London Construction - Development News Thread#1 [Archive] - Page 12

QuantumLeap

Apr 9, 2008, 12:16 PM

Apartment construction boosts building industry
Wed, April 9, 2008
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By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA

Apartment construction has once again helped London's building industry to chalk up another strong quarter.

Construction of single- family homes dropped sharply from January to March. City officials issued permits for 206 units during that period compared to 334 during the first three months of 2007.

But construction of two apartment buildings boosted the total number of residential permits to 448 units for first-quarter 2008, compared to 429 units last year.

The slump in single-family starts might be partly due to the harsh weather in February and March, Rocky Cerminara, the city's director of building controls, said yesterday.

The overall value of building permits issued this year is $226.2 million, compared to $126 million during the same period last year.

But Cerminara cautioned that almost all of the increase was due to two large construction projects at the Westminster campus of the London Health Sciences Centre.

He estimated building permits for the year should total $650 million to $700 million, down from $722 million last year.

"That's still pretty good considering last year was the second-best ever," he said.

Cerminara said apartment construction shows no sign of slowing down. His department is processing applications for seven more apartment buildings, totalling about 1,100 units.

The applications include:

- A seniors' building at 180 North Centre Rd.

- Another seniors' building at 230 Victoria St., former site of the McCormick Home.

- An affordable housing building at 869 Adelaide St. N.

- Buildings at 609 Wharncliffe Road S. and 180 Mill St.

- Two buildings at Adelaide Street and Kipps Lane.

Building permits for first-quarter 2008 in the commercial sector totalled $14.9 million, up from $13.4 million last year. Industrial permits were up from $2.1 million to $2.5 million.

With the big hospital projects, the value of institutional building permits soared to $132.3 million, up from $32.5 million last year.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) reports there were 234 housing starts in the London area in March, compared to 143 last year.

The increase was due to a start on a 119-unit apartment building off Proudfoot Lane in the Sugar Creek Village development, said CMHC analyst David Lan.

There were 91 single-housing starts last month, compared to 124 in March 2007.

During first-quarter 2008, total housing starts dropped 25 per cent, to 517 from 692 during the same quarter last year.

Lan said the slump might have been exaggerated by the bad winter weather.

"We had a lot of snow, but things should start turning around next month," he said

Lan said the apartment market still has a lot of strength. He said some of the new, high-end apartments are being snapped up by foreign students from wealthy families studying at UWO or Fanshawe College.

ldoto

Apr 9, 2008, 11:23 PM

:previous: QuantumLeap you must not copy the whole page!!!!!!:shrug:

Wed, April 9, 2008

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA

Some business people in Old East London feel their faith had finally been rewarded.

They are people, like Mike Mikhiel, who have invested in new or renovated businesses in recent years, believing the troubled area is on the rebound.

A new 600-unit apartment complex planned by Medallion Developments of Toronto confirms their instincts.

"I'm very happy. It's good for the neighbours. It's good for the neighborhood," said Mikhiel, a Syrian immigrant who has been restoring a string of seven commercial buildings on Dundas Street the last two years, doing much of the work himself.

Medallion vice-president Aaron Bleeman said his company is experienced at redeveloping older neighbourhoods, including Toronto's Queen West district.

He said Old East London looked like another up-and-coming area because of its heritage, proximity to the core and growing arts community.

"We saw a level of revitalization already happening there. . . . We see ourselves as a catalyst for future development in the area," he said.

Medallion has built a number of high-end single- family and apartment developments in downtown and suburban areas of Toronto.

The company gained a foothold in London recently by constructing apartments in the Adelaide Street-Kipps Lane area.

Bleeman said the target market for the Old East development is middle-income tenants. The project is expected to bring 1,500 people into the area and construction is expected to begin next year

That's great news for Mike Dipierro, who operates a hairdressing shop on Dundas Street. He set up shop 35 years ago when it was still a thriving commercial district and watched a long and steady decline.

But he was one of the first to pitch in and improve his storefront in recent years, hoping his neighbouring businesses would do the same.

