Facing a tax revolt from small businesses on a downtown stretch of Yonge Street, City of Toronto officials are proposing to cap all commercial, industrial and multi-residential tax increases this year at 10 per cent.
The move, detailed in a report released on Wednesday, is aimed at helping small businesses survive in neighbourhoods where property values shot up after condominiums went in, as they have along Yonge between College and Bloor streets. Some small businesses there were initially facing property tax hikes of 100 per cent or more, blamed on sharp increases in last year's provincial property-value assessment and the end of eligibility for some taxpayers for a policy that had capped their tax hikes at 5 per cent. The 10-per-cent cap, to be debated next week at Mayor John Tory's executive committee, would be followed by more work on longer-term and more complex reforms, such as the creation of a separate property-tax class for small business, which would require provincial approval. Last summer, the Yonge Street Small Business Association launched a campaign after members faced massive tax hikes. They targeted the mayor, with some putting up signs announcing they would close their doors and call themselves "Mayor Tory's Business Graveyard." John Anderson, who runs furniture store Morningstar Trading, led the campaign. He said on Wednesday he was happy with the proposal but added the signs would stay up until he actually sees his tax hike capped at 10 per cent. He said the cap would mean a $7,000-or-so increase this year on his $55,000 tax bill instead of a $35,000 hike. But he warned that some businesses might still not be able to handle even that softened blow, listing a half-dozen along Yonge that are gone. And he said other streets also risked losing their unique character because of tax hikes: "You're going to lose the independent entrepreneur that's interesting and end up with the corporate rubber stamps that you can find anywhere across Canada." His and other Yonge Street businesses had already received some relief after the province's Municipal Property Assessment Corp. (MPAC) agreed to reassess more than 80 properties along the affected stretch of Yonge Street because of the area's heritage district designation, slicing many of the sudden increases in half or more. Local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam has been working with city bureaucrats for months to find ways to soften the blow. She put forward a motion at council in December calling for staff to study possible reforms for small-business property taxes, resulting in the report released on Wednesday. She welcomed the cap proposal, but cautioned that it was a stopgap while the city studies tax reforms to help small businesses. "Certainly, it's an interim move," Ms. Wong-Tam said. "The second step is for them to go and develop the small-business classification." But the report points out some of the thorny questions surrounding that idea. Among the pitfalls is how to define a small business. Using revenue or ownership, for example, to determine small-business status would require collecting and verifying that information, creating an "administrative burden" that city officials doubt MPAC would take on for free. City staff say hundreds of business owners faced property tax hikes of more than 50 per cent. They say capping the hikes at 10 per cent will not affect the city's bottom line, as the amounts the city would have otherwise collected will be spread among properties that see assessment-related decreases. The mayor released a statement endorsing the 10-per-cent cap proposal: "I'm dedicated to making sure Toronto remains affordable for everyone including the many businesses that make our streets so vibrant." Markham and Vaughan have made the first cut, along with other GTA communities, in Amazon’s decision on the site of a second North American headquarters.
The Toronto bid to host the American corporate giant’s second headquarters has reportedly made the shortlist of 20 cities – the only Canadian bid to do so. Amazon, which has its global headquarters in Seattle, announced last year that it would build a second North American headquarters somewhere in Canada, the United States or Mexico, launching a bidding frenzy that exploded with hundreds of cities vying for the 50,000 jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits that would accrue over time. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave no timeline for when the eventual winning bid would be selected, only providing a deadline for when the entrants had to be in, which was October 2017. Toronto, which provided a combined bid involving eight GTA sites, is considered one of the front-runners to land Amazon HQ2. In addition to Markham and Vaughan, other sites in the Toronto combined bid include Milton, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Brampton, Pickering, Ajax and Toronto. All homes contain some radon gas, but some have a level that presents a serious health risk of lung cancer. The amount of radon gas in your home depends on various factors, like soil characteristics, geographic location, construction type, foundation condition and weather.Ultimately, the only way to know if your home has high levels of radon is to test, an easy and inexpensive process. While there are a number of both long-term and short-term testing options available, Health Canada recommends doing the long-term test. The radon concentration inside a house varies over time, so measurements gathered over a longer period of time will give a more accurate indication of the radon level. Homes should be tested for a minimum of three months, ideally between September and April when windows and doors are typically kept closed.
There are two basic options for testing — one is to buy a do-it-yourself radon test kit and the other is to hire a radon measurement professional. If you choose to perform the test yourself, radon detectors can be purchased over the phone, from the internet or from some home improvement retailers. The radon test kits will include instructions on how to set it up and send back to a lab for analysis once the testing period is over. If you choose to hire someone to do the test for you, look for a service provider that has been certified through the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program. Questions to consider asking the service provider include: What type of radon test device do you provide, short-term or long-term? Are you certified and trained to provide radon measurement services? Are you familiar with Health Canada's revised guideline for radon exposure in indoor air? Do you follow Health Canada's measurement protocols? Find more information at www.canada.ca/radon. www.newscanada.com. You may have been hearing more about radon gas in homes lately, and for good reason. Exposure to radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in smokers and it is the main cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.Radon is a radioactive gas that forms when the uranium in soil and rocks breaks down. The gas can move through small spaces in the soil and rock upon which a house is built. It can seep into a home through dirt floors, cracks in the foundation, sump pumps, floor joints, basement drains and gaps around pipes.
