Cost of living in North America's 4th largest city

First of all, many people especially Americans would be surprised to learn that Toronto, Canada is the 4th largest city in North America. It is in population and size, similar to Chicago. We also share some of the same problems plus we have some of our own.

The ability buy a home or to rent has grown out of reach for most Canadians wanting to live in the city of Toronto. With the average home now selling for $1.2 million, this places it out of reach of the first time home buyers, who help keep our economy going. Lucky for those who decide to go into debt on such a purchase, interest rates remain at a historic low. But should they start to rise, many new home owners would be forced into a sell position, as they could not afford the mortgage payment on top of everything else. (I have discussed hydro rates in previous blogs).

In the east end of the city where homes where built in the late 1950's at an asking price of $12,000, now sell for $700,000. These are humble bungalows with approximately 1100 sq. feet of space. Where else other then New York city would such properties bring such prices. And if your considering anything in the downtown core, well for a century home plan on spending 1-2 million dollars.

The real sad part of this is many of the homes which have been purchased sit empty. Not even an attempt to rent them out for income, which would help the rental market so much. Having said that, renters are seeing their monthly rents increase as much as 100% with little warning. And it is pay up or move out. There is no rent control on properties built after 1991, so the sky is the limit in this small supply rental property market. Again though, many condo units and homes sit empty as foreign investors and local speculators wait on the prices to continue to rise so they can flip for an easy profit.

Local and Provincial governments meet as I write this, trying to find solutions to reduce the heat of the housing market, reduce the prices and prevent or reduce the empty units which exist in the city of Toronto. Their answers are typical of government. Tax and new taxes. Tax on foreign investors, tax on properties which remain vacant and I am sure they are thinking of a few others.

I admit I don't have the answer, but I just know pricing people out of being able to live in Toronto is not a good thing for anybody.

Kathleen Wynne and the electrical nightmare

So the Premier of Ontario in here great wisdom, signed power contracts paying energy firms some 80 cents per Kilowatt when it only costs them 3 cents a Kilowatt to make. She then in an even crazier move, signed this deals for 25 years. (recently extended them to 30 years now)

Who in the private sector would keep their job for making this kind of deal? I know I would be fired the next day if my boss saw a negotiation of this kind performed by me. I imagine the same would happen to you too!

So in 2018 will you have the intelligence to vote no to Wynne and her Liberals? 3 years ago you didn't and you even gave her a majority government. I still can't believe Ontario did that given that Wynne was part of a very corrupt cabinet within the McGuinty Liberal Government. Has the people of Ontario learnt their lesson? I hope so. Because we cannot afford 4 more years of this. In fact, the Liberal have now been in power for 14 years in Ontario, and look where we are at. People have to decide between food or electricity. Shame!

Well just a shot rant today instead of a full blog. Stay tuned!

Trudeau must stand up to Trump

This flag of ours represents so many things. But the most important is it's open invitation to those who wish to come here to seek a better life.

Last year we successfully resettled some 25,000 Refugees from the war torn country of Syria. We brought all these desperate people in and have resettled them into our great nation. Many have shown thanks by findings ways to give back to their local communities, showing they understand the true meaning of being Canadian.

South of us stands the United States of America. Where the statue of Liberty now weeps for the poor, the unsafe and those who are persecuted in their home countries. She cries as the new US President Donald Trump has just passed an executive order banning Muslims and many others from countries where there is currently civil strife.

Canada has had a long lasting great relationship with the US, and we hope that can continue, but Prime Minister Trudeau cannot change our Canadian morals just to get a new deal in NAFTA. He must stand up to the new President, (when Trump finally decides he wants to meet his number 1 trading partner) and Trudeau must make it clear we will not stand for such abuse of human rights and freedoms. Remember Trump wants to bring back torture as a way of gathering information. He is going down the road of Russia and China in this regard. But given his love affair for Putin should we be surprised.

The worst part is there is more to come from this new radical regime south of our boarder. We must stand vigilant in our protection of the poor and the persecuted, and express this in no uncertain terms to the now most dangerous man in the world President Trump.

Carbon Pricing part two

Well it has become a reality now as of January 1st. The new carbon pricing (tax) is now in effect and as I warned prices have gone up around the various provinces.

The immediate effect has been seen on the price of gasoline, which went up 5 cents a litre overnight. Even though if you work out the percentage it should only be 4.2 cents a litre, the big oil companies have rounded it up to 5 cents and are voicing the blame on the government.

Interestingly the last time fuel prices were this high, oil was trading at 80 dollars a barrel. Meanwhile it is stuck at 51 dollars a barrel. The oil companies snuck in a price increase just days before the new tax took effect and they are hoping we don't notice. Well we did and it is as shameful as the new carbon tax imposed by the government in the name of Global warming.

Well in my last article on Carbon tax, I told you how great it would be if the money actually went towards green projects, such as Solar energy or more Public Transit. But we know the government will put it into general revenue where it will spend it as it sees fit. Lately that has been for projects that make big donor companies rich with new government contracts. New transit remains stagnate and no new green energy programs have been started.

Of course this new Carbon tax is not just on car gasoline, it also affects home heating. Natural gas to heat our homes will increase about 5% on the monthly bill. The worse thing about this is that the tax then gets taxed by federal and provincial taxes. That's right, tax on your tax.

Also look as the price of goods will soon go up as manufactures are being hit with the new tax as well. And you know they are not going to absorb the new cost. It will get passed onto the consumer just like everything else, yet wages stay low.

