April 2013 Ontario Economic Fundamentals

[Ally]

The 'new urbanism' a tough sell in Barrie




Barrie is hardly the first place you would go to see the new urbanism that is sweeping North American cities. The bedroom community of 140,000 an hour`s drive up the 400 highway from Toronto is about as suburban as you can get, with vast tracts of subdivisions, malls and business parks.




Like many Ontario cities, though, Barrie is changing. The provincial government`s growth plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe requires all municipalities above a certain size to ensure that 40 per cent of residential growth takes place within built-up areas from 2015 on. The idea is to combat, even reverse, decades of sprawl and concentrate development around dense urban hubs.



Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

Is there a light at the end of the job tunnel? Report states Toronto's employment numbers highest in 22 years





"We're turning the tide on decades of job loss and that's great news for people in Toronto," said Mayor Rob Ford. "Since December 2010, we've been focused on creating conditions to boost employment in our City - and that focus is paying off. It's been 22 years since the last time more people were employed in Toronto."







"Toronto is now experiencing regular job growth and last year, for the first time in five years, that growth also occurred across the City," said Councillor Michael Thompson, Chair of the Economic Development Committee.





Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

Finding a place to rent in this competitive market




`It's a tough world out there; all the guys are fighting hard and the competition is really tough.`




French tennis star Guy Forget wasn`t talking about the current rental market, but he might as well have been.




Real estate agent Jodi Gilmour says finding a property to lease is tough, and actually getting that property is even tougher.





Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

Hamilton leads the country in home price increases




Hamilton has led the way in Canada in home price increases in the past year, shows a new report from BMO.




Canadian housing prices stayed relatively balanced over the last year but Hamilton, Winnipeg and Regina bucked that trend, shows this year's BMO Home Buying Report.




`By and large, prices are holding up,` said Robert Kavcic, senior economist with BMO Capital Markets. "The market remains relatively balanced overall, leaning slightly in favour of buyers in some select markets.`





Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

The downside of intensification



The new Ottawa does not have room for everyone.






After dropping off my car for maintenance a few weeks ago, I sat beside a guy on the shuttle to work who hadn`t spent a lot of time in Ottawa lately. As we made our way through the city by way of Westboro, his eyes got big. `This used to be a working-class neighbourhood,` he said, looking around at the cranes and condos, pricey restaurants and expensive shops in astonishment.



Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

Hamilton leads the country in home price increases




Hamilton has led the way in Canada in home price increases in the past year, shows a new report from BMO.




Canadian housing prices stayed relatively balanced over the last year but Hamilton, Winnipeg and Regina bucked that trend, shows this year's BMO Home Buying Report.




`By and large, prices are holding up,` said Robert Kavcic, senior economist with BMO Capital Markets. "The market remains relatively balanced overall, leaning slightly in favour of buyers in some select markets.`





Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

Ontario rent control loophole?




To all renters in Ontario: Beware of a lack in rent control.




Last week the Toronto Star published an article that highlighted a `loophole` in the Residential Tenancies Act.





The problem is this isn`t a loophole.




The lack of rent control, highlighted in the article, in new, downtown Toronto condos doesn`t just apply to condos. Nor does it only apply to rental units in the City of Toronto.





Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

A window into tougher job prospects facing young job-seekers in Toronto




TORONTO ` Braxston Bennett smiled when he said it. `Yeah, I guess this is my first job.`




Bennett, a grade 12 student from a hardscrabble corner of northeastern Toronto, was given a job as a teacher`s assistant in January as part of a social program that helps challenged youth make the difficult transition every young adult faces when it`s time to go to work.





Read the full article here.

 

[Ally]

Sudbury job picture holds firm




Sudbury was among 15 metropolitan areas in Canada that remained stable for near-term employment prospects in March, according to the Conference Board of Canada.




In its monthly index for employment prospects, the Conference Board of Canada tallied job ads in Canada's 27 largest cities from 80 websites.





Read the full article here.