Ontario Economic Fundamentals

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Kenilworth Access gets $5.5m revamp

The Kenilworth Mountain Access is set to go through a $5.5-million renovation that will see the upper section of the route closed for more than 10 weeks this summer.

But city staff say they`re confident traffic tie-ups will be minimal, with most drivers moving to the Red Hill Valley Parkway as an alternative route.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/351671

 

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City receives $2.1 million dividend from hydro utility

Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro paid the city a dividend of $2.1 million for 2007, an increase of $390,000 from a year earlier. Jerry Van Ooteghem, president and chief executive officer of the municipally owned utility, also gave the city a cheque for $40,000 for reforestation.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/334287

 

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Condominium contractor has history of legal trouble

A man who was jailed for a U.S. stock fraud is involved in a Kitchener development that has tentative approval for $100,000 in city funding.

Alex Ruge, 50, described himself yesterday as the lead contractor on a project to convert the top two floors of a three-storey building at 33 Queen St. S. into luxury apartments.

The project has preliminary approval for a $50,000 grant and a $50,000 interest-free loan under a city incentive program meant to encourage downtown residential development.

http://news.therecord.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/334145

 

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North Ajax site to house Rona outlet

AJAX -- A commercial development with about 15,500 square metres (166,600 square feet) of space has been approved for north Ajax.

To date, the developer, RioCan, has announced two of the tenants: a Rona outlet and a Scotiabank branch. The project will be at the southeast corner of Taunton and Ravenscroft roads, and the developer hopes to have the project open by next year.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/ajax/article/96674

 

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New addition planned for St. Stephen`s

BOWMANVILLE -- When St. Stephen`s Secondary School opened its doors a decade ago, it already had six portables on site. That number is now up to 24, but thanks to a $10-million Education Ministry grant to build an addition, that should all change, as of September 2009.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/clarington/article/96669

 

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Scugog roads crews targeted

SCUGOG -- The Township is preparing to embark on a public relations campaign in an effort to halt a recent spike in verbal and physical abuse aimed at the municipality`s roads crews. According to Township officials, employees with the municipality`s works department have been the target of "irate" residents upset over the condition of roadways this spring. In some cases, says Scugog Mayor Marilyn Pearce, residents have thrown cold-mix asphalt at Township trucks as workers try and fill potholes.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/scugog/article/96676

 

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How to spend $554,500

UXBRIDGE -- Hard currency will lead to hard surfacing of a problem road in Uxbridge. Uxbridge`s finance committee decided April 7 how to spend $554,500 of unexpected cash from on Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF). On the shopping list is work on Uxbridge/Pickering Townline from Brock Road to Concession 6, with $159,500 set aside for that project.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/uxbridge/article/96664

 

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Water plant a cash drain? Council questions $150 million facility

Are city councillors getting cold, wet feet about Barrie`s $150-million surface water treatment plant?

Instead of just awarding the contract earlier this week to construct the facility, councillors have directed city staff to negotiate savings on the project with the contractor.

"The rationale and justification for this project concerns me," said Coun. Michael Prowse. "This is what we are doing - sticking a straw in the lake.

"This is the least `green` program we could look into."

Prowse wondered aloud why the city hasn`t more seriously considered other options, such as water conservation, instead of this expensive choice.

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

 

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Water levels eyed warily

At the Philip home on Oak Ridge Drive near Washago, there`s a canoe sitting where the car should be.

The car that would normally sit in front of the house is parked up the hill at the entrance of the driveway because water from the Centre River has spilled its banks to cover much of the front of Ernie and Bunny Philip`s property.

"From Sunday to Monday morning, we were flooding out — it just happened so fast," said Bunny Philip.

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

 

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West Brant plaza gets council backing

A new plaza planned for West Brant is a step closer to reality after the proposal survived another round of criticism and delaying tactics at city council.

Council approved 8-3 this week an official plan amendment and a rezoning application sought by developer Forecast Group that would allow the company to build a 99,000-square-foot shopping centre on a 9.5-ace site at Blackburn Drive and Diana Avenue.

The company plans for it to accommodate a 40,000-square-foot A&P grocery store, a bank branch with a drive-thru, a restaurant also with a drive-thru and other smaller stores.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDi...el-Allan+Marion

 

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Wellington officials prepared to protest over pond project

Officials from Wellington County will argue that private landowners should shoulder a larger portion of the cost of turning a Puslinch Township ditch into a functioning drain.

