Posts by christina@gohba.ca
Vacant But Uninhabitable
Council recently directed City Staff to develop a residential Vacant Unit Tax based on staff’s framework and a review of similar regimes elsewhere. Staff’s recommendation is a 1% tax on properties if they are vacant for more than 184 (cumulative) days during the previous calendar year, which would mean a $4,150 bill on a $415,000…
Read MoreThe Right Countertop
Your kitchen is about to be renovated. It will be fantastic. It will be beautiful, functional, bright. It will be a happy place. You’re about to choose colours and cabinets and flooring, and… oh, wait. Countertops. Now what? How do you know what you want? You might look through magazines, and surf the Internet or…
Read MoreRenoMark® Renovators go virtual to support Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa
The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) has been raising funds for Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa through its RenoMark® Reno Tour for six years, but the annual home renovation event took on a whole new look in 2020. Reno Tour, which typically offers consumers the opportunity to visit homes across Ottawa that have been…
Read MoreWant Affordability? Get Supply.
For over a year now I’ve been talking about the need for Ottawa to be building homes Up, In and Out. Our population is expected to increase by 400,000 people from 2018 to 2046 (or 40% growth from our current 1 million residents). How are we ever going to supply enough homes to meet our…
Read MoreThe Perfect Front Porch
Spring walks are a great opportunity to take advantage of nice weather. They’re also the time you start to notice which homes in your neighborhood have the most appealing exteriors. Sometimes, that lovely look is simply a beautifully built and designed front porch. Is your home ready for this endearing feature? A RenoMark Renovator knows…
Read MoreGOHBA Recognizes Special Achievement Award Winners
The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) recognized outstanding Association and industry contributors during the presentation of Special Achievement Awards at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, April 29, 2021. Neil Malhotra of Claridge Homes was awarded the Colonel Boss Award, an accolade named in honor of the first Executive Director of GOHBA. This award…
Read MoreLook to the Sky
Artists and photographers know how beautiful light can be, especially when it’s natural, at various times of the day and in all seasons. Light makes you feel better – the Spring season is a perfect example as research indicates the exposure to increased sunlight triggers a release of serotonin, a hormone associated with boosting mood.…
Read MoreIt’s Time to Support Home Renovations
Renovation is a critical part of the residential construction industry that often doesn’t get talked about in terms of policy. It won’t shock anyone who’s heard of lumber and other building material supply shortages that demand for renovations has gone up during the pandemic. This is partly due to all of us being…
Read MoreEmbracing Intensification is Part of Growing Up
Ottawa has a lot of growing up to do. I’ve repeated this stat often in our updates and I’ll continue to do so – Ottawa is expected to grow by an additional 400,000 people over the next 25 years. This is a 40% increase over our current population of 1 million. All of those people…
Read MoreHousing Resolutions for 2021
Each year at this time I talk about resolutions for housing in Ottawa for the coming year. For 2021 I would still like to see the public conversation focus more around the contribution homes make to our communities, to our fellow citizens, and to ourselves and our families. Last year the City committed to seeing…
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