Ontario Economic Fundamentals 2008 Q2

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City antes up $40M; 2 firms shortlisted for Congress Centre project

Two major Canadian conglomerates have been short-listed and will compete to build the new Ottawa Congress Centre (OCC).

The two companies were identified from a list that responded to the RFP ( Request for Proposals) issued by the OCC board on May 9. Ottawa residents will find out tomorrow what two companies are in the running when the OCC holds an information session on the specifications that must be met in the new convention facility by these competing conglomerates.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndReg...569846-sun.html

 

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Not so well and good

A vacant property in Alta Vista is en route to becoming the site of a support centre for cancer patients and their families. The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation has purchased two of three empty properties near the corner of Caledon Pl. and Alta Vista Dr. with the intention of constructing a "wellness house" in the same vein as community-based cancer support centres in Toronto, London and Calgary, to name a few locations

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/OttawaAndReg...569836-sun.html

 

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2 towns join to offer up utility shares

LAKESHORE - Kingsville has agreed to join with Lakeshore in a public offering of their majority ownership of electricity distributor ELK Energy Inc.

A public request for proposals for shares worth $10 million or more will be expanded to include both municipalities, and the deadline extended to May 30, both councils have agreed.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...64-0099207e38a8

 

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Cash helps groups retrain, retain workers

Mohawk College is receiving more than $1.3 million to help laid-off manufacturing workers land new jobs in emerging sectors.

Through the Rapid Re-employment and Training Service initiative and funding from Employment Ontario, Mohawk will assist workers in Hamilton and Brantford hit by layoffs, plant closures and downsizing.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/369306

 

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Premier says Ontario must fund GM

TORONTO

Ontario`s Liberal government is prepared to give General Motors more taxpayers` money for new projects despite thousands of layoffs recently announced by an automaker that`s already received $235 million from the province, Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday.

GM wants the Ontario and federal governments to contribute $140 million toward a new engine plant in St. Catharines and a new research and development centre in Oshawa.

McGuinty said Ontario has no choice but to offer the automaker more money to invest in the province and create new jobs because of "stiff`` competition from several American states that are also suffering job losses in manufacturing from the U.S. economic slowdown

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/350614

 

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Economy may place strain on research funding

KITCHENER

Early stage technology companies might feel the pinch of the slumping Canadian economy in diminishing research dollars, an industry executive said yesterday.

Ilse Treurnicht, chief executive officer of the Toronto-based MaRS Discovery District, said she sees the potential for governments to refocus their efforts away from research in favour of assistance for the battered manufacturing sector.

"As the economy starts to struggle, the economy shifts away from the nice-to-have features," she said at a Communitech breakfast gathering.

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/350618

 

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Don`t covenant thy neighbour`s line

I had no idea there are so many rules when it comes to building your own house in Guelph.For years I had taken for granted the carefree attitude that comes with living in an older neighbourhood. Neighbourhoods where you have the luxuries of hanging a clothesline, parking your boat in your driveway or setting up a satellite dish without thinking twice.

But that`s not the case with many of the new subdivisions being built in the city. All the developers have their own set of rules and if you want to build one of their homes, you must agree to live by them.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/328148

 

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Light rail transit could be the better way

People are excited about the two subway lines that could be coming our way, but are they really the best transit solution for York Region?

`€œI guess I`€™ve always been a bit of a rail fan,`€ said Richmond Hill resident Calvin Henry-Cotnam, who performed his own in-depth analysis suggesting light rail transit (LRT) would be a far better use of transit funding.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Regional%20News/article/74784

 

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Industry building case for affordable housing

Affordable housing is a problem across Ontario and there is little the private sector can do until the province makes things easier, a new report argues.

Seven organizations from the building industry (see sidebar) combined to produce a study on affordable housing, building a case to press the provincial government to listen and make things easier for them.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Regional%20News/article/74760

 

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Hospital $500,000 closer to expansion

Expanding Markham Stouffville Hospital moved a bit closer to reality, thanks to a $500,000 donation from a land developer.

The privately owned Times Group Corporation has donated smaller amounts to the hospital before.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Markham/article/74730

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Woodbridge on way to concrete jungle?

