Alex Bozikovic (architecture critic for the Globe and Mail) is one of the most vocal proponents of more housing and more density within Toronto’s low-rise neighborhoods. Last year, he organized an international design competition where he asked firms to come up with innovative, yet sensible,… Read More
Jamaican-Canadian billionaire, Michael Lee-Chin, was in ROB Magazine last week talking about how he grew up, how he got into the investment industry, and how he thinks about wealth creation. I met Michael once back in 2009 thanks to an introduction by my father. And… Read More
Things are busy right now as we get ready to unveil Junction House this fall and so I’m a bit behind on my news and reading. I just finished reading Alex Bozikovic’s Globe article on BIG’s new KING Toronto project (official name). It is an… Read More
Yesterday Urbanation released its Q2-2018 rental report for the Greater Toronto Area. It tracks both purpose-built rentals and condominium rentals, the latter being condominium units that are listed for rent on MLS. The average condo rent, for all unit types across the GTA, is up 11.2%… Read More
This evening Slate Asset Management hosted the community meeting that I’ve been writing about on the blog over the last little while. And at this open house Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang introduced a new block plan and mixed-use building at the southwest corner of… Read More
Doug Saunders recently published a great piece in the Globe and Mail about the “the dead spaces between buildings” and the architectural revolution that is taking place from Mexico City to Toronto to solve this underappreciated problem. The example in Mexico City is that of the… Read More
Recently we’ve been talking about California’s Proposition 13 and how it may be creating a disincentive for longtime homeowners to move. They’re enjoying below market property taxes, and so they stay put, even if they may have too much house. But this concept of “overhousing” isn’t… Read More
Chris Bateman does some terrific sleuthing in the Globe and Mail this week to determine that the girl pictured in the below photo, dated May 15, 1913, is Dora (Dorothy) Cooperman – daughter of Morris Cooperman, a clothing presser. Dora is standing in front of… Read More
The Globe and Mail recently published an article about Canada’s highest paid workers. It uses census data spanning 2005 to 2015. There’s a feature that allows you to enter your before tax income, your location, and your gender to see how you compare to “the 1… Read More
Over the weekend, Marcus Gee of the Globe and Mail published a terrific article about Toronto’s King-Spadina district and how “condos conquered a rundown district of the city.” (This post will argue that condos were not the catalyst, but an outcome of other changes.) The image… Read More
