Ontario Economic Fundamentals

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South Mississauga leads the pack on biking and walking

May 8, 2008 09:32 PM - As the City embarks on developing its long-overdue master plan to remake Mississauga into a cycling and walking place (the first of four public input meetings takes place Saturday), officials can consider themselves fortunate to have a comprehensive report to draw upon already in their pocket.
The report came out of a workshop, Creating a Great Waterfront Community, held earlier this year. More than 50 residents and members of area community organizations took part in generating a variety of ideas and concerns.
The event was organized by VIVA Port Credit (Village Inspired Vision Alliance), and facilitated by Walk & Bike for Life, a national organization based in Port Credit whose mission is to raise awareness of the benefits of walking and cycling.
"It`s a very democratic document because it actually does reflect the input of the participants. That`s why it`s called a community-led action plan," said VIVA chair Dorothy Tomiuk.

http://mississauga.com/article/13897

 

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Retail giant celebrates milestone

Wal-Mart Canada will open its 300th store in the country right here in Mississauga — where it has its corporate head offices.
"Our 300th store and the pace of supercentre expansion will make 2008 a major milestone in Wal-Mart Canada`s lifespan," said Wal-Mart Canada Corp. president and CEO David Cheesewright.

http://mississauga.com/article/13871

 

[joeiannuzzi]

HOUSING: Sales are starting to cool
Market tips in buyers` favour


For years home sellers have had the upper hand in the London real estate market.

But a growing number of listings are staring to tip the balance toward homebuyers, according to figures released by the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR).

There were 1,783 properties for sale in the London-St. Thomas market in April, up more than 20 per cent from the same month last year.

http://lfpress.ca/cgi-bin/publish.cgi?p=23...les&s=homes

 

[joeiannuzzi]

GO service not growing fast enough to meet need

Run it and they will ride.

That`s the situation at GO Transit, where the demand for service continues to tax the supply of trains and buses on many routes even as they`re being expanded.

Ridership grew about 7.5 per cent in March over the same month last year, according to a report to the GO board yesterday. That`s significantly more than the 4- to 5-per-cent ridership growth GO had been anticipating this year.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/424043

 

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Economy creates 19,200 jobs, cracks emerge

Julian Beltrame
THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA — The Canadian economic engine is showing signs of sputtering in the face of stiffening headwinds from the U.S. slump and ongoing tight credit conditions. Two key economic indicators today — unemployment and merchandise trade — painted a picture of a somewhat resilient economy that is mostly succeeding in avoiding the outright contraction occurring in the United States, but just barely.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/423298

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Laminates not soundproof

Q: Does laminate flooring block sound transmission very well? I plan to install it in the upper storey of our open-concept cottage, but only if it will be quiet.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/422737

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Area deals with a clash of planning approaches

Who will stand up for the neighbourhood around Kipling, Bloor and Dundas – the Six Points Area? Is there a developer, merchant, architect, planner or councillor who would tell us with a straight face that they`re proud of what they and others have done here?

Though there are sections that deserve to be called neighbourhoods, much of Etobicoke has been systematically turned into an urban/suburban disaster zone.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/article/422354

 

[joeiannuzzi]

People are hungry for wind technology

There haven`t been any jokes about windy Jim Ireton, but someone`s bound to make one soon. Mr. Ireton is the chatty general manager and co-owner of Rideau Home Hardware Building Centre in Smiths Falls, where a new Skystream 3.7 windmill is shunting electricity to the store faster than you can say kilowatts.

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/h...52-282baccaeb41

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Local jobless rate rises

The unemployment rate in Ottawa-Gatineau jumped in April, with more people pounding the pavement in a market that shed jobs for the fifth straight month. Layoffs in the hi-tech sector caused the region`s jobless rate to rise to 4.9% in April, up 0.3% from the previous month, said Vincent Ferrao, labour force survey analyst at Statistics Canada.

http://www.ottawasun.com/Money/2008/05/09/5518091.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Jobless rate falls in region

Windsor is no longer one of Canada`s unemployment capitals, according to the latest Statistics Canada labour force survey released Friday.

But while the local unemployment rate took a healthy dip from 8.8 per cent in March to 8.3 per cent in April, it was mainly due to the shrinkage of the overall local pool of jobs.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/sto...9e-6604346e6062

 

[joeiannuzzi]

CAW to approach Niagara casinos

The CAW will try for a fifth time to organize employees at Casino Niagara`s two gaming facilities, the union said Friday.

