The most important strategy that a home buyer could ever have is putting together a team of Real Estate professionals to help them make the wisest decisions in regard to the biggest purchase they will ever make; a property purchase. It is so very important to align yourself with a Realtor who has excellent property and market knowledge; an Accountant who understands the tax implications of buying a property, a House Inspector who knows what weaknesses to look for in the structure of a property, a Lawyer/Notary who has experience in property purchase contracts…

…and, of course, a Mortgage Broker who knows what products / offers are available and who can get you the best terms and sharpest rate available.

While one can simply go to their bank and get a mortgage (if they qualify), is it really the wisest decision to have that conversation with the financial officer at the bank without really knowing the ins and outs of what terms and conditions of a good mortgage should be?

Mortgage Brokers are meant to be professionals that reduce the stressful task of putting a mortgage application together and finding the best home for your mortgage. A good Mortgage Broker will explain all your loan options and suggest the programs that could be financially beneficial. When you go to the bank and speak with that same financial officer, they will only be able to provide you with information related to their bank. Simply put, they only know the products offered by the bank they work for and are not about to try and suggest other products offered by other banks, even if that is a better option for you.

Busy Mortgage Brokers that work for a successful mortgage arranging company have access to discounted rates that are not available anywhere else. Because of the sheer volume of mortgages that a busy company arranges, Mortgage Brokers are given better rates that you can’t find on your own. Since the Mortgage Broker is arranging mortgages every day, they know what products are available and they are aware of the sharpest rates being offered.

Reputable Mortgage Brokers have your best interest in mind FIRST! A good Mortgage Broker understands that if you are happy as a client under their direction, then you will likely refer your friends and family back because you have had a successful and satisfying outcome with your mortgage arranging experience. Mortgage Brokers rely on referrals and although they continue to market their services, referrals remain the bread and butter for a Mortgage Broker.

Mortgage Brokers are available and flexible with meetings and appointments. They are not confined to an immovable roster but work with you on your time. Generally, people are busy, and time is a valuable commodity. Mortgage Brokers will arrange a time to speak with you at your convenience, so that you don’t have to take time off work and loose wages, or wait two weeks for an appointment with your bank’s financial advisor and miss out on a time sensitive purchase.

Mortgage Brokers advise their clients on how to make their financial profile look favourable forto the lender. Financial coaching is part of the overall value that you will receive from a Mortgage Broker. Advising you on how to use your credit and what to avoid in the preapproval process is all part of what a good Mortgage Broker does for their clients.

Mortgage Broker services are FREE! The lender pays a commission to the Mortgage Broker and the client ends up with the best possible mortgage at no cost for the arrangement. The Mortgage Broker will pull your credit only once and will approach several lenders with that same “pulled” credit bureau…. yet another way a Mortgage Broker helps their client’s and protects their clients best interests.

Courtesy of Geoff Lee, AMP – DLC GLM Mortgage Group 

Nearly everyone will buy a home and, in fact, most people will buy several, moving up from one to another more desirable home.  Each time they buy a home, the buyer‘s realtor will request a Real Property Report from the seller’s Realtor.

A Real Property Report (RPR) is a legal document that clearly illustrates the location of significant visible improvements relative to property boundaries. It takes the form of a plan or illustration of the various physical features of the property, including a written statement detailing the surveyor’s opinions or concerns. It can be relied upon by the buyer, seller, the lender and the municipality as an accurate assessment of the improvements on the property.

But what happens if the RPR is old, or even unavailable? The new buyer can’t be confident that the location of improvements (buildings) are within the property boundaries and that there are no encroachments from adjacent properties that they are unaware of. Knowledge of these things can help to protect buyers from potential future legal liabilities resulting from problems related to property boundaries and improvements.

