St. Catharines Real Estate Blog
St. Catharines Real Estate
I’m proud to be in the Top 10% of donors for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation for 2017!
This is such an awesome joint effort and all contributions helped us to raise $2.8 million
– the most we’ve ever raised in a single year!
– in support of women’s shelters and domestic violence prevention programs across the country.
What a great accomplishment!!
Dear Bloggers;
Something I personally do each and every year to give back to the city, please read…
Community Care will be holding the 8th Annual Great Holiday Food Drive in front of CKTB on Friday, December 7th, 6 AM to 6 PM. All are welcome to attend and donations of food, new toys and monetary donations will be accepted. Timothy will be attending the Drive at approximately 11am-12noon on Friday to present a cheque from donations collected at his Annual Appreciation party back on November 14th. $1,525 was raised from this event and Timothy will be matching this amount. Over the last 5 years Timothy has raised close to $10,000 dollars for Community Care. Click here for more information on the Great Holiday Food Drive. Hope to see you there or tune your radio into 610 CKTB on Friday morning. Click here to listen!
Dear clients of the Blog:
The Ontario Government announced the Rent Increase Guidelines for 2013, the rent increase for 2013 will be 2.5%, down from 3.1% in 2012.
As always I’m here to help. Need anything, contact me.
T.
Each year, the Ontario government announces the province’s Rent Increase Guideline for the following year.
Ontario’s annual Rent Increase Guideline is based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is a measure of inflation calculated monthly by Statistics Canada. The rate of allowable rent increases for 2013 will be 2.5 per cent.
The guideline is the maximum amount that most landlords can increase a tenant’s rent during the year without making an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board. It is based on the CPI, which is regarded as an objective, reliable measure of inflation, charting the change in the price of all goods and services in the provincial economy.
In most cases, the rent for a unit can be increased if at least 12 months have passed since the tenant first moved in, or since his or her last rent increase. The tenant must be given proper written notice of the rent increase at least 90 days before the increase takes effect.
The 2013 guideline applies to rent increases between January 1 and December 31, 2013.
THE GUIDELINE FORMULA
The 2013 Rent Increase Guideline is calculated by averaging the per cent change in the Ontario Consumer Price Index during the previous 12 months, from June 2011 to May 2012 as required under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (the RTA). On June 13, 2012 an amendment was made to the RTA to ensure that Ontario’s annual Rent Increase Guideline does not exceed 2.5 per cent beginning in 2013. Without this amendment, the Rent Increase Guideline would have been 2.6 per cent in 2013.
The monthly rent of an apartment is $800 beginning August 1, 2012. With proper written 90 days notice to the tenant, the landlord could lawfully increase the rent 12 months later on
August 1, 2013.
For example:
Landlords can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an increase above the guideline, if their costs for municipal taxes and charges or utilities have increased by more than the guideline plus 50 per cent.
Landlords can also apply for an increase above the guideline for operating costs related to security services and for eligible capital expenditures.
The 2013 Rent Increase Guideline is 2.5 per cent. Fifty per cent of this guideline is 1.25 per cent.
To claim an above guideline increase related to municipal taxes and charges, costs should increase by more than 3.75 per cent (2.5 per cent + 1.25 per cent = 3.75 per cent.)
For example:
Year Guideline %
2012 3.1
2011 0.7
2010 2.1
2009 1.8
2008 1.4
2007 2.6
2006 2.1
2005 1.5
2004 2.9
2003 2.9
2002 3.9
2001 2.9
2000 2.6
1999 3.0
1998 3.0
1997 2.8
1996 2.8
1995 2.9
1994 3.2
1993 4.9
1992 6.0
1991 5.4
A landlord can collect a rent deposit from a new tenant on or before the start of a new tenancy. The rent deposit can only be used as the rent payment for the last month or week before the tenant moves out. The landlord must pay the tenant interest on the rent deposit every year. Under the RTA, the interest rate is the same as the Rent Increase Guideline.
The Landlord and Tenant Board provides information to the public through a network of offices
across Ontario. The Board can be reached toll-free at: 1-888-332-3234, or at: 416-645-8080.
Information is also available on the Board website: www.ltb.gov.on.ca
A copy of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, can be ordered from ServiceOntario
Publications toll-free at: 1-800-668-9938, or at: 416-326-5300. It can also be ordered online at: www.publications.gov.on.ca.
The text of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 is available on the e-Laws website at: www.e-laws.gov.on.ca
In the St. Catharines Standard, Thursday August 16th edition, two women gave an amazing story about transforming bowling balls into beautiful garden art. The purpose is to transform these unused bowling balls into treasures to be sold/auctioned to raise money for Alivia’s Rainbow (www.aliviasrainbows.com), a charity that raises funds for families of children with cancer
Janey Burns would graciously accept donations of bowling balls. If you have one or more bowling balls to donate, please contact a friend who is willing to collect them… crc_anderson@hotmail.com.
The completed gazing balls will be on display at Friends of Nature in St. David’s. You can also email friendsofnature@cogeco.ca, call 905-357-0522 for more information.
Timothy
Standard Article: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2012/08/15/gazing-balls-support-alivias-rainbows
Canada, the world’s largest country (after Russia), is the largest country in the Western Hemisphere and comprises all the North American content north of the United States.
July 1st of each year is Canada’s most significant holiday, equivalent to the Fourth of July in the United States.
Canadians and Americans enjoy a friendly relationship based on geographic proximity, their shared status as ex-colonies of Britain, and a long time economic partnership.
Canada Day is a major national holiday. Government offices, schools, banks and many businesses are closed. Some department stores remain open for the holiday shoppers. The Pen 
Centre, Vaughna Mills, the Eaton’s Centre and Square One will be open.
In Canada’s capitol of Ottawa, the streets are closed off around Parliament Hill, a site of the main public festivities. July 1st is ‘Moving Day’ in the province of Quebec, with residents vacating and moving into residences around the province. Accordingly, moving vans must be booked a year in advance and mobilty around Montreal may be affected, with streets blocked or traffic slowed on main city streets.
This observance of Canada Day, originally known as Dominion Day, commemorates the passing of the British North American Act on July 1st, 1867. This marked the first step from Canadian independence of Britain. Canada Day includes parades, exhibits with Canadian themes and the display of the Canadian national flag with its hallmark red maple leaf emblem. In the capital city of Ottawa, the Prime Minister gives a speech, a special awards ceremony awards new immigrants citizenship to Canada, ‘O Canada’ is sung and the Royal Canadian Mounties perform their ‘Musical Ride’ on horseback, ending with fireworks display over Parliament Hill.
Dear Timothy,
Timothy Does It Again – Top 10% Donor
I’m so excited to congratulate you on being a TOP 10% DONOR in 2011! You helped us raise more money than ever before and gave women and children in your community a safe place to go to escape the violence in their lives. Through your generosity, we raised an incredible $2 million, increased the number of commission donors and shelter partners, set new records at the National Garage Sale for Shelter, and raised awareness of family violence. Thank you for your incredible commitment to helping “put abuse out of commission”!
Thank you for providing a safe haven and new beginnings for women and children in your community. We are extremely grateful for all you do on behalf of the Shelter Foundation and for being such an important part of our movement to end family violence in Canada.
With gratitude,
Shanan
Shanan Spencer-Brown, MSW, CFRE
Executive Director
Royal LePage Shelter Foundation
