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465 CONESTOGO RD., WATERLOO • www.kwhonda.com • 519-746-7900om • 519-746-7900 For a limited time make hardwork easier with dependable power! LAWN & GARDEN EQUIPMENT FROM PLUS FREIGHT & P.D.I. HHT25SL INTRODUCING Honda Multi-Attachment System HondaHonda Multi-Attachmennt SystemmMulti-Attachmennt Systemm LAWN & GARDEN EQUIPMENT FROM PLUS FREIGHT Job seekers learn, develop and build their skills EMPLOYMENT SERVICES D'EMPLOI ∙ Youth Job Connection ∙ Youth Job Link ∙ Canada Ontario Job Grant ymcaemploymentservices.ca ONTARIO EMPLOYMENT ONTARIO EMPLOI CAMBRIDGE 258 Hespeler Rd., N1R 3H3 519-621-1621 x291 KITCHENER 800 King StreetWest, N2G 1E8 519-579-9622 x241 ymcacambridgekw.ca The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is undertaking a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) study for improvements to the Erb Street road corridor from Fischer-Hallman Road to Wilmot Line in the City of Waterloo. Improvements along Erb Street are being considered in order to improve roadway capacity to meet projected traffic growth and to improve active transportation facilities for pedestrians and cyclists along the corridor. This study is being conducted in accordance with the Environmental Assessment Act through the approved environmental planning process for Schedule "C" projects under the "Municipal Class Environmental Assessment", dated October 2000, as amended in 2015. Public Consultation Centre A Public Consultation Centre (informal 'drop-in' format) has been arranged to present project information to the public and receive public input and comments on the traffic and transportation needs and opportunities, alternatives for improvements, environmental impacts and evaluation criteria, and the Project Teams Preferred Alternative for this project. The Public Consultation Centre will take place as follows: Date: Thursday, May 4, 2017 Time: 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Place: Kitchener-Waterloo Bilingual School, 600 Erb Street West, Waterloo, Ontario Project information and plans will be available for review and Region staff will be present to answer questions and receive comments on this project. Anyone with an interest in this project is invited to attend and provide input for incorporation into the planning and design of this project. If you require further information on this project, or wish to be added to the project mailing list for future project notices, please contact either: NoTiCe of PubliC CoNsulTaTioN CeNTre erb sTreeT imProvemeNTs fisCher-hallmaN roaD To WilmoT liNe CiTy of WaTerloo muNiCiPal Class eNviroNmeNTal assessmeNT, sCheDule 'C' William Gilbert, P. Eng. Senior Project Manager Region of Waterloo 150 Frederick Street Kitchener, ON N2G 4J3 Telephone: 519-575-4603 Fax: 519-575-4430 Email: wgilbert@regionofwaterloo.ca Mark Christensen, P. Eng. Project Manager WalterFedy 675 Queen St. S., Suite 111 Kitchener, ON N2M 1A1 Telephone: 519-576-2150, Ext. 285 Fax: 519-576-5499 Email: mchristensen@walterfedy.com Accessibility: This event is accessible for people with disabilities. Accessible Parking is available. If you require assistance to attend or participate in this meeting, or to access information in alternative formats, please contact William Gilbert (as above) at least five days prior to the meeting. All comments and information received from individuals, stakeholder groups and agencies regarding this project are being collected to assist the Region of Waterloo in making a decision. Under the "Municipal Act", personal information (such as name, address, telephone number, and property location) that may be included in a submission becomes part of the public record. Questions regarding the collection of this information should be referred to William Gilbert at the Region of Waterloo. 20 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2017 BUSINESS By Ray Martin For the Chronicle As the provincial govern-ment prepared to intro-duce new measures designed to cool down Toron- to's overheated housing market, Tim Hudak, chief executive offi - cer of Ontario Real Estate Asso- ciation (OREA) was in Waterloo Region last week talking about why the market has become overheated and the ripple e� ect it's having on cities beyond the GTA. "There is no silver bullet to fix this," said Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa during Thursday's announcement of the new measures the province is taking to cool down the over- heated housing market. Hudak would agree. Speak- ing to about 100 Cambridge Chamber of Commerce mem- bers at Langdon Hall, he said the current market is the result of a number of factors that have come together at the same time. � ey include: • Millennials want to start families and move into their own homes and are being assist- ed by their parents • Th e economy in Ontario is going great, as compared with some other provinces, and peo- ple from places like Alberta and Saskatchewan are coming to Ontario, especially Toronto, to � nd work • People immigrating to Can- ada are also coming to south- ern Ontario. Hudak said of the 300,000 newcomers that arrived last year, 100,000 moved into the GTA. • Mortgages rates are at record lows • Years of mounting gov- ernment regulation and the approvals process have stymied housing development, resulting in a situation where the demand has now outstripped the supply of new homes • Empty nesters are not sell- ing their homes "Getting the necessary approvals from Waterloo Region, the Grand River Con- servation Authority, the city and others has meant it takes 18 months to put the shovel in the ground for a new home," Hudak said. Going to the statistics, he showed how the housing mar- ket has slowed since the reces- sion. In February 2007, 18,000 new single-family homes were built in the GTA. In February 2017, just 1,500 new single-family homes were built there. In the resale homes market, 15,000 homes were sold in February 2007, while just 5,000 were sold a decade later. With the average home price in Toronto now topping $1.2 million, buyers are travelling fur- ther a� eld to � nd a home they can afford and then commute into the city for work, Hudak said. "Their cash will buy a lot more here, and people selling here are moving to Paris and Brantford," he said. The real estate association CEO believes that even as the government takes action, the overheated Toronto market may already be starting to cool off . "In Toronto, some people have decided to try and cash in on the market. Others may be waiting for the govern- ment, which could be making its announcement as soon as tomorrow." Hudak said that since leaving the political scene at Queen's Park he has maintained a good working relationship with all parties and has met with the premier and her ministers to discuss the real estate market. Continued on page 21 No quick � x to hot house market