:: Barrie Student Banished for sporting Blue Hair ::

The hope when we send our children to school is that along with academic knowledge they will pick up some vital lessons to prepare them for adult life.

The lessons learned this past week by the students of St. Catherine of Siena School in Barrie could be that political correctness supersedes expression of community or team passion and pride and that you can justify any action, how ever far reaching, so long as you attempt to affiliate peoples worst fears with it, (just ask George W. Bush about that) Thirteen year old Adam Zussino who showed up for class last week with his hair dyed blue as his expression of support for his Barrie Colts PeeWee A Hockey team in their playoff efforts learned quickly that attempting to stand apart from the masses, regardless of how noble your intentions, is often a road paved with resistance from those who are unable to understand or appreciate your enthusiasm.

A 13 year old boy joining a gang and turning to a life of crime as a result of dying his hair blue for his local hockey team seems like a very big stretch of logic, but that was exactly the fear association that justified the orders to him by his school not to return until his hair look like the rest of the students once again. I am reminded of a quote by Nietzsche: "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music". Ironically, once the warmer weather returns, support will likely be granted by many of our schools to hold fund raisers in which swarms of students take over busy intersections to promote student car washes. I have more concern for those unsupervised students being hit by cars than of Adam Zussino leaving school and quitting organized hockey to join with the homeys in the hood.

The fears that the school board is expressing and want us all to embrace is that gangs often have unique hair styles therefore any child with a unique hairdo such as Adam’s could encourage gang activity in the schools. Maybe I just don’t get out enough but the only time I see Blue haired gangs in the Barrie area is around 4:30 in the afternoon at Swiss Chalet or enjoying the early bird special at Golden Griddle.

The school board and this principal have yet to retract their position, however, given the media attention on TV, by Don Cherry and in many Ontario news papers, the lesson they may demonstrate to our impressionable students in the coming week might be; it is ok to reverse your position on something if you think there is even a slight chance to save face with the people of your community.See stories in Toronto Sun >>

Don Cherry's reaction Saturday's story

:: Revolutionary new device saves on home Energy ::

Being, or at least appearing to be environmentally conscious has taken hold in Canada and the US. It is inevitable that once you have a mindset shared by a significant number of people, politicians begin to take notice and of course being the capitalist society that we are, so does the business community. An entire industry is emerging, catering to the growing masses who are more likely to hug than cut down the hundred foot Oak leaning precariously over the kids bedrooms.

I am all for any efforts that result in the reduction of damage we are doing to the planet though I am often frustrated by the approaches and attitudes taken by many who purport themselves to be the new caretakers of mother earth.

The glass half full result of high gas prices is increased demand for more energy efficient and alternate sources of transportation. My car gets good gas mileage. I am not ready to stuff my 6'4" carcass in to a smart car that looks like it came from a Kinder egg but I am making efforts in other areas.

The energy efficient fluorescents light bulb will soon completely replace the incandescent bulb. I am just waiting for environmentalists or someone in a position of power to come to the realization that "hey, fluorescent bulbs contain mercury." That mercury turns to carcinogenic dust for us to breath when we break one on the kitchen floor and at some point millions upon millions of them will be spent and making their way into our landfill. I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

I have wandered here. What I really wanted to do in this post was point out that in one hour a typical clothes dryer will negate the energy savings gained from using 20 energy/flourescent bulbs 24/7 for an entire month. One of the best energy efficient devices man invented hundreds of years ago and it has been cast aside for the sake of perceived style. The clothes line.

Many residential areas have restrictive covenants banning the use of clothes lines. These were put in place back in the day when people were more concerned with seeing Mrs. Jones bloomers on the line than they were with pollution or energy prices. Most of these rulings are still on the books today though most people are unaware.

Some might respond here by saying "I'm not hanging my clothes out in that dirty air". Guess what?, that air is cleaner now than it was 60 years ago when most of us were burning leaded fuel and many were burning their garbage and heating their homes with coal and oil. The bigger difference today is our pollution covers a much greater portion of the planet, including the polar regions.

What is wrong with using a clothes line? It has a Norman Rockwell kind of aura to it and if millions of Americans and Canadians were to use one for at least part of the year, think of the savings to our pockets and to our environment.

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:: Barrie Town Houses - A good first step ::

It makes good financial sense for first time buyers to consider a town home as the first home they own.

As average home prices in Ontario increase the percentage of first time home buyers who financially qualify to purchase a detached home in good liveable condition decreases leaving townhouses and condos as the feasible option for those who want to enter into home ownership.

