{"id":104651,"date":"2026-06-26T12:49:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T12:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/104651\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T12:49:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T12:49:36","slug":"ottawa-and-b-c-s-controversial-condo-plan-airbnb-world-cup-play-fails-and-the-home-of-the-week-canadian-real-estate-news-for-june-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/104651\/","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa and B.C.’s controversial condo plan, Airbnb World-Cup play fails and the Home of the Week: Canadian real estate news for June 26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The Home of the Week is a historic Cabbagetown semi-detached that’s been renovated true-to-character.Birdhouse Media\/Bird<\/p>\n

This week: Why the housing downturn is making more exes live together after they break up, and B.C. and Ottawa\u2019s controversial new affordable housing plan. Plus, Airbnb\u2019s failed play in the World Cup and one property worth a look.<\/p>\n

How much do you know about Canada’s economy? Take our quiz<\/a><\/p>\n

Affordable housingOttawa and B.C.\u2019s controversial plans to buy-up unsold condosOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The federal government has announced its latest attempt to kickstart new condo sales in the Lower Mainland, such as at this condo tower under construction in Delta, B.C.DARRYL DYCK\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

The federal government is backing British Columbia\u2019s plan to convert thousands of unsold condo units into affordable housing<\/a>, but details remain light and backlash has been swift<\/a>. The plan will cost approximately $1.45-billion for more than 2,200 condos, and Ottawa will cover about 10 per cent of the bill, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced this week. <\/p>\n

Conservatives have attacked the vague initiative as a \u201cbailout\u201d for developers, but Carney insisted it is about putting Canadians first. As Marieke Walsh and Bill Curry report, the Prime Minister said the plan will establish a rent-to-own program for families and individuals who can\u2019t afford a down payment and key details are still being hammered out. \u201cThat is a more effective way of getting affordable housing immediately into people\u2019s hands than building again,\u201d Carney said Thursday.<\/p>\n

As Rachelle Younglai reports, it\u2019s the latest way Carney\u2019s government is trying to jumpstart the stalled condo markets<\/a> in B.C. and the GTA. Last week, Ottawa and B.C. said they would spend up to $3.2-billion to cut development charges and help reduce building costs and home prices. But preconstruction condos have been some of the toughest to move as the downturn drives away investors: nearly 4,000 newly built units are sitting empty in the Vancouver area and the federal-provincial HST rebate on new homes<\/a> has helped Toronto home sales, but not condos. Read more about the unsold condo plan in B.C. here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Un-shacking upHousing costs and downturn keep exes living under the same roofOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Brenda Trinh says fears of how she would afford to live alone kept her and her ex together for longer, and then living together after their break-up.Sammy Kogan\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Everything you own in a box to the left? Not so fast. More couples are delaying separating or continuing to live with their exes<\/a> well after breaking up because they aren\u2019t sure they can afford to rent or buy alone, according to a survey by the Bank of Montreal. One third of Canadians felt financially pressured to move in with their partners in the first place, and nearly two-in-five say they delayed separation or divorce because of the costs.<\/p>\n

As Mariya Postelnyak reports, the financial and emotional turmoil is being exacerbated by a housing downturn that means selling the shared home likely requires taking a loss \u2013 and probably losing most of the equity you put in. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely something I\u2019ve been noticing a lot lately with my own friends. Relationships aren\u2019t easy, but what I\u2019m seeing is that people feel stuck,\u201d Mariya told me. \u201cThey\u2019re trapped in small starter homes and condos, unable to meet that next life milestone together, or feel like they can\u2019t venture out on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

But still, the numbers of exes staying under the same roof surprised Mariya. \u201cWe often talk about the rising number of single people<\/a>, so there\u2019s often a sense that we\u2019ve shed any expectations of being together for reasons such as finances, traditional gender roles, housing and kids,” she said. \u201cBut the opposite seems to be true lately. Groceries, travel, insurance and so many of our other living expenses are becoming less affordable just as home values are taking a nosedive.\u201d Read the full story about how the market is affecting matters of the heart here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s lowest fixed and variable mortgage rates in Canada<\/p>\n

Rates shown are the lowest available for each term\/type and category (insured vs. uninsured) as of market close on Thursday, June 25<\/a>.<\/p>\n

OpinionAirbnb used the World Cup to lobby for relaxed rules. Demand didn\u2019t keep upOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Airbnb’s lobbying to relax rules for the World Cup came up short \u2013 and that’s a good thing, Thomas Wieditz argues.DARRYL DYCK\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

