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Developer says it’s moving to build 5,000 rental units because of Liberals’ GST break

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

OTTAWA — A Toronto-based real estate company says it is planning to build 5,000 new rental units in urban centres across the country as a result of the federal government’s decision to eliminate GST charges on rental developments.The CEO of Dream Unlimited Corp., Michael Cooper, says high interest rates and construction costs had put many projects on pause. “A lot of projects that we had hoped to be able to start haven’t penciled out,” Cooper said.But the federal government’s announcement that it would eliminate GST charges off rental developments — and the expectation that provinces would follow suit — has changed the calculation for Dream.Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced legislation last week that would provide a 100 per cent GST rebate for new rental developments. The measure has been called for by housing experts, advocates and developers who say more incentives are needed to spur purpose-built rentals.Cooper says the full rebate is a g...

EU received over 83,000 asylum applications in June 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

In June 2023, 83,385 first-time asylum applicants (non-EU citizens) applied for international protection in EU countries, indicating a 25% increase compared with June 2022 (66,845). There were also 5,795 subsequent applicants, representing a 9% decrease compared with June 2022 (6,365).This information comes from the monthly asylum data published by Eurostat. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on monthly asylum statistics.Source dataset: migr_asyappctzm Syrian nationals: largest group of asylum-seekersAs in previous months, in June 2023, Syrians were the largest group of people seeking asylum (13 150 first-time applicants). They were followed by Afghans (7 775), ahead of Venezuelans (6 925) and Colombians (6 165).Following Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, there was a significant increase in Ukrainian first-time asylum applicants (from 2 100 in February 2022 to 12 185 in March 2022), but the numbers have been dec...

Harriette Cole: I hate to think it, but maybe I’m a helicopter mom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I never thought I was a micromanager as a mother, but now I’m not so sure. There are terms like “helicopter mom,” which I hate, but I see that I am way more involved in my son’s life than he would like.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: This macho guy is now being kind to me, and I’m suspicious Advice | Harriette Cole: Should I tell my wife what my friend said about us? Advice | Harriette Cole: I didn’t mean to get the Airbnb host banned Advice | Harriette Cole: Is it a bad idea to hang out with this man so I can meet his friends? Advice | Harriette Cole: I abandoned my home, and now I’ve come back to a huge mess He is in college in another state, living on his own. He is making his own decisions, but I can’t help but check in on him to see what he’s doing. College is expensive, and I need to make sure he is doing the work. We ca...

Miss Manners: What am I allowed to say about a stranger’s hair?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is it rude to compliment a complete stranger on their hair — for instance, its texture, color or styling?I sometimes come across someone whose hair is particularly lovely, and would like to let them know, but don’t want to be rude or crass.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: My husband doesn’t understand why I was so mad at his friend Advice | Miss Manners: Did I deserve this treatment for being a few minutes late? Advice | Miss Manners: If I’m in the aisle seat, do I have any say over the window blind? Advice | Miss Manners: She claimed she was just kidding. How do I make her see it wasn’t funny? Advice | Miss Manners: My friend claims not to have heard these insulting comments GENTLE READER: Of course you are wondering how it could possibly be wrong to say something nice. Miss Manners is sorry to say that unfortunately, it sometimes can be.It could se...

Dear Abby: He won’t buy a new bed. Should I date him anyway?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

DEAR ABBY: I met a man at the grocery store and I don’t know if he is The One. He seems to keep trying, but at times he says mean things.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I’m offended that my friend doesn’t want my medical advice Advice | Dear Abby: Am I right that life is too short to stay with my unpredictable husband? Advice | Dear Abby: My husband ruins every vacation. Can I leave him home? Advice | Dear Abby: Why do they think I should give up my barstool for them? Advice | Dear Abby: I shouldn’t have to compete with my son’s clingy girlfriends He also refuses to buy a new bed. His bed is from his divorce. It is the bed he and his ex-wife shared. I’d prefer he get a new one.Am I too uncompromising? I have been hurt a lot in the past because I was raised to be “nice” and “nonjudgmental,” which really hasn’t been helpful in life. I ac...

