General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[tomh009]

I meant all in*

So how can someone afford a unit on that...when they say affordable what does it mean? I've heard of some places only being 200 to 300 cheaper per month...but if avg is 2k then....

If all you have is Ontario Works (no work at all, no EI, no pensions) I don't think you can afford an "affordable" (maybe 80% of market rent) apartment: 1BR would likely be somewhere around $1200 or more, assuming a $1500+ average (yes, nicer 1BR units are $2000). The OW housing portion is $390 but that's a big gap.

I think the reality of housing for an OW recipient is a rooming house rather than a full apartment, or possibly an income-geared bachelor/studio apartment. An "affordable" 1BR apartment would more likely house a couple, a pensioner, or someone working in a low-paying job.

[ac3r]

By the time they stretch out a million dollars to complete 15 units, 1500 more people will have fallen into poverty. They pretend, but don't really care.

Maybe cancel the Cambridge LRT. 4-5 billion dollars would go a hell of a long way to building quality housing for those who live in the region and are always 5 dollars away from being on the streets.

[Momo26]

I need to see a proper breakdown of where our tax dollars go. Property tax has been going nowhere other than up up up (like that Demon Hunters song without the flair).

[ZEBuilder]

I need to see a proper breakdown of where our tax dollars go. Property tax has been going nowhere other than up up up (like that Demon Hunters song without the flair).

You can simply look at a municpal budget and you'll have your answers. It's all public information, if you're that curious you can also look at previous budgets to determine how much things inflate over time.

[Kodra24]

I need to see a proper breakdown of where our tax dollars go. Property tax has been going nowhere other than up up up (like that Demon Hunters song without the flair).

I'm eager to see the Federal budget on Nov 4 - elbows up baby!

[bravado]

I need to see a proper breakdown of where our tax dollars go. Property tax has been going nowhere other than up up up (like that Demon Hunters song without the flair).

It's all posted publicly... but here's the summary to save some time:

1: Cities are doing more social services than ever, because the Province is lazy and cheap and constantly adds more work
2: The way we build our cities is expensive and only gets more expensive over time if we resist adding new taxpayers in the same physical area
3: Parking lots and bad land uses pay less tax per sq ft than the poorest residential property owner in town

The best part is that all of this is just math! It'll keep happening under whatever political party is in office because not spending money and NIMBYism is very bi-partisan!

[KevinL]

On point 1. feel free to call your MPP and try to get the province to take back control of services they've downloaded. Emphasis on try...

[Momo26]

Thanks for everyone's input. I think I just feel similar to many others Including those that have paid into it decades longer than I have - there is mismanagement everywhere.

[danbrotherston]

Thanks for everyone's input. I think I just feel similar to many others Including those that have paid into it decades longer than I have - there is mismanagement everywhere.

Paid into what? The city? If you are like most people here (most people in the city) you’ve actually been subsidized for decades. The city has seen its infrastructure debt grow and grow and grow while existing residents pay unsustainably low rates.  If you want to point at mismanagement that’s a great place to start. Sprawl is the mismanagement.

[bravado]

Thanks for everyone's input. I think I just feel similar to many others Including those that have paid into it decades longer than I have - there is mismanagement everywhere.

If every city in Canada and the US have the exact same financial story as us, it’s a bit bigger than just ”mismanagement”.

The fundamentals have been broken for a long time and bills from all those liabilities are finally coming due, right in time for the younger generations to shoulder the burden and get nothing for it.

It is mismanagement in a sense… but our politicians are just doing what the average voter likes: kicking the can down the road.

[ac3r]

It's the system that's fucked, not just the politicians. Sadly, generations must defer their problems to the next because no generation has hope in fixing the existing problems.

The philosopher George Grant was right when writing in 1965 that Canadian nationalism has died. American corporate capitalism raped this country (the entire world, really) and I see no changing that unless there is some sort of major shift that causes what you could describe as a revolution (in politics, ideas, culture...whatever it may be). But outside of hockey and mask mandates, Canadians are far too complacent and apathetic to do much of anything.

Enjoy this globohomo world because there is no escaping it, unless the Chinese come invade or something. You WILL eat ze bugs, live in a pod and thank your leaders for the economic bondage you are blessed to participate in.

[plam]

Thanks for everyone's input. I think I just feel similar to many others Including those that have paid into it decades longer than I have - there is mismanagement everywhere.

If every city in Canada and the US have the exact same financial story as us, it’s a bit bigger than just ”mismanagement”.

The fundamentals have been broken for a long time and bills from all those liabilities are finally coming due, right in time for the younger generations to shoulder the burden and get nothing for it.

It is mismanagement in a sense… but our politicians are just doing what the average voter likes: kicking the can down the road.

It's also NZ. "Rates" (municipal taxes) have been going up in the past few years and some people are mad about that, but it's also that the water infrastructure is falling apart. Also the NZ central government cancelled a thing that would have let cities borrow at better rates (because there would be co-governance with Maori under that plan) and so the rates are going to go up even more.

And yet, Wellington this coming summer is not panicking about potentially running out of water, because the pipes have been fixed to some extent, unlike in the past few years. (Oh, and the mayor was not an old white man, coincidentally.)

[tomh009]

I'm a bit surprised but there are actually at least six cranes visible from DTK at the moment.

• 3x Metz
  
• 1x Eureka
  
• 1x Knossos
  
• 1x Courtland/Benton
  

Maybe there are some more that I have missed?

[ZEBuilder]

I'm a bit surprised but there are actually at least six cranes visible from DTK at the moment.

• 3x Metz
  
• 1x Eureka
  
• 1x Knossos
  
• 1x Courtland/Benton
  

Maybe there are some more that I have missed?

There's also the 63 Charles project, there will be Vive's CTV site as well in a few months.

[Momo26]

If every city in Canada and the US have the exact same financial story as us, it’s a bit bigger than just ”mismanagement”.

The fundamentals have been broken for a long time and bills from all those liabilities are finally coming due, right in time for the younger generations to shoulder the burden and get nothing for it.

It is mismanagement in a sense… but our politicians are just doing what the average voter likes: kicking the can down the road.

It's also NZ. "Rates" (municipal taxes) have been going up in the past few years and some people are mad about that, but it's also that the water infrastructure is falling apart. Also the NZ central government cancelled a thing that would have let cities borrow at better rates (because there would be co-governance with Maori under that plan) and so the rates are going to go up even more.

And yet, Wellington this coming summer is not panicking about potentially running out of water, because the pipes have been fixed to some extent, unlike in the past few years. (Oh, and the mayor was not an old white man, coincidentally.)

What's the connection to his race and age exactly? You're mentioning because he is old (and anglo) but still able to see past his own lifetime?


Whether technically "subsidized" or not, there can be improvements. (Just the concept of taxation on ownership of property itself is ridiculous but im not here to get philosophical... (we pay tax on labour after all so there's  a lot to discuss)).

In any event, look at cities like Oakville, Richmond Hill...clean, prestine, with amazing community centre's, public spaces, more trails. I've experienced it. And their property taxes are much lower than ours as  % of house values. 

I haven't been subsidized ... I've been subsidizing many others though.