On the plus side, a townhouse typically requires less maintenance cost and effort, less energy to run and taxes take a smaller chunk out of the wallet than a detached home of equal square footage. Be prepared to lay out a minimum of $50,000 more for a detached home as well.

Homes above the $300,000 mark in the current Barrie market are taking longer to sell and owners are experiencing a growing discrepancy between list price, and the eventual sale price. Townhouses on the other hand are continuing to increase in value and in demand.

Town home values should continue along this trend for some time and it’s a safe bet that a town home purchased in Barrie today will witness higher percentage value increases in each of the next few years than homes in the higher end of the price range in Barrie.

That equity gain puts you in better stead with lenders down the road when the time is right to trade up to a bigger home. Realizing the dream of being able to own and comfortably carry the perfect home is a more likely possibility for those who recognize the steps to get there.

Many who skip those steps find the dream short lived when they have left themselves no financial buffer zone to ride out economic fluctuation. The first step is to get into the market today at a price that doesn't put you in a financial strait jacket and let that investment move you closer to the home you really see yourself in.

Barrie has a large assortment of townhouse developments dispersed throughout town.

If you want to learn more about Barrie Town homes and or receive updates on townhouses for sale in Barrie, give me a call I’d be glad to help you out.

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:: Barrie vs. Toronto ::

Barrie, a city of just over 125000 people situated around a clean swim-able bay just under 60 minutes north of Toronto and within 20 minutes of dozens of golf courses, ski hills and parks has long been a popular lifestyle alternative for Toronto residents who wish to escape the smog, crime and congestion that is part and parcel with a metropolis of over 3 million people. It comes at a price though, an affordable price.

Have a look at these pictures of listings in Barrie available for sale on this day and priced between $200k and $210k. When you're done, click on the link to a story in the Toronto Star a friend emailed to me from his 18th floor perch overlooking the concrete and flashing lights of Hog Town this morning.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/194213

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:: Barrie News -Barrie one of two best investment regions in Canada ::

More and more experts point to the Barrie area as being a region of Canada most likely to see a prosperous future ahead of it. Here are some stories I read this week in the news that support this prediction.

:: Ontario is best place to invest
Rakshande Italia, National Post
Published: Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Even as Alberta leads Canada's growth, analysts predict that Ontario is the place for long-term investment, with its up-and-coming cities predicted to break real estate records.
"If I were to invest in the country, I'd say Barrie and the Kitchener- Waterloo region would be my two top choices," said Don R. Campbell, president of the Real Estate Investment Network and author of several books.
Mr. Campbell, who has studied Canadian markets for 15 years, said, "There is a short term slowdown in the [Ontario] economy but the fundamentals are strong and investors should invest today so they can benefit from good returns in 2008." click to continue


:: Families flock ever faster to vital cities on the edge
DAWN WALTON , RACHEL DE LAZZER and JAMES RUSK
Click to continue


:: Growth figures released by nation's number crunchers
Author: Julie DeBruin
Date: Mar 13, 2007

Barrie still has what it takes to bring in new residents, lots of them.
In fact, according to the latest Statistics Canada numbers released Tuesday, the city and its immediate surrounding area are the fastest growing click to continue


:: Canadian census sees cities surging
TENILLE BONOGUORE
Globe and Mail Update

Canadians are officially city folk, with four out of five people living in urban centres.
The first data from the 2006 Census puts Canada's national population at 31.6 million, a rise of 5.4 per cent since the 2001 census.
And most people are living in a metropolis. click to continue

:: Barrie Mayor Dave Aspden calls for Action ::

The Inter-Governmental Action Plan (IGAP) is a study developed by a think tank formed in 2004 and made up of municipal and regional representatives from within Simcoe County along with representatives from the Province.

This group was set up to study and develop a growth/action plan for the area that will best accomodate the inevitable urban growth the region will see over the coming years. Consideration for density management, infrastructure requirements and ecological impact are the cornerstones of the study.

As far as Barrie Mayor Dave Aspden is concerned, enough study has been done and what is needed now is action. He believes that conclusions have been drawn and any further study will only rehash that which we know and at further expense to the taxpayers.

Mayor Aspen agrees with many of the conclusions and recommendations of the IGAP study but not the idea of a two tier governing system between the City of Barrie and the County as recommended by the study.

In a release from City Hall Mayor Aspden said, “The City of Barrie strongly believes that the time to act on the IGAP recommendations is now. We support the principle of long-range land use and infrastructure planning for the region but reject any further consideration of two-tier service delivery involving the City. We do not support more government, additional taxation, and red tape. As a separated City, Barrie operates the most efficient and effective type of government for our residents.”

