Latest news with #Longhurst
The Age
5 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Woollahra's $10.6m failed sale offers a lesson in contract law
But behind the scenes, the $1.06 million deposit owed on the exchange was fast becoming a matter of contention given claims Jabbour's first cheque bounced, and the sale was later secured by a bank transfer of $100,000. That equates to less than 1 per cent of the purchase price. As Longhurst pursued his buyer for the outstanding amount, Gibson claimed she only became aware Jabbour had paid a fraction of the deposit until more than six weeks after the deal was due to settle, by which time they had already given Jabbour more time to finance her purchase, and the market had started its downward trajectory. Gibson further claims she enlisted Longhurst on a 1.1 per cent commission, but that he reduced that by $16,000 after he broke the non-disclosure agreement by emailing his database with the bullish sale price. The commission was never paid. The details behind the failed sale are set to be contested in the Supreme Court in coming months after Gibson launched legal proceedings in a bid to recoup her losses against Jabbour, Longhurst, and the agency's director, Michael Pallier. Like Longhurst, Jabbour declined to comment for this story, so it remains unknown why she didn't complete on the sale, although their defences in the matter have been lodged with the court. Pallier said he is included in the summons purely because he is the Sotheby's licensee, and had nothing to do with the sale. But Pallier did back his leading agent Longhurst, ranking him among Sotheby's – and Sydney's – top sales guns. Longhurst's own purchase of an almost $27 million home in Vaucluse recently made headlines in The Australian Financial Review, given it was the former home of Telstra executive director Maxine Brenner and her husband, founder Jodee Rich. Longhurst has form when it comes to selling high-end houses on a minimal deposit. Two years ago, he set a then-house price record in Paddington of $14 million when he sold the historic double terrace Brompton to Monte Carlo-based art adviser Richard Thompson. But Thompson never settled on the purchase, and the seller Jacqueline Bailey was left with less than a 5 per cent deposit and the need to move back into the house before she relisted it a year later. It eventually sold last September after what was ultimately a more than 18-month campaign, and for nearer to $12.5 million. The binding nature of a sale contract and the 10 per cent deposit that is owed (regardless of what is agreed as an initial deposit) was most famously laid bare by Hollywood star Toni Collette and her former husband, musician Dave Galafassi in 2011 when they exchanged to buy a Paddington terrace for $6.35 million. In Supreme Court proceedings that followed it was revealed that they later pulled out of the deal because they did not have the money. The sellers Industrie Clothing co-founders Nick and Susie Kelly later resold the house for $5.5 million, and sued Collette and Galafassi for the difference. The celebrity former couple not only had to forfeit their 10 per cent deposit, but more than $600,000 in damages.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Woollahra's $10.6m failed sale offers a lesson in contract law
But behind the scenes, the $1.06 million deposit owed on the exchange was fast becoming a matter of contention given claims Jabbour's first cheque bounced, and the sale was later secured by a bank transfer of $100,000. That equates to less than 1 per cent of the purchase price. As Longhurst pursued his buyer for the outstanding amount, Gibson claimed she only became aware Jabbour had paid a fraction of the deposit until more than six weeks after the deal was due to settle, by which time they had already given Jabbour more time to finance her purchase, and the market had started its downward trajectory. Gibson further claims she enlisted Longhurst on a 1.1 per cent commission, but that he reduced that by $16,000 after he broke the non-disclosure agreement by emailing his database with the bullish sale price. The commission was never paid. The details behind the failed sale are set to be contested in the Supreme Court in coming months after Gibson launched legal proceedings in a bid to recoup her losses against Jabbour, Longhurst, and the agency's director, Michael Pallier. Like Longhurst, Jabbour declined to comment for this story, so it remains unknown why she didn't complete on the sale, although their defences in the matter have been lodged with the court. Pallier said he is included in the summons purely because he is the Sotheby's licensee, and had nothing to do with the sale. But Pallier did back his leading agent Longhurst, ranking him among Sotheby's – and Sydney's – top sales guns. Longhurst's own purchase of an almost $27 million home in Vaucluse recently made headlines in The Australian Financial Review, given it was the former home of Telstra executive director Maxine Brenner and her husband, founder Jodee Rich. Longhurst has form when it comes to selling high-end houses on a minimal deposit. Two years ago, he set a then-house price record in Paddington of $14 million when he sold the historic double terrace Brompton to Monte Carlo-based art adviser Richard Thompson. But Thompson never settled on the purchase, and the seller Jacqueline Bailey was left with less than a 5 per cent deposit and the need to move back into the house before she relisted it a year later. It eventually sold last September after what was ultimately a more than 18-month campaign, and for nearer to $12.5 million. The binding nature of a sale contract and the 10 per cent deposit that is owed (regardless of what is agreed as an initial deposit) was most famously laid bare by Hollywood star Toni Collette and her former husband, musician Dave Galafassi in 2011 when they exchanged to buy a Paddington terrace for $6.35 million. In Supreme Court proceedings that followed it was revealed that they later pulled out of the deal because they did not have the money. The sellers Industrie Clothing co-founders Nick and Susie Kelly later resold the house for $5.5 million, and sued Collette and Galafassi for the difference. The celebrity former couple not only had to forfeit their 10 per cent deposit, but more than $600,000 in damages.
