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VOL. 9 NO. 2 OCTOBER 2010 GREATER TORONTO APARTMENT ASSOCIATION

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O C TO B E R 2 0 1 0 V O L .9 N O. 2 B U I L D I N G B L O C K S 7

BUILDING BLOCKSVOL. 9 NO. 2 OCTOBER 2010

PUBLISHERRICHARD SORENDesign Print MediaT. [email protected]

EDITORBRAD BUTTPresident, GTAAT. 416.385.3435 [email protected]

• Building Blocks is published six times per annum (February, April, June, August,October and December) by Design Print Media on behalf of the GreaterToronto Apartment Association (GTAA) and is distributed through controlledcirculation to the GTAA membership.

• Please contact the Publisher for advertising dates and rates. • Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect

the views and opinions of the GTAA Board or management. • GTAA accepts no liability for information contained herein.

ON THE COVER – Rosedale East, 50 Cambridge Avenue, Toronto

C O N T E N T S

www.gtaaonline.com

FEDERAL9 Is Canada in a Housing Bubble?

11 CMHC Expands Loan Insurance

12 CFAA Finds Favouritism to Homeowners Over Renters

MUNICIPAL14 +4500 GTA Properties Face Rent Reductions in ‘11

16 Motion Sensor By-law Adopted

17 What is Landlordconnect.ca?

18 Motion Sensors Approved by City Council

20 Bed Bug Plan Should Be Endorsed After Election

GTAA8 President’s Report

10 Message from the Chair

21 Anniversary of At Home/Chez Soi Project

22 Committee Volunteers at Scott Mission

22 Direct Properties Pitches in at Scott Mission

23 Who Stole the Corporate Ladder?

24 Do You Know Where Your Fridge Is?

25 Electricity Programs Not Recommended

27 E-Waste Containers Now Available

28 We’ve Been Asked to Help

29 Curing Green Building Incentive Paralysis

30 Not All Websites are Created Equal

32 Finding an Apartment to Rent Has Never Been So Easy

33 New Gas Plan to Start Nov 1st

34 Toronto’s New Zoning Bylaw

35 The EMS 9000 System

36 GTAA Supplier Member’s Directory

www.gtaaonline.com

CORPORATE PROFILEFounded in 1998, the Greater Toronto Apartment Association(GTAA) represents the interests of Toronto’s most activeand concerned firms working in the multi family rentalhousing industry today.

In a climate of rapidly changing issues such as realty taxes,municipal fees, property and fire standards, inspectionsand bylaws, the GTAA was established as a municipalassociation to advocate for the rental housing industry andto provide a source of vital information, representation andleadership in the rental housing industry.

The GTAA now boasts more than 240 property managementcompanies that own and operate more than 160,000apartment units. As well, there are over 150 suppliermembers in all trade categories.

GTAA’s regular meetings with municipalities throughoutthe GTA, including politicians and officials, provides avoice the industry needs for early warning about newpolicies, regulations and research reports. The GTAA alsoengages in effective action campaigns in the media andlocal communities.

MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITSGTAA is an active participant in the formation of municipalpolicy and helping to shape legislation and regulationsthat affect the industry. GTAA is “front and centre” on theentire spectrum of housing-related issues.

GTAA will inform member firms how actions by therespective municipal governments and other agencies concerning the building code, affect the multifamily industry’s costs and operations. GTAA will alert members to important proposals to change the model codes, informmembers of code improvements favored by the industry,and interpret the practical impact of major code decisions.


8 B U I L D I N G B L O C K S V O L .9 N O. 2 O C TO B E R 2 0 1 0

www.gtaaonline.com

BRAD BUTT

P R E S I D E N T ’ S R E P O R TM I L L E N N I U M M E M B E R S

www.gtaaonline.com

Regardless of the outcome of the October 25thmunicipal election there will be significant changes

at Toronto City Hall. Ten Councillors and the Mayor arenot seeking re-election meaning many new faces aroundthe Council Chamber. Further some incumbents may bevulnerable given tight races and continued calls for change.

2010 will go down as a monumental year of change. I have attended many meetings and fundraisers forcandidates for Mayor and Council and everyone is a buzzwith the winds of change. Even Councillors aligned veryclosely with the current regime at City Hall are signallingthe change voters want and are re-aligning themselvesaccordingly.

Council will lose two of rental housing’s most ardentcritics – Howard Moscoe and Michael Walker toretirement – likely replaced by Councillors who preferdialogue rather than confrontation. Although theassociation’s relationship with Mayor David Miller hasbeen relatively positive, the next Mayor will likely bemore willing to work with the sector.

We will soon see how the landscape will evolve shortlyafter the swearing in of the new Council on December1st. Here’s hoping as we move into 2011, doors (andminds) will be open to this monumental change.

MONUMENTALCHANGES ARE COMING



F E D E R A L

Is Canada in ahousing bubble?

DIANA MENDES, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, CANADIAN FEDERATION OF APARTMENT ASSOCIATIONS (CFAA)

Canadian economic growth slowed in the second quarterof this year. Statistics Canada reported that Gross

Domestic Product (GDP) grew at a modest 2% annually fromApril to June 2010, due to a decrease in government spendingand a cooling housing market. The numbers are a markeddecrease from the 5.8% growth experienced during the firstquarter of 2010. Many analysts cautioned not to expect stronggrowth as the economy recovers from the global recession.

Unemployment also increased in July. The unemploymentrate in Canada crept up 0.1% to 8%. The picture is muchworse in the US where the unemployment rate stands at9.5%, with the American economy shaving 131,000 jobs inJuly. Inflation in Canada edged down to 1.7% in August afterpeaking at 1.8% in July as a result of the implementation ofthe Harmonized Sales Tax (HST).

As economic indicators leave investors edgy, speculation hasresumed on whether Canada is in the midst of a US-stylehousing bubble. A report released by the CD Howe Institutesays the strength of Canadian mortgage regulations make ahousing collapse similar to what happened in the US unlikely.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) believesotherwise. In a recent report, the left-leaning think tank

warned that housing prices in the six largest real estatemarkets in the country are at an historical high, makingthem ripe for a correction. David Macdonald, author of thereport, said that homes in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary,Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal are between 30% and 75%over their normal relationship to incomes. Macdonaldrecommended the Bank of Canada slowly increase interestrates and called for a return to the pre-2006 mortgage ruleswhich required buyers have a down payment of 10% and a25 year mortgage. The current rules allow for 5% down and a 35 year mortgage.

CFAA advocates a return to higher down payments and a 25amortization when interest rates are low, to ensure thatpeople who buy houses can afford them, and the likelihoodof default is lessened. That would be good for the economy,good for owners and good for rental housing providers, whocompete with homeownership.

GTAA is one of 17 members of the Canadian Federation ofApartment Associations, the sole national organizationrepresenting the interests of Canada’s $40 billion privaterental housing industry, which provides homes for morethan eight million Canadians.

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As you read this column, Toronto has already elected anew mayor. Having to write this column in early

October I have no idea who captured the most votes inwhat was one of the most intriguing elections in recentcity history. Such is the challenge of print journalism andits lack of immediacy.

However, what I do know is that all of the leadingmayoral candidates were introduced to and briefed bythe GTAA early in the election campaign on the issues ofimportance to our members and the overall significanceof the apartment industry to our city. Understandably,there were varying degrees of knowledge and receptivityto our message, which simply underscores the importanceof the political relationship-building effort known as“advocacy.”

Sustaining these efforts beyond the election cycle is ofcritical importance to our members and to our Board.Accordingly, we intend to continue voicing our views ona wide range of important issues – from bed bugs towaste levies. Indeed, one of the central messages wedelivered to the mayoral candidates was that we want tobe valued as a true partner. This has not always been thecase with past councils. The result was often misguidedpublic policy that created unintended problems forlandlords and tenants.

VISITOR PAID PARKINGA recent example is visitor paid parking. In the current“harmonized” zoning bylaws, a provision exists thatprohibits charging for visitor parking in any residentialzone. This is an ill-conceived measure, particularly sincethe city also wishes to dramatically increase transitridership. Free parking will create a nightmare forlandlords and tenants as TTC riders seek a place to leavetheir vehicles before travelling on the subway/LRT.Contrary to what the architects of this provision thinkthat apartment owners use paid visitor parking as arevenue tool, our membership applies it as an effectiveenforcement tool against vehicular squatters who stealspaces from tenants and their guests.

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E C H A I R

www.gtaaonline.com

www.gtaaonline.com

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O C TO B E R 2 0 1 0 V O L .9 N O. 2 B U I L D I N G B L O C K S 1 1

F E D E R A L

CMHC MORTGAGE LOAN INSURANCE EXPANDSFINANCING OPTIONS FOR CONDO CONSTRUCTION

PAULA GASPARRO

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT PAULA GASPARRO, MANAGER , BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT,MULTI-UNIT MORTGAGE INSURANCE AT 416 250 2731, EMAIL : [email protected].

CMHC’s new Mortgage Loan Insurance expands financingoptions for condominium construction, enabling approved

lenders to help developers access competitive interest rates forthe life of the mortgage.

