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Springwater News • May 4, 2017 Edition 494 • E-mail: springwaternews@rogers.com • www.springwaternews.ca
Making Housing More Affordable
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Ontario is taking action to make housing more affordable for homebuyers and renters by introducing the Fair Housing Plan. This set of 16 comprehensive measures would help more people find an affordable place to call (Hours: Mon. - Fri - 8 am to 6 pm) home, while bringing stability to the real estate market and www.antifraudcentre.ca protecting the investment of homeowners. These measures include introducing a 15 per cent Non- Housing Plan will also include a new Housing Supply Resident Speculation Tax (NRST) on non-Canadian Team of dedicated provincial employees to identify citizens, non-permanent residents and non-Canadian barriers to specific housing development projects and corporations buying residential properties containing one work with developers and municipalities to find solutions. to six units in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH). Taken together, these new policies represent a substantial, Ontario's economy benefits enormously from newcomers multi-faceted plan to address Ontario's rising housing costs who decide to make the province home. The NRST would so that families can access housing that meets their needs. help to address unsustainable demand in this region, while Making it more affordable to buy or rent a home is part of ensuring Ontario continues to be a place that welcomes all Ontario's plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help new residents. people in their everyday lives. Ontario's Fair Housing Plan would also expand rent Quick Facts control to all private rental units, including those built after After two consecutive years of double-digit gains, 1991, strengthening protections for tenants against sudden, average house prices in the Toronto region reached dramatic rent increases. In addition, it would empower $916,567 in March 2017, up 33.2 per cent from a year Toronto and potentially other interested municipalities to earlier. introduce a tax on vacant homes to encourage owners to RBC Economics recently highlighted that housing sell or rent unoccupied units. affordability in the Toronto area for the fourth quarter The province will also work with municipalities and of 2016 was at its second-worst level on record since other partners to identify provincially owned surplus the mid-1980s. lands that could be used for affordable and rental housing To help Ontarians buy their first home, the province development. doubled the maximum Land Transfer Tax refund to Housing is essential for families across Ontario, yet too $4,000 for qualifying first-time homebuyers, effective many people are being affected by the growing pressures of January 1, 2017. trying to buy a home or afford their rent. In particular, the According to Urbanation, the average rent per square GGH has experienced dramatic price increases in recent foot for new leases in the Greater Toronto Area condo months. While rising prices reflect the economic strength market rose 11 per cent in the last quarter of 2016 of the region and have benefited current homeowners, compared to a year earlier, the fastest pace of growth the cost of buying or renting is creating a since at least 2011. massive burden for too many people and Ontario’s average vacancy rate dropped families. to 2.1 per cent in the fall of 2016, from If you want to drink, Ontario's Fair Housing Plan includes 2.4 per cent in 2015, the lowest vacancy an additional 12 measures, such as that’s your business. rate since October 2003; in Toronto, the If you want to stop, introducing a targeted $125-million, vacancy rate was 1.3 per cent, the lowest five-year program to encourage the that’s ours. in 12 years. construction of new purpose-built rental Since hot air rises and cold air sinks--and apartment buildings by rebating a portion because every refrigerator has its own of development charges. The government unique weather pattern of chilly breezeswill also work to better understand and -be sure to assign foods to the right tackle practices that may be contributing Orillia 325-6385 neighborhood inside the refrigerator. A to tax avoidance and excessive speculation Midland 526-3305 cold spot near the cold-air inlet makes in the housing market, such as "paper Bracebridge ~ a good home for meat or poultry, but flipping" -- a practice that includes 705-646-2491 will freeze and spoil a head of lettuce. entering into a contractual agreement to Keep produce cool, condiments cold and www.egbdaa.org buy a residential unit and assigning it to proteins downright chilly for longest another person prior to closing. The Fair food life.
