The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 12,866 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in 2019. This is 10.1 per cent more sales than in 2018. The average price of a residential property in 2019 was $587,745. This is up 4.9 per cent from 2018, and 95.3 per cent higher from 10 years ago. New residential listings were down 4 per cent compared to the previous year.
On January 14, RAHB representatives attended the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee Meeting where recommendations from the Interim Control By-Law (ICBL) land use study were presented to the Burlington City Council. .
Discussions about the recommendations will continue at a Special Council meeting on January 30 at 9:30 a.m., and a decision will be made on the staff recommendations that same day.
The Interim Control By-Law is still scheduled to be lifted on March 5. It was, not as of yet, extended another year.
The proposed recommendations fall into four categories:
Policy Framework
Functional Policies
Land Use Policies (Urban Planning Areas)
Definitions
Policy Framework
New policy language has been proposed that describes major transit station areas as a component of the City’s Urban Planning Area.
Functional Policies
Additional policy language will be added to:
Include pedestrians and cyclists as active transportation
Include the term “Major Transit Station Areas” (MTSA)
Include the incorporation of transit-supportive development
Include the role of transit in the overall urban form
Include the importance of more compact forms of development along transit and transportation corridors to support complete communities
Include subsections that strengthen the concept of transit-supportive developments in the Official Plan by recognizing the role of MTSA
Land Use Policies – Urban Planning Areas
Mixed Use Corridors – General
Additional policy language has been proposed to establish the role of the Region of Halton’s Municipal Comprehensive Review, which will delineate the major transit station area boundaries and identify minimum density targets.
Mixed Use Corridors – Commercial Corridors
Additional policy language has been proposed to remove reference to time-frame of development and acknowledge the redevelopment of the mixed-use commercial corridors.
Downtown Mixed-Use Centre
Minor policy edits to include a reference to the Regional Official Plan and update the reference to the Urban Growth Centre.
Role and Function of a Major Transit Station Area – Go Stations vs. John Street Bus Terminal
Include language to support transit-supportive development that corresponds to MTSA typology:
Burlington and Appleby Go Stations – higher order transit units
Aldershot Go Station – higher order, but not priority transit unit
John Street Bus Terminal – not higher order or priority transit unit
It is anticipated that the majority of growth within the City’s four MTSAs will occur in the three MTSAs located along higher order transit routes and with planned frequent transit service by way of regional express rail (i.e., the city bus).
These proposed policies will help guide development applications by requiring that the highest density and tallest buildings be concentrated closest to the GO Stations.
Definitions
The following definitions have been proposed to be updated or added to the Official Plan in order to align with provincial plans and policies, such as A Place to Grow, 2019, and to assist in the interpretation of the proposed Official Plan policies:
Active Transportation
Compact Built Form
Complete Communities
Complete Street
Frequent Transit
Higher Order Transit
Major Transit Station Area
Major Trip Generator
Mid-rise Building
Multi-Modal
Public Service Facilities
Tall Building Transit-Supportive or Transit-Supportive Land Use
The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 585 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in December 2019. This years December sales are up 3.9 per cent over December 2018; however, are down from both November and October of this year. The average price for residential properties increased by 7.6 per cent from December 2018 to $581,566.
CREA has decided to keep WEBForms® Legacy open past January 2, 2020.
Dear RAHB members,
CREA has been provided feedback on WEBForms® 2019 regarding difficulty of use and glitches. CREA has decided to keep WEBForms® Legacy open past January 2, 2020, allowing members access to the Legacy transaction kits to migrate to the new system. We have not been given a deadline date.
As a full member of RAHB, if you wish to migrate any of your transaction kits from Legacy to WEBForms® 2019, please click the below button for directions on how to get started:
If you have any questions or concerns, CREA is asking members to contact their Member Support Team at [email protected] or 1.800.842.2732.
The CREA WEBForms® 2019 Member Support Team has extended its hours and is now available from 8 a.m. to midnight (EST) on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST) on weekends.
