A for sale sign is displayed outside a home in Toronto, on Dec. 13, 2021.CARLOS OSORIO/Reuters
In other words
Re “We all deserve affordable homes and a stable climate – and that is achievable” (March 15): Did I hear contributor Mark Carney say that he would run for prime minister?
Heinz Senger Surrey, B.C.
Renewed defence
Re “Denial and delay is not a defence policy” (Editorial, March 16): It seems that Canada will never again have a respectable military like we used to have. It feels like Canadians couldn’t care less about the military and only want a strong army when it’s time to help out with floods, ice storms, forest fires and so on.
Canada should stop beating our heads against the wall and throwing money away. We should abolish the Canadian Armed Forces, then greatly expand and fund a better-armed Canadian Coast Guard.
It would be less expensive than the CAF, less bloated by too many armchair generals and more capable of asserting our sovereignty and defending our coasts. More significant defence requirements would only come from overt military action against Canada, but we all know the United States will defend Fortress North America.
Canadians should face reality and rethink our needs and capabilities.
Rick Caverly Ottawa
It should now be clear to all that the Canadian military is understaffed, underequipped and ill-prepared to resist a hostile attack. Failed policy has become an apology.
It seems too late for finger-pointing or endless commissions. Canada needs immediate and constructive solutions.
Given the magnitude and urgency of the situation, as well as the cost, I ask that our government consider leasing surplus hardware from the U.S. military as a temporary solution, much as Britain did during the Second World War with a lending agreement for U.S. warships. A bilateral solution might be in the best interest of our two countries.
Cecil Rorabeck London, Ont.
In hindsight
Re “Canada’s promise to NATO collides with spending increases for retirees” (Report on Business, March 16): I must take exception to the comment that “past governments created those tensions when they failed to work with boomers to plan adequately for their needs.”
In 2012, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government passed legislation that would gradually raise the qualifying age for Old Age Security from 65 to 67. It was designed with significant lead time and only affect seniors turning 65 after April, 2023.
This forward-thinking legislation was cast aside by Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government in 2016. Not all governments wear blinders when it comes to future commitments.
Duncan Moodie Calgary
Resolution solutions
Re “Canada has plenty of good housing ideas. They need to be turned into action” (Editorial, March 18): There are myriad considerations and complicating factors related to the necessity of increasing our housing density. One that is rarely considered is the gigantic backlog of cases before provincial landlord-tenant review boards.
With the addition of hundreds of thousands of additional dwelling units in neighbourhoods across the country, we will add tens of thousands of new landlords and hundreds of thousands of renters.
The frustration of both landlords and tenants with cases currently before the board makes me believe that without major changes, this important initiative is likely doomed.
William Love Burlington, Ont.
Off the top
Re “Top U.S. realtor group to cut commissions on home sales” (Report on Business, March 16): Real estate fees, typically set at 5 or 6 per cent plus GST, add considerably to the cost of purchasing a home.
If a house in Toronto were to sell twice in a decade at the current average price of more than $1-million, then $100,000 plus GST is buried in the sale price. I argue that amount is excessive relative to the skill and time devoted by commission agents in most cases.
Although not as great as various government fees applied to housing development, this amount is still a significant factor in inflating prices. Further, the commission business model employed by real estate firms generates substantial pressure on agents to continuously raise asking prices.
Many consumer advocates, academics and lawyers favour legislation similar to what is happening in the United States, to align fees closer to the true value of services provided by real estate agents.
Bob Publicover Waterloo, Ont.
It’s always escaped me why people bother with real estate agents at all. Just keep the house clean, make it smell like there’s been a fresh pot of chili cooking and tell the truth.
In the course of my life, it’s worked fine for me the seven or eight times I’ve moved. One’s lawyer’s secretary does all the real work, anyway.
This will probably save a seller enough money to be well on their way to putting a new car in the driveway.
Rob Woodward Sarnia, Ont.
Work from…
Re “The dark side of Bay Street’s private debt funds: Investors often fly blind, and billions of dollars are now trapped” (Report on Business, March 16): I suspect the recovery in the real estate sector will take much longer than people expect.
Many will likely be most reluctant to return to the hassle and grind of commuting to downtown cores and giving up the comforts of working from home. ”How much more are you going to pay me to rejoin the rat race?”
Investors in the real estate sector should envision a world where we work two days at home, three days downtown, reverse and repeat. We won’t need as many offices but rather floors with a gazillion desks parked like soldiers awaiting inspection.
As a result, I suspect that many office buildings will have to reinvent themselves to attract tenants, that the transition time will be substantial and that the ramifications of change will be interesting.
Patrick McHugh CFA Windsor, Ont.
You’ve got mail
Re “Plastics recycling has consequences for people and the planet – and it may just be a scam” (Opinion, March 16): Canadians can register their objection to the unwanted, wasteful single-use plastics that encrust so many supermarket products and household necessities.
All that is needed is five minutes and a business-sized envelope. Send some plastic garbage to: Steven Guilbeault, MP, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, House of Commons, Ottawa, K1A 0A2 (no postage necessary to mail MPs).
My last mailing went like this: “Dear Steven: In the absence of any credible plastics recycling policy, and no legislation to prohibit its manufacture, I am sending you more of my plastic garbage that would otherwise end up in the soil and ocean. Canadians are sick of it. Do you plan to continue letting the petrochemical industry dictate public policy?”
Anne Hansen Victoria
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