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Parks Canada bans personal vehicles from Moraine Lake in Banff National Park

Photo by Shutterstock/Lucky-photographer

Perched 1,800 metres above sea level, in Banff National Park’s Valley of the Ten Peaks, is the turquoise water of Moraine Lake, one of the park’s crown jewels. Tranquil, meditative, and quiet—or at least that’s how it appears in pictures. However, behind the lens is a different story. Parks Canada says this tourist hotspot has become inundated with visitors.

To combat the overcrowding and protect the natural resource, the agency announced that it will be closing Moraine Lake Road to personal vehicles. “Demand to reach Moraine Lake far exceeds available parking. In 2022, traffic flaggers were required 24 hours a day to manage the demand for access. During the peak of summer 2022, the parking lot remained full nearly 24 hours a day,” Parks Canada said in a statement.

Visitors are welcome to walk or bike to Moraine Lake, which is 14 kilometres south of Lake Louise, or there will be Parks Canada shuttles, Roam Transit, and other commercial transportation, such as tour buses, operating from June through mid-October.

By closing the road, Parks Canada said it will reduce stress for wildlife in Banff National Park, which use a section of Moraine Lake Road as a corridor; it will eliminate approximately four tonnes of carbon emissions per day; and it will remove the uncertainty of visitors finding a parking spot.

Parks Canada said the closure will be in place for summer 2023 but hasn’t specified whether it will extend beyond that.

Lindsay Copeland, a Banff native who operates Rocky Mountain Photo Co., a wedding and elopement photography company, wasn’t surprised by the closure. “They have to do what they have to do to keep these areas sustainable so that people can continue going to visit them,” she said.

Copeland added that the experience was getting out of control. Sunrise at Moraine Lake had become a popular event, but to guarantee a parking spot, Copeland said you’d have to show up at 2:30 a.m. and then sleep in your car for two hours.

While the closure will limit visitors, Copeland said it shouldn’t affect her business. “It’s definitely one of the places we specialize in shooting. But we’ve already been operating with private transportation because of the way that the area was, because of the demand to get in there,” she said. “We have already been recommending private shuttles, and private transportation, so if anything, this is just confirming what we were already doing.”

Moraine Lake
Photo by Rocky Mountain Elopements/Rocky Mountain Photo Co.

The one major downside, from Copeland’s perspective, is that it will affect locals who like to hike in the area. “We have to now find a different way to get up there,” she said. “But I, myself, would have probably avoided the area because of how busy it was.”

Not all Albertans are as accepting of the closure. Todd Loewen, the province’s Minister of Forestry, Parks, and Tourism, published an open letter, calling on federal Ministers Steven Guilbeault, who heads the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, and Randy Boissonnault, in charge of the Ministry of Tourism, to reconsider the change.

“Parks Canada’s decision to block personal vehicles at Moraine Lake means fewer visitors to this important part of the province, less time to climb in the area, and less access to the backcountry,” he said. “Sunrise and sunset hikes or night photography are near impossible to achieve under this plan, unless people can afford to pay for commercial transportation or travel unsafely by foot or bike in the dark.”

In a tweet, Parks Canada stressed that the closure was enacted due to safety concerns around excessive vehicles and anecdotes from visitors about negative experiences trying to find parking.

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New policy allows B.C. buyers three days to back out of a sale

Photo by Shutterstock/EB Adventure Photography

As of January 3, British Columbia is requiring a three-day “cooling off” period for real estate transactions after the buyer has signed a contract.

The B.C. government introduced the new policy in response to the staggering real estate demand seen throughout 2020 and 2021. To stay competitive, buyers were omitting home inspections and other requirements from their offers. The three-day period should provide buyers with extra time to complete home inspections and arrange financing, the government said in a statement.

“Lack of time for buyers to complete due diligence can exacerbate risk or be used to hide property defects that otherwise may have been discovered,” said housing analyst Leo Spalteholz, in the statement. “Though the market has cooled dramatically in recent months, it’s good to proactively put buyer protections in place.”

The buyer can back out of the sale at any time during the three-day period, which doesn’t include weekends or holidays. If the buyer does back out, they’re required to pay the seller 0.25 per cent of the purchase price. This cancellation fee is meant to prevent buyers from placing offers on multiple properties and then backing out last minute. Prior to the new policy, if a buyer backed out after signing a purchase agreement, they could be sued by the seller for money lost on the sale of the home.

