Covering everything from furnishings and finishing touches, universal design addresses the entire spectrum of needs for anyone who lives in and uses a space. One in five Canadians identify as having  at least one disability, according to Statistics Canada, and as we age the chance of developing mobility issues increases.

Designing accessible spaces that are convenient for everyone provides more housing options for individuals with mobility issues, enabling us to age in place, remain independent, and stay in our homes longer. 

“Universal design enables access and function for all people regardless of size, shape, ability, or disability,” explains occupational therapist Jason Dalton, who is also chair of the board for the Universal Design Network…

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Homeowners have felt the financial pinch of flooding and thus, have questions about floor insurance. Flooding has surpassed forest fire as Canada’s top cause of property damage. Six per cent—and up to 10 per cent—of homes across Canada are already uninsurable for flood risk.

As major floods have become more common in communities across Canada over the last decade, it has brought the issue into mainstream consciousness. However, despite growing awareness, homebuyers purchase homes in flood zones without knowing the risks and the protection they need.

With so many homeowners living in high-risk regions, we wanted to examine the importance of flood insurance and share tools that can help determine if you live in a high-risk area.

What is flood…

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Many homeowners use their garage for more than just parking vehicles. This multi-purpose area is often used as a storage solution, a workroom, a gym, an office, and even an entertainment hub. Whatever function your garage serves, one thing remains the same: you need to maintain the space to ensure its longevity. The process begins from the ground up.

It’s important to pay attention to the health of your garage floor just as much as the doors and walls. The floor takes a beating throughout the years—from car tires and engine grease, to snow shovels and DIY projects. The damage eventually shows in the form of stains, cracks, and pitting, which hurts the overall integrity of the floor. 

Whether you’re proactively trying to avoid the wear and tear,…

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Property Taxes

In Canada, everyone has an opinion about property taxes. Whether city dwellers or rural folk, each side will argue that the other is not paying enough in property taxes, making for a heated and spirited discussion about levies on the residence you worked hard to purchase.

That said, aside from discussions over what the property tax rate should be, this is an important subject since many prospective homebuyers do not consider their annual tax bill as part of their ongoing expenses, whether they own a condominium or a single-family home, which could hurt their wallets in the future.

Planning for annual property tax payments is just as important as researching the rate on your mortgage or determining what your closing costs…

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Housing affordability in Canada

Relocation, relocation, relocation: Canadians love their neighbourhoods, but will move to achieve housing affordability

  • For 64 per cent of Canadians, relocation is among the top sacrifice they’d be willing to make in order to achieve housing affordability; however, half (50 per cent) agree that the farthest they would go would be less than 100 kilometres
    • 56 per cent say that moving to a different neighbourhood/community would be one of the top three sacrifices they would make
    • 38 per cent would make the sacrifice of moving to a different city/province/region regardless of distance
  • 38 per cent of Canadians define housing affordability as a home they can afford that meets their basic needs, and includes some…

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With summer in full swing, it’s time for beach days, camping vacations, road trips, and yes, yard sales. A suburban tradition virtually everywhere in the country, yard sales—or garage sales, depending on what you call them—are a great way to declutter your home and collect a few loonies to spend on summertime fun. 

If it’s been a while since your last major purge, where do you even start? We’ve got some suggestions for planning and executing a successful yard sale.

Image via Mike Mozart on Flickr, CC BY 2.0

What to sell at a yard sale

Though it largely depends on your own surplus inventory, there are some proven hot-ticket items at most yard sales. Remember, the point is as much about getting rid of stuff as it is maximizing your earnings.…

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If you are a homeowner in Canada, you may or may not be aware of a number of related to what you can do on your property and what you can keep as a pet. Some of these might make little sense because they were passed more than a century ago. Some make a bit more sense. A few are simply laughable. Let’s have a look at a few of Canada’s weirdest homeowner laws.

Canada’s weirdest homeowner laws

Painting Laws

In Ontario, Ottawa and its suburb of Kanata are biased against the colour purple since it is legal to paint your house or garage door in any other colour. But if you paint them purple, it is against the law and punishable by a fine.

Meanwhile, in Beaconsfield, Quebec, you can be sued for painting your house more than two colours. The best…

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foundation problems cracked wall

The foundation of a house is crucial for supporting your home and keeping it stable, and if it’s well built, it can last a lifetime. Sometimes, foundation problems can have ramifications for the rest of the house. The sooner you know how to look for signs of trouble, the sooner you can address any problems before they escalate. Of course, if you’re on the home hunt, it is always recommended to have it carefully examined by a professional home inspector before you buy it.

Here are five warning signs of foundation problems to watch for:

  1. Cracks or warping in the exterior walls. Exterior walls are built to allow for a bit of “give.” But as the foundation settles, the walls can lose support. This can lead to cracks, warps,…

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Welcoming more than 300,000 travellers each year, Channel-Port aux Basques is a tourism hotspot in Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s a small town, but nearly everything you need is within walking distance. Take a sightseeing tour and discover one hidden treasure after another—from a delightful array of shops, restaurants, and museums, to beautiful boardwalks and colourful kiosks lining the harbour. Enjoy a day on the beach basking in sunshine, be guided by one of the lighthouses, and take a stroll through the town’s vibrant downtown in this charming community. 


Considered the gateway to Newfoundland and Labrador, Channel-Port aux Basques is situated at the tip of the rugged southwestern coast of the province. It’s also positioned at the eastern end of…

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Bank of Canada Interest Rate Announcement: Supersized Rate Hike of 100 Basis Points on July 13

The Bank of Canada was widely expected to make an increase in this morning’s interest rate announcement, but the central bank surprised everyone with a supersized hike of 100 basis points, bringing its target for the overnight rate up to 2.5 per cent. This is the Bank’s biggest move since 1998, and the fourth in a series of increases expected for 2022 as the Bank tries to tamp down the soaring inflation rate. Inflation is expected to hover around eight per cent for the next few months – well above the Bank’s two-per-cent target.

  1. What is the Bank of Canada’s current policy interest rate?
  2. When does the Bank of Canada announce its overnight rate?
    3. …

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