With the World Cup in full swing, it\u2019s time to take stock of some plays off the pitch. Airbnb spent millions lobbying host cities to relax short-term rental rules<\/a>, and it worked on some, including Los Angeles. But the platform\u2019s attempts to get B.C. and the City of Vancouver to waive host fees and the principle residence requirement came up short, just like demand for accommodations has in Vancouver and Toronto.<\/p>\n

As Thorben Wieditz writes, the nightmare scenario of no room left at the inn didn\u2019t come to pass, and in fact, the opposite. Hotels in both Vancouver and Toronto remained less than 50-per-cent full<\/a> after seven match days, tracking more than 20 per cent lower than ordinary June-levels. Short-term rentals didn\u2019t fare much better: Vancouver\u2019s occupancy rates are expected to be 10 per cent lower than the same period last year.<\/p>\n

And though some Airbnb hosts have cried foul<\/a>, \u201cB.C.\u2019s refusal looks pretty wise today,\u201d Thomas argued. Tighter rules help lower rents for locals and the introduction of principle residence requirements has saved Canadian tenants roughly $192-million in rent each month, according to a new study<\/a>. \u201cAs history has caught up to Airbnb\u2019s predictions about a lack of available rooms, it\u2019s easy to recognize that its predictions were nothing but an opportunistic attempt to pad its bottom line,\u201d Thomas writes. \u201cThe next time the company tries that, governments shouldn\u2019t believe its pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full column here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Design cornerAre white kitchens finally out of style? Designers weigh inOpen this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Author Jennylyn Pringle painted the cabinets in her cottage cashmere white and used a black island as an accent to keep her kitchen from being anything but cold.Lauren Miller\/Supplied<\/p>\n

Is minimalism dead? Whether or not you believe the rumours, it\u2019s not quite time to pull a white coroner\u2019s sheet over the white kitchen<\/a>. Popular for more than a century, white kitchens are the vanilla ice cream of the design world: beloved, time-tested and perhaps lacking the special \u201csprinkle\u201d many desire, as Matthew Hague writes. <\/p>\n

But should you have one? From making a space feel bigger and brighter to difficulties keeping them clean, design pros weighed in on the pros and cons of the ever-popular white kitchen. Here are a few expert tips to consider so you don\u2019t white-knuckle your kitchen design<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Home of the WeekAn 1890 Cabbagetown row house with a few winks Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the owners said working on the lifestyle show Steven and Chris taught him to choose his splurges \u2013 like these iron doors \u2013 well.Birdhouse Media\/Bird<\/p>\n

356 Ontario St., Toronto \u2013 Full gallery here<\/a><\/p>\n

Lights, camera, renovation! This circa-19th-century home<\/a> is filled with plenty of small screen magic and nods to the camera, courtesy of its TV-industry owners who remade it from the ground-up. Plenty of those tips came by way of Rick Matthews\u2019s work on the CBC lifestyle show Steven and Chris. \u201cBeing the executive producer of that show, you start picking up design rules and guidelines,\u201d Matthews said, including dressing up cheap IKEA cabinets with custom hardware so you can splurge elsewhere.<\/p>\n

And just like a good sequel shouldn\u2019t undo the tenets of the original, Matthews and his partner Tom Hastings wanted their renovation to remain true to the home\u2019s character. After feeling how the main-floor fireplace kept the three-bedroom semi-detached toasty in the winter, they decided it had to stay. Hardwood floors take you into the kitchen, where dark slate tile in a chevron pattern and an oven built into the wall help open up the narrow space. <\/p>\n

Iron-framed glass doors \u2013 one of their splurges \u2013 create a seamless indoor-outdoor living area with the back patio. Along with the primary ensuite door helpfully labelled W.C., it\u2019s among the features the owners hope catch people\u2019s attention. \u201cMy favourite expression was \u2018every room needs a wink\u2019 or a moment of wow,\u201d said Matthews. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be extravagant; it can be a pillow that makes you chuckle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n What do you think is the asking price for the property?\n <\/p>\n

a. $1,585,000<\/p>\n

b. $1,645,000<\/p>\n

c. $1,755,000<\/p>\n

d. $1,865,000<\/p>\n

\n a. The asking price is $1,585,000.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: The Home of the Week is a historic Cabbagetown semi-detached that’s been renovated…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[3128,902,903,904,1637,484,61,16124,137,906],"class_list":["post-104651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ottawa","tag-ac-community","tag-aud-growth","tag-aud-headline","tag-aud-url","tag-newnewsletter","tag-noastack","tag-ottawa","tag-realestate-roundup","tag-yesapplenews","tag-yessnap"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}