There’s been a lot of coverage of proposed housing solutions during this federal election campaign, and that’s hopeful. Mike Moffatt and Justin Ling both have posts that dig in deep enough to explain the difference between them. But there are a few limitations to these plans that I haven’t seen covered, and I have aContinue reading “Housing Solutions, and the Limits Thereof”
Tag Archives: real estate
Property Value
Two things came up in Northumberland in the past week about property value. One was a training session our council had about the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and how they determine assessment for our tax rolls; the other was concerns about property value suffering from stigma associated with the increase of visible homelessness andContinue reading “Property Value”
Housing and Finance
In the last few posts I quoted the former Deputy Mayor of Toronto, who pointed out that there are three things you need to get housing built: “You need the approvals, you need the people to build these things and you need a way to finance it…Right now, we’re having issues in all three.” We’veContinue reading “Housing and Finance”
Municipalities and Housing
In the last post we looked at how a lack of housing supply has driven prices up, and how this is a feature of a housing market that treats housing as a commodity to be traded and invested in rather than as a human right and necessity. But why are there so few housing units?Continue reading “Municipalities and Housing”
Housing Supply and Markets
In my last post we looked at the context of the housing crisis. For the next few posts we’ll look at elements of the problem — because there are many angles to it. Today we’ll look at housing supply. Economics 101 One of the most fundamental notions of economics is the relationship between supply andContinue reading “Housing Supply and Markets”
The Housing Crisis, an Introduction
Once again this morning, the news was dominated by discussions of the housing crisis. If you haven’t been following it closely, it can seem like an enormous mess that’s difficult to untangle; my goal in this post is to give you some context for untangling it. Over the next few weeks we will pull onContinue reading “The Housing Crisis, an Introduction”
To develop, or not to develop
Too many conversations about municipal development come packed with assumptions, including the assumption that it’s a binary decision: to develop, or not to develop. But that’s not actually the question! Development can be a great thing, or it can be a bad thing; most often it’s a little of both. (I’ve written about the developmentContinue reading “To develop, or not to develop”
Municipal Tax Base
Several of the biggest frustrations many people have with government are related to taxes. When they’re collected, it can feel arbitrary and forced: we all have to pay them. Then, it isn’t clear where they go: government accounting is always available for us to examine, but that doesn’t mean that it’s clear or easy toContinue reading “Municipal Tax Base”
Affordable Housing in Brighton
It’s late, but I’m still buzzing from the QDAR All-Candidates Meeting held tonight at the Legion! A good event. Being hosted by the Quinte & District Association of Realtors, the main topic of the night was housing. As a Realtor myself, it was familiar territory; but much of the language and policies that were discussedContinue reading “Affordable Housing in Brighton”