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Global News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Global News
Victoria's new community safety plan gets council's green light
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto says she's 'thrilled' councillors have signalled support for a plan to address declining social order caused by homelessness, addiction and a fraying health care system in the city. Councillors meeting as a committee voted eight-to-one to endorse the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan and unanimously directed staff to analyze its operational and financial impacts. Another vote to formally approve the plan, which does not have a price tag, is scheduled for July 3. Alto says the city is facing crises that are 'unacceptable,' and the public has clearly told the city that issues of social disorder and 'uncivility' are paramount. 4:07 Calls for safety crackdown in downtown Victoria The report was commissioned in 2023 and responds to what it calls increased disorder and a diminished sense of community well-being in the face of multiple challenges. Story continues below advertisement The report says people in B.C's capital are 'discouraged, upset, and frustrated' with visible and invisible levels of poverty, homelessness and service gaps, despite efforts to revitalize the downtown, increase housing and improve safety. Alto says the plan with its 95 recommendations — many aimed at the provincial and federal governments — is not just another report, but instead marks a 'watershed moment' in the history of the city as it responds to social challenges. She said many of the causes behind those challenges are the responsibility of other levels of government and organizations. 'We can't deny that, and we will continue to work with them to ensure that the results are collaborative, and then eventually, the right authorities take responsibility for the costs and execution of those solutions,' she said. 'But meanwhile, we cannot wait any longer. We have an obligation to Victorians to take action.' Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Alto said the city will fill some of the gaps for now, with the hope that other levels of government will see what works and do their part to help the city. She also expressed hope that other communities in Greater Victoria will take their cues from the report. She said in an interview that residents could see additional bylaw officers on their streets sometime this year after council directed staff to implement 'preliminary actions' within the available 2025 budget to support the plan. Story continues below advertisement 2:10 Victoria business association calls for safety in downtown core Alto added that staff could hire additional bylaw officers even without the approval of council if money could be found without changing the 2025 budget. Alto acknowledged financial constraints and difficult choices. 'It's impossible to predict the storm clouds that are coming, but what this indicates is that every order of government, every decision maker is facing some really extremely difficult choices,' she said. 'In this case, I believe that this is a priority. That has been indicated strongly by the public generally, and that there is a high expectation that this will be a priority.' Specific recommendations within Victoria's control include measures to improve downtown safety, explore the establishment of designated shelters and tiny homes for people transitioning from homelessness, and support the delivery of mental health first aid training. Story continues below advertisement The report says that concerns about safety and the impacts of social disorder are 'negatively impacting business vitality' in Victoria, whose success as a renowned tourism destination depends on the local economy, with its array of unique businesses. These concerns are echoed by Suzanne Bradbury, who guided the drafting of the plan as part of a panel consisting of community leaders. 1:45 Victoria city councillors bringing motion to prioritize downtown movie theatres Bradbury, who co-owns a property management company and is also a trained mental health and addictions counsellor, said nobody is thriving right now. Businesses are closing and those struggling with addictions are not getting better under the current system, she said. 'Momentum is certainly building, but it is moving in the wrong direction,' she told councillors. 'We need an intervention urgently to turn this around.' Story continues below advertisement The Downtown Victoria Business Association said in its annual report released last week that 48 per cent of businesses surveyed said that if their leases were due soon, they would either not renew their leases, or were unsure if they would, because of the 'current conditions' in the neighbourhood. 'We need bold, immediate action in 2025, or we risk a wave of closures, job losses, and a dramatic erosion of downtown's vitality,' said Jeff Bray, the association's chief executive officer. Jonny Morris, chief executive officer with the B.C. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, also served with Bradbury on the panel. He said in an interview that the 'ambitious' plan serves as a 'very robust North Star' for all levels of government. 'So the city is taking on its piece,' he said. 'We will need to see the province, and the federal government find ways to interact and interface with these recommendations.' Not all members of Victoria city council think that will happen. Coun. Marg Gardiner said the plan includes a 'good list of steps' to help individuals who are currently living on the streets and dealing with addiction. But she added that she is not confident that senior levels will fulfill their obligations.
