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Reviving an Old Idea to Solve Modern Housing Challenges – Land Value Tax

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How Canada’s Immigration Cuts Will Impact Housing

The Liberal Federal Government continues to make a sharp policy turn in greatly reducing Canada's immigration numbers - how will it impact our housing market?

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Canada’s New Condo Sales Hangover

As pre-construction condo sales flatline - what factor is really to blame?

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What New Research Says About How Investors Impact Home Prices

This week, Urmi talks to John about how his own research into how investors impact the housing market as he completes his own doctoral degree on the same.

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Canada's Big Mortgage Moves - How Will They Impact the Housing Market?

In our latest Move Smartly ideas discussion, we assess whether the Liberal Federal Government's announced mortgage changes will help make housing more affordable as claimed.

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Poilievre Pivots on Housing and Immigration

Why wasn't opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, like so many other Canadian leaders, able to see the problem earlier?

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What Europe Can Teach Canada About Missing Middle Housing: Athens, Greece

In our latest Move Smartly ideas discussion, I explore what lessons we can - and can't - learn from the drive to building mass affordable housing around this world.

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Why is CMHC Supporting Airbnb Investors in a Housing Supply Crisis?

Over 100,000 existing homes could be freed up to address the 3.5 million home gap needed to restore affordability - so why isn't Canada's leading housing agency acting on this?

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Does Rent Control Kill Rental Supply?

While many in Canada argue yes, data and the experience of other economically liberal countries says otherwise.

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How Canada's Housing Obsession is Killing Our Economic Productivity

Our fallen productivity is a "national emergency."

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Unpacking the Liberal’s ‘Housing First’ Federal Budget

Canada’s governing Liberals have released a federal budget to solve the housing crisis as they head off low polling numbers ahead of next year’s election.

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Why the Liberals ‘Renter Bill of Rights’ May Be Our Next Useless Boondoggle

The latest in the Liberal federal government’s pre-budget policy offensive will do little to help renters.

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Our Crumbling Foundation - How We Solve Canada’s Housing Crisis: An Interview with Author Gregor Craigie

Urmi talks to Gregor Craigie, a journalist, Host of ‘This Island’ on CBC Radio One in Victoria, and author of the new book, “Our Crumbling Foundation: How We Solve Canada’s...

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Federal Liberals Take A Big Step Towards Making Homes More Affordable

A major new announcement on a change to Canada's immigration targets will have a bigger impact on our housing affordability crisis than it may first appear.

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First We Tried Tiny Condos, Now Are Tiny House Rentals Going to Help Our Housing Crisis?

While Canada may have a massive housing shortage, it suddenly does not have a shortage of ideas to solve our housing crisis. 

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The Impact of Canada’s Changing Immigration Policy: An Interview with Mikal Skuterud

This week, John and I engage in a lively discussion with economist Mikal Skuterud about Canada's changing migration landscape, challenging some common myths, assessing impacts on...

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Why Demand is More Important Than Supply in Canada’s Housing Affordability Crisis

We return to our semi-regular feature, Move Smartly ideas, where Urmi and John unpack and discuss some of the bigger issues impacting the housing market in Toronto and Canada.

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The Federal Government Knew High Immigration Could Impact Housing Costs

Why did our federal government ignore the warnings if the impact of Canada’s high population growth on housing was so obvious?

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How Should We Really Track Our Housing Needs & Results?

This week on the Move Smartly show - why aren't the 'big' numbers in housing as well known as other economic figures we follow religiously like GDP and inflation targets?

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Ontario’s Broken Housing Plan

When a government fails to do the hard work of planning and investing the necessary capital required for such a big undertaking, it should be no surprise that the political...

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Olivia Wants Ottawa and Queen's Park to Pay for Toronto Housing - Here's Why I'm Here for It.

Toronto, the biggest city in one of the fastest growing countries in the world, is facing an unprecedented housing availability and affordability crisis. Will the federal and...

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Things Are Going to Be Tough for Canada’s Economy: An Interview with Robert Kavcic

An expert look at Canada’s economy to get some insight into how the broader macroeconomic trends might impact Canada’s housing market in the months ahead.

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Are Cities Responsible for Canada's Housing Crisis?

For many at the federal level, it's convenient to blame cities for "gate-keeping" and "NIMBY" policies that prevent more housing from being built - is this fair?

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Are Cities Responsible for Canada’s Housing Crisis?

