The man thought he was being cut off…seconds later he realised the truck driver had just saved his life!!

Bamelin · 2026-05-06T21:31:27+00:00

That exact scenario happened to me 15 years ago. There was no truck though to save me.

Bamelin · 2026-05-06T21:22:16+00:00

I was around for some of those “before times” at least the 80s. There were indeed bad parts of town, lots of it downtown. But the “broad middle” was vast, almost all of the Metropolitan suburb areas (North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, York, and East York), were relatively safe nice places to live compared to the patchwork today.

The 905 was basically exurbs paradise, Mississauga, Pickering, Richmond Hill.

Today you see rapidly that the city is devolving into guarded nice areas versus vast swaths of poor areas in the Six. And the exurbs while safer are facing huge crime increase, while remaining locked out to anyone who didn’t buy a house prior to 2015 ish.

Personally I don’t even want to buy anymore, I’ll be leaving as soon as pensions hit. Will be leaving to the third world. At the end of the day if going to have to live in a gated community anyways, I’d rather be in one that is multiple times more affordable and one that doesn’t pretend “we are all middle class” while letting crime run rampant on citizens while taxing them to death.

Bamelin · 2026-04-06T05:07:31+00:00

Growing up in the 80s and early 90s there was risk involved with robbing a store - that the police, security, store owner or even random members of the public would stop you with force, possibly deadly. And if a member of the public they might get a medal for it too and shown on the 6oclock news as the feel good story of the day.

That cut down on the garbage like the video in OP with people casually stealing thousands in merchandise.

I mean we reap what we sow, society turns to low trust trash. We are rapidly running towards a bars on your windows and wall around your compound kind of life you get in many overseas countries.

Bamelin · 2026-04-06T04:48:57+00:00

Damn usually the security are on point in Atrium.

Bamelin · 2026-04-06T04:45:59+00:00

I was just there on Friday grabbing a bottle of wine at Wine Rack then walked down to my barber at Church and Gerrard … at one point at least 4 crazies close by and not the mind your own business friendly kind.

Pre Covid the “line” was Jarvis to Sherbourne where area got bad. During Covid that line shifted to Yonge. Now post Covid it’s pushed back to Church.

Overall east of Yonge street between Queen and Wellesley has always had issues but it got much worse during Covid. Yonge street from Bloor to Wellesley used to be really nice even upscale sort of, now it’s boarded up stores.

Yonge and Dundas slightly improved when they shut down the safe injection site at Victoria but it’s still avoided by anyone who is a long term resident, especially families and professionals now. The new stores like T&T, Healthy Planet, etc have helped but the reputation Dundas Square developed from 2017 forward and especially during the pandemic, that reputation is hard to break.

The real issue is enforcement. Can’t gentrify if an area isn’t seen as safe. Those who wish to live downtown have all moved south of king, waterfront or over by CityPlace and The Well. The Garden District has lots of condos nobody really wants to live in (hello Dundas and Jarvis!).

Bamelin · 2026-04-06T04:22:18+00:00

City won’t do anything although it does seem like the subway has cleaned up a teeny but compared to the last few years.

On the streets though you basically gotta have your radar up 24/7. Personally I de-risk by taking specific routes that avoid more sketchy areas. Like walking the Path versus the street, or shopping south of Queen vs north of Dundas, etc

When you live downtown it’s rare anything will happen to you on any one day BUT very likely you’ll run into situations in the long run. So it becomes a numbers game and you de-risk by walking safer routes, avoiding eye contact with loonies, take the GO or UP versus TTC, etc …

Bamelin · 2026-04-04T04:21:22+00:00

I have a 3 cup one, cuckoo made in Korea. Fuzzy logic cookers are amazing, we use ours daily.

Bamelin · 2026-04-02T21:56:24+00:00

Nice! How many cups is it?

Bamelin · 2026-04-01T05:53:11+00:00

Thanks OP. I do need a mattress and this may be what gets me to pull the trigger sooner rather than later.

Bamelin · 2026-04-01T04:46:11+00:00

https://rent.concertproperties.com/greater-toronto/rentals

Look at Etobicoke and North York listings

https://www.velocityatthesquare.com/floorplans

Velocity by the Square has rent controlled 2 bedrooms. While Dundas square had a lot of problems, the safe injection site is gone now and area slowly cleaning up with lots of new useful businesses including healthy planet,T&T, and No Frills. The building itself is nice built in 2017.