Please find below an FAQ, which highlights some differences between CREA WEBForms® 2019 and CREA WEBForms® Legacy. This FAQ can also be found on the WEBForms® section on CREA’s REALTORLink® page.
The WEBForms® Training material on the Training Hub can be found here.
Below is a new video highlighting some of the features.
To further facilitate this transition, CREA has made a couple of adjustments to help members take the plunge:
On December 4, 2019, CREA flipped the landing page experience for all users. That means, as of December 5, 2019, everyone who accesses WEBForms® will land in the new CREA WEBForms® 2019 environment. You will only be able to go back to the legacy version until the official cut-off on January 2, 2020.
On December 16, 2019, WEBForms® Legacy switched to “Read Only Mode”. This means that members are still be able to access and edit existing transaction kits, download forms and migrate kits, but are no longer able to create new transaction kits in Legacy. Preventing new transaction kits from being created in a system that is two weeks away from going offline is a safeguard against a member creating a transaction kit one day and not having access to it the next.
Finally, before the end of the year, CREA will be issuing a maintenance release for CREA WEBForms® 2019. This release will include the convenient “Dynamic Paging” feature, meaning members will no longer need to start with multi-page schedules or use the “add page” function; pages will be added automatically as needed.
Getting started is easy and often takes less than an hour. In fact, you can dip your toes with these videos outlining the basics in just five minutes.
Migrating old transaction kits from the legacy version of WEBForms® to CREA WEBForms® 2019. (Note: your transactions will be editable, but forms will migrate over as flat document
Creating a Basic Transaction (outlining the quickest way to create a basic transaction.)
Further Training Resources
If you require further training, a support option is available within WEBForms® 2019, through the Member Dashboard.
And scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you can find training webinars, help guides, training videos, and recorded webinars.
If you have any questions or concerns, CREA is asking members to contact their Member Support Team at [email protected] or 1.800.842.2732.
The CREA WEBForms® 2019 Member Support Team has extended its hours and is now available from 8 a.m. to midnight (EST) on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST) on weekends.
Representatives from 14 local charitable organizations received grant cheques from the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation at the RAHB office on Thursday, December 19.
RAHB President Bob Van de Vrande and CEO Carol Ann Burrell presented cheques totaling $42,180 on behalf of the Foundation, which is supported by RAHB members. Each year, RAHB members raise funds that are distributed among local shelter-related organizations within the RAHB market area.
The recipients of the 2019 Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation grant are as follows: Restoration Second Stage Home, Neighbour to Neighbour, The Salvation Army Hamilton, Shifra Homes, Wesley Urban Ministries, Mission Services Hamilton, Indwell, The King’s Way Outreach, YWCA, The Bridge, Mark Preece Family House, March of Dimes, Good Shepherd Hamilton and St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation.
The recipients of the 2019 Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation grant are specifically using the funds for:
The Bridge: renovations to the temporary housing facility
The Good Shepherd Hamilton: purchase “Welcome Baskets” for two years (approximately 250 families)
Hamilton Health Science Foundation: create a second Enriched Environment — nursery
Indwell: fund community enhancing programs that are psycho-social activity groups
March of Dimes: upgrade and renovate Jason’s House to ensure accessibility
Mark Preece Family House: fund services required to continue providing assistance to families
Mission Services Hamilton: renovate a bedroom and bathroom that have potential health concerns
Neighbour to Neighbour: provide produce and dairy items to 1,200 households
Restoration Second Stage Home: open a residential program in Burlington for 2020
Shifra Homes: support the maternity home
The King’s Way Outreach: support two new programs — suicide prevention and literacy
The Salvation Army Hamilton: support the Salvation Army Meadowlands Adult Day Service
Wesley Urban Ministries: support the Youth Housing program
YWCA: support Phoenix Place
If you know any deserving shelter related organizations within the RAHB market area, please encourage them to apply to the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation grant next year!
