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Our obsession with air conditioning is a relatively recent phenomenon. The amount of energy consumed by running residential air conditioners in Canada almost tripled between 1990 and 2007. And to make matters worse, we are entering a cycle of increasing temperatures resulting in ever higher demands on air conditioners. How do we use air conditioners more energy efficient?

There has been a lot of media coverage on how the HST will affect our goods and services, but not on how it will affect owners, operators and managers of real property. The Toronto law firm Blaney McMurtry LLP, has published an article that speaks to this very timely topic.

Last month I attended the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Participants Gala in Ottawa, hosted by Natural Resources Canada. I was there with SHSC CEO Lindsey Reed and Board Chair Roger Maloney to accept the ENERGY STAR® Collaborative Initiative of the Year Award. This award honours those who, through partnerships, help businesses and consumers save money and contribute to Canada’s climate change objectives.

Much of what we do as housing providers will be influenced in the coming months by three key pieces of legislation: the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and the Ontario Building Code (OBC). In all likelihood, many housing providers will also see a financial impact resulting from the new laws.

It is “unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur” and if it did “….no significant adverse impacts are expected.” That statement was given in February 2009 before BP received approval to begin drilling the Deepwater Horizon well. Now the whole world watches as the disastrous effects of this oil spill unfold in the Gulf of Mexico.

For the past year, I have been part of the planning team for the amazing new Centre for Learning at 540 Dundas Street East. It’s in the heart of the vibrant new community emerging through the Regent Park Revitalization.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about the different considerations when renting out your common and/or party rooms. What have we learned? More>>

The City of Toronto developed Regent Park, St. James Town and St.Lawrence neighbourhoods in the late nineteenth century. These developments still exist today and house a large number of Torontonians. They all started off with good intentions: providing rental housing at affordable rates. More>>

Last week, Marwa Eldardiry and I, student interns at SHSC visited SHSC’s co-sponsored exhibition, “A New Lease on Life.” The exhibit is a pictorial history of public and private rental development projects in Toronto, depicting how the social housing sector has changed over the years. More>>

When renting out your common and/or party rooms, one last thing to remember is that any property belonging to your tenants, the event attendees or organizers is not covered by your corporation’s insurance policy. More>>