Dave Reyes is the owner and founder of Dave’s Duct Cleaning, one of the top duct cleaning services in Toronto and the GTA. Business aside, he hopes to shine a light on the frauds of the duct cleaning industry and help consumers save their money, time, and home from unqualified HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) remediators. With a mission to educate consumers about proper duct cleaning, some could call Dave an activist of his industry.

What is your connection to Toronto?

I was born and raised in Toronto, as well as educated. I went to the University of Toronto St. George campus at Victoria College. My company has a large footprint across the GTA and Toronto, and we’ve seen everything in terms of ductwork remediation that Toronto has to offer—whether that’s commercial, industrial, or residential. At Dave’s Duct Cleaning, we work out of our trucks. We have two trucks at the moment, with a third one on its way. One truck is based out of Mississauga, another out of the Whitby/Durham region, and the new one will be set in Vaughan. Each truck has a 100km radius which lets us reach everything from the downtown core to Barrie.

How did you get into the duct cleaning business?

Seven years ago, I was scammed by an unscrupulous duct cleaning company. My wife answered a telemarketing call pitching duct cleaning services, and she said: “Sure, we haven’t gotten our ducts cleaned in a while”. My wife and I didn’t know any better, and we thought we had a reputable company serving us. We turned out to be wrong.

When they came to our home, they drilled holes in places that ruined the integrity of our HVAC system. They also claimed to have inspected our furnace when they had no license to. They said there were issues with the furnace that they could fix for an additional fee, and because I was uneducated at the time about these things, they sold me on an extended warranty on the appliance that they had no right selling an extended warranty for. This whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth and motivated me to start my own duct cleaning service to do it right and to educate consumers about what it takes to have the work done properly.

How do I know when to get my ducts cleaned?

We have a checklist on our website to inform consumers about the symptoms of dirty ducts. There are several “checks” one can undertake to determine whether your home needs its air ducts cleaned:

• Presence of mold growth inside sheet metal ducts or on other components of the heating and cooling system.
• Ducts are infested with vermin such as rats or insects.
• Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris.

The rule of thumb is to have someone clean your ducts after a renovation or after purchasing a new home. After a thorough and proper cleaning, per NADCA standards and under normal living conditions (no renovations/pets), you likely won’t need another one for the next five-to-seven years. That is unless you went with a “blow-and-go” company – they’ll say “see you next year”.

Why is it important to get my ducts cleaned?

Because they’re dirty; that’s the biggest reason. The HVAC system is a low-pressure system, and the build-up of dust and debris is adding resistance to the system. Without the HVAC system providing proper airflow to your home, there are tons of things in our environment that would hurt us, such as off-gassing. Off-gassing can come from the chemicals from the materials used in the construction of new homes, from sunlight touching plastics, and from other ordinary things such as printers. A clean duct system moves these chemicals out of your home. As well, with clean ducts, you aren’t propelling more dirt into your environment.

Return Vent (Before & After)

Can you explain the difference between the companies charging $300-$400 for duct cleaning and the companies that charge $100-$150?

The $100-$150 companies are blow-and-go companies. They come in unmarked vans and don’t care about the customer. They’ll come into your home, say they’ll do a good job, upsell you, and get onto the next victim. They’ll also offer you services that they’re not qualified to do.

Companies that charge fair prices for their service are only capable of doing no more than three jobs per day with a two-person crew. On average it takes two-to-three hours to remediate a standard 2000-3000 square foot home. Also, it’s important to me to have technicians that are NADCA certified. We have the credentials to remediate commercial, industrial and residential HVAC systems. We won’t just work through your house as fast as possible so we can make it to the next client – we also stay as long as the job necessitates because it’s important for me to deliver a proper and thorough service.

Why is being certified so important?

To be NADCA certified, there is an exam and a yearly recertification. That to me says that certified technicians are constantly on top of the innovation of HVAC remediation. By being NADCA certified, there’s a technical standard and a moral obligation that one has to adhere to and they’re supposed to know everything there is about your HVAC system—from sheet metal to the different types of ductwork in your home. The knowledge you need for the certification is complicated stuff but it’s important for remediators to understand the fundamentals in order to provide a service to customers who are unaware of what it takes to remediate properly.

