Mike Montague

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 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

The County of Simcoe's Social Housing Department is taking part in the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program's (AHP) Homeownership Program as a way of providing down payment assistance to moderate income individuals and families giving them the opportunity to move from rental accommodation to homeownership.

The AHP has committed $1.026 million to the County of Simcoe.

The Homeownership component of the AHP provides up to 5 per cent in down-payment assistance to 118 households to aid them in purchasing a new house at or below $208,000.

To see if you qualify and to obtain an online application form click the link below:

Affordable Housing - Homeownership Loan

Congratulations to the 27 employees of Powco Inc. in Barrie and their families who made the drive on a school bus to Toronto on Thursday to each collect their $925,925 share of last Wednesdays 25 million dollar 649 prize!!!

Nice to see that many local families get a whole new perspective on finances over night.

Canada is not linked to US real estate market troubles Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) January 2008

The melt-down of the U.S. real estate market has left many homebuyers wondering if and how it may affect the housing market in Canada. But market analysts say the problems in the U.S. will have little impact on Canadian real estate.

For example, according to a recent House Price Survey report released by Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Canada's resale housing market remained on solid ground during the third quarter as high consumer confidence, strong employment rates and stable interest rates led to robust buyer demand and a rise in house prices. “Much like the Canadian dollar, the Canadian housing market is charting its own course, quite independent from the United States and its currency and housing climate,” said Phil Soper, president and chief executive, Royal LePage Real Estate Services. “The strength of the Canadian dollar, and the fact that the country is adjusting well to its value, will continue to keep interest rates at their existing low-to-moderate levels, boding well for buyers looking to enter the market.”

Statistics Canada also recently reported that the home ownership rate stands at its highest on record. “With the combination of the cost of borrowing money remaining relatively low, the availability of longer mortgage amortization periods, and the fact that Canada's population continues to grow, it is no surprise that more and more people are entering the real estate market,” the report states.

Fundamental differences
The Emerging Trends in Real Estate Report 2008, recently released by U.S.-based Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers, suggests the real estate market will remain upbeat in Canada over the coming year. The report is based on interviews with real estate executives in both Canada and the U.S. Some of the reasons why Canada is not expected to experience the same downturn as the U.S. in its real estate markets according to the report include:

No sub-prime lending market
Finally, another big difference between the U.S. and Canada has to do with mortgage loans. Unlike the U.S., the Canadian housing market has not been artificially driven by bad lending practices. In the U.S. lenders with liquid assets or investment money were making loans to almost anyone who asked. When U.S. housing prices started to slide and interest rates began to rise, many borrowers ended up in trouble and defaulted which in turn, initiated the credit crunch. However, by June 2007, only 5 per cent of mortgages in Canada were sub-prime as compared to more than 21 per cent of U.S. mortgages. As well, all mortgages in Canada are insured which is not the case in the U.S.