ON Economic Fundamentals 2008-10

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1008KWCG
Resident elated bylaw will set standards

CAMBRIDGE

Property standards bylaws can`t come to Cambridge too quickly for Neil Devine.

For the last 18 months, he says, he`s endured a noisy, messy neighbour on Soffron Drive.

And there are no city rules to deal with the problem, he said he discovered, after repeated complaints to city hall.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/436457

 

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1008YORK
$1B for regional capital projects

Our fast-growing region will need more than $1 billion for capital projects in the new year, based on a budget proposed at York Region council last week.

The total figure is a marked increase from last year`s $678-million capital budget, but is due to several large, long-term projects.

"Over the next few years, we have very high capital costs and then it drops down," finance commissioner Lloyd Russell said.

Some of the larger expenditures include building Viva bus rapidways along Davis Drive and constructing an Aurora building to house York Regional Police`s investigative and support units.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Regional%20News/article/83611

 

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1008DCLR
Clarington to get less than expected from Regional mega-project

COURTICE -- Clarington will receive much less than anticipated in taxes for the $164-million Courtice Water Pollution Control Plant. A staff estimate, made in an effort to ensure residents didn`t pay more than necessary on their 2008 tax bills, is far different from the actual value assigned by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and that could impact tax bills in 2009.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/clarington/article/111600

 

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1008TNTO
City rolls out $1.6B capital budget plan

Now is not the time to cut infrastructure spending, Mayor David Miller said yesterday at the rollout of Toronto`s $1.6 billion capital budget.

"It`s very clear at a time of economic uncertainty such as this, governments should be investing, particularly in the infrastructure that helps build a strong economy."

Miller welcomed the appointment of John Baird as federal infrastructure minister, saying he hoped the appointment "is a signal from the federal government that they share that view, that it is time to invest in Canada`s aging infrastructure."

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/527933

 

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1008DAJX
Durham status quo infuriates Ajax mayor

Ajax Mayor Steve Parish is threatening legal action and demanding intervention by the province after Durham councillors rejected his plan to rebalance regional council.

Parish has long argued that, on a per-capita basis, his city is under-represented in council seats.

In a reference to the American War of Independence, a fiery Parish said this week that revolutions have been fought over taxation without fair representation.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/527931

 

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1008CATH
Improvements proposed in fight against sewage overflows

Niagara Region estimates old pipes overwhelmed by rain spew more than 1.3 billion litres of watery sewage a year into Niagara`s waterways and lakes.

And that`s an estimate that excludes the winter. Regional sewer modelling doesn`t take into account snowmelt.

"I suspect you could double that number if you included winter months as well," said Peter Baker, Niagara`s associate director of water and wastewater engineering.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article....aspx?e=1274874

 

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1008ONTR
Report says easy ride over for Canadian auto sector

Deep price cuts and increased sales of subcompact cars have kept the Canadian auto market afloat so far this year, in contrast to the slump in auto markets in other countries, but it will be tough sledding in the year ahead, according to an Scotiabank analysis released yesterday.

Purchases this year have advanced by 1.4 per cent through September, compared with a 13-per-cent slump in the U.S. and a five-per-cent fall-off in Western Europe, the report noted.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/b...a9-75da94640aa2

 

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1008OTWA
Mayor of Beijing visits Ottawa under tight security, strict protocol

Security was tight and protocol was strictly formal yesterday as the mayor of Beijing visited Ottawa.

Jinlong Guo arrived at City Hall with a police motorcade late in the morning, met with Mayor Larry O`Brien and senior city officials, then walked a flag-lined red carpet through the mayor`s office to a luncheon at the councillors` lounge.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...9d-d951972a3bea

 

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1008HAMN
`Can`t ignore city`s plea for LRT`

The head of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce`s transport committee is confident the city will get its funding for rapid transit from Metrolinx sooner rather than later.

Hamilton is not as far along as other municipalities in the GTA and it has been hinted it will receive funding for transit in the latter years of a 2009-2013 budget.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/458728

 

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1008KWCG
Balsillie behind city`s bid for Biennale

CAMBRIDGE

RIM co-founder Jim Balsillie is behind efforts to bring the world`s premier architectural event to the banks of the Grand River in Cambridge.

Mayor Doug Craig intentionally dropped Balsillie`s name during his state of the city address last night.

It`s the first time the co-chief executive of the BlackBerry maker has been publicly tied to the city`s $80,000 study looking at bringing a North American expansion of the Biennale here, Craig said.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/437047

 

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1008KWCG
City strong despite weak economy

GUELPH

The Royal City might be better-equipped than many other Ontario municipalities to handle a downturn in the economy, a senior Statistics Canada official said at a breakfast meeting yesterday.

Doug Newson, director of the agency`s central region, said the 2006 census results reveal Guelph has a relatively low unemployment rate and one of the highest median household incomes in the province.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/398410

 

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1008DSCG
Scugog home values soar

SCUGOG -- Scugog`s civic leaders are bracing for a barrage of phone calls next week when it`s expected the majority of local property owners opening letters from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation will learn their home values have soared, sparking fears of matching tax increases.

Notices from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) regarding Scugog homes are expected to be dropped into the mail on Nov. 3 and, according to some Scugog councillors, it`s expected that some property owners may be picking their jaws up off the floor when they see how high their homes have jumped in value in three years.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/scugog/article/111776