Hello again.
Another day of sleeping in. Another day of doing very little. It is becoming a bad habit.
I did get an email from a potential lead to a potential follow up to a story from some time ago. I hope to hear from this person again, soon.
The article that was posted on the Frank website has already yielded a comment from a reader that may itself lead to a follow up piece.
And I have two other articles I need to write in the coming days and send off to my editor. One of them will be quite brief as the trail is as cold as they come, and I have not seen an update in many a year. Just the same police updates from time to time. It is these cases which give me the most pause. I can add very little to what has already been written. I can just go back to the original articles and get a picture of the victim or look online and perhaps find some clues that way. Otherwise, there is little to report. This kind of thing happens more frequently than I would like.
I see where the province today announced that the rent cap will be limited to 2% through the end of 2023. I am of two minds on this. While having a place to live is a human right, full stop, living in any particular location is not. I believe that most landlords are not greedy, avaricious money hounds bent on making a buck at any cost. They have to pay upkeep on a property, plus insurance and property taxes and maintenance and even some utilities. Likely even a mortgage. By the time they pay those costs, what little is left over, is fully taxable, leaving even less profit.
And if the landlord/owner does not live nearby, they have to hire a property manager, who does not work for free.
I am sure I am leaving out some things.
If the landlord spends a significant amount of money to upgrade a property, it may take years for them to recoup all those costs and make a profit again.
I do not see where this is a relationship suffused with unholy profit, especially if the person only owns a few rental units. If they own many rental units, yes, I can see how they can make some good money. But what is wrong with making some money? They are not running a charity.
But if I were still renting, I am sure I would feel differently and be very grateful that the provincial government has decided to extend this rental cap. I just hope that before the end of 2023, that the government can convince developers to construct lots of new housing. Where that housing will go, I have no idea, as the city is starting to fill up.
It is a difficult conundrum to say the least.
Which gets back to me saying that we will be happy to sell Casa Bevboy here in the city and live somewhere else if someone will but sell us a place we can afford and which has certain amenities that we both need and want. It is a short list, but a firm one. Two bathrooms. Roof in good shape. Doors and windows of a recent vintage. A good back deck. Enough of a back yard for Patricia to go nuts with a garden. Relatively close to a grocery store and a few other places. A few other things I cannot remember right now. Help us find a place like that, and we are outta here.
I think I will turn in. Pushing one in the morning and we really do want to do a day trip on Thursday.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
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