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Real estate industry experts say the focus should be on creating more supply

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Provinces from B.C. to Nova Scotia are rolling out a wave of new measures aimed at reining in rampant home price appreciation, but many in the real estate industry question whether the moves alone will be enough to tame the countrys housing dragon.

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A Bank of Montreal report last week, authored by economist Robert Kavcic, characterized the latest policy changes and the Bank of Canadas anticipated interest rate moves as a full-scale attack on Canada home prices.

Among the new measures is a cooling off period introduced in B.C., that would give buyersan unspecified amount of time to be revealed later this yearto change their minds after making an offer, leeway to pursue a home inspection or perform other due diligence.

Ontario, meanwhile, increased its non-resident speculation tax to 20 per cent and expanded its coverage across the province. Nova Scotia also set its sights on non-resident taxes as more demand comes in from outside the province.

When asked directly if the cooling off period would slow B.C.s hot housing market, Elton Ash, executive vice president at RE/MAX, offered a blunt No.

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The whole measure as the government is proposing is flawed, Ash told the Financial Post, because a buyer can rescind their offer on a home, leaving the seller in the lurch.

Ultimately, to realistically work towards controlling price appreciation, its supply. Thats purely what it is, Ash said.

A similar measure had been previously rolled out for pre-construction condominiums, allowing buyers a seven-day period to reconsider their decision. While Ash said the measure had no impact on condo valuations, it would be an apples to oranges comparison with the resale housing market.

Of course, the reason its in there is to allow consumers a sober second thought as opposed to the hard sell tactics of a developer, Ash said. Its a different environment.

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What Ash and other B.C. real estate professionals proposed instead was a five-day pre-offer period that would allow buyers to do their due diligence with property inspections, financing, appraisals, etc. Ash said this could remove unneeded stress from both the buyer and the seller.

Steve Saretsky, a real estate specialist at the Vancouver-based Saretsky Group, said the governments aimshouldbe to promote transparency in the house-hunting process, something that would ease the competitive frenzy that leads buyers to make rash decisions. The cooling off period, he said, could come with some unintended consequences.

I think it has the potential to backfire because you basically create a situation where maybe if everybody has a seven-day rescission period and you can use that to back out, you can basically just go and tie up two, three properties at a time to figure out which one that you want, Saretsky told the Post. If youre looking to create more affordable housing, Im not sure this is actually going to help create a more affordable housing market.

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In Ontario, Premier Doug Fords government increased the non-resident speculation tax from 15 to 20 per cent and expanded the measure throughout the province as opposed to focusing on the Greater Golden Horseshoe region.

For John Pasalis, president of Toronto-based real estate analytics firm Realosophy Realty Inc., the policy focus should be on creating more supply.

It's still a seller's market, but we're just starting to see a lot less competition

John Pasalis

I dont think these foreign buyer taxes are bad, theyre just not the solution, Pasalis said. Certainly, the bigger policies that the provinces can be focusing on are things like obviously increasing density, adding supply, probably doing some sort of provincial ban on things like Airbnb those types of things.

Pasalis added that there is a continued mismatch with the federal governments plan to rapidly grow the population through immigration and the provinces lag in creating sufficient supply to house them.

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Its this disconnect thats kind of really causing a lot of the problems we are seeing with high home prices, he said.

However, Pasalis noted that hes seeing some of the heat come out of the market already after demand was pulled forward ahead of rising mortgage rates. Pasalis added that listings volumes are increasing and buyers are starting to sit on the sidelines amid rising rates.

Its still a sellers market, but were just starting to see a lot less competition, he said.

In Nova Scotia, meanwhile, the provincial budget outlined a plan to implement a five per cent non-resident buyer tax as well as a two per cent annual property tax on non-resident owners of properties with three or fewer units (unless they are rented out to a local).

