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CMHC head Romy Bowers to step down, Michael Tremblay named interim CEO

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

OTTAWA — Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser says a search is underway for a new CEO of Canada’s housing agency after current leader Romy Bowers has said she’s stepping down. Fraser says in a news release that Bowers will be leaving the role in December to take a job as director of the office of risk management at the International Monetary Fund.Bowers took on the role as head of CMHC in April 2021. Before that, she was chief risk officer at the agency.The government says that CMHC chief financial officer Michel Tremblay will step into the role of CEO until it can conduct an “open, transparent, and merit-based” selection process to find a replacement for Bowers. Her departure comes as Canada’s housing affordability crisis worsens under the weight of high interest rate, inflation, and a deep mismatch between supply and demand.The search for a new leader of the federal housing agency comes as the government works to select people for various CMHC board o...

What you need to know about ‘rent reductions’ in Ontario

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

A lease agreement in Ontario can be either verbal or written and as per the Rental Tenancies Act (RTA), if any of the services or amenities included in that contract are not supplied, or taken away at a later date, tenants may be able to pursue a rent reduction.Typically, rent reductions are sought when amenities like a parking spot, use of the backyard, laundry or even cable and internet — that were provided to the tenant at the start of the lease — are no longer being made available.“What a rent reduction does is it puts money back in people’s pocket for the loss of that service, the loss of that amenity,” says Kevin Laforest, staff lawyer at Scarborough Community Legal Services.He says along with basic services, rent reductions also come into play when changes are made to the unit that may constitute a breach of the lease contract.“[This] could be a little more rare … let’s say the landlord decides we’re doing renovations...

Costco’s giant Thanksgiving dinner kit is here

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.Costco’s massive Thanksgiving dinner kit serves 8Wouldn’t you like to wake up late on Thanksgiving this year and kick your feet up, knowing that dinner is already taken care of? If you want to skip that early morning wake-up call to start prepping and cooking the big meal, this news is for you: Costco is selling a massive Thanksgiving dinner kit that serves eight, complete with all the fixings for a classic Turkey Day spread.The best part? You can pre-order it right now for just $199.99. That’s probably not much more than it would cost to shop all the groceries to cook all these dishes yourself — and that doesn’t even account for all the time (and planning and stress) you’ll save by not having to spend your whole holiday cooped up in the kitchen. It’s like having your own private chef.Shop this article: Pre-Order Fortune Gourmet Thanksgiving Dinner, Serves ...

Chicago man accused of carjacking woman on South Side arrested

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago man accused of carjacking a woman on the city's South Side has been charged, according to police.According to Chicago police, 35-year-old Josiah Noyola, a Gage Park resident, is facing one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking. Pritzker issues disaster proclamation for Cook County due to severe weather, flooding Officers say Noyola is accused of carjacking a 30-year-old woman in the 5200 block of South Damen Avenue just before 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25. Police say Noyola allegedly implied that he had a weapon during the carjacking and took the vehicle by force from the victim.According to police, Noyola was taken into custody on Thursday in the 1900 block of West 52nd Street in after officers said he was identified as the person allegedly involved in the carjacking.Noyola is set to appear in court for a detention hearing on Friday, Oct. 27.

Trump has wide lead in Texas primary poll; performs best against Biden in 2024 matchup

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Donald Trump enjoys a wide lead over his Republican primary challengers in a new Texas poll, despite his legal challenges.The former president is the first choice candidate for 62% of Republican voters in the state, according to the poll by the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project.No other Republican candidate has more than 15% support across the state. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis comes in second, at 13%, ahead of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at 7%.Vivek Ramaswamy and former vice president Mike Pence round out the top five, at 3% each.The poll of 568 registered voters who say they will vote in the Republican primary was conducted between Oct. 5 and Oct. 17. MORE COVERAGE: Which presidential candidates have dropped out? More than a third of the poll respondents said they would "definitely not" support Trump in the Republican primary, while 42% said they wouldn't support Pence.Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was most underwater though, with 46% of...

