Letters to the editor, May 30: ‘If the price of my house stabilizes or even falls, I'll be delighted'

Globe and Mail

6 days ago

Re 'Throne Speech pledge to find public-service savings alarms labour leaders' (May 28): Mark Carney was elected as Prime Minister in large part because of the perception he has the skills and experience to lead Canada through the difficult economic times ahead.
Before the ink was even dry on the throne speech, some labour leaders have expressed concerns over his proposal to find savings in the public service. He hopes to balance the operating budget by cutting waste, capping the public service, ending duplication and deploying technology, all in an effort to improve productivity.
There are no proposals for massive layoffs or indiscriminate firings, as we have witnessed with DOGE and Elon Musk to the south. All I can say is give Mark Carney some slack to come up with a successful overall economic strategy before condemning individual policies.
Michael Gilman Toronto
Re 'Canadian Medical Association to file legal challenge over Alberta law limiting access to treatment for transgender youth' (May 28): This is not the first time the Alberta government has interfered with the doctor-patient relationship.
Several years ago, it directed what could or could not be prescribed to another vulnerable group: drug users. Had the Canadian Medical Association stepped in at that point, perhaps the United Conservative Party would have stopped there.
But now: Which vulnerable group is next?
Robyn Kalda Toronto
Re 'To make housing more affordable, drop the tax hammer on real estate investors' (Report on Business, May 27): The housing crisis should have been seen as an example of expecting too much from the housing market.
Markets rely on supply and demand to determine price. Those who need housing must be able to pay market price. This is how markets work, so why do we expect it to provide any form of housing to those who can't afford to buy or rent?
Governments should accept that it is their responsibility to provide for basic needs beyond one's capacity to pay, through regulations and by devoting resources exclusively to non-market housing. There are a great many ways to successfully integrate public and co-operative housing into neighbourhoods. The private sector would build them all, and make profit doing so, but never collect rent or profit once built.
Bill Jennings Kingston
Houses as investments have made prices skyrocket. Tax breaks for these owners now feel like obscenities: We should end write-offs for mortgage interest and fully tax capital gains.
Investors own roughly one-quarter of houses in Canada. They have been the keenest buyers, driving prices up and up and up.
I am in my 70s and, like so many boomers, entered the housing market back when houses were reasonably priced. If the price of my house stabilizes or even falls, I'll be delighted. I want the next generation to have the opportunity I had to own a house.
Houses should be for living in, not juicy investments.
Jack Hanna Ottawa
In the 41 years that I have owned my house, by my calculations, prices in my area have increased an average of about 6.5 per cent a year, while wage growth has averaged much less.
Until those curves converge or, better still, cross, I don't understand how the problem will be solved.
William Love Burlington, Ont.
Re 'Corporate property owners fueling housing rent increases in Toronto' (Report on Business, May 21): The vast majority of Ontario rental units are subject to rent control, with rent increases tightly regulated. Recent reports – even from our members – show that rents in some areas, including the Greater Toronto Area, have begun to decrease, showing market forces at work: Supply and demand, not individual providers, set rental prices.
While valid concerns about affordability are raised, it's vital to recognize the role all rental housing providers play in meeting demand for quality homes. Focusing solely on real estate investment trusts or institutional owners overlooks the broader reality: Market dynamics drive price fluctuations, not business models.
Addressing affordability requires an all-hands-on-deck approach by all levels of government. Streamlining approvals, reducing costs and supporting investment will help bring more housing to market.
Blaming professional housing providers distracts from the real, collective action needed for lasting solutions.
Tony Irwin President and CEO, Rental Housing Canada; Toronto
Re 'Public good' (Letters, May 22): A letter-writer advises that 'we who contribute gladly to medical training should have a significant role in dictating how doctors are paid.'
One could substitute any number of professions here: lawyers, veterinarians, accountants, architects, engineers, to name a few. Members of these other professions have multiple options for remuneration in their careers.
They may have private practices; they may bill government; they may work in either private industry or government for a salary; they may do contract work, etc. All of this liberty, despite the public purse funding a significant percentage of their education costs.
Why single out the medical profession with this type of medieval criticism? Anyone who has received a postsecondary education in this country has benefited from government underwriting a significant percentage of that education.
This idea is an extremely old chestnut, long past its best-before date, and should be put to bed.
K. M. Peckan MD; Waterloo, Ont.
Re 'Sir John A. Macdonald statue to be uncovered at Queen's Park, sparking new tensions with First Nations' (May 28): I was disappointed to see that some opponents of uncovering the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald are warning that further vandalizing or even toppling could follow. Those genuinely seeking reconciliation should recognize that it is a two-way street.
Macdonald's faults have been acknowledged, but then so have his enormous achievements, not least his role in the creation of the country we love and enjoy today. Can we not find a way to have these perspectives peacefully co-exist?
A wise poet once observed that 'to err is human, to forgive divine.'
Scott James Toronto
While, like all of us, Sir John A. Macdonald had his flaws, he was a great man and the founder of this fine country.
Let us move resolutely from self-flagellation to taking pride in our history.
Biff Matthews Toronto
There is no doubt that Sir John A. Macdonald drank too much and his views of Indigenous people were at odds with today's opinions. Still, he is the father of our country and deserves perpetual recognition for that.
If we need a police officer there 24/7, it would be worth it to see him again.
A. P. Bell Toronto
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