[hawc]

They’re home owners in Toronto. Framing it like they’re victims is ridiculous.

Okay so people who are forced to sell their homes against their will and move somewhere else aren't victims? Got it.

If it's for the greater good then they should be happy to have been able to play their part? Got it.

There shouldn’t even be single family homes on any major street south of Eglinton in my opinion in 2024.

Please continue to force the transformation of society for the greater good.

Do go on...

 

[nfitz]

Sure I agree. They aren’t really poor bastards, they’re home owners in Toronto. Framing it like they’re victims is ridiculous.

They've been promised for a decade that there homes weren't going to be touched or taken.

And now they haven't been offered any extra compensation for this gross incompetence and inconvenience.

Had Metrolinx had the competency on day one to have told them the truth - it's a fair point.

Given Metrolinx's history of trying to cut corners on cost, one needs to find out more if this is actually a case that the vibrational damage is more severe than predicted, of if there's been some change in the construction technique to perhaps save money. Almost anything can be mitigated for a cost. Have they chosen to screw these neighbours to save money - or are they just technically incompetent?

It's ridiculous and degrading to suggest that they haven't been victimized by that grossly incompetent and overpaid agency.

 

[duty free]

Okay so people who are forced to sell their homes against their will and move somewhere else aren't victims? Got it.

If it's for the greater good then they should be happy to have been able to play their part? Got it.



Please continue to force the transformation of society for the greater good.

View attachment 591775

Do go on...

That’s exactly right they’re not victims if they are fairly compensated monetarily. That’s the law.

If you own property in Canada it can be expropriated for public purposes legally, even if it is against your will. If you purchase property you should understand that it’s a possibility. If you purchase property in the most populated city in the country on a major street it’s a very real possibility as the city continues to grow.

If a person can’t come to terms with that reality then they shouldn’t buy a house. It’s cute that you think it’s communist, but it’s just the law in this country and it’s for millions of people’s benefit.

These aren’t developers. This is the government. I don’t think you understand what rights property owners actually have in Toronto.

 

[Towered]

That’s exactly right they’re not victims if they are fairly compensated monetarily. That’s the law.

If you own property in Canada it can be expropriated for public purposes legally, even if it is against your will. If you purchase property you should understand that it’s a possibility. If you purchase property in the most populated city in the country on a major street it’s a very real possibility as the city continues to grow.

If a person can’t come to terms with that reality then they shouldn’t buy a house. It’s cute that you think it’s communist, but it’s just the law in this country and it’s for millions of people’s benefit.

These aren’t developers. This is the government. I don’t think you understand what rights property owners actually have in Toronto.

I'm sympathetic to these homeowners to a certain degree (hence my earlier remark about MX covering their therapy bills), and MX has handled the situation poorly, but expropriation exists for a reason - we can't have a society where any allegedly aggrieved individual could potentially hold major infrastructure projects hostage for their own selfish needs.

 

[duty free]

They've been promised for a decade that there homes weren't going to be touched or taken.

And now they haven't been offered any extra compensation for this gross incompetence and inconvenience.

Had Metrolinx had the competency on day one to have told them the truth - it's a fair point.

Given Metrolinx's history of trying to cut corners on cost, one needs to find out more if this is actually a case that the vibrational damage is more severe than predicted, of if there's been some change in the construction technique to perhaps save money. Almost anything can be mitigated for a cost. Have they chosen to screw these neighbours to save money - or are they just technically incompetent?

It's ridiculous and degrading to suggest that they haven't been victimized by that grossly incompetent and overpaid agency.

I hate metrolinx as much as anyone, so I agree that they always handle things poorly and that this is no exception.

Doesn't change the fact that if those particular houses need to be expropriated then that is what needs to happen. Especially if it’s a safety concern.

 

[duty free]

What's "fairly"?

It seems obvious to me that a fair price for someone who wants to sell their home is categorically different to a fair price for someone who does not want to sell it. Yet it appears this is not at all obvious to a lot of people posting here.

There are things I own that I would never agree to sell for what a "fair market" would pay for them. Their value to me, for reasons of personal connection, memories, sentimentality, uniqueness, or a host of other reasons, means I prefer to have them than any money someone else would pay.

If someone is to force me to give them up, giving me the "fair" price that Value Village would slap on them in exchange is not acceptable. The loss to me is greater than that.

Maybe the people we are discussing in this thread are rich pricks who won the lottery on property values. I don't think it's right to engage in that sort of judgment. This is property they own, and they don't want to sell. If they are to be stripped of it, they deserve at the very least the "fair market value", plus an "unwilling seller" markup (IMO at least 20%), plus all relocation costs (including taxes and legal fees for purchasing a replacement property), plus costs for personal aggravation and distress (IMO at least $10K-$15K). Then we may be in the ballpark of something "fair".

A forced sale is an infringement upon individual rights. In a fair and just society, that cannot be done lightly or without compensation, not just for the property, but for the infringement itself. I'll gladly allow the rich to "win" a little more to protect this principle for everyone.

As always what’s fair depends on who you ask.

The city assesses your property’s value every year when you get charged property tax. The bank assess your property value every time you refinance. Realtors estimate your property’s value when you sell. Each one will give a different assessment so which one is the right one depends on what you are trying to achieve.

The easiest, fastest and cheapest solution is to compensate them way above market value. But guess what some people won’t be satisfied with any number because it’s not about the number.

 

[T3G]

They aren’t really poor bastards, they’re home owners in Toronto. Framing it like they’re victims is ridiculous

If they're not "victims", why compensate them at all, then? Your political philosophy is incongruous.

Everyone who is forced out of their home is a victim. The fact that we are even discussing this is truly bizarre. We don't live in a totalitarian dictatorship where people are expected to be subservient to the state. If I am forced out of my home because of a situation created by the bumbling stupidity of the state, I expect to be compensated well above what a conservative penny pinching bank estimates my house is worth. The fact that one day maybe some infrastructure will be created by this bumbling state institution is worthless information to me.

 

[nfitz]

That’s exactly right they’re not victims if they are fairly compensated monetarily. That’s the law.

As people and corporations keep having to take legal action against Metrolinx, to get fair compensation - then those individuals who don't have the same legal resources are indeed being victimized.

Why are you working so hard to defend these incompetent turds at Metrolinx?