Dipierro is angry nothing is being done about dilapidated, empty properties across the street that he believes are holding back progress.

"As long as the city gets the taxes, they don't seem to care," he said.

Clark Bryan, who has turned the historic Aeolian Hall at Dundas and Rectory streets into a cultural hot spot, said the influx of new residents will put the area's resurgence on a solid footing.

"We are reaching the tipping point of Old East becoming the soul of London," said Bryan.

Farther down Dundas, near Lyle Street, Reynold Van Herpe, owner of Reynold's Cycle, said the apartment project shows the area's potential is finally being recognized.

He bet on the area three years ago, setting up his second store in an old building that needed extensive renovations.

Van Herpe said policing in the area has improved dramatically during recent months and the confidence of business people is improving.

He looks forward to watching the apartments rise across the street.

"It's fantastic. This will really clean up that area and put people downtown."

MolsonExport

Apr 10, 2008, 3:46 AM

Not because of, but despite the current administration on dufferin st.

ldoto

Apr 14, 2008, 1:44 AM

Hospitals get cash infusion

Sun, April 13, 2008

By NORMAN DE BONO, SUN MEDIA

The murky health-care funding picture in London and area is clearing, and it looks like good news for city and regional hospitals.

The province announced today that London Health Sciences Centre will get $5.5 million and St. Joseph’s Health Care London $1.8 million to reduce wait times for several services.

The money will ease wait times for MRI and CT scans and hip, knee and cataract surgery, Chris Bentley, MPP for London West, said.

But the $7.3 million is just the tip of the iceberg, as the South West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) — which hands out cash to 20 hospitals across Southwestern Ontario — is getting a $52.9 million increase, pushing its budget to $1.4 billion so it can increase base budgets for hospitals.

The funding increase for London and area hospitals isn’t known because negotiations between the network and the hospitals are ongoing.

A spokesperson for London Health Sciences Centre declined comment, citing the ongoing talks.

“This increases access to health care for people in our community and makes sure they have the health-care services they need, when they need it,” Bentley said.

Health Minister George Smitherman said it’s the earliest the province has ever announced funding allocations after a budget.

“The task that hospitals have is a very difficult one and accordingly we think it’s important that we let them know what kind of resources they have the chance to work with.”

Of the $52.9-million increase for the South West LHIN, $16 million is for “a basket of services” that will go to ease wait times, deal with growth issues and issues specific to small hospitals across the area, Bentley said.

That leaves $36.8 million to be allocated at a later time. An additional $170 million will be allocated to hospitals later in 2008-2009, making the overall funding increase 6.1 per cent.

“This is good news,” Norm Gamble, chairperson of the South West LHIN, said. It means we can offer more in needed areas. There is a lot of need out there right now.”

In fact, of the 20 hospitals the network oversees, about five are having trouble balancing their budgets and the increase in funding may help, he said. Gamble is not certain if the provincial government will order where the network can direct hospitals spend the additional money, or whether they are free to negotiate how the money is used.

The South West LHIN is a provincial agency that administers health funding for the area stretching from Port Stanley to Tobermory and includes London and Middlesex County.

Across Ontario the networks received an additional $667.2 million for hospital budgets — an increase of 4.9 per cent over last year’s funding — to be split between 14 local health integration networks, or LHINs.

They will give the money to more than 150 hospitals. Ontario Hospital Association president Tom Closson said it will still be several weeks before hospitals find out exactly how much money they will get.

The money is meant to key-in on four specific areas: eliminating wait times, increased funding for small and rural hospitals, money to hospitals in the province’s fastest-growing communities and funds to hospitals that are renovating or expanding

GreatTallNorth2

Apr 15, 2008, 8:32 PM

There is a rendering of the proposed towers in Old East Village in today's London Free Press and they look great! I hope this project gets built because if it does, it will have a huge impact on our city. An area that was once a complete dump and in shambles will be transformed into a very trendy area of the city. Not only that, but it will probably start the ball rolling for other developments in the area and maybe in the core as well. What this city needs is some out of town developers to start building towers that have better design...and this is exactly what this project is.