Because of this, many realtors suggest the use of Title Insurance to protect their buyers from unknown defects in the title of the property causing financial loss. Title protection will protect a buyer from costs associated with:

• Title Fraud
• Survey and title issues and/or defects
• Challenges against your ownership

It will also cover you against title defects that have occurred in the past, prior to you purchasing the home.

Title insurance will not expire as long as you own the home.

In some cases, the lender will also request title insurance under a loan policy. This allows them to feel comfortable after releasing the funds, and many lenders will accept title insurance in lieu of an up-to-date RPR.  As a result, the loan policy can save you time and money. If the lender requires a lender policy as a part of your agreement, the lawyer or notary will order a Loan Policy as a part of your closing.

Because the title can be used in lieu of the RPR and reduce the need for some legal searches, this again will save time and money making the Title Insurance a request that many realtors will suggest to their buyers.

For more information contact your Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional.

Courtesy of James Leigh, AMP – DLC 1st Financial Link 

Here is where you are currently sitting. You have successfully found your dream home. Negotiated like a true champion and kept your calm through the back and forth with the seller. Provided the endless supply of paperwork required by your lender to meet the financing condition. Set up all the things required for the big day, like scheduling the myriad of people to move your furniture, get your Internet set up and making sure your home is warm and toasty. Then you get a call from your mortgage specialist to the effect of “Houston, we have a problem.” Today we are going to look at the most common ways people unwittingly kill their mortgage approval and leave themselves in the lurch.

First thing to note is this, your financing approval is based on the information the lender was provided at the time of the application. Any, and I do mean any, changes to your financial picture are grounds for the cancellation of the approval. It’s actually in the commitment you have signed.

1. Employment – Not all employment is considered equal by the lender and insurers like CMHC. Self Employed, commissioned, part time, overtime, and bonus are all examples of income types where we must have a two year average to satisfy everyone involved, proving that you will have enough income to support the mortgage.

For example, Bob accepts a position with a new company after his financing condition is met. He has negotiated well and knows that the income will exceed what he made previously. The problem is that now Bob will be paid a base plus a bonus component where he was previously salaried. Until there is a 2 year history, the bonus income cannot be used and the mortgage approval is cancelled.

The other consideration is that most new employment comes with a probationary period which can be up to 1 year. Lenders will not use probationary employment which will likely lead to a cancellation as well.

A really important thing to note here is that lenders are calling at the time of approval and again just before funding to verify the employment information provided.

2. Debt – Again, the approval is based on the debt load you had on the day of the mortgage application. Any changes can cause a cancellation. The following are the most common:

* New vehicle – Often comes with a large monthly obligation

* Do not pay for 12 months – We know you are eager to fill your new home with furniture and that you don’t have to pay for 12 months, but this is a new debt obligation and the lenders have to include a payment for it

* Increase to credit card balances – this can change your affordability ratios too much

3. Down payment source – And yet again I reiterate that the approval is based on the initial information you have provided. You will be asked at the lawyer’s office to verify the source of the down payment and if it is different than what the lender has approved, then you may be in trouble. For example, there are lenders who will allow you to use a line of credit for the down payment. Not all of them do and even if yours is one of them then the lender is still obligated to inform the mortgage insurer and their investors of the change to the source. This leaves you at risk at the last minute of your mortgage being declined.

4. Credit – Even if you do not increase your debt load, you also need to make sure you keep your credit as strong as it was when you were approved. Make all payments on time. This includes cell phones. And be careful about allowing anyone to pull your credit. Too many inquires can be an indication of money troubles as you search for new credit facilities. You could see a substantial drop to your credit score which can…?? You know the answer, kill your mortgage approval.

There you have it. You are now fully aware that your mortgage approval is a delicate thing which requires proper care and keeping during that period between approval and funding. Make sure you take good care of yours. Have a great day everyone.

Courtesy of Pam Pikkert, AMP – DLC Regional Mortgage Group 

Each year I update the data in this post, the rents increase, the asset value changes, and so the rate of return changes. I look forward to writing twenty more years of updates on this specific property.

