ON Economic Fundamentals 2008-10

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1008BTFD
Tight race for Brant again?

Brant`s third federal election in four years shows a riding in a transformation through local issues and broader political factors which promise to set the stage for a classic showdown on Oct. 14.

The big questions in this race are: Will incumbent Liberal Lloyd St. Amand hang on for a third win?

Or will he be overtaken by strong second- time challenger Conservative Phil McColeman as the Tories continue to surge in the area?

Will New Democrat Brian Van Tilborg keep his party growing in support from the last two elections?

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDi....aspx?e=1232302

 

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1008BAOR
Developer confident of success

Developer Mike Bowering is confident the Ontario Municipal Board will approve the 144-unit, luxury condominium project he wants to build on Orchard Point.

"I`m confident we`re going to win," said Bowering after lawyers presented final arguments on Friday.

There is keen interest in the project, said Bowering, noting that 60 per cent of the units in the first phase have been pre-sold at prices ranging from $250,000 to $825,000.

"That`s tremendous and we haven`t generally advertised yet."

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1232701

 

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1008WIND
Western Canada firms woo Windsor workers

For the first time in his 22-year career as an industrial electrician, Jamie Santin is considering moving his trade to Alberta.

"I`ve been out of work for three months; everybody`s saying Alberta`s the place to be," said Santin, a lifelong Windsor resident.

Santin joined the steady stream of workers who attended a six-company job fair Friday at Caesars Windsor.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...4c-22f5d1d80978

 

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1008HAMN
Rapid transit accelerates

Light rail is facing some steep challenges getting up the Mountain, but rapid transit buses are expected to start running at peak hours next fall.

Jillian Stephen, manager of strategic planning for the city, said the new buses come from nearly $30 million that provincial transportation body Metrolinx has provided the city. The cash was meant to help improve rapid bus transit on the two lines the city is also considering for light rail.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/445072

 

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1008HAMN
City moves forward on LRT plans

It`s not definite yet, but plans for a light-rail transit system in Hamilton are barrelling full steam ahead.

City staff have been studying what a system would mean and how it could be put into place.

Here`s a snapshot of the situation so far, with new staff suggestions on how the city could move forward on light-rail transit and what rapid transit has meant for other cities.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/445078

 

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1008KWCG
Townhouses, condos bolster real estate sales

WATERLOO REGION

Despite the slumping manufacturing sector and a rocky real estate market elsewhere in the country, the housing market in Waterloo Region is showing some resiliency.

In Kitchener and Waterloo, sales were up 10.1 per cent last month. A total of 521 residential properties changed hands, compared to 473 in the same month of 2007, the Kitchener-Waterloo Real Estate Board said yesterday.

Sales of single family houses increased by only one transaction to 331, but the totals were bolstered by brisk sales of attached dwellings. Townhouse closings were up nearly 71 per cent to 41 and condo sales rose nearly 50 per cent to 112.

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/424344

 

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Ontario Small Town Updates; 2008-10-05

 

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1008ONTR
Battle against bedbugs expensive, tiring

Maxine Davidson lives in a small apartment in a housing complex at 444 Lumsden, not far from the Main Street subway. Her building bears the name of Agnes Macphail, an early feminist and one of the first two women elected to the Ontario Legislature. Agnes would not be amused to know that the building bearing her name is rife with roaches, vermin and bedbugs.

Maxine met me as I got out of the elevator on her floor. She invited me in. Her place is neat. I took a seat.

She said, "I`ve lived in this apartment for 10 years." She used to be a postal worker. She was a shop steward. "I`m a small woman with a big voice."

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/512276

 

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1008CATH
Tower hearing to resume

The fate of the Port tower is finally inching closer, with the resumption of the Ontario Municipal Board hearing this week.

After a four-month hiatus, OMB chairwoman Susan Campbell is scheduled to pick up where she left off in June, when a heritage discussion about bricks and mortar caused her to call a sudden halt, saying she was starting to "zone out."

On Wednesday, Port Dalhousie Vitalization Corp.`s lawyer Mark Noskiewcz will resume his cross-examination of heritage architect Philip Goldsmith, who was on the stand in June as a witness called by Jane Pepino, lawyer for citizens` group PROUD (Port Realizing Our Unique Distinction).

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article....aspx?e=1234409

 

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1008BTFD
New `vision` for Cainsville

Three development companies are pitching a plan that would redraw the map of Cainsville.

Officials from First Urban, Hopewell developments and the Sorbara Group have joined forces to propose three separate developments in the Cainsville area, including two residential communities and a business park, that would dramatically alter the Brant County community.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDi....aspx?e=1233823

 

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1008BAOR
Council asked to reconsider MURF decision

A month after a close vote by Orillia city council directed staff to complete the latest risk assessment for the proposed MURF site on West Street, they`re being asked to reconsider.

