FIFA INSIDER SAYS:
Hotel demand for FIFA is low, and game tickets are coming down in price! Inside information suggests waiting until the last possible moment to buy tickets, as prices continue to fall. Lowest available prices now on FIFA’s new ticket and resale marketplace ($CDN):
Aust./Turkey — $322 Cat. 1
(See Madrid’s playmaker Arda Güler)
Canada/Qatar — $600
(Watch out for Afif)
New Zealand/Egypt — $240
(Last chance to see Salah)
Canada/Switzerland — $700
(Davies vs. Xhaka)
New Zealand/Belgium — $400
(De Bruyne and Doku)
Round of 32 — $600
(Likely Switzerland, remotely Canada)
Round of 16 — $1,250
(Likely Ronaldo’s Portugal, remotely Canada)
These prices will drop if Canada does not qualify to play in Vancouver (likely). Better still, there are tons of resale tickets on the market, especially Cat. 1 tickets. Many are now cheaper than Cat. 2 or Cat. 3. Hold out as long as you can – even until match day – and become familiar with your FIFA Mobile Ticket app and how to receive ticket transfers. Prices will likely plummet below cost. FIFA may still release additional tickets at discounted prices.
Best value-for-money game?
Australia vs. Turkey, with cheap Cat. 1 tickets. This game could be explosive. And if you love it, you can always go back for more games.
Assuming Canada finishes second in its group, you could go to Los Angeles and, for $1,000 CAD or less, see Canada vs. Mexico.
If Canada finishes third, it will likely go to San Francisco, where for about $1,000 CAD you could see Canada vs. USA.
Major Point: Enjoy the games. It will be crazy no matter where you watch!
SUPREME COURT LETS STAND NEW BRUNSWICK RULING
“ABORIGINAL TITLE CANNOT BE DECLARED OVER PRIVATELY OWNED LAND”
(Repeat from podcast).
The Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear an appeal by the Wolastoqey Nation.
- In our opinion, by declining to hear the appeal, the Court allowed a New Brunswick Court of Appeal ruling to stand that said Aboriginal title cannot be declared over privately owned land.
- YES, in our opinion, THIS could affect and help the Cowichan appeal!
- The New Brunswick Court of Appeal ruled that:
- Indigenous nations may pursue Aboriginal title claims over Crown land.
- Where land is privately owned (homes, farms, businesses, industrial land), courts cannot declare Aboriginal title that would override private ownership rights.
- Indigenous groups may still seek compensation or damages from governments for the historical loss of land. In our view, this makes eminent sense.
Major Point: I received too many calls, emails, and comments on this issue (MoneyTalks, Facebook, and elsewhere). Many argued that the ruling applies only to New Brunswick, that Indigenous groups have a different arrangement in British Columbia, and that it makes no difference in Cowichan. Gals, guys – it is my opinion!
I have been told that the Cowichan judge could have relied on parts of the New Brunswick ruling. Whether that is true or not, in my opinion this issue must be dealt with directly. We are creating a world of entitlement and legal mumbo-jumbo through endless appeals, lawsuits, more appeals, and more lawsuits, while our entire Torrens system comes under increasing pressure.
Major Point: Those nice Indigenous voices who say they will never seek title? Perhaps not personally. But enough claims, supported by enough lawyers, can tie up and keep our entire ownership system in turmoil. Investment and construction remain in limbo while public finances disappear into a bottomless hole.
SURREY REDUCES DCCs – PROVINCE AGREES?
In 2025, the City of Surrey began updating its 2024 DCC Bylaw. The DCC rate for small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) lots – multiplexes – was $55,260 per unit in 2024 and is being reduced to $51,633. The rate for low-rise residential buildings is being reduced from $33.47 per sq. ft. to $30.72 per sq. ft., while the rate for high-rise residential buildings is being reduced from $33.18 per sq. ft. to $30.30 per sq. ft.
DCC rates for commercial and industrial buildings, however, are increasing.
In Surrey, high-rise projects have seen the largest reduction. Why? Because virtually nobody is building anything.
The 2026 DCC Bylaw has now been submitted to the Province for approval, after which it will return to Council for final adoption. The new rates would come into effect immediately upon adoption, but first the bylaw must be returned from the Province.
INTEREST RATES
- Canada’s key rate remained unchanged for a fifth consecutive announcement.
- The Bank of Canada’s policy rate remains at 2.25%.
- Annual inflation rose to 2.8% in April and is expected to hold near 3%.
USA – Inflation Soaring?
- The Consumer Price Index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5% for the month, bringing annual inflation to 4.2%.
- Core CPI increased 0.2% for the month and 2.9% year over year.
It is now expected that the Fed will not cut rates and may even increase rates twice. Will Canada follow?
Major Point: Variable and short-term mortgage rates are tied directly to the key rate. No change there. Fixed mortgage rates are tied to bond yields – and bond yields are rising. Haggle hard. Go long if you are comfortable where you are. Visit Ratehub and compare the best available rates.
