Real Estate
Ottawa Population Grows 13,000 a Year
by Charles Lynch
Ottawa’s population growth is going up by 13,000 a year compared with 5,000 a year some 10 years ago. More than 300 men and women are busy buying and selling houses under the auspices of the Ottawa Real Estate Board which is headed by Eugene Lavoie.
The real estate board reports a steady demand for housing and apartment units in the Capital. Co-operative real estate sales are running at the rate of $2,000,000 a month.
There is more office and apartment building going on in Ottawa’s centre town and a lot of old homes are giving way to the demand for better accommodation.
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There is a wide interest in the proposed purchase of the Auditorium by the YMCA and YWCA. Probabilities are the present option to buy the O’Connor street rink will be ex-tended until December and the rink will be operated this Winter especially for community efforts like the Pee-wee hockey, the Minto Skating Club and other activities.
The deal involves millions of dollars including the sale of the YMCA and YWCA buildings on Metcalfe and Laurier avenue and the erection of a new structure on the site of the Auditorium.
F.R. Crawley, head of the YMCA, is working closely with the YWCA.
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Public Works Minister David Walker has made money easier for housing projects and there will be increased build-ing in Ottawa in September and October with good prospects for Winter employment in the building trades.
It has not been a good year for housing building. John Paradis, general manager of Campeau Construction, reports Production down by 25 per cent. Nevertheless Campeau Construction will sell 600 homes with delivery of 100 in
1961.
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Mr. Paradis said his company has built 5,500 units in the last 12 years for a total value of $60,000,000.
At City Hall it was reported that for the seven months ended July 31 there were 1,960 building permits for a value of $30,748,313. This compared with same period for last year when 2,555 permits were issued for a value of $51,323,440.
Source: Ottawa Journal, August 6, 1960, p. 24.