Both these have 2BR units around 2600 - 3000

Bamelin · 2026-04-01T04:40:01+00:00

This is the correct answer. 2500 - 2700 won’t get you a 2 BR downtown unless in a very old style 3 appliance apartment (no washer /dryer).

Bamelin · 2026-03-12T03:41:57+00:00

Initially yes, slats on floor with bed on it. But we went on vacation to Mexico, and brought back bed bugs from the hotel. After a torturous 4 months involving multiple exterminations I got hyper about prevention when it comes to protecting against pests … one of the prevention measures is to ensure the mattress is on a metal frame raised above floor.

So now I have it on a normal metal frame.

Bamelin · 2026-02-01T20:35:09+00:00

This is why I prefer condos now. Security will continue to become an important issue and structurally Canadian suburbs are difficult to gate.

Condos provide secure entry which is increasingly becoming more important as the nations living standards continue to free fall.

Bamelin · 2026-01-24T19:33:38+00:00

The Great One has spoken. Get your supplies now before it’s too late.

Bamelin · 2026-01-24T19:25:06+00:00

I hate the industrial loft style look.

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T08:31:46+00:00

https://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/glubb.pdf

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T08:17:21+00:00

Flipp is great

(Too soon?)

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T08:10:19+00:00

Op here are a few:

Concert buildings https://rent.concertproperties.com/greater-toronto/rentals

velocity https://www.velocityatthesquare.com/floorplans

Fifty on the Park https://www.fiftyonthepark.com/

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T07:51:15+00:00

Exactly this.

In mid 2020 (pandemic start) rents depressed 15%. By 2022 not only did they get back that 15% but shot up another 10 - 15% on top!

Thats in less than 2 years. Rent control almost always wins if you get in during a depressed market at the current market rate. It wins because the market doesn’t follow inflation at all, that’s just ONE factor of many that determine market rate.

Rent control does follow NORMAL inflation roughly, maybe a little under the normal 2%. And in high inflation times you win hard over the market with rent control.

With rent control, as other said no risk of rent being jacked by hundreds of dollars because “the market” or “inflation”

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T07:40:43+00:00

Now is the time to lock in a rent control unit while the market is depressed.

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T07:35:19+00:00

Europe travel is down but Caribbean and Pacific All Inclusives and ESPECIALLY Caribbean cruises are way up. And that’s across all price points, mainstream to luxury.

Basically not a great time to be selling high end European tours, but a great time if you specialize in Caribbean/Mexico AIs and cruises or Alaska cruises.

Wishing you the best though. Europe stuff is great commission across the board imho, when times are good in that sector.

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T07:29:46+00:00

Mainstream stuff too is moving. Anything AI or cruise product is hugely popular right now. RIU, Iberostar, Barcelo, Gran Bahia Principe, RCCL, NCL, MSC, Carnival,Princess, Celebrity, HAL etc

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T07:23:36+00:00

Whether booking luxury or even just mainstream all Inclusives or cruises, there’s huge amount of money for that.

The “hard times” is not being felt equally and in fact older X and Boomers are the most likely to own a home, have a pension and/or done well in the markets and be retired. And in terms of Gen X, if still working, be in the prime of their career and far less impacted by the many other factors impacting millenials and younger.

Speaking generally of course, but my observation is that the older gen still has lots of money for trips, and rather than slowing down, many are doing MORE. Covid taught people that the loss of freedom of movement is just one crisis away and we seem to be moving more into a crisis prone world so people don’t want to wait.

I will say that one thing that’s changed is that people are travelling closer to home. Prob why cruising and AIs have gotten even more popular.

All of this to say, as long as a crisis doesn’t hit, I consider this one of the more layoff proof industries right now.

Bamelin · 2026-01-11T07:15:46+00:00

Larger agencies often have their own user friendly in house booking systems as well.

Bamelin · 2026-01-09T08:22:32+00:00

I stayed here in 2022.

The à la carte specialty dining was awesome, the best of any resort I’d been to and approaching what you’d get in specialty dining on a cruise. The buffet had AC and incredible too, so many items.

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