So where ever you may be from, beware when your government starts talking Carbon Pricing in the name of Global Warning. It is nothing but a tax grab my friends.

Gas Prices part three

In my continuing posts (rants) on current gas prices, we are once again looking at an overnight hike of huge proportions, which once again does not match the formula for lowering gas prices.

When the price of oil plunges downwards, there is never any movement on the price of gas. The excuses the oil companies use is that the more expensive gas is still filtering thru the system and they have to wait to lower prices.

Why is it then when during the day the price of oil goes up two dollars a barrel and exactly at midnight we see the price of gas jump several cents a litre? The oil companies offer no explanation other then the rising costs. But isn't the cheap gas still filtering thru the system? Why no mention of that? Profits my friends, huge quick and easy gouging profits.

This past week we saw oil go up two dollars a barrel in a single day and at midnight the price of gas went up 5 cents a litre. They then put it up a couple of cents more each day until it hit a total increase of 9 cents a litre.

Meanwhile oil is holding steady at $51 a barrel and is looking to trend down. Now you see, the price only went up because the OPEC nations announced they had an agreement in principle to reduce the output of oil by a million barrels a day. Not a large drop when you consider how many 100 of millions they produce a day plus factor in Russia and even the Untied States who is now the leader in oil production.

So they actually haven't stopped making more oil yet, but are only saying they will do it. This causes speculators on the market to buy up oil and drive it's price up. Meanwhile back in reality there is still a glut of oil in the world. The U.S, has so much oil that they are asking Congress to let them start exporting oil. Something that was banned way back in the 1970's over fear of no gas, because of the issues of the day back then.

Well as we keep paying more and more for gas and other energy supplies, is it any wonder why people are asking for better public transit. More bike lanes in the city and electric cars sales are booming.

For those Canadians living in the province of Ontario, there will be no relief in sight as the premier of Ontario has introduced a carbon tax which will come January 1, 2017, increase the price of gas by 4.2 cents a litre. And that tax is subject to the HST tax. Tax on your tax!!!!

Time to trade in the SUV and buy a subcompact!

The American refugee crisis.

So he did it. Donald trump is now the President of the United States of America.

A man who gets upset when someone tweets on a nasty message at him, is now in charge of the most powerful military in the world. Does this mean he will bomb any country whose leader says something impolite about him? Will he launch the Nuclear Arsenal the United States has against a sovereign nation because they don't agree with his view of things? I am afraid the chances are he will.

For years Americans have armed themselves as per their 2nd amendment rights, to be ready to fight the federal government and any tyranny that it may invoke up its citizens. I am sure these mostly southern militias always thought it would be a Democratic leader they would have to rise up against, not a Republican. But then Donald Trump did run as an outsider and his narcissistic ways seemed to actually attract the radical right wing voter. Funny now that those same voters will be the ones to rise up against him.

So fear is spreading among Americans today as the new Fuhrer will be taking power. People will soon be swimming across the great lakes to get to Canada. They will hide in trucks, on rail cars and even make a run for it at border crossings.

Well as Canadians we have to be prepared. We need to start to set up tent camps close to our borders for the refugees to live while we take our proper time to vet each claimant. Those without proper documents will indeed have to be shipped back to the U.S. in the name of national security. Now this will upset many left wing liberals here in Canada, but we must maintain proper border security.

Loss of jobs to the cheap labour these U.S. refugees represent will be a major concern. They will be coming into their new country and be willing to work for minimum wage. Stealing away jobs from hard working Canadians. Even worse will be the extra strain on the social safety net, our dear welfare system which many Americans will most likely end up on. Why should we foot the bill because of their failed state?

My fellow Canadians. I think it is time to build a wall. A huge beautiful wall.

The Wynne Experiment

When the people of Ontario voted in a majority government for Kathleen Wynne, it must have been at best an experiment. Right?

After all, her Liberal predecessor was plagued with scandal after scandal, and was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. So how could a province vote for the Liberals again, especially delivering them a majority government? Well it happened and now people are seeing the errors of their ways, as the tax and spend Wynne government begins to rape the taxpayers of Ontario.

The latest new tax was to increase our car license stickers to an annual cost of $120. Only 5 years ago it was $75 to renew your car sticker, yet with these increases we have seen little infrastructure repairs done, yet we pay provincial tax on our gas for this very reason.

Now you may remember the budget of 2015 delivered by the Wynne government. It proposed no new taxes at that time. However it did propose a spending platform of a whopping $132.000,000,000. Yes count the zeros, that is Billions folks. Now how did she think she was going to pay for that with the government already in major debt, but promising not to raise any taxes to bring in more revenue.

The answer is cuts to services. Especially to our health care system. Her government continues to clash with Doctors and Nurses over pay and layoffs in the case of Nurses. She also is quietly cutting out programs within the health care service, which most people do not realize unto they find themselves in the position of needing it, only to be told the program no longer exists due to cuts.

Of course there is a new payroll tax, the carbon tax and let's not forget about the $70 million paid out in severance to people who never put in a days work, but had accepted positions for the now defunct Ontario Pension Plan. Think of how many nurses we could have put into our system for that kind of money.

Premier Wynne keeps tossing our tax dollars around into the wind, while infrastructure continues to crumble, public transit in our big cities remains far behind the rest of the world and of course the health care system is struggling to survive.

While we are far away from the next election, I hope Ontarian's will remember this failed experiment and put their vote behind another party with a solid platform and a caucus free of scandal!