A detailed look at the political, policy and academic arguments that blame cities for our housing affordability crisis to assess how valid they are.
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Toronto Rents Have Risen 5x Faster Than Historical Trends

It's always felt hard to be a renter in Toronto - but a dig into the numbers shows the problem has gotten much worse.

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Canada’s Population is Booming While Housing ‘Starts’ Tumble

Canada’s population grew by just over 1.2 million people during the second quarter of 2023. 

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What You Need to Know About Building a Fourplex in Toronto: An Interview with Sean Galbraith

Toronto City Council has just voted turn over the ban on fourplexes in the city's so called "yellow zone" of single family homes - so what does it all mean?

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Zoning Battles in Toronto and Ontario — Why We Need to Build Up Not Out: An Interview with Phil Pothen

Right now, Toronto is seeing a massive shift in housing zoning policies both at the municipal and provincial level.

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When Did Toronto’s Housing Unaffordability Crisis Start?

Politicians and many media outlets appear to be confused about when home prices began spiralling out of control.

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How Banks Are Making This Housing Market Downturn Different: An Interview with Robert Kavcic

Why Canadian banks are working with buyers to lower payments by extending amortization periods and more.

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Are Local Investors the Cause of High Home Prices?

New statistics show high levels of local investor investment in Ontario's housing market.

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How Canada’s Immigration Policies are Driving Up Housing Prices

It's time to assess Canada's immigration policies honestly, for the benefit of all Canadians, new and existing.
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What is Toronto’s Vacant Home Tax and What Does it Mean for Owners, Buyers & Sellers?

All owners of residential property in the City of Toronto must file an online declaration of the occupancy status of their property before February 2, 2023.

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Canada Bans Foreign Buyers - Will It Matter Now?

After long denying the role that foreign buyers play in Canada's housing market, the federal government and authorities are not targeting the real problem.

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How Do Canadian Home Prices Compare Globally?

The numbers show that Canada's home prices standout amongst comparable countries.

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Toronto’s Suburban Housing Bubble — 1 Year Later

Observers have been worried - but have policy makers done anything to cool  prices in the past year? 

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How the Supply Side Argument for Housing Affordability Falls Short

Why I believe a more immediate demand-side lever is being overlooked.

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A New Home Speculation Tax Would Harm, Not Help the Real Estate Market

Bob Aaron: "Home prices would plummet, as they did with the new levy in ’74. I vividly recall that the housing market crashed overnight."

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Canada's G7-Leading Pop Growth and Housing Impact

How Canada's immigration rate affects home prices

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Can Zoning Bring Home Prices Down?

Ontario realtors are now joining experts and activists in calling for zoning rule changes to address Toronto's housing supply problem.

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A Closer Look At Toronto’s Housing Supply Problem

A deep data dive takes us past some familiar complaints to find the real reasons our supply of homes can't meet demand.  

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Is Canadian Real Estate High Risk Right Now?

How seriously should we take the latest alarm from Canada's top housing authority?

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Federal Elections 2021: Assessing the Housing Policy-Palooza

We are finally outraged about high home and rent prices enough to have Canadian politicians pledging to do something about it - will any of the proposals actually work?

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How Toronto Home Affordability Ran Away Under Justin Trudeau

A look back on how housing affordability became one of the hottest issues in today's Canada.

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Will Campaign Promises to Curb Foreign Buyers Actually Bring Down Canadian Home Prices?

Ahead of our fall election, all of Canada's political parties are full of ambitious housing policy pitches.

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What Our Leaders Won't Say About Housing

As Canada heads into an election this fall, here's a closer look at two policy areas that need to be better linked to tackle housing affordability.

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Are Investors to Blame for High House Prices?

How differing beliefs about the housing market between buyers and investors leads to very different market outcomes.

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Does Toronto Have a Supply or Demand Problem?

There are always some that will perennially argue that a lack of supply is the only problem behind high home prices in Toronto - but it's not that simple.

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How Does the Canada Federal Budget Impact Home Buyers & Sellers?

While the federal budget won't make homes more affordable in Canada, average buyers and sellers won't be impacted by policy-induced market shocks either.

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What Should the Government Do About Canada's Overheating Real Estate Market?

Ahead of this Monday's Federal Budget, John Pasalis shares his views on what our politicians should do to make Canadian homes more affordable.

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Federal Liberal Government Admits Our Real Estate Market Works For Foreigners Not Canadians

A frank admission acknowledges what many have been saying - but does the government really care?

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