'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
In Canada's six largest cities, 2023 started with stagnated housing construction, with a 20 per cent drop in the construction of single-detached homes compared to the year before.
In a report released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) on Wednesday, housing started with a dip of 0.5 per cent in 2023, with 137,915 units built in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary.
In the same period, apartment construction started with an increase of 7 per cent, reaching a record-high of 98,774 units. A notable exception was Montreal, where apartment construction hit an 8-year low. Purpose-built rentals represented the largest share of new apartment builds at 42 per cent.
“There’s huge demand for rentals, I think single-detached is just coming out of reach, it’s becoming unfordable, it’s practically impossible to build those in city centres anymore,” said Aled ab lowerth, CMHC Deputy Chief Economist, in an interview with CTV News.
During a federal announcement to protect renters in Vancouver, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government’s efforts to fix housing.
“We’re going to continue to work with provinces right across the country, who recognize the challenges of, and the need to step up in partnership on solving the housing crisis,” he said, during a press conference with reporters.
While experts acknowledge improvements in government policy in relation to the housing market, many say it’s not enough in the face of challenging economic conditions.
“We’ve had some policy wins at all levels of government. We are starting to see some reforms, some positive tax changes, but those aren’t enough to make up for the global economic conditions of slower growth and higher interest rates,” said housing policy expert Mike Moffatt, during an interview with CTV News.
Despite increases in purpose-built rentals, experts say Canada needs to double the number of builds every year if it wants to meet the federal government's affordability target in 2030. The executive director of REALPack Micheal Brooks says Canada should be building roughly 700,000 new purpose-built rentals every year, a number that far exceeds the current reality.
"We have to probably double that pace to hit the 2030 targets the CMHC has hit, and it’s going to be extremely difficult when interest rates have effectively doubled since June of 2022," he said.
Today's CMHC report warns that high interest rates, and a lack of skilled labourers, are likely to slow the construction of apartments and condominiums next year. The report points out that many of the apartments and condominiums currently on the market were started, or financed, in "lower interest rate environments."
In Montreal, for example, the CMHC says they are seeing fewer apartments started due to higher financing and construction costs.
"Higher interest rates and the cost of labour will slow down apartment construction nationally," he said. "It is very difficult to find projects where the math works these days, not withstanding high rental rates in many markets and so that is reflected in the starts we are going to see moving forward, I think they will tail off."
Brooks says there are a number of levers that the federal government can use to try accelerate supply in rental housing, including reducing immigration, the introduction of new tax incentives and more low interest loans for construction companies.
"One thing they can do is offer low interest financing," he said. "Let's take mortgages from 7 per cent to 4 per cent, which would likely spur a lot more construction."
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
Three people were shot to death in a small South Dakota town, and a former law officer who once served as the town's mayor is charged in the killings.
Dermatologists are sounding the alarm about misinformation from the anti-sunscreen movement, saying not wearing sunscreen can cause cancer and other problems.
Pierre Poilievre's Conservative Party is offering to help Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government pass a piece of legislation aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada.
An associate professor at McMaster University has been fired after its board of governors found that he engaged in 'unethical, inappropriate and in some instances exploitative' sexual relationships with students.
The actor Richard Dreyfuss showed up in a dress at a 'Jaws'-themed event in Massachusetts, where the blockbuster 1975 movie he starred in was shot, and then proceeded to make demeaning remarks about women, LGBTQ2S+ people and diversity.
There is 'irrefutable evidence' a member of the Parole Board of Canada sexually harassed multiple employees, without adequate disciplinary action from management, according to a report by Canada's Public Sector Integrity Commissioner.
'Son of Sam' killer David Berkowitz, who set New York City on edge with late-night shootings in the 1970s, was denied parole after his twelfth board appearance.
It's been a long time coming, but one Oilers superfan is hoping this will be the year he gets to touch up his massive Stanley Cup back tattoo.
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
A Winnipeg pinball wizard is heading to the granddaddy of them all – the IFPA World Pinball Championship.
It’s the chance of a lifetime for a group of Ottawa athletes who are getting ready to represent Team Canada at the World Junior Ultimate championships in the United Kingdom.
Parishioners at Holy Trinity Anglican Church are praying for a monetary miracle, as their historic place of worship could collapse at any moment.
A Saskatchewan man made it to the summit of Mount Everest earlier this month.
IAMGOLD’s Cote Gold open pit mine, located off Highway 144 between Timmins and Sudbury, had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this week as production ramps up.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.