Rime posted:

THC posted:

I need a shower after reading that.

Baronjutter posted:

Do you have like, your own private shower you can use any time?

Monaghan posted:

Anyone who lives in a major Canadian city who complains about how there's not any attractive women can go to hell.

Try living in a small prairie city where at least half the residents can't talk about anything other than the loving roughriders are and/or are obese.

triplexpac posted:

Don't forget most the single girls are pregnant or have kids

etalian posted:

Vancouver is worth the price since the women are more attractive compared to other global cities like LA or NYC.

JawKnee posted:

on the one hand there are lots of attractive people here but on the other neither I nor my partner are actually from here at all

Monaghan posted:

Anyone who lives in a major Canadian city who complains about how there's not any attractive women can go to hell.

Try living in a small prairie city where at least half the residents can't talk about anything other than the loving roughriders are and/or are obese.

Furnaceface posted:

Thats the irony. People visit tourist location X, see lots of attractive people and just assume they are locals when in reality they are either other tourists or transplants from somewhere else.

Also, how did I miss this yesterday http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/transalta-timed-power-outages-to-drive-up-prices-says-commission-1.3170229

"Categorically False"

EvilJoven posted:

I really hope that all this news of residents of other provinces getting super hosed by private power companies keeps people voting NDP in the next Manitoba election.

JawKnee posted:

don't sign another lease, go month-to-month

Melian Dialogue posted:

Why? Whats the benefit? We got a great place, and wouldnt a lease lock-down our rate for that year, while month-to-month it can be increased?

Vehementi posted:

No that's not how month to month works. A lease IMO is more a benefit for the landlord locking you into a term so they don't have to be prepared at any moment to go show the place to someone else.

Melian Dialogue posted:

Why? Whats the benefit? We got a great place, and wouldnt a lease lock-down our rate for that year, while month-to-month it can be increased?

Lexicon posted:

I sure hope you're talking nonsense because that makes no sense. A lease is a contract.

THC posted:

It benefits the landlord slightly by discouraging you from breaking the lease early with a nominal financial penalty.

Lexicon posted:

I sure hope you're talking nonsense because that makes no sense. A lease is a contract.

blah_blah posted:

It benefits the landlord significantly because on a fixed-term lease, the landlord can choose not to renew the lease and to force the tenant out at the end of it. This is not possible with a month-to-month tenancy, except under a relatively small number of situations (significant improvements, moving a family member in, etc).

Lexicon posted:

You guys are talking in riddles. Unless BC is more hosed than I thought - a lease should serve to ensure a tenant cannot be booted out prior to the expiry.

blah_blah posted:

It benefits the landlord significantly because on a fixed-term lease, the landlord can choose not to renew the lease and to force the tenant out at the end of it. This is not possible with a month-to-month tenancy, except under a relatively small number of situations (significant improvements, moving a family member in, etc).

ocrumsprug posted:

LOL

BC posted:

Fixed-term tenancies: Neither party in a fixed-term agreement (or lease) can end the tenancy early. If both parties agree to end it early, they can complete the Mutual Agreement to End Tenancy form (PDF, 1.6MB).

Baronjutter posted:

Yeah my landlord is adamant that he only does 1 year leases and then when he "only" raised our rent the maximum allowed if we were monthly was all "I could actually raise it any amount since you are on a lease but I like you guys so I'll only raise it the maximum as if you were monthly".

Does anyone know anything better about BC tenancy laws? Can I just say gently caress you we're going monthly?

quote:

Renewal of Tenancy Agreement Term

A fixed term tenancy agreement may specify the date by which the tenant must move out. If no date is specified, and the landlord and tenant do not sign a new tenancy agreement, the tenancy agreement automatically converts to a month-to-month tenancy and all other terms in the tenancy agreement continue to be in effect.

Terminating a Tenancy: Notice and Timing

Prior to a fixed term tenancy agreement expiring, it is the responsibility of landlord and tenant to either re-negotiate terms or terminate the tenancy agreement. Tenants who give written notice to end a fixed term tenancy agreement prior to the expiry date may be held accountable for all costs the landlord incurs in re-renting including lost rent. Landlords may end a tenancy only for specified reasons as set out in the legislation and cannot end a tenancy simply because a fixed term has expired unless the language of the lease specifies the tenant will vacate at the end of the term. When a fixed term tenancy reverts to a month to month tenancy, the landlord cannot force a tenant to sign another lease or agree to another fixed term. When a tenancy agreement is renewed, landlords and tenants may agree to the same or different terms.

quote:

Husky Energy Inc. and MEG Energy Corp. said profits tumbled sharply in the second quarter, as deep budget cuts and falling costs failed to offset the collapse in oil prices.

