Often we will hear in the news how dreadful pollution is, how it is crippling our health and how some cities are not pleasant areas to live in. China is known to have excessively poor air quality so for the 2008 Olympics it had to do something to try and deal with the problem. Not only were inhabitants discouraged from driving and factories shut down during this event, there were also air blowers and aircraft working to diffuse the smog cover that normally surrounds Beijing. Unfortunately even with these drastic measures it didn't resolve the issue, with athletes claiming they were under performing due to air quality and problems with breathing.

China may have pollution problems, but Canada is totally the opposite. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), our cities leading the way in the rankings with the purest air quality in the world.

Pollution levels in a multitude cities and countries were measured, these results were then handed over to supplement medical and health research which when collated will provide information for policymakers. The report concentrated on the disease burden attributed to the health risks of air pollution for the city and was called Outdoor Air Pollution. To give some statistics, over 1% of mortality and other more common health issues are attributed to air pollution.

Measured in micrograms, microscopic airborne particles in each cubic metre are analyzed by WHO to find what the air pollution level is. It won't be surprising to hear that there are some areas which have a higher concentration than others, namely those who are dependent on coal, have limited air circulation or have a high traffic volume.

From all of 91 countries and 1,100 cities worldwide, Canadian cities took eight of the the Top 10 least polluted cities in the study. Whitehorse, Yukon’s main city, ranked first, far ahead of all the other examined cities. According to this article of The Toronto Star, Whitehorse is then followed by Kitimat and Burns Lake, both being in British Columbia.

In most cases all Canadian cities were observed to have lower than the WHO-recommended 20 micrograms per cubic metre. Even though 21.2 µg/m3 is just higher than the recommended amount, our "worst" city isn't too far over the limit and that was Sarnia in Ontario. Of course Canada does have some advantages over other parts of the world as it has a considerably lower population density, but some of the credit needs to go to the control mechanisms and stringent regulations on pollution that we put in place.

Altogether only Estonia in Europe, and Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar, had more desirable overall results than the Canadian average. Rather surprisingly, the place with the worst air pollution is Mongolia (likely its capital of Ulaanbaatar), closely followed by a few cities in India, Pakistan, and Iran.. Written by Toronto MLS expert.

You are moving in together; how can you do it without provoking arguments between the two of you? I‘m not talking about selling/giving away your current houses and buying a new one together. This time we are going to be looking at your items and how you can put them in a single property. 

Again, planning everything properly is the best way. Look at what you both own and then discuss what you want your new property to look like. You definitely won’t be able to use all the furniture and nik naks, but you should try to agree on what to keep and what to get rid of. In order to save dipping into your wallet, try to use as much of what you already have in your home, but blend it well. If one property has old world furniture in, while the other is ultra modern, the two styles are unlikely going to go together, so you may have to look at each room on an individual basis.

Do not to be mean! Just because you don't like something it's not a reason to throw it away if your partner really wants to keep it. It's always difficult to combine two personal tastes into one property, as you are used to having only what you like in your current home and so are they. When you are living with a partner, your property will never be furnished to only your own personal tastes. 

Timing is crucial! I know it‘s hard to get rid of your belongings, but the smartest way is to do this before the actual move. It will be much easier that way - you won’t have to pack them, take them to the new property, unpack them and give them away at a later date. The time saved will be worth it, transportation will be cut and precious space saved. Simply, it is impractical to keep every one of your items, how ever much you would love too.

As a Toronto realtor, I have a proposal for you. Write a list. You are going to see items that are duplicated; make a note of them and look at the condition and age of these duplicate things. Once you have decided on everything, write down what exactly you will keep and what you want to chuck away. When you have decided on the items to keep, think what you are going to do with them; if there is no room in the new home for a dining table then there is no point keeping one, so get rid of it. 

As you both will have individual tastes, I certainly appreciate how much hard work this is going to be. Talk about it, if you are worried about something or feel strongly about keeping an item, dialogue is the key; by doing this you should make it through with few problems.

sXmas time is just about upon us, only a couple of weeks away. The public are starting to panic that they don't have presents yet, so the stores are filling up with consumers. Clearly, the pre-Christmas madness has commenced. You wouldn't think that many individuals would be worrying or even considering selling their houses at this time of year. Well, there are people who do want to sell their property, even during the craziest time of the year. This doesn't have to be a poor decision on property owners part, as this write-up will show.

People buying houses at this time of year are normally serious, not many people have the time to go view properties, so you can be assured that they are genuine. With everything there is to do getting prepared for Xmas, people just do not have the stamina, so would be a waste of what little time they do have spare. Therefore those searching for a new home are often very serious and committed to buying with the minimum of fuss.

Also keep in mind that not many home owners have the time for interested viewers so may wait till after Xmas to sell the property, which often results in fewer houses on offer. The buyers do not have that many options to choose from, consequently there is less competition for your home. It is often easier to sell a house quickly and for a decent price before the holidays. Most of us feel sentimental around this time and can fall in love with a property more easily; you may find that they are even willing to pay out more for the house of their dreams.

What house sellers could as well use to their advantage is the Xmas decorations. Holiday decor looks appealing and makes the house look very attractive. Use the decorations to fluff your place, fluffing is quite usual at any time of year but more so at Christmas. Most homes look absolutely gorgeous with Christmas decor. Take care you do not go overboard with the decor. Try to get the best out of the season, but keep the amount of decorations within reason, don't overdo it.

With the many advantages of Xmas time selling, don't put off putting your Toronto homes on the market, use the holiday season to your advantage. There is no real reason to put if off, with the buyers out there searching, if they want your house then the sale will happen. Some are quite blessed and discover a person who will want to buy their place as a Christmas gift. You may say 'no way', but I have heard of buyers who do buy properties for Xmas gifts.