ON Economic Fundamentals 2008-08

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Report lauds city as `economic heart`

Toronto, recently portrayed as a city in economic decline, is one of the best places for companies to establish themselves, according to a recent ranking by Forbes.com.

The Greater Toronto Area, listed with a population of 5.213 million, is ranked 10th on a list of the "World`s Most Economically Powerful Cities," which weighs everything from population and rate of growth to the quality of life in order to determine which cities have the strongest present and future for corporate growth.

"It`s the underlying factors that are attractive that set the right foundation for a company to say, `Can I come in and grow?` Not just whatever our particular growth factor is," Carol Wilding, president of Toronto`s Board of Trade, said yesterday.

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/s....html?id=702762

 

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Ontario aims to revise mining act

The Ontario government is launching a series of public consultations next week to discuss modernizing the Ontario Mining Act, but one topic that won`t be up for discussion is the recent calls for a provincial ban on uranium mining, the minister responsible says.

Aboriginal groups as well as some non-native Eastern Ontarians have been at odds with mining companies, which can legally stake mining claims on private land if the owners don`t possess the mineral rights.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...2d-2a2a406f5c89

 

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Ontario: Great Lakes levels on the rebound

Water levels in the Great Lakes are rebounding from record lows a year ago and have reached their highest levels in four years, Environment Canada said yesterday. Ralph Moulton, manager of the water level information office at Environment Canada, said Lake Superior, which affects the levels of the other Great Lakes and had dropped to record lows, is 41 centimetres higher than it was last year at this time. Lake Huron is 23 centimetres higher, Lake Ontario 31 centimetres higher and Lake Erie is up 16 centimetres compared with last year.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...f2-6e258f3e5b5d

 

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Steam train derailed for 2008

The Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train won`t roll again until July 2009 at the earliest because $4.3 million in urgent repairs to the line are needed to make the tracks safe.

Gatineau Mayor Marc Bureau said yesterday the three Outaouais municipalities that own the line plan to ask the federal and Quebec governments to pay most of the cost of the improvements because the work is too expensive for them. He said Gatineau, Chelsea and La Pêche are still committed to the train, but not at the expense of public safety.

Three engineering studies show that the 32-kilometre line, built in 1917, will require repairs to more than 90 culverts, additional track repairs and a new station in Gatineau over the next several years, bringing the total cost of the improvements to $9.6 million.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...01-6dfea61fa191

 

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Ojibway lot sale approved

A parcel of city-owned land in the Ojibway industrial park will be sold to a Windsor contractor.

Totalling about five acres, the land is located on the north side of Weaver Road, east of Cherry Blossom Drive. Council approved the sale on Tuesday at a price of $299,500.

The buyer is Dan Russ Contracting, which intends to relocate its concrete batching and contracting operations there.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...92-427f3854073c

 

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Windsor firm to reorganize 5 area plants

Windsor Machine and Stamping, a 62-year-old manufacturer of automotive headrests and gas pedals, has applied to reorganize to save five plants in Windsor, Essex County and Tilbury.

Tight bank rules caused by the worldwide credit crisis, the high Canadian dollar and skyrocketing commodities prices are the main reasons the company has applied to reorganize its business, which is otherwise strong, Windsor Machine said in a statement.

UAW Local 215, which represents most of the 300 people the company employees in plants in Windsor, McGregor, Comber, and Tilbury, has also offered to entertain "creative solutions" to the challenges faced by Windsor Machine, a company spokesman said Tuesday.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/bus...15-b6dec69e7dfd

 

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Trouble-hit pier faces new delay

A long-delayed project to build an impressive new pier on Burlington`s shores has hit another snag.

The project has been delayed indefinitely after a concrete pour to construct the distinctive S-shaped deck of the Brant Street pier moved a key support beam out of alignment.

The delay will likely affect the opening of the pedestrian portion of the pier, which was slated for September.

It`s the latest in a string of delays that have plagued the project.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/414559

 

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Dundas residents: Keep corner store, save the planet

Pleasant Valley lost its school --now it`s fighting to save its only convenience store.

Residents of the Dundas neighbourhood won councillors` support yesterday to deny a request to rezone their local store to allow for new three homes.

"It`s shortsighted to close it now," said Audrey Hensen, arguing the conversion is counter to the city`s goal of creating walkable communities. Without the Autumn Leaf Road store, residents will be forced to hop in their cars for every litre of milk or loaf of bread, she said.

Councillor Bob Bratina, who opposed the rezoning, argued convenience stores are an important part of healthy communities.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/414560

 

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Closing the bridge

CAMBRIDGE

Business has been booming at Grand Cafe since it doubled in size last January, but owner Michelle George worries sales are about to crash.

Yesterday, construction workers shut down the Main Street bridge immediately east of her five-year-old restaurant. Barricades will stay up for four months while the bridge deck is rebuilt.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/394709

 

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Electrohome could soon be history

KITCHENER

Electrohome Ltd., the 101-year-old company that once put Kitchener on the map nationwide, will cease to exist this fall, its chief executive officer said yesterday.

Having sold almost all of its once-numerous assets, the company, now down to a four-person office and a bank account, has nothing left to do but settle its remaining debts and turn off the lights, said John Pollack, heir to the company founded by his grandfather in 1907.

"The company just has so many assets left and we don`t have any revenues," Pollack said. "We`ve now worked away at firming up our liabilities and selling our assets, so now we`re in a position to go ahead and stop the expenditures of funds to keep the company going, because there`s no future without sales."

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/394713

 

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Denso expansion on target

GUELPH

Denso Manufacturing Canada`s major expansion to its Guelph automotive parts plant will go ahead as scheduled, a company official said yesterday.