Separatist authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh say 20 people dead, nearly 300 injured after a gas station explosion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Separatist authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh say 20 people dead, nearly 300 injured after a gas station explosion.Source

Orioles minor league All-Stars: The top prospects at each position during the 2023 season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

The Orioles enter the final week of the MLB season with an inside track to the American League’s top seed. Their magic number is just three with six games remaining, and an AL East title could be just a few days away.As Baltimore pushes for its first AL East title since 2012 this week, the organization’s Triple-A club is also aiming to reach new heights. With the minor league regular season over, the Norfolk Tides, winners of the first-half International League title, will play in the IL Championship Series this week.As the Orioles hope to fend off the Tampa Bay Rays for AL East supremacy, the Tides will take on the Rays’ Triple-A squad, the Durham Bulls, to claim the IL crown. The winner will take on the Pacific Coast League’s champion in the Triple-A title game on Saturday.The last time Baltimore’s Triple-A club played in the IL Championship Series was when the Rochester Red Wings did so in 1997. That same year, the Orioles won the AL East, making it ...

For ‘Fired Up Guy’ Merrill Heim, Orioles fandom comes from his heart and his diaphragm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

There’s a lull. It’s the second inning of a scoreless Orioles game at Camden Yards and the sea of orange, which filled in handsomely this particular weeknight, hasn’t fully engaged in the duel yet.Enter Merrill Heim, sensing the early-inning lifelessness.He rises from his season ticket seats of seven years near first base eager to provide resuscitation.He starts with a simple, yet effective, “Let’s go O’s” chant with first baseman Ryan O’Hearn at the plate that quickly catches on in nearby sections. Heim then shares a good-natured back-and-forth with the opposition’s first base coach.Turning back to the crowd, Heim flares his arms wide, beer in hand, to deliver his signature line: “I’m fired up! You fired up?”Now, the Orioles faithful stir when O’Hearn rips the next pitch into right field — the team’s first hit of the night.The energy snowballs when Heim, still on his feet, offers to treat the ...

7 ways the Red Sox can bring fans back in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

The Red Sox don’t have much to do this offseason.Only hire a replacement for Chaim Bloom, overhaul the roster (again), and reestablish themselves as a legitimate force in the league.It’s a bit like saying “all” a broken-down car needs to run is a new engine, tires, and brakes.While giving themselves what should be an extreme makeover, the Red Sox should also make re-endearing themselves to their fans a priority.Last February, amidst growing perception that the team was losing relevance with its fanbase, team president and CEO Sam Kennedy stood in the Florida sunshine and declared, “If we’re competitive, it’ll take care of any lack of interest.”Days away from their third last-place finish in four years, they now have to work even harder to become relevant and worth fans’ while again.Here are seven ways – ranging from silly to serious – that the Red Sox can get their fans to come back next year and every season after:1. Roof, roof, roof for the home teamIt’s been a long season o...

South Korea parades troops and powerful weapons in its biggest Armed Forces Day ceremony in years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:24 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea paraded thousands of troops and an array of weapons capable of striking North Korea through its capital as part of its biggest Armed Forces Day ceremony in 10 years on Tuesday, as its president vowed to build a stronger military to thwart any provocation by the North.Concerns are growing that North Korea is seeking Russian help in expanding its nuclear arsenal in return for supplying Moscow with conventional arms exhausted by its war with Ukraine.“After looking at your imposing march today, I believe our people would trust you and have faith in our national security,” Yoon Suk Yeol told cheering soldiers at the end of the ceremony in a central Seoul plaza. “I’ll always support you together with our people.”Earlier, South Korea rolled tanks, artillery systems, drones and powerful ballistic missiles capable of hitting all of North Korea through the streets of Seoul, amid steady autumn rains. About 4,000 South Korean troops carrying rifles or flags...