Recognizing a pent-up demand for new condominiumconstruction, the new policy is expected to be eagerlyreceived by developers. Currently, CMHC is Canada’s onlyprovider of mortgage loan insurance for large rentalprojects, including condominium construction projects,licensed care facilities and retirement homes.

The condo product is available for construction of newcondominium buildings in all parts of Canada and will allowdevelopers to enjoy a broad range of benefits, includingincreased flexibility and competitive interest rates. Themaximum insurable loan value is the lesser of 75% ofestimated market value or 85% of the estimated totalconstruction cost of the property. Equity can take the form ofcash, subordinated debt or land at value. In addition, CMHCmortgage loan insurance offers numerous product featuresthat meet project financing needs. A 10% premium refund isalso available for energy-efficient construction that meetsCMHC criteria.

“The new policy gives firm guidelines that the developmentindustry can use to explore new development opportunities,”says Ray Stanton, President of London Property Corporation.“The energy efficient rebate will lead to more builders exploring

these types of systems -- and hopefully to increased implementationof such systems.”

There are some additional guidelines, presales must be basedon legally binding sales contracts with all preconditionswaived or met. As well, presale for owner occupied unitsmust include a fully paid non-refundable cash deposit of atleast 10%. If a party buys more than one unit, all of the unitsbought are considered investor units, and will require a fullypaid non-refundable cash deposit of at least 20%, however,bulk sales are not recognized as pre-sales.

As with any construction, prior to the first insured advanceappropriate building permits as required by the municipality,as well as development/municipal agreements, must be inplace, and work must have begun on the project.

The borrower must also have a net worth equal to at least25% of the total of the subject mortgage as well as all otherCMHC-insured construction mortgage loan amounts currentlyapproved for the borrower. As part of the net worthrequirement, the borrower is required to have at least 10% of the project’s costs in liquid assets outside of the project.

These new policies will be welcomed by financial institutions,by developers of condominium housing and, of course, bynew condominium buyers, who will gain access to more andbetter housing options.


F E D E R A L


www.gtaaonline.com

On average, the federal government provides six times thebenefits to homeowners that it provides to people who

rent their homes in the private market. Considering thattenants have only half the income of homeowners, that isoutrageous.

With financial assistance from the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO), CFAA recently obtaineda research report identifying the total amount of programspending, tax credits and tax expenditures received byprivate-market renters and by homeowners from the federalgovernment across Canada, and for each of the three levels ofgovernment in Ontario.

The key findings of Dr. Frank Clayton, a well known urbanand real estate economist, are the following:

• In 2009, the Government of Canada spent $15.8 billion insubsidies to homeowners, over twelve times the amountgoing to support renter households in the private market.

• On a per household basis, the federal government giveshomeowners an average $1,823 in subsidies, while rentersonly receive an average of $308 per household.

Here are the figures for the federal government acrossCanada:

The situation is very similar when one looks at the spendingof all levels of government in Ontario. Total program spendingand tax subsidies in Ontario amounted to an average of$2,629 per homeowner household, but only $395 per renterhousehold in the private rental market.

A full copy of the report can be found at www.cfaa-fcapi.org.

“Homeowners receive a truly staggering array of subsidies andtax breaks compared to tenants,” said Vince Brescia, Presidentand CEO of FRPO. “It is appalling that this regressive discriminationoccurs despite homeowners having double the incomes of tenantson average. The net effect is that renters are forced to subsidizehomeowners.”

CFAA will be using the report to advance our claims thatrenters deserve better treatment in order to move towardequal tax treatment with homeowners. A major tax benefitfor homeowners is that the capital gains on their principalresidence are not subject to income tax. On the other hand,rental property is subject to capital gains tax. Landlords paythe government, but in the competitive market those taxesare ultimately paid by tenants through their rents. Deferringthe tax on sale and reinvestment would reduce landlordcosts, which should moderate rents. Tax deferral on sale andreinvestment in rental property would be a useful first steptoward a fairer tax and subsidy system.

CFAA’s city-based associations in Ontario can use the reportto advocate for fairer property tax treatment. The GTA has awide range of property tax ratios for multi-residential housing.The Region of York (including Vaughan and Markham) hasthe lowest ratio, 1.0, with the same property tax rate ashomeowners, while tenants in Mississauga pay 1.77 timesthe tax rate paid by homeowners. Tenants in Oshawa pay1.87 times the tax rate of homeowners. Toronto has thehighest ratio at 3.36 with the result that tenants in Torontopay 3.36 times the tax rate paid by homeowners.

TENURE SUBSIDIES NUMBER OF AVERAGE AVERAGEHOUSEHOLDS SUBSIDIES PER PRE-TAX

HOUSEHOLD HOUSEHOLD INCOME (2008)

OWNERS $15,816,000,000 8,677,662 $1,823 $91,122

RENTERS $1,264,000,000 4,109,370 $308 $43,794

TENURE FEDERAL PROVINCIAL MUNICIPAL

OWNERS $6,104,000,000 $1,569,000,000 $697,000,000

RENTERS $479,000,000 $83,000,000 $0

OWNERS $1,917 $493 $219

RENTERS $337 $58 $0

CFAA STUDY FINDS MASSIVE FAVOURITISM TO HOMEOWNERS OVER RENTERS

GOVERNMENT BENEFITS TO HOMEOWNERS SIX TIMES HIGHER THAN TO RENTERSJOHN DICKIE, PRESIDENT, CANADIAN FEDERATION OF APARTMENT ASSOCIATIONS

TOTAL PRIVATE -MARKET SUBSIDIES

AVERAGE SUBSIDYPER HOUSEHOLD



CFAA may also use the report to advocate for directassistance to tenants in the form of rent supplements orportable housing allowances. Ontario has taken somesteps in that direction with the Rental Opportunities forOntario Families (ROOF) program, and also the expandedrent supplement program announced September 16.However, Ontario lags far behind Quebec, Manitoba,Saskatchewan and British Columbia in using directassistance to help renters with affordability problems.

There is much work to be done to achieve fairness forrenters (and landlords) at all three levels of governmentin Ontario, and across Canada.

GTAA is one of 17 members of the Canadian Federationof Apartment Associations, the sole national organizationrepresenting the interests of Canada’s $40 billion privaterental housing industry, which provides homes for morethan eight million Canadians.

F E D E R A L


M U N I C I P A L


www.gtaaonline.com

OVER 4500 GTA PROPERTIES FACE MANDATORY RENT REDUCTIONS IN 2011WHAT CAN YOU DO IF 2011 NORR’S ARE ISSUED TO YOUR TENANTS?

The City of Toronto is issuing Notices of Rent Reduction(NORRs) to landlords and tenants after lowering multi-

residential property tax rates earlier this year. The 2011NORRs will reduce rents effective December 31, 2010 (forpractical purposes, your January 2011 rent roll) and willimpact an estimated 4600 apartment buildings. The rentreductions take effect automatically with NORRS sentdirectly to tenants by the City. Landlords must accept thereductions unless they can justify, at the Landlord TenantBoard (LTB), a “Variation” to the rent reduction.

NORRs are triggered when property taxes decline by morethan 2.49%. The average multi-residential property taxdecrease calculated by the City for 2010 is 4.07%. On averagethis translates into a rent reduction of 0.8% and this canhave a noticeable impact on your bottom line (the 2011statutory guideline is only 0.7%). The intention behind theNORRs is to pass the landlord’s property tax savings on to thetenants through the automatic rent decrease.

The City’s calculations only reflect “property taxes”: they donot include other “municipal taxes and charges” such as theSolid Waste Levy (SWL) charged on water bills which, whenadded to property taxes, can actually result in a net increasein costs. The City’s calculations also do not reflect the actualtax savings and therefore often result in a windfall to tenantsby passing on more than the sum of tax saved by the landlord.

To cure such unfair outcomes the Residential Tenancies Act(RTA) permits landlords to apply to the LTB for a “Variation” ofthe rent reduction. There are two main grounds to successfullyobtain a “Variation” of the amount of rent reduction:

1. prove that the property taxes are less than 20% of the totalrent charged (which is the default formula used tocalculate the automatic rent reduction); and,

2. ask the LTB to add the SWL from the water bills to theproperty tax bills if you have determined the resultingsums will reduce the amount of rent reduction in theNORRs.

In cases where Landlords experience a net year-over-yearincrease in “municipal taxes and charges” exceeding the“extraordinary” threshold in the RTA (1.05% for 2011), anapplication for a rent increase above guideline may also bewarranted.

Landlords whose buildings are subject to NORRs shouldalready have received them along with the City’s calculations;therefore, their tenants will receive NORRs from the City bymid-December. If you intend to file a Variation applicationto reduce the amount of rent reduction, you should write toyour tenants before the tenants receive NORRs; tell them theNORR’s are coming; tell them you will apply to rescind therent decreases and explain why; and ask them to continuepaying their regular rents because the LTB can take monthsto issue a decision. Tenants who pay the reduced rent mayend up owing the landlord a substantial sum, which exposesthe tenant to unnecessary financial hardship.