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Even with a pandemic-fuelled rise in interprovincial migration that saw buyers move from hot markets like Toronto and Vancouver to more reasonably priced Atlantic markets, Nova Scotia-based Re/Max broker Ryan Hartlen does not believe the influx of out-of-province buyers is strong enough to make the tax a game-changer.

We dont see this as a big enough segment of the market that its going to have a material impact, Hartlen said. I mean, we might see some ripples through the industry as people adjust to it but most of the buyers, even most of the non-Nova Scotia buyers that are buying properties here, have full intentions of moving here.

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While the real estate industry is not holding its breath on the recent measures the provinces have in store to tackle high home prices, they tend to agree that bringing more supply onto the market and encouraging more cohesion between all levels of government for geographically targeted solutions are whats needed not more tax-related measures.

I think the only thing realistic is trying to have some sort of plan and set out in place to work with municipalities to actually get supply built, Saretsky said. In terms of federal budget I wouldnt mind seeing them make a further commitment to increasing rental housing supply.

Email: shughes@postmedia.com | Twitter: StephHughes95

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Provinces launch 'full-scale attack' on home prices but it likely won't be enough to slay housing dragon - Financial Post

Photo: depositphotos.com

A: Soffit and fascia are more than just architectural elements that make the exterior of your home look goodthey also protect your home by keeping pests like birds, bats, and squirrels from gaining entrance to the inside of the house.

What are soffit and fascia, anyway? Fascia and soffit are the exposed siding under a roofs overhang and are traditionally constructed of aluminum or wood. Fascias and soffits can show wear and tear over timeespecially if you live in a climate that receives consistent heavy rain or experiences prolonged, snowy winters.

When your soffit or fascia board shows signs of water rot, cracked or flaking paint, or pest infestation, it may be time to contact a professional for fascia repair or soffit replacement. If you need to know who repairs soffit and fascia, the following guide can help you narrow down which professional to call to get these outdoor elements back in mint condition.

Need soffit and fascia repair?

A roofer may be the pro for you. Get free, no-commitment project estimates from roofers near you.

Licensed roofers and contractors can usually take care of soffit and fascia repair. These professionals can either repair or replace your fascia and soffit, depending on the specific requirements of the project. You can start the repair process by searching soffit repair near me and vetting the individuals or businesses that come up by reading reviews. You can also reach out to neighbors and friends and ask who theyve used for similar projects, including any roofing repairs or replacements. If several homes in your neighborhood were built around the same time, they might be experiencing similar issues with soffit and fascia related to general wear and tear.

For fascia board or soffit repair, a roofer or contractor will likely need to inspect the damaged area. Theyll provide a quote for what repair or replacement will cost. If youre already going to hire a professional roofing contractor, you may want to inquire about a roof inspection. Issues with soffit and fascia can sometimes indicate issues with the roof structure as a whole. As with any home repair project, its best to get to the root of the problem rather than trying to patch over issues cosmetically.

A gutter expert is another professional who can provide soffit repair or fascia replacement. Since soffits and fascia are located so closely to your gutters, the gutters could be causing any issues, especially if theyre moisture related. The fascia often provides a layer of support to help keep the homes gutters stable, and problems with fascia are often discovered once gutters are removed or repaired. Companies that repair or replace gutters will typically teach their technicians about the basics of roofing, including soffit and fascia. Whether youre having your gutters serviced or not, a professional will likely need to replace or repair the fascia first, then the soffit and gutters.

Need soffit and fascia repair?

It may be a job for a gutter pro. Get free, no-commitment project estimates from experts near you.

Its wise to take photos of the damaged areas before you hire a professional to address the problems, both for your benefit and theirs. This way, you can send your pictures to roofers, contractors, or gutter experts beforehand so they can determine the best course of action and estimate how much repairs or replacement might cost.