In the spring of 2012, after a 15-year roller-coaster ride on the stock market (huge gains and sharp drops) with a net gain of less than 2% on the total contributions made, it was decision time. My wife and I took a hard look at our RRSP investment ‘strategy’, such as it was. Our conversations about investing always came back to the one area in which we always had great success: Vancouver real estate.

We had always felt a greater amount of control, flexibility and comfort with our real estate investments than we ever had over stocks or mutual funds. The departure of an aspiring rock-star tenant clearly had less impact on the value of our investment than the departure of a rock-star CFO can have on a company and its share price. Overall movement in the value real estate tends to be gradual and somewhat simpler to predict than corporate shares.

There is a certain confidence hard to duplicate around a bricks and mortar investment as opposed to ones and zeros. There are a number of reasons for this.

In the stock market, a loss of confidence can have an immediate and real impact on your net worth within minutes. One false Tweet can trigger a tumble.

Tweets do not rock the value of real estate. The impact of market sentiment is slower and less radical because the product itself is far less liquid. Thus, it is far more difficult to allow emotion to drive buying and selling decisions and, accordingly, values in erratic short term patterns. There is no panic ‘sell’ button to hit creating a frenzy of sale with real estate.

It tends to be more slow-cooking. Things happen gradually.

Based on these and other conclusions, my wife and I took what might seem like a radical step and we cashed out our entire RRSP in the spring of 2012 and invested it all in a piece of real estate. It is worth noting that as the owner of my own Corporation I was able to reduce my corporate compensation that year to near zero, thereby reducing the tax implications. However as you will soon see, the tax implications were minor in comparison to the gains made.

In the spring of 2012 we put $60,000 down on a $240,000 townhouse. Here are the numbers as they stand today:

As of 2016 we continue to enjoy positive cash flow, as we have since day one. The $4,800.00 of positive cash flow in our hands each year represents an 8% return on the $60,000 invested in the property. For comparison’s sake you could call this an 8% dividend, something that would sound pretty attractive to any investor.

This money remains in the holding corporation’s bank account as a buffer against future vacancies, special assessments or seemingly distant interest rate hikes. Also worth noting is that over time the rents charged will continue to rise with inflation, and of course the mortgage balance will decline, setting us up for our own indexed pension income of sorts.

This $4800.00, or 8% return, is over and above the mortgage principal paydown.

The mortgage principal paydown over the first four years has consistently been $3,600.00 per year, an additional 6% return on the initial investment.

This gives us a combined 14% annual return on investment… 14% assuming the market remains stable and values flat for three-bedroom townhomes in Port Moody

However, there is every indication that population growth and inflation will ensue and my initial conservative prediction was that we would see appreciation in the asset of at least 1% per year.

One percent per year on the asset itself is an effective return of 4% on the initial investment. Such is the power of leverage.

In December of 2015 we were offered a net sale price of $300,000.00 for the property. This reflects a (non-compounding) 25% gain per year on the initial investment.

Collectively we stand at a realized return of 14% per year for four years running and a total unrealized gain of closer to 39% per year.

Perhaps 2016 will bring only the 14% baseline, based on it being tenanted. Perhaps the value will move up 5% from the current $300,000 and we will be running closer to 40% again. Time will tell.

Was there temptation to hit the sell button at $300,000? Yes, there was a flicker. But what do we do with the proceeds that would work as well as this? We have time to figure that out, the “for sale” sign can be put up at any point.

Or we could do a refinance transaction, triggered at any point, to pull 80% of the new found equity, and previously paid down balance from the property, to be used on another investment. It is worth noting that there are no tax implications on a refinance, and this would effectively put all of our original investment funds back into our hands.

We would then have an appreciating asset, paying us $4,800.00 per year, in which we have none of our own original money. Imagine repeating that process ten times over. I am pondering it more deeply myself as I write these words.