Reducing high radon in a home is easy and affordable. Certified radon mitigation professionals will find the best and most cost-effective way to reduce the radon level in your home. The most common radon reduction method is called sub-slab depressurization. It involves a pipe being installed through the foundation floor that goes to an outside wall or up to the roof line with a small fan attached. This method works to draw radon gas from below the house to the outside before it can enter your home. This type of system can be installed in less than a day and reduces the radon level in a home by over 80 per cent. Increasing ventilation and sealing major entry routes can also help reduce radon levels, but their effectiveness will be limited depending on how high the radon level is and the unique characteristics of each home. For help reducing high radon levels, look for a service provider that has been certified through the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program. Find more information at www.canada.ca/radon. www.newscanada.com Since you can't smell, taste or see radon gas that is present in most homes, how can you make sure your home is safe? The only way to know for sure is to purchase a radon test kit and measure the levels of radon in your home.Outdoors, radon gas is diluted and doesn't pose a health risk. The problem occurs when radon enters enclosed spaces like your home and accumulates to high levels, contaminating the air you breathe.
The amount of radon in homes across Canada varies widely. On average, seven per cent of homes are estimated to have high radon, but in some areas that number jumps to 20 to 40 per cent. Radon exposure is the second-leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking. In fact, Health Canada estimates that over 3,000 people a year — more than eight a day — die of radon-related lung cancer. That's why it's essential that you test your home for you and your family's health. Your risk of developing lung cancer due to radon depends on its concentration in the air you breathe and the duration of exposure. Time between exposure and the onset of cancer is usually many years — all the more reason to test sooner rather than later. For smokers, the exposure to radon combined with tobacco use can cause a significant increase in their risk of lung cancer. Fortunately, indoor radon levels can be reduced easily and affordably. Find more information and learn how to reduce radon in your home at www.canada.ca/radon When you put your home on the market, you want to be offered top dollar and enjoy a smooth seamless sale from start to finish. For the best experience, use this guide full of expert tips from the Ontario Real Estate Association.
Household chores and endless projects can seem like a thankless job, but regular home maintenance is important to ensure your home's safety, comfort and long-term durability. If your to-do list is ever growing, there's no need to feel overwhelmed. Focus on this list of must-tackle jobs to not only improve your home, but your daily living, as well.
The search for the perfect house begins with the search for the perfect neighbourhood, which can be daunting. Searching for something so open-ended and with so many variables can be an overwhelming task, but it doesn't have to be. You just have to know where to start your search and where you can take it from there. Get ready to find that dream neighbourhood.
Search yourself. You can't really know what to look for in a neighbourhood until you know exactly what you want. Make a list, take your time. Write down the things that really matter to you. Decide priorities. Order your list from most to least important. Moving in with your partner? Have them do the same, and see where your priorities line up and where you diverge. Now that you know what you want, it's time to go get it. Search the streets. Don't underestimate the importance of this step. You really can't know a neighbourhood until you've walked its streets at several different times of day. Get a feel for the level of traffic and noise, decide if you're okay with it. See how the streets feel. Are they lit enough at night? Would it be nice to go for a run through your neighbourhood? Make sure you visit each of your candidate neighbourhoods. Search the stats. While you hunt at street level, make sure you take your research to a bird's-eye view at the same time. You would be amazed at the kinds of things you can learn about a neighbourhood just from its census data. How old are people there? How many kids are in the neighbourhood? How many people are home owners? How much are the average monthly costs to live there? What languages are spoken in the neighbourhood? Combine your research with your street-level hunting and you'll soon find yourself walking through the perfect neighbourhood for you and your family. Between a competitive economy and an expensive housing market, today's young people are staying in the nest longer than ever before. In fact, more than a third of Canadian young adults live with their parents rather than alone or with a spouse or partner in their own household. While this trend can offer certain benefits to parents and kids living under the same roof, there are positive ways you can encourage your children to take the next step in their lives and careers. Here are some ideas for parents of kids in post-secondary and beyond.
Create a realistic plan. Work together to set key goals and milestones that are achievable. For example, if their goal is to find a job, strategize on how to get the ball rolling. Career counselling available on campus or information interviews with professionals in their field are great places to start. If your son or daughter is hoping to move out, help him or her establish a budget and find ways to meet it. Even while still in university or college, a part-time job or on-campus research position can help. Set clear house rules. You want to be your children's parent, not their roommate. Set boundaries and responsibilities that help them understand exactly what goes into running a household, which will prepare them for when they do leave the nest. Decide who will purchase the groceries each week, set curfews and quiet hours, and establish what they need to do to contribute to certain expenses such as the Internet bill. Beyond doing their own laundry, make sure your kids are contributing to chores that benefit everyone in the household, like preparing dinner, shoveling snow or making repairs. Encourage a working holiday or internship. Travelling and working abroad can help your child become more independent and confident while gaining international work experience that can be very valuable when they come back and start job hunting. A great resource to obtain work permits quicker and easier is International Experience Canada, a government program that allows youth ages 18 to 35 to travel and work abroad for up to two years in one of more than 30 partner countries and territories. |
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