WHAT IF YOU ARE STILL WAITING FOR YOUR 2010NORRS TO BE CORRECTED BY THE LTB?Most Landlords who filed Applications to vary NORRs issuedto tenants last year are still waiting for the LTB to issueOrders. This means that if they receive a second round ofNORRS in 2011, they don’t have an Order declaring what lastyear’s lawful rents are. Without last year’s orders, what“lawful rent” do they apply the reductions to? This secondround of NORRs is leading to confusion over the properlawful rent to charge while the first NORR is under review.

As stated above, landlords should send a letter to their tenantsexplaining what is happening with last year’s NORRs andadvise them that another NORR will soon be forthcomingfrom the City. Tenants should be asked to continue payingtheir current rent until such time as the 2010 and/or 2011Variation Application(s) is decided. Some tenants mayrefuse, often based on the advice of so-called tenant advocates.

Tenants may legally refuse to pay the higher rents but whenthe Variation orders finally issue, the tenants may owe

JOE HOFFER | PAUL CAPPA



hundreds of dollars that they cannot pay, resulting injudgements against them for arrears of rent and, in somecases, eviction. If the tenants have vacated the building,there is virtually no practical option for the landlord asthe arrears must be collected in Small Claims Court orthrough a collection agency (if you can even find thetenant). This backlog boondoggle at the LTB has resultedin a huge liability and disservice to landlords and tenants.

There is some hope that the LTB will start processing the 2010 Variation applications soon. We have nowsuccessfully obtained Variation Orders from the LTBwhere the SWL is expressly recognized as a “municipalcharge” which offsets the rent reductions calculated bythe City, eliminating the rent reductions altogether. Theorders are very recent, but until they were issued, the LTBappeared uncertain about how to treat the SWL. Nowthat the uncertainty appears to be resolved, we arehopeful the backlog of Variation applications will beprocessed quickly.

This article is not a substitute for legal advice!Landlords should use the services of a consultant(Licensed Paralegal or Lawyer) to calculate in advancewhether a Variation application is likely to succeed.For example, in 2011 it is possible that an even biggerrent reduction may be given to tenants if the 2009SWL charges are higher than those in 2010.

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Motion Sensor By-lawAdopted

Toronto City Council has approved a by-law that willpermit the use of motion sensor technology in apartment

hallways and underground garages under certain conditions.The change is certainly a step in the right direction to allowbuilding owners to retrofit to ensure that lights do not stayon in building areas where there is no movement.

The by-law mirrors very closely a standard permitted in theOntario Building Code for new construction and does requirea minimum 10 lux emergency lighting standard when nomotion is sensed. The by-law requirement are detailed below.

The Council of the City of Toronto HEREBY ENACTS asfollows:

1. Chapter 629, Property Standards, of The City of TorontoMunicipal Code is amended as follows:

A. The following definitions be inserted in alphabetical orderin § 629-1, Definitions:

ACCESS TO EXIT — The same meaning as in Article 1.4.1.2.of Division A of the Building Code, that is noted as followsfor reference purposes only and is subject to Subsection C:

(1) ACCESS TO EXIT —That part of a means of egress withina floor area that provides access to an exit serving the floorarea.

EXIT — The same meaning as in Article 1.4.1.2. of Division Aof the Building Code, that is noted as follows for referencepurposes only and is subject to Subsection C:

(1) EXIT — That part of a means of egress, including doorways,that leads from the floor area it serves to a separate building,an open public thoroughfare or an exterior open spaceprotected from fire exposure from the building and havingaccess to an open public thoroughfare.

MOTION SENSOR CONTROLLED SWITCH -— An electricalcontrol device activated by movement within a defined area,for the purpose of operating one or more electrical fixtures.

NULL ZONE –— Where the artificial lighting for a space iscontrolled by one or more motion sensors, a portion of thespace that does not receive sensor coverage from a motionsensor.

Section 629-36, Lighting, be amended by adding the following:

H. Motion sensor controlled switches.

(1) All interior lighting installed to provide the minimumlevel of illumination required by this chapter may be oncircuits controlled by motion sensor controlled switches,except where the lighting circuit is:

(a) For an exit, including, an exit stairway.

2(b) Required to conform to Subsection B(2)(d).

(c) For emergency lighting.

(2) A motion sensor controlled switch permitted underSubsection H(1) shall:

(a) Be designed for fail-safe operation so that if the motionsensor controlled switch fails, the electrical fixture that itcontrols activates.

(b) Be of a type, the operation of which is not impaired by thepresence of smoke.

(c) Control an area that is not more than 240 square metres.

(d) If the illumination is for an access to exit:

[1] Maintain an average level of illumination of 10 lux at alltimes.

[2] Except as required under Subsection H(2)(d)[1], maintainthe illumination within its area of control active for not lessthan 15 minutes after the activity that caused the lighting toactivate has stopped or left its area of control.

(e) If the illumination is for a space that is an access to exitfrom a residential area:

[1] Activate all lighting between vertical partitions in thespace.

[2] Activate all lighting within the space within two secondsof any movement either in or directly related to the areacontrolled by the motion sensor control switch.

(f) Provide coverage to all of the space so that there are nonull zones.



M U N I C I P A L

WHAT IS LANDLORDCONNECT.CA, AND WHAT CAN IT DO FOR ME?

WHAT IS LANDLORDCONNECT.CA?Landlordconnect.ca is a unique and free web-based vacancylisting service funded by the City of Toronto. JoiningLandlordconnect.ca means your listings are accessed byHousing Workers, whose role is to maintain your tenanciesthrough their support.

Becoming a member of Landlordconnect. ca means beingpart of a private/public partnership, a community initiativewhich brings together landlords and housing help agenciesagents to find and keep affordable housing, part of the city-wide effort to reduce homelessness.

WHAT KIND OF TRACK RECORD DOESLANDLORDCONNECT.CA HAVE?Landlordconnect.ca has maintained lasting relationship withour member Landlords. Over half our Landlord membershave been with us since we started in 2006. The traffic onthe website is consistent, with a total of almost 600 unit hitsper month.

So how is Landlordconnect.ca different from any other online vacancy listing service?

• It’s free, with more features to ensure good referrals

• It acts as a link between landlords and housing workers,keeping tenants in their homes

• It gives Landlords access to the wide range of housinghelp services in Toronto, such as mediation and conflictresolution and Toronto Rent Bank for rental arrears orhelping tenants with first and last month’s rent.

SO HOW DOES THE LANDLORDCONNECT.CA PARTNERSHIP WORK?Becoming a member is easy! Register with atwww.landlordconnect.ca , and agree to your part:

• Post units for rent that fall within ranges that are based onprovincial guidelines for affordable rents.

• Agree to maintain a property that meets municipal andprovincial standards and regulations.

• Keep your listings and vacancies up to date

• Agree to work with housing workers to sustain tenancies

• Share your problems and success stories withLandlordconnect.ca

Housing workers who participate in Landlordconnect.caagree to:

• Refer appropriate tenants based on income, unit andneighbourhood suitability

• Be available to support tenancies when problems come up,by assisting tenants get financial and social supports thatthe average person may not know about

WHAT DO LANDLORDS SAY ABOUTLANDLORDCONNECT.CA?• One landlord agreed that having the ability to contact a

housing worker helps to prevent evictions. Another wrote,“This is a great website. As soon as I added a unit to thelisting it took just five days to rent it out”.

I’M INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE, OR WANT TOREGISTER WITH LANDLORDCONNECT.CA, OR NEEDHELP WITH THE WEBSITE.• We can help you on the phone, or in person, and provide

on-site orientation and training.

• Contact Thania Valle, Landlordconnect.ca Facilitator, at416-686-3390 ext. 9981, or [email protected]


M U N I C I P A L


www.gtaaonline.com

RETHINKING LIGHT: MOTION SENSORS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL

BRYAN PURCELL

Are the lights on, but nobody’s there? Motion sensors cansave energy -- and dollars -- by dimming lights when an

area is not in use and quickly lighting things up when a userarrives. However, until recently, motion sensors were onlyallowed in spaces like laundry and storage rooms, whichexcluded most of the common area lighting in apartmentbuildings. All that changed in late August when TorontoCity Council passed an amendment to the property standardscode to allow the use of motion sensor-controlled lighting inparking garages and corridors as well.

Motion sensor technologies have been available for decades,and are in fact commonly used in many other jurisdictionsaround the world. The Ontario Building Code was revised in2006 to allow motion sensor lighting -- in fact, new buildingsare actually required to utilize automated lighting controls.This created a serious conflict with the Toronto MunicipalCode, Property Standards section, which required mandatedlight levels to be maintained at all times (inadvertentlyprohibiting motion sensors).

Following two years of consultation with building owners,tenants associations, Toronto Fire Services, the TorontoPolice Service, and other stakeholders, the City has developedand passed an amendment to the municipal code to allowthe use of motion sensor-controlled lighting. Under therevised code, the only common areas where motion sensorsare still not allowed are stairwells and lobbies.

Recognizing of course that the security and comfort ofbuilding users is of prime importance, the new bylawincludes a number of safety provisions, some of which goabove and beyond those in the Ontario Building Code. Keysafety provisions include the following:

• An average standby lighting level of at least 10 lux (1 footcandle) is still required in corridors and garageseven when no motion is detected

• Motion sensors must reliably activate full illuminationwithin two seconds of any movement

• Full lighting must be maintained for at least 15 minutesfollowing the detection of any motion

These safety standards do create some challenges forimplementing the technology, but these challenges can be

overcome in most cases. For example, if your building’semergency lighting is provided through a separateemergency lighting circuit, then keeping this circuit separatefrom the motion sensor system should provide the standbylighting level required by the new bylaw. Alternatively, youcan use dimmable or dual-level light fixtures, or low voltagepowerline communication to leave some fixtures on whileothers are turned off.

