Ontario Economic Fundamentals

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Record snow may lead to flooding

Warming Trend; Roofers predict this will be one of busiest weeks

Toronto`s weather will soon take a turn for the better, but with a record-setting accumulation of snow, we may soon have a new problem.

"This week is going to be one of our busiest weeks," Mike Crellin of Avenue Road Roofing predicted yesterday. "Come mid-week, the temperature is going up to five and six degrees, and that means the snow and ice are going to cause troubles with roofs."

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/to....html?id=366229

 

[joeiannuzzi]

It`s condo-mania in North York

It`s hard to believe that North York was once an agricultural hub sprinkled with quaint villages. There`s no trace of the past as you look north up Yonge Street from Sheppard Avenue today. The farms have long been put out to pasture, and as far as the eye can see, this strip is a vibrant epicentre of big-city activity stretching in all directions – particularly upwards. Almost everywhere you look, another condo or condo presentation centre has taken root. And this is only the beginning. According to the condo market research company Urbanation, there are 28,395 new condo units in various stage of the approval process for all of North York, of which an estimated 3,000 units could be released in 2008. About half of those will be located in North York City Centre – that buzzing corridor along Yonge Street that stretches past Finch Avenue.

http://www.torontosun.com/NewHomesandCondo...929156-sun.html

 

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Employment picture unbalanced; Census shows most Ramara residents earn paycheque elsewhere

Most people who live in Ramara don`t make their living there.

That`s what township planner Mark Dorfman told Ramara`s planning committee Mon- day night. Dorfman was presenting information from the 2006 census dealing with the labour force, employment and education.

He said only about 20 per cent of those who make their homes in Ramara work in the municipality.

"That`s an important issue if you`re trying to create a balance between employment and residential," said Dorfman.

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDispla...Courtney+Whalen

 

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Water, sewer rates hiked in Fort Erie.

Fort Erie`s water and sewer customers will be paying more this year.

After a public meeting Monday night in which no one asked to be heard, councillors passed their 2008 water and sanitary sewer budget. It will see homeowners dish out about $36 more this year to pay their water and sewer bills.

Town council increased combined rates by 3.9 per cent - a $3.19 monthly increase over last year for a typical family who consumes an average of 18 cubic metres of water each month.

The new rates go into effect April 1.

http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDi...y.aspx?e=938923

 

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Ontario catches break on coal plants

Plans to replace Ontario`s coal-fired generating stations will get a boost worth at least hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government`s climate change plan, Environment Minister John Baird said yesterday.

If Ontario Power Generation doesn`t cut greenhouse gas emissions from Nanticoke and its three other coal plants, it will be able to spend the resulting penalties on new nuclear or natural gas stations, or on major renewable energy projects, Baird said in an interview.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/339591

 

[joeiannuzzi]

London in tough for `08, realtors hear

As one realtor summed it up, it may be time to worry but not to panic. A regional economic conference looking at how Southwestern Ontario will perform in 2008 painted a picture of a tough year ahead, with London sharing the pain and only the technology darling of Kitchener-Waterloo enjoying strong growth.

"We have turmoil ahead of us, but we will work through it," said Kevin MacDougall, broker and associate vice-president of CB Richard Ellis`s London office.

http://lfpress.ca/perl-bin/publish.cgi?x=a...842&s=homes

 

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Airport or Agriculture?

PICKERING -- The long-time designation of lands for a possible airport in north Pickering has actually turned into a golden opportunity, says a Brougham resident and local historian.

"We`ve got this accidental blessing," Mary Delaney says. "It would never have been had it not been zoned for an airport and put in trust."

Ms. Delaney, a founding member of Land Over Landings, is talking about the agricultural lands in north Pickering that would have probably been paved over for subdivisions by now had it not been for that designation, she explains, and says this affects more than just the locals.



http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/pickering/article/95193

 

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NCC could stop transit plans in its tracks

The two most popular options for transit expansion in Ottawa include one big snag: the National Capital Commission would have to agree to run tracks along the Ottawa River Parkway, and it isn`t ready to jump on the bandwagon.

City staff presented four visions for transit in Ottawa last week, and early sentiment at public meetings and in online polls has been in favour of the possibilities transit officials labelled Option 3 and Option 4. Both include heavy investments in light rail, including an east-west line along the NCC-owned parkway.



http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...ac-3eea20f434c8

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Record year for home sales, tops $675 million in Quinte

Real estate activity hit a new record in 2007 by almost reaching the $700-million mark in sales for the Quinte and District Real Estate Board

"Last year was a good solid year for the board because I think people are finally discovering that the Quinte area is the place to be," Doug Row told The Intelligencer Wednesday.

The board`s more than 400 licensed real estate agents sold $675,881,384 worth of residential as well as industrial/ commercial/investment properties last year. That represents a 17.4 per cent increase over the $575,706,434 in sales completed in 2006.



http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=940552

 

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Province looking to give a little back to cities; Municipalities eye more infrastructure money

Barrie could soon see a slice of the provincial surplus pie.

The Ontario government announced yesterday that its annual budget surplus beyond $600 million will be distributed to municipalities, based on population.

