The most recent survey of property values in areas where the Ontario government is building wind turbine farms has concluded that there is little effect on the value of nearby properties with some isolated exceptions. Others, like local real estate agents, say the value of such homes has declined by as much as 50 percent against homes in turbine-free areas. The parameters of the recent study are not very clear, at least as explained in news reports. The researchers are Richard Vyn and Ryan McCullough of the University of Guelph.  It seems intuitive that homes from which turbines can be seen and heard are going to suffer reduced values whereas those which are close to, but out of sight and beyond the sound of wind turbines, would be more stable in value. Dave Launchbury, who has been selling real estate in the wind-farm area of Melancthon 100 kilometres northwest of Toronto for seven years, says there appears to be a growing stigma attached to properties near turbines. Many potential buyers won’t even look at them, he said. Launchbury estimated properties close to turbines sell for “at least” 10 per cent less. As you may have guessed, the picture above is not a true picture of what residents see as they drive out of Bennington Heights or Leaside. But we are guessing if it were, your house prices would be under water. Hope we didn’t scare you. 

Frantz St. Clair

It appears that Scotiabank and Re/Max Realty are going to have to get their stories straight about a cheque for $9,000. CTV Toronto says tonight (Friday, December 9, 2014) that Frantz St. Fleur, a Toronto man of Haitian extraction tendered the condominium refund cheque for deposit at the branch where he had done business for ten years. Incredibly, the bank called the police. They took the man to 43 division and put him in a cell. Scotiabank’s story is that someone (not named) was told by Re/Max on the phone that the cheque was fraudulent. That is a story that Re/Max absolutely denies. Someone is definitely wrong and it is a big mistake. You can be forgetful, stupid or plain ignorant about a cheque but no employee of a bank or a realty firm like Re/Max has any business calling a cheque fraudulent until he knows it to a certainty. Mr. St. Fleur has sued both firms for $250,000. Unless one of them can get off the hook by proving it was not a party to the “fraudulent” story, it would seem the man is going to collect big time. And by the way, whatever happened to simply holding a cheque to verify it?    There is so much that does not add up. Someone trying to pass a phony cheque does not sit around for 20 minutes waiting for the police. Cops know stuff  like this. In his suit, Mr St. Fleur says he was racially profiled. He may have been, for whatever that means. It is even more astonishing to think that an employee of either of these firms would say or conclude out of some type of racial prejudice that the cheque was fraudulent.  

Tow truck drivers protesting that they are over-regulated may be hard for many people to swallow. But that’s the story Tuesday morning (December 9, 2014) as an estimated 1,500 of them converge on Queen”s Park. Yes, stay away.  The province says new legislation will regulate the tow truck industry and reduce auto insurance rates. But tow truck drivers say it hampers their ability to do their job and may ultimately raise prices. It is touting reduced auto insurance premiums by about 15 per cent by August 2015 and the convenience of paying tow truck drivers by credit card,. That one really does seems reasonable.  But tow truck drivers so no, claiming it will raise prices.  Under the new act, drivers would be under the authority of the Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration, which would limit their workdays to 13 hour days and a maximum of 60 hours a week. Drivers say this this will limit their ability serve customers and create longer response times, especially during the winter when one tow can take four hours.