So, unfortunately, it is not as simple as buying a few motionsensors and having your electrician install them. You’ll needa qualified contractor or team to design and install a motionsensor system that works for your building(s). You shouldalso make sure that your contractor(s) is familiar with thenew motion sensor regulations and has a plan to make sureyour building will be in compliance.

In some cases, your existing light fixtures may not becompatible with motion sensor technology. This doesn’tnecessarily mean you can’t take advantage of the new ruleshowever. Consider upgrading to newer more efficient lightsources at the same time as you install a motion sensorlighting system. This will get you the deepest energy savings,and in many cases will still provide a very attractive returnon investment.

We recently completed two motion sensor parking garagelighting pilot projects with Toronto Community Housing.The existing high pressure sodium lighting systems werereplaced with high-efficiency T8 fluorescents with bi-levelballasts, and motion sensors were installed throughout thegarage. The overall result was a 70% reduction in theelectricity used to illuminate the garage, with a payback ofunder four years (without taking into account electricityconservation incentives!).

Over and above paying for itself, the project will providean additional 167% return on investment over 10 years.Moreover, a survey of tenants revealed that theyoverwhelmingly preferred the new lighting system.

So, while motion sensors aren’t suitable for every building,they are definitely worth taking a look at, especially if youare considering an upgrade to your lighting system. Justmake sure you and your contractor(s) do your homework soyou end up with a motion sensor system that is safe, reliable,affordable, and in compliance with relevant bylaws.

BRYAN PURCELL IS WITH THE TORONTO ATMOSPHERIC FUND


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BED BUG PLANSHOULD BE ENDORSEDAFTER ELECTIONRegardless of who is elected the next Mayor of Toronto,

the bed bug issue will continue to be a problem thatneeds to be addressed on the local level. On October 8,2010 Mayoralty candidate George Smitherman releasedhis plan to eradicate bed bugs in Toronto.

He announced details of the $3 million strategy citing a growing problem faced by too many tenants andhomeowners across the city. Included as part of hisbalanced budget blueprint, Smitherman outlined asimple 5-point plan to take charge of the fight:

1. Toronto Public Health will establish and publish clearprotocols for tenants, property owners, and landlordswith respect to bed bugs;

2. Launch a public awareness campaign to raiseawareness of bed bugs and de-stigmatize infestation;

3. Establish a confidential registry of bed buginfestations so that tenants and landlords can easilyreport infestations;

4. Step up public health inspections to notify landlordsand tenants of their responsibilities for eradication;and

5. Direct Toronto Public Health to make use of existingpowers of entry as needed.

QUOTES“Far too many people have to live with the scourge of bedbugs in Toronto. It’s time public health did its job by steppingup inspections and clearly state what responsibilitieslandlords and tenants have to help fight bed bugs in theirhomes. I am the only candidate with a funded plan to winthe bed bug war.” – George Smitherman

“Landlords applaud George Smitherman’s plan as it clearlysets out the responsibilities of landlords and tenants to fightbed bugs. It’s time we have a coordinated approach tostamping out this problem.” – Brad Butt, President,Greater Toronto Apartment Association

QUICK FACTS• No clear data exists on the extent of the bed bug problem

in Toronto, but requests for assistance from the Cityhave jumped from 250 in 2008 to 1,565 in 2009.

M U N I C I P A L



ANNIVERSARY OF AT HOME / CHEZ SOISUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT

NEW HOUSING PROJECT WORKING WELL“This program changed my life around. Not only did I get a nicehome, I was able to take a course and now work as an assistantbuilding superintendant.”Harold, At Home tenant

On the first anniversary of the At Home / Chez SoiSupportive Housing Project, it continues in full swing

with just over one third of the goal of housing 300 tenants.Toronto landlords, many of whom are GTAA members, haveprovided about 130 units for tenants with 30 housingagreements and 116 tenants housed under this new project.The project remains open for landlords who would like tojoin the At Home project.

WHAT IS THE AT HOME / CHEZ SOI SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECTAt Home / Chez Soi Supportive Housing Project is a newsupportive housing research project launched in Torontoalmost a year ago. A joint-effort between the City of Torontoand the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the programis one of the first of its kind and one of five such pilot projectsacross Canada and will house some 2,225 people nationwide.

Housing Connections, on behalf of the city, is reaching out toabout 300 private-market apartments around Toronto toparticipate. The At Home / Chez Soi Supportive HousingProject offers several benefits to participating landlords.

Landlords like the benefits of the project which includedirect payment to the landlord beginning immediately uponbeing added to the inventory of participating units and novacancy-loss during the term of the agreement. Once a

tenant moves in to the unit, Housing Connections pays $600monthly directly to the landlord and the balance is paiddirectly from income support agencies. Housing Connectionsalso supplies tenant insurance and new furniture to theincoming tenant.

“Working with Housing Connections works for Direct Properties.For many years, we have been partners because we believe inwhat they are trying to do. It benefits both the landlords andthose who need affordable housing. We have participated inseveral Housing Connections’ initiatives, most recently the AtHome project and it has been a win-win experience.” Annette Mincer, President, Direct Properties

“Pinedale Properties has been a partner in the At Home projectsince it began in 2009. We find it rewarding both on a financiallevel as well as a social level. We have had strong relations withHousing Connections for many years and continue to work inpartnership.”Jeff Brown, Pinedale Properties

“This apartment is my first home in 18 years and I love it. I'vebeen living on the street, under bridges and in cardboard boxes.Now I have a home and I'll do everything to keep it.”Theresa, At Home tenant

Many members of the Greater Toronto Apartment Associationare partners in this project. Some landlords have been sopleased with the project that they have come back andoffered more units. More large bachelor and one-bedroomunits within a price range of $700 to $1050 are needed. Wethank the GTAA members for their continued support of thisvery worthwhile project.

G T A A

INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

JIM KENNEDY, HOUSING PROGRAMS SUPERVISOR HOUSING CONNECTIONS(416) 981-6180 | [email protected]


G T A A


www.gtaaonline.com

Committee Volunteersat Scott Mission

DIRECT PROPERTIES PITCHES IN AT SCOTT MISSION

Not to be outdone by the dozens of othercompanies and volunteers helping out at The

Scott Mission, members of the Members’ Services& Fundraising Committee were dishing it up tohelp feed the homeless in Toronto.

The association would like to thank everyone thatmakes a commitment to this half day of servicemore than 10 times throughout the year. You arereally making a difference!

It is the 9th year that Direct Properties was proudto participate in the Morning at a Soup Kitchen

at the Scott Mission. As we arrived at the frontdoors we had the comfortable feeling of putting ona warm sweater since we were greeted by many ofthe full time staff who have been there for yearsand were delighted to welcome us back. We did notrequire any direction and just assumed our roleswithout even being asked including givinginstructions to other volunteers. Within 3 hours adeliciously nutritious hot meal of vegetable soup,beef stew and a dessert strudel was fed to over 250individuals in 2 separate settings. Once the kitchenand dining area was cleaned, all of the staff andvolunteers enjoyed an equally delicious meal andwe were back at our office by 1pm! It is a pleasureto partake in such a rewarding experience and quiteremarkable to note that the Scott Mission continuesto thrive without any government funding; relyingsolely on the generosity of the private sector.



G T A A

WHO STOLE THE CORPORATE LADDER?

COSIMO MARINI

Recently, I had a discussion with a long time friend andcolleague who holds an executive position with a

large corporation which manages real estate assets in themulti-residential sector. The topic of discussion was the0.7% guideline rent increase set by the Ontariogovernment for 2011 and the impact that this wouldhave on pro forma projected revenues and net operatingincomes. The multi-residential assets had completedenergy savings programs and the savings from the energyconservation programs and tax appeals were alreadyinputted in the pro forma projections. My colleaguepondered over the pro forma figures for some time andwe discussed what strategies could be developed in orderfor the assets to meet their targets. A few possiblescenarios were brought forward for evaluation as wedrank our coffee, but I could not help notice that beforethe pro forma sheets had been put away, the labour costshad been underlined for further analysis.

The scenario noted above encapsulates a process which iscurrently underway at the building and corporate levelsas budgets are being prepared for the 2011 fiscal year.The reality of the current economy dictates thatorganizations must restructure, outsource, downsize,subcontract and form alliances with friends and-enemies.Organizations that don’t or won’t, increase their chancesof missing their targets and perhaps disappearingaltogether. The same is true for professionals. In thisenvironment people have to take control of their owncareers and come to grips with the hard fact that thereare limits on how loyal an employer can be. Firms can nolonger throw people and money at problems, they haveto find solutions faster, and with less.

