Ontario Economic Fundamentals

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Positive forecast for 2008 served up at Mayor`s breakfast

Nothing says spring like municipal budgets and work schedules for the coming year.

So it`s no surprise that taxes and capital expenditures were on the menu when Port Colborne-Wainfleet Chamber of Commerce held its quarterly Mayors` Breakfast at Roselawn yesterday.

While Wainfleet Mayor Barb Henderson laid out a spending plan that will see her township`s municipal levy rise by 2.9 per cent, Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey said levy increases in his municipality will be held at the rate of inflation, which is 2.2 per cent.

http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDispla...auth=MARK+TAYTI

 

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New wind farm on tap;Fifty turbines proposed in project

Yet another large-scale wind project has been proposed for Chatham-Kent.

Calgary-based BowArk Energy Ltd. and Windsor-based Wind Prospect Inc. are behind the Kent Centre Wind Farm, which would consist of approximately 50 turbines with a 150-megawatt output.

It would be located on approximately 10,000 acres spanning the townships of Raleigh, Harwich and Howard.

http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/ArticleDisp...TREVOR+TERFLOTH

 

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Public input sought on road construction plans

The public is invited to a forum on Tuesday to comment on road construction plans for downtown St. Catharines, including the conversion of part of Ontario Street to two-way traffic.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article...y.aspx?e=973543

 

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Local real estate prices 15 per cent higher

The average sale price for a local home has gone up dramatically over the past year.

But the president of the Sarnia-Lambton Real Estate Board says they`re still a bargain compared to most Canadian communities.

Ralph Flamminio said Thursday the average price for a single family home stood at $185,774 last month, or about 15 per cent higher than was the case in March 2007.

http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.a...y+DAN+McCAFFERY

 

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Bike train returns with an extra stop

The Toronto-Niagara Bike Train will stop in St. Catharines this summer.

Last summer, Via Rail began making space on trains for cyclists to travel back and forth from Toronto to Niagara with their bicycles.

Close to 300 cycling tourists took the trains over four weekends, said co-ordinator Justin Lafontaine, but they could only get on and off in Toronto and Niagara Falls.

This summer, the Bike Train will make a Garden City stop on a limited number of Fridays.

http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDi...THEW+VAN+DONGEN

 

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Laurentian opens new reserach lab

Laurentian University received a boost to its research capabilities after a new laboratory to study exercise, sports, mental health and wellness opened on Tuesday.

"This collaborative research facility is a unique addition to our university`s research capabilities," said Liette Vasseur, associate vice-president, research. "It will contribute to creating and strengthening an environment that attracts the best researchers, graduate students and professionals, while improving quality of life in our region."

http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDispl...auth=Andrew+Low

 

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North end of Port Elgin to get four-lane highway

Municipalities in Bruce County are revising their roads construction programs thanks to two infusions of cash from the province.
"I was not expecting figures like this, to be honest," warden Milt McIver said Thursday as Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell delivered news of $8.4 million in total for the county and five of its municipalities under a no-strings-attached infrastructure grant.
The province is also giving $1.6 million to Saugeen Shores under the connecting link program to widen Highway 21 at the north end of Port Elgin, Mitchell announced. Four lanes will be constructed, beginning 80 metres north of River Street and ending 60 metres south of Tomlinson Drive.

http://www.shorelinebeacon.com/News/388914.html

 

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Liberals mull `green mortgages`

OTTAWA–Homeowners would get a break on their mortgages for upgrading houses to use less energy, under a plan the Opposition Liberals are considering for the next election.

So-called green mortgages could help the party deliver a comprehensive platform on the environment, the issue that Leader Stéphane Dion said last week would dominate the campaign.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/410916

 

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City planners pan 27-storey gallery towers

A project to build two highrise condominium towers along with a Portrait Gallery of Canada downtown should be scaled back because the proposed buildings are too tall for the neighbourhood, city planners say.

Tomorrow, the rushed gallery project approval -- on a tight timeline to meet the federal government`s inter-city competition for the right to get the gallery -- will be before the planning committee. The next day, it will go to council.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...17-5fab777229f4

 

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Mountain Plaza reno behind schedule

Hamilton - A $50-million redevelopment of Mountain Plaza Mall has slipped behind schedule over concerns about traffic and relocating tenants. "We were hoping to be `site plan approved` by now," said Christine Cote, land development manager with SmartCentres Ltd.

The project`s timeline had called for construction to start this spring, but Cote says that will be pushed back into the summer.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/350899

 

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Transit plans could pick up speed under proposed provincial changes

WATERLOO REGION

Regional council may soon choose to put its $306-million rapid transit plan on the fast track.

Ontario has proposed a law to streamline transit approvals to six months, with tight timelines for public input and challenges.

This could dramatically speed planning.

Council is into the third year of a $2-million rapid transit study that may not conclude this year.