Effective Tuesday, December 10, 2019, a new business rule was implemented in the RAHB Matrix system for Cumulative Days on Market (CDOM).
When a listing is “cancelled” or “expires” and is relisted with the same Brokerage within a period of 60 days from the date of cancellation or expiry, the cumulative days on market (CDOM) will continue counting the total days on market.
When a listing is “cancelled” or “expires” and is relisted after a period of 60 days with the same Brokerage, the CDOM counter will reset and begin counting at zero.
If a listing is “cancelled” or “expires” and is relisted with a different Brokerage, the CDOM rule will not apply.
This change will ensure the actual Days on Market is reflected in the listing history.
The CDOM will appear on the REALTOR® Full report for all property types.
Should you have any questions, please contact the RAHB MLS® Help Desk at 905.667.4650 or [email protected].
There are many reforms in the legislation that will improve protection for Ontario buyers and sellers:
Adding clarity for buyers and sellers so that they know whether they are represented by a brokerage, or if they are self represented;
Requiring new disclosures to buyers and sellers to support informed decisions;
Additional regulatory powers that will give RECO more tools to get the worst offenders in the industry out of the business; and
Making it easier for RECO to levy fines against real estate salespeople for certain violations of the legislation.
Why did the government introduce this legislation?
The real estate industry has evolved in many ways since 2006 when the last significant changes were made, so it was time to revisit the laws.
What will happen next, and when will the new rules come into effect?
There are several steps that need to take place before the rules and laws can change. It is also possible that the proposed rules may be amended through the process. The new rules could come into effect as early as 2021.
The REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB) reported 955 sales of residential properties located within the RAHB market area were processed through the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System in November 2019. November sales are down from October and September, but up from November 2018 by 5.5 per cent. The average price for residential properties increased by 5.6 per cent from November 2018 to $591,334.
The Burlington City Council Planning and Development Committee is holding a discussion on the re-examination of the downtown policies in the adopted Official Plan on December 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and reconvening at 6:30 p.m. at Burlington City Hall in Council Chambers.
At the meeting, City staff will:
Provide an overview of the project.
Present a report, PB-89-19: Taking a Closer Look at Downtown: Concepts Discussion, that highlights the themes, principles and land-use concepts developed to show two possible concepts for how downtown Burlington could accommodate growth and development in the future.
Share a preliminary review of the public feedback received to date and preliminary directions.
The City of Hamilton is holding a second round of Open Houses related to GRIDS 2 and MCR. The dates and times can be found below:
Date
Location
Time
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
David Braley Centre
Auditorium
100 Main St W, Hamilton
2 – 4 pm
6 – 8 pm
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Battlefield House Museum & Park (Cellar at Grand)
77 King St W, Stoney Creek
2 – 4 pm
6 – 8 pm
Monday, December 2, 2019
Dundas Town Hall
Auditorium
60 Main Street, Dundas
2 – 4 pm
6 – 8 pm
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
St. Naum of Ohrid Macedonian Orthodox Church (Hall)
1150 Stone Church Road East, Hamilton
2 – 4 pm
6 – 8 pm
The Open Houses will focus on the following topic areas:
Residential Intensification and Greenfield Area Density Targets;
Employment Land Review; and,
Evaluation criteria for future growth options.
What are GRIDS and GRIDS 2?
In 2006, City Council approved the first Growth Related Integrated Development Strategy (GRIDS). GRIDS is an integrated planning process that identified a broad land use structure, associated infrastructure, economic development strategy and financial implications for growth options to serve Hamilton for 30 years. GRIDS planned for growth up to 2031.
GRIDS 2 is an update to the City of Hamilton’s growth strategy that will plan for growth in employment and population; as well as, how this growth will impact Hamilton’s infrastructure and how it can be accommodated. It is projected that Hamilton will see an increase in 40,000 jobs and 100,000 people. GRIDS 2’s growth strategy is planned for the years 2031 to 2041.
