Saturday, February 24, 2024
Friday, February 23, 2024
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Toronto: 1 killed, 1 injured in separate Jane and Driftwood shootings likely related
Two brazen shootings in the same North York area that left one person dead and another with serious injuries less than 24 hours apart is believed to be related.
Toronto Police say, just after 3 p.m. on Saturday, officers responded to a call for a shooting in the Jane St. and Driftwood Ave. area.
Cops say a man was located with gunshot wounds and life-saving measures were performed.
The victim was transported to hospital but died a short time later. He has not been identified.
On Friday at approximately 6 p.m., officers responded to a call for a shooting in the same area.
A victim was located with a gunshot wound and was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police say the suspect or suspects fled the scene in a stolen black Acura RDX, licence plate CVEN 900. No descriptions of the suspects were immediately available.
Police are appealing to the public for any information about the suspects or vehicle.
Cops advise the public if the vehicle is seen to not approach it and call 911.
Police are also asking people in the Jane St. and Driftwood Ave. area to be vigilant and to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or online at 222tips.com.
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Toronto black man wanted for East York attack
Investigators are trying to identify a man who allegedly struck someone with a piece of wood after tying to hit them with a rock.
Toronto Police have released an image of a suspect, who’s 18 or 19 years old, about 5-foot-9 and has a slim build.
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Officers responded to what was initially reported as a stabbing in the area of Oak Park and Wallington Aves. – near Woodbine and Lumsden Aves. – just after 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 29.
Police alleged an assailant, who had a small white terrier, became embroiled in a “verbal altercation” before the attack. He took off, leaving the victim with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
Police urged anyone with information to call 416-808-5500.
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Jahmore Azziz Walker-White, 31, of Toronto, faces sex assault charges near Yonge and Eglinton
Toronto Police have arrested a man who was on probation in a series of alleged midtown sex assaults.
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Between Jan. 14 and Feb. 11, police received several calls for sexual assaults in the Yonge St. and Eglinton Ave. area.
According to cops, a man would approach women walking by and then sexually assault them.
Three women have come forward, and police say one reported she was sexually assaulted by the same man on two separate days.
Jahmore Azziz Walker-White, 31, of Toronto, has been charged with five counts of sexual assault, five counts of fail to comply with probation, and criminal harassment.
Police did not say in their release what charge Walker-White was on probation for, but in March 2022, the Toronto Sun reported he had been charged with two counts of sex assault for incidents near High Park Station and in July 2022, the Sun reported he was charged with the alleged sex assault of a woman near Yonge and Merton Sts. in Davisville.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or 222tips.com.
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Two Toronto black men sought for alleged assault, robbery attempt on TTC bus
Two men are sought for allegedly assaulting a person on a TTC bus and trying to steal his cellphone last month.
And Toronto Police are seeking the public’s help to identify two suspects.
Police say, on Jan. 31 at approximately 1 a.m., officers responded to a call for a robbery in the Steeles Ave. E. and Don Mills Rd. area.
Cops report that two men followed the victim onto a TTC bus, approached him and assaulted him.
The assailants also attempted to steal the victim’s cellphone, cops allege.
The two men then exited the bus and fled the scene on foot.
The victim suffered minor injuries.
Investigators have now released images of two unidentified men believed to be suspects in the assault.
The first suspect is described as 25 to 30 years old, 6-foot-2, approximately 220 pounds with a stocky build. He was wearing a black hooded sweater, grey cargo pants, a black ski mask, tan-coloured boots, and carrying a black bag.
The second suspect is described as 5-foot-9, approximately 160 pounds with a medium build and “chin strap” facial hair. He was wearing a black “Moose Knuckle” jacket, black pants, black shoes, and carrying a brown paper shopping bag.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-3300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or online at 222tips.com.Please share this
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Toronto's real estate market roars back to life, ending short-lived buyers' market
Toronto's real estate market roars back to life, ending short-lived buyers' market.
New data released by Toronto's real estate board shows home sales surging in January by 37% compared to the same time last year and new listings up by 6.1%.
Toronto's real estate market has roared back to life, ending the short-lived buyers' market that followed a sluggish fall season that hit a multidecade low for sales.
Home sales were up in January by 37 per cent compared to the same time last year and new listings increased by 6.1 per cent, a Tuesday report from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) said.