Do any Toronto forumers here know of Medallion Corporation's tract record?

LondnPlanr

Apr 15, 2008, 8:33 PM

http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6914/medalliononkingkb5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Comments?

I have to say, it looks much nicer than I thought it would.

I really have high hopes for this project, and it will go a long way to revitalizing this neighbourhood.

Who knows, maybe I will regret NOT investing in Old East when I had the chance... Actually, I hope I WILL regret it, because then this neighbourhood will really be on the up-turn.

We can only hope...

ldoto

Apr 16, 2008, 4:02 AM

:previous:
Looking Good!!!!!!

What this city needs is some out of town developers to start building towers that have better design...and this is exactly what this project is.
YES YOU ARE RIGHT GreatTallNorth2!!!!
:tup:

ldoto

Apr 16, 2008, 4:03 AM

Reforest London Gets Big Donation
Apr, 15 2008 - 6:10 PM

LONDON - A group in charge of improving London's tree cover just got a little more green.
Reforest London received a 250 thousand dollar donation from the Beryl Ivey estate to set up an endowment to continue its tree-planting programs throughout the city.

Reforest Chairman Dave Crockett tells AM 980 the group is focused on several areas around London, including the downtown core.

Reforest London began back in 2005 as a committee of the city's Urban League.

MolsonExport

Apr 16, 2008, 1:26 PM

ldoto

Apr 18, 2008, 3:20 AM

Coming on the heels of London City Council's approval this week, a new package of incentives for downtown and Old East Village building owners is ready to be launched.

The Financial Incentive Program is a comprehensive set of incentives aimed at helping property owners in the two areas of the city carry out improvements to their properties.

"While this program is very much about 'bricks and mortar' to encourage building improvements, its intent is to support new businesses that will put more feet on the street in downtown London," said City of London's Gregg Barrett, manager of Land Use Planning Policy.

The program includes a mix of one-time and annual grants and loans. Street front façade improvements, awnings, signage and decorative lighting may be eligible for the program, city officials said.

The targeted zone for the incentive program includes buildings which front onto Dundas Street, between Wellington Street and Talbot Street, as well as buildings on Richmond Street between Dundas and York Street, as well as buildings in the Old East Village Community Improvement Area.

Janette MacDonald, manager of MainStreet London, said the focus is to encourage current building owners to reinvest in their properties, "or sell them to qualified investors who have the will to rehabilitate these buildings and make them tenant ready, fill them with targeted uses and residential development." According to a City of London media release, a number of specific types of commercial establishments are being targeted for the ground floor of these downtown buildings, in order to stimulate revitalization.

Some of the targeted uses include retail stores, supermarkets, service offices, restaurants, studios and theatres. Renovations and improvements must be approved beforehand by the City of London to ensure that urban design elements are being incorporated into each project.

The program was developed by the City of London, in consultation with MainStreet London and the Old East Village Business Improvement Association (BIA). MainStreet and the Old East Village BIA will be working with existing building owners, as well as prospective building owners to publicize the new program. The London Economic Development Corporation will also be highlighting the program as part of its efforts to attract new businesses to the city.

ldoto

Apr 18, 2008, 2:17 PM

Londoner to lead research project

Fri, April 18, 2008

A London scientist has been named to lead a $10-million research effort aimed at detecting cancer earlier in patients.

"It is a tremendous opportunity to make Ontario researchers at the forefront in the world in cancer research," said Dr. Aaron Fenster of the Robarts Research Institute.

"I would expect that major advances, innovations and inventions will be coming out of this consortium," he said.

Fenster, director of the imaging research laboratories at Robarts at the University of Western Ontario, has been awarded the money by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.

It's part of $60 million the institute, a non-profit corporation funded by the province, is investing to find new ways to fight cancer.

Fenster's group, which includes colleagues in Hamilton, Toronto and the London Regional Cancer Program, will be working to develop techniques for imaging cancer cells.

