Changes to the Land Use Planning Appeal System

Ontario passed the Building Better Communities and Conserving Watersheds Act 2017, which overhauls the province’s land use planning appeals system, giving communities a stronger voice and ensuring people have access to faster, fairer and more affordable hearings. Giving Communities a Stronger Voice  Once in force, the act will establish the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal to […]

Short-term Rentals were approved by city council

Short-term Rentals Proposed regulations for short-term rentals were approved by City Council. A short-term rental is defined as renting for less than 28 days. Staff recommendations to limit the use of short-term rental providers (such as Airbnb) to a person’s ‘principal residence’ were adopted. A limit of 180 days per year was also placed on […]

Availability of rental housing in GTA falls to 16-year low, CMHC says

Rental housing is getting harder to find in the Greater Toronto Area, although for those that already live here, that’s not likely news. But a new report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation provides a statistical look at just how tight the rental market has become. The vacancy rate of rental properties in the GTA — the […]

Toronto home sales see above average 12% monthly jump in October, board says

oronto area home sales rebounded by 12 per cent from September to October, pointing to a stronger fall market after a policy-driven pullback from a frenzied market that peaked earlier this year. The Toronto Real Estate Board said Thursday that 7,118 homes were sold in October, up from the month before but down 27 per […]

The Most Unaffordable Housing Markets In North America, Charted

Not only is the rent too damn high, housing prices are as well. But where is the situation the worst? The usual suspects — New York, San Francisco, Vancouver — top the list, but where else are things bad? This chart from real estate firm Point2Homes ranks cities by their “median multiple” — the median […]

Toronto house-price slump ends with September rise

  Greater Toronto home prices jumped in September as buyers appeared to put an end to a slump that began in the spring with government measures to cool a scorching real-estate market. The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) said the average GTA home sold for $775,546 in September, up 5.9 per cent from August’s average […]

GTA New Home Sales Recap

There were 795 total new home sales in August 2017, with 114 Low Rise sales, down -76% from August 2016 (down -88% from 10yr avg) and 681 High Rise sales, down -68% from August 2016 (down -42% from 10yr avg). The New Home Benchmark Price tracks the average Low and High Rise home or unit […]

GTA new home sales strong year-to-date, high-rise dominates

  August may have been quiet but 2017 so far has been a strong year for new home sales in the GTA, especially for the high-rise sector. A report from the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) shows that 31,749 homes have been sold in the 8 months to the end of August, 28% […]

Province to unlock additional land for housing

The Ontario government has addressed the province’s housing supply issue by vowing to unlock provincial land for the use of housing. Toronto Mayor John Tory and Peter Milczyn, Minister of Housing and Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, made the announcement in Toronto Wednesday morning. The plan is to allow for the creation of […]

Yorkville Toronto Condo Sales Report, March 21 Through August 20, 2017

Since the end of April, we have heard many reports on how the [Toronto-Condo-Market-May-2017-New-Legislature-Effect-Toronto-Condo-Market-]Ontario Fair Housing Plan has changed the face of Toronto’s real estate market. We have heard diverse reports ranging from dire as the market has stalled and prices have dropped dramatically, to reports that there has been little impact on the Toronto […]

Ontario’s Fair Housing Plan

Ontario’s Fair Housing Plan introduces a comprehensive package of measures to help more people find affordable homes, increase supply, protect buyers and renters and bring stability to the real estate market. The plan includes: Actions to Address Demand for Housing: Introducing legislation that would, if passed, implement a new 15-per-cent Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) on […]

Don Mouth Naturalization Becomes A Reality

This June, we announced $1.25 billion in tri-government funding for Waterfront Toronto to naturalize the mouth of the Don River, provide flood protection and lay the groundwork for new communities. This project, officially called Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure (PLFPEI), will be a vital part of helping Toronto grow in a sustainable way. This includes the […]

Home construction picks up in July, driven by buildings, condos, CMHC says

The federal housing agency says home construction picked up last month. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts increased to 222,324 units in July, up from 212,948 in June. The annual pace of urban home construction increased by 5.5 per cent to 206,122 units, driven by a rise […]

Toronto / GTA Market Report

Canada continues to experience strong GDP growth, with the latest monthly data from May 2017 showing that the economy grew by 0.6% month-over-month, or 4.6% year-over-year. This growth was consistent across 14 of the 20 sectors tracked. For good measure, the recently released IMF report on global economic growth indicates that Canada will lead all […]

Vaughan’s Glorious Downtown Plans Prove to be an Exciting Redevelopment

Canada’s Wonderland Won’t Be the Only Thing Defining Vaughan’s Skyline Anymore 442 acres of land is being redeveloped, that’s approximately 300 football fields! They’re creating a downtown core that Vaughan has never seen before set with tons of skyscrapers (well, 30 storey skyscrapers). This plan transforms the current sub-urban area into an urban hub for […]

Approved – new park at 28 Bathurst!

I’m delighted that City Council approved my colleague, Councillor Mike Layton’s plan, to turn vacant land at 28 Bathurst into a brand new 2-acre park. This is tremendous news, and a great win for our shared downtown neighbourhoods. As our city grows, we must focus on building neighbourhoods rather than just adding density. As we […]