"There are absolutely some potential opportunities," said Donna Serrati, the region`s project director for rapid transit.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/333249

 

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Without new power, brownouts may be on the horizon

WATERLOO REGION

Brownouts or blackouts are just four years away in the Waterloo Region and Guelph area, a local hydro official says.

Energy conservation efforts are underway, but the "prudent" solution is to push more power into the local hydro grid to handle peak demand, said John Grotheer, president of Cambridge-North Dumfries Hydro.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/333255

 

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Taxes in Oshawa vs. Toronto: higher or lower?

It`s becoming the conventional wisdom to say that Toronto`s residential property taxes are lower than in other municipalities in the region. But is it really true? That depends on how you look at it. If you consider the tax rate alone, Toronto`s taxes seem low. This year the city`s residential rate was 0.61 per cent, compared with about 1.51 per cent for Oshawa – a huge difference.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/oshawa/article/96571

 

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City council to hear opinions of poll respondents tonight

The voices of more than 150 citizens weighing in on what direction Orillia should take for recreation facilities will be heard tonight.

A six-person contingent is slated to present to city council the results from about 154 questionnaires distributed during a town hall meeting held on March 6 at Twin Lakes Secondary School to address the city`s $63.4-million multi-use recreation centre facility (MURF) project.

"The point is the people take this seriously and we want council to take it seriously, too," Allan Millard, one of tonight`s speakers, told The Packet & Times.

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDispla...uth=Teviah+Moro

 

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Brampton`s fast growth requires Hwy. 427 expansion

BRAMPTON - A comprehensive review of the future transportation needs in northeast Brampton is set to commence, a plan that will account for the expansion of Hwy. 427.

Peel Region, along with Brampton and Caledon, have given the green light on a $100,000 study that will deal with transportation requirements brought on by population growth. The study will focus on the development of a long-term transportation network to support municipal planning goals, identify the best ways to connect between Hwy. 427 and municipal roads, and serve future demands in the southern Peel-York boundary area.

http://www.thebramptonguardian.com/news/article/46433

 

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High speed Internet access will benefit businesses, residents

Residents and businesses of rural Dufferin County will soon have access to high-speed Internet services, thanks to funding through Rural Connections - The Ontario Municipal Rural Broadband Partnership Program.

As one of 18 municipalities approved for funding, the County of Dufferin will receive $1 million in support from the Province of Ontario and is also partnering with Bell Alliant and Everus Communications to improve broadband capability throughout Dufferin. In fact, upon completion of the Connecting Dufferin project later this spring, it is expected that 75 per cent of currently unserviced local residents and businesses will have access to broadband. The project will address a significant lack of high speed Internet service experienced by more than one-third of the residents and approximately 50 per cent of the small businesses within the County of Dufferin.

http://www.orangevillebanner.com/business/article/46400

 

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Bradford bypass not in plans

The province has threatened York Region`s economic viability by excluding plans to build the Bradford bypass, critics charged this week.

Despite the bypass being pegged a necessity by a Ministry of Transportation study that called for the route`s construction to be completed by 2021, the province has eliminated it from its plans.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Newmarket/article/72597

 

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The Manhattanization of Toronto

When strolling down the streets of Manhattan, one can`t help but look up and marvel at the incredible towers gracing the city`s skyline. Here at home in Toronto, we aren`t quite in the big leagues yet, but we are definitely soaring to new heights. With rapid residential intensification having an unprecedented impact, revitalizing old neighbourhoods and creating new ones, the only question is: How high can we go? Population growth in Toronto has increased the pressure to make the most of a limited supply of land. This means that on prime downtown locations close to public transit and urban amenities, new condo projects are getting much taller. A few years ago, 40-storey condos were raising eyebrows. Today, however, a whole new generation of residential projects is set to push the limits of height.

http://www.torontosun.com/NewHomesandCondo...196291-sun.html

 

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Proposal eyes Old East Village for major residential development

A development proposal submitted to the City of London by a Toronto-based real estate development company is eyeing a section of the city`s Old East Village, and has been hailed as "very exciting," by London`s Mayor, and potentially having "a major impact on the revitalization of the Old East Village," said City Controller Gord Hume. The proposal, submitted by Medallion Developments, a privately-owned real estate development and property management company that`s been in operation for 50 years, involves a 600-unit residential building, with the potential of adding 1,000-to 2,000 residents to the area. The building would be built in a block bound by King Street, Dundas Street, Hewitt Street and Lyle Street, said a City of London media release.

http://www.londontopic.ca/article.php?artid=8488

 

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Star launches homes website

The Toronto Star has launched yourhome.ca, a website created to serve home buyers, sellers, owners and renters throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Yourhome.ca builds upon the Star`s extensive coverage of real estate news, including tips on choosing the right home for you and your family, with updates every day.

As yourhome.ca editor Renee Sylvestre-Williams explains in her welcome note:


http://www.thestar.com/living/article/411185