Plus, photos of the damage will be helpful in case the root cause of the soffit and fascia problems is a peril that homeowners insurance policy will cover. If a roof leak due to sudden damage or heavy snow causes damage to your soffit and fascia, your insurance company may pay for some of the repairs. Its advised to read your policy before attempting to file a claim or contacting your insurance agent to determine whether the issue will be covered or not.

Because they are located on the exterior of your home, soffit and fascia are more likely to show signs of exposure to moisture. If you live in an older home, a home with wooden soffit and fascia, or an area that experiences harsh winters or severe storms, your soffit and fascia are even more prone to moisture, mold, and rot. Suppose rotting fascia and soffit arent addressed. In that case, it could potentially lead to damage to the homes interior, which would end up being much more expensive than the $15 to $30 per linear foot that it costs for fascia board repair or soffit and fascia replacement.

If you see signs of mold on your fascia or soffit, you can attempt to remove or treat it with a mixture of one part vinegar to three parts water applied with a cloth or small brush. Although this can remove mold in some cases, you may be dealing with a problem that could return or even spread if the mold isnt completely removed. Mold removal professionals should treat areas of mold that are larger than 10 square feet. Areas of rotting wood or corroding metal will need to be replaced.

Soffit, fascia, and gutters make convenient hiding places for pests. Evidence of animals, bees, or wasps in soffit and fascia requires the help of a pest control professional. This issue should be addressed before you contact someone to repair fascia or soffit, since the pests presence will need to be eliminated first. Experienced pest control professionals will be able to create an effective plan to remove any insects or animals that have made a home on or in your roof.

Need soffit and fascia repair?

A roofer may be the pro for you. Get free, no-commitment project estimates from roofers near you.

As well as being at risk for water damage, wooden soffit and fascia are potential feeding and breeding grounds for termites. If youve already spotted termites inside the home, theres a good chance theyre already damaging parts of the homes exterior, too. Typical indicators of termites include small piles of sawdust and visible wood rot or wood that has literally been eaten away.

The presence of termites will also mean youll need to call a termite removal pro before hiring someone to repair or replace the soffit and fascia. This first step ensures the termites are entirely removed from your property so that they dont return to wreak more havoc on your home once the repairs are done. If the damage is bad enough, your fascia or soffit may need to be completely replaced to make sure your homes structure is sound.

When it comes to performing work on your roof, your specific city or state may have different certification requirements for roofing or gutter professionals due to the precarious nature of working on roofs. For example, in Austin, Texas, or Newark, New Jersey, roofers are licensed at the city level. Before you hire a roofer, contractor, or gutter expert to work on your fascia or soffit, you can search online for their license by state to verify that theyre qualified. These professionals have to provide proof of formal training or a specific amount of on-the-job training to obtain a license. Verifying their license and qualifications beforehand helps ensure theyre legally able to do the job and have the experience to perform it well.

Need soffit and fascia repair?

A roofer may be the pro for you. Get free, no-commitment project estimates from roofers near you.

You may be an experienced DIYer with enough confidence in your skill set to take on a repair job like this. However, for the sake of safety, its always best to hire a professional for roofing problems. One wrong move could result in a devastating injury when heights come into play.

A professional roofing company or contracting company will have crew members who are not only insured but also have their work covered by a warranty in case anything goes wrong or needs to be fixed after the initial repair. Although it may be tempting to take these repairs on yourself, any money you save could potentially be lost to medical bills due to injuries sustained during repairs or damage you inadvertently cause. The cost may be more up front than if you did the repairs yourself, but having a professional do the repairs will pay off in the long run.

Sources: HGTV

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Read the original:

Solved! Who Repairs Soffit and Fascia? - Bob Vila

A HEART-warming response to the Homes for Ukraine scheme has seen 37 households in Rugby borough open their doors to refugees.

Rugby Borough Council (RBC) is carrying out home inspections for residents taking part in the scheme, allowing families to settle in Rugby after fleeing Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The council expects to visit the 37 homes this week to check they meet the minimum requirements that they are warm, safe and not overcrowded.