The latest bid comes after the huge industrial union was approached again by workers at the two casinos asking that the CAW try again to convince 40 per cent of their peers to sign a union card.

The CAW tried and failed to organize Casino Niagara in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005.

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/bus...2a-3e7af2d0af14

 

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Experts tell Region`s summit successful transit system doable

If Niagara is serious about public transit, it needs more buses on the streets.

Many more.

And it needs them soon.

Amid soaring fuel prices and concerns about global warming, improving public transit is high on the minds of Niagara residents. A two-day Smarter Niagara summit hosted by Niagara Region at the Welland Lions Club wrapped up Friday with a focus on public transportation.

Luis Fragomeni, who directed a world-class bus system in Curitiba, Brazil, until 2007 and Clive Rock, who helped Vancouver develop its mass-transit system, told delegates that public transit is a great social equalizer and forms part of a community`s identity.

Curitiba is often held up as a model for others to follow.

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/Article...th=DEREK+SWARTZ

 

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Expanded hardware store holds official opening

Brantford Home Hardware started a week-long celebration on Friday to mark the official opening of a new and improved store at 10 King George Rd.

The official opening included a day of festivities with special guests and the start of a week-long sale.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDi....aspx?e=1022257

 

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Developer serves up proposal for Lions tennis court property

A Dunnville developer intends to construct a four-storey apartment building on the Lions tennis court property in Port Dover.

Ed Robinson Homes Ltd. has applied to the Norfolk planning department for a zoning change.

The tennis courts are located at the corner of Alma and St. George streets.

http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDi....aspx?e=1020294

 

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West-end traffic straining city roads; Study stresses need for plan to deal with growth-related issues

If traffic looks for a place to happen in Orillia, it seems to prefer the city`s western flank.

Every day, scores of motorists travel between West Ridge and the city centre, making trips to work, home or to big-box stores.

And burgeoning development in the west end will result in a hefty addition to that fleet of automobiles in the next two decades.

But Orillia`s roads won`t stand for it.

"While the area is served by a number of major roads, including Highway 11 and Highway 12, it is recognized that their capacities, given the existing configurations, are finite," concluded a transportation study commissioned last year by the city.

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

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Toyota expects sales to slide; Stagnant auto market hurting potential sales

Battered by a slumping North American auto market and unfavourable currency swings, Toyota is forecasting a double barrel of bad news this fiscal year: its first year-on-year sales slide in nine years and first profit slip in seven years.

The list of problems is growing for Toyota, including soaring material and energy costs and a stagnant auto market in Japan, its home market. A weak U.S. dollar, now hovering at about 100 yen compared with nearly 120 yen last year, erodes the income of Japanese exporters such as Toyota.

Toyota, the maker of the Prius gas-electric hybrid and Camry sedan, reported yesterday a 28 per cent tanking in net profit for the January-March quarter to 316.8 billion yen ($3.05 billion US) - the first quarterly decline in profit since April-June 2005.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDi....aspx?e=1020679

 

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Pan Am Games could be `transformational`

JOHN KERNAGHAN
The Hamilton Spectator
David Adames is executive director of Tourism Hamilton. He represents the city at provincial meetings looking at the feasibility of a southern Ontario bid for the 2015 Pan-American Games, an event that would draw over 5,000 athletes from more than 40 countries. Adames, 39 and Hamilton-born and educated, says passion for the city runs in his blood. The Spectator recently had an Q&A interview with him.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/366998

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Canadian Tire keeps rolling

Canadian Tire Corp. is in a "very strong" position to weather an economic slowdown, CEO Tom Gauld told shareholders yesterday after the retailer reported a nearly 20 per cent increase in first-quarter earnings despite shaky sales.

http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/366319

 

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Grow-op arrests growing

Guelph Police constables Kendall Brown, right, and Jennifer Maedel, removed marijuana plants from a home at 63 Downey Rd. yesterday. About 120 plants worth $120,000, along with about $1,000 worth of growing equipment were seized from the home`s basement during a joint forces effort involving the Guelph Police drug unit, the Wellington OPP and the OPP drug enforcement section.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/326201

 

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Neighbours create plan for former school site

GUELPH

It`s not unusual for a citizens` group to oppose a development proposed for their neighbourhood. But an unusual process is afoot on Forest Street.

The neighbourhood group hired an architect to create their own plan for the site of an old school in their neighbourhood, after they didn`t like the one proposed by a developer.

"It`s about being positive about a process rather than being given things we`ve had no input on and being expected to tweak it," said Daphne Wainman-Wood of Talo Architect, a neighbour and the architect who created the new design.

http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/326205