The three-day period applies to almost all real estate transactions, including detached homes, townhouses, condos, and cottages. The only exemptions are real estate on leased land, real estate bought at auction, or real estate bought under a court order. Otherwise, the cooling off period is mandatory and can’t be waived.

But with changes to the market, experts are questioning whether the new policy will have any impact.

After hitting a peak in 2021, the province’s real estate market has seen significant drops in recent months. The B.C. Real Estate Association reported 4,512 sales this past November, a 50 per cent decrease from last year. And prices are trending downwards. In November 2021, the average B.C. home price was $992,245. In November 2022, it was $906,785.

This drop in competition is what’s allowing buyers to include home inspections once again in their offers, not the addition of three extra days, said B.C. Real Estate Association CEO Trevor Koot.

“Anybody that’s bought a house in the last 10 years can tell you, you can’t get an appraisal or an inspection done within three days of an accepted offer. The resources are just not there,” he said. “It’s our concern that it then provides a false sense of security to buyers in a heated market, that they go in thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got time to do my due diligence,’ when really, what realtors will suggest, is that due diligence is done in advance.”

There’s also concern that the three-day policy puts sellers at a disadvantage. “Very often sellers are buyers themselves,” Koot said. “They’ve got a purchase going on that they’re going to be moving into, and all of a sudden, for three days, they have uncertainty. They don’t necessarily know whether the buyer will follow through.”

When the government introduced the three-day policy in 2021, the B.C. Real Estate Association responded by creating a list of 34 recommendations they felt could help improve the province’s real estate market. Koot said the association worked closely with the B.C. Financial Services Authority (BCFSA), the industry’s governing body, to develop the list. But when the list was passed on to the Minister of Finance, it was ignored.

This is where the government dropped the ball, Koot said. Rather than a three-day cooling off period, the B.C. Real Estate Association had proposed a five-day pre-offer period. This would require all listings to advertise for five days before accepting an offer. The five mandatory days would prevent bully offers where buyers swoop in with aggressive bids, telling sellers they only have a few hours to respond.

“That disrupts everything,” Koot said. “It changes the dynamic, it creates pressure, and it pushes the market into an unhealthy environment.”

A five-day pre-offer period would prevent bully offers and provide buyers with time to assemble their bids without leaving sellers in the dark for three days.

“We shouldn’t have to implement policy and adhere to new rules that don’t have any relevance and impact,” Koot said. “We need policy that’s based on good information, good data, and good research.”

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Iconic Robinsons General Store abruptly closes after 100 years in business

Photo Courtesy of Robinsons General Store

On January 8, employees of Dorset, Ont.’s Robinsons General Store were told they no longer had jobs starting the next day. After 100 years, the store would close, with current owners, Mike and Katie Hinbest, no longer operating the business. No reason for the closure was given.

By January 9, the store had pulled down its Facebook page, emails bounced back, and its phone rang endlessly, unanswered.

Online, among the Dorset community, there’s speculation that the store ran into financial trouble and had to foreclose. But this is unverified as the Hinbests did not respond to comment.

The Hinbests bought Robinsons General Store in April 2021, after it was reportedly listed for $6 million. Previously, the Hinbests operated a Napa Auto Parts store in Orangeville, Ont. As part of their new ownership, the Hinbests expanded the store by adding a café and upgrading merchandise.

Prior to the Hinbests, the Robinson family owned the store. In 1921, Harry and Marguerite Robinson opened the 1,200 sq. ft. general store meant to service the logging industry and a few locals. After the Second World War, when money once again rolled in, Harry proposed building an addition. Harry’s son, Brad, who took over the store in the mid-1950s, helped oversee the addition. Since then, the store has gone through 14 more additions and now sits at 14,000 sq. ft. of retail space, including a grocery store and a hardware store. The Robinsons also opened a nearby marina.

In 1991, Brad’s daughter, Joanne Robinson, and her husband, Willie Hatton, took over the store. Brad still helped on the day-to-day, working into his 80s. Joanne and Willie ran the store for 37 years, with their son, Ryan, helping part time. In the winter of 2020, the family put the store up for sale.

