CPP then and now
In her Need to Know segment, Amanda Lang looks at how the Canada Pension Plan was created and how it works. She then has an in-depth discussion on the current state of our national pension fund with John Graham, President and CEO of the CPP Investment Board.
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CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Glass half-full: Bedford highway beer garden reopens at reduced capacity
Social Sharing A new beer garden on the Bedford Highway has reopened after having to close temporarily for failing to meet parking regulations. The Bedford Beer Garden initially opened for a weekend in late June. But it closed when the Halifax Regional Municipality determined it didn't have enough parking spaces. The beer garden, located in a largely empty gravel lot along the highway, has been reduced in size by 100 square feet in order to require fewer parking spaces under its municipal permit. "We had to compromise, find that middle ground," said co-owner Tony Makhoul. The outdoor bar reopened on Friday to a large turnout, Makhoul said, and he's expecting a busy summer after several "ups and downs" while trying to open. He said he's optimistic he'll be able to continue to work with the regional municipality to fully open the beer garden. But he also believes the municipality can help by removing barriers for businesses outside the downtown core. "Downtown is completely exempt from the same rules we were held to here when it comes to parking and other things," he said. There aren't many beer gardens outside of downtown Halifax. With areas like Bedford growing in population, people would prefer to have the same amenities, Makhoul said. Rules are different for a reason Jean St-Amand, the councillor for Bedford-Wentworth, said he's pleased the business and municipality were able to reach a compromise. St-Amand said he's open to asking municipal staff to consider changes to municipal bylaws, but the rules are different in the suburbs because people still rely more on personal vehicles to get around. "There are some [people] in Bedford that will readily walk to a beer garden, but I went down to the beer garden on Friday to check it out on its opening day and the parking lot was absolutely jammed," he said. Regional council wants residents to be less dependent on vehicles throughout the municipality. But it takes time to improve the public transit system and build infrastructure, St-Amand said. "That's something that we can't see change overnight," he said.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Toronto needs more housing. Are garden suites a potential solution?
Social Sharing The City of Toronto is hoping new measures to cut design costs and speed up permit approval times for laneway and garden suites may encourage homeowners to build more, but some advocates and experts say they're skeptical the structures could be a viable solution to the city's housing crunch. Mayor Olivia Chow announced on Friday that the city will provide free design plans for laneway and garden suites to cut costs and speed up permit approval times, in its latest bid to boost construction of new housing. The pre-approved plans are compliant with the Ontario Building Code and eliminate the need to hire an architect, she said. "It's simple: Toronto is growing and we must lower the cost of building homes and make it easier, and approve them faster," Chow said at a news conference Friday. But a limited number of properties in the city have backyards large enough to build these suites, said Stephanie Bertolo, board member of More Neighbours Toronto, a housing advocacy organization. "Anything that helps reduce the cost of development and gets things built faster is a win," Bertolo said. "Unfortunately I think that laneway housing and garden suites aren't going to be a big part of the solution to the housing affordability crisis." Bertolo said a better solution would be building more small apartment buildings or sixplexes to increase housing density across the city. The city first passed an as-of-right zoning bylaw for laneway suites in 2018, and for garden suites in 2022. But only 166 laneway suites and 114 garden suites have been completed since these bylaws were passed, Chow said on Friday. Bertolo said these numbers are a "drop in the bucket" compared to the housing needs across Toronto. WATCH | Laneway, garden suite designs among new city housing measures announced Friday: Toronto speeding up building permit approvals 2 days ago Duration 1:33 With zoning changes alone not prompting enough new construction, Toronto is rolling out a series of measures to boost housing. Company seeing demand from multigenerational families The city defines a laneway suite as a self-contained residential unit located on the same lot as a detached house, semi-detached house, townhouse or other low-rise house. It is typically located in the backyard next to a public laneway. A garden suite is similarly a self-contained living accommodation usually built in a backyard, but is not on a public lane. Garden and laneway suites typically range between 500 to 600 square feet, said Sarah Cipkar, founder and CEO of Resimate, a company that helps homeowners build in their backyard in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area and the Niagara region. Cipkar said her company is seeing demand from multigenerational families who want to build suites for aging parents or young adults who are struggling to enter the housing market. "It creates all these unique opportunities for families to be closer together," she said. Projects can cost between $200,000 to $350,000, she said. Cipkar said she would like the city make the free suite designs available to manufacturers, who can then build them off site. "Part of the issue with the pre-approved design catalogue is that they're not field-tested," she said. "Homeowners can't touch and feel them. They can just see them and they're like, 'maybe that's a good unit? I can't really tell." Suites likely to be built in wealthier areas: professor Susannah Bunce, an associate professor in the department of geography at the University of Toronto, said the intention behind the city's free designs are good as they provide a "guidebook" for homeowners and can streamline the approval process. But these suites are likely to be concentrated in wealthier neighbourhoods in Toronto that have wider and larger lots, rather than the downtown core, where more affordable housing is needed, she said. And without city programs in place to help out homeowners with expenses, such as a rebate or a forgivable loan program, she said these suites may not be rented out at affordable rates. "With the hidden costs that come with garden suite construction, then there is an incentive for homeowners to try and recoup the costs that they have put up front by renting out a unit at a higher rate," Bunce said. "It does then cut out a lot of people who are suffering from the affordable housing crisis in Toronto." Cipkar said St. Catherines is an example of a municipality that has successfully encouraged these backyard suites. She said the municipality has financial incentives to homeowners and also provides timelines for stages such as when homeowners can expect to receive a permit using pre-approved designs. The new measures come after city council voted last month to allow sixplexes in nine wards, with an option for the remaining 16 wards to opt-in at a later date. , but some councillors vehemently objected to the proposal. Other measures announced by Chow on Friday include expanded online applications for new housing units, which she said will reduce the time it takes for them to be processed.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
The Beer Store closes two locations in Windsor
The Beer Store seen on Goyeau Street in Windsor, Ont. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor) Two locations in Windsor of The Beer Store are officially closed, effective Sunday. The two stores are at 790 Goyeau Street and 1780 College Avenue. The announcement was made earlier this year that nine total locations would be closing, including the two in Windsor. The other four locations in Windsor will remain open. 'The Beer Store is modernizing operations to meet the needs of marketplace – this means making the difficult decision to close some stores,' said Ozzie Ahmed, vice president of retail, when the announcement was made. 'We know this will be disappointing to many customers and our valued employees. We don't make this decision lightly; it is part of our ongoing commitment to business sustainability and serving the needs of our customers.' The Beer Store The Beer Store seen on College Avenue in Windsor, Ont. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor) - With files from CTV News London's Bailey Shakyaver.