The flexibility to leave the investment as is, to refinance it and access capital, or to sell it is a wonderful thing. Options abound!

So, one might ask how do we sleep at night with tenants in our lives? Quite well in fact.

Vacancy rates on three-bedroom units in particular, which ours is, are extremely low. With the 2009 – 2015 rounds of mortgage guideline changes, which pushed many Lower Mainland first-time buyers from the market, vacancies are likely to remain extremely low as many of them will be forced to rent for additional years, waiting for their incomes to rise and down payments saving to grow.

Finding positive cash flow in the Lower Mainland is not easy, but it can be done. Arguably, if one is at least breaking even on a monthly cash-in-over-cash-out basis, then the math on the mortgage principal pay-down by the tenant still represents potential for tremendous gain over the long haul.

Real estate investing is mostly boring, and we are OK with this. It is a ‘get-rich-slow’ proposition. Slow and boring, which being in our forties we can live with.

Life, as it turns out, is not fast… it is longer than we think.

Too bad I cannot go back in time and advise my stock-market crazed twenty-something self that getting rich slowly in real estate, over say 20 years, would have been fine. My sixty-something self will appreciate today’s efforts.

So get out there and slow-cook some wealth for your future self.

FULL DISCLOSURE

There is one other facet of our overall investment strategy worth noting: we personally have the benefit of owning an active operating corporation. This has allowed investments in whole life insurance policies as well, via a Corporate Asset Transfer strategy which in many ways acts like an RRSP, but thankfully never an RRIF. However, I will let another expert pick up that topic in depth.

The bottom line is that, although we do in fact have an investment vehicle in our lives similar to an RRSP, our main focus moving forward will continue to be real estate, as year over year, the real estate investments continue to trump anything we attempt in the equities market.

Some may see this as the biased comments of a person deeply connected to the real estate market; others may see it as biased from 24 years of owning investment properties and having 24 years of success with them on a personal level. The truth is perhaps a combination thereof. All I know is that year after year rents increase, mortgage balances decrease, and slowly but steadily our wealth increases. Boring, predictable, and as I get older…much more appealing.

Courtesy of Dustan Woodhouse, AMP – DLC Canadian Mortgage Experts 

1. How the penalties are calculated if I break my mortgage early? Specifically, ask what rate they use to calculate the “interest rate differential”. Typically, if the lender has “posted rates” they use these to calculate the penalty. If this is the case, the penalty can be 3, 4 or even 5 times higher than a mortgage lender that does not have posted rates and uses them in their early payout penalty calculation. This one question can save you thousands of dollars!

2. Is this a “collateral” mortgage? Some lenders have recently started putting all of their mortgages into what is called a “collateral” charge. In the right situation, given significant equity in the home, this product can be very useful and advantageous. The disadvantage to this product however, is that you cannot “switch” it to another lender at maturity. You have to actually discharge this type of mortgage and re-register a new one with a new lender which will cost on average $1000 for legal fees and appraisal costs. Beware of lenders who do this, especially if your mortgage is high ratio because it is only useful if you have more than 20% equity.

3. Can I “blend and extend” my mortgage if I buy another house? Most variable rate mortgages cannot be “blended” however, typically the penalty to break a variable is 3 months interest. Some lenders have changed their policies (very quietly) – instead of allowing you to add new money to a mortgage in the event of a new purchase, they require you to pay the full penalty. Some clients have been caught off guard by sneaky lenders who don’t tell them this until only a few days before close, at which time it’s too late to switch lenders.

4. What happens to my life insurance if I switch lenders at the end of my term? This is a very commonly overlooked detail by those who take the insurance offered by their bank or lender. The challenge is that if you want to “switch” your mortgage to another lender at the end of your term, you have to re-apply for insurance. The downside to this is that you’ll be five years older, and if you have developed any health issues, you may not qualify for the insurance at all. Getting insurance that mortgage brokers offer stays in place for the whole time you have your mortgage, no matter who your mortgage lender is.

