Who are the bunch of wimps I refer to? Essentially most of Canada’s political class! I have spent most of my adult life negotiating with real estate developers. So, I have a number of pointers: Prepare to Walk Away Sweat the Small Stuff Many might think this is just too trivial, but trust me, it […]
Canada’s de facto ruling coalition is delivering a political Christmas gift of $342.65. The math: Isn’t Inflation the Problem? And this to help Canadians deal with the cost of living. So the world has struggled with inflation for the last few years and finally seemed to be getting it under control, at least in Canada. […]
I have been trying to figure out how a 5% sales tax rebate makes homes more affordable. I haven’t been able to because it just doesn’t work. Homes sell at a market price. If that market price is $1.0 million dollars, the only party to benefit from the $50,000 rebate will be the seller because […]
OK! Everybody take a valium! The inspiration for this post comes from one of Aislin’s most famous editorial cartoons of the last four decades. The Montréal Gazette published it the day after René Lévesque’s Parti québécois was first elected in 1976. If I had the necessary skills I would replace Réné with Donald Trump and […]
North America has a single-family house fixation – an abusive use of land needed for agriculture and nature. The resulting urban sprawl requires extended road, sewer, water, and utilities infrastructure. The outcome – more land cost and infrastructure cost per housing unit equals less upfront affordability. And, extended infrastructure networks saddle communities with additional municipal […]
August 23, 2024 Just things I want to share – just odds and ends. A headline from the New York Times ! Off the Grid, Extremely Online – August 14, 2024 Am I the only person that thinks this is an oxymoron? How can someone claim to be off the grid and still have a […]
I have written but occasionally over the past twenty-four months. Twenty-four months working with Anastasia Mourogova-Millin on innovative concepts designed to attract financing-at-scale to invest in urban nature and bio-diversity. We have now re-defined our working relationship. I continue to believe in the ideas she is pioneering. However, we are at different stages of our working […]
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Co-working space came to mean the notorious We Work model. When I have been asked to opine on co-working I have tried to steer the conversation away from the Adam Neumann / Softbank flimflam growth model. Instead, I suggested that property owners look at usage and users. While I doubted We Work’s ability to survive […]
Before I fall completely into the trap of opposition politics, I have decided to take a break from never-ending criticism and to start suggesting solutions to the affordable housing conundrum. Do I have a plan? No! More a collection of ideas. To start with, I think there are three key issues: Home ownership is not […]