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Rent controls a hazard Ul claims Property owner will be select committee studying forced Into bankruptcy the bill has been told building will be discouraged The Urban Development because of Ontarios new Institute which represents rentcontrol legislation the ihe largest single group of apartment owners said in Its brief that the eightpercent celling on rent increases should be raised to percent because It clearly unnecessary and la ex ceedingly oppressive director of the Institute said unen forceable and even mooitorable services might be cut back If the hill as It stands becomes law He the timing of the bill should coincide with federal selective wage and price controls announced on Oct The legislation should end when the federal controls cease he added The services outlined by Include land scaping decorating and replacement of carpets end appliances The legislation says discontinuance of a service privilege accommodation or thing by a landlord that reduces a tenants use and enjoyment can be con sidered an increase in rent No allowance for an appeal from the eight percent ceiling until Jan has been made In Bill After the new year both tenants and landlords will have access to rent review officers and a rent review board a building month Parliament Real Estate Delation is again arrived d glance to see has pushed during While all the llles are not i excellent In- be obtained which are If Canada has Jams la marking fact It falling this Is indicative of a sustained spurt in housing construction then may indeed be bright Another happy note was struck In he multiple dwelling field which by and large la apartments Here starts In November at 107B3 were almost double hose of the same month a year earlier Again If this Is Indicative of turning the corner maybe there Is some relief In the rental ac commodation field which has been a disinter area where apartment hunting has become an exhaustive nightmare However starts are one thing completions are another Unlike he con struction required for singledetached bouses two years Is not on unusual length of time complete an apartment tower from the time the first sod Is turned until it Is reedy for oc cupancy So the apartment shortage will linger a while no matter bow many new apartment buildings ore undertaken in the Immediate future Moreover there Is con siderable catching up to do Apartment construction during the first nine months of the year across the nation totalled only units a 31 per cent decline compared with the same period a year The Inevitable result was the worsening of an ominous trend which began to appear At that time the national for apart ment vacancies was per cent It has now skidded to 16 per cent and will require all the imagination which can be mustered on the part of the government and the development industry through increased produc tion to return the rental field to the level of 1973 Then landlords were vying for tenants and there was a wide choice of accommodation and prices But acting as a coun terweight to Increased production ol rental ac commodation will be rent controls They are slowly becoming law across the country as part of the wage and price controls package the brainchild of the federal government Historically they have not contributed to apartment production In fact they had just the opposite effect coupled with other un desirable side effects such reduced maintenance deterioration and new tenants even being forced to pay fee to obtain an apartment Representative of the attitude of private Industry which in the put has been responsible for largescale apartment development Is that of the Canadian Institute of Public Real Estate Companies Commenting on the proposed Ontario rent control legislation an in stitute spokesman said such controls an I per cent In crease retroactive to July 30 will completely preclude future investment In rental housing and will create the worst housing crisis in the history of the province Even without rent controls the vacancy rates In and Saskatoon have been virtually Other cities where there has been no rent control in the past but where vacancy rates are below 1 cent Include Edmonton Calgary Thunder Bay and Saint John There Is some concern that when rent controls become law the situation could be further aggravated On the other band there is a possibility that this short fall in apartment con struction will be at least partly offset by gains In purchasable housing If the enthusiasm of Urban Affairs Minister Danson for his new housing Incentives is translated Into actual bousing starts The sevenpoint program has aa Its the revised Assisted Homo Ownership Program will make homing available to any Canadian who wants to buy moderately priced housing The government will provide Interest- reducing grants of up to a year among other things to make home ownership available The program was designed to produce a million new housing units within four years and simultaneously alleviate unemployment by providing a years of work Judging by the Jammed Central Mor tgage and Housing Corp switchboards for a con siderable time after the package was announced the public Is prepared to climb aboard the band wagon What to put in a balanced toybox With the toybuying season once more upon us Its helpful to have some practical advice on toy selection which all too often becomes a haphazard exercise In compromise substitution and guess work An excellent Idea that Mattel Canada a leading toy manufacturer dispenses to consumers writing in for advice on choosing toys Is that of the balanced The concept Is based en the four basic kinds of play defined by psychologists active physical manipulative or constructive Imaginative and social A balanced would thus contain toys that Involve children In each of these kinds of play Apart from the obvious attraction of being able to plan your toyshopping list and budget around categories of playthings there are several other advantages For one balanced play activities help develop a well- rounded child For another a variety of carefully selected toys is likely to sustain a childs Interest for longer than toys that are basically similar Some toys lend themselves to several kinds of play These not only expand chlldrena play experiences but also help develop their mental and physical capabilities Toys of this type are of course the beat value for your toybuying dollars If you buy a In cidentally be sure the lid Is counterbalanced and does not have a lock or catch A balanced should according to Mattel Canada Include A ball for toddlers a rubber ball suitable for indoor use for older children a baseball and bat a with standard A bath toy for babies a floating duck for older children a diving whale floating soapdish or scrub mitt Books for toddlers books with large type and simple colourful illustrations A musical toy for toddlers and preschoolers a Jack-in- thebox or toy guitar for older children xylophones marimbas or bongos A cuddly companion for toddlers and preschoolers A lifelike doll for preschoolers and older children male and female multipleactivity dolls A building toy for preschoolers takeapart trucks or animals for older children wooden logs or sophisticated building seta for preschoolers simple wooden ones with four to ten pieces for older children progressively dif ficult designs A wheeled toy for preschoolers pusharound cars and rucks for older children racing sets or electric trains A wheeled rideon toy for toddlers space and safety permitting a tricycle for older children bicycle Games for younger children easy to play quick- winner games after age eight competitive word or strategy games Art supplies for smaller children crayons finger paints coloured paper for older ones sculpting clay embroidery and Mary Wiseman coordinator of a developmental learning programme at the childrens mental health unit North York General Hospital has con ducted extensive research into play assessment and the relationships between various kinds of toys and activities She points out that before adding toys to a playbox parents should take Into ac count the childs present level of competence and the toys It already has Its Important for children to have some toys theyve already mastered and can feel happy with when theyre Urea says Mrs Wiseman They also need toys that challenge their current capabilities as well as some that are a little advanced The need to experiment with more complex toys can emerge without the mother being aware of It If these toys are In the playbox the child simply picks them up and tackles them Children sometimes become frustrated with new toys simply because they dont know what to do with them Its a good Idea for parents to demonstrate what can be done with a toy by actually playing with it and involving the child in the activity Some manufacturers do Incidentally guarantee their toys against breakage Mattel Canada for one guarantees Its products for three months from the tune the child ac tually receive the toy Toys broken within this period will be repaired by the company for the cost of labour only