5. What happens at the end of the term (typically five years)? Will they offer you the best rate they offer their new clients, or will you have to negotiate for best rates at that time. Most banks know that clients likely won’t make the effort to negotiate the best rates. Working with an independent specialist will provide you with the most competitive rates, not only when you buy your home, but when it comes up for renewal. A qualified professional will make sure you have the best options available each time your mortgage comes due.

Courtesy of Brian Mill, AMP – DLC Neighbourhood 

Did you know you can get a mortgage for renovating your home? Many home buyers and existing home owners are deciding to get more bang for their buck by purchasing a home that needs some improvements. Whether you are renovating at the time you buy or waiting for a few years, there are financing options available.

For home buyers, you may want to consider a “purchase plus improvements” mortgage when renovating your home. Many lenders offer these even if you only have a 5% down payment. The lender will require proof of the work to be completed in renovating your home. They will add this quoted amount to the purchase price, deduct the down payment and determine your mortgage amount. If you are buying with less than a 20% down payment, insurance fees by CMHC or Genworth will be added to the mortgage. The lender and insurer will typically allow a maximum of 10% of the value of the home to a maximum of $40,000-$50,000. If it is going to cost much more for renovating your home a construction draw mortgage would be required.

At the time of completion on your purchase, the lender will fund the mortgage proceeds to the lawyer and condition a hold back for the renovation funds. You will have to use your own funds (or borrowed from family or your line of credit) for renovating your home. The remaining funds will be released by the lawyer upon proof (appraisal) confirming the work quoted has been completed. There is typically a 90 day period for work to be complete but this can be extended if required. Of course, during this time you are making mortgage payments on the full mortgage amount.

Buy a home $500,000

Renovate $ 50,000

Down pay $110,000

Mortgage $440,000

For existing home owners the same financing option for renovating your home is available. The one exception is your maximum mortgage amount for the existing mortgage and new funds for renovating your home can’t exceed 80% of the value of the home.

For a complete guide to renovating your home check out http://www.bcliving.ca/home/complete-guide-to-managing-a-home-renovation

Courtesy of Pauline Tonkin, AMP – DLC Innovation Mortgage Solutions

When signing your mortgage commitment letter you will have to choose your payment frequency. If your goal is to re-pay your mortgage as quickly as possible, then you need to understand how different payment options will affect your repayment schedule.

So what are your options?

In general, most lenders will offer the borrower the option to decide which repayment schedule fits best with their lifestyle. The options include monthly, semi-monthly, bi-weekly, accelerated bi-weekly, weekly and accelerated weekly payments. Let’s use some simple math to determine which payment frequency will assist you in paying back your mortgage in the shortest time possible.

For the purposes of this exercise and to keep things simple, let’s use $100,000 as our mortgage amount. We’ll use a 5 year fixed rate at 2.54% with a 25 year amortization period and interest being compounded semi-annually.

As you can see from the table above, choosing to pay your mortgage more frequently doesn’t result in reducing your amortization schedule. The key to reducing your amortization is to make sure you choose an accelerated re-payment schedule.

We are going to focus on Accelerated bi-weekly vs. bi-weekly payments but the same principle can be applied to accelerated weekly payments as well.

Okay, we’ve just determined that accelerating your mortgage payments will reduce your amortization and the interest you pay. How does accelerated bi-weekly vs bi-weekly result in more principle being repaid?

It’s important to think of your payments as a stream of income for the mortgage lender. Mortgage payments are comprised of principal and interest payments. The interest is calculated based on your outstanding principal balance, meaning once the interest has been paid, the remainder of your payment is used towards paying down your principal balance.

By choosing an accelerated repayment schedule, the monthly payment is divided by 2 (bi-weekly) or by 4 (weekly). There are 52 weeks in a calendar year so if you make 26 bi-weekly payments, you are in effect paying your Lender the equivalent of 13 months of payments per year compared to 12 months payments with all non-accelerated repayment schedules.