The Robinsons did not respond to comment on the store’s current situation.

The store’s closure has drawn concern from the community, both for historical reasons and convenience. Robinsons is the main source of groceries in the Dorset area. With the store closed, many residents are having to drive half an hour to Huntsville, Ont., for groceries and other supplies, which is problematic for residents who can’t drive. But the community is rallying with a flood of offers on the Dorset Facebook page to pick up groceries for those who can’t make the trip.

Online, Robinsons General Store says it’s “temporarily closed,” but there’s no word on future plans for this iconic cottage country store.

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Point Pelee National Park temporary closes for deer cull

Photo by Shutterstock/Roxana Gonzalez

Parks Canada has temporarily closed Point Pelee National Park to the public due to an overabundance of deer. The park, located on a Lake Erie peninsula in southwestern Ontario, will remain closed from January 5 to January 20 while Parks Canada conducts deer reduction activity.

“Parks Canada is responsible for maintaining and restoring ecological health in national parks. A high population (hyperabundance) of white-tailed deer in Point Pelee National Park is a serious threat to forest and savannah health and the species that depend on these precious habitats,” the agency said in a statement.

Park staff said that Point Pelee can sustainably house between 24 to 32 deer. The current deer population is estimated at 61 to 73 deer, more than double the park’s capacity. “Point Pelee National Park is home to a large amount of leafy vegetation, experiences mild winters, and, most importantly, lacks natural predators such as wolves, bears, and cougars which would have normally kept the deer population in balance,” the agency said.

The problem with too many deer

With so many deer left unchecked, native plants are being consumed faster than they can regenerate, damaging the health of the park’s Carolinian Forest, home to at-risk species such as the red mulberry tree, Eastern wood-pewee, and Eastern fox snake. Parks Canada said the deer are also impeding the restoration of the Lake Erie Sand Spit Savannah. This globally rare ecosystem supports 25 per cent of the species at risk in the park, including the five-lined skink.

What’s the solution?

To reduce the deer population, Parks Canada has partnered with Caldwell First Nation, whose traditional territory encompasses Point Pelee, to hunt the deer. “The population of White-tailed deer is reduced by means of an organized annual cull,” park staff said in an email.

Using rifles, 15 to 20 members of Caldwell First Nation and park staff will hunt the deer in the mornings and evenings, when the animals are most active. This cull is not a recreational hunting opportunity, staff stressed. “It is a resource management intervention designed to reduce a major threat to the continued health of the park.”

These annual culls with Caldwell First Nation have been happening since 2015. On top of keeping the park’s ecosystems healthy, the reduction activity also provides Caldwell First Nation members with the opportunity to mentor youth and strengthen traditional connections to the land while sharing knowledge and expertise with park staff. Caldwell First Nation keeps the meat and hides from the deer, using them for personal, community, and ceremonial purposes.

Hunting the deer has proved effective and more efficient than relocating them, Parks Canada said. “Trapping and relocating deer has been investigated by the park and by other sites in Ontario. Unfortunately, this method does not offer a long-term solution to the problem because of a lack of other available habitats to put deer, very high costs, as well as low survival rates as a result of relocation efforts.”

Point Pelee will reopen to the public on January 21.

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Cottage Q&A: How can I mouse-proof my fridge?

By Szasz-Fabian Jozsef/Shutterstock

I have a secondary fridge in my shed that I use approximately from May to October. Once I turn it off, I wipe it down with a heavy bleach solution and put a stick in each door to keep them open in order to prevent mould from forming. However, the open door attracts the mice and they leave their droppings behind. How do I prevent both from happening?— Sheri Krajnc, via email

First of all, good call on keeping the fridge doors propped open; allowing air to get inside the fridge will for sure help to prevent mould. But cleaning with bleach may not be the right move. When we previously answered a Mould vs. Secondary Fridge in Shed question (see Spring 2017 Cottage Q&A—everyone has a secondary fridge in their shed), the experts gave bleach the thumbs down. “Bleach is absolutely the wrong product to use,” Ron Arena, at the time a senior consultant with Chem Scope in North Haven, Conn., told us. The problem? Bleach can be strong enough to scratch the surfaces in the fridge. “This creates a roughness on the finish and makes it more susceptible to mould,” he said. Arena—and other experts we consulted—suggested gentler cleaning methods. For example, a slurry of baking soda and water, applied with paper towels or a vegetable brush; dishwasher detergent tablets dissolved in lukewarm water; or ordinary dish soap.