What does it mean to be NADCA certified?

In layman’s terms, the point of having a NADCA certification is that every job site is different and, in my opinion, it’s important that any technician that goes onto a job site can pull from the same knowledge base that I have in order to do the job properly. This is what the customer needs and is paying for. I wouldn’t just train an individual and give them a basic understanding of remediation because I believe they should know what I know, if not more. They may encounter a situation that is not common. But if they are taught and educated about the process and about the industry, they could remediate any situation without any additional support.

Do you know what is inside your ducts?

Aside from certifications, what should I look for when hiring a duct cleaning technician?

Do they take before/after pictures? Do they provide transparent and upfront pricing with no hidden fees? Are they willing to let you job shadow them? Will they walk you through their methodology for remediation? Would they do an inspection prior to performing the job to ensure you actually need the work done? You want to see if they’ll be in business tomorrow, whether they support the community that they’re working in, and if they’re part of any associations. Associations all have standards, codes, and beliefs, and being part of an association means that the technician adheres to those standards, codes, and beliefs. The association also holds its members accountable if they do anything deceitful or illegal. Additionally, online sentiment is important. There are websites like Homestars, Yelp, Google Reviews, and BBB (Better Business Bureau) which can tell you a bit more about the company’s work. Lastly, ask for references and verify that they’re insured.

Can you tell me about your company’s relationship with Habitat for Humanity?

Habitat for Humanity was originally building and delivering homes to families without remediating the HVAC systems. We introduced them to remediating the HVAC system before handing the home to the family so that the family isn’t subject to drywall dust and sawdust. We help Habitat for Humanity take particle readings, bring in HEPA filtration, and educate the families about how to maintain their HVAC system. If Habitat for Humanity is helping families and giving them a home, well, let’s help give the family a clean home. We also donate a portion from every job to Habitat for Humanity, and over the past three years, we’ve donated over $30,000. To me, it’s important to help others and to be active in the community.

What are the oddest things you find in HVAC system while on the job?

You’ll see everything from toys to drugs and pornography in people’s HVAC systems. Depending on the age of the home, the HVAC system is like a time capsule; you can tell if construction was done and when it was done, what kind of people lived there, and much more. It’s common for pets to get lost in the home’s ducts – gerbils and guinea pigs are common. The family complains about a missing pet and a bad smell, and it’ll turn out to be a corpse somewhere in the system. We’ve also found houses where people have defecated and urinated in the supply vents. And we’ve found things like gold coins, vintage trading cards, and even a contractor’s lunch.

THROWBACK! @PepsiCanada How old is this can? We found it today! #davesducts #itbelongsinamuseum #ductcleaningtreasure pic.twitter.com/2iboQ1f0Jz

— Dave’s Duct Cleaning (@davesducts) December 20, 2016

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Back in 2013, Jim Burtnick had a foreign client moving his family from Egypt to Toronto. He was looking both for residential and office space. So Jim introduced him to 7 St Thomas, which was just being launched at that time. It was a new project that really caught Jim’s attention for a number of reasons. One was because of its architecture. It has a heritage component and then a very modern component, so it was very unique. It was in a triple A location in the heart of Yorkville and also it was an office condo. Jim recognized the value in this new type of real estate  on the market and eventually ended up taking 7 St Thomas project to sell it on behalf of the developer.

Find out more about condominium offices in this video presentation by Jim Burtnick.

Late last year, CBC Comedy released a hilarious music video which profiled the stereotypes of Toronto millennial homebuyers. This video parodies a tough reality for millennials: even if they work long hours at several jobs and save to the best of their ability, a five-digit savings account is nowhere near enough for the downpayment of their dream home. The modern millennial does not have the luxuries of their parents to purchase a home and a car and start a family with the salary of a blue- or white-collared job.