Residents who have registered for the scheme and who are ready to open their homes have already been contacted to arrange the inspection.

The home inspection process is carried out independently of visa and immigration checks, which are carried out by the Home Office.

Michelle Dickson, RBCs Chief Officer for Homes and Communities, said: Rugbys response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been heart-warming, with many residents prepared to open their homes.

Our inspection process is light-touch and will make sure that homes meet the governments minimum requirements. We have officers ready to inspect homes as soon as we receive the relevant details so that our residents can welcome Ukrainian refugees as soon as possible.

We all wish for a swift end to Russias invasion, but in the meantime we are pleased to be able to give Ukrainian families a warm welcome to Rugby.

Visit http://www.rugby.gov.uk/Ukraine for more information on the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and other ways residents can help Ukraine.

More:

'Heart-warming' response to Homes for Ukraine scheme sees 37 Rugby households open their doors to refugees - Rugby Observer

Imagine playing poker with X-ray vision, knowing what cards the other players are holding before theyre laid on the table.

Youd be setting yourself up for quite the windfall.

Wouldnt you like the same power when it comes to the larger pots life brings you, like buying a home?

This is where Unreserved is going all in, by changing the real estate model to the benefit of those buying, as well as those selling, their home. Unreserved is an online auction platform allowing buyers to see up-to-the-minute, real-time bids guaranteeing market value or more for the seller. For the first time in the real estate market, Unreserved is giving complete control to the home buyer and seller.

How many home buyers in the past have raised their bid by thousands of dollars, just because they werent sure how high the counter-bids were?

The CEO of Unreserved, Ryan OConnor, has effectively created a way to see your opponents bid on the same property.

Not even your realtor will know for certain what the competing offers are. Unreserved takes the guess work out of it and provides valuable data in real-time, to eliminate blind bidding, so you stay in control of how much to offer, and when.

But there is more to buying a house than just knowing how much to bid.

Todays real estate market moves so quickly that most buyers get caught up in the emotions of wanting a property at all costs. With so many listings being sold in 24 hours, it gives buyers little time to decide how much to bid and, in most cases, forces buyers to waive a home inspection.

Unreserved has an answer to that, with a two-week viewing period allowing potential buyers the time to decide on whether they are truly interested in the home, allowing them to move forward with confidence instead of buying on emotion.

Interested buyers can book a private showing through their agent or independently if they decide not to use an agent, and can follow it up with their own home inspection, if they so choose.

However, Unreserved goes one step further, conducting its own home inspection before the house is even listed.

Zach, 25, a recent home buyer, dealt with the frustration of houses selling the same day theyre listed, before he and his fianc could even view the property.

We had to waive the inspection if we wanted the house. I wish we knew of Unreserved. It would have been a different story.

Leave it to Unreserved to take the unknown out of the equation, leaving more money in your pocket.

Unless you like to gamble, of course.

Read more here:

Taking the 'gamble' out of buying a home - Ottawa Business Journal

The tanks rolled into Trostianets, a sleepy town 20 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border, in the first hours of the invasion. Russian troops fanned out across the town, occupying a number of buildings: the forestry agency headquarters, the railway station and a chocolate factory.

Their top general set up his office in room 23 at the local administration building, where the councils accountants used to sit. His bottle of single malt is still on the desk, the butts of his slim cigarettes perched on the edge of an ashtray. He slept on a single bed stolen from a nearby hotel.

His men lived one floor below. They appear to have slept, eaten and defecated in the same rooms, and some of them may have died there too, judging by the bloodied Russian uniforms littering the floor.

Thirty days after they arrived, amid a fierce Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Russians left Trostianets in a convoy of tanks, other armour, trucks full of loot and numerous stolen vehicles they had daubed with Z signs, the symbol of their invading force.

The carnage they left behind will be remembered by the residents of this quaint, historical spa town of 20,000 residents for the rest of their lives, and is yet another indictment of the results of Russias unwanted liberation mission in Ukraine.