Calgary-based Husky said Tuesday that its profit for the three months ended June 30 plunged 81 per cent from a year earlier to $120-million. Oil sands producer MEG said profit in the period dropped 75 per cent to $63-million.

mastershakeman posted:

Unless Canadian law is a lot different from USA, that's not right and the landlord can put anyone out at the end of the next month, rather than the end of the year.

quote:

A spectre is haunting Shaughnessy — the spectre of Kitsilano.

Several Shaughnessy residents teamed up with realtors at a public hearing Tuesday into the proposed First Shaughnessy Heritage Conservation Area, protesting Vancouver’s plan to stop demolition of pre-1940 houses.

Realtor Peter Saito said the city’s plan would have a huge effect on property values.

“The last four sales in Shaughnessy have priced demolish-able lots at $642 per square foot,” stated Saito, who said he has sold close to close to $100 million of property in Shaughnessy in the past 1½ years.

“I truly believe that in order to sell a rundown pre-1940 house today, we would have to sell it for $400 per square foot.”

Saito noted that under the heritage plan, homeowners would be compensated for possible loss of value by allowing more density, either by adding coach houses or dividing old mansions into strata units.

But he warned that with 318 pre-1940 houses in line for more density, it could dramatically change the elite neighbourhood.

“If you were to increase the density by that much, you will inevitably turn Shaughnessy into Kitsilano No. 2,” he said.

Saito argued that this could set off a “vicious downward spiral that effectively cancels out about 25 per cent of the value of all homes in Shaughnessy.” He feared that in the new, densified Shaughnessy, the post-1940 homes would “become the odd ones out.” And he said homeowners would not be happy.

“A five-carat diamond is worth more than five one-carat diamonds of similar quality,” he said.

“If you decide to cut a five-carat Shaughnessy piece into five Kitsilano townhouses, you will surely lose a lot of intrinsic value. The true value of Shaughnessy is that it is a collection of the biggest pieces of single family houses in this glorious city, a dream for each one of us to work hard towards.”

Nancy Tchou predicted “the banning of demolition will choke the development of First Shaughnessy and the area will deteriorate. There will be a lot more dilapidated eyesores.”

She said that new builds can add “to the heritage character of the neighbourhood.” She offered photos of a new home on Selkirk Avenue that is across the street from Rosemary, a landmark 1915 mansion that is undergoing an extensive restoration.

“You shall be the judge if the pre-1940 Heritage House is better suited to the area than a newer one,” said Tchou.

Heritage advocate Robert McNutt took issue with the idea that older Shaughnessy mansions are teardowns.

“Shaughnessy homes were built with the very finest of building materials,” said McNutt, who works in the architectural antiques industry.

“Many of these homes have architect-designed custom items — imported tiles, lights, stained glass. Craftsmen were imported to do the construction. To say these homes are rickety or built in a substandard way is an out-and-out lie.”

McNutt said that if homeowners want to build a new dream home, there is plenty of property elsewhere.

“I have a customer who built the nicest house I’ve ever stepped into,” he said. “It’s in south Surrey, he spent $50 million. The British Properties has hundreds of undeveloped lots to sell.”

McNutt agreed that old homes can be expensive to maintain, “but most people who buy into old established areas know exactly what they are buying into.

“Nobody puts a gun to your head to buy into Shaughnessy. You buy into here for the old world charm, the grand mansions, big lots, gardens, trees, (and the) serenity of the area. If you have the means to purchase here, you also have the means to do the upkeep and restoration of these great houses.”

Realtor Saito brought some humour into proceedings by using a brown banana as an allegory for an old house.

“I was just about to peel it and eat it, when someone came up to me and I must not eat it because they liked the look of it,” he related.

“They said I could turn it into a banana split and that they would give me another banana if I did that. But I don’t like banana splits, no thank you.”

He said he offered to sell or rent the banana, but was rebuffed. But he was told he would “get into a lot of trouble if I let this banana succumb to the force of nature and rot.

“Things rot,” he said. “That’s nature. Whose banana is it, anyways?”

He ended up giving the brown banana to Councillor Adriane Carr, who had noted rich people in cities like New York don’t seem to have an aversion to living in old buildings.