With the Toronto and Vancouver housing markets reaching/at “bubble” status, first-time home buyers find it impossible to enter the market. According to the Royal LePage Peak Millennial Survey released last August, 72 per cent of peak millennials in Ontario—where peak millennial is defined as those aged 25 to 30—hope to purchase a home in the next five years but only 59 per cent believe that they can afford it. Additionally, 72 per cent of survey participants feel that the homes in their region are unaffordable and 51 per cent believe that the 2018 mortgage rule changes have altered what they can afford.

In fact, a recent report by Royal Le Page shows that the purchasing power of the average Canadian peak millennial dropped by approximately 16.5 per cent ($40,103) after the introduction of the OSFI stress test. According to the same report, peak millennial purchasers with a budget of $325,000 to $425,000 bought a home with an average of 1.7 bedrooms, 1.4 bathrooms and 856 sq. ft. of living space in the Greater Toronto Area.

According to the 2016 government census, 50.2 per cent of millennials owned a home. This is 4.8 per cent less than the 55 per cent of baby boomers who owned a home at the same age in 1981. The census also found that millennials in 2016 are more likely than baby boomers in 1981 to live in apartments (compared to single-detached homes) and are more likely to live at home with their parents, as well. Factors that contribute to these statistics go beyond the expensive Canadian housing markets. Today’s young adults have more education, meaning more years of school where there is little-to-no income and high expenses; have children later in life; and have parents with the ability to house adult children.

The Bank of Mom and Dad

According to Rizwan Malik, Senior Vice President of Sales at Sotheby’s Canada, millennials are finding ways to still break into the market, often with the help of their parents:

These millennial buyers are usually young professionals in the technology and banking industries, but they don’t look for properties that their salaries can afford. Instead, they’re heavily supported by their family. Mom and dad may help with the downpayment and the individual uses his/her income to support the mortgage.

Malik goes on to explain how parents can afford to help their child with such a large purchase:

Real Estate prices in the past few years have appreciated so much that a house that the parents bought when it was $800,000 might be worth over $3 million now. The parents often still work, so they have the ability to borrow against their own home to help their child buy a property.

Without the help of parents, it’s unlikely that millennials can afford the properties they want. Malik’s first-time buyer clients show interest in condos in the King West and Queen West areas. Millennials value these locations for the nightlife and for its proximity to the financial district where many of them work. It’s not uncommon for the condos in these areas to be in the $600,000-$700,000 range. Malik also says that his millennial clients looking for detached homes spend between $1-$1.2 million.

The parents willingly help because they fear that in five-to-ten years from now, their child won’t be able to afford anything at all and they want to help them get ahead. However, this changes up the whole buying process:

Since the parents are putting in so much money, it’s not necessarily one client in the purchasing process, the parents want their say [in the property being purchased], so you end up with three to four clients.

However, Stephanie Peralta, a Sotheby’s Canada sales representative, has a different set of millennial clientele. Her Toronto millennial clients are looking for properties under $600,000, which lean towards the suburban areas of Toronto and the GTA. Peralta’s clients want a property that can generate rental income—whether that’s through renting out a spare condo room or the basement apartment in their detached home. Additionally, her clients favour the Brampton area for its relatively lower prices and millennials who want a downtown property like the Liberty Village area, the Entertainment District, and the Financial District.

Like Malik, Peralta sees parents helping their kids break into the Toronto real estate market:

Because of home prices being so high, Millennials are still purchasing real estate but for most young folks, what price point and location will depend on the ability to gain financial support from their family. If their family is helping them out with a downpayment or are co-signing, I find that they are looking at both the condo option and the suburb option—which has more potential rental income. [Otherwise], most are looking at the condo option, as the cost can be much lower.

Even with or without help, Peralta finds that millennials are not fussy about what the property looks like. They are open to non-renovated properties since they are less costly. The emphasis for millennials is on convenience, such as being close to a highway.