Barrie currently has the physical space to accommodate another 45,000 residents but the IGAP research forecasts the need to accommodate a further seventy thousand beyond that by the year 2031. Additional land resources will be needed to meet these numbers not just for residential growth but to provide economic opportunity to support the increased population.

Attracting and implementing opportunities for existing commercial and industrial lands are concerns for present day Barrie. Hopefully action is what we do in fact see from Mayor Aspden and his council in the coming months.
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:: Barrie man's crusade to find fairness in the Oil Industry ::

The big oil companies once again have us by the, well they have us where they like to have us.

Between a Rail Strike by CN and a fire February 15th at a crude processing unit of Imperial Oil's refinery in Nanticoke, Ont., we in Ontario and parts elsewhere are finding pump prices precariously close to the buck a litre mark despite drops in international oil prices.

Imperial oil has closed its stations. Other stations dependent on Imperial for supply have closed up this week as well. The remaining companies have pushed up their prices at the pump as a result. One spokesperson for the major oil retailers in Ontario stated yesterday. "By raising the pump price we are serving the publics best interests during this time of shortage. Higher prices will insure the limited supplies last longer than they would if prices remained consistent"

Logic we can all appreciate and benefit by. I can only imagine what might happen if I overpriced my listings by 40% to insure I don't run out of properties to offer for sale this year.

Bob Taylor who has called Barrie home for about a year now has brokered his own crusade and wants us all to take notice and take action. Specifically he is fumed at the difference between Toronto gas prices and the higher Barrie gas prices that drop down again as you head north from Barrie. You have to admire his willingness to do more than just mutter under his breath while taking it on the chin. Have a look at his web page. If only half as many Canadians as watched American Idle this week take up the challenge he puts forth on his website it will be interesting to see what could unfold. Click to view

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:: Second Suites in Barrie Homes ::

Second suites in homes are nothing new. For those with the space, creating a basement apartment can be a sound approach to making home ownership more manageable. Qualified home buyers often consider homes of a higher caliber and price than they might otherwise be comfortable looking at once they factor in the financial returns possible from renting out a second suite.

The most recent statistics from the City of Barrie showed the number of "two unit" houses in Barrie at around 1500. These are two year old stats so that figure has no doubt grown. Of those suites known to exist by the City, only about 10% are registered. Of those that have applied for legal status roughly one in two applicants are successful in registering on first try according to the report.

Of those that don’t meet qualifications, most need some level of upgrading. The more commonly sited deficiencies are; missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, blocked means of egress, inadequate windows for light and ventilation, substandard heating plumbing and electrical and poor or deteriorated quality of the building (stairs, railings floors etc.)

The City of Barrie recognizes its growing demand for rental accommodation as well as the fact that second suites in residential homes is a viable means of addressing that need. At the same time the City of Barrie cannot compromise on health and safety standards by turning a blind eye to existing or future unregistered apartments.

The first thing to learn if you are considering a second suite is whether zoning for your area permits two-unit houses. Next is to know what is required for second suite to be deemed compliant. The library, the internet and a call to your City Councilor should provide you with the facts. You want to look for a copy of the Ontario building code, the Ontario Fire Code (re: two unit houses) and the Property Standards by-law. These will contain much of the information you need to create a compliant second suite.

There is a fee for application and registration that increases if a unit requires re-inspections due to failure to comply on previous inspections.

Only you and your family will know if the efforts and initial costs are justified in the return you will get.

A family with two small children purchased their first home through me four years ago. It was only by chance that one home we visited in our house hunting contained a second suite. After an evening with the calculator making projections they reevaluated their needs and came back to me with the decision to buy the home with the second suite. They created a savings account specifically for the incoming monthly rent cheques and allowed that income to accumulated into a healthy down payment that this spring they put on a new home, their dream home that four years earlier was out of reach.

They then made the decision to keep the first home and now rent out the upstairs as well as the basement suite. The incoming rent covers the mortgage and taxes and provides a three hundred dollar monthly surplus that they intend to use for a five star family vacation each year. The home has appreciated about $70,000 over four years and in addition to accumulating paid down principal they are hopeful it will gain at least another $100,000 in resale value by the time their two daughters are ready to start university.

By thinking long term, their decision to sacrifice the use of a basement four years ago has changed the direction and quality of their lives. Instant gratification often guides our decisions when shopping for a home but by tempering it with some financial foresight often you can move the bigger dreams within your reach.