People who struggle to maintain the status quo, whoclings on to old assumptions of the corporate ladderand job security, and who resist the inevitability ofchange may be left behind. Those who invest in educatingthemselves and in seizing opportunities in establishingtheir careers reap the rewards. In order to be successful,your focus should not be on how to move up thecorporate ladder, but rather on how your skills, education

Continued on page 25 905-530-2018

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Please send your resume in confidence [email protected]


G T A A


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IT’S 11:00 PM - DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR FRIDGE IS?

ROB DETTA COLLI

ROB DETTA COLLI IS THE TOWERWISE ENERGY ADVISOR . HE CAN SIMPLIFY YOUR ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON ALL HIGH-RISE ENERGY INCENTIVE PROGRAMS.

ROB CAN BE CONTACTED AT 416-450-7989 OR ADVISOR@TOWERWISE .CA OR [email protected].

FOR CASE STUDIES, FINANCIAL TOOLS, FAQS, CHECK OUT WWW.TOWERWISE .CA.

New fridges earn a $60 per unit energy incentive. This isjust one of the programs offered by the Better Buildings

Partnership (BBP) until December 31, 2010. Unfortunately,several GTAA members that have retrofitted their oldappliances have had their incentive applications delayed orrejected all together. As we continued to dig on this issue, werealized there is a good reason the applications were rejected– much of it revolving around being able to prove that youknow where the old fridges ended up , and that they weredisposed of in the responsible manner that all land ownersbelieve in.

The good news is that your friendly neighbourhoodTowerWise Energy Advisor and BBP have cleared up most ofthe issues, and we can now clearly state what the process isfor our GTAA membership.

FRIDGE APPLICATION RECOMMENDATIONS:• New fridges need to be EnergyStar and replace appliances

that are at least 8 years old. (Hint - I can’t find evidencethat they’ll ask for proof of old fridge being 8 years old.)

• Applicant will require proof of proper appliancedecommissioning/recycling. This may take one of twoforms:

a) Applicant presents certificates of decommissioning for the appliances in question, or

b) Applicant provides proof that the appliance has beenpicked-up by providers approved by BBP. The list ofcompanies on the BBP web page - http://bbptoronto.ca/appliances-providers/ is not all encompassing. Forexample, GTAA corporate members Appliance Canada andMid-Northern Appliance ARE both approved by BBP.

A COUPLE OF FAQS:• Can I submit one application for more than one building?

Yes - attach a schedule that shows the building addressesand fridge make and model numbers.

• What if the company that picks-up our appliances is NOT listed on the BBP web-page? They need to senddocumentation to BBP that attests they (or their outsourcedprovider) decommission/recycle the appliances in aresponsible fashion.

• My supplier says they want to charge me fordecommissioning. While the Ontario Power Authoritywill pay for proper decommissioning, any transportationcosts to the decommissioning site are the responsibility ofthe land owner.

• How long do I have to apply for a appliances or otherenergy projects I did in 2008? You’ve got until December31, 2010. The only exception for retroactive applications is chillers, which have until April 30, 2011.


ELECTRICITY PROGRAMSNOT RECOMMENDED FORAPARTMENTSMany members are often approached by retail

electricity providers to sign agreements for thesupply of electricity to apartment properties. The UtilitiesCommittees of both the Federation of Rental HousingProviders of Ontario (FRPO) and the Greater TorontoApartment Association have investigated the matter andare of the view that apartments should continue to staywith the Regulated Price Protection Plan (RPPP) that isgoverned by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).

The rates that are set by the OEB are reviewed twiceannually and are designed to reflect the fairest rates fordesignated consumers in Ontario’s electricity market.Most retail programs offer rates that are higher on averagethan the regulated rates and may have volume balancingand penalties not associated with the regulated rate.

G T A A


w w w.phelps laundr y.ca

Call 905-693-8666 or 1-866-557-5599 | Email [email protected]

PHELPS helps building owners generate higher

revenue, reduce energy consumption and

downtime, successfully deter vandalism

and provide residents with a superior amenity.

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and experience may add value to the corporate objectives.People who simply stay busy, without adding real valueare building careers on weak foundations.

So, what does all this mean? It means that in a fiercelycompetitive environment, companies may need to makesome hard decisions about their employees and climbingup the corporate ladder is not always guaranteed. Thetruth is that no one owes you, or guarantees, pay increases,promotions, or even a job. Focus on completing specificindustry courses, improving your skills and seizingopportunities which broadens your base of experience.This will not guarantee job security, raises or promotions,but it will make you a more attractive job candidate –inside and outside your present firm.

COSIMO MARINI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ALL-REZ- SOLUTIONS INC., A RECRUITING AND CONSULTING COMPANY SPECIALIZING IN THE

MULTI-RESIDENTIAL INDUSTRY.

Continued from page 23



Multi-unit Residential Smart Sub-metering Services

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Consider the following:

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G T A A

ELECTRONIC WASTE CONTAINERSNOW AVAILABLE

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW E-BOXES, VISIT WWW.TORONTO.CA/GARBAGE/MULTI, OR CALL 311

Toronto is now expanding services for multi-residentialbuildings to make it even easier for residents to get rid of

unwanted electronics and ensure these items are recycledand kept out of landfill sites.

The City will help you in your efforts to increase recycling atyour building by providing free electronic waste containers(E-boxes) for use in a centralized area of the building accessibleto residents. E-boxes are lime green and approximately 19” x16” x 16” in size and they should be used to collect smallelectronic items such as: cell phones, pagers, radios, cameras,video recorders, computer cables and accessories. Portableand laptop computers, keyboards, VCRs and DVD playersmay also be put in the E-boxes, as long as the total weight ofthe box does not exceed 20kg.

Large items such as: desktop monitors, printers, scanners andmodems, copiers, typewriters, fax machines, televisions,stereos, receivers and speakers should be brought to yourregular collection point designated for bulky items. Please seeenclosed for the list of accepted items.

The E-box with its contents will be considered one item, whilethe larger electronics will be counted individually. Once yourbuilding has collected a minimum of five (5) items, simply call311 to arrange for free City pick-up. Place the E-box(es) andlarger electronic items at your regular collection pointdesignated for bulky items. To ensure proper collection,electronic items must be separated from other bulky items,such as furniture.

ORDERING & DELIVERY Step 1: Determine the number of containers you would

like to order. We suggest one container for every fifty units, if adequate space is available.

Step 2: Call 311 to place your order.

Step 3: When you place your order, please have the following information available:

Your water/waste utility account number.

Complete building and delivery address, including postalcode.

Designated delivery contact and phone number.

Step 4: E-boxes will be delivered with an information package to buildings starting in September. Startingin August, you can call 311 to arrange for pick-up and you can use an open cardboard box to place small electronic items out for collection. Please ensure the box of electronics is visible at your collection point. Once you begin using the E-box(es),if you have a demonstrated need for additional containers you can contact 311 to order more.

We thank you in advance for your help in moving Torontocloser to reaching our goal of 70% diversion.


I’ve been involved with Housing Connections for the lastcouple of years. I personally find that they have an

important role to play and that they have a dynamic team ofindividuals and supporters in their organization. Recently, attheir annual general meeting I had an opportunity to heartheir wish list for the future.

They’ve made some notable improvements with respect toaffordable housing in Toronto, the most important of whichconcerns homelessness. With the recent programs they’veinitiated, Toronto has been able to reduce its homelessnumbers by over fifty percent. We’ve even beaten cities likeNew York where their efforts have only effected a 30%reduction. I was impressed by the numbers and by thecommitment and support of organizations like HousingConnections and their resolve to make a difference.

In truth, they couldn’t have made it this far without oursupport and they need us to help them reach future milestones.They understand our challenges and when I say they, I meanthe people who work at Housing Connections. Many of youmight say - why should we help an organization whenthey’re often beating us up? Like you, I feel that nobodyseems to care very much about landlords. So why should wecare about them?

The truth is we’re better then that. I recognize that this is areally sensitive issue but for the most part we’re not thevillains depicted in newspaper articles. I believe and have

always maintained that I work for some of the most generousand caring people in this country. I often tell people whoattack our industry and landlords in particular to thinkabout the fact that they might be criticizing the very peoplewho made their child’s education possible, who provided the expensive equipment at a local hospital, who support the arts or who’ve built schools, places of worship andcommunities centers around the GTA. It’s truly amazinghow comments like this will cause jaws to drop.

We don’t always need people to know what we do but wemust continue to do the right thing. Housing Connectionsneeds two and three bedroom apartments in certain areas ofthe city to house families in need. They also have to placeone hundred and seventy five more ‘hard to house’ people byMay of 2011 or lose funding. For this category they areprimarily looking for bachelors or one bedroom units.

If we all gave just one unit the problem would be solved.There’s no question that it’s a bit of paperwork but it is aguaranteed rental. There are no assurances that you’ll get agreat resident but then again, we’ve had numerous occasionswhere a prospect has looked great on paper and turned out tobe a complete nightmare as a tenant. The one certainty isthat you’ll feel better knowing that your actions have madea difference in someone’s life.

Feel free to call me if you want to discuss it – anytime!

We’ve Been Asked to HelpBONNIE HOY

G T A A


www.gtaaonline.com



G T A A

CURING GREEN BUILDING INCENTIVEPROGRAM PARALYSISIn agriculture, silos are separate, vertical compartments,

used to store grains securely and prevent cross-contamination. In the business world, silos are systemicbarriers to communication. The building industry is a fertilebreeding ground for information silos. Owners employ asteady stream of outside professionals who routinely discarddata that seems worthless to them but is in fact immenselyvaluable to building owners.

