ON Economic Fundamentals 2008-09

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0908YGEO
Date set for radial station objections

A hearing to analyse the potential heritage designation of the former Toronto and York Radial Railway is expected to be held in the first week of November.

Lisa Lyons, secretary for the town`s heritage committee, is waiting for word from the Conservation Review Board about a specific date and location.

Last May, council voted to begin the process to designate the building on the corner of High Street and Dalton Road in Sutton under the Ontario Heritage Act to prevent its demolition by the owner.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Georgina/article/81365

 

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0908YMAR
Light at end of subway tunnel

It was once a pie-in-the-sky idea but a subway extension going north up Yonge Street on the western edge of Markham is finally becoming a reality, councillors found out this week.

A preliminary plan complete with six stops, five of which would be in York Region, was presented to Markham council yesterday.

Mary-Frances Turner, vice-president of York Region Rapid Transit, discussed the preferred plan that would see stops at Steeles Avenue, Clark Avenue, Royal Orchard Road, Bunker Road and Richmond Hill Centre.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Regional%20News/article/81379

 

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0908YVGN
Vaughn beats T.O in biz list

Vaughan has beat out Toronto, as well as other GTA communities, in a list of Canada`s best cities for business.

The current issue of Canadian Business magazine lists Vaughan as the 12th best city, as compared to Toronto`s 33nd finish, in its annual look at the advantages and disadvantages of establishing businesses in different cities across the country.

What does Vaughan have that Toronto doesn`t?

"Space," said Andy Holloway, Canadian Business`s features editor.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Vaughan/article/81423

 

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0908YWSF
Arena, fire hall contract to runner-up bidder

The verdict is in.

The contract for the construction of a twin-pad arena and fire hall has been awarded to Norlon Builders London, Ltd.

Whitchurch-Stouffville council passed a motion Tuesday to give the London, Ont., company the approval to sign a contract with the town and begin construction on Weldon Road in Stouffville.

The contract, worth $24 million, was the second lowest bid submitted for the two facilities, which total almost 90,000 square feet.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Whitchurch-...e/article/81433

 

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0908BAOR
Mayor denies town on builder`s side

Innisfil Mayor Brian Jackson rejected suggestions yesterday that town council is siding with a development firm against local ratepayers.

"We`re not suing the ratepayers," the mayor said the day after a council meeting erupted in cries of "Shame! Shame! Shame!" from the public gallery when attempts to discuss the matter failed.

His latest statement did nothing to silence critics.

"This town has run amok," said Rick Smith, executive director of the advocacy group Environmental Defence, which opposes the Lake Simcoe development.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/502056

 

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0908ONTR
McGuinty targets economy

Scrambling as Ontario`s economic woes worsen and stock markets plunge in a global credit crunch, Premier Dalton McGuinty split a key economic portfolio into two departments yesterday in a bid to attract jobs and foreign investment.

"I can understand why Ontarians, who are anxious about the economy, may look for more than this," McGuinty said. "But the purpose of this is to make ourselves stronger, to better utilize the talent we have as a government."

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/502084

 

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0908TNTO
Airport plan in holding pattern

The operator of Pearson International Airport has temporarily shelved the next phase of the airport`s development amid the ongoing credit crunch and turmoil in financial markets.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which recently completed a $4.4 billion redevelopment project that included a new terminal, was supposed to sit down in a few months and begin contemplating a new pier that would mainly service airlines flying to the United States.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/501966

 

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0908ONTR
Province to push renewables

NIAGARA FALLS–Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman has directed Ontario`s power authority to review and "fine tune" the province`s 20-year energy plan with the goal of accelerating conservation efforts and adding more renewable energy to the electricity mix.

But Smitherman, also deputy premier, said yesterday in a speech to energy-industry officials that the government is sticking with its target of phasing out coal by 2014 and maintaining the capacity of Ontario`s nuclear power fleet.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/501969

 

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0908MSGA
Mississauga South riding vital to Conservatives: Flaherty

Jim Flaherty had a busy day.
Hot on the campaign trail, the high-profile finance minister spoke at a campaign breakfast in Regina this morning, then came to the Mississauga South riding to speak at a private Conservative Party fundraiser at Port Credit`s Waterside Inn at 7:30 p.m.
He said he was in town to talk about how the federal government is delivering real results for the community.

http://mississauga.com/article/18997

 

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0908BAOR
Residents fight sewer expenses

A bylaw requiring residents in Brechin to hook their properties up to the new sewer lines by the end of the year has prompted a petition by a number of citizens.

Eleven signatures were on a petition presented to Ramara Township council earlier this week looking for options in payment for hooking up their sewers.

"I do not have the money to pay for this work and will not have it by the end of the year," states Brechin resident Teresa Cameron in her letter to council. "There has to be another option available."

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1207974

 

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0908WIND
Ford aims to launch fuel-efficient F-150

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. said on Thursday it would introduce a fuel-efficient edition of its top-selling F-150 pickup when the redesigned truck goes on sale in October.

Ford also said the 2009 model-year F-150 pickup had average fuel economy improvements of eight per cent across the lineup over the current year`s models.