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:: January Real Estate Stats show promise for a good year in Barrie

MLS® sales in the region served by the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS® increased this January compared to both the previous month and the same month last year.
Click to continue

:: Barrie Events Centre Sold to Developer ::

I remembered as a kid going to the Barrie fair and trading money earned from cutting lawns over the summer holidays for corndogs, candy floss and hurling rides on the rock-o-plane. Later as a teenager going with a friend and his dad to the Barrie Raceway and placing my first bet on the horses. The Raceway buildings are now known (at least for a short while longer) as the Barrie Events Centre.

The Barrie Agricultural Society (BAS), owners of this large triangle of land at Essa rd. and the 400 highway going back to when Barrie was a small rural community have just sold the property for a tidy sum of 33 million dollars, a benchmark price per acre for land anywhere in Barrie. The property was purchased by Toronto-based real estate investment firm, Osmington Inc.

How will this land likely serve Barrie in the future? No doubt as a bloated retail developement that will compete for business with retailers in the Bayfield Street shopping district, the Mapleview Shopping district, the soon to be developed Park Place retail district and the Dunlop Street/down town shopping district that already finds itself challenged to attract and keep business by road construction mayhem and the rerouting of downtown traffic that is frustrating many.

City Hall planners better be on the stick in putting the plans together to see that this already busy and crucial traffic area does not become another traffic boondoggle for Barrie.

The Barrie Agricultural Society has plans underway to build new facilities in Innisfil, south along Veterans drive. I have no doubt they will do it up right and that the new facilities will rival the old. That project will cost roughly half what the Barrie location has sold for to develop according to Paul Timpano, BAS President.

It will be interesting to see if the well-to-do BAS comes up with some additional plans for within Barrie. That would be seen as a show of gratitude to all of us who contributed to their existence with our allowances and summer jobs over the past few decades.

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:: Don't lose your home to fraud ::

The RESTORE THE DEED ACT brought forward at Queens Park by MPP Joe Tascona will safeguard rightful ownership of real property and limit access to vital property and mortgage documents to those licenced to have access, thus eliminating opportunities to commit title fraud and mortgage theft. In addition it will create a fund for those who become victims of this fraud prior to the enactment of the Act.

The current Bill 152 proposed by Premier McGuinty as a save face/quick response to recent concern and media attention to the problem of Title and Mortgage fraud falls far short of what we need to protect the ownership of our property in Ontario.

You should be receiving a petition from MPP Joe Tascona in your mail that can be sent postage paid to show your government we expect serious action be taken. Sign it and drop it in the mail if you have any concern for protecting what is likely your most valuable asset. www.joetasconampp.com

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:: New Mayor for Barrie ::

Congratulations to Dave Aspden on his election as new Mayor of Barrie, replacing incumbent Mayor Rob Hamilton. Something tells me Dave's black and white campaign signs were symbolic of the type of leadership we can expect from him.
The task ahead already has its share of issues and will no doubt reveal some new challenges to be met as Barrie continues to grow and the need for more quality employment grows along with it.
Here's hoping we see a healthy balance of maintaining the city we love and continued growth that is well planned and implemented.

:: Clear the Tracks ::

QUEEN'S PARK -- The Ontario government and the City of Barrie have successfully finalized an agreement that will bring GO train service to the City of Barrie, Ontario Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield and City of Barrie Mayor Robert Hamilton announced today.

An agreement has been finalized to secure the lands and rail corridor needed for GO Transit rail service to the City of Barrie. Up to four GO trains are expected to serve Barrie by late 2007. "Since 2003, the McGuinty government has committed approximately $1.6 billion for GO Transit," Cansfield said. "It's time that residents from the City of Barrie get the service they deserve. Expanding GO Transit rail service gives residents better access to public transit and reduces highway congestion."

"Barrie City Council is pleased to have reached an agreement that brings GO train service back to our community," comments Mayor Rob Hamilton. "Council identified extending GO train service as one of our top ten priorities, and this joint financial partnership is a key element in positioning Barrie as we move into the future and build a complete community." "We look forward to working with the City of Barrie to improve transportation for one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Ontario,"

GO Transit Chairman Peter Smith said. "Extending the GO train to Barrie will enhance the GO bus service we already operate in that area." The expansion is part of the GO Transit Rail Improvement Program (GO TRIP), a billion dollar expansion announced by the province in May 2004 and funded by Ontario and municipalities with a contribution from the federal government through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund. "Since 1995, GO Transit ridership has grown by 51 per cent to 47 million riders a year," said Cansfield. "Ridership is expected to double within the next 20 to 30 years and we're doing what has to be done now to make public transit work for commuters."

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