Upsizing

In 2016, the population share of Canadian seniors (16.9 per cent) exceeded the share of children (16.6 per cent) for the first time. This trend is predicted to continue, and, by 2031, some estimate that seniors could make up 25 per cent of the population while the share of children remains the same. One expert believes that this is due to modern Canadians having fewer children due to skyrocketing house prices and stagnant job wages.

This is supported by a 2015 survey by ratesupermarket.ca which found that 52.8% of Canadians cannot afford to start or expand their family, mostly due to real estate prices. Overall, this results in millennials—some who have hit their mid-30s—having fewer children and having children later in life. Both Malik and Peralta see the early-mid 30s as the age group when Canadians are pushing to have a family and are upsizing their home.

“I was born in ’86. I’m 32 now. Most of my friends who I graduated with, I sold them their first condo. In the past three to five years, they’ve partnered up, had children and are now [upsizing their home] to meet the demands of their family,” says Malik.

While there’s no single way to profile the Toronto millennial home buyer, there are a few trends among them: many millennials are purchasing with the help of their parents, convenience is a big factor, and upsizing is usually due to family expansion—commonly occurring in the mid-30s.

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Brendan Dolan is a recently registered Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner working with Ryan Tze-Wai Longenecker out of their Avenue Acupuncture Clinic in North York.

He claims he’s afraid of needles.

Perhaps this is why he very generously offered to give me a free acupuncture demonstration as an accompaniment to our conversation. Lots of people are wary of having little, pointed things stuck in them, and I think he hoped that a written account of an actual ‘needling’ session might allay some fears.

Avenue Acupuncture is located at 1896 Avenue Road, in one of those upstairs-only offices with a front door so modest and shy, that I nearly walked past it. Inside and up the stairs, the office is a light, serene place with interesting artwork on the walls and meditative music playing the background. Various credentials and awards (the clinic has won the Consumer’s Choice Award four years in a row now) decorate the wall in one of the treatment rooms, along with a shelf full of dried, crystallized herbals.

[fvplayer src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6_8DwN0g6M” splash=”https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E6_8DwN0g6M/maxresdefault.jpg” width=”780″ height=”450″ caption=”About Avenue Acupuncture”]

This isn’t a ‘high-volume’ clinic, Dolan explained after I arrived, but they can be fairly busy and some patients come from as far away as Europe to see Mr. Longenecker, who is a very rare specialist in degenerative eye diseases. Before you ask, yes; they are treated with acupuncture, and no, the needles don’t actually go into your eyes.

Since this was a one-off demonstration, Dolan decided to put me through what he called a ‘feel good’ treatment, designed to bring a sense of calmness and well-being. This involved lying on something a bit like a massage table while Dolan carefully placed needles in my arms, legs, feet, and forehead.

Although not every needle was completely painless (apparently, they can hurt if they hit a stressed or ‘blocked’ area), none of them were much more than a prick, and most weren’t even that. One or two I simply didn’t feel at all. I was, however, a bit disappointed by their size. I’ve always envisioned acupuncture needles as very long, elegant implements, but Dolan’s are tiny, short, disposable things no longer than a regular sewing needle, and much, much finer.

Once all the needles were in, the next phase of the treatment consisted of me lying still for 20 minutes while they did – whatever it is that acupuncture needles do. There are several theories, and all of them may be right. Dolan himself readily admitted that a large part of his craft is still, basically, a mystery. He knows what works, but he doesn’t always know why it works. The same is true in all branches of medicine if you dig deeply enough, but I’m not sure if many doctors are willing to admit it.

Sadly, I didn’t experience the almost euphoric reaction to the treatment that Dolan had said was possible, but I was certainly calm – dozing off on the table seems to be quite acceptable, and may even be encouraged. The office is even equipped with a heat lamp to keep your toes warm while you wait.

What’s your connection to Toronto?

I was born and raised in Toronto. I’ve lived here all of my life. And I’ve actually worked in this neighbourhood for some reason ever since my early teens. One of my first real jobs was working at Videoflicks which just closed down after 30 plus years across the street. Then when I graduated from university and I was looking for a job I worked at the Safari Bar and Grill. And here I am, almost 30 years later – I’m 44 now – still working in this neighbourhood. So there’s something about this strip. I have a personal connection to this strip.

