Renovictions, home prices on the rise

Good morning!

Yeouch. Environment Canada wasn’t kidding about that flash freeze. Hopefully the wind wasn’t too bad where you were. In my area, it was pretty difficult to open the door in the evening.

It was a record-breaking day, according to weather historian Rolf Campbell. It was the warmest-ever February day, with the high of 15.7 C smashing the previous record of 12.9 C. With winds hitting 94 km/h, it was the windiest Feb. 28 on record. It was also the fastest flash freeze ever recorded, dropping 28.4 C in nine hours. That blew through multiple hourly temperature drop records. It’s all part of a February of anomalous weather.

We’ve got plenty to get through today, so let’s get to it.

— Robert Hiltz, managing editor.

WEATHER

Friday: +6 🌡️ -1 | 🌤

Saturday: +8 🌡️ +3 | 🌧

Sunday: +12 🌡️ +3 | 🌤

Monday: +15 🌡️ +7 | 🌤

HOUSING

Renovictions on the rise as cost of housing skyrockets

What happened: Renovictions have ticked sharply up, rising more than 500 percent between 2017 and 2022, according to a new report from the tenant advocacy group ACORN. The group obtained the figures through an access to information request of provincial documents.

Renovictions are where a landlord evicts a tenant to renovate an apartment. Having renovated a unit, the landlord is then able to increase rent well above legislated rent increases. (Buildings built after November 2018 are exempt from rent control.)

• N12 forms are filed when a landlord wants to move a family member into a unit, while N13s are filed when a landlord plans to do renovations that require a tenant to move out. 

Possible bylaw? ACORN wants the city to enact bylaws to outlaw the practice. Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, who chairs the board of Ottawa Community Housing, told CTV the city should look at creating a law, but said, “It would help if the province backed us up.”

Cost of living jump: Meanwhile, while the cost of living in the city has increased dramatically, the cost of housing has jumped even more from 2017 to 2022, according to a Zoocasa report. Average home prices have risen 53.5 percent over that five-year period, compared to the cost of living rising a comparatively modest 17.5 percent.

Average home price: Homes for sale in the city that fall within the $500,000 to $750,000 range now make up the largest fraction of home valuations in the city, CTV reported. Homes in that price range make up 43.2 percent of the market now. Only 19 percent of homes are valued at less than $500,000. Homes between $750,000 and $1 million now make up 23.6 percent of homes in the city.

A decade ago, the vast majority of all homes (79 percent) were valued at less than $500,000, while homes worth between $750,000 and $1 million only made up 3 percent of homes.

OTTAWA BY THE NUMBERS

☎️ 34: The total number of days city employees were suspended due to complaints to the city’s fraud and waste hotline. Last year, there were 282 complaints to the hotline, up 34 percent from the previous month. [CTV]

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THE EAST END

A deal for Orléans bypass road may finally be real

What happened: The city and the NCC have signed a memorandum of understanding to move forward with an extension of Brian Coburn Boulevard that would connect with a realigned Renaud Road, the city said in a press release.

• “Once completed, these projects will provide reliable transit service, improve safety, and protect the Greenbelt, and are an important step forward in improving transportation in Ottawa’s east end.”

Bone of contention: The extension of the roadway had been a contentious one between the two levels of government for some time. While the NCC had approved a Transitway line through the area, they were reluctant to approve a road extension as well. In the press release, the two sides said they would “work collaboratively to improve commuting options for east end residents and to minimize the impact of these measures on the Mer Bleue section of the Greenbelt.”

Renaud Road: The realignment of Renaud would remove two near-90 degree corners from the road. This change means the road will remove two crossings of the Prescott-Russell Trail, which should improve safety for users of the trail, the city said. “Under this proposal, the southern part of Renaud Road would be closed and returned to greenspace.”

THE AGENDA

🎸 The Bluesfest lineup is out at last. Headliners include Neil Young and Crazy Horse, 50 Cent, Maroon 5, Nas, and plenty more. Pre-sale tickets go on sale at 10 am today. [Ottawa Bluesfest]

☎️ Several former Shoppers Drug Mart employees told CBC that employees were being pressured by management to make “unnecessary” calls to patients to take advantage of a provincial program and bill $75 per call. [CBC]

📊 As tax season begins, Ottawa police are warning of Canada Revenue Agency text scams that have proliferated. The CRA will never ask for payment by text message, even if the message includes personal information like your name and SIN. [CTV]

🩺 A former resident at uOttawa’s faculty of medicine said he saw cases of starvation and extreme malnutrition on a recent humanitarian trip to Gaza. He and a team of other volunteer doctors were unable to treat basic infections because there were no antibiotics. Dr. Yipeng Ge was suspended then reinstated by the university after making pro-Palestiain social media posts. [CBC]