Freshen up your fridge with these cleaning hacks

Now let’s talk about the mice. In an ideal world, you’d make the shed itself more mouse-proof. But we get it: sealing up every mouse-sized crack and crevice is a lot of work. You can of course set traps, or try deterrents like Bounce sheets (some folks swear by them). But the simplest strategy may be to make the fridge itself less attractive to mice. Mice, like a lot of prey creatures, like hidden, protected spots. Propping the fridge doors open with only a stick makes the interior of the fridge dark and cozy and snug. If you prop the doors wide open, on the other hand…the interior could appear, to a mouse, like a giant, gaping, scary space. In other words, not a safe place.

Cottage Q&A: How to keep mice out of your ride

We ran the strategy by the experts, and it got the stamp of approval. “Leaving the fridge door wide open should be quite helpful in deterring rodents from entering,” says Tom Sullivan, a professor emeritus of wildlife ecology and conservation at UBC.

Mice might invade all kinds of other nooks and crannies in the other items in the shed. But they’d hopefully leave the interior of the fridge alone.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

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What you need to know for your next hybrid or electric vehicle purchase

Photo by Smile Fight/Shutterstock

As part of its goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, Canada has introduced new regulations to mandate one-fifth of all vehicles sold in Canada be electric by 2026.

With the price of gasoline being projected to rise again, and consumers worrying about the legacy of fossil fuel emissions, now is the perfect time for Canadians to shift toward hybrid and battery-powered electric vehicles.

But making an informed choice can be daunting. There are many different new forms of propulsion systems and energy-storage methods among hybrid and battery-powered electric vehicles—all of them different from conventional gas-burning cars.

The sheer number of hybrid and electric vehicle options can make the idea of switching to a hybrid or electric vehicle daunting for many. Here’s a guide to understanding hybrid and electric vehicles and deciding which is most suitable for your lifestyle.

What makes hybrid and electric cars different?

Traditional gas-powered cars use a type of engine called internal combustion engines that use fuel to propel themselves. However, even high-performance gasoline engines are only 20 to 35 per cent efficient.

In other words, a gas-powered car loses two-thirds of its energy in the form of heat, rather than useful work. Electric and hybrid vehicles, on the other hand, are much more efficient.

This is because in hybrid and electric vehicles, unlike gas-powered cars, only part of—or none of—the propelling force is generated by engines. They use electric machines, featuring a high-efficiency energy conversion process at around 90 per cent to propel the vehicle. Electric machines improve fuel economy and drivability.

Hybrid electric vehicles

Before deciding which type of electric vehicle to purchase, it’s important for buyers to know whether electric vehicle chargers are available in areas where they live and drive. If charging stations are difficult to access and buyers do a lot of long-distance driving, the hybrid electric vehicle is a good option to invest in.

Hybrid electric vehicles straddle the line between fully electric vehicles and conventional cars by pairing an internal combustion engine with an electric machine. Hybrid vehicles store energy in both the fuel tank and battery pack.

One distinct difference among hybrid vehicles is how the vehicle turns the engine’s power into movement, known as the powertrain. Powertrains are important because they affect a vehicle’s fuel economy, drivability and purchasing price. There are three main types of hybrid vehicle classifications based on this.

Series hybrid system

Series hybrid vehicles, like the BMW i3 extended range and Fisker Karma, only use the motor to provide the driving force. The power flows from the engine to the generator to the battery, then to the motor, the axle and finally the wheels.

The engine works at its narrow optimal region with high efficiency and delivers mechanical energy to the coupled generator, which later converts the mechanical energy to electric power and charges the battery.

Because the generator and motor normally have an efficiency around 90 per cent, the conversion process delivers improved fuel economy.

In addition, part of the mechanical energy is converted back to electric power during the braking process and stored in the battery pack, resulting in better fuel economy. This makes it a good choice for stop-and-go driving caused by heavy traffic or traffic signals.