The F-150 pickup`s launch remains crucial for Ford, the No. 2 U.S.-based automaker, even as U.S. auto industry sales are mired in a three-year downturn that has landed most heavily on pickup trucks and SUVs.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/bus...11-b16c65b314c4

 

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0908HAMN
Sears opening part of malls` makeovers

The opening of the new Sears store at Eastgate Square solidifies the mall`s place as a top shopping destination in the city.

That`s the view of Don Burton, senior vice-president of the shopping centres group for Redcliff Realty Management.

"They did a great job," he said of the renovations of the old Bay store at the mall. "Obviously Lime Ridge (Mall) is the No. 1 in the region, but Eastgate is also obviously a great alternative. Sears has given a great boost to the property."

http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/437817

 

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0908KWCG
Former tannery on track to reveal facelift in `09

KITCHENER

The redevelopers of the former Lang tannery have cleared out most of the 350,000-square-foot building for retail and office space that should be ready for use next year.

The eclectic community of small businesses that has occupied the old buildings for nearly 30 years has been consolidated into the part of the complex fronting Francis Street, said Lana Sherman, managing director of developer Cadan Inc.

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/417264

 

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0908KWCG
Horizon merger passes first council hurdle

HAMILTON

The merger of Horizon Utilities and Guelph Hydro has leapt its first municipal hurdle.

Hamilton council gave it a thumbs up at a special committee meeting yesterday.

The deal will mean a special $3 million dividend for the city.

The issue must still go before council next week.

A merger of the two companies has been in the works since spring of 2007.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/382891

 

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0908YVGN
Say bye bye to city above Toronto moniker

They`ve successfully helped a developer get approval to build a large mall.

They`ve also helped an organization of health professionals lobby the provincial government to reverse a budget decision to de-list specific health care services.

Now, public affairs consulting firm Sussex Strategy Group Inc. will help the City of Vaughan rebrand itself.

Councillors approved spending $138,000 to hire the firm to help, among other things, bury the old tag line as Vaughan being "the City above Toronto".

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Vaughan/article/81420

 

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0908YVGN
Vaughan resale market up 20%

Vaughan

Vaughan`s resale housing market heated up during the first two weeks of September despite a downturn in other markets, including Toronto.

Fall`s resale housing market in Vaughan saw a 20 per cent increase in transactions from a year ago due to strong sales of all housing types, according to Toronto Real Estate Board president Maureen O`Neill.

In the 905 Region, the average price is $354,395, which represents an increase of one per cent from $350,698 recorded a year ago and up seven per cent from $330,005 recorded in the first half of September 2006.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Vaughan/article/81414

 

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0908DWTB
Parking woes on Garden Street in Whitby

WHITBY -- Residents of Garden Street in Whitby are fighting for the right to park vehicles along the road in front of their homes. The Town`s public works department has presented council with a recommendation to restrict parking on both sides of Garden between Dundas and Burns streets. They cite safety concerns associated with the potential for rear-end and side-swipe collisions.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/whitby/article/108763

 

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0908TNTO
Sky-high spinoffs

A gleaming new vertical city has sprouted above Toronto`s lower-scale buildings. The big question is whether all this condo construction will translate into sustainable economic growth

For Robert Whitfield, the eureka moment occurred when he realized his store was filled with customers trapped between drywall and a hard place.

It happened about four years ago, shortly after he opened an upscale furniture store in Liberty Village, a district of warehouse lofts on the west end of Toronto`s downtown. Young couples were streaming into his shop, desperate to furnish new stacked townhouses and condo apartments with minuscule master bedrooms and other "spatial challenges."

"All of 10-by-11," recalls Mr. Whitfield, the principal of Casalife Inc., of one particularly constrained floor plan. "It just didn`t have room for a bed and a dresser and a tallboy. Where are you going to put your socks?"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...pageRequested=1

 

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0908TNTO
Prices keep buyers out of downtown

Exploding fuel prices and impossibly long commutes won`t be enough to drive people back into Toronto from the suburbs, say the experts.

Why? Because housing in the city`s inner core is just too pricey for many buyers.

"In terms of a trend of people moving back to the city, I don`t think you`re going to see that," says Andre Sorensen, associate professor of geography and planning at the University of Toronto.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/501219

 

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0908ONTR
Not a good idea to interfere with right-of-way

Grant and Lisa Hall were next-door neighbours to Loraine Wiltshire in north Toronto. The Hall property is west of the Wiltshire property, and both are registered under the Land Titles Act. There is a shared walkway two feet 10 inches wide between the two houses. The part of the walkway on the Wiltshire side is one foot nine inches wide, and the part on the Hall side is one foot one inch wide. Each owner has a right-of-way over the walkway on the neighbouring side of the property line, to a depth of 69 feet from the street line.

There is no explanation on the Wiltshire title of the uses permitted over the rights-of-way, but the deed to the Hall property states that the reciprocal rights of way are "for the use of the owners and occupants from time to time and at all times, in, over, along and upon ... " the two side-by-side strips of land.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/501154