B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Housing prices in Canada are expected to increase steadily in 2022, with inter-provincial migration continuing in many regions and a short supply of homes in those areas pushing up costs, according to Re/Max's housing market outlook report published Wednesday.
Sale prices are projected to go up by 9.2 per cent on average across the country next year, the real-estate company estimates. It would follow an already “sensational” year in terms of sales and price appreciation, Re/Max's president says.
"In the history of our nation, I don't know of, certainly not in my tenure, of more than 95% of markets being in seller's market territory," he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. "So it can't be overstated enough how strong the market was in Canada in 2021."
That momentum will likely carry forward into next year, Alexander says, with 36 of 38 markets across the country poised to maintain their seller's status.
Another trend he suspects will continue is inter-provincial migration as investors look for more affordable places to set up shop. The ability to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic has given some homebuyers the flexibility to shop in different places.
"Remote work has really allowed people to set up in ways that weren't possible before the pandemic," Alexander said. "We''e hearing of some people that have moved to a different province but still hold their job in the province they left."
The report indicates short supply in areas with high demand due to migration is a key factor in driving up the cost of real estate.
Despite prices seemingly set to continue going up, making home ownership more expensive for Canadians, the report says about half of residents across the country still view buying a house as a good investment option for next year.
"I don't think people are nervous at all," Alexander said of the real-estate market. "We surveyed a lot of consumers and more than half are confident that the market is going to remain strong for next year."
Apart from outlining industry trends, the report breaks things down region by region in Canada, offering predictions and projections for different areas in the coming year.
In Western Canada, Calgary and Edmonton became seller's markets this year, a trend that's expected to continue into 2022. The report attributes this to heightened demand coming from homebuyers migrating from Ontario and British Columbia while supply remained low.
Cities such as Victoria, Nanaimo and Kelowna in B.C., along with Regina in Saskatchewan, also apparently saw a boost due to incoming buyers searching for more affordability.
Winnipeg is projected to remain a seller's market in 2022 and is expected to hold steady provided interest rates and inventory remain low.
Brokers in Ontario anticipate steady market activity and price growth in 2022, at least on average. Several regions experienced wild price appreciations across all property types this year, including Brampton (25 per cent), Durham (29 per cent) and London (30 per cent), while Toronto only saw a seven-per-cent increase.
All regions in Atlantic Canada are currently seller's markets, according to the report, and could see sale prices rise between five and 20 per cent next year.
The spike in demand seems to be driven by out-of-province buyers from Ontario moving to cities like Moncton, Fredericton, Halifax, Charlottetown and St. John's in search of more affordability.
Although places like Charlottetown may cool off, sales prices in Halifax and Moncton are projected to increase by 16 and 20 per cent, respectively.
An earlier version of this story indicated Winnipeg was a buyer's market and would continue to be one next year. This was due to an error in Re/Max's report and has been corrected above.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.