This accelerated repayment of principal is what shortens your amortization.

13 monthly payments ÷ 26 = accelerated bi-weekly payment

Example: ($449.96 per month x 13 months) ÷ 26 = $224.98 accelerated bi-weekly payment

With a non-accelerated or regular payment plan, the Lender takes 12 months worth of payments and divides this by either 26 or 52 to come up with the bi-weekly (or weekly) payment. With this adjusted payment, the Lender still receives a stream of income of 12 monthly payments per year, so there is no additional principal available to accelerate the amortization.

12 monthly payments ÷ 26 = regular bi-weekly payment

Example: ($449.96 per month x 12 months) ÷ 26 = $207.67 regular bi-weekly payment

So now you know why choosing accelerated bi-weekly vs. bi-weekly payments results in 1 extra month of payments per year, which in turn shortens your amortization.

I always recommend this to anyone who can afford the increase in payment but I understand this option isn’t right for everyone. Another option to help shorten your amortization is to increase your payments, meaning more principal paid.

When you’re choosing your next mortgage, make sure you discuss payment options with your Dominion Lending Centres mortgage professional that align with your overall goals for repaying your mortgage.

Courtesy of Brent Shepheard, AMP – DLC Canadian Mortgage Evolution West 

Credit scores are like report cards for grown‐ups. The score you get ranges from 300 to 900. Your score indicates your creditworthiness to potential lenders, banks, landlords, insurance companies, and even to some employers. The higher your score the better.

1. Get a Copy of Your Credit Report

Make an inquiry once a year, twice is much better. If you are planning on purchasing anything that requires a credit check, keep track of your credit. This is something that is 100% in your control. As a consumer you have ability to make a soft/consumer inquiry to Equifax as many times as you want without it affecting your score. Here is a link to Equifax. If something doesn’t look right, contact the creditor immediately. Don’t wait to report an incorrect or fraudulent transaction. Is there an outstanding collection? If so, deal with it immediately, and by that I mean pay it. Then argue to get your money back. Do not leave this on your credit report hoping that it will disappear. No matter what, the collection will not be removed until it’s paid unless taken to litigation. Once dealt with, it will still take months to recover the points lost and 6 years to fall off your credit report.

2. NEVER Miss a Minimum Payment

Because this attributes to 35% of your overall score, delinquencies have the biggest negative effect on your credit score. If you have overdue bills, make the necessary arrangements with your creditors. They would much rather work with you than file collections against you. If you can’t pay it all back, it’s better to pay some.

3. Don’t Close Unused Credit Card Accounts

Got a credit card that you have had ten years and hardly use? Keep it. It takes 12 years of history with the same specific card in good standing to crack 800 and enter that top 2% tier of quality credit. Cancelling a card can actually lower your score. Keep the old cards and only use them occasionally so the issuer doesn’t stop reporting your information to the credit bureaus. Having a long credit history helps increase your score. Don’t jump around to credit providers. Most ‘large’ providers have several different products. There is likely one that will fit your needs.

4. Never Max Out Your Credit Cards

A good rule of thumb when considering building your credit is to keep the balance at or below 30% of the limit. Furthermore, a balance of 50% of the limit will maintain existing levels and over 75% will start to decrease it. NEVER exceed the limit, by even a $1.

5. Don’t Look For More Credit

Don’t shop around for credit or open several credit accounts in a short period of time. It raises alarms at credit bureaus and financial institutions, especially when you don’t have a long‐established credit history. Work with your existing creditors, as there is more relevant history. They are more likely to work with you, especially if you are looking to resolve some credit hardship(s). Always ensure you give your permission before allowing a credit check.