In the square outside the train station, there is now a grim panorama of several mangled tanks, the whitened carcass of a self-propelled howitzer and a shot-up yellow bus with blood smeared on the seats. Hundreds of green ammunition boxes and casings remain, evidence of the shells and Grad missiles the Russians fired from Trostianets into neighbouring towns. Surviving buildings have been daubed with pro-Russian slogans, and crude insults about the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

On a two-day visit to the town, the Guardian found evidence of summary executions, torture and systematic looting during the month of occupation, but it will a take a long time to catalogue all the crimes the Russians committed in places like Trostianets.

For now, the long and difficult clean-up is under way. Ukrainian sappers have removed mines and tripwires from the cemetery, the train station and even the chocolate museum, housed in an elegant villa where the composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky once stayed. Electricity returned for the first time in weeks on Sunday. The first passenger train since the invasion arrived at the wrecked station on Monday. But the streets are still littered with the twisted remains of Russian armoured vehicles, and there is nothing to buy because everything has been looted.

Over the weekend, residents wheeled bicycles to the points across town where parcels of food aid were available: cartons of eggs, jars of pickled cucumbers and plastic bags bulging with potatoes, sent by volunteer groups in other parts of Ukraine. In the orderly but irritable queue to receive them, people embraced acquaintances who they were happy to see still alive, and swapped horror stories from the past month.

Spotting a journalist, ever more people joined in, shouting over each other. They smashed my place up. They stole everything, even my underwear. They killed a guy on my street. The fuckers stole my laptop and my aftershave. A symphony of stories, some of them personal, some of them second-hand, all of them awful.

This is a place where a decade ago, people had mostly good things to say about Russia, which is just a short drive away and where many people have friends and family. Now they competed to heap insults on the neighbours that had brought misery upon them. Barbarians! Pigs! Bastards!

Yuriy Bova, the mayor of Trostianets, said it was too early to give a reliable estimate of how many civilians the Russians had killed. It was definitely more than 50, but probably not hundreds, he said.

Bova now struts about town in fatigues, a pistol tucked into the front of his body armour. At the time of the invasion, however, he cut a very different figure.

The idea of a Russian invasion had seemed fanciful to him, he admitted. Nonetheless, as the crescendo of US intelligence warnings continued, he called a meeting of those who would like to join a territorial defence force.

About 100 people turned up. There are no military installations in Trostianets, and between them, they had a few hunting rifles, a couple of pistols and a few policemen with Kalashnikovs. They agreed to ask Kyiv for weapons.

But it was already too late. Three nights later, the invasion began. By breakfast time, a huge column of Russian armour was already on the outskirts of the town. Bova sent a group of foresters to cut down trees along the entrance road, which won them a few hours, and in mid-morning he called another meeting of the territorial defence unit.

Trying to fight against tanks with a few rifles would have meant certain death, so I took the decision that we would become partisans, said Bova. People had a few minutes to decide whether they would stay or go. The mayor and his deputies left town, retreating to neighbouring villages.

When Ukrainian forces blew up a bridge to the south of Trostianets, it stalled Russias advance plans, and the town became a hub of Russian servicemen and armour.

Local residents retreated to their basements and waited to see what would happen. Some of the first interactions with the occupiers were relatively painless, residents reported.

We were scared of them, but after a while we started pitying them. They had dirty faces, they stank and they looked completely lost, said Yana Lugovets, who spent a month sleeping in the basement with her husband, daughter and friends.

She said a soldier who had come to search the house where they were staying left without completing the task, his eyes filled with shame as her daughter cried out in fear at the intruder.

Daria Sasina, 26, who ran a beauty salon near the train station, said when she went to check on it and found seven Russian soldiers had broken in and were sleeping there, they were initially apologetic.

