home inspector who also serves the Burlington, Hamilton & Brantford areas. Dan can be reached at 905-630-8775 or dan@homeworksinspections.ca / homeworksinspections.ca.
CMHC – Cathy Aquilina, Account Manager with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation provided me with some very helpful information for homebuyers who are putting down less than 20% towards the purchase of a home. Keep in mind that CMHC does not deal directly with homebuyers. CMHC deals directly with the mortgage brokers and lenders. Lending institutions submit the application for CMHC coverage on behalf of the buyers. However, Cathy told me that she regularly speaks at homebuyer seminars and there is great information on the CMHC website. And best of all, there is an APP that can be downloaded by homebuyers called “Ready Set Home”! Visit their website at www.cmhc.ca.
NOTICE TO READER: GGS does not assume any liability of having introduced readers to the individuals and/or businesses referenced above. The individuals and/or businesses referenced above are presented for the readers reading pleasure and the reader is solely responsible for exercising their own due diligence and good judgment on whether to engage their services or not.
Article written by Karmel Sakran
Readers may contact Karmel Sakran at 905-639-1222 ext. 224
If you have had a car accident, even if you don’t think you have been injured, there are certain things you need to do to protect your own rights and to protect yourself from claims from other people involved in the accident.
Always call the police even if it is just a “fender bender”. A police report is essential to making any sort of insurance claim yourself for damage to your vehicle or for accident benefits which are available regardless of fault to all insured motorists. A police report is also essential if you want your insurance company to defend you against a claim from another person involved in the accident.
Your next call, after the police investigation is completed, should be to your insurance agent if you have one or to your insurance company directly.
Late reporting of an accident may allow your insurance company to deny you coverage if you are sued as a result of a car accident or create skepticism if you are making an accident benefits claim.
If there is even a hint of you being injured and you haven’t gone to the hospital from the scene, go and see your family doctor for assessment and appropriate treatment as soon as you can. If you can’t get an appointment right away, go to a walk-in clinic for initial treatment. Car accident injuries, such as whiplash injuries, can take days or weeks to develop, and documenting the initial complaint as soon as possible after the accident creates a good foundation for a damages claim.
Then, feel free to call Earl Taylor at Green Germann Sakran at 905-639-1222 x245 for a free consultation about your rights after an accident. There are no upfront legal fees and no legal fees at all unless you recover a settlement or judgment.
A family crisis situation can benefit from a lawyer to help you through the family law Court system.
If you break up with your spouse or partner, the natural tendency will be to do nothing at least until the initial shock wears off. Speaking with a family law lawyer can help with a plan to ease the turmoil of your family crisis.
Doing nothing could be the worst thing you do especially if you have children.
Regardless of the impact of the separation on you, you and hopefully your spouse or partner will want to do everything possible to minimize the impact on your kids and promote a sense of stability and security for them. Create a plan for their care and try to get an agreement on it.
If your plan means the children will live with you, be aware that allowing them to stay for any significant overnight time with the other spouse or partner could create a status quo regarding custody in that person’s favour which you may have trouble overcoming later.
Family Crisis Lawyers – don’t wait to get help.
If you are going to need financial support from your spouse or partner after a separation, don’t procrastinate in trying to get it voluntarily from the other spouse or partner. If you do in the hope of an agreement and nothing is forthcoming, the family law Court system is structured in such a way that, once you start a Court case, you must wait several months at a minimum to be able to go into Court to ask for a temporary support order. Don’t wait to get started.
Once a separation has taken place, try to accumulate for negotiation with your spouse or partner or for a Court case, if one is required, financial documents such as your last three years’ income tax returns and notices of assessment, pay statements, statements reinvestments and RRSPs, loan statements, credit card statements, etc. to make your lawyer’s job easier.
Know your rights! Unless your employer has fired you for just cause, such as serious misconduct, or unless you have signed an employment contract limiting your rights, every employee in Ontario is entitled to some compensation when dismissed as long as you have had at least three months on the job.
Every employee in Ontario has minimum rights under the Employment Standards Act, including the right to one weeks’ notice or one weeks’ pay in place of notice for each year of service when dismissed.
Most people are aware of this and have the right to make a complaint to the government-run Labour Board if they don’t get this minimum entitlement.
What a lot of people don’t know is that most employees who are dismissed have the right to additional compensation at common law over and above the minimum required by the Employment Standards Act.
Please feel free to contact us to make sure you know your rights.
Left to Right: Jill Ackerman, Karmel Sakran and Shardie Stevenson
Left to Right: Kerry MacMullin, Karmel Sakran and Richard Hughes