ON Economic Fundamentals 2008-08

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If election called, McGuinty vows to crusade for Ontario

KITCHENER–Premier Dalton McGuinty says he plans to aggressively inject himself into the federal election campaign expected this fall.

McGuinty served notice to Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, and NDP Leader Jack Layton that he would be crusading for Ontario`s interests.

"That`s my responsibility. I intend to be more vocal than I`ve been in the past and help Ontarians fully understand the nature of our ... economic challenge," the premier told reporters here after announcing $2.1 million in new funding for Conestoga College.

"Should a federal election unfold, I want to make sure that we are clear as to the position taken by each of the federal parties when it comes to addressing unfairness," he said.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/481879

 

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GM needs $7B, analyst says

Beleaguered automaker General Motors may need to raise $7.3 billion to have adequate cash through 2009, a Lehman Brothers analyst said, and widened his 2008 loss view for the company.

Analyst Brian Johnson thinks GM`s rival Ford Motor Co. presents a stronger liquidity position to survive through 2010 without the need to raise external capital or tap its revolver.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/bus...a0-fc448afe5f13

 

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Ottawa medical research gets $32M boost

OTTAWA - A team of Ottawa researchers has been awarded $32 million for new laboratories and equipment that will give area patients first crack at experimental made-in-Ottawa therapies to treat cancer, stroke and diseases of the eyes, heart and lungs.

The one-time federal funding is the single largest health grant awarded to city researchers and is to create three new labs and pay for 40 senior scientists to be hired over the next five years.

"It`s going to enhance our capacity to be successful in taking advances in biomedical research and turning that into new advances for patients," said Dr. Duncan Stewart, chief executive of the Ottawa Health Research Institute, which is sharing the grant with three other research hospitals and the University of Ottawa.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...04-e029e8f429e6

 

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Suburban sprawl, Suburban snarl

Imagine a suburb from which there is no escape. It`s not a horror movie, it`s Bridlewood. The southernmost part of Kanata is so poorly planned that cars can hardly get in or out during the rush hours. City councillors acknowledged the problem this week by putting a hold on a portion of Bridlewood`s future development, but it`s very little and very late. Solving Bridlewood`s traffic problems will take years and cost millions of dollars.

Judging by the response to a traffic survey on the Bridlewood Community Association`s website, people in that suburb are angry and fed up with rush-hour traffic jams. They have every right to be upset. Municipal governments have allowed the suburb to keep expanding, knowing that it was just making a bad traffic situation worse. Even the action taken by council this week will still let developer Urbandale build more houses that will add cars to the lineup on the one major road that snakes through Bridlewood.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...f3-433c4247b8b6

 

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McGuinty `sees the potential for Hamilton`

A bid for the Pan Am Games, greenfield employment lands and transportation were high on the list of priorities for Hamilton`s business leaders during a closed-door meeting with Ontario`s premier yesterday.

Dalton McGuinty and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan met for an hour with about 15 people invited by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce.

The group included Mayor Fred Eisenberger.

McGuinty also appeared at Mohawk College yesterday for a skilled trades funding announcement and held a cabinet meeting at McMaster University.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/422571

 

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Don`t expect too much help, McGuinty says

The province will have a new deal for cities this fall -- but it won`t be as sweet as they want.

"They are going to want more than we can afford to give," Premier Dalton McGuinty told a Hamilton crowd yesterday. "That`s only natural, but I think there will be an understanding that we can arrive at, at the end of the day."

City politicians had hoped a new deal with the province would be announced next week at the annual meeting of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

McGuinty confirmed yesterday that won`t happen, but believes a deal will be in place by the time cities tackle their budgets in late fall. However, he cautioned the softening economy will play a role in determining how much support the province can offer cities.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/422464

 

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Composter halts expansion plan

Waterdown Garden Supplies Ltd., under fire for odours from its outdoor compost operation, is giving up a fight to increase capacity at its site on Highway 5 in Troy.

The Ministry of the Environment rejected an expansion application filed last December, saying the company had to control odours first.

The company appealed, and a hearing before the Environmental Review Tribunal was set to start tomorrow, but the appeal has been withdrawn and the hearing cancelled.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/422476

 

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Burlington rolls out bike ideas

Bike-only traffic signals and bylaws requiring bike parking are just some of the bold tools the City of Burlington may use as it tries to lure non-cyclists to its roads.

The city is crafting a new cycling master plan to focus on the waterfront, as well as QEW and 403 interchanges. It may bring a pedestrian and cycling bridge over the QEW and 403.

Senior transportation planner Paul Allen said since 1997`s original cycling plan, Burlington has built 50 kilometres of on-road bike lanes. The new plan being developed will try to implement 1997`s goals.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/422548

 

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Building coming down

A heritage building on James Street North will be demolished by the end of the month.

The owner said he is just waiting to hear from the city how much time he has. It was built in 1883.

"I do have a call into the city ... to see what sort of time frame they`re going to give me but we`re pretty much ready to go," said the building`s owner, Michael Silvestro, 52, of Waterloo-based 123 James Street North Inc.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/422551

 

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Trash collection may be cut back

BROCKTON

Brockton`s garbage contractor will get the fuel surcharge he asked for, but will likely be doing fewer pickups in the new year.

A recent increase in tipping fees at township landfill sites will offset the $926 a month the contractor requested in June to cover high gas costs for the rest of this year.

At the same time, Brockton council is considering cutting back garbage collection to every two weeks during the winter. That move is expected to save $4,000.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/402508

 

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Babcock becomes serious oilsands player

CAMBRIDGE

Two years of work at Babcock & Wilcox Canada Ltd. to craft environmentally friendly products for the Alberta oilsands has resulted in the first of what should be a series of contracts for the Cambridge company.