Called the Investing in Ontario Act, the money could be spent on local projects such as roads, bridges and public transit.

Richard Forward, Barrie`s general manager of infrastructure and development services, said the city can certainly find ways to spend the money.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDi...auth=BOB+BRUTON

 

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Reaching the Internet generation
Facebook is a new frontier for condo developers

Condo developers are branching out into cyberspace to reach potential buyers like never before.

It`s a bold move, enabling developers to reach their core market – the Internet generation – on their own turf. There are obvious payoffs to taking a condo development online – in fact, that`s how Condo Chic(k) found her own pad-in-progress – but there are also risks for the developer if their outreach is not done right. In addition to the familiar snappy websites heavy with flashy Flash, some developers have now ventured into the big, wide world of Facebook (which, contrary to popular speculation, is still going strong). Current examples include Facebook sites created by and devoted to developments by Urbancorp and Baywood Homes.

http://www.torontosun.com/NewHomesandCondo...005436-sun.html

 

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Census tracks down where GTA`s smartest live

What scientific theory did James Hutton pioneer in his 1795 book Theory of the Earth?

Time`s up. Don`t know?

You`re in good company. That question flummoxed some of the city`s most cerebral citizens.

Granted, that`s as rare as a Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa, according to Blanca Suen, owner of Timothy`s World Coffee on Charles St. W., at Bay St., who has to do her homework formulating questions for the daily quiz at her popular café.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/345959

 

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Huge nuclear plant in works

The first nuclear power plant to be built in Ontario in more than 20 years could be more than three times larger than what the Liberal government said was needed when it first outlined its nuclear plan in 2006.

Environmentalists are calling it a classic "bait-and-switch" aimed at avoiding a public backlash when the plan was first announced.

According to a request for proposals to build the new plant, the province is now looking to construct "a stand-alone, two-unit nuclear power plant ... to provide roughly 2,000-3,500 (megawatts) of baseload generation capacity."

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/346024

 

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Barrhaven told to forget LRT, for now

Ottawa - After attending four public consultation meetings on the city`s transit plan last week, Mayor Larry O`Brien says "it is pretty clear to me that we are headed in the right direction," but residents in Barrhaven would like to differ.

At the evening sessions, public support formed around two of the four options municipal staff have presented for the city`s mass transit future. Both would see a downtown subway, a light-rail spine in the urban and south suburban areas, and bus transitways feeding the spine from the eastern, western and southwestern suburbs.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...fe-3a30a04d7ed4

 

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Markham may legalize basement apartments

Markham is considering allowing homeowners to turn their basements into apartments.

Last week, city politicians voted to explore making "second suites" – self-contained apartments within a home – legal.

"This is really addressing the reality and making it safe and secure for tenants and protecting the community," said Markham regional councillor Tony C. Wong, chair of a group studying the issue.

"Public education is a big part of this exercise."

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/346399

 

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Smart Meters may mean lower bills

Renters in buildings are all soon going to have to pay their own electrical bills. The Ontario government is rolling out a province-wide energy conservation initiative that includes Smart Meters to bill electricity users higher rates during peak hours.

While the province recently extended its 2010 completion date to an open-ended deadline to install Smart Meters for all electricity consumers, the program is well underway (having begun in 2005).

Eventually, all tenants in buildings are going to have to pay their electrical bill separately instead of having the cost of the utility included in their rent.

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/346228

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Beware of older home without basement

Q: Is it wise to buy an investment house that lacks a full basement? Also, should I think twice about buying a house with a sump pump?

http://www.thestar.com/living/article/345300

 

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`Boiler room` scams on the rise, official says; People urged to walk away from high pressure sales attempts that demand immediate action

It`s an investment opportunity that seems too good to pass up.

The man who has just phoned you out of the blue says he has inside information about a company that is about to see its stock market shares skyrocket and he`s offering you a chance to buy into a guaranteed profit.

You wonder why he is calling you, of all people, and he answers that he found your name on a list of people who might be interested in such opportunities.

He refers you to a legitimate-looking website and faxes you more information to show his sincerity.

If you take the bait, you`ve just been suckered by an increasingly popular fraud scheme called a "boiler room" scam.

http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=945460

 

[joeiannuzzi]

It`s OK to change your mind, sometimes

Q: Recently I heard about a person who entered into an agreement with an electricity supplier offering a fixed rate. After signing, she wanted to get out of the contract. I heard that if it was within 10 days of signing, then she could change her mind and negate the agreement. Is this correct?

Also, my sister signed up for a mortgage, but is now having second thoughts. Do the same rules apply?

T.S.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/h...0c-0d97395b4b02

 

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Housing prices could be going up; Study recommends 74 per cent increase to development charges

The cost of new Barrie homes could be heading through the roof.

A new study recommends a 74 per cent increase in residential development charges, fees which would add $12,864 to the cost of a new home.

The city-commissioned report says development charges on new single and semi-detached homes should increase to $30,175 from $17,311 this June.

"When you have development come in, there is a cost," city treasurer Sharyn Ross said, "to road capacity, infrastructure, recreational facilities, an increase in police and fire (protection).

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDi...auth=BOB+BRUTON