Profile of Michael Prentice

All articles of Michael Prentice

• The true price of payday loans
  Hundreds – probably thousands – of people in Ottawa are paying more than FIVE HUNDRED PER CENT in annual interest to get a loan. And it’s ...
• Shopping for new wheels: When to buy and when to lease
  I believe it doesn’t matter much which you choose. What matters is the deal you get. The line between buying and leasing automobiles has become ...
• Ottawa's boardwalk empire
  Yet, for almost 150 years, there’s been scant effort to exploit the immediate surrounding area for the public interest. The Gatineau waterfront ...
• The Chinese are coming … to a winery near you
  But it could happen within three or four years if wealthy Chinese investors go ahead with a plan to spend more than $100 million creating such a ...
• ‘Venice on the Ottawa’
  What is envisioned is a massive redevelopment of Chaudière Island, with shops, restaurants, entertainment, tourist attractions and perhaps ...
• In defence of property taxes
  Such complaints are heard everywhere these days, because people love to hate property taxes. Pardon me for disagreeing, but I’m 100 per cent in ...
• The case for ‘Casino Rideau’
  There is no argument about that. Ontario is currently losing at least $100 million a year in tax revenue from gambling because people from Ottawa ...
• A belt too tight
  But there is not the slightest sign on the horizon that the federal government, which manages the Greenbelt through the National Capital ...
• Rideau Centre readying $250M expansion
  The mall’s owner, Cadillac Fairview Corp., is contemplating the addition of 180,000 square feet over three floors of retail space on the ...
• Ottawa's hottest housing markets
  Most suburban Ottawa residents – those living outside the Greenbelt – will see little or no increase in their property taxes due to reassessment. ...
• Can you save money by flying from Ogdensburg?
  Cape Air is a Massachusetts-based U.S. commuter airline that recently began service between Boston and Ogdensburg, in upstate New York, about one ...
• What's an Air Mile really worth?
  The problem is that many of us allow ourselves to be bought too cheaply.Have you ever wondered how much an Air Mile is really worth?I have ...
• Bringing car buyers into the driver’s seat
  Automakers and car dealers appear to be showering us with free money these days. Their pitch: Buy a new set of wheels with no money down and an ...
• The uneven business benefits of buses
  Ottawa's publicly owned transit system works best when large numbers of people want to go to the same place at the same time. Riders often get ...
• Retailers paying a growing premium for credit card...
  The dispute is complex. But Corinne Pohlmann, vice-president of national affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, summed it ...
• Costco fuelling gas-price wars
  It is putting downward pressure on gasoline prices throughout Ottawa, which already has among the lowest gasoline prices in Ontario, according to ...
• When retail purchases don't go as planned
  But fear not. Ottawa retailers are often generous - some far more generous than others - in their return and exchange policies. We all know the ...
• A crash course in auto insurance
  They are wasting thousands of dollars a year because they fail to shop around. And it is not because they lack driving experience or have a poor ...
• Rekindling the relevance of strategic planning
  I have been teaching MBA courses in business strategy, as well as working with companies and public-sector organizations on their strategy ...
• A chance to reverse the NCC’s spotty redevelopment...
  Right now, Chaudière Island resembles a blighted Detroit neighbourhood, with old, neglected, vacant buildings falling increasingly into ...
• Thinking outside the (cable) box
  The savings – on hardware, rather than programs – are available whether a customer elects to stick or shift among deliverers of TV programs via ...
• The Better Business Bureau and my battle with weeds
  I thought I was a smart consumer until a recent unpleasant experience with a lawn maintenance company. Now that I’ve learned my lesson the ...
• Making sense of the Ottawa condo market
  The good news is there appears to be some truth in it. But don’t expect to save a lot of money if you're looking to buy a new condo in or ...
• The Marcuses get co-operative with Mistura
  Among the smartest, though, was her decision to pitch an all-in-one makeup kit last fall on the hit CBC television show Dragons' Den. Her ...
• Want to buy the most expensive apartment in western...
  It is part of an effort to spur construction in the heart of the old city of Hull. And it means buyers of new apartments in downtown ...
• Examining the cost of air miles
  Answer: It all depends. Another question: Is it worth collecting both Aeroplan and Air Miles? Answer: Absolutely, since they both offer ...
• And in this corner: The MPAC challenger
  But it could well be worth challenging your property assessment. As I’ve argued in a previous column, you may be surprised how good your ...
• A flicker of hope for a lean promenade
  As initially reported in OBJ back in July of 2008, the street – a pedestrian mall just a few steps from the Parliament Buildings – ...
• Condo fight brewing on the Driveway
  Problem is, little or no undeveloped land exists in the area. This leads developers to buy existing property, typically older single ...
• Attack of the greedy TV companies - the sequel
  That substantial jump in most people's cost of watching television is almost certainly what's at stake in the fierce battle now raging ...