fellowtraveller

The rates of home ownership in both countries are much the same: 67% in Canada and 69% in the uS. One significant difference is tyhat Candians have more equity, at about 70% on average compared to about 50% in America. That is likely due to their penchant for refinance. One factor that influences cost of housing is the cost of building. Our climate is much harsher overall and requires better insulation, heating/ventilating, windows, the provision of basements etc.

Incorrect, that is only one cause and it is not the one we should worry about. The one we should worry about is when mortgages come due for renewal, often every five years when the term expires and you must essentially requalify for the loan. Formerly, you can be making payments regularly, be employed, have excellent credit and still lose the home because the value of the mortgage is higher than the value of the house. And that is when the banks find out for sure about negative equity, though of course they have a very good idea long before then. Sound familiar? That is what happened to many, many Canadians in the early 80s when they lost their homes. Won't happen this time though, the lenders and CMHC do not want a supply of foreclosed houses, they won't make a cent on them. In any case, there aren't nearly so many because far more people have equity today.

Npbody wants him except the sad bastards who believe what he has to say about Candian real estae, much of which is turning out to be wrong.

Sure. Commercial money is much , much easier now than it was 12 months ago. The banks are still a bit cautious, which is a good thing. And they are making money. Try Western Bank if you have a demonstrably good project and excellent credit.

No building in Quebec, and the NHL will pick it over Hamilton and Winnipeg, both cities that have arenas adaptable to NHL teams............. They had better be very careful venturing into those political waters. Quebec does not have enough corporate presence to have a team, or enough population willing to pay $60 to $200 to watch the islanders on a Wednesday night..

?? Money is tight? When did that happen? Mortgage rates are very low (as low 3.69% for a five year mortgage today!) and banks are anxious to lend. Why wouldn't they be since they are paying very little for deposits? It is no more difficult to get a mortgage now than it was a year ago, and cheaper today. The Bank Act and CMHC ensure that you still, as always cannot get a mortgage loan if you are a deadbeat. There was a brief period last fall when it was hard to get money, but that is long past. Same for commercial lending, lots of bucks available.

The backlog in refugee cases and the pathetic management of the system existed long before Kenney was Minister, it has been a problem for a long time. The correct approach is not to expand the system with more bureaucrats, it is to both clear up the backlog of applicants, and to stop people getting into the system in the first place. Every bogus claimant in the system is one less legitimate claimant rotting in a refugee camp soemwhere in the world.

Good question, which has an easy answer. Senate cooperation depends entirely on whether or not the House of Commons is Liberal or Tory.

Don't forget the manna from heaven when interest rates on the national debt plummetted just about the time Chretien got his first majority.

Oh yeah, that is funny and accurate. Wiil Justin Trudeau be miffed that he has been overlooked, or smart enough to know now is not the time? I vote 'miffed'.

Lost the election? He was a distant third in a three man field right up unitl it looked like the grotesque Christian fundamentalist dinosaur Morton was going to slither up the middle and turn Alberta into Gods Dominion with Ted himself as our very own Prophet. Instead, many many formerly passive Albertans joined the Tories for a day, plopped down their $5 and gave the fundamentalist cretins the smackdown they richly deserve. I can tolerate a larger dose of fiscal conservatism, but Mortons disgusting and archaic views on women and social issues means he'll never be elected in this province. His message died with Bible Bill Aberhart. It is astosnishing that you and other Morton supporters did not get that message last time. Try again, you'll get the same asswhipping. Alberta is not rural Alabama.