One person, for example, may do extensive floormeasurements to calculate how much carpet needs to beinstalled. Then a designer re-takes the same measurementsto come up with a floor plan, and an HVAC contractor doeshis own measuring to determine how much space needs tobe heated.

The HVAC contractor may not know that the lights are aboutto be completely replaced by a lighting contractor, whichcould have a significant impact on heating and coolingrequirements. A retrofitter needs accurate information butrealizes that the architectural blueprints are obsolete and don’tmatch the as-built structure. He gathers new measurementsthat have great value, but are never shared with the owner orarchived by building managers.

Building owners may be desperately looking for ways tolower costs and bolster revenues, but many of them continueto walk away from essentially free funding for green initiativesfrom governments and utilities. Ask them why and most willexplain that they were just too exasperated by the amount ofwork involved in gathering the data required to apply forthese grants, incentives and rebate programs.

TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT THE SILO EFFECTWhat these owners lack is control and organization.Architectural technology has advanced exponentially withinrecent years, but many building owners cannot take advantageof it because they are using obsolete tools.

Relying exclusively upon e-mails and memos, for instance, tomanage complex building projects in this day and age is liketrying to run an office with typewriters and fax machinesinstead of computers. Owners need to have instant accessand control of information through a flexible and interactiveplatform such as Building Information Modeling (BIM)software.

BIM is a user-friendly but sophisticated and centralizedbuilding database that can be accessed through multipleinterfaces. With BIM it’s easy to get the information that isneeded, while simultaneously adding fresh information tothe data bank from numerous sources. BIM provides arealistically visual parametric representation of a buildingand all its systems and components. It acts as a common filefor all participants to view, study, and interact with for theduration of a project and the lifetime of the building.

Once created, the model can be used for everything fromfloor plan designs, energy studies, asset management, andretrofits to the in-house creation of digitized virtual sales andmarketing tours. BIM technology is a powerful and permanentsilo breaker and facilitator of active collaboration.

MOTIVATING PERFORMANCE WITH IRRESISTIBLE INCENTIVES Of course technological solutions alone are not enough tobreak down data silos and promote the productive sharing ofinformation. If you want people to act differently, you haveto remove their motivation for perpetuating the status quoand replace it with better reasons to do something new.

To begin with, building owners can stipulate that all projectsare to be done using the BIM platform, and they can specifymandates for cooperative participation in all bid contracts.Contractors also reap rewards in this scenario: having accessto BIM makes it much easier for them to generate accurateand persuasive bid proposals. Additionally, BIM offers morepotential for smaller players to team up and compete forlarger and more lucrative contracts.

But the biggest incentives are attractive project opportunitiesand money. These increase when logjams related to datagathering are no longer impeding the flow of financialresources from programs like those offered by the OPA, theBBP Multifamily Energy Efficiency Rebate (MEER), and theBOMA ECAP Program.

By providing more credible data, professional plans, andquantifiable predictions of energy savings, BIM technologyalso makes it much easier to compile and present convincingapplications for grant money and rebate programs. With thatkind of power, the industry can stop storing innovations insilos and begin to deposit the fruits of collaborative successin bank vaults where they belong.


G T A A


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Not All Websites AreCreated Equal

Not all websites are created equal. In fact, they vary widelyin their complexity, performance and how much they

cost. At the best of times, website development can be acostly process but when mistakes are made the price tagclimbs. To avoid any added costs, you must be decisive onyour goals and you need to clearly communicate those to adevelopment team. This article will discuss various areasthat you should consider before you hire a websitedevelopment firm to build your site.

Your company’s website is your most important marketingtool. Therefore, your top priority should be to find a websitedevelopment firm that can produce the caliber of websitethat you desire. Here are some key things you shouldconsider and know before deciding on a company:

o What specifically are you looking for? What are yourmarketing goals for your website? What functionalitywould you like to see? What improvements do you wantto see over your existing site? Brainstorm all the featuresand functionality you’d like to see incorporated into yournew site. This process will help you communicate yourneeds to the development company so that they canprovide an accurate quote.

o Appearance matters but so does the stuff you can’t see.The graphical interface, or “skin” of the website, onlymakes up about 10 - 20% of the overall structure. Just likean iceberg with the majority of its mass out of viewunderwater, the content management system (CMS) of awebsite is actually the largest part of the structure and itneeds to be stable, strong and customizable to deliver highperformance. So when evaluating a website developmentfirm you need to determine if the CMS that they will useto build your website will suit your needs.

o What type of design firm should I hire? There are twotypes of website design firms out there: industry specializedand non-industry specialized. Each of these firms arecapable of developing a website but each do it in verydifferent ways.

An industry specialized company will have customizedproducts and services pre-designed to meet your needs.These firms will require very little direction from you whenbuilding your website.

The opposite is true of non-industry specialized firms.Because these firms do not know your industry, they will needmore direction from you on how to build the infrastructure ofyour website. You will need to educate them on your wantsand needs for the site and what functionality you require.

Now that you’ve looked at your strengths and figured outwhat you’re looking for it’s time to interview prospectivefirms. Here are some important questions to consider:

1. Will The Website’s Architecture Be Search Engine Friendly?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the lifeblood of anywebsite. SEO techniques help the search engines read yourwebsite and then index it based on its content. If the enginescan’t read it properly then your rankings in the searchengines will suffer.

Make sure that the CMS of your website is build around SEOtechniques. The elements of your website’s architecture thatwill influence your rankings include the:

• File and directory system• File names and extensions• Navigation menus• Entry points / pages (e.g. landing pages)• Robots.txt file • Title Tags• Error pages & 301 redirects• Site map• Introduction pages and dynamic content

2. Will It Grow With You?You’re about to invest a lot of money into your website so it’simportant to ascertain its full growth potential. Clarify if addadditional features can be added to the CMS in the future. Findout if you can give the website a facelift from time to timewithout modifying the CMS. Determining the answers tothese questions could potentially save you money in the future.



G T A A

3. Will The Company Provide System Updates?Make sure the company provides you with a detailed,written breakdown of what updates/modifications areincluded in your fee. Ideally you’ll be looking for asystem that will provide you with enhancements orupdates regularly without an added cost.

4. Is The System Specifically Designed For TheApartment Rental Industry?

This is an important consideration. For years, landlordsin the US have been building their websites on specializedCMSs that have been specifically designed for theapartment rental industry. Their modules have beenpre-built and customized from the ground up to satisfythe performance needs of the landlords. Landlord WebSolutions now offers Canadian landlords the sameopportunity to build their website on a customized CMSthat has been specifically designed for the apartmentrental industry.

5. Is The Content Management System A Standalone Program Or Is It An Extension Of An Existing Product?

With these systems you should always consider if thedatabase structure is ideal for building websites. Doestheir team have expert designers and programmers onstaff? Will the CMS reach your goals, both short-termand long-term? Do they specialize in website developmentas their core business, or is it something they do secondaryand in moderation?

Some of these points may seem a bit complex or technical,but they are worth asking. Remember, you’re spendinggood money to get things done right and you need to avoidcostly mistakes. Selecting the best website developmentcompany could mean the difference between building amediocre website for today or a top performing websitefor today and for years to come.

If you would be interested in learning more about thecustomized CMS that Landlord Web Solutions offers,

please feel free to contact me [email protected].

SINCE 1975

ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Apartment Buildings

Mixed - Use

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New Condominiums Development Consultants (BUDGETS)

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G T A A


www.gtaaonline.com

FINDING AN APARTMENT TO RENT HAS NEVER BEEN SO EASY

CHAIM RIVLIN

Irecall not that long ago, looking for a rental apartment inToronto, was a long, tedious and more often than not,

extremely frustrating process. There would be drivingthrough a neighborhood, scanning the apartments andgrounds (print publication in hand full of highlighted"maybes") trying to imagine whether you could see yourselfliving there...

Park, buzz the Superintendent, ask whether there wasavailability, look at a suite (if there was any to view), or go ona wait list as if you have an option of waiting around forhousing. Man, have things ever changed, and thank goodnessfor that!

One reason...the web! Like with so many things, the internethas absolutely transformed the process of apartmentsearching. Now, for those in the market for a rental, you cansimply search the web and save hours of search time and atremendous amount of frustration. Today, it's really as easyas "checking-off" the specifics of where you want to be, whatyou're looking for and within moments the search isdisplayed, narrowed down to fit your desired criteria!

Oh, and that's just the beginning, you can view, share andcompare listings online with friends and family using

popular social media channels like twitter, facebook andmore! That's right! No more "what day are you free to goapartment hunting" or "where can we bring the kids whilewe spend the day searching the city for an availableapartment".

By using websites such as RentSeeker.ca, you can search1,000's of rental listings nationwide (most by reputablemajor Canadian Landlords) with detailed and updatedcontent, photo's, floorplans & even and area amenities (usinga popular technology called WalkScore.com), contactinformation, company information, directions to theproperty (using google maps technology), and even videos,which many Landlords are finding to be a new valuable wayof marketing their properties online.