You went straight from running a construction company to studying traditional Chinese medicine. How did that come about?

We did high-end renovations and custom homes. Once, when I was doing a job in Forest Hill, a ladder slipped and I fell down from the second-storey window onto the flagstone below. Luckily I didn’t break anything, but I did get pretty banged up; I was in a lot of pain. And there was an older framer that I worked with who was still doing this really heavy labour – whereas I was a bit more of a pencil pusher – and he gave me a list of the people who had helped treat him over the years. And from that I got exposed to Asian medicine; I was blown away by the results. I was just captured.

So I decided to make a mid-life career change. I went back to school for three years, full time. I did the Registered Acupuncturist program, [at the SSC Acupuncture Institute in Toronto] and then I did an additional fourth year of advanced studies for prescribing herbs and learning herbal formulas.

How did you end up back in your old stomping ground on Avenue Road?

For practical reasons, I wanted to be somewhere relatively close to where I live. I live near Bathurst and St. Clair, so I can get here in 15 minutes if I’m driving, which is great. I liked working in this neighbourhood, as I mentioned with my past history, it was very appealing to me to come back here and see some familiar faces and some of the same businesses still going here.

And Ryan and I developed a kinship because of continuously running into each other at these workshops. We kept going to the same workshops, then we started having lunch together, and I had one lunch with him and I thought ‘you know, I’d really like to work with this guy’, and thankfully he left the lunch thinking the same thing. And the rest was history. We have a good synergy together.

Tell me a bit more about your training. You did a lot of extra stuff.

I did as much as I could. I was very lucky I have my wife – it was very difficult, but she was able to support me. I figured if I was given this period of time, I was going to do everything I could to make the most of it. So I volunteered at a lot of clinics, I interned with a lot of people, and I went to every workshop on the planet until I found this one teacher about two years ago. And I was just captured, and now I follow her teachings almost exclusively.

Who was that teacher?

She grew up in Quebec, her name’s Suzanne Robidoux. She moved to China about 18 years ago, and she was trying to find these old teachers while there was still a chance. And after proving herself and mastering the language and dedicating herself, they realized ‘Ok, this person is unique. We are going to pass on this information to her’. Because what they’d come to recognize is if they get it back to the West, it’ll survive. Now Suzanne spends half of the year travelling around the world teaching people like myself, and the other half treating very severe neurological cases in China. MS. ALS. Parkinson’s. Stuff that we say is incurable. She’s my hero.

The type of medicine that you and Ms. Robidoux practice was in danger of dying out in China?

My passion – what I really, really, really love – is Classical Chinese medicine. Classical Chinese medicine is what existed before the Cultural Revolution in China. When the Cultural Revolution happened, all these great doctors who were associated with royalty or who treated the royal court or the emperor himself – they were put in jail, they were executed, or, if they were lucky, they got the most demeaning job possible.

So the story with Suzanne’s herbal teacher is; there was a guy named Wang Xian Zheng who treated the royal court. When the Cultural Revolution happened, he was given the job of teaching young children– not even teaching grade-school kids, that would be too high up. Just young, young kids. But he was smart. There’s a very famous book written about medicine, and it’s written in little paragraphs. He told the kids that they were like, little parables or nursery rhymes. And they would memorize them and recite them back to him.

And one of those students was Dr. Hu. Dr. Hu went on, grew up, had various different jobs, and he realized at some point with everything that was happening around him, that if he didn’t save this knowledge it would be gone forever. So he would meet, in private, illegally on Sundays, and he had this little group of students that he taught. Professor Hu, of course, is not alive anymore, but he taught Dr. Feng, and Dr. Feng taught Suzanne.

Acupuncture has become fairly mainstream in Canada now.