The sales-to-new-listings ratio is now at 50 per cent, meaning the GTA is in a balanced market. (Anything below 40 per cent is considered a buyers’ market, below 40 a buyers' market and above 60 per cent a sellers' market.)
Toronto real estate starting to move away from a buyers' market
Toronto’s real estate market has been in a buyers’ market since September 2023, with the exception of December, which historically has few new listings.
"We had a positive start to 2024. The Bank of Canada expects the rate of inflation to recede as we move through the year. This would support lower interest rates, which would bolster homebuyers' confidence to move back into the market," said TRREB president Jennifer Pearce in the report.
Sales increased more than new listings since December, the report said, indicating that mark conditions are tight.
"There's an improvement on the demand," TRREB chief market analyst Jason Mercer told the Star. "We did see growth in new listings but not as much as sales. The improvement in sales though could prompt more new listings getting sellers into the market."
Once the Bank of Canada actually starts cutting its policy rate, likely in the second half of 2024, expect home sales to pick up even further, Mercer said.
"There will be more competition between buyers in 2024 as demand picks up and the supply of listings remains constrained. The end result will be upward pressure on selling prices over the next two years."
The average selling price in January 2024 was $1.02 million, slightly below January 2023’s $1.03 million, the report said.
Prices for detached, semi detached and townhomes increased year-over-year by 0.8 per cent, 1.08 per cent and 0.5 per cent, respectively, while condo prices dropped 0.6 per cent.
However sales increased for all property types with condos seeing a 41 per cent jump year-over-year, after it was knocked down in the second half of 2023 due to over-leveraged investors off-loading their units.
"The condo market is the entry point into home ownership for first-time homebuyers," Mercer said. "We've seen strong increases in average rents over the last year, which could prompt more people to buy as the gap between rents and mortgage costs narrow. And that will free more rental units, which isn't a bad thing."
While January sales are still below the 10-year average, he said, activity will continue to increase month over month until the spring market.
"We'll see more sellers enter the market aiding in new listings but we still don't have enough housing to meet demand," Mercer said. "It will result in very tight market conditions as the Bank of Canada cuts rates."Please share this
Toronto home sales surge almost 40%, but prices slip for eighth month in a row
Toronto’s benchmark home price declined for the eighth consecutive month in January, but a surge in home sales from a year ago left the region’s real estate board warning that prices might not stay down for long.
Overall, 4,223 sales were reported through the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board‘s MLS system for the month, a 37 per cent increase from January 2023. The benchmark home price slipped less than one per cent month-over-month to $1,065,800, continuing a downward trend that began in June 2023, when the benchmark was $1,171,300.
TRREB hailed the figures, released Feb. 6, as a “positive start” to the year, noting that the decline in home prices might not persist for long.
“The resulting tighter market conditions when compared to the same period a year earlier, potentially points toward renewed price growth as we move into the spring market,” the board said in a press release.
The number of new listings also experienced a year-over-year increase, though at a more modest rate of approximately six per cent.
TRREB’s chief market analyst, Jason Mercer, anticipates the scarcity of housing supply will persist over the next few years.
“Once the Bank of Canada actually starts cutting its policy rate, likely in the second half of 2024, expect home sales to pick up even further,” Mercer said in the report. “There will be more competition between buyers in 2024 as demand picks up and the supply of listings remains constrained –– the end result will be upward pressure on selling prices over the next two years.”
TRREB’s CEO, John DiMichele, said that while lowering borrowing costs will be a positive factor, it represents just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving housing market conditions.
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“At the federal level, more reflection on the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institution (OSFI) mortgage stress test is required, especially to its application at different points in the interest rate cycle,” DiMichele said in the report.
DiMichele said that Ontario’s key priority should be the construction of 1.5 million new homes, but expressed concern at Toronto’s efforts to raise property taxes, a move he said would not effectively tackle the city’s structural deficit.
The board, which serves over 69,495 real estate brokers and salespersons across the Greater Toronto Area, reported the largest benchmark price increases were recorded in Caledon at 3.02 per cent, East Gwillimbury at 2.62 per cent and Bradford at 2.58 per cent.
Meanwhile, the largest benchmark price declines were recorded in Innisfil, Scugog and Oakville at 4.66 per cent, 3.97 per cent and 2.78 per cent, respectively.
The lowest benchmark home price was found in Innisfil at $767,400 in January.Please share this
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