Parallel hybrid vehicles

Parallel hybrid vehicles couple both the engine and electric machine to the transmission. Compared to the series hybrid architecture of using one generator and one propulsion motor, the parallel hybrid system uses one electric machine, but the engine does not always work optimally.

This configuration is less suitable for the stop-and-go scenario, but has better performance at high-speed driving since both propulsion sources operate with high efficiency. Examples of parallel hybrid vehicles include the Honda Insight, Land Rover Range Rover P400e, Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, Hyundai Ioniq and BMW X5 530e.

Series-parallel hybrid vehicles

Series-parallel hybrids combine the advantages of the series and parallel configurations. The drawback of these hybrids is the price—because these vehicles consist of both series and parallel systems, they are more complex, resulting in a higher price.

Examples of series-parallel hybrid vehicles are the Toyota Prius, Lexus CT 200h, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Toyota RAV4.

Fully electric vehicles

If charging stations are easily accessible and long-distance driving is not a concern, battery-powered electric vehicles are a good option for buyers to consider. Fully electric vehicles rely solely on an electric machine and have no combustion engine. They obtain energy from the electric grid and store it in its battery pack.

Electric vehicles are very efficient because of the energy conversion process of electric machines. Apart from the size and type of the battery pack, different electric vehicles use electric machines in different ways.

Most electric vehicles use one electric machine as the propulsion source—either front-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive. One drawback of this configuration is the electric machine does not always operate at its optimal efficiency. This affects how far the vehicle can be driven between charges.

Why an electric car is a viable cottage vehicle

To improve their efficiency and drivability, some electric vehicles use multiple electric machines. Some vehicles split vehicle power between two motors, which results in higher efficiency and a broader speed range. The Model 3, Model Y and Model S Tesla cars have this configuration, allowing all-wheel-drive and better traction control.

Another way electric vehicles improve drivability is by using three electric machines. This allows vehicles to control the torque in rear wheels separately in a process known as torque vectoring control. Typical examples of this configuration are the Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid.

There has never been a better time to switch to an electric vehicle. To help Canadians transition to this greener vehicle option, the Canadian government has financial supports available. The Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program provides cash rebates for battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Some provinces, like British Columbia and Québec, also offer their own provincial rebates.The Conversation

Gaoliang Fang is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre, McMaster University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

6 electric boats and PWCs on the market

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Fake rental listings skyrocket after City of Toronto makes registration numbers public

Photo by Shutterstock/Daniel Krason

A short-term rental advocacy group is claiming that online “pirates” are stealing registration numbers from the city of Toronto’s website and using them to post fake listings on Airbnb.

“The city attempts sweeping enforcement actions to take down pirates, but pirates easily repost fake listings by reusing the permit data the city leaves unprotected,” contests Fairbnbhosts.ca on its website. “Visitors can’t be sure if they are booking a pirate space or a legal operator.”

Since September 2020, Toronto has required all short-term rental operators to register with the city. This is to “prevent the proliferation of ‘ghost-hotels’ and protect critical rental stock by maintaining access for tenants to long-term accommodations,” the city said in an email.

Airbnb rolling out ‘anti-party’ technology in Canada and U.S.

As part of this process, operators receive a registration number from the city, which they use to set up their listing. But all 6,277 of these registration numbers are publicly available online, along with the first three digits of the short-term rental’s postal code. Scammers can access the registration numbers and use them to set up fake listings.

There’s a simple solution, says George Emerson, director of Fairbnbhosts.ca, which describes itself as a travel industry trade association protecting the interests of Toronto’s Airbnb operators. “The city says [the registration numbers are] how they verify with the booking platforms,” he says. “But if your website and my website want to exchange information, we don’t have to do that in a way that’s exposed to the public finding it. We do it on a secure shielded website. We would use a database. Every website has a database, and we would use that method to exchange information.”

Emerson adds that this is commonly done. “Computers verify large datasets all the time through secure ways without revealing identities.” But when he asked the city whether it could privately exchange registration information with booking sites, staff told him it wasn’t a priority.

The city is aware of the fake listings being posted. To combat the issue, it performs compliance audits using data discovery techniques. “The city compliance audits flag listings that have missing, inaccurate, or incomplete information that prevents the city from verifying registration status and operators who are not in compliance with the bylaw,” the city said.