The industry has changed dramatically. About five years ago regulation came into play. So in the same way that somebody would say that they’re an RMT, or Registered Massage Therapist, now you’re an RAC, a Registered Acupuncturist, and or a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner. Those are the two designations that we have in Ontario. And that means that there’s an independent body, the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association of Ontario, that regulates us on the public’s behalf. Their mandate is to make sure that I’m properly educated, that I’m treating people safely, that there’s professional conduct.. and if anything goes haywire and things aren’t good, it’s dealt with. And that’s changed things a lot. It helps us get coverage through insurance, which is growing, and that’s obviously important because the cost can be prohibitive for people.

The Avenue Acupuncture Clinic

What are some of the biggest differences between the traditional Chinese approach to medicine and what’s generally practised by Canadian doctors?

First off, it’s very old. Every culture has an indigenous, original medicine that they develop to help heal people. The thing is that the Chinese wrote everything down. A lot of cultures didn’t do that. That’s a big difference. That means we can go back and look at information from 2000 years ago that still has clinical relevance today. Also, several thousand years is a lot of troubleshooting. That’s a lot of time to kind of figure out what works in this case, what doesn’t work in this case. We just don’t have that history.

You know, modern Western medicine is mind-blowing with the stuff that they can do. My father had an irregular heartbeat recently, and they made a little incision in his groin, took a laser up to his heart, found the part that made the irregular heartbeat, zapped it, pulled it back out, and I picked him up that night. That’s mind-blowing, right? But it’s also mind-blowing that there are formulas based on liquorice that can treat irregular heartbeat, and are very, very effective.

The thing is – the way the Chinese medicine works is – it’s a pattern-based diagnosis. So one example I give people is headaches. So you have headaches, you want to get rid of your headache. You take an Advil, headache goes away. But for some people, the headaches keep coming back over and over again. And the Advil never gets to the root problem.

What’s unique about Chinese medicine – traditional Chinese medicine and Classical Chinese medicine – is we take that pattern which is unique to you. Where is your headache? Oh, it’s at the front of the head. Oh, no, it’s on the side. Oh, it’s on the top. It feels like this wet band around my head and I have trouble concentrating. These are all different diagnosis for us. And asking about sleep, your bowel movements, menses, your emotions… because all of these things are clues for us to find this pattern. When you can unlock the pattern, you get to the root cause. The person never has headaches again. It’s very individualized and personal, which I think is missing in some medicine… Now, that said, one thing I always emphasise is; I love Western medicine. I don’t think ‘Oh, give up Western medicine, just do this.’ I think they work amazingly in conjunction with each other.

Speaking of those 2000 years of troubleshooting, how has acupuncture evolved in modern times?

A great example would be a doctor in the United States who’s done a lot of work – contemporary work, some fascinating stuff – named Dr. Niemtzow. And he got in with the U.S. Navy. He developed something they called ‘Battlefield Acupuncture’. The idea is that you can use a specialized needle called an ASP. If you look at it under a magnifying glass it looks like a little arrowhead. And it’s gold plated. And what you do, is you insert it into specific areas of the ear. When you do this effectively and properly, the person’s pain instantly goes down from an eight out of ten to a two out of ten.

The needle itself is very very painful when it’s inserted. It’s not for the faint of heart. And it stays in for five to seven days, and then it will just naturally fall out. But during that time it’s giving constant stimulation to this area. And the U.S. Navy has done a ton of research on this to try to figure out why this is happening. So if you look at [an acupuncture chart of] the ear, there’s a map of the human body upside down. So when you needle in, say, the sacrum [lower back] area of the ear, it causes the same response in the body as if you actually stimulated the sacrum. And they’ve been able to show this. It’s wild.

Do you ever treat patients with ‘Battlefield Acupuncture’?

The last time I used that was for a patient who’s had migraines for twenty years. He doesn’t care that it hurts. He’s miserable. His life sucks. He can’t function. I said ‘let’s try this. It’s had really good studies done on it. It’s going to hurt, are you up for it?’ ‘Yes.’ It hurt, but his migraine was gone. But if you come in the first time I’m not going to be using ASP needles on your ear and torturing you. You’d never talk to me again. But in the right case that would be the right thing.