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Conflict Resolution Part 5 By: Little Brown Bear (Ernest Matton) I.C.A.D.C., E.F.A.P., Addiction Behavioural Specialist E.F.T. Practitioner • T.I.R. Facilitator Certified Gladue Writer Generate several possible solutions to the problem, “brainstorming” ideas or otherwise making sure that all participate in the process. At this stage, it is important to defer judgments and evaluations of potential solutions. If one idea is rejected too quickly, other ideas may be similarly rejected without appropriate consideration. Even if you quickly identify an acceptable solution, it is useful to explore a few additional ideas before settling on the best answer to the problem. Clarify the criteria that you are using for evaluating options - sometimes; this can be an important insight for people as they negotiate, because they may have different notions of what they value in a good solution. Good solutions to problems emerge from mutually acceptable criteria being applied in a clear decisionmaking process. Understand the power present in the room to solve the problems being presented. It may be important to acknowledge the larger issue or another concern that is beyond your control, but it is important to prevent such concerns from becoming overwhelming that take up your time and energy in less constructive ways. If it feels like the discussion has drifted into another area, check for clarification. Earlier, we were discussing Issue A, now I hear you raising some concerns in a new area… is this where we want to focus, or should we return to Issue A?” This type of query can help clarify what the other person is intending, allowing you to either support this shift or express why you feel the original issue still needs your attention. As you reach agreement regarding solutions to each of the problems being negotiated, summarize these ideas in writing and restate them back to each other to be sure everyone agrees with both the intent of the solution and its specific language. If it is appropriate to leave things a bit ambiguous, until other issues are discussed, this is fine; just be sure that at the end of the discussion there is a clear record that accurately conveys to all parties - as well as others who may have a need to understand how the problem has been solved - what you are now intending to do and how you plan to do it. Manage Impasse with Calm, Patience, and Respect o Clarify Feelings
o Focus on Underlying Needs, Interests, and Concerns o Take a structured break, as needed It may also be true that certain issues will not present immediate solutions, and an impasse will be reached regarding such issues. Impasse is the point within a dispute in which individuals are unable to perceive effective solutions. People feel stuck, frustrated, angry, and disillusioned. As a result, they might either dig their heels in deeper, anchoring themselves in extreme and rigid positions, or they might decide to “take their marbles and go home,” withdrawing from negotiation. Either way, impasse represents a turning point in our efforts to negotiate a solution to the conflict. As such, rather than avoiding or dreading it, impasse should be viewed with calm, patience, and respect. At such times, it is important to refocus efforts on the underlying needs, interests and concerns of the conflict: • What do I really need here? • What are my desired outcomes of this discussion? • What are my alternatives if I decide to withdraw from further negotiations? • Does impasse mean that we have to forget about the other issues we need to discuss, as well as other solutions we have already negotiated? These are all important questions to keep in mind, so you may remain focused on your priorities in a realistic manner. Collaborative efforts to negotiate solutions to conflicts are not necessarily driven by shared goals or concerns; indeed, you may have very different ‘visions’, even if you work together. But you may still find it worthwhile to negotiate together because the alternatives are more costly. In the end, your decision regarding whether or not to continue negotiating will be based upon self-interest and your best opportunities to meet your needs. I will continue with part six, in my next column. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please write me or email at littlebrownbear@bell.net we are now offering home visit for individual or couple’s counselling. For appointments please call. (647) 964-3663. For more information on weekend workshops please contact Diane Marshall from Directional Vision (416) 418-0962, or email her at directionalvision@gmail.com
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(705) 322-1154 (705) 728 9872 Kathleen Wynne’s Housing Plan Will Create Slums and Won’t Solve Affordability Issues Wynne announced a 15 per cent foreign buyers tax and rent control TORONTO, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on the province to stop plans to impose a new foreign buyers tax and rent control. The Ontario government is planning impose a 15% tax on homes purchased by foreigner buyers and will impose rent controls, while provincial regulations and the real causes of housing shortages that drive up prices. “When Minister Charles Sousa and Premier Kathleen Wynne talk about the causes of housing unaffordability, they need to look in the mirror,” said CTF Ontario Director, Christine Van Geyn. “The biggest problem is a shortage of homes, and that’s because of the government’s vision for a high density Ontario and its desire to use taxes and regulations to squeeze as much money out of sales and development as it can. Those taxes and fees, especially Toronto’s double land transfer tax, have added huge unnecessary costs.” The Ontario government unveiled its plan to implement a 15% tax on foreign home buyers and impose rent controls in an announcement on Apr. 20. A report by CIBC took aim at the 2006 Places to Grow Act as instrumental in restricting housing supply. The act introduced policies to increase intensification and density in new housing development. And the Ontario Home Builders' Association found that when total government costs are all factored into the price of a new home, they add up to over $100,000 in Toronto, $82,000 in Simcoe County, and $92,000 in Durham Region. “Taxing foreign home buyers is a way for the government to score cheap political points with GTA voters, and bring in more money for their own coffers, but it won’t solve the problem,” continued Van Geyn. The government is also planning on extending rent control to all private rental units, including those built after 1991. “History has shown us that rent control leads to slums. When landlords can’t earn market rates on their units, they stop maintaining their property and tenants and communities all suffer for it. It looks like Wynne’s plan to ‘solve’ the housing crisis is going to work about as well as her plan to ‘solve’ the electricity crisis. It’s just going to make things worse for everyone,” concluded Van Geyn.
If you find that instead of becoming dull one of your knife blades becomes rusty, try this neat little idea. Just grab a fresh onion and start chopping up the onion with the blade of the rusty knife. Make sure you chop with the part that is rusty. This action will help in a couple of ways. First, the juice from the onion will help loosen the rust. Second, the action of rubbing the now-juiced rust stain against the onion will help rub the rust out. With most rust stains, one onion will remove all of the rust from your knife. Get rid of household odors with vanilla extract in the oven. "Put two caps full of vanilla extract in a coffee cup, then place it in the oven at 300 degrees for one hour. Within twenty minutes the whole house smells like Heaven."