Toronto Sun
12-05-2025
- Health
- Toronto Sun
Ontario hospitals spent $9B on agency staff over 10 years, study finds
Agencies charge double or even triple the regular hourly rate for their staff Published May 12, 2025 • 2 minute read Close up of nurse writing data into medical record of hospitalized patient. Photo by Getty Images Ontario hospitals spent more than $9 billion on nurses and other staff from for-profit agencies in a 10-year period, a new study concludes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives study, released Monday, examined financial statements for 134 Ontario hospital corporations as well as data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. It found that from 2013-14 to 2022-23 public hospital spending on staff increased six per cent, but their spending on private agencies increased 98 per cent. Study author Andrew Longhurst also found that while the number of hours worked by agency staff in Ontario hospitals accounted for 0.4 per cent of all front-line worker hours in 2022-23, six per cent of hospitals' labour costs went toward the private staff. 'So we're seeing a really poor value for money in terms of what Ontario taxpayers are getting in return,' Longhurst said in an interview. 'What we're seeing is that the growth in private agency staff is really crowding out hospital budgets and their ability to make investments in the long-term workforce.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hospitals turn to staffing agencies for qualified workers that can fill shifts on a temporary basis, but agencies charge double or even triple the regular hourly rate for their staff and hospitals want to reduce their reliance on them. Longhurst recommends phasing out staffing agencies over three years and ultimately banning them, as Quebec has set out to do. Ontario recently re-introduced legislation — which was originally tabled in late 2024 but was not passed before the provincial election was called — that would require agencies to report billing or pay rate information and would allow the government to publish some of those details. Some critics and advocates hope it's a small step toward lowering and regulating agency fees, though Health Minister Sylvia Jones has not committed to that. The increasing use of staffing agencies also does not appear to be solving the problem of staffing shortages, Longhurst said. He also found that from 2015 to 2024 the number of hospital job vacancies in Ontario increased by 331 per cent. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The greater reliance and the increased spending on private agencies is really just driving hospital job vacancies,' he said. 'You're hollowing out your public sector workforce, because those folks that are moving into agency work are no longer available to be hired as permanent employees.' Longhurst also recommends the province boost hospital base funding to the tune of $2 billion. Rural and northern hospitals in particular rely on agency staff, and Longhurst's study shows the issue of associated cost has become more acute for them. While in 2013-14 most hospital regions in the province spent around three per cent of their total front-line labour costs on agency staff — including 3.7 per cent in the northwest region — by 2022-23 that had risen to 17 per cent. Sunshine Girls Health Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA
CBC
27-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Funding for Alberta private surgical facilities growing faster than for public hospitals, report shows
Social Sharing Costs and wait times have increased significantly under Alberta's move to privatize some surgeries, according to a new report from the Parkland Institute. The analysis of the Alberta Surgical Initiative (ASI), released Wednesday, raises concerns about the government's declining investment in public hospitals while funding for private surgical facilities grows. The ASI was started in 2018-19 under then-premier Jason Kenney. Between then and 2023-24, public payments to for-profit facilities increased by 225 per cent, researcher Andrew Longhurst writes in the report, titled Operation Profit. Median wait times for nine of 11 priority surgeries tracked by the Canadian Institute for Health Information have increased under the ASI, the report notes. "The Alberta Surgical Initiative has not improved total provincial surgical capacity nor wait times for most priority procedures," the report says. "The provincial government's persistent claims about the benefits of this initiative are not supported by the available data." The Parkland Institute is a not-for-profit research centre operating from the University of Alberta's faculty of arts. Longhurst's analysis follows the launch of a lawsuit from Athana Mentzelopoulos, who was fired in January as CEO of Alberta Health Services. Among other allegations, Mentzelopoulos claims she was pressured to extend private surgery contracts she worried weren't in taxpayers' best interests. Longhurst says that between 2022-23 and 2023-24, the average cost of outsourced procedures in Alberta increased by 52 per cent. His report says public payments to chartered surgical facilities nearly doubled over the same period, jumping from $28.6 million in 2022-23 to $55.8 million in 2023-24. "Over the last five years, public funding going to for-profit facilities has increased five times faster than funding for public hospital operating rooms," Longhurst, a political economist and health policy researcher, told CBC's Edmonton AM. "When we look at orthopedic surgery costs and for-profit facilities, they're up to two times more expensive than the very same procedures performed in public hospitals," he said. "I think the time is now to really ensure that public dollars are going where they ought to be." The aim of the ASI was to double the number of surgeries performed in private clinics from 15 to 30 per cent of all procedures by 2023. The goal has not been reached. According to the latest Alberta Health Services annual report, about 20 per cent of all 305,000 surgeries in 2023-24 were completed at chartered surgical facilities. Longhurst's report shows the Alberta government's payments of $154 million to for-profit facilities in 2023-24 added about 16,000 of the least-complex procedures to the system. Private facilities working, province says In a statement, the office of Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said the Parkland Institute report "selectively highlights data that supports ideological narratives while overlooking the practical, evidence-based solutions implemented by Alberta's government. "The use of chartered surgical facilities has played a key role in reducing wait times and improving patient care, yet these successes are often dismissed or downplayed in favour of an ideological stance that does not reflect the actual progress we've made." The statement said Alberta Health is targeting a record number of 310,000 surgeries for 2024-25. Longhurst said the issue isn't that Alberta needs more surgical spaces. He said the major concern right now is that the workforce is being shifted from public facilities to private ones. The ASI continues to shift the public sector health-care workforce to grow the for-profit system that relies on the same specialized workforce, he said.
