What a Difference 1500 Miles Makes
After several days in New York, I encountered serious climate change in terms of atmosphere at a USA-Canada Summit in Grand Forks, ND. Sure people were concerned about the market meltdown, but the...
View ArticleOh, Canada? A Safe-Haven for Banking Investments
Looking for a safe haven for your banking investments? The Royal Bank of Canada is about three times the size of Citigroup, Royal Bank of Scotland or Deutsche Bank – and they haven’t cut their dividend...
View ArticleCities Have Outgrown Their Role as Mere Creatures of the Provinces
The Martin Prosperity Institute recently released the map below, which compares the GDP of several US metropolitan areas to the size of national economies. For instance, the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy...
View Article2011 Canada Census: Strong Growth & Suburbanization Continues
Statistics Canada has just released the first results of the 2011 census. The nation's population rose to 33.5 million, from 31.6 million in 2006. This is a 5.9 percent growth rate, up from a 5.4...
View ArticleMoneySense Top 10 Best Places to Live in Canada in 2013
Here we go again! Another ranking of the “best” places to live. I wonder how many of those there are. They just pop up on your computer screen like unwanted ads. Perhaps there are so many “best”...
View ArticleCanada’s Central Bank Issues Warning on Toronto Condominium Market
For a few years, concern has been expressed about house price increases in Canada, which have been disproportionate compared to household incomes. In this regard, the latest, semi-annual Bank of Canada...
View ArticleCanada’s Changing Income Patterns
Statistics Canada’s newly released National Household Survey indicates changes in the distribution of median household incomes among the provinces and territories. The new data is for 2010, and...
View ArticleCommentary: Build on the Toronto Urban Fringe
On May 3, Canada’s Financial Post, the nation’s leading business daily, published my commentary entitled: “Doug Ford was right: Toronto housing won’t be affordable unless we develop the Greenbelt: The...
View ArticleOntario Moves Rightward, toward Populism
After a nearly 15 year lock on Ontario’s provincial parliament (“Queen’s Park”), the Liberal Party suffered the strong rejection of voters in the June 6, 2018 election. Triumphant in the last two...
View ArticleThe Sidewalks of Montreal
Montreal’s mayor Valerie Plante has “widened” some sidewalks to provide sufficient space for pedestrian use while providing sufficient social distancing. Where implemented, sidewalks have been widened...
View ArticleUrban Containment Policy and Housing Affordability in Ottawa
The city of Ottawa is updating its Official Plan. Under consideration are expanding the urban boundary (urban growth boundary) and strengthening of its intensification (densification)policy. These...
View ArticleQuebec to Start 3-Day Work at Home Policy in 2022
Evidence keeps mounting that conversion to the “hybrid” or “cloud” employment model is gaining steam. The Quebec government has announced its back to work program for provincial employees. The...
View ArticleCanada to Tax Home Equity?
In Canada, where income adjusted house prices vary more than five times between metropolitan areas, the threat of a federal initiative to tax house equity could be looming. That’s the conclusion...
View ArticleOntario Premier Doug Ford Supports New Highway
Ontario’s premier Doug Ford indicated strong support for the new 60 kilometer (more than 35 miles) Highway 413 across the northwest suburbs of metropolitan Toronto. The highway would connect Vaughn, in...
View ArticleNew Toronto to London (ON) Train Ridership Half that of a Bus
The Toronto Star reports that the new Toronto to London, Ontario “GO” Transit commuter train is carrying far fewer passengers than the average transit bus. (see: GO’s new London-Toronto train is moving...
View ArticleDemographia Housing Affordability in Canada 2021 Supplemental
Demographia Housing Affordability in Canada, assesses middle-income housing affordability (Section 1) using the Median Multiple,” which is the market rate median house price divided by the pre-tax...
View Article43% of Canada’s Employed Worked Majority of Hours at Home: January 2022
Statistics Canada reports that remote work reached a pandemic era recently.“Since the onset of the pandemic, the Labour Force Survey has been tracking the proportion of non-absent workers who worked...
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