At the committee meeting Sept. 8, council approved the completion of the latest submission to the Ministry of the Environment by Oct. 15, without waiting for pre-review comments to come back from ministry staff on toxicological reference values (TRVs).

A report before council committee tonight suggests a reversal of that approval.

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1234133

 

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1008WIND
Big-box store part of LaSalle development

LASALLE - Construction of the second phase of a $17-million LaSalle Town Centre commercial development is expected to begin by mid-2009 at Sprucewood Avenue and Malden Road.

The property is occupied by a new Rexall Pharmacy and a four-unit commercial building. There are plans for a big-box retailer and other commercial tenants to be added as part of the second phase.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...05-d4306387ef1f

 

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1008OTWA
Politicos choo-choose commuter train

It saves time, reduces harmful emissions, and offers picturesque scenery.

The only drawback is it will take up to three years to become reality. A proposed commuter rail service through the Ottawa Valley that eventually would stretch from Kanata to Pembroke was unveiled yesterday as a safe and cost-effective way to transport 150 people a day into the city. And while feasibility studies and funding issues remain to be resolved, everyone from Ottawa city councillors to the mayors and dignitaries of towns and counties along the line are eager to make the dream come true.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndReg...990186-sun.html

 

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1008HAMN
Bad landlord fined almost $100,000

A Hamilton landlord who made headlines last year for leaving two disabled tenants without electricity for more than three weeks has been fined almost $100,000 for a series of infractions at two King Street East apartment buildings. Gus Michalis and two of his companies have been found guilty of six charges in provincial offences court, including cutting off tenants` electricity in the middle of winter, illegally changing the locks and unlawfully seizing property.

http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/445805

 

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1008KWCG
Future of Clair Lake worries Beechwood residents

WATERLOO

Brian Dixon and his family moved into the Beechwood Park neighbourhood three years ago because of Clair Lake.

He often takes his two young daughters to the lake and nearby park. They were among about 100 residents who enjoyed a barbecue near the shores of the lake last week.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/424337

 

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1008TNTO
Newcomers deserve better from Toronto

Toronto`s future economic health may be in jeopardy if immigrants aren`t better treated, says a report to be released today.

The last 10 years has seen unprecedented economic growth in the city but it has also seen skyrocketing housing prices and the median family income actually dropped over that period of time, said Rahul Bhardwaj, the president and CEO of the Toronto Community Foundation.

The organization`s report, Toronto`s Vital Signs 2008, is an evaluation of quality of life and overall health of the area. It`s the 10th year the report has been issued.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandg...002521-sun.html

 

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1008CATH
Improvement in works for west St. Catharines

West St. Catharines is finally on its way to becoming the city`s fifth Community Improvement Plan (CIP) area.

City councillors agreed Monday to hire a Toronto consultant to study the neighbourhood as a first step towards providing incentives to developers.

Similar studies have been done and financial incentives are in place for downtown, Hartzel-Merritton, Queenston and Oakdale-Moffat neighbourhoods.

West St. Catharines had been recommended for a similar program in 2002, but the city focused on the other areas and ran out of money before it got to the area known as Western Hill.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article....aspx?e=1235967

 

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1008CATH
Municipal register OK`d for historic buildings

Old buildings in St. Catharines will be getting more respect, and their owners might be getting more money.

Councillors Monday approved the creation of a municipal register of historic buildings, and the development of new policies that would help to give those old buildings new leases on life.

But councillors also asked city staff to propose financial incentives that could be given to owners who are trying to find new uses for old buildings.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article....aspx?e=1235951

 

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1008TNTO
Beware risky deals, new city firm warned

While gleaming new towers sprout just around the corner on Yonge St., the Toronto Transit Commission`s Eglinton bus terminal sits deserted.

Mayor David Miller pointed yesterday to the unused, unloved bus terminal as an example of the prime development land Toronto owns but hasn`t properly exploited.

That`s why the city needs Build Toronto, he told his executive committee – a new firm with the mandate to develop unused land owned by the city or agencies such as the TTC into sites that offer jobs and enhance economic growth.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/512917

 

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1008ONTR
Ontario could slide into deficit, Duncan says

Ontarians should brace themselves for a provincial budget deficit because of the global finance crisis, warns Finance Minister Dwight Duncan.

In his most dire warning yet about the province`s sputtering economy, Duncan yesterday hinted that his Oct. 22 fall economic statement could be printed in red ink.

"There are challenges in the world economy today that all of us have to take into account," the treasurer told reporters at Queen`s Park.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/512954