Recent Articles
Minto emphasizes diverse lifestyles in Oshawa's Heights of Harmony Phase II
Minto Oshawa's Heights of Harmony Phase II a diverse mix
Minto Communities Canada is set to launch Phase II of its Heights of Harmony master-planned community in Oshawa, offering homes for a diverse range of families types in Durham Region.
Investors took a chunk of housing market during COVID
Investors cornered a larger chunk of the real estate market during the pandemic when interest rates were low — owning 10 per cent more of the country’s mortgaged homes than they did three years ago, according to new data from the Bank of Canada.
Owners aren't paid. Tenants squeezed. The system is broken.
Raj Salwan is slipping deeper into debt, covering the costs of his condo occupied by a tenant who isn't paying and will not leave. Salwan's tenant is in arrears of over $34,000 and stopped paying rent in February 2021.
CMHC examines 1970s tax shelter as solution to rental crisis
Canada's housing agency has reached back nearly five decades to examine a long-abandoned tax shelter - the MURB - that was aimed at spurring the construction of apartment buildings, as it analyzes how to deal with the "persistent undersupply" of rental housing.
Builders say tax break will spur on new rental units
Apartment developers say Ottawa’s GST break on construction will spur them to develop thousands of new rental units by offsetting rising costs. Fitzrovia Real Estate said it would allow the firm to build 3,000 more rental units in 10 months.
Calgary's new housing strategy a 'gamechanger'
The City of Calgary's new housing strategy includes an incentive program to create new secondary suites, plans to sell city land for new housing units, and adopting new zoning rules to allow row houses and duplexes anywhere in the city.
Laneway housing legalized in Burnaby, a step forward
Laneways in Burnaby can soon be home to lane houses after city council voted to allow laneway housing in residential areas across the city. Burnaby begins accepting applications for building laneway homes Monday, Sept. 18.
Mass timber part of solution to the housing crisis
There are some strategies municipalities can take to get non-profit housing to market sooner and on budget. Cities need to get “an aligned group” of consultants and contractors to the pre-design table but it's not how many municipalities operate now.
Protestors say Quebec housing bill a setback for tenants
Demonstrations took place across Quebec on Saturday to protest Bill 31, which among other things proposes removing the right of tenants to transfer their lease. The marches took place simultaneously in Montreal, Quebec City, Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranda and Sherbrooke.
Home sales in Calgary reach new high-water mark
The city saw 2,729 sales in August, an increase of nearly 28 per cent from the same month last year. That’s the fourth consecutive month of monthly sales record in the city, even as year-to-date sales still trail those of 2022 by 15 per cent.
Canadian housing starts flat in August: CMHC
Canadian housing starts were flat in August at 244,507 units, up 0.8% from 242,552 units in July. Seasonally adjusted housing starts were down 12% in Vancouver, 20% in Toronto, and Montreal starts were up 41% bolstered by the multiresidential sector.
National home sales fall 4% July to August: CREA
The national housing market slowed last month with sales and prices tumbling between July and August as the Bank of Canada’s latest interest rate hike rattled buyers. Seasonally adjusted sales totalled 38,345 in August, down 4.1 per cent from July.
Hundreds of short-term rentals culled in Ottawa: report
Ottawa’s one-year-old short-term rental bylaw has culled the stock of Airbnb rentals in the city by hundreds of units, a municipal report says. Investment units used solely for short-term rentals, which are often advertised through Airbnb, were prohibited.
Toronto apartment building owner banning EV on its property
A Toronto building owner is banning electric vehicles from the property, including in units, the garage, parking spaces and lockers. The Landlord and Tenant Board says tenants who believe an owner has breached the Residential Tenancies Act can appeal.
Drone flying by Toronto condo windows raises concerns
In her midtown Toronto high-rise, Lisa Graston saw it out of the corner of her eye: a drone with four propellers hovering, in broad daylight, outside her condo window. The unmanned aerial vehicle slowly descended the front of her building.
Experts chime in on how to cancel new construction deal
The new model home you signed up for with a deposit three years ago has left you financially underwater as house prices continue to tumble across the GTA. There are options for cancelling the contract, but it will cost you.
Time for the first home savings accounts, four ways to do it
The first home savings account (FHSA) is a must-have for anyone saving for a home, and aspiring owners need all the help they can get in building down payments. But the rollout of FHSAs by financial institutions has been slow.
It's tax sale season in B.C., and a caution for prospective buyers
It's tax sale season across B.C., when savvy investors stand to profit on the misfortune of others. Every year, municipalities hold an annual auction in September where up for grabs are properties with three years' worth of unpaid taxes.
Ford government’s pivot on regional governments a ‘slow retreat’
Reviews of two-tier government in York, Halton, Durham and others appears headed to an Ontario legislative committee. Peel went through a similar exercise which will lead to its dissolution in 2025 into the separate municipalities of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.
Rising insurance rates crushing U.S. housing developers
Developers of apartment buildings across the US are raising alarms as property insurance rates continue to rise, a trend that threatens to seal off the pipeline for much-needed housing construction — especially new apartments with lower cost units.
Industry Events
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Canada Real Estate Auctions
Dec 01 2024
to Dec 31 2024
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Toronto Real Estate Forum
Dec 04 2024
to Oct 05 2024
Metro Toronto Convention Centre - South Building -
First Nations Housing Conference
Feb 04 2025
to Feb 06 2025
Valhalla Hotel, Thunder Bay, ON -
2025 ULI Housing Opportunity Conference
Feb 25 2025
to Feb 26 2025
Atlanta, GA -
MIPIM: The Global Urban Festival
Mar 11 2025
to Mar 14 2025
Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France -
CHBA's Home Building Week in Canada
May 11 2025
to May 15 2025
Victoria, BC -
2025 CFAA Rental Housing Conference
May 13 2025
to May 15 2025
Vancouver, BC