0109KWCG County says no to golf course road WELLINGTON COUNTY Errant golf balls will continue to be the only incursion onto County Road 19 from two Belwood golf courses. Citing liability concerns, the Wellington County roads committee yesterday refused a proposal that would have seen golfers...

BMO deal: tip of the iceberg? Canada`s big banks are sitting on plump capital cushions, waiting for healthy assets of distressed foreigners to fall into their laps. In what could herald a series of deals, Bank of Montreal is paying $375 million for the Canadian life insurance business of...

0109HAMN Hamilton can survive crisis: economist The current economic downturn is a "once-in-a-lifetime event" that represents the worst financial crisis since 1929, a senior economist told city council yesterday. Benjamin Tal of CIBC World Markets said Hamilton is in a reasonable position to...

0109OTWA Council to vote on bridge plan Ottawa council is to decide today whether to expand the search for a new interprovincial bridge to include Lower Duck Island. Opponents of the proposed $500-million bridge at Kettle Island won a small victory Monday night when the transportation...

0109BAOR Orchard Point condos a go A 144-unit luxury condominium project proposed for Orchard Point has been approved by the Ontario Municipal Board. However members of council remain divided on the issue of high-rise development on the waterfront. Coun. Ralph Cipolla said the six-and...

0109CATH Lincoln preparing for significant growth Despite the boundaries of the Greenbelt, Lincoln is planning for a population increase of about 7,400 by 2031. "We see ourselves as a greenbelt community, and we realize it`s our job to sustain and make possible development within the...

0109TNTO Light rail good fit for Finch Avenue TTC this year embarks on construction of Transit City, its plan to build a 120-kilometre network of light rail lines during the next 15 years. Peter Kuitenbrouwer continues a series of columns on the $8-billion project, which the province has...

0109ONTR Nortel files for bankruptcy protection Nortel Networks Corp., once the country`s top technology titan, filed for bankruptcy protection today in a move that marks the latest chapter of the telecom gear-maker`s long fall from grace. Toronto-based Nortel said today that the company and...

0109TNTO GTA Transit, water set for funding fast track Federal Infrastructure Minister John Baird will meet with big-city mayors in Ottawa tomorrow and says he will unveil reforms aimed at fast-tracking infrastructure projects, such as streamlined environmental assessments. Baird contacted...

0109TNTO Metro store nominated as heritage property Toronto`s newest nominee as a heritage property is a Scarborough supermarket. The Metro store, built in 1958 with a distinctive curved roofline, sits in the Parkway Mall at Victoria Park Ave. and Ellesmere Rd. Scarborough community council...

0109TNTO Lead taints city`s water Drinking water in more than half of 100 older Toronto homes tested last summer exceeded the acceptable level of lead – a huge increase over a previous study. While water officials attribute the spike to warm weather in the second round of tests, high lead...

0109BCBC Retailers see better sales in 2009 despite slowdown of economy B.C. retailers, bracing for an economic downturn, remain optimistic about future sales growth. Those seemingly contradictory opinions were highlighted in a Retail BC survey, released Tuesday, that also noted successful...

0109VANC Vacancy signs going up for office space The tight office vacancy rate in Metro Vancouver is expected to ease somewhat this year because of the slumping economy, brokerage Avison Young says in its outlook for the year ahead. The forecast is for the office vacancy rate in Metro...

0109BCBC Vancouver`s good credit rating at risk, agency says The City of Vancouver`s liabilities for construction of the 2010 Olympic Athletes` Village may cost it its favourable credit rating with Standard & Poor`s, says the rating agency. Standard & Poor`s, in a statement Tuesday, said it...

0109BCBC All of B.C. could be on hook for village losses, James says VICTORIA -- New Democratic Party leader Carole James says she believes all B.C. taxpayers may eventually be on the hook for any financial losses in the Vancouver athletes` village project, and on Tuesday appealed to the...

0109BCBC Get legal advice on cancelling pre-sales contract Dear Condo Smarts: Is a pre-sale agreement a finalized agreement for sale and purchase? A group of investors that I am involved with from Alberta have decided that under the current market conditions we will not proceed with our...

0109BCBC Slump bites B.C. mining sector More than 1,000 B.C. miners have lost their jobs and new projects are being deferred since commodity prices tumbled dramatically last fall. But despite a sharp downturn that has led to layoffs and depressed share prices, the industry is in good shape to...

0109CALG Commercial real estate to suffer slow start to `09 investment in Calgary`s commercial real estate sector is expected to slow significantly in the first part of 2009 but pick up in the second half of the year, says national firm Avison Young (Canada) Inc. In its 2009 national forecast...

0109EDTN Real estate revival forecast The deals will slow down, vacancy rates will rise and sublease space spike, but Canada`s commercial real estate will stabilize by mid-year and recover in 2010, predicts a new national report. Many firms will opt to stay put in their existing quarters to...

0109ALTA Single watchdog good for oilpatch: panel chairman Alberta would be better served by joining a proposed national securities regulator, Tom Hockin said Tuesday. Given the oil and gas sector`s huge requirements for capital, Alberta should take a leadership role on the national entity, he...