CMHC SAYS: WE COULD HAVE BEEN 30% BETTER OFF!
A new CMHC analysis finds that housing starts in Canada could have been nearly 30% higher between 2006 and 2024, while home prices could have been close to 10% lower under different regulatory conditions. Tighter land-use rules, particularly in major urban centres, have made it more difficult to add housing supply in a timely manner.
Canada faces a significant housing supply gap. By 2035, Canada will need between 430,000 and 480,000 housing units annually – far above the projected construction rate of 245,000 to 250,000 units per year.
Major Point: We are in a soup of our own making.
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS
Q: Why don’t we see more of this in the mainstream press? (General foreclosures are minimal in Canada. Delinquencies are less than one-quarter of 1%.)
A: We love sound bites. Facts don’t make money on YouTube!
“Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?” –Robin Williams
MAY/JUNE HOT PROPERTIES
(All still available as of now. See below.)
Q: You keep quoting thousands of followers being deleted. How many do you have left?
A: Not followers – email subscribers! Only people who don’t open OzBuzz get deleted. It’s free to them, but I have to pay for every mail-out. Why pay for subscribers who never read it?
RANTS
Q: I absolutely hate the flood of “no-reply” emails I receive. They ask you to do impossible things but then tell you not to reply if you don’t understand the AI-generated instructions.
A: Agreed. Totally. Try paying your property taxes in Surrey. First, you need to set up a personal account. Then you still can’t see your tax file. Then you need another file opened. To do that, you need your tax notice. Didn’t get one? Too bad. Can’t open the file.
Q: I will not deal with real estate companies that use chatbots. They have limited answers to common questions. They are mostly useless and prove to me that you don’t care.
A: Agreed. Try getting a useful answer from the chatbots at Shaw or BC Hydro. AI is only as good as the programmers who create the questions and answers. If the system has never seen your question before, it can’t answer it. Nor can it easily connect you to a human being.
Q: I got a letter from Scotia Bank asking me to complete a survey. I have a few issues, but generally I’m okay. The first thing they ask is: “On a scale of 0–10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” Why do they do that? First I have to say whether I would recommend them before I even get to the survey?
A: I got the same request from Audi after buying a new car. Before you can even begin the survey, you must answer the sliding-scale question. What you’re describing is the Net Promoter Score (NPS) system. After dealing with a bank, car dealer, airline, hotel, or service company, they want one thing: That score. They really don’t care much about the rest of the questionnaire. Why? They divide answers into three groups: 9–10 = Promoters (enthusiastic customers), 7–8 = Passives (satisfied but not enthusiastic), 0–6 = Detractors (unhappy customers). Then they calculate: NPS = % Promoters – % Detractors
Example:
60% give 9–10
20% give 7–8% give 0–6
NPS = 60 – 20 = +40
Why do companies love it? Because customers who say they would recommend the company are more likely to stay longer, buy more products, and complain less. Executives love it because it provides one number that can be compared across branches, dealerships, regions, and years. What annoys me most? The survey arrives by text message on a tiny phone screen. I replied to Audi: “Please send it to my email.” No response.
Welcome to the AI world. I feel sorry for older people with limited computer experience. AI is going to dramatically change retirement. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
Q: I always considered myself computer literate, but today’s world is ridiculous. Buying a new condo and trying to set up various “case files” or “strata files” versus “other files” is ridiculous. No human help anywhere.
A: You are not alone. Recently, I wanted a mortgage payout amount. Think about that—I wanted to pay them! Instead, they required me to open a case file first. Then every subsequent communication required my case-file number. After yelling at the poor receptionist and threatening non-payment, I finally received the payout amount from a human being—in about eight minutes. But first, I had to listen to the automated: “We are here to help.” Bullpoopoo.
Q: Come on, Ozzie. Are you sure? A million dollars lost on a condo in four years? Has to be a mistake.
A: You are referring to last month’s Hot Property – the condo at Burrard and Nelson (The Butterfly). Look it up on MLS. Or inquire at info@ozbuzz.ca.
Q: I dislike self-checkout. It seems to me that stores save money on labour, but I do more work and receive no price reduction.
A: Plus, continued theft is ultimately paid for through higher prices. Walmart has reduced or restricted self-checkout in some locations because of theft concerns. Target introduced a 10-item limit at many self-checkouts. Costco and Dollar General have also tightened their self-checkout policies.
Q: I’m not getting OzBuzz. Did you delete me?
A: We receive lots of these inquiries. Yes, we regularly cull the subscriber list. Every two months we remove subscribers who have not opened OzBuzz for approximately three months. Why subscribe if you don’t read it? We recently removed nearly 3,000 inactive subscribers. You may have been one of them. Simply re-subscribe with your email address.
Q: Lately the Q&A section has been much shorter. I really like that section. Many of the questions asked are ones I wanted answered myself.
A: Well, then you’re going to enjoy this issue.
“Forecasting real estate is easy. Getting it right is the tricky part.”
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