What is MCR?
A municipal comprehensive review (MCR) is a process that brings together the City of Hamilton’s Official Plans and updated Provincial Plans into conformity. Many of the studies that are required as part of the MCR is also part of Hamilton’s growth strategy – GRIDS 2. As a result, MCR must be completed concurrently with GRIDS 2.
Trudeau’s federal cabinet has grown by two spots reaching 36 members this term. Below is a full list of the new cabinet. We have noted the cabinet ministers who are from RAHB’s market area at the top
RAHB-area cabinet ministers:
Karina Gould: Minister of International Development
Filomena Tassi: Minister of Labour.
And the remainder of Trudeau’s new cabinet is as follows:
Chrystia Freeland: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Minister Affairs.
Anita Anand: Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
Navdeep Bains: Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
Carolyn Bennett: Minister of Crown-Indigenous relations.
Marie-Claude Bibeau: Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food
Bill Blair: Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
Bardish Chagger: Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Youth.
Francois-Philippe Champagne: Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Jean-Yves Duclos: President of the Treasury Board.
Mona Fortier: Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance.
Marc Garneau: Minister of Transport.
Steven Guilbeault: Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Patty Hajdu: Minister of Health.
Ahmed Hussen: Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
Melanie Joly: Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages.
Bernadette Jordan: Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
David Lametti: Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
Dominic LeBlanc: President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada.
Diane Lebouthillier: Minister of National Revenue.
Lawrence MacAulay: Minister of Veteran Affairs and Associate Minister of Defense.
Catherine McKenna: Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.
Marco E. L. Mendicino: Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
Marc Miller: Minister of Indigenous Services.
Maryam Monsef: Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development.
Bill Morneau: Minister of Finance.
Joyce Murray: Minister of Digital Government.
Mary Ng: Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.
Seamus O’Regan: Minister of Natural Resources.
Carla Qualtrough: Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.
Pablo Rodriguez: Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Harjit Sajjan: Minister of National Defense.
Deb Schulte: Minister of Seniors.
Dan Vandal: Minister of Northern Affairs.
Jonathan Wilkinson: Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Jim Carr: the Prime Minister’s special representative for the Prairies.
Below is an overview of the promotions, demotions and cabinet rookies.
Promotions
Promotions
Name
Previous Title/Job
New Title/Job
Chrystia Freeland
Global Affairs Minister
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
François-Philippe Champagne
Infrastructure Minister
Global Affairs Minister
Jonathan Willkison
Fisheries Minister
Environment and climate change files
Seamus O’Regan
Indigenous Services
Natural resources
Pablo Rodriguez
Heritage Minister
Government House Leader and cabinet point personal on all matters Quebec
Demotions
Demotions
Name
Previous Title/Job
New Title/Job
Bardish Chagger
Government House Leader
Portfolio of diversity, inclusion and youth
Kristy Duncan
Minister of Science and Sports
Deputy House Leader
Ginette Petitpas Taylor
Minister of Health
Deputy Government Whip
Cabinet Rookies
Cabinet Rookies
Name
Previous Title/Job
New Title/Job
Anita Anand
Law Professor at the University of Toronto
Minister of Public Works and Procurements
Steven Guilbeault
Environmentalist from Montreal
Heritage files
Mona Fortier
Director of Communications for La Cité Collégiale
Minister of Middle-Class Prosperity and Associate Finance Minister
Marco Mendicino
Federal Prosecutor
Immigration Minister
Marc Miller
Lawyer for Stikeman Elliott LLP
Minister of Indigenous Services
Deb Schulte
Local and Regional Councillor for the Vaughan City Council and York Regional Council
Minister of Seniors
Dan Vandal
MP for Saint Boniface—Saint Vital
Minister of Northern Affairs
If you have any questions regarding the government relations efforts of RAHB, please contact Wendy in the RAHB Office at [email protected] or 905.529.8101 x295.