I started crying, I was in hysterics. There was a young soldier, and he calmed me down. He said: Listen, Im sorry. We didnt know it would be like this.

Many people recalled similar polite exchanges, or flickers of shame in the eyes of the intruders, but any interaction with the occupiers involved enduring a game of Russian roulette. A few days later, when Sasina, her husband and father went on a risky mission across town to deliver bread to a 96-year-old great aunt, a group of Russian soldiers sprang onto the street behind them and pointed their weapons at them.

There were 20 of them, and they started shouting: Run, bitches! We ran through the mud as fast as we could, our legs were freezing and soaked and we were terrified. They started shooting in the air. We could hear them laughing, they thought it was hilarious.

When Sasina went back to check on her small salon the day after the Russians had left, she found they had stolen thousands of dollars worth of expensive hair dyes, shampoos and nail polishes, the hairdryers, all the cutting equipment, a sofa, all the chairs, several lightbulbs and the art on the walls. An air conditioning unit was left dangling down from the wall, its cables having proved stronger than the desire to steal it.

In return, the Russians had left clumps of their own shaved hair on the floor, and piles of faeces in the neighbouring grocery shop. Somewhere in Russia, the wives and girlfriends of soldiers will presumably soon receive gifts of high-end beauty products. For Sasina, she does not know how she will afford to rebuild her salon.

Everything I worked to build has been destroyed, she said.

The mayor has been criticised by some for his decision to flee, but Bova insists it was the only sensible option. Flicking through photographs on his phone from the occupation days, he showed how people had sent him information about Russian deployments, including from one brave local who managed to fly a drone over their positions.

People told us where theyre sleeping, where theyre eating, where their hardware is, said Bova.

As the Ukrainian army called in strikes on the Russian positions, the Russians became more and more angry.

An expletive-laden audio recording released by the Ukrainian security services purportedly shows a Russian general ordering a missile strike on civilian targets after receiving incoming fire from a nearby village. Wipe the whole place from the Earth from the eastern side to the west, he says.

As they came under fire more frequently, the Russians cut mobile reception in the town, and went house to house, demanding to examine peoples telephones for compromising information. A handwritten note found amid the mess of the soldiers quarters in the train station lists the names of possible enemies to hunt down, with extremely vague identifiers, such as drives a white off-road vehicle.

In Bilka, a quiet, windswept hamlet just outside Trostianets, where the Russians based more than 200 vehicles, at least two people were executed. Alexander Kulybaba, a pig farmer who protested against the takeover of his barn, was shot on the spot on 2 March, the day the Russians arrived in the village.

Mykola Savchenko, a kindly electrician with a handlebar moustache, who together with his wife, Ludmyla, had six foster children, went out on the first morning to find somewhere to charge his and his wifes mobile phones because the electricity was already down.

Im just popping out for five minutes, he told her. He never came back.

Ludmyla stood outside her home weeping on Monday, holding a stamped death report from the police that explained in neat handwriting that her husband had been brutally tortured and then killed with a shot to the heart and one to the head. An inspection found broken bones in his fingers and arms.

I didnt say anything to the children, because they are small and they still dont understand everything. Every day they waited for their dad to come home, but he never did. Yesterday, I said to them: Sit down, I will explain everything, she said.

The youngest of her six children is four, the eldest 11. They stood alongside her, lined up like nesting dolls, silent and confused.

Ludmyla insisted her husband had not been active in the resistance to the Russians, but many locals were. On a nearby street, a farmer explained how he hid his smartphone in the dirt inside the pig enclosure, and carried round an old brick phone as a decoy to show to Russian soldiers if asked. Then, in the darkness of night, he would dig up his real phone, scurry to the one spot where he knew there was still reception, and send the new locations of Russian hardware to a relative in the Ukrainian army.

Then they sent in the Bayraktars and fucked them up, he said with a cackle, referring to the Turkish-made drones that Ukraine has used with deadly effect against Russian columns. The Russians are dogs, they are subhumans, they are locusts, he said.