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Doctors turned real estate investors share the strategy they used to 'zero out' income taxes for 7 years
Letizia Alto and Kenji Asakura started buying real estate to supplement, and eventually fully replace, their incomes as doctors. They wanted to reduce their hospital shifts so they could spend more time together and with their kids. Since buying their first investment property in 2015, they've expanded to more than 100 units that bring in six-figure rental cash flow. They both scaled back in the hospital and consider themselves "semi-retired," as they still work on their real estate portfolio and financial literary company, Semi-Retired MD. Over the last decade of investing, the couple has learned that "there are six ways you make money in real estate," Alto told Business Insider, one of which is often overlooked: the tax benefits. "The tax code is essentially a series of incentives to encourage certain behavior that the government wants," said Asakura. They've spent years understanding how to use it to their advantage and, thanks to one strategy in particular, said they managed to "zero out" their income taxes for seven years. Sheltering their clinical income with Real Estate Professional Status (REPS) The couple's main real estate-specific tax strategy is one that allows qualifying individuals to shelter their income using an IRS designation known as "real estate professional status," or REPS. Typically, rental real estate losses are considered passive and can only offset passive income. For example, if you're working as an accountant and invest in real estate on the side, then the losses from your real estate business offset your rental income, but you can't take that loss and offset your accountant income. That's because they're two unrelated activities. However, if you're considered a real estate professional, it all becomes one big activity, and you can fully deduct rental losses against active forms of income, including W2 and 1099 earnings. In Alto and Asakura's case, they've used the status to offset their physician incomes. The couple provides an example on their blog: Say you earn $250,000 as a doctor, and you and your spouse run a real estate business that generates $150,000 in losses. If neither of you qualifies for REPS, you're taxed on all $250,000. However, if one spouse claims REPS, you can deduct $150,000 from your $250,0000 income, meaning you'll only be taxed on $100,000, which can result in a significant difference in tax liability. Note that you must generate a loss to get the tax benefit. It's fairly common in real estate to generate positive cash flow while showing a loss on your tax returns, they explained. That's because of deductions like depreciation — the IRS assumes buildings wear out over time and allows you to deduct a portion of your property's value each year as an expense — and expenses like renovations. In 2015, the first year Asakura qualified for REPS, "we did a lot of rehabbing to create our losses," explained Alto. "When we rehabbed, we would be increasing the value of the property and increasing cash flow of the property, but the rehab was a write-off, which was insane. I hope people understand that rehabbing is such an incredible thing to do because it is tax beneficial, but you get to keep all the upside of it." Qualifying for REPS To qualify, real estate has to be your primary job. Being a real-estate agent automatically deems you a professional, but if you don't have that license, you may qualify if you meet certain requirements. The two main stipulations are: 1. You must spend more than 750 hours a year on real-estate activities. 2. More than half your working hours must be in real estate. Asakura transitioned to a part-time hospitalist in 2015 so he could qualify for the status. Only one spouse needs to qualify, meaning Alto could continue working and deduct the real estate losses from her clinical income. CPA Kristel Espinosa told BI that REPS is often abused and emphasized the importance of documenting everything, from how you spend your working hours to the mileage you drove to visit properties. "You can have other jobs, but you just have to be able to show that to the IRS if ever audited that the real-estate business really is your main thing," she said. If you meet the requirements, "Then, of course, designate yourself as a real-estate professional. It obviously has huge benefits. But then also be aware that this is a highly scrutinized area by the IRS, too, so that's why you want to have your documentation in place." Asakura keeps track of his hours in a Google calendar and includes detailed notes. If you spend a substantial amount of time on your portfolio, REPS is worth looking into — and don't assume your CPA knows about the status. "We'll run into people who have large real estate portfolios and they've never claimed it," said Alto. "They have all these losses that are just sitting there as passive losses because their CPA didn't know they were active, and they could have saved so much in taxes."