6. Rule of 2

Ideally, you want to have 2 sources of credit solely in your own name for a minimum of 2 years with at least a $2,500 credit limit. This would be either 2 credit cards or one credit card and a line of credit. Ensure this is in addition to any joint accounts. Joint credit is only reported to the primary credit holders credit bureau and will not have any positive effect on the co-account holder.

If you ever have questions about your financial situation or want to discuss your credit score, please contact Dominion Lending Centres.

Courtesy of Michael Hallett, AMP – DLC Producers West Financial 

In Winnipeg, MB, Jackson and Hailey have been living in a rental home for more than three years. They liked this rental home so much; they asked the landlord if they could buy this house. The landlord agreed to sell the property for $300,000 to Jackson and Hailey. On August 1, 2015, the landlord as “seller” and the tenants as “buyer” signed the agreement (Offer to Purchase). They deposited $5000 with the agreement and the possession date was August 31, 2015. If Jackson and Hailey put 5% down, then they need $15,000 as a down payment PLUS 1.5% for the closing costs of the house – 1.5% of $300,000 would be $4,500. To buy this home, Jackson and Hailey need $15,000 + $4,500. Altogether, they need $19,500 to buy this home.

In the month of July 2015, the couple (the tenants – Jackson and Hailey) added a patio at the rental home and painted the whole house inside. The tenants spent $5,897.32 from their pocket for this renovation and patio project. On July 28, 2015, the landlord (the seller) gave them a cheque for $5,897.32.

They deposited this cheque in their savings account and were under the impression that they could use this $5,897.32 towards their 5% down or closing costs. No, they can’t use this amount since the landlord paid it for the work they did in that same home. Under the guidelines, the seller is not allowed to pay any money to the buyer for the sale of this property. Now Jackson and Hailey are short $5,897.32 to buy this home.

Jackson and Hailey should have gotten some advice from a mortgage professional at Dominion Lending Centres before they signed an agreement to buy this home.

The proper planning of a mortgage is pertinent before anybody signs any agreements – it helps the client and the real estate agent.

Courtesy of Gurcharan Singh, AMP – DLC Canadian Anderson Financial Mortgage Team 

Happy New Year everyone!

With the new year comes many new resolutions. For Bullying Ends Here, we are keeping it simple. Instead of trying to make any resolutions about change, we simply want to take what we have and expand on that. We want to reach even more. We want to change more lives. We want to SAVE more lives.

I am very proud to tell you that 2015 was very successful overall. The program was presented more than 120 times in 8 provinces to over 95,000 people. We are credited with saving 34 lives to date and we have received approximately 20,000 emails this year alone.

Bullying Ends Here was featured on dozens of television programs and newspapers around the world. We were also recognized by the Alberta Government with the ‘Inspiration Award’ for our efforts to help make the world a better place.

2015 was also the year that Dominion Lending Centres became the National Founding Sponsor for Bullying Ends Here. I will never be able to express just how much this means to me, and in turn, to youth across our Country.

As you may remember, I created Bullying Ends Here in 2012 after reading about the suicide of Jamie Hubley. Jamie was a 15 year old gay youth who took his own life after years of relentless bullying. After reading about Jamie, and having never met him, something inside of me ‘snapped’. I decided that I was going to try doing what I could to make the world a better place. I never fathomed that things would get this big, but I am humbled it has. I made a commitment to Jamie’s family after his passing that I would tell the world about their boy. This is a promise that I have held close to my heart and continue to do on a daily basis. To this day, I do all of this on my days off or during vacation time. I get to live my dream of being a Police Officer while also doing all I can to help make the world a better place.

I look forward to updating you on how January plays out. With presentations scheduled in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, it should be quite the month.

This will be the year that Bullying Ends Here will reach the 250,000 participant mark. It will continue to be another resource for those that need it most. I can’t tell you just how excited I am for this year. With thanks to our new union, we will not only change lives but SAVE them.

Happy 2016 everyone!

Courtesy of Tad Milmine, Founder, Bulling Ends Here