The boiling fury felt towards the Russians in villages such as Bilka, where people speak a mishmash of Ukrainian and Russian and previously felt far removed from geopolitical concerns, will be a lasting consequence of Vladimir Putins grim decision to invade.

Along with the anger, there is confusion and disappointment about the attitudes of ordinary Russians. Nadezhda Bakran, 73, a nurse in the local hospital, cowered in the hospitals basement together with her patients, as a Russian tank took potshots at the building, which is now empty and wrecked. Her nearby apartment block has also been reduced to a skeleton, with all the windows blown out and serious structural damage.

But when she called her best friend in Moscow, with whom she has been on holiday almost every year since they met in Crimea 43 years ago, she heard only sceptical derision and accusations.

I tried to explain it to her, but she doesnt believe me. She believes her television. I said: Your people are destroying my town. She said: You caused this war yourself We were friends, what we had was even closer than just friendship, and she doesnt believe me. I dont understand.

For many, this sense of betrayal from their friends and family has hit almost as hard as the material losses.

Sasina, the beauty-salon owner, listed the losses her family had taken from a month of Russian occupation: her house was destroyed, her beauty salon looted, her mothers toy shop also looted, her friends car stolen, daubed with Zs and then smashed up. Her brother now walks on crutches after his car was shot at on the first day at a checkpoint and a bullet lodged in his lower back. Russian soldiers even shot her grandmothers cat during a house inspection, she said.

When Sasina called her aunt, who lives outside Moscow and had visited her in Trostianets most summers, to inform her of the horrors unfolding, her aunt told her she was talking nonsense. She said its not possible, she said probably the soldiers are Ukrainians dressed up as Russians. She has stopped speaking to me now, Sasina said, shaking her head in disbelief.

The Russian soldiers who made it out of Trostianets alive may never speak about the anger they witnessed and the carnage they caused, as they return to a country where their operation in Ukraine has been referred to by state propaganda as a heroic mission to save their neighbour from the clutches of radicals and neo-Nazis.

Russian television viewers may never see the ugly truth of the cost of their armys unwanted intervention, although many Russian families will now be mourning lost sons and brothers. The yellowed bodies of three Russian soldiers lie unclaimed and unrefrigerated in the Trostianets hospital morgue. A Ukrainian soldier involved in retaking the town estimated that up to 300 may have died here.

In the basement of the train station, weak torchlight reveals an improvised field hospital where the Russians treated their wounded. Silver padding had been placed over two desks to create makeshift operating tables. The floor was littered with tablets and other medical supplies. A medical drip remained, fastened to a coat stand.

On the wall in the corridor outside was perhaps the most jarring sight in all Trostianets. Childrens drawings brought from Russia were taped to the wall, gifts from schoolchildren in honour of Army Day, the day before Russias invasion. The cards were decorated with pretty, colourful flowers and messages of support written in spidery youthful handwriting.

One was signed by Sasha P, first grade, and came with drawings in crayon and a printed message.

It read: Thank you, soldier, for making sure I live under a peaceful sky.

Excerpt from:

'Barbarians': Russian troops leave grisly mark on town of Trostianets - The Guardian

The pandemic accelerated widespread digitization in almost every industry. Moving from hard copy to digital documentation influences many business and legal processes, including the way authorities around the world conduct dawn raids. This is an unannounced inspection by regulatory or criminal investigatory authorities into matters such as antitrust law, financial markets regulation, data protection, and financial crime. They typically occur in the morning and have generally been carried out onsite. However, the rise in remote work has altered investigatory approaches and there has been a notable increase in hybrid raids. Teams can simultaneously raid physical offices and private residences to ensure they collect data on remote worker devices sometimes in multiple countries.

