ON Economic Fundamentals 2008-08

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Council votes against paving

City council has denied the Township of Wilmot`s request for funding to hard surface the Wilmot Line.

The township requested $308,000 to tar and chip the boundary road, which is just west of Waterloo.

Wilmot Line has been the source of some controversy over the past few years, as residents, environmentalists and concerned citizens have wanted to keep a gravel surface in order to prevent it from becoming a major arterial road.

http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news/article/140045

 

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Burned-out tenants denied refund

Residents of 2 Secord Ave. stormed out of last night`s tenants` meeting when they found out they weren`t getting their last month`s rent back.

"They previously said they were going to give it back to us," Alex Bethke, 27, said outside Secord Public School where the meeting was held. "As of right now I`m technically renting until the end of October so I`m paying an extra $800.

"They`re so inefficiently giving us the information, I had to leave," he said. A hydro vault explosion on July 20 in the basement of the 21-storey apartment complex left 1,000 residents homeless.

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndG...534691-sun.html

 

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History shows the market always bounces back

The current news on the economy has a lot of people wondering about the future of the housing industry. After more than 40 years as a builder, I`ve seen it all - boom times, recessions and everything in between. I`ve also experienced first-hand the resiliency of the Canadian new-home market. When we have our occasional "downs," people sometimes panic, thinking that if things are bad today, they are sure to be worse tomorrow. But that tomorrow never comes. In fact, we always manage to come full circle again with a stable, robust new-home market.

http://www.torontosun.com/NewHomesandCondo...529881-sun.html

 

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Scarborough Bluffs residents left hanging

Dangling atop the soaring cliffs of the Scarborough Bluffs, at the back of Trevor Harris` lakefront lot, a slightly rundown, but unquestionably charming, blue cottage waits to fall off the edge. From the street, it`s barely visible.

The tiny dwelling, which once belonged to beloved Canadian actor-comedian Billy Van, is eclipsed by the property`s leafy trees and new, English-style residence where Harris now lives. The cottage is one of the few original homes left along the embankment. The ground literally fell out from underneath the rest over the past three decades.

Harris` lovely blue cottage will be the next to go.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/483484

 

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Audit halts 6 propane operations

Six large propane sites were ordered to stop dispensing fuel after inspections in the wake of a deadly blast in Toronto last week. An official with the Technical Standards & Safety Authority yesterday said infractions at the sites across Ontario – two in Toronto – included staff who appeared to lack proper training, small leaks in a hose and inadequate signage.

The operators were immediately issued "cease and desist" orders for their propane operations. But by last night at least three had met the requirements of the regulator and resumed business, said TSSA spokesperson Dave Lisle.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/483508

 

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Ontario to review car pool statutes

Queen`s Park says it`s reviewing a law that threatens to boot PickupPal Online Inc. and other ride-sharing services out of the province.

The decision to reconsider the legislation follows attempts by chartered bus company Trentway-Wagar Inc. to shut down PickupPal`s Ontario operation because it violates the Public Vehicles Act.

"This legislation has not been changed since 2000, so we`re abiding by the rules before us," said Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Nicole Lippa-Gasparro. "But now is a good time to see what changes might be advisable."

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/483431

 

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Development Fee Increase A Worry For Association

An increase in development fees levied by Toronto`s Catholic school board was singled out yesterday as a cause for concern by the association representing the area`s residential developers and home builders.

The increase pushes up the array of charges for the construction industry, which "does add up," according to the group`s head.

Starting on Aug. 25, the cash-strapped board will charge residential developers $544 for every unit that is built, up 23% from the $442 that had been levied during the last five years.

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/s....html?id=740779

 

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St. Catharines takes team approach to tourism marketing

Niagara Falls may be the biggest kid on the block when it comes to tourism in Niagara, but that doesn`t mean it has all the answers when it comes to implementing the destination marketing fee.

Like Niagara Falls, St. Catharines has its own DMF, established in February 2006. The fee is levied on hotel rooms to fund promotional campaigns.

St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan estimates that, on average, his city generates about $250,000 annually in destination marketing funds on its 700 hotel rooms -- or about one 40th of the revenue Niagara Falls collects on its 15,000 rooms.

It`s not a lot, acknowledged McMullan, but it`s money "we wouldn`t otherwise have had to market St. Catharines."

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article....aspx?e=1168095

 

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Georgian bursting at seams

Georgian College`s Orillia campus will have even more students this fall walking its ever-increasing hallways, says Dave Dubois, dean of the Orillia campus.

The Orillia campus has a capacity of 2,200 students and with a 20 per cent increase, 1,700 to 1,800 students are expected on campus this fall.

The campus is expected to be at full capacity in two to three years time.

"We are very ecstatic about it in terms of responding to the needs of the community and the interests of students out there," Dubois said.

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1167718

 

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Old swing bridge running out of life

A century-old Ramara Township bridge deemed unsafe is likely to be replaced.

The Lakeshore Road swing bridge, located on Ramara Road 47 near Gamebridge, was closed Tuesday evening, and Parks Canada engineering staff members are onsite assessing the bridge.