It drew a big laugh, as did Councillor Tim Stevenson, who presented Saito with a fresh banana.

The public hearing will resume Sept. 15.

HookShot posted:

Yeah, I'm glad we're on a fixed term because when poo poo happens like the landlords deciding to sell our place we don't need to worry about being out until November if they do sell, especially since basically nothing comes on the market until then so we'd be SOL if we had to move out in like, June.

B33rChiller posted:

On the other hand, it would put you in quite the advantageous position if the landlord needed you out in order to sell. You could negotiate compensation for agreeing to end the tenancy early. This very thing happened to me earlier this year in BC.

Tenancy law chat: BC has the platinum grade tenancy protection laws in this country, as far as I've heard. Mordor went much more for the unfettered greed style of tenancy regulation. I suspect other provinces are somewhere in between the two extremes.

HookShot posted:

Yeah, exactly. Luckily the landlords didn't mind us staying while they sell (which is a decision I bet they're happy with seeing as it's been 6+ months and it hasn't sold) but if they did we could have gotten a pretty solid payday.

blah_blah posted:

Well, yes. Is it really surprising that Canadian law would be much more tenant friendly than American law? (I'm referring to British Columbia in particular, but I imagine it's similar in other provinces).

For a reference, see e.g. here: http://tenants.bc.ca/evictions/ -- these are the reasons that a landlord can end a month-to-month tenancy, and as long as the tenant is paying their rent and not providing cause, the only one that applies is "TWO MONTH NOTICE TO END TENANCY FOR LANDLORD USE OF PROPERTY", which basically requires you to either sell the property, do substantial renovations, or move in a family member for an extended period of time. You can't get rid of a tenant just because you want to. You also have to provide one month's rent in compensation, even if you have an acceptable reason.

quote:

Calgary’s housing market just starting to feel effects of low oil prices

The effects of falling oil prices are only starting to be felt in Calgary’s housing market, the city’s local real estate board warned, with home prices expected to fall further as unemployment continues to rise.

Resale home prices will likely end the year 0.2 per cent lower for the year, the Calgary Real Estate Board predicted Wednesday in a mid-year forecast. Home sales should end the year 22 per cent lower than 2014.

While the picture emerging is a far cry from a housing crash, the board admitted the city’s economic prospects are much bleaker than it initially expected in January, when it predicted that Calgary home prices would rise by 1.58 per cent this year.

With oil prices falling back below $50 (U.S.) a barrel, the city’s economy “continues to be plagued with a level of uncertainty,” the board said.

Economists now expect Calgary’s economy to contract by 1.2 per cent this year. Calgary has lost nearly 12,000 full-time jobs since January, many of them high paid positions, the board said, while gaining about 24,000 part-time positions. The city could stand to lose an additional 23,000 jobs this year, the board said, citing Conference Board of Canada economic forecasts.

“Employment conditions are expected to worsen and put increased downward pressure on wages,” the board wrote. “When combined with lower levels of migration, it’s expected that these conditions will cause further impacts on the housing sector.”

Home prices have been falling in the city since December as oil prices plunged and sellers rushed to put their homes on the market. The city saw a surge of new listings at the start of the year, but that had tapered off by spring as many homeowners took their unsold properties off the market. With further job losses expected and high levels of new homes under construction across the city, Calgary could see a spike in new listings once again this year.

The benchmark home price, a measure that compares prices of homes with the same features over time, would likely fall to $448,354 by the end of the year, the board said, below its earlier prediction that prices would rise to $456,346 by year’s end. Benchmark prices averaged $455,133 in June.

Detached home sales fell 25 per cent in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year. High-priced homes over $600,000 saw the biggest jump in listings and the largest drop in sales. “Consumers in a must-sell situation will have to carefully consider the price they are willing to accept,” the board wrote.

Vacancy rates have more than doubled from last year, from roughly 1.5 per cent last year to 3.6 per cent today amid rising levels of newly built apartments. The glut of new rental supply has already helped drive the prices of condos down 2 per cent from last year as potential first-time buyers and condo investors sat on the sidelines.

While the board expects housing starts to fall by 31 per cent this year, there are roughly 14,000 new homes now under construction in the city, which could lead to a surge in new listings, helping to drive prices even lower.

“Supply levels in the new home sector and rental markets will likely continue to rise,” the board predicted, “while the rate of decline for resale listings may also ease as the need to sell becomes more prevalent in the later portion of the year.”