Although dawn raids are not frequent, they occur without warning and can put an organization at significant risk for noncompliance if not prepared. It is important to know who can conduct dawn raids and how investigations are shifting with the remote work culture. This knowledge better positions organizations to proactively create plans limiting risk.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division has the power to investigate anti-competitive behaviors in both civil and criminal contexts. Dawn raids occur more often in the U.S. for matters involving suspected criminal antitrust violations, such as collusion. DOJ officers, FBI agents, and local law enforcement can enter the premises (offices and local residences) to investigate after obtaining a search warrant.

Hybrid dawn raids are also ramping up in other locations around the world. For example, last year the European Commission announced a wave of post-pandemic dawn raids. The Commission has statutory powers to investigate anti-competitive practices affecting trade between EU member states such as restrictive agreements and abuse of dominance.

Penalties can include fines and imprisonment for criminal matters. Organizations can also receive fines for noncompliance with procedural mandates such as failure to turn over requested documentation or concealing evidence.

If organizations handle a dawn raid incorrectly, significant liability may result. The trend of increased hybrid raids can be daunting, as many do not have a solid plan that accounts for custodians working remotely. To reduce the shock factor and keep compliant, it is crucial to be prepared and leverage partnerships that will limit exposure and foster preparedness.

Here are four ways to enhance dawn raid preparedness:

Understanding risk factors: Knowledge of the type of data an organization maintains will uncover which information is at risk and the regulatory bodies that would control potential investigations. Certain business activities increase dawn raid vulnerability, such as communications between organizations that could appear as collusion or collecting sensitive consumer information invoking data protection legislation. A proactive risk assessment allows for earlier custodian identification, notification, and training opportunities.

Mapping data: Many organizations already utilize data mapping as an information governance tool. After determining that an organization could be subject to a dawn raid, specific mapping for high-risk data will aid with investigatory compliance. Mapping should entail identifying, understanding, and plotting what information an organization has, how the data flows through the organization, who has physical or remote access to the data, and where the information is stored. Mapping can also uncover improper data handling by remote workers that organizations need to address. Establishing control and accessibility allows for easier retrieval and assessment of privilege during a sudden investigation.

Forming response teams: The core team should include onsite reception, IT staff, legal counsel, management, human resources, and any outside partner overseeing forensic collection or compliance efforts. Also account for key custodians who could be subject to at-home investigations. Provide proper notice and training on what can happen during a raid including an active search of the premises, interviews, inquiries about storage locations for relevant documents, and seizure of evidence for review off-premises. Regarding electronic data, investigators can seal off premises to prevent interference with data sources, request passwords, copy drives, remove devices, and more.

Second, anticipate challenges that could arise and confirm what constitutes acceptable behavior. Some actions to avoid during a raid include hostile reception, evidence destruction or concealment, providing false or misleading information, and access obstruction. Absence of a plan could also lead to leakage of privileged information, so make sure the team has knowledge of what they can withhold.

Performing readiness assessments and mock exercises: Evaluating and testing policies and procedures will identify gaps. Consider partnering with a provider with experienced experts offering a combination of regulatory knowledge and forensic IT skills to guide assessments. Having an initial workshop can be beneficial to discuss procedures, common challenges, overcoming obstacles, and best practices for dawn raid preparedness. This also provides opportunities to voice anticipated concerns and uncover rick factors.

A readiness assessment can be a valuable tool to create a risk matrix, map data, establish a tailored response framework accounting for hybrid inspections, and determine whether to hold a mock dawn raid. All of this will strengthen the foundation of an organizations dawn raid readiness program. Providers can also work in tandem with the team to improve programs and implement best practices leading up to and during a raid. This includes:

These are just a few key components of a robust dawn raid readiness program. Regular assessments and audits will highlight specific processes that reduce exposure and streamline compliance in the event of a dawn raid, while also accounting for the likelihood of hybrid raids based on the organizations remote work policies.

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The Changing Landscape of Dawn Raids: Preparing for Hybrid Inspections - JD Supra