"We are developing techniques to see cancer in the very early stage so that we can treat it effectively and completely cure the patient," he said.

Fenster is also co-leader of another $12.5-million imaging project at Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto that is developing ways to screen populations at risk of developing cancer.

Work being done in London will include the development of improved methods of performing biopsies for breast, liver and prostate cancer.

Work at other centres will involve developing a way of producing three-dimensional images of pathology specimens and developing new drugs and chemicals that can be injected into patients that will attach to cancer cells so they can be imaged.

"We are developing a facility to be able to produce these things and it would be led out of McMaster," Fenster said.

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research also announced it will invest $1 million in research at the Ottawa Health Research Institute to treat cancer with viruses that kill cancer cells while sparing normal cells.

Another $17 million is going into research at the University Health Network aimed at identifying the rare subset of cancer cells that resist many forms of chemotherapy and are responsible for the growth of malignant tumours.

ldoto

Apr 23, 2008, 2:19 PM

Core desperate for grocery store

Wed, April 23, 2008

Western researchers have documented a long-standing concern -- large parts of downtown and east London are "food deserts," lacking decent access to supermarkets.

Historic mapping included in the study show that supermarkets packed into the city's core in 1961 had all fled to the suburbs by 2005.

That may be an inconvenience for some downtown dwellers, but it's a serious problem for residents of poorer core neighborhoods with no place to shop within a reasonable walking distance, one of the authors of the study says.

"Poor people with no car can be severely affected by living in food deserts and are more likely to suffer from bad health and low quality of life," said Jason Gilliland, a geography professor at the University of Western Ontario who completed the study with graduate student Kristian Larsen.

The study priced a 66-item food basket and found the cost was 60 per cent higher in smaller convenience stores than larger supermarkets.

Gilliland said retailers have simply followed the migration of customers out to the suburbs where land is cheaper, allowing for huge stores and parking lots.

London is faring poorly compared to larger cities such as Montreal and Toronto, which have developed successful downtown supermarkets, he said. But London does not have the same population density and is probably no worse than cities of similar size.

Gilliland is hopeful the recent boom in apartment construction in the downtown core will create the critical mass needed to attract a supermarket.

The city could offer direct incentives to retailers to locate downtown, he said, but the best incentive the city can offer is planning policies that boost the population of the downtown core.

"It's not a matter of 'build it and they will come'. It's more like 'if they come, they will build it'," he said.

Gilliland sees potential for a new supermarket right in the base of a 600-unit apartment complex that Medallion Development has planned for Old East London.

"If you have 1,200 customers living upstairs, I think you're going to survive," he said.

Gilliland said the new weekend farmer's market at Western Fair has already given East London a new source of fresh food.

Consumers also have to play a part he said, noting the successful campaign in Wortley Village to save the Valumart grocery story that was threatened with closure.

Janette MacDonald, manager of Mainstreet London, said supermarket chains prefer to open stores with at least 100,000 square ft. and downtown doesn't have the space or the population to support a store of that size.

"They don't look at the people who work downtown, they look at the people who live there. People tend to shop where they live," she said.

Downtown needs a grocery retailer that can offer affordable prices in a smaller location, said MacDonald. Core retailers such as Covent Garden and Sunripe Marketplace offer quality fresh food, but do not carry a lot of staples such as cereals and canned goods.

New downtown development incentives just approved by city council could help spur more residential development and commercial renovations in the next two years.

"Will that bring a grocery store? I don't know," said MacDonald.

Mapping food deserts

The map on the left shows how grocery stores were tightly clustered in the core of the city in 1961.

The map on the lower right shows that grocery stores had moved to the suburbs by 2005, creating a "food desert" in central and east London.

The full study is available at www.ijhealthgeographics.com

ldoto

Apr 23, 2008, 2:21 PM

Apr, 23 2008 - 7:20 AM

Board of Control will discuss what to do with the City's almost $9m surplus today.
The current plan is to give less than 10% of the money back to taxpayers.

