Ontario Economic Fundamentals 2008 Q2

[joeiannuzzi]

18-home complex will preserve history

The high-profile corner at High and Burke streets in Sutton is going to get a brand new look that combines some of the old.

Council, last week, gave the green light to a 18-home development on the two-acre site that houses the historic Verdoold house.

There were concerns expressed at earlier planning meetings the Victorian home would be demolished to make way for new homes, but the developer, A&T Homes, made changes that will see the house preserved and restored.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Georgina/article/76018

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Curtain rises at new performing arts centre

From Alice`s Restaurant to Rosecrantz and Guildenstern, the stage is set for the first season at Richmond Hill`s new performing arts centre.

"Our season is diverse, innovative and truly has something for everybody," said Mayor Dave Barrow at the unveiling of the lineup, held in the lobby of Cosmo Music`s new 55,000-square-foot megastore on Leslie Street, north of Major Mackenzie Drive.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Richmond%20Hill/article/76031

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Tower victory could be short-lived, controversy headed to OMB

A group of Woodbridge residents won a battle against a developer hoping to build a 17-storey building at the corner of Kipling Avenue and Hwy. 7.

The victory, however, may only be temporary.

While Vaughan politicians approved a recommendation limiting the height of any building built on that corner to four storeys, owners of the property made an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, suggesting the region took too long to review a section of the city`s official plan dealing with the issue.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Vaughan/article/76027

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Tower surprises, upsets some residents

AJAX -- Residents living near Pickering Village United Church are upset over a telephone tower, an "eyesore" they weren`t told about.

But the minister at the church said all legal requirements were followed and the Town agreed to the site.

Ed Fong lives behind the church, on Church Street north of Hwy. 2, and said the tower is 105 feet (35 metres) high. "I spoke to the neighbours and nobody received any communication about it," Mr. Fong said.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/ajax/article/99963

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Ajax Lear plant to close: union

AJAX -- An Ajax plant that supplies seats for GM trucks will shut down as a result of the announcement to close the truck plant in Oshawa, the Canadian Auto Workers Local 1090 president says.

"It ultimately would shut down the Lear plant in Ajax," Steve Batchelor said. "They`re the sole supplier for GM truck seats. And that would be on two shifts - about 300 people. Having said that, we`ve already had the loss of one shift scheduled for Sept. 8. Essentially that would end employment for the remaining 150 people at that location."

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/ajax/article/99917

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Council won`t stop church expansion plans

Township council won`t stand in the way of ambitious expansion plans for Beaverton Presbyterian Church.
At Monday`s protection to persons and property committee meeting, councillors directed staff to pull together a bylaw declaring the old hydro office on John Street -- currently rented to the Durham Regional Police Service -- surplus.
The bylaw would allow the municipality to sell the building to the church at fair market value. It also includes the provision that the police office move to the old town hall.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/brock/article/99981

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Up development charges to ease the load on taxpayers: study

CLARINGTON -- New homebuyers will have to pay more than 50 per cent higher development charge to ensure existing taxpayers don`t wind up footing the bill for growth-related infrastructure, says a report to Clarington councillors. "As each day goes by, you are not fully funding your growth-related works through your existing charges," said Craig Binning, of Hemson Consulting, the organization which looked into the matter for Clarington.

Clarington`s General Purpose and Administration Committee voted Monday to table the report for one week. The report calls for an almost-immediate 52 per cent increase in residential development charges, taking the charge to more than $15,000 per single or semi-detached homes. Under the proposal, industrial and commercial charges would also increase.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/clarington/article/99872

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Oshawa GM plant may get third model

The trucks are going but Ontario has its fingers crossed that General Motors will produce a third kind of car in Oshawa by 2011, Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello said yesterday.

"We were immediately looking for assurances that we would have product coming to Ontario in light of the fact they were deciding to move their truck production out of Ontario," Pupatello said . "We naturally step up and say we`re looking for more product here. They said to us that they believe there will be opportunity and that was the opportunity of a third car out of Oshawa."

http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2008...789196-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Tourism boosts city coffers by $513 million

More visitors spent more money last year in London despite a drop in foreign tourists, city tourism officials reported yesterday.

About 1.8 million people visited London last year, an increase of 1,800 from 2006 despite fewer tourists from the United States and abroad. Tourism spending was up, too, topping $513 million, an increase of 1.7 per cent.

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/200...790191-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Proposed Port project ignores spirit of historic places: architect

The images of the Port Place development submitted by architect Michael Kirkland do not accurately show the expanse of the proposed project, an anti-tower heritage expert says.

Many of Kirkland`s renderings "were taken close in, so they were limited to an adjacent view of an intimate streetscape," said Philip Goldsmith, heritage architect for anti-tower group PROUD (Port Realizing Our Unique Distinction). "Like any camera shot, they were based on a certain frame size; the image stops. I would disagree that this is how you experience the street."

To refute Kirkland`s images, Goldsmith said he prepared ones that show the project in its entirety, and much of Wednesday`s evidence at the Ontario Municipal Board hearing centred on those images.

Goldsmith said Kirkland`s design, which takes into account the setback of the project from Lock Street and Lakeport Road, fails to consider the setback from Main

Street and from the side facing Lakeside Park.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article...+STANDARD+STAFF

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Welland aims at being health-care hot bed

It`s an ambitious plan -- transforming an old steel town into a health-care industry mecca.