This assurance comes despite news last week that parent company Denso Corporation, the world`s leading auto parts supplier, has seen its earnings shrink significantly in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, primarily due to the sinking fortunes of automakers in North America.

The company will review its capital expenditure plans for the remainder of the fiscal year, and could delay or suspend investments in weakening markets, according to reports quoting company officials. Profits could continue to dwindle for the remainder of the fiscal year, as North American automakers scramble to cut production to cope with a sharp decline in demand for fuel-thirsty vehicles.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/364303

 

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Newcastle Recreation Complex set to open


NEWCASTLE -- A year later than originally expected, the Newcastle and District Recreation Complex is finally almost ready to open. Ground was broken for the complex in October 2006, with an anticipated completion date of fall 2007. Then, after the contract was awarded, the anticipated opening date moved to winter 2008. A number of issues then caused the completion date to move to winter or spring 2008, but severe weather last winter further hampered the project`s completion.

Early stages of construction were plagued by labour woes. First, plumbers and crane operators hit the bricks as their union went on strike. Then, in June 2007, labourers across the province were on the picket line, stopping work at a number of facilities, including the one in Newcastle.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/clarington/article/104312

 

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Hospital visit could bring back memories of university days

For a vision of Southlake Regional Health Centre`s future, think campus.
With Newmarket having approved the intensification of Yonge Street and Davis Drive, the hospital is carefully evaluating what has to be done to be ready for the rapid population growth predicted to come hand-in-hand with the growth plan, said President Dan Carriere.

With the Newmarket population expected to explode, reaching 96,000 by 2031, the demands on the health care system and the regional health centre will increase.


"The situation has to be addressed now because we can`t afford to ignore it today," he added.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Newmarket/article/79229

 

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It coulda been T.O. Games

Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

As the Olympic torch ascends tomorrow to light the Beijing sky, let it be remembered that this might`ve been Toronto`s games.

This could`ve been Toronto`s coming-out party, the unveiling of a grand, refurbished city with a waterfront that even Mayor David Miller could love -- room for people, bikes, boats and the elite of the sporting world. Instead of arguing still about a rail link to the airport, we might have been riding on one. It would`ve been the day Prime Minister Stephen Harper would`ve been hosting the opening night gala -- illustrating that even someone from the humble Prairies with a reddish hue hinting at his neck can rise to unimagined heights and mingle with world leaders and sporting royalty.

http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndG...372906-sun.html

 

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Invasion will drive homeowners batty

Bill Dowd calls August by a different name: Bat Month.

It has nothing to do with the popular superhero swooping into theatres.

It`s more about Batman`s less popular winged brethren squeezing into attics.

"This is the time of year when we start getting dozens of panicked calls about bats in the home," said Dowd, president of Hamiltonbased Humane Wildlife Control. "We`re probably dealing with about 20 calls a day in Niagara."

In summer, disoriented young bats tend to get stuck in people`s homes, Dowd said.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article....aspx?e=1146708

 

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Business is blooming at Oro-Medonte Chamber Business After Five

Oro-Medonte is a great place to live, work and play, and nowhere was this more evident than at the recent July Business After 5 hosted by Susan and Barry Leigh of LB Landscaping and Greenhouses. Guests were treated to a tour of the 100 acre plus property that has been in the Leigh family for generations.

Susan and Barry have expanded their thriving landscaping business to include greenhouses specializing in custom filled planters and on-site cultivated perrenials, annuals and shrubs.

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1146367

 

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Green bins county`s latest super power

Simcoe County is taking steps to make the community greener, one bin at a time, through the launch of its curbside organics program.

More than 120,000 households will be receiving a green bin for disposing of organic waste, in an effort to divert waste from filling local landfills. Also being introduced are new blue box items, and a one bag per week garbage limit.

The county is encouraging everyone to participate in the program and "be a hero, fight garbage."

Children taking part in the Simcoe County Museum`s day camp were on hand yesterday for the launch, to lead a sorting challenge with members of the local media.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDi....aspx?e=1145896

 

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Officials eye new rec centre

Shawn Binns says his community is in need of a recreational upgrade.

That`s why Oro-Medonte Township officials are conducting a study to determine if building a new multi- use recreation facility would be beneficial to residents.

Binns, the township`s recreation director, said the township is looking for public input for a study it`s conducting to see whether or not a new facility needs to be built.

"We have a number of aging facilities in our township," he said. "We`ll have to look at their current condition and what`s feasible to build."

The recreation complex could potentially be located on the 85-acre site in Guthrie, about halfway between Barrie and Orillia on Highway 11.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDi....aspx?e=1145914

 

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House sales slip, prices stable

Toronto`s vigorous housing market softened in July, and one economist attributes the weakening to the city`s new land-transfer tax.

According to figures released yesterday by the Toronto Real Estate Board, sales have declined slightly over July, 2007, but average prices remain stable across the Greater Toronto Area.

July sales dropped 12% regionally from the record of a year ago, but are still up 10% over 2006.

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/s....html?id=707111

 

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Cantley dump slapped with $66,644 fine

The company that owns the Cantley dry materials dump pleaded guilty to contravening the Environment Quality Act and was fined $66,644 in a Quebec court yesterday.

The numbered company, controlled by Gilles Proulx and Denzel Thom, originally faced 16 charges, but after a plea bargain, the prosecution dropped 10 of them. The Crown and the defence presented a joint submission for the amount of the fine and the one-year delay to pay it, to which Justice Jules Barrière agreed.

Crown attorney Donald Barnabé said a trial would have lasted many weeks and even if the company had been found guilty of all charges, the minimum fines added together would have been less than $66,644.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...70-77fb7270a6c8