Many councillors have bee pushing for more tax relief for Londoners, including Paul Van Meerbergen who calls the amount "pitifully small".

He tells The London Free Press the city keeps having these big surpluses year after year, and it's time Londoners get something back.

$2.5m of the surplus has been earmarked for new radio equipment and controllers for police and firefighters, $2m more for a reserve fund for downtown revitilization and almost $2m to reduce debt for public works.

MolsonExport

Apr 23, 2008, 2:43 PM

That grocery store link does not work for me.

SlickFranky

Apr 23, 2008, 8:42 PM

That grocery store link does not work for me.

Here's the correct link

http://www.ij-healthgeographics.com/imedia/1017265960173206_article.pdf?random=429690

ForestryW

Apr 24, 2008, 3:58 PM

So i'm back in London briefly today, went for a walk around downtown. I must admit that even in the 8 months I've been gone there has been huge revitalization. (The Galleria looks great!)

ldoto

Apr 28, 2008, 1:41 AM

Update!!!

I was in downtown walking around yesterday and I seen the new American Apparel open on richmond street. It is a good sign of things to come!!!!:banana: :banana:

Here is the link!!!:tup:
http://store.americanapparel.ca/?kw=american%20apparel

SlickFranky

Apr 28, 2008, 7:53 AM

It truly must be a sad day when AA get 2 dancing bananas.
Suzy Shier's "openening soon" signs are up!!!
:dancing:

ldoto

Apr 28, 2008, 11:18 PM

:previous: You like it!!!! Here's some more:banana: :banana: :banana: LOL

ldoto

Apr 28, 2008, 11:24 PM

Mon, April 28, 2008

A new breed of downtown nightclubs targets London's well-educated, well-heeled young professionals.

It's Friday night and a small, but rowdy group of students walks across the street from the John Labatt Centre parking lot to Club Mansion.

A few of the young women are wearing cut-off denim skirts, most of the guys are wearing old sneakers and ball caps.

It's not the busiest night for the city's newest nightclub since it opened at 89 King St. in March, but the door staff tells the group there's a strict dress code and politely turns them away before they can cross the velvet rope.

"It's never easy to turn people away at the door, but the dress code is in place to make sure we're always maintaining a sophisticated environment inside the club," says manager Mike Assaf.

"No running shoes, hats, hoodies, or torn-up jeans allowed. Think smart and classy casual, but the shaper you dress to come here, the better."

He adds that if staff do turn someone away, they make a point of telling them about the dress code and adding them to the guest list so they can bypass the line another night.

"It's hard to say no to patrons and their money, but in order to keep the right atmosphere inside a club, you have to stick to your guns and be selective," says Matthew Tsoumaris, one of Club Mansion's owners.

"We're trying to make King Street London's version of Yorkville in Toronto, which means going after London's young professional elites for our club," he says.

London has no shortage of venues targeting students, but there aren't enough chic places for the up-and-coming 24-to 35-year-old crowd, he says.

Mansion was designed specifically as a luxury lounge space meant to feel more like a posh home than a bar, he says.

"We imported over $30,000 worth of fabrics directly from Italy and England just to cover the furniture and for the drapery and another $50,000 for the sound system," Tsoumaris adds.

"If you're after a mature, high-end crowd, you always have to offer up the best of everything to make a club successful."

Mansion's main level serves as the dance floor and features a bar with large LCD televisions on one side, booth-style seating on the other.

The TVs typically show black-and-white classic movies like the 1930s Clark Gable-Claudette Colbert screwball comedy, It Happened One Night.

Tables next to the booths have built-in ice buckets for guests who splurge on European-style bottle service -- a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka goes for $200, a bottle of Remy Martin cognac is $450.

Mansion also boasts a large VIP area upstairs, accessible by private elevator, with panoramic views of the dance floor and its own private bar.

"A table of eight or nine will spend on average about $1,500 on bottle service alone and our VIP guests have been known to drop over $3,000 in a night," says Tsoumaris.

