Reducing red tape allows for innovative solutions to housing for growing populations, ultimately lowering housing costs
By Kenneth P. Green Ian Herzog and Josef Filipowicz The Fraser Institute A recent Wall Street Journal article featured a number of cities that stand out, giving well-deserved praise to Vancouver’s walkable urban landscape. But while Vancouver continues to become even more pedestrian friendly, a much bigger problem is going unsolved. Growing housing costs are…
Oligarch kleptocratic immigration is detrimentailly affecting those cities deemed as safe havens for their investments
The word oligarch has a weighty feel to it. After you master it, it rolls off the tongue. Derived from the Greek language, today it usually means “business magnate.” It often describes the men who acquired vast wealth in the transition of the former Soviet Union to today’s Russia. The word kleptocracy is also derived…
The room was humming as Alfred Nikolai, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Edmonton, shuttled us around Habitat’s new Prefab shop near St. Albert. “We don’t just build homes, we build communities” was Alf’s central message, his voice filled with passion and hope for the future. “This new facility allows us to mobilize volunteers…
Think about the last time you went to the bank to visit your safety deposit box. If you're like me, you forget what is left inside from the last visit. It is basically a box of investment certificates and documents like wills, and most of us just visit once or twice per year. The banks…
The affordable housing crisis is an obvious symptom of a deep-seated disease in modern capitalism
Canada is a modern success story; with a functioning democracy, a tolerant, multi-ethnic society and an economy that’s the envy of the world. So how can it be that so many of our citizens can’t afford to put a roof over their heads? It’s shocking to learn that many working Canadians are unable to gain…
The outcome of several legal decisions might just change the way we view homelessness
As humans, we need to sleep. Yet, on both sides of the border, "sleeping" can be considered a criminal act – especially if you are homeless and have no place to rest your head, other than in public spaces such as parks. How have cities and states been able to impose and enforce bylaws and…
Smoothing out kinks in the home-building process can pay dividends to anyone looking for a new home
By Kenneth Green Ian Herzog and Josef Filipowicz The Fraser Institute In Calgary, home prices have more than doubled over the past decade. Despite the recent economic slowdown, more people are moving to Alberta than leaving it. Economic conditions in Alberta wax and wane over time, but the demand for living here persists. Satisfying this…
A $1 increase reduces private savings – which could be used for home ownership – by around the same amount
In recent years, there’s been a strong push to expand the Canada Pension Plan, and Ontario intends to launch an additional mandatory pension plan in January 2017. Yet the debate about expanding mandatory government-run pensions has largely overlooked the unintended effect on private savings. Increasing mandatory retirement savings can reduce the amount households save voluntarily.…
By Kenneth P. Green Ian Herzog and Josef Filipowicz The Fraser Institute A recent Wall Street Journal article featured a number of cities that stand out, giving well-deserved praise to Vancouver’s walkable urban landscape. But while Vancouver continues to become even more pedestrian friendly, a much bigger problem is going unsolved. Growing housing costs are…