It`s a plan that will take the challenges Welland faces and turn them into opportunities to improve the health of residents as well as the health of the economy.

The plan is to transform King Street into the "Campus on the Canal" within a decade, and establish Welland as a centre of excellence for the health-care industry, Mayor Damian Goulbourne said.

At the end of this month, a report that`s been in development for the past 10 months outlining how that transformation will become a reality, will be presented to city councillors. That report is being finalized by a team of people with the knowledge and skill to guide the city towards its goal, the mayor said.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article...EY+NEWS+NETWORK

 

[joeiannuzzi]

New waterfront projects and lakeside hot spots offer choice and selection

Not with summer roses or daisies but with new waterfront condominiums.

"The strength of the waterfront condo market is absolutely astonishing," says Stephen Dupuis, chief executive officer of the Building and Land Development Association (BILD). "There is this real flood tide of projects about to come on the market."

"The designs are astonishing and the amenities absolutely lavish."

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics....html?id=568649

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Condo craze heading skyward

Toronto`s love affair with new condominium housing doesn`t seem to be waning.

If anything, despite warnings from some analysts that the market has peaked and the sector may be overbuilt, recent figures show the attraction seems to be more intense.

April building permits were up by 24 per cent in the Toronto area to $1.26 billion, according to Statistics Canada figures released yesterday.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/438246

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Price of gas breaks $1.50 barrier

Once unthinkable, but in recent months seemingly inevitable, the cost of gasoline has reached $1.50 a litre and more in parts of Canada.

According to GasBuddy.com, the price of regular gasoline reached $1.505 a litre yesterday at three different locations in Labrador City, N.L. That compared to an average price of $1.335 across the country, according to the website that surveys fuel rates across Canada and the United States.

That`s more than 20 cents per litre more than this time last year.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/s...2d-d141122f11c2

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Light-rail project carries heavy cost

When the current light-rail proposal is completed in 2031, Mayor Larry O`Brien will be 82 years old. No word yet on how he will celebrate. Maybe some puréed prunes through a straw, a bit of bran, a spot of cocoa.

For the rest of us, only people aged 42 or less will use the completed system during part of their working and high-commuting years. Nevertheless, non-commuters will pay the cost of the hugely expensive $4-billion program on their property taxes well into their retirement years. That`s a very rough guess because if three of the councillors who voted against the plan, and at least one who voted for it, are correct, a proper costing of the project has not been conducted. And has there been a ridership study? There has been some "analysis," as the city puts it. But a proper ridership study showing the passenger uplift of light rail over the Transitway? No. That`s not good.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/c...40-75cc24690bd2

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Chrysler, Toyota tops in vehicle assembly

DETROIT - Chrysler LLC and Toyota are now in a dead heat on top of the auto industry`s productivity rankings, according to a report released Thursday by Harbour Consulting.

Until 2004, Chrysler had consistently trailed the Big Six of Ford, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Nissan. But a 7.7 per cent improvement over last year has pushed Chrysler to the head of the pack with Toyota.

Four years ago, many analysts thought Chrysler would never catch up. But Chrysler plants now turn out vehicles in an average of 30.37 hours, the same as Toyota.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...b8-30ced0f3ea5b

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Essex Power workers could strike June 26

Unionized workers at Essex Power have voted 94 per cent in favour of giving their bargainers strike authorization.

The workers, who are represented by Local 636 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, took the strike vote Wednesday.

The next step will be to see what becomes of Monday`s conciliation sessions.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...ea-abcb53d5f5f7

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Oakville man gets six years for $8m scam

A group of fleeced investors turned up at Toronto court yesterday to share the havoc an Oakville man brought into their lives.

"This has truly been devastating and has affected my family relationships," said Karen Garscadden, reading a victim impact statement yesterday prior to sentencing for Adam Spencer, who defrauded more than 80 people of a reported $8 million.

Between September 2005 and May 2006, Spencer, now 27, convinced people to invest in his company Emexis Integrated Solutions Inc., promising hefty returns when it went public.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/381389

 

[joeiannuzzi]

West 49 nets loss as sales tumble

West 49 Inc. suffered a net loss of $4.2 million in its first quarter as comparable-store sales tumbled 8.1 per cent.

The extreme-sports-related retailer said yesterday its net sales were $38.9 million in the quarter ended April 26, down 5.1 per cent from $41 million in the year-ago period, while the cost of goods sold rose 2 per cent to $34.1 million.

The $4.2-million net loss -- blamed on "the expected challenges posed by cross-border shopping and market conditions in Ontario" -- was worth seven cents per share. This compared with a year-ago loss of $3.2 million or five cents per share, which included $400,000 in restructuring costs.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/381407

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Board agrees to build two new schools -- if province approves

WATERLOO REGION

Waterloo Region District School Board trustees have voted to build new schools in Baden and Cambridge.

They also voted to consider an addition to New Hamburg`s Grandview Public School.

The two new schools will cost $12 million, not including costs to acquire land in Baden.

In Cambridge, Ryerson Public School will be demolished and replaced with a larger school that will accommodate students bused in from a subdivision near Townline Road.

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/362477