For Students looking for a pad near campus, Rentseeker.cahas proved absolutely fantastic with it's dedicated StudentCentral! Choose a school / university from our self builtdatabase of over 1,500 schools nationwide and withinmoments you may very well have found your new pad, andmaybe even a roommate to help share the rent :-)

So next time you're ready to make your move, check the webfirst, you'll be glad you did.

CHAIM RIVLIN, IS CO-FOUNDER OF RENTSEEKER.CA, A TORONTO BASED CANADIAN APARTMENT RENTAL SEARCH SITE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO WWW.RENTSEEKER.CA



To make a long story short, throughlobbying, this provision was removedby the Planning and GrowthCommittee but subsequently addedinto the final draft at the 11th hour dueto the “heroics” of one particularlybombastic city councillor. This type ofneedlessly antagonistic stance iscounter to the cooperative, business-like approach that Toronto sodesperately needs at this juncture of itsdevelopment. As a result of council’sactions, we have been forced to launchan appeal to the Ontario MunicipalBoard in an effort to get this provisionremoved from the zoning by-law.

AN INVITATIONOn behalf of all members of the GTAA,I congratulate our new representativeson their victories and invite them topartner with us. Working together, wecan ensure a victory for the long-termviability of rental housing.

continued from page 10

New Gas Plan to Start November 1st

Interest in the 2010 program was strong and you can feel great about enrolling in a sizeable buying group. If you have any questions about the gas plan, please don’t hesitate to contact :

Brian Baker | [email protected] | 1-877-813-9333 ext 236 OR Bill Thompson | [email protected] | 1-877-813-9333 ext 237

The Greater Toronto Apartment Association will be startinga new three-year natural gas bulk purchasing program

with Enerstream on November 1, 2010. The Utilities,Environment & Communications Committee has workedvery hard with Enerstream to build a new program that willdeliver both price stability and competitiveness to thosemembers that have enrolled in the new program.

The Greater Toronto Apartment Association and EnerStreamAgency Services are pleased to announce the price on bill forthe Gas Plan effective November 1, 2010 is:

$0.228/m3

This plan is designed to provide natural gas price stability to you at a time when gas prices have the potential to riseconsiderably with a rebounded economy and changes in thegas system.

The program is designed with an active hedging strategy –meaning our Committee routinely reviews the market withEnerStream and endeavours to buy and deliver the bestpossible blended price to those properties in the plan. Wewill continue to layer in purchases for the second and thirdyear of the new plan as opportunities present themselves.

G T A A

BB_Vol.9#2_October10_44.qxd:BB_Vol.9#1_August10 10/14/10 12:16 PM Page 33

G T A A


www.gtaaonline.com

CITY OF TORONTO’S NEW ZONING BYLAWTOM HALINSKI AND AJEET GROVER

At its meeting in August 2010, Toronto City Councilenacted a new, single city-wide comprehensive zoning

By-law. This is a significant policy development for CityHall, as it culminates nearly eight years of planning andpublic consultation processes. The new By-law applies to allproperties within the City, except for a small number ofexempted parcels. For these exempt properties, the existingzoning by-laws (North York, Scarborough, etc.) continue togovern. It is expected that all properties will eventuallycome under the control of the new By-law in the medium tolong term (the City needs to work through some legal andtechnical obstacles).

The new By-law is important for the future of growth in theCity, because it sets uniform development standards (such assetbacks, height, and density calculation), within establishedzone designations (residential apartment, commercialindustrial, etc.) that apply City-wide. One of the toutedbenefits is an anticipated reduction in zoning compliancecosts to landlords, developers and businesses generally, sincethey will be obliged to be knowledgeable regarding a singleby-law (in most cases), rather than the 43 zoning by-lawsspread across the city that predated the new by-law (and thatstill regulate “exempted” properties).

In addition to harmonizing standards, the new by-law alsointroduces some additional regulations, such as requirementsfor loading, bicycle parking and “tall building” regulations.Notable for GTAA members is the introduction of newparking standards, and in particular, a prohibition againstcharging for visitor parking which was inserted at Council in the final moments before adoption of the new By-law. The prohibition applies to all properties located within theResidential Zone (R) an the Residential Apartment Zone (RA).

Existing pay-parking operations, which operated legally as ofthe date of the new By-law’s enactment, and do not cease, areprotected from the prohibition by the Planning Act, whichdeems such operations to be legal non-conforming uses. If alandlord stops charging for visitor pay parking, its right to a

legal non-conforming use may be extinguished, unless thereis a good reason for the lapse in operations (fire, flood, act ofGod, etc...). Therefore, landlords with protected pay-parkingrights have good reason to be vigorous in exercising thisright and ought to keep a record of the operation, in case ofdisputes with the City and as a defense in potential zoningprosecution.

GTAA has filed an appeal of the new By-law to the OntarioMunicipal Board. The appeal challenges the visitor pay-parking prohibitions on several grounds. According to theappeal, the prohibition does not constitute good planningand is unsupported by a proper planning analysis or theCity’s own consultants’ reports. By prohibiting a legitimate,desirable, and effective method of parking enforcement, theBy-law reduces the supply of visitor parking available togenuine visitors, while making free spaces available tomotorists planning to use neighbourhood amenities, such asshopping and recreation. Conversely, by protecting freeparking the prohibition has the effect of discouraging useof public transit, contrary to City and Provincial policyobjectives.

As a result of the appeals to the new By-law, the City will notbe able to enforce the prohibition on paid visitor parkinguntil the Board makes a decision with respect to theprohibition. It could take several years before the outcome isdetermined. However, in the event that the Board did acceptthe prohibition as valid, it would apply retroactively to thedate of the By-law’s adoption. Much more information aboutthe new By-law can be found in the article, “How Land UsePlanning Law Affects Your Transaction”, posted on ourwebsite, at http://www.airdberlis.com/Templates/Articles/ArticleEdit.aspx?ArticleID=602&page=14.

TOM HALINSKI AND AJEET GROVER AREARTICLING STUDENTS AT AIRD & BERLIS LLP



G T A A

The EMS 9000 System

The EMS 9000 is a general energy management systemdesigned to provide remote control over heating and

other systems to improve functionality, reduce operator timerequirement and to maintain your heating temperatures atthe lowest cost and highest efficiency.

The EMS 9000 is built on industrial grade programmablelogic controllers (PLC) and provided robust, self recoveringcontrol and various types of remote access and centralizedcontrol, data logging and display. The PLC is expandable andcan control multiple systems such as the main heating loop,the domestic hot water loop, as well as ventilation systems, etc.

The EMS 9000 system, for example, can be used in a domestichot water system to reduce the energy required to producethe hot water. By monitoring the temperature of therecirculating loop and diverting the water flow to bypass the boiler, water temperature is regulated by user demand.Temperature parameters and peak user hours are programmedinto the system based on monitoring data and regulatedaccordingly. Energy loss is therefore substantially reduced.Documented energy savings in monitored commercialdwellings range as high as 20% annually or more, as well ascontrol and monitoring consumption of all other boilers andHVAC systems, on site and remotely.

THE BENEFITS The EMS 9000 System will:• Substantially reduce your energy consumption and

heating costs;• Reduce related (electrical) energy costs;• Increase resident comfort;• Reduce crisis management;• Increase the operation life of your heating system;• Reduce water pipe scaling;• Reduce heater run time;• Save property managers time;• Save property owners money;• Give you worry free performance;• Enhance your clean air commitment• Centralized data warehouse • Remote access to controls and adjustments including

mobile phone access from anywhere;• Local/remote alarm in case of system failure;• Monitor all system run-time in real time;

RESULTSThe EMS 9000 System has been extensively field tested sinceNovember 2009 in both an eight boiler hot water heatingsystem and a three boiler domestic hot water system in a 16-story residential building.



APPLIANCES/LAUNDRYAppliance Canada905-660-2424John [email protected] Leasing Co. Ltd. 905-890-1220Rob [email protected] Northern Appliance416-638-7311Michael [email protected] Solutions Corp905-660-2282Paul [email protected]

BUILDING SUPPLIES/SERVICES310-DUMPRosalie [email protected] Supply416-412-7278Larry [email protected]

Atlas Overhead Doors Inc416-623-1198David [email protected] Canada905-669-0288Bill [email protected] Recycling416-815-1330Chris [email protected] Landscape Construction Ltd.905-790-3462Rick [email protected]. Painting Limited416-346-2194Darrell [email protected] & G General Supply905-669-9556Joe [email protected]

Goodbye Graffitti416-421-9008Brent [email protected] Services IncJoyce [email protected] Parts Group416-233-4222Douglas [email protected] (Canada)905-294-9340David [email protected]. McBride & Sons Ltd.416-431-7770John [email protected] 101 First Aid & CPR Inc.416-538-5900Chris [email protected]

Lighting Solutions416-493-2977Chantal [email protected] Rider Sweeping IncMark D’[email protected] Pest Control Inc.416-665-7378Mark [email protected] Contracting & Cleaning905-841-7801Mark [email protected] Painting & Decorating Inc.905-625-9153John [email protected] Services Inc.416-502-9700Lorie [email protected]

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY

APPLIANCES/LAUNDRYCoinamatic905-755-1946Rod [email protected]