😓 Several couples are now forced to find new wedding venues after the Courtyard Restaurant in the ByWard Market announced abruptly it would close this week. At least one couple was scheduled to get married there this week (but were able to get a spot at the nearby Restaurant E18hteen). [CTV]

🏢 Several local seniors are being forced to move, after the seniors home they live in, operated by Alavida Lifestyles, is ending “marketing” discounts for services, meaning they’re now facing huge jumps in monthly fees. [CBC]

⚠️ If there’s an upside to this warm and strange winter, it’s that city roads and pathways will likely be in better shape come spring with fewer potholes. Longer stretches of warm weather mean fewer freezes, which can cause frost heave, which damages roadways. [CTV]

🌉 Construction delays along the city’s north-south rail line mean the pedestrian bridge of the Rideau River at Carleton University will remain closed. The bridge itself, which will connect Vincent Massey Park with the university, was installed across the river in 2022, but finishing work remains to be completed. [CTV]

🗳️ The Algonquins of Ontario removed 1,937 electors from its rolls (out of 8,528) after a tribunal ruled a letter from the mid-19th century, that some people used to prove their ancestry, was a fake. [CBC]

EVENTS

What to do this weekend

🏌️‍♀️ Ottawa-Gatineau Golf Expo, Friday and Saturday: The city’s biggest golf expo is back, with live auctions, club fittings, local golf course packages and more. At the EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Dr. Tickets $10.

🛠️ Repair Café at the Atelier, Saturday 10 am: Have an object around the house that is broken, but you don’t want to toss it? Plenty of volunteers will be on hand to fix it rather than see it in a landfill. At the Mauril-Bélanger Social Innovation Workshop, 95 Clegg St. Free, but donations accepted.

👗 End of Season SupportHER Sale, Friday through Sunday: The annual clothing sale in support of Dress for Success Ottawa, as they look to make the change from winter to spring. At Dress for Success Ottawa, 200 Catherine St. Early bird tickets $33, general admission free.

🎉 International Women's Day 2024 Celebration, Sunday 2 pm: This women-only event celebrates the contribution of women in the community. The focus will be on volunteers and their achievements. At the Intercultural Dialogue Institute-Ottawa, 335 Michael Cowpland Dr. Tickets $10.

📸 Two Day Intro to Large Format Photography & Darkroom Basics, Saturday and Sunday: In this two-day course you’ll learn the basics of shooting large-format film, followed by a course on how to develop that film in the dark room. At 807 Merivale Rd. Tickets $347.

🎨 Spring bouquet - oil painting workshop, Sunday 2 pm: Ukrainian artist Aksenia Karpachova leads a workshop on how to work with quick drying oil paints. Everything is provided for you at the three-hour course, and you can bring home what you paint. At 1000 Byron Ave. Tickets $76.

🌼 Nobody Sees a Flower - Artist Talk & Tour, Sunday 3 pm: Get a tour by 44.4 Mother/Artist Collective of their exhibition Nobody Sees a Flower. At the Ottawa Art Gallery, 50 Mackenzie King Bridge . Free.

🍫 Hummingbird Chocolate Factory Tour and Tasting, Saturday and Sunday: Learn all there is to know about chocolate at this local producer. Includes plenty of tasting and 10 percent off at the store. At 476 Ottawa St., Almonte. Tickets $11.

CAPITAL EATS

The week in food

🇮🇹 You’ve never had an Italian sandwich quite like this before. (But you’ll be sure to go back for more.)

🍷 (Insiders) Going through the lower-priced wines can sometimes be a minefield. But these two white wines are a sure thing.

🇹🇭 (Insiders) Our food editor headed out to the west end to find two great Thai restaurants. One in Bells Corners and another in Kanata.

🇯🇵 A celebration for the birthday of the Japanese Emperor was a fine time to try some of the best saké the country has to offer.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sens forward Josh Norris will be out for an extended period of time with an upper-body injury. Norris has previously suffered from shoulder injuries. [TSN]

• It was pretty windy last night, as this tree can attest. [Reddit]

• Flags across the city were dropped to half-mast in honour of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who died at the age of 84. [CTV]

• Be sure to check whether you need to update your vaccinations! You may not have as much immunity to diseases like measles as you think. [CTV]

• With all the wind, is it maybe time for OC Transpo to consider sails for the LRT? [Reddit]

• All the recent warmth meant that tulips are already starting to sprout in parts of the city. [Reddit]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

OTTAWA GAMES

Congrats to Michelle, Val, Andi, Marty, Eric, and all the rest of you who knew that this week’s Ottawa Guesser was on Centrepointe Drive.

Think you can solve this week’s Ottawa Wordle? Play now.