Members of the county`s roads committee voted yesterday to have staff attend a hearing later this month to protest the county`s bill for the contentious Carroll Pond municipal drain project.

Gamsby and Mannerow, the engineering firm retained to write a report on the project, suggested the county should pay almost $1 million of the $3 million cost of the proposed drain. The county is on the hook because the project will provide drainage for Brock Road, a county-controlled road running alongside the man-made pond.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/314861

 

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New $65M PATH tunnel aims to fix underground congestion

It`s not just up on the city streets that traffic is backed up. There`s overcrowding underground too, in the serpentine network of tunnels that link the city`s office core, known as the PATH.

The biggest bottleneck on the PATH is the point where it connects to Union Station. City counts show that 19,000 pedestrians exit the PATH during the morning peak period, crossing through the Union subway station and into Royal Bank Plaza, far more more than the 14,000 who walk out onto Front Street.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/t...congestion.aspx

 

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Mississauga to sell utility

Mississauga has taken the drastic step of offering its municipally owned hydro utility for sale, in hopes of bringing in a windfall that would help it tackle the city`s looming infrastructure crisis.

The decision to put Enersource Corporation up for sale was made at a council meeting yesterday. Estimates are the sale could bring in between $250 million and $300 million, depending on how it is valued. The city has engaged RBC Dominion Securities to provide a valuation with a report due in June.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/413192

 

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The world takes notice of a makeover done right

As gateways go, the newly renovated platform of the Museum subway station is a welcomed icon pointing the way to what a leading travel magazine says is "one of the seven new wonders of the world." Maybe it doesn`t meet the standards of the public space experts and it provides a makeover to a station that didn`t need one as badly as, say, Dundas (or insert your nominee here) – but the Museum stop on the subway map is now worthy of its name.

And not a moment too soon. The station could be receiving a caravan of new visitors soon.

http://www.thestar.com/GTA/Columnist/article/413148

 

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Massive recalls by GM, Toyota

Defective bolts in a power-window system have triggered a North American recall of more than 700,000 General Motors and Toyota vehicles, including a large number Toyota built in Cambridge.

Toyota is notifying Canadian and United States owners of 589,500 Corolla compact cars and Matrix crossover vehicles from the 2003-2004 model years about the need for free repairs, the company said yesterday. GM confirmed it is recalling 123,000 Pontiac Vibe models assembled in a joint venture with Toyota in California.

Yesterday`s recall is the second for Toyota, which surpassed GM as the world`s biggest automaker last year.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/413095

 

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Water rate increases in pipeline for 3 years

The last plank in the 2008 budget was laid by city council yesterday morning with the passage of a water and sewer rate increase of nine per cent this year.

Council also endorsed a three-year plan that will see rates jump 29.5 per cent by 2010 with compounding, meaning the water and sewage bill, separate from property taxes, for an average residence will jump from $468 in 2007 to $606 by 2010.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...bc-4b5409215d65

 

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Townhouse project gets go-ahead

Council approved a townhouse development yesterday for New Edinburgh that critics fear could be the first of many developments that will be too big for the neighbourhood. Council voted to allow demolition of a house at 132 Stanley Ave. and construction of six three-storey townhouses by Larco Corporation on the lot bounded by Stanley, Queen Victoria Street and River Lane.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...d0-421c0774ad42

 

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$5.4M city surplus, but tax cut unlikely

City hall has $5.4 million left over from last year, but several councillors said Wednesday it may be tough to give the money back to taxpayers in the form of a tax cut.

"A tax break is an option, but you always need to look at the level of service and priorities," said Coun. Caroline Postma. "Before I say tax break I need to look at projects we`re working on and make sure we are on the right track with things."

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...5f-18c987e802b5

 

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Skyrocketing cost of growth jars Lakeshore

LAKESHORE -- Growth is becoming a dirty word in a town that used to regularly brag about being Essex County`s fastest-growing municipality.

"What has all this growth brought us?" asks Coun. Francis Kennette. "Higher taxes and congestion," he said.

Kennette hopes the sticker shock of a just-released $192.5-million master plan for improved water and sewage services will provoke the first serious community debate over freezing growth or limiting growth as options to keep taxes, water and sewer bills under control.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...01-6a7dd0b6f5fb

 

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City aims to attract immigrants via Net

The City of Hamilton hopes to lure more immigrants to the city with a major new website.

The web portal, which is set to receive $330,000 in funding from the provincial Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, will also be used to help newcomers better access municipal information and services.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/352215