Phelps Apt. Laundries Limited1-866-557-5599Leah [email protected]

BUILDING SUPPLIES/SERVICESACE Painting416-285-5388Frank [email protected]

Arctic Painting Limited905-787-1222Steve Manikis

H & S Building Supplies Ltd.905-738-6003Mukesh [email protected]

H D Supply905-669-0525Basil [email protected]

Metro Compactor Service416-743-8484Doug [email protected]

Waste Solutions Group416-744-9183Jason [email protected]

CONSTRUCTION/REPAIR/EMERGENCY SERVICESR.F. Porter Plastering905-940-4131Mark [email protected]

The Byng Group905-660-5454Frank [email protected]

FIRE SAFETY/SECURITY/PARKINGCom-Plex Systems Limited905-212-1474Jack [email protected]

HVAC/MECHANICAL/PLUMBING/ELECTRICAL/ELEVATORSCertified Group of Companies905-602-1555Les [email protected]

PROFESSIONAL/LEGAL SERVICES/ENGINEERINGHalsall Associates416-487-5256Naj [email protected]

Renters Guide416-784-3311Anne Marie [email protected]

Yardi Systems Inc.905-671-0315Peter [email protected]

REAL ESTATE/MORTGAGES/BANKING/INSURANCEFirst National Financial Corporation416-593-2913Peter [email protected]

UTILITIES/COMMUNICATIONSEnergy Network Services Inc.905-763-2946Krishan [email protected]

Rogers Cable Systems416-446-7014Greg [email protected]

Stratacon Inc.905-695-2178Tom [email protected]

MILLENNIUM MEMBERS

The Greater Toronto Apartment Association is very proud of the hundreds ofsupplier and contractor members of the association. Members are encouraged tochoose an association member FIRST for all of your needs.


Rona Inc647-519-6893Michael Andrew [email protected] Building Products Inc905-761-7693Ty Azzolin [email protected] Recycling Corp.647-215-4592Nancy Moran [email protected] Industries Ltd905-841-3946Latica Hyatt [email protected] Building Solutions905-670-2600Jennie Boodoo [email protected] Pool, Spa and Leisure Limited416-665-0410Howie Kirshenbaum [email protected] BBQ Gourmet Food Company416-783-7257Scott Danyshyn [email protected] Marble Clinic416-452-3726Ron [email protected] Can Waste Management Inc416-896-7042Liborio Gurreri [email protected] Vending Co.416-635-8826David Star [email protected] Ltd.647-258-3284Wendy McDougall [email protected] Free Janitorial Service Inc416-541-0156Gabriel Sebhatu [email protected] Sheet Metal Limited905-850-3500Vince [email protected]

CONSTRUCTION/REPAIR/EMERGENCY SERVICESCanam Building EnvelopeSpecialists Inc.905-890-5866Jim [email protected] Ltd1-877-673-8221Robert [email protected]

Conterra Restoration Ltd.905-848-2992Tony Crisostimo [email protected] Building Restoration Limtied416-285-7788Demetre Canavas [email protected] Roofing & Contractors Ltd.416-743-1908Howard Glowinsky Multi-Tech Contracting 2000 Inc416-990-4412Carlos Lopes [email protected] Construction Design905-625-9153John [email protected] Evans Group Ltd.905-337-0199Chris [email protected] Inc.905-274-9887Ron [email protected] Services Inc.905-567-7474Bob [email protected] Building Restoration Ltd.416-747-5329Joe [email protected]. Renovation Inc.416-807-0630Alex BakreskiThe Restorers Group Inc905-770-1323Dale [email protected] Building Solutions416-845-8375Sean [email protected]

FIRE SAFETY/SECURITY/PARKINGIdeal Fire Protection Inc.416-739-9001Sam [email protected] Alarms Limited905-738-6180Peter [email protected] Parklink Inc.416-398-4052John [email protected] Fire Equipment416-233-3934Rob [email protected]

HVAC/MECHANICAL/PLUMBING/ELECTRICAL/ELEVATORSAttard Plumbing Ltd416-881-7473Richard [email protected] Plus Mechanical416-991-3710Ray [email protected] Team Service Corp416-747-1000Ola [email protected] Mechanical Ltd416-421-2111Adrian [email protected] Mechanical Ltd.416-749-2200Gerald [email protected] Elevator905-828-4423Ruth [email protected] Plumbing & Heating Supply416-231-1555Ted [email protected] Co.905-625-4600Vlad [email protected] Industries Inc.416-491-1544Mike [email protected] Plumbing & Heating Limited416-247-7100Tony BaldassarraGlobal Point Energy Inc705-791-3521Norm [email protected]. Plumbing & Heating Ltd.416-398-1615Kelli [email protected] Ltd.905-729-4380Hugues de [email protected] Elevator Consulting Limited416-777-0660Michael [email protected] Mechanical Services Limited905-761-9101Amedeo [email protected] Elevator Corporation416-332-9081Karen [email protected]

Sean Caffrey Contracting Inc905-827-8876Sean [email protected] Krupp Elevator416-496-6000Robert [email protected] Electric416-730-1295Sharon RiberdyTrident Elevator Company Ltd.416-724-2228Allan HopkirkWatershed Technologies Inc416-538-7940Doug [email protected] Canada Inc416-251-1772Bruce [email protected]

PROFESSIONAL/LEGAL SERVICES/ENGINEERINGAird & Berlis416-865-3060Robert [email protected] Inc.416-998-8367Cosimo [email protected] Engineering905-795-9997Paul [email protected] Investment Management416-674-4190Steven [email protected] Hoy & Associates905-854-1585Bonnie [email protected]. Engineering Limited416-741-2222Frank [email protected] Highley519-672-9330Joseph [email protected] Control905-856-5200John [email protected] [email protected] & Associates905-792-7792Rocco [email protected]



Debra Fine, LLB905-889-4860Debra [email protected] Professional Corp905-940-8223Al [email protected] Business Communications Canada905-948-0470Duane [email protected] and Associates Professional Corp519-725-3566George [email protected] Engineering Inc.519-624-9965Scott [email protected] Kellar416-410-4181Neil [email protected] Projects416-921-0900Derrick [email protected] Inc.905-509-9106Kevin TysiakGenivar905-475-5994Peter [email protected] [email protected] Lafleur Henderson LLP416-862-7525David [email protected]. Power and Associates416-499-3033Marc [email protected] Paralegal Services416-464-4152Jeff [email protected] Engineering Ltd416-201-9109James [email protected] Environmental Inc905-602-4376Monica [email protected]

Metro Toronto416-486-9400Jason [email protected] Group1 866 286 7787Jay [email protected] Hershfield Limited416-499-3110Paul [email protected] Buzz647-402-3236Steve [email protected] Media Group416-646-7867Janice [email protected] Measuring905-271-4468Michael [email protected] Check Credit Bureau416-365-7060John [email protected] Magic Software416-238-7989Yisrael [email protected] Ready705-792-1116Tammy [email protected] Classified1-888-532-2594Karin [email protected] Richter LLP416-932-6243Alex [email protected] Erenberg & Associates416-256-5868Sheryl [email protected] Property Consultants Ltd.416-922-7897Heather [email protected] Brisbin Humphrey416-862-1616Landon [email protected] Canada Inc416-875-8904Vlad S. [email protected]

The SPG Engineering Group905-338-6662Pat [email protected] Star416-869-4501Brian [email protected] Associates Inc.519-745-4676Rod [email protected] [email protected]

REAL ESTATE/MORTGAGES/BANKING/INSURANCEBrokers Trust Insurance Group Inc.905-695-5159Joseph [email protected] Mortgage & HousingCorporation416-250-2731Paula [email protected] Richard Ellis Limited416-362-2244David [email protected] Insurance Brokers416-631-3419Paul [email protected] Mortgage Capital Corp416-646-1005Jen [email protected] [email protected] Financial Group416-494-7700Eamonn [email protected] Canada TrustDavid [email protected] Payment Systems Inc604-687-3520Tom [email protected]

UTILITIES/COMMUNICATIONSAction Roofing / 1406817 Ontario Inc416-607-5528Robert [email protected]

Blackstone Energy416-996-0776Pete [email protected] Rite Rate Energy416-972-1400Steven [email protected] Industries1-888-298-3336Shannon [email protected] Cable Canada LP800-565-0273Elaine [email protected] Consumers Gas416-753-4663Rachit [email protected] Electric ConnectionsKeith [email protected] Agency Services905-813-9333Brian [email protected] Group of Companies416-887-5349Christopher [email protected] Billing Solutions Inc.905-837-8548Andrew [email protected] Hydro - Electric System416-542-3100Leo [email protected]


PLEASE CONTACT SAMANTHA WILKINSON AT [email protected] FOR ANY CHANGES OR ADJUSTMENTS TO YOUR LISTING IN THIS DIRECTORY

BB_Vol.9#2_October10_44.qxd:BB_Vol.9#1_August10 10/14/10 12:13 PM Page 38


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BB Vol.9#2 October10 44.qxd:BB Vol.9#1 August10 Help Drive More Revenues For Our Clients As the leading provider of SmartCity® smart card-activated and coin vended laundry equipment