Babcock said yesterday it will make four giant boilers for the Fort Hills oilsands project. The work will be split between the company`s Cambridge and Melville, Sask., factories, with delivery expected by April 2010.

"It acknowledges us as a serious player in the oilsands market," said company spokesperson Yvette Amor. "We can develop products that meet the challenge of this really unique marketplace."

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/402487

 

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Propane station factor in school move

The location of a propane refill and gas station next to Sutton Public School was a "significant" reason for choosing a new location for the school, Georgina public school trustee Nancy Elgie said last week.

Parents had expressed their concerns about the fuel facility in discussions leading up to the choice of the Baseline Road location for the new school building next to Sutton District High School.

Construction is scheduled to begin this fall.

The school board does not have any policy regarding school location near propane facilities, Mrs. Elgie said in an e-mail.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Georgina/article/79920

 

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Former restaurant coming down

What goes up must eventually come back down and two local buildings are no exception.

The two residences, at 5859 Main St. and 14902 Hwy. 48, were issued demolition permits by Whitchurch-Stouffville council Tuesday.

While both buildings had been designated heritage buildings, the report prepared by the manager of building services found them to be in poor condition.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Whitchurch-...e/article/79980

 

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Clean water talk on tap at Stouffville meeting

It`s time to step up and protect our liquid gold.

A water protection meeting is being held Sept. 11 at Latcham Hall in downtown Stouffville and you are encouraged to come out and voice your questions and concerns.

The meeting, being run by the CTC Source Protection Committee, is the first of three phases in the source protection plan every municipality in Ontario has to create.

CTC, one of 11 zones in the province, includes Credit Valley, Toronto and Region and Central Lake Ontario areas.

The plans are part of the Clean Water Act, enacted by the provincial government, which strives to protect water before it enters drinking systems.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Whitchurch-...e/article/79978

 

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County Weighs In

Expansion of the greenbelt into south Guelph and south Wellington County would increase growth pressures in the county`s central and northern areas, says the head of the county.

"I`m not saying that`s a disadvantage, but we`d have to change direction," Warden John Green said Monday.

More growth pressure in the central and northern parts of the county means more infrastructure spending would be needed there, and financial assistance from the province would be required for this, he said.

http://www.guelphtribune.ca/news/article/139954

 

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Town councillors endorse growth principles

The Town has a long list of concerns it wants the Region to address before it will support identifying a preferred method for growth beyond 2021.

Town council endorsed the list of growth principles prepared by Town staff at its meeting Monday night.

The item comes in response to the Region`s Sustainable Halton plan, which is being developed to steer future growth while preserving and protecting things like greenspace and farmland. As part of the process, Region staff has come up with five concepts that show how about 2,400 hectares of `greenfields,` or undeveloped land, in Milton and Halton Hills could accommodate 120,000 people and the needed infrastructure between 2021 and 2031.

http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/199405

 

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Site plan approved for old Roxy Theatre site

The old Roxy Theatre site is one step closer to being redeveloped.

At Grimsby Council Monday night, aldermen approved the site plan for a new commercial and residential building, which will include a new dental office for Dr. Joe Paolasini in the basement, up to three commercial retail spaces on the main floor and six residential units on the third storey.

During a Planning and Development Committee meeting last Tuesday night, aldermen applauded the design of the new building, which will be located at 25 Main St. E., just east of the Grimsby Benevolent Fund store. "I think it will certainly be an asset to the downtown," said Ald. Wayne Fertich.

http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/commun.../article/199702

 

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Lincoln proposes amenities for density swap with developers

Contractors looking to develop in Lincoln may soon be able to increase the density of developments beyond the limits of the town`s bylaw.

Lincoln`s Town Council approved a motion Aug. 18 that adopts a part of the Ontario Planning Act into the town`s Official Plan, which allows for such circumstances as long as there is a benefit to the community.

The motion is the start of a long process, which requires public meetings before being implemented, said Mayor Bob Hodgson. The town retained the services of Ron Marini and Associates Inc. to research how it could incorporate this policy into the Official Plan.

http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/commun.../article/199706

 

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Town takes ownership of Palm Place parkland

The Town of Oakville took ownership on Friday of seven acres of prime waterfront lands as part of a 2006 Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) decision granting the Town the eastern portion of the Palm Place Developments Inc. property as public parkland.

The same OMB ruling determined that 300 residential units in three buildings, ranging in height from five to eight storeys, could be erected on the remaining portion of the property. "It`s the final piece of the puzzle in completing the South Shell Waterfront Park," Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said. "This dedication of land will allow us to build a continuous lakeside park with enhanced public access. Public waterfront property is highly sought after, so acquiring these lands at no cost to taxpayers is a win for Oakville."

http://www.oakvillebeaver.com/news/article/199808

 

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South Service Road bridge to be demolished

As part of the QEW road widening, the existing South Service Road overpass bridge (east of Burloak Drive) will be demolished over an 11-hour period from 10:45 p.m. Aug. 23 to 9:30 a.m. the following morning.

As a result, eastbound and westbound highway traffic will be diverted around the bridge and back onto the QEW. The westbound QEW on-ramp from Bronte Road will also be closed during this period. The Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) is undertaking highway expansion work to provide High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the QEW through Oakville between Burloak Drive and Trafalgar Road. Implementing HOV lanes on provincial highways will ease congestion, reduce commute times and promote public transit by getting more people into multi-occupant vehicles. The QEW highway expansion work is expected to be completed by the summer of 2011.

http://www.oakvillebeaver.com/news/article/199815