As announced in the provincial budget, the Ontario government plans to equalize the business education tax (BET) rate at 0.88 per cent for 2021, equating to a $450-million tax cut province-wide.

The commercial property tax rate is at least double the residential rate in eight of the 11 surveyed cities, with commercial ratepayers in Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City shouldering the most disproportionate shares.

The City of Winnipeg has invited commercial building owners and institutional facility managers to affix their Energy Star Portfolio Manager results on a publicly accessible map.

The study assesses and scores 110 prominent international cities on 22 indicators deemed to support and/or influence the age cohort born between 1997 and 2012.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing says the underlying principle of improving accessibility will be maintained, and connects the revisions to the government's commitment to cut red tape that is slowing down the production of new housing.

The new policy would give developers a basis to challenge any local government's veto of non-employment land uses in suburban office parks.

Commercial property owners who host clothing donation bins could run afoul of their province's Occupiers Liability Act or Occupational Health and Safety Act should an incident occur.

Tax ratios for 11 of Canada's largest cities demonstrate that commercial ratepayers consistently carry a disproportionate share of the municipal property tax burden.

Rules for the program are set to change, making the timing less than ideal for development proponents still awaiting a decision based on the original criteria in place when they submitted their applications.

Some condo lobbies may be looking spare lately because the lounge furniture that usually occupies these spaces is being targeted as a fire risk.

Mixed-use developments in Toronto are creating neighbourhoods that are unaffordable for many people, according to a new study.

Accessibility advocates see the built environment as a laggard when it comes to fire safety, especially for people with disabilities.

This annual look at the apportionment of the tax burden gives a more complete picture of the pressures on the commercial and multi-residential sectors than simply referencing property tax rates.

Tensions boiled over last week at Toronto apartment buildings without air conditioning as temperatures soared into heat wave territory in late September.

Proposed regulations for short-term rentals in Toronto saw early signs of support, with a few exceptions, when a staff report went before executive committee.

The development of courtyard apartments, multiplexes and town homes could be among the building blocks of better housing affordability in Ontario.

Flooding is giving rise to new research on how green roof performance metrics can better manage water capacity.