But these compliance audits are part of what’s wrong with Toronto’s short-term rental regulations, Emerson argues. When setting up a listing, the rental’s information must match the city’s registration data. “The address mismatches are so tiny, like whether there’s a ‘St.’ or ‘St’,” he says.

Other incorrect listing information includes operators using nicknames instead of their full name as listed on government-issued IDs, using incorrect postal codes, adding in building names rather than street addresses, not including unit numbers, or placing unit numbers in the wrong field.

If a listing’s information is flagged as incorrect during a compliance audit, the city will take the listing down. When the city flags a “pirated” listing, it may also take down the legitimate listing, penalizing an operator who’s following the bylaws.

“No other type of business gets this kind of a shakedown, this kind of level of harassment,” Emerson argues.

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2023 Federal and provincial legislation that cottagers should pay attention to

Photo by f11photo/Shutterstock

In the new year, key pieces of legislation will come into play that may impact everyone from cottage owners to environmental advocates. Here’s a rundown of what to expect.

Non-Resident Speculation Tax 

What it entails: Also called the Foreign Buyers tax, the NRST has existed since 2017 and applies to non-residents purchasing property in Ontario. In October 2022, the provincial government bumped it up from 20 to 25 per cent.

Who is impacted: Non-residents (outside of Canada) buying property in Ontario; it’s relevant to the second home/vacation property market. 

Issues and concerns: Some real-estate experts are concerned it may deter tourism dollars that contribute to local economies, especially in vacation regions close to the U.S.

When: The increase from 20 to 25 per cent happened in October, but if you purchased property before that date, you’ll still pay the 20 per cent rate when taxes are due in 2023. Any property purchased after October 25 of this year will fall under the 25 per cent rate.

Bill 23

What it entails: The Ontario government has said they plan to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. There are many stipulations in Bill 23, such as waiving the need to apply for re-zoning permits if you want to alter or add to an existing unit.

Who it impacts: Current or prospective homeowners, developers, and in particular, those who live in cottage country and/or in close proximity to conservation areas. 

Issues and concerns: Some conservation authorities are concerned the bill will strip away their ability to advocate for environmentally sensitive regions and areas at risk for flooding.

When: Bill 23 was made law on November 28, but some portions of it are expected to come into effect early in the new year, as announced by the province’s Lieutenant Governor. Public consultation for the proposed regulation of conservation authorities closed on December 30.

Bill 109

What it entails: This bill amends five major pieces of existing legislation regarding infrastructure. Since local municipalities handle most building processes, this act aims to remove barriers (the cities of Toronto and Ottawa have detailed information on the bill).

Who it impacts: Developers or home builders; those looking to change, add onto or renovate their home. Since this bill is looped in with Bill 23, it’s also of interest to cottagers and those near conservation areas.

Issues and concerns: With the similar desire to strip away “red tape” as in Bill 23, the same concerns have been raised about inadvertent harm to the environment, especially ecologically sensitive areas.

When: The bill took effect on Jan. 1, 2023

Bill 39

What it entails: This bill gives the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa increased power. It will see those mayors able to move forward on some initiatives with only one-third of councillors on board, as opposed to the previous requirement of a majority (it specifically targets infrastructure). 

Who it impacts: Residents of both Toronto and Ottawa and surrounding areas, home builders, developers, and prospective buyers. 

Issues and controversies: Some city councillors have expressed concern that this bill would give sweeping powers to mayors to pass bills that would usually require more support. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has spoken out against the bill, echoing similar concerns.

When: The bill technically passed on December 8, but further consultations and any material use of it is not expected until the new year.

Underused Housing Tax 

What it entails: This tax targets housing considered to be “underused” stands at one per cent of the total value of the property and applies to non-resident, non-Canadian-owned property. While this tax was brought forth at the end of 2021, the deadline to file and pay it is April 2023—for the year 2022—which is why it’s relevant now.

Who it impacts: Anyone who is a non-resident, non-Canadian owner of a property considered underused or vacant housing. It may be relevant to owners in cottage country/vacation regions; depending on several factors, properties there may fall into that category (the consulting firm Ernst & Young provides a thorough explainer here).