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
500 challans in two days: Ghaziabad cops crack down on wrong-side driving
Ghaziabad: Traffic police have launched a district-wide campaign against wrong-side driving, issuing over 500 challans and seizing 30 vehicles in just two days. Officials said nearly 80% of the offenders were two-wheeler riders. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Cops also plan to identify repeat offenders and file FIRs against them under the Motor Vehicles Act and BNS Section 281 (rash driving), which can lead to imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of up to Rs 1,000, or both. On Monday, a total of 232 challans, including 163 for two-wheelers under the campaign, were issued, and 26 vehicles were seized. A total of 297 challans were issued on the second day of the drive. Of these, 209 were issued to two-wheeler drivers. Traffic cops also seized four vehicles. The challan for wrong-side driving is between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000. ACP (traffic) Ziauddin Ahmad said statistics showed that more than 30% of all road accidents are caused by wrong-side driving. In March, a 25-year-old man died after his bike collided with a truck on NH-9 in Masuri. Police found the biker was approaching from the wrong side when it was hit. Last July, a mother-son duo had died when their scooty was struck by an Alto near Mehrauli underpass on DME. The car was travelling in the wrong direction and hit the scooty as the driver could not apply the brakes in time. Police arrested the driver and seized the car. According to the ACP, traffic police have been deployed at more than 70 spots across the district, including NH-9 in Vijay Nagar, Indirapuram, Khoda and Wave City among other places, to check violations. "During the campaign, and previous ones too, we observed two-wheeler riders were the main traffic violators, most just travel on the wrong side because it would save them a few minutes or simply because it is easier to ride a few metres on the footpath and take a quick shortcut instead of a longer U-turn. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They fail to realise that they maximise the risk for themselves and other commuters in the process. Of 529 challans issued by traffic police, 372 offenders were two-wheelers," he said. Last year, traffic police issued over 2.8 lakh wrong-side challans to offenders. Over 55,000 challans were issued for wrong-side drivers in the first two months of the year. Of the challans issued to people caught for wrong-side driving last year, 29,000 challans were issued on the DME and Eastern Peripheral Expressway. Cops also registered FIRs to deter offenders. In Feb, cops had filed an FIR against a man for allegedly driving on the wrong side of the DME— two-wheelers are banned on the expressway—in the Crossings Republik area. The driver was also fined Rs 7,000 for various offences, and his car was seized. Last Dec, an FIR was registered at Khoda police station against a truck driver for wrong-side driving too.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Car claims female pedestrian's life on Mohali's Airport Road
A woman lost her life after being hit by a car while attempting to cross the road near Arjantha Hotel, TDI City, on Airport Road on Monday morning. The car driver fled the scene after briefly stopping and seeing the victim lying in a pool of blood. According to police, the accident took place around 8.45 am, when the victim, Babita, a resident of Adarsh Colony, was standing on the roadside with her husband and nephew, all labourers. They were heading to their worksite, when a rashly driven Alto car (PB12-F-1625) hit Babita. According to the complaint filed by her husband, Raj, the impact was so severe that Babita sustained a critical head injury. A few passersby rushed to help and called an ambulance. She was taken to the civil hospital in Phase 6, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Raj told police that the driver briefly stopped the car, looked at Babita lying unconscious, and then fled the spot without offering any help. Police have lodged an FIR under Sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash and negligent driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police are working to trace the absconding driver based on the vehicle registration number.
Global News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Victoria unveils new community safety plan, 2 years in the making
After nearly two years of input from residents, stakeholders and community leaders, the City of Victoria has unveiled a draft plan aimed at boosting public safety. Victoria city council is set to receive the draft Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan on Thursday. 'This is the beginning, not the end … of a very comprehensive and complicated journey,' Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said. 'It is a plan that will, if endorsed and if executed well, which is always our hope, will quite dramatically and in a very sustained and comprehensive way reorient the services the city provides within the context of community safety and wellbeing.' The 79-page plan includes dozens of recommendations for all three levels of government, broken into categories including housing, health care, service delivery and policing. Alto said the plan represents a 'system change' that would see all aspects of municipal policy, including bylaws, public works, parks, land use, 'and pretty much everything a city does' reviewed through a community safety lens going forward. Story continues below advertisement 1:47 Victoria's Pandora Avenue safety plan deemed a 'success' 'It is important for us to look at everything we do and ask the question what impact does this have on the community safety and wellbeing of the city, and if we can't answer that clearly, crisply and succinctly, we need to ask the question again and again and again,' she said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Recommendations at the municipal level range from piloting a corporate 'blockwatch' program downtown to boosting police funding and staffing to exploring municipally owned health clinics. It also calls for a plan to manage current and potential encampments, the crafting of a 'vulnerable people strategy,' and the development of 'wellness indicators' to assess the impact of new municipal actions. Some of the recommendations could be implemented quickly, while others project a multi-year timeline. 'The goal at some level is to be able to walk up to an average resident and say, 'What is your experience of the city? Do you feel as if you are in a safer community?'' Alto said. Story continues below advertisement 4:07 Calls for safety crackdown in downtown Victoria 'If you can do that randomly with different residents, then yeah, we've done our work. Do I expect that to happen in two weeks? No. Do I hope it will happen incrementally over a couple of years? Absolutely. Are there things that can happen quick? Yes, I hope. Are there things that will take time? Absolutely.' Many of the recommendations were for senior levels of government, and Alto acknowledged that some of the most crucial issues, including housing, healthcare and the criminal justice, remain largely outside of the city's jurisdiciton. But she said the city has plenty of firsthand experience in those areas, and she believes listening to Victoria's recommendations will lead to better outcomes. If council adopts the plan, city staff will then spend the summer analyzing how it would impact the city's finances and operations, and come back with details this fall. Story continues below advertisement