Built just after 1900, the bridge has never undergone major repairs, but regular maintenance and inspection have been completed every three or four years, said Wayne Harpell, northern sector manager with the Trent- Severn Waterway. For more, please "This bridge is not going to be repaired in the condition it`s in," he said.

"We`ve noticed, over the years, it`s started to deteriorate. (Parks Canada) decided it`s not safe any longer."

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1167714

 

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Housing glut greets returning students

Pleading to snag a coveted spot in university residence is usually a first-year student rite of passage.

But in Windsor the tables have turned -- it is the residences which are desperate for students.

With less than two weeks to go until classes start, St. Clair College`s residences are about 80 per cent full and University of Windsor residences are about 85 per cent full.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...10-0ed3b3f60b76

 

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Corel Corp. hints at possible sale

Corel Corp. said it is working on a possible sale of the Ottawa-based software company as speculators drive up the stock price.

The company yesterday declined to identify the potential buyer.

"No agreement has been reached regarding a sale of Corel and there can be no assurance that such an agreement will be reached," it said in a statement late Wednesday.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/b...ce-d57a6555cafd

 

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Hawkesbury mayor makes pitch for operating steam train in Eastern Ontario

The mayor of Hawkesbury wants investors to operate the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield steam train in Eastern Ontario to create a "motor of economic development" for the town.

Mayor Jeanne Charlebois met André Groulx, the train operator, earlier this week to discuss operating the train on the track that carries Ottawa Central Railway freight and Via Rail passenger trains.

She has also consulted Ottawa Central Railway officials about the possibility, she said.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...98-66157c075a38

 

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City defends ambulance-depot demolition

City officials admit the need to tear down a five-year-old, $600,000 ambulance depot to make way for public housing looks bad, but it was contemplated when the facility was built and it won`t cost municipal taxpayers a dime.

The station at Metcalfe and Catherine streets sits on land, the former Beaver Barracks site, acquired by the city 15 years ago for public housing, but provincial and federal funds for affordable housing dried up in the mid-1990s and the land sat fallow.

In 2003, the city decided to build the paramedic station on the land, despite knowing it might have to be moved or torn down if housing money became available again to develop the site for its intended purpose.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...86-7d3babe5e2d8

 

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Board considers land swap to build Binbrook school

Hamilton`s public school board is mulling a controversial plan to swap greenspace in the east end for land in booming Binbrook, where it needs a new school.

City Councillor Chad Collins calls the proposed swap with a developer -- though not a done deal -- a "garage sale" that will hurt residents in the lower city because it strips away their parkland.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/423122

 

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Guelph Avenue roadwork causing headaches

CAMBRIDGE

Back-to-school traffic will be bad enough on Scott Road without Guelph Avenue construction traffic joining the parade, a neighbour says.

City and school officials say there won`t be problems when classes resume at Silverheights Public School, but Steve Weatherall knows Scott is jammed with cars morning and afternoon on school days as parents -- including some who brazenly use his driveway -- drop off or pick up children.

"I`ve experienced living beside the school for seven years. Now I`m expecting it will be worse."

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/403035

 

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Squatters ordered off city land

GUELPH

A group of people who have lived on a piece of city property for the last few months may soon be homeless.

The squatters, in their late teens and 20s, have set up gardens, a composting toilet and even a bike repair site near the intersection of Stone Road East and Victoria Road North.

But the city has posted signs saying they may be evicted Monday.

"In all the talk of going green we`ve probably got the most sustainable home in all of Guelph," group member and longtime Guelph resident Matt Soltys said.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/403032

 

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Conservation authority may expand Chilligo park

CAMBRIDGE

The Grand River Conservation Authority may expand a protected area in Hespeler by buying surplus government land.

At a meeting this morning, the conservation authority`s board will consider an offer from the Ministry of Transportation to buy over 43 acres along the Speed River, south of Fisher Mills Road.

The land abuts the 74-acre Chilligo Conservation Area, which is primarily a nature preserve but has space for passive recreation, such as hiking or cross-country skiing, that involve existing natural resources and have minimal impact.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/403030

 

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Residents miffed over clear-cutting

GUELPH

When Chris and Miranda Giles look out from their back deck, they see only thick, green foliage above their back fence; blocking out the view of an adjacent park and the playground located there.

"Those trees were definitely one of the main reasons we bought here," Miranda Giles said of the mature treeline behind the couple`s Auden Road home.

"That was definitely a selling feature," Chris agreed. "You just don`t find that in the city. It`s like living in the country."

Not for much longer.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/371153

 

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Cops find massive grow-op in warehouse

A massive marijuana grow operation was discovered yesterday at an industrial complex in Scarborough with thousands of pot plants growing inside a warehouse. Toronto Police say undercover officers from the Drug Unit`s clandestine lab section uncovered the large-scale operation while executing a search warrant at 154 Shorting Rd., near Markham Rd. and Sheppard Ave. E., around 8 a.m.

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndG...546621-sun.html