Issues and concerns: Similar to the non-resident tax, some financial experts have expressed concern that this will deter foreign buyers from investing in Canada and bringing in tourism dollars.

When: Anyone who needs to pay the tax will have to do so by April 23, 2023, for the 2022 calendar year.

Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act

What it entails: The federal government has banned foreign buyers and corporations from purchasing specific residential property in Canada for the next two years, with some exceptions. This does not apply to residential property located within municipalities with a core population of less than 10,000 people.

Any non-Canadian or anyone who knowingly assists a non-Canadian and is convicted of violating the Act faces a fine of $10,000, and they may be forced to sell the property.

Who it impacts: Foreign citizens without a permanent resident card and corporations controlled by foreign individuals or entities. Recreational properties are not included in the ban and neither are some cottage country areas.

Issues and controversies: CREA has criticized the bill saying it will hinder Canada’s ability to attract foreign talent to its labour force.

When: The ban took effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

This article includes amendments by Megan McPhaden. 

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Buy the Way: An unusual mortgage arrangement allowed this writer to buy a 320 sq. ft. getaway

Photo by Jim Moodie

The search: As the child of canoe-toting itinerants, sharing a tent with my sisters or the back of the Volvo wagon with our epileptic dog, I dreamt as a kid of a cabin to one day call my own. There was a secluded point on one of the Algonquin lakes we frequented in my youth where you could make out the remains of an old ranger’s abode.

I paced it off one time, two feet per step. It was 16-by-20. That, I thought, would be perfect for me.

Finding my 320 sq. ft. of bliss, on a 2.6-acre nook of Panache Lake, Ont., turned out to be a cinch. It popped up immediately in an online search in the fall of 2017 and, within a week, the owners had accepted my $180,000 offer (about 10 per cent less than the asking price)—conditional on financing. That’s when the real hunt began.

The first banker I approached advised me to “walk away from it,” citing the lack of amenities and a driveway as cons. Needless to say he wouldn’t give me a mortgage; nor, he predicted, would any other institution. That proved true when the credit union also shot me down.

My dream shack, I learned, fell into the category of a Type B cottage, being wood-heated, uninsulated, and unequipped with a water filtration system. These types of rustic getaways are trickier to mortgage than a Type A, which have permanent foundations and heat sources, along with year-round access. It’s okay if your Type B sits on blocks—or even rocks, as is the case for mine—but most banks will balk if you don’t have a proper chamber for ablutions (a.k.a. an outhouse won’t cut it).

I turned to Durham-based broker Steve White, who looked far and wide, including among B- and C- lenders—outfits or individuals who might not be so picky about things like a three-piece bathroom, the absence of which was a sticking point for the A contingent, owing to mortgage insurance rules.

The compromise: White exhausted all his options but suggested, as a last-ditch, I might propose a vendor take-back mortgage. “A what?” I said. This alternative, he explained, is like an owner holding a mortgage, except that the buyer in a VTB scenario obtains title to the property and can put it back on the market, if so desired, at any point, as long as they pay off the balance owed to the previous owners. In a nutshell, it involves the seller agreeing to become the lender, and getting paid off, with interest, over a period of time, instead of all at once.

The concept was new to the sellers too. They hadn’t done anything like it, or even heard of it for a cottage. The couple gave me a tour of their Panache Lake place before I made my offer. Because they were selling privately and they had met me, our arrangement seemed trustworthy.

The owners confessed that they still did a bit of digging on me (thankfully I only have one speeding ticket and have mostly made fans through my journalism) before agreeing to the scheme, which effectively made them my bank.

They had to assume a certain risk, but they said that they wanted to sell to a nice person who would enjoy it. In the end, it’s still a business transaction, so the couple had to do their homework. Having a formal mortgage agreement in place was important to ensure both parties had some security.

The silver lining: I got my cabin on a secluded point. The sellers got a smaller capital gains hit, as the gain gets spread out over a period of years. I didn’t have to install a septic field or holding tank, as a traditional lender would have required. The previous owners got a pretty good sense that I was in this for the long haul and wasn’t going to rent the place or flip it.

The interior of Jim Moodie's cabin
Photo by Jim Moodie

Bonus: They left behind a bunch of cassette tapes and don’t mind that I am enjoying them to this day.

