Dir. Liveable City Planning Ltd. MA, MCIP. Adjunct Prof. UBC ❤️ City Building, Public Interests, Managing Complexity, Common Sense. Do the math! No Anon follows
Vancouver, British Columbia
Joined February 2009
- Tweets4.2K
- Following709
- Followers1.3K
- Likes1.9K
Colleagues - especially those in interior Design! - I need a high-quality modern leather sectional couch. US suppliers are off the list for obvious reasons. Seeking CANADIAN supplier recommendations!
Michael Mortensen retweeted
Real Estate Development from the Inside Out (CITY755) is a practitioner's walkthrough of how development projects actually get built, from site acquisition through approvals and delivery. Taught by @MMortensen
Starts Wed, Sept 16 | 6pm PST | Online | sfu.ca/continuing-studies/ab…
Michael Mortensen retweeted
🇨🇦 These are all the agreements (economic, security, resources, tech and strategic partnership) that Canada has signed (or is about to sign) with other countries since March 2025 — 119 deals and 31 countries, excluding the US. – at Toronto, Ontario
Michael Mortensen retweeted
can't find a reliable source to confirm this, BUT, wow that would be amazing thing to do, no tariffs, just demanding accurate passage documents to travel THROUGH CANADIAN TERRITORIAL WATERWAYS. #canpoli
FOX News: Dozens of ships bound for “Lake America” have piled up at the entrance to the Welland Canal. Canada is refusing to grant them permission to proceed. Ships that list “Lake Ontario” in their documents are passing through the canal without obstruction.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
No claims of ships bound for "Lake America" being blocked at the Welland Canal appear in any FOX News reporting or official records. The referenced name change is a US federal proposal with no effect on Canadian canal operations or shipping.
greatlakes-seaway.com/en/news-and-in…
reuters.com/world/us/trump…
wellandtribune.ca/business/niaga…
@CBCVancouver @GlobalBC @CKNW @globeandmail @VancouverSun @TheTyee @cbcmarketplace @TheNational @CTVVancouver @saveonfoods
Canadians need transparency on all retail offerings.
Shocking that a Canadian company is not helping Canadians make choices about US origin products.
@saveonfoods is omitting US origin labels on many many US produce cards AND mixing US produce with those of other countries (is it one Mexican cantelope in a bin of 49 US ones?).
Michael Mortensen retweeted
Back to School! I'm running City 755: "Real Estate Development From the Inside Out" again for the Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies: 6 evenings starting September 16th. We begin with a plan and a basic MS Excel Proforma that you construct. No design without economics; no economics without design! We look at real estate through the lens of those developing it ... from preacquisition to occupancy.
sfu.ca/continuing-studies/co…
Let's not forget TEAM NIMBY's voting record ... "No" to any sort of housing solution.
@CanadianPM let’s have an immediate law that ALL Canadian Grocers MUST identify in 20 point font the origin of all products. Come on @saveonfoods …. You can lead this.
It's such a good feeling to be able to apply almost 30 years of planning and development experience to help courts find just and fair solutions to real estate disputes.
Michael Mortensen retweeted
@JasJohalBC your Jan 13th guest Patrick Condon was spreading 100% misinformation about the cost of Co-op or Below-Market Housing.
* Any Co-op or Low Income Rental apartment today requires c. $300K / unit up-front public subsidy.
* Land is NOT the biggest cost.
* Increasing the Intensity of land use REDUCES land cost.
* Canadians cannot afford to have our government house everybody. Below-market housing does not grow on trees. All levels of government (Fed, Prov, Regional, City) need to reset housing policy and fees to make market ownership and rental housing less expensive to produce.
A sample budget below. Please invite people with real housing knowledge and experience to your show.
Michael Mortensen retweeted
Rob Bruno's letter to METRO Vancouver Board Deserves amplification. Governments need to reverse massive increases in fees immediately. METRO needs a more equitable funding model for essential infrastructure. Federal funds have been promised. Where are they?
NEW - Three major developers, Polygon Homes, Zenterra, and Tien Sher warn Metro Vancouver’s Jan. 1 DCC hike will kill projects, cost jobs, and stall housing. They want it reversed now, future hikes frozen, and an independent review. Polygon VP Robert Bruno joins me at 5. #bcpoli
Michael Mortensen retweeted
City of Vancouver Council today approved a suite of commonsense measures to bring down the cost of developing rental and ownership housing. Kudos to all those on council who voted to show some sensible leadership. council.vancouver.ca/2025121…
Michael Mortensen retweeted
Other Cities take note!!! City of Vancouver unveils sweeping changes to address the housing cost of delivery crisis.
* 2-year Rental Development Relief Program (RDRP)
* Attainable Home Ownership Pilot Rezoning Policy (AHOPRP)
* Below Market Rents set to CMHC Average (vs 20% below)
* Temporary 20% cut to building development fees
* Design Flexibility (shared light/ventilation inboard beds)
* Modest Density & Height relaxations
* Simplified Development Requirements
Policy Here: council.vancouver.ca/2025121…
@CBCVancouver @fumano @fabulavancouver @globeandmail
Michael Mortensen retweeted
What BUILDING CODE changes, material and labour drivers have MORE THAN DOUBLED THE HARD COST OF CONSTRUCTION in less than 10 years? Interested in feedback from folks who really understand the building code & construction cost impacts. What could we rationalize to bring costs down
My recent case study of a Vancouver highrise 2005 vs 2025 showed overall development cost up >3.2X in last 20 years; government fees and levies up 7.5X but household incomes only up 1.7X. Let's zero in on HARD CONSTRUCTION COSTS that also drive design fees, insurance, finance and development management costs.
Michael Mortensen retweeted
My next once-weekly 6-week beginner course starts next month. Guaranteed to inform your understanding and perspective on development. I use a pro-forma as the table of contents for the weekly class.
sfu.ca/continuing-studies/co…
Michael Mortensen retweeted
How do we break this impasse? Housing affordability is a systemic challenge so we need to attack it on all fronts.
Let's flip this on it's head. Over the past 20 years, housing development costs increased >3X* but incomes increased only 1.7X*. First order of business: Canadians have to become more productive; earn more; and keep more of what they earn. Government needs to get fit; get lean; and tax less. Our Canadian political and social culture needs to embrace and celebrate people who take risks and start businesses. We need a national Canadian advantage that attracts people with new ideas and people who create new wealth. We need more working citizens, creating more, exporting more, earning more, paying less tax.
Plenty to do on the delivery side. Intensify land use where it makes sense to drive down land costs (Transit Oriented Development; properly zone land). Design modest sized homes that will still be liveable, rentable, sellable in the longer term (reduce land + construction cost). Drive down construction costs (smart design, more sensible code requirements, prefab, perhaps modular where possible). Rationalize + Reduce Government Fees, Levies Taxes (fastest growing component of development cost up >7.5X in last 20 years*). Marketing is a good target for tech disruption to lower sales/rental transaction costs while de-risking development. CMHC and Canadian banks need mandates and incentives to create stable low-interest mortgage options for ownership and rental (lowering finance costs).
Leave no stone unturned! @MarkJCarney @gregorrobertson @udibc