Some Woodbridge residents got wind that a 17-storey building could go up in their neighbourhood and they want to have a hand in how the development unfolds.

West Woodbridge Ratepayers` Assocation president Nick Pinto walked out of Monday`s council meeting mid-way, chastising Vaughan politicians for talking about the quasi-judicial Ontario Municipal Board in relation to the proposed development at Hwy. 7 and Kipling Avenue.

http://www.yorkregion.com/News/Vaughan/article/74786

 

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Oshawa new home construction solid in April


http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/oshawa/article/98924

 

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Concept plan for Brooklin to go to province


http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/whitby/article/98876

 

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Oakville`s Ford Flex set to roll

The 2009 Ford Flex, set for manufacture at Ford`s Oakville, Ont., assembly complex goes on sale this summer.

The all-new crossover is hoped to be able to build on the success of the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, which are built at the same facility. The Flex has some features designed to set it apart from its rivals, it features a refrigerated second row centre console, capless fuel system and an optional multi-panel vista roof that floods the interior with the light of day.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/cars/sto...ce-2c018f67b283

 

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Bridge repair costs soar past $10M
May 16, 2008 07:46 AM - Call it $10 million in bridge financing.
Spiralling costs have upped the ante on repairs to Burnhamthorpe Rd. bridges over the Credit River and Mullet Creek. The jobs will now set the City back $10.75 million, more than $4 million over the original estimate.
City officials are pointing the finger at overall increase in construction and steel costs, the complexity of the project and the need for more extensive repairs than was originally expected.

http://mississauga.com/article/14129

 

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406 expansion plans presented to Region

Plans to continue the expansion of Highway 406 through to Welland were presented to Niagara Region`s planning and public works committee Wednesday.

Drafts for the work, which includes making the highway four lanes instead of two, was delivered by staff by McCormick Rankin Corp. in Mississauga, which is contracted by the Ministry of Transportation to do the work.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article....aspx?e=1030828

 

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Waterford United working on plan to rebuild

It has been five weeks since Waterford United Church burned, destroying the sanctuary which had been completely renovated six years ago.

The red brick shell of the sanctuary remains, partly covered by a blackened, jagged roofline attached to a stalwart bell tower which still reaches to the sky.

Until the fire, I hadn`t realized how much the church`s roof and tower are a part of the town`s skyline as you drive or walk along Main Street.

The Christian Education Hall, parlour and newly renovated kitchen on the main floor, as well as Sunday school rooms and nursery upstairs at the east end of the church remain intact, but have severe water damage. This area is being gutted and restored, hopefully within two to three months.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDi...=Carol+Steedman

 

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In frightful Shape; West Street bridge described as `accident waiting to happen`

Amanda Mei goes to school in Orillia and shops in Severn Township.

The 17-year-old Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School student, like many of her classmates, spends time at the Orillia Square mall during breaks.

To get there from her Commerce Drive high school, the Grade 11 student walks along a narrow sidewalk over the West Street bridge.

"I feel a little uncomfortable because I`m really close to the traffic," she said before walking back over the bridge to school on Thursday. "Trans- port trucks I`m very scared of."

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

 

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Rec advisory group reflects on Oval property sale

The city`s recreation advisory committee regrets not flexing its muscles to save green space at the Lions Oval before the city sold the property to the Simcoe County District School Board last year.

"We were supportive of the park view and we didn`t give that opinion," Don Munro, a committee member, told city politicians this week.

Now, the committee wants a say on future decisions that may affect parkland or green space in Orillia.

The recreation group, made up of citizens and council liaisons, is already voicing opposition to a plan to build a new emergency-services building at Kitchener Park.

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

 

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If the levee breaks; Project crucial to marsh survival

Memories of hurricane Hazel still haunt the Holland Marsh. The canal system that supports the vital farmland has eroded over time, putting the fertile area at risk again. A major reconstruction of the canal is aimed at averting a repeat disaster.

A colossal storm, one that only happens once a century, would devastate the Holland Marsh, some of Ontario`s most fertile farmland.

Hurricane Hazel devastated the Holland Marsh in the fall of 1954, breaching the canal, destroying crops and houses, when water levels rose as high as nine metres in some places.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDi...th=RAYMOND+BOWE