Owner advice: The pros and cons of a vendor take-back mortgage

PRO: A vendor take-back mortgage will only intrigue those sellers who can afford to get their money over time. They will get extra income, but may not want the spectre of their borrower potentially defaulting.

CON: For the buyer, it is typically more costly; the interest rate and repayment schedule are up to the people who are willing to back you. (I got 6 per cent over 20 years.) But if done correctly, a VTB is really no different than a bank mortgage.

PRO: You hold the deed, and the deal can be structured so that you can pay out the lender at any time, without penalty.

Have you recently purchased a cottage? Tell us about it: edit@cottagelife.com.

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Put together a killer cheeseboard for less than $50

Liam Mogan

Overwhelmed at the cheese counter? Don’t overthink it. Ace Cheeseboard 101 with a few simple tips: hit our must-have categories, shop your pantry for nibbles, and pair with anything bubbly (beer and cider included). Try different textures, flavours, and milk types. And, obey the golden rule: take the cheese out of the fridge (still wrapped) 30 to 60 minutes before serving, so it comes to room temperature to bring out its full flavour.

The 4 types of cheese you need

Brie-style

Start approachable but decadent. Melt-in-the mouth creaminess and nuanced flavours are traits of brie-style cheeses (think soft texture and a white “bloomy” rind). They pair wonderfully with prosecco or Champagne. Look for a French Brie de Meaux, a decadent triple cream like Délice de Bourgogne, or a soft goat’s milk-style like Ashley Goat (Ontario).

On our board: Albert’s Leap, Christina Camembert (Ontario), is a local version of the French classic. It has a silky smooth texture and gentle, sweet milk notes with a hint of tang.

Washed-rind

A monastic-style cheese (traditionally made by monks, dating to the middle ages) with a rind washed with brine (or beer or spirits) as it ripens. Soft (like the one shown here) or firm (like an Oka). Expect strong “barny” aromas, along with a full, rich, savoury taste bomb that’s perfect with beer. The copper-orange rind is a dead giveaway, and if you think you taste bacon flavours, you’re not wrong! Think Reblochon, Munster, Taleggio, and, in Canada, Quebec’s Le Mont-Jacob, Baluchon, or L’Adoray.

On our board: L’Adoray (Quebec) is an unforgettable cow’s milk cheese wrapped in spruce bark. Serve as above, or, if very ripe, slice off the top, and spoon this gorgeous, oozy party animal onto baguette.

The blues

Love blue? Park it here. People expect blues to be overpowering, but some blend salt, sweet, and buttery notes with a gentle kick. Try a Gorgonzola Dolce, or Bleu d’Auvergne if you’re feeling timid.

On our board: Bleu D’Elizabeth (Quebec) Fromagerie Presbytere is creamy, sweet, punchy, and salty—heaven with a drizzle of honey.

Aged and bold

This is the cheese that draws kids and adults alike, aged to develop complex flavours and a long, delicious finish. This firmer style is hardy, travels well for a picnic, and holds up over a couple hours when entertaining. Try a tangy two-year-old cheddar, a wedge of sweet-salty Asiago, a nutty Gruyère, an earthy cloth-bound cheddar, or an aged sheep-milk style (with caramel notes and crunchy crystals) like Tania Toscana (Ontario).

On our board: Cows Creamery Appletree Smoked Cheddar (P.E.I.) is a two-year-old cheddar, which spends eight hours in applewood smoke creating a tangy, smoky, creamy bite of YUM.

Shopping cheat sheet

Shopping cheat sheet 3–4 cheeses is the ideal amount. For an appetizer board, aim for 35-50 g of each cheese per person. (About 150- 200 g per wedge for 4.) Keep your cheese habit indulgent but affordable by sharing your budget with the cheesemonger. (Three cheeses at $10 per makes a winning platter). You DO NOT need to know all about cheese, that’s what the cheesemonger is for. Just describe what you like! “I’m really into Babybels” is a fine place to start. It is totally normal to ask to taste the cheese. Do it. The more you taste, the more you’re able to describe why you love what you love. These are just guidelines, if you desire three types of triple cream and a glass of Champagne—go for it!