Friday and Saturday nights are their busiest of the week and between the two levels, the club can hold over 400 people and club space can also be booked for corporate or special events during the week. They'll be opening a rooftop cabana-inspired patio next month, licensed for another 160 guests.

But in the world of trendy nightclubs, it often doesn't pay to fill up to capacity.

"The last thing you'd ever want to do is fill up the last one-third of the club with people that don't meet the characteristics of your target demographic," says Mark Vandenbosch, a marketing professor at the University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business.

"It's a surefire way of losing regulars and tarnishing the club's exclusive reputation.

"You really want to restrict the number and type of people you let into a club like this to have the right vibe and maintain a high level of exceptional service," he adds.

He says targeting older professionals avoids competing with Richmond Row bars that depend on students -- who are only around eight months of the year -- and can be lucrative, because this age group has money to spend.

Compared to some neighbouring cities, London has a higher percentage of young, well-educated and well-paid professionals whose luxury lifestyle often includes a high-roller nightlife, he notes.

But it's not just who gets in.

"To provide the highest-calibre experience for your clients, you need to have a well-seasoned and mature staff," says Rob Sassine, co-owner of the 29 Park club on Talbot Street, around the corner from Mansion.

He says the high-end nightclub industry is very competitive and a club can fold quickly if word gets out that it's not the right scene and the service does not always exceed expectations.

"The quality of service you can provide your guests, especially your VIP guests, depends entirely on the quality of your staff, right from a courteous front door all the way to the back of the bar," he says

29 Park can hold about 400 people, with another 100 on the rooftop, Sassine says. Then there's the VIP area, which holds about 20 and is usually booked three months in advance. The typical party tab there runs about $2,000, but with that price tag comes a lot of perks.

"VIP guests skip the line and have their own dedicated hospitality manager catering to their every need," he says. For the right guest, staff will run to the store for batteries, disposable cameras, or favourite munchies.

When 29 Park opened in 2005, it was the only club going after an older crowd and the first with a strict dress code and full bottle service. He says he's glad to see other upscale businesses moving into the neighbourhood.

That's a feeling some patrons of these high-end clubs share.

Back at Club Mansion, Urszula Kumala and Justyna Baba are showing off their dance moves with their friend, Matt Snyder.

"It's great to have a place like this in London, it's got great music, awesome people and it doesn't feel like a meat market," says Kumala.

Owner Matthew Tsoumaris says buzz about the club must be making its way through London workplaces, because their average patron is in their late 20s and they're starting to develop a long list of regulars Friday and Saturday nights.

He's also planning to open a high-end steakhouse next door to the club in a few months with his business partners.

"We're so grateful for all the support we've had from everyone in the city and we look forward to exceeding the expectations of club goers in the city for years to come," says Tsoumaris.

MolsonExport

May 1, 2008, 2:33 AM

please welcome London's newest resident, my newborn daughter, Madison (born April 27, 4:22pm, St. Joseph's):
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e308/Cassecroute/MadisonAvaClevelandApril272008.jpg
^she is 1 hour old in this photo.

Here she is one day later, with her proud older brother, Ryan (age 2):
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e308/Cassecroute/sondaughter.jpg

SlickFranky

May 1, 2008, 7:05 AM

Congratulations!!! :5:

that calls for 3 dancing bananas

:dancing: :dancing: :dancing:
(100% sarcasm free)

LondnPlanr

May 1, 2008, 12:51 PM

Congratulations, Mr. Export.

All the best to your new arrival.

harls

May 1, 2008, 4:12 PM

Congrats!

ldoto

May 1, 2008, 11:01 PM

:previous:
My little guy turned one year old this weekend.

Good luck bro!!!!:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

MolsonExport

May 2, 2008, 1:58 AM

Thanks guys! :)

DC83

May 2, 2008, 4:25 PM

Hey! I don't know if you guys already knew this or not, but London is now visible on GoogleMaps Satelite!

It never used to work, but I was looking up something for work today and VOILA -- Downtown London in Satelite! :)

Have Fun... I know I will :)

flar

May 5, 2008, 6:18 PM

Good work increasing the