The US Housing Market: Rent-Serfs & Artificial Scarcity Unleash the powers of unlimited credit and excess capital on a limited, essential resource such as shelter and this is what we end up with: artificial scarcity, rent-serfs and half-vacant neighborhoods owned by absentee landlords. Ideologies sound wonderful in the abstract, but run aground in the granular … Read more
Home sales down as interest rates rose at the end of 2023 According to the local real estate board, the city’s housing market is still lacking in inventory, something they are lobbying to change. Wes Case, the president of the Thunder Bay Real Estate Board, said the local board is reaching out to various levels … Read more
Lakehead University Student Union slams cap on student visas The president of the student union at Lakehead University is speaking out against the federal government’s decision to cap the number of international student visas it issues. The move, announced Monday, means Ontario will have to cut its intake of foreign students in half for at … Read more
City welcomes growth to foster prosperity City manager Norm Gale said Thunder Bay is in relatively good shape at the end of 2023 with some positive indicators. The local economy from the City of Thunder Bay’s perspective is somewhat bright and promising but there is work to be done. City manager Norm Gale said Thunder … Read more
Grim days ahead for Wequedong Lodge Wequedong Lodge ended the last fiscal year with a $380,000 deficit and is projecting a $6-million shortfall as they trim down the workforce and put future expansion plans on hold. The Wequedong Lodge of Thunder Bay continues to tighten their belts and will be downsizing their workforce further, after … Read more
A promising morning sky Nice scattered clouds Maybe in the not too distant future, that lighthouse will be part of Doors Open Ontario. Fingers crossed. Sadly there is a wall of solid clouds over the giant. I think this might hamper getting nice colour in the clouds. Nice but there was such much more potential … Read more
How is building EVs that absolutely huge doing anything to help the environment? Over two tonnes of material produced using fossil-fuel. Remember back in the day when Japanese cars first came to the North American market? They were popular. Why? They were small and affordable. Fuel economy was great. People loved them. If the … Read more
Calling for overcast with showers. Still, there is a very nice morning sky. At least, along the horizon. Not going to see the sun today. Still, it was quite the show. Graffiti is everywhere in this city. Discarded clothing. Plaid. Once you go plaid, you never go back. Time to remove this table. Remove … Read more
Toronto’s proposed sales tax is a cautionary tale for all Canadians As the financial challenges mount for the City of Toronto, a new city staff report has proposed a municipal sales tax, tacked on to the existing harmonized sales tax (HST) system, to help address budget shortfalls ranging between $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion over … Read more
Yup. I have two millennials that are living the WEF’s “You Will Own Nothing And Be Happy” lifestyle. At least the not owning anything part. The happiness part? Not so much. What choice do they have? None. Affordable housing? Who benefits from high house prices? Cities do. Property taxes make up a huge portion of … Read more