It is 80% now. The reality is this: the days of banks foreclosing on borrowers that are servicing their mortgage loans are over. The banks recognize that there is absolutely no gravy in them owning homes in a poor market, when the option is to simply ignore neutral or negative equity and continue to allow people to stay where they are and keep faithfully paying. CMHC will ignore it too, if and when the circumstances arrive. But they have not, likely will not and if they do it will affect only a relatively small group of people: first time buyers who bought with zero or 5% down in the last couple of years. And think carefully on who this is likely to apply to: people who bought on the (now discontinued) zero down programs, and only those with new mortgages in the last couple of years. For many, many Canadians if you bought your home prior to 2007 or if you had equity already and bought in that span, you have equity and have no real concerns. Turner wants to apply the ridiculous loans made to many Americans with garbage credit to Canada, where those loans simply do not exist. He is a shameless panic monger and media whore, appealing to those who have political reasons for spreading panic about a non-existent situation. Sure, there will be foreclosures, there are always foreclosures. But this is not Arizona, or Florida, not by a long shot.

You keep returning to this theory that the CPC are run by hardline fundamentalist, and keep returning to weak 'examples' that don't support anything, much less your premise. I don't think there is a problem with your perception, it is more a lack of perception, or perhaps an unwillingness to see what is in front of your face. Examples: what has Harper done about same sex marriage? Tossed a cookie to the Christians in his party(the same faith that exists in all parties, including the Liberals who overwhelmingly rehected SSM in Parliamentary votes a couple of times.) , had a free vote and never spoked or acted about it n any way again. As promised. Abortion on demand? Not a peep, no action. As promised. Your turn.

Nice rant, but sad that you are unable to cite any examples that would raise it to anything beyond vapid bullshit. 1) failed to fund a gay pride event. 2) don't like their hardline on crime. That's it? Is that their secret agenda?

Time has already judged and condemned Turner aka Chicken Little. The sky is not falling, and many have stopped listening to him.

Y'all are greatly underestimating the pragmatism of Quebec voters. The Bloc serves them well because its existence and relative success gets plenty o'gravy for the province. The electorate there learned long ago that you don't need to separate to prosper, you just need the threat and a way to express that threat: the Bloc. Or the PQ. Or both. It's a tag team. If they get a strong sense that the Tories are headed for majority territory with or without them, why wouldn't they jump on that bandwagon?

Simple explanation: Turner has been bleating about the imminent collapse of everything in Canada since Harper hurt his feelings by confirming the longtime suspicion that Turner is an idiot. Turner was and is wrong and endlessly repeating the same wrong conclusions doesn't make it right. Housing in Canada took a brief battering, but recovery is underway right now. Foreclosures are up a bit, but nothing even remotely close to the US. Drops in prices have halted and in many markets gone up, activity is stronger in nearly all resale categories, new housing starts are stable or up, mortgage rates are low and will stay low. He is wrong. Again.

I cannot help but snigger whenever I see 'social' and science' in the same sentence.

??? Being a citizen does not qualify you for OAS, you must be a resident as well. A citizen who has never lived here won't get a dime. A resident non-citizen who has lived here a long time will get OAS benefits. It is not a pension, not in the usual sense in that we pay nothing into it specifically. It's more a social benefit.

Oops. I meant Death Proof. Planet Terror was pretty good in the 'full cheese' genre, and the fake shorts were better yet.

Untrue. It can also be collected by legal residents.

The movie 'really belongs' to Christolph Waltz, a central character and chief bad guy. It is an excellent performance more or less wasted in a silly plot. I'm a big Tarantino fan, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kills Bills, Jackie Brown are all well worth watching. But Planet Terror was brutal, and this one only a bit better. QT needs to get his game back.

Was he wearing a sweater vest?

Oh, and OAS has residency requirements that elederly immgrants would not meet. I wonder too at the personal financial guarantees Canadians have to put up for family reunification immigrants, they cannot collect welfare, and OAS is a form of social assistance....so how would this bill even be possible?

It does not matter if the bill passes or fades to obscurity, Ruby has accomplished her purpose in proposing it: votes, lots of votes as she is seen as an advocate for immigrants. Trying , however feebly, to give money away is always popular with the proposed recipients. She can later point out it was racist Tories who derailed the gravy train and denied these elederly immigrants their civil rights and cheated them out of their due.. Dhalla might need the bump, she is rumoured to be in a tad of trouble getting reelected in her riding.