So where do the needles normally go?

In the classical system, it’s five points on six channels from the elbow down and from the knee down. That’s the only place you have to do. It will treat every part of the body and the internal organs.

But you also perform scalp acupuncture?

One of the things I specialize in is scalp acupuncture. With scalp acupuncture, we can treat neurological disorders like post-stroke paralysis. So I’m treating a post-stroke patient. We know that certain parts of the brain are associated with different things. There’s the motor line. This is fine motor control. This is the speech area. So I’ll needle in those areas, and we know that the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, ok? So this patient has right-side paralysis, so I’ve been needling on his left. There’s a lot of redundancy in the brain, and by stimulating those areas and having the patient do a movement, you can re-light up those areas and they can get back movement much faster, or in cases where they wouldn’t get it back. His speech has improved, his gait, his walking, has all vastly improved. It’s an uphill battle, but it works.

What are some of the most common problems that you treat?

Pain is obviously a big one because we’re good at it, and so many people have problems with it. Fertility treatments are very popular. There’s a bunch of baby photographs at our front desk – Avenue Acupuncture Babies.

How do you treat the ‘untreatable’ conditions like Parkinson’s, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and Multiple Sclerosis?

Scalp [acupuncture] and herbs. Scalp, body and herbs. But with neurological disorders, in my opinion, you need to include the scalp, because it’s a neurological disorder. But then, there’s a reason why that person has ended up there, and that really benefits from being treated internally. Tennis elbow? 100% you can treat with just acupuncture. Can you get faster results if you combine it with herbs? Definitely. Anxiety, stress, insomnia, all respond really well to acupuncture but can also be treated conjunctively with herbs. Eczema, psoriasis, complex skin disorders; much much much better and faster with herbs.

You’ve mentioned treating depression. How do you go about that?

It can be just acupuncture, but it works well with herbal too, because again, there’s always a cause. And we want to remove the cause. And usually, the cause is our diet and our lifestyle. A depressing diet is one that consists of a lot of dairy, a lot of cold-temperature foods, a lot of sugar, a lot of fat, and a lot of processed foods. Do you ever eat anything that makes you feel kind of clogged up? Like, phlegmy? Think of it, like, getting gummy in your mind. I have a particular interest in depression because I went through a fair amount of depression when I was younger. So, you know, if you can cure something in yourself and really understand it well both from the patient’s perspective and the practitioner’s perspective, then you can really empathize and you can really help.

25% off your first appointment when you book with Brendan!

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Andrew Fogliato interviewed Richard for his podcast called “Over a Pint.” Tune in and listen to Richard talk about his real estate beginnings, travelling and meeting new cultures, leading a team and real estate marketing evolution over the years.

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Canadian financial regulators announced their seventh rule update since July 2008 to tighten mortgage rules. Announced last October and effective since January 1st, 2018, this new “stress test” will make sure that homeowners can afford the house that they’re looking to buy and also, hopefully, cool the Toronto and Vancouver housing markets.

This stress test is designed to see if the borrower can pay back their loan at a higher rate than they actually have to, thus, accounting for potential interest rate hikes. As well, it will prove that the borrower can continue to meet mortgage payment obligations in times of personal financial turmoil, such as job loss.

Toronto Mortgage Advisor Darlene Hanley of the Hanley Mortgage Group thinks the stress is a good idea:  

The consequence of not putting in a stress test is that in the event of a recession we could have a collapse of the real estate market. Ultimately what we want is a stable reliable market with low price volatility where people can buy and maintain their homes with confidence. These [new mortgage rules] create a foundation for that environment.

The new criteria for uninsured mortgages, under the 2018 mortgage rules, include a qualifying rate equal to the Bank of Canada’s five-year benchmark (5.14 per cent as of March 2018) or the borrower’s contract rate plus 2 per cent—whichever number is higher.