How Central Texas schools alert parents, community to threats

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — School emergencies happen unexpectedly and can cause uncertainty for parents as information is made available, but it is up to school districts to provide them with updates.Many districts use a mass messaging system, such as ParentSquare, to send text messages, emails and robocalls to the contact information provided by parents. That particular system is used by Del Valle ISD and Hutto ISD. However, the specific system may vary by district. Manor ISD investigating threats made through anonymous Instagram account Information may also be posted on a district's website or social media page. Del Valle ISD and Hutto ISD use social media posts to broadcast information out to the community if necessary. For Austin ISD, the district says that it will release "accurate and timely" information to parents, the public and local media. However, the district also asks parents to not come to the school unless told to by the district. 6 Austin ISD schools deemed safe after ‘swat...

City makes plan to expand homeless shelter near airport

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The temporary homeless shelter at the City of Austin's Marshalling Yard near the airport will be expanding.Last month, the emergency shelter reached 200 people staying on site. Photos: A look inside Austin’s Marshalling Yard converted to a homeless shelter In a city memo from the interim homeless strategy officer, based on the overall performance, they want to increase the capacity to 300 people — the initial maximum.The city said it planned to fill the remaining beds through referrals to the Homeless Strategy Division.

Bowie starts tough 2-week stretch vs. Westlake on Friday

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Bowie Bulldogs run a gauntlet in the last two weeks of the season in the midst of a potential postseason run, and they'll head to undefeated Westlake on Friday to try to lock up a playoff spot.The game kicks at 7:30 p.m. from Chaparral Stadium and will be streamed on KXAN.com/Westlake and in the video player above starting at 7:20 p.m. for those in the Austin area. Folks outside of the KXAN viewing area can watch the game through our official high school football streaming partner NFHS Network. REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteThe Bulldogs rely heavily on junior quarterback Cruz Tello, who accounts for 64% of his team's total offense. Tello has thrown for 1,168 yards and rushed for a team-high 434, so he'll need to have a big game in order for the Bulldogs to hang with the No. 4-ranked team in Class 6A.Bowie plays La...

New bike lanes on Barton Springs Road get warm welcome from drivers, cyclists

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In late August, the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department reduced Barton Springs Road from two lanes to one between South Lamar Boulevard and Azie Morton Road. That created a dedicated and protected bike lane for cyclists on the right lane of Barton Springs both eastbound and westbound."It's a much safer experience and much more calm experience for such a dense pedestrian-heavy zone within our city," Lewis Leff, with the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department, said.Leff has been watching the flow of traffic on Barton Springs Road since the change went into place."What we were aiming for was a reduction in high-end speeding, and we've seen over an 80% reduction of high-end speeds, which is 10 miles an hour or above the speed limit. So what we've seen is a real significant reduction in high-end speeds and with really minimal impacts to travel time through the corridor," Leff said.Austin resident and transportation expert Meg Merritt does her best...

Structure or not, Timberwolves commit to ball movement for consistent offensive success

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:50:42 GMT

The Timberwolves’ most majestic offensive performance during the 2022-23 season came when they were down multiple star players.In March at Madison Square Garden, the Wolves — missing Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards — poured in 140 points, assisting on 34 of their 51 buckets in a victory over the Knicks.The ball and bodies were all moving that night, flowing in a perfect rhythm to create one great look after another. Wolves point guard Mike Conley, who had 11 assists that night, said the team called “maybe three” sets all game.“You just got it going and the ball found its way around,” Conley said.That was the ideal form of Timberwolves coach Chris Finch’s offense — players moving in random ways but always cognizant of location for spacing and executing multiple actions within the 24-second shot clock window.The Wolves struggled to execute such an offense at various times throughout last season, especially at critical junctures. They couldn’t maintain proper spacing required fo...