For insured mortgages, the qualifying rate is the greater of the Bank of Canada’s five-year benchmark and the borrower’s contract rate. Additionally, secured line of credits are qualified with either the line of credit’s contract rate plus 2 per cent or the Bank of Canada’s five-year rate—again, depending on which is greater.

For example, if Sally had an uninsured mortgage at a rate of 3.3 per cent and the Bank of Canada’s five-year benchmark sat at 5.14 per cent, then Sally’s qualifying rate would be 5.3 per cent (her mortgage rate of 3.3 per cent plus 2 per cent). Additionally, if Sally’s looking to purchase a $500,000 property with her 3.3 per cent mortgage rate, a five-year fixed closed term, and a 25-year amortization, she’ll have a monthly payment of $1,960; however, Sally needs to prove that she can make monthly payments at 5.3 per cent or $2,409 to get approved.

On the other hand, if Fred had an insured mortgage at a rate of 3.3% and the five-year benchmark was 5.14 per cent, Fred’s qualifying rate would be 5.14 per cent because the five-year benchmark is greater than his mortgage rate.

Who will and who won’t be affected

Anyone securing a mortgage after January 1st, 2018 will fall under the new rules. Additionally, borrowers looking to refinance or to change lenders will also need to qualify under the new criteria. So, if a homeowner is looking to borrow against their property for renovations or has found a better rate at a different lender, they will have a harder time making such an action due to a higher qualifying rate.

In contrast, individuals who bought a pre-construction condo, secured their mortgage before January, 1st or are renewing a mortgage will qualify under the old rules. Alternative lenders, such as credit unions, are also not required to follow new qualifying rates but can voluntarily do so; however, these lenders tend to charge much higher interest rates. Lastly, in the scenario that someone had a pre-approved mortgage before Jan 1st, lenders, at their own discretion, can provide a 120-day window (starting January, 1st, 2018) for the borrower to buy a home under the old rules.

The mortgage rule changes will primarily affect those with uninsured mortgages—homebuyers paying a down payment of at least 20 per cent of their property value and, thus, aren’t required to buy mortgage insurance. Individuals with insured mortgages have already been undergoing another stress test which came into effect in 2016. Therefore, people in the market who are looking to switch to a more expensive home or who can afford a 20 per cent down may have a harder time than before searching for a new mortgage.

Overall, these changes are expected to affect over 100,000 Canadians, according to a report by Mortgage Professionals Canada. Many buyers will have to adjust to buying a smaller home or renting for a while longer.

Richard Silver, Senior Vice President-Sales at Sotheby’s canada says the new rules had a cooling effect on the market, as expected:

The new mortgage rules are affecting the buying power and borrowing power of all Canadians and has had a chilling effect on the market for those hoping to make substantial movements up in housing. Sadly it affects those that really need the assistance that mortgages can provide. Young families are probably the hardest hit and [the new rules] will also make stay-at-home parents head back to the workforce sooner.

To the Canadian economy, however, Darlene Hanley doesn’t believe much will change:

There is still a need for housing. All this will do is change the levels of affordability for given types of homes. Ultimately it shouldn’t make any difference [to the economy].

Tips for obtaining a mortgage in 2018

Paying off your debt

Any debt that a potential homebuyer carries can affect the mortgage that they qualify for. Eliminating outstanding loans or outstanding credit card debt can help a homebuyer find the best mortgage arrangement.

Avoid big purchases

Similar to paying off debts, bringing in new debt while looking for a mortgage is not the best idea. Lenders typically re-check a borrower’s credit before closing, and any new debt could prevent an approval. While a $4,000 vacation may seem like a great idea, it can wait till after the mortgage is approved.

Stick to your job

Lenders need to know that you have a secure source of income to make monthly mortgage payments. While quitting a job one hates may seem like a great idea, proving a reliable and secure income is crucial to getting approved.

Keep within your means

The new 2018 mortgage rules will reduce purchasing power for many homebuyers, but this may be for the better. Just because a lender approves a million-dollar mortgage, it doesn’t necessarily mean the borrower can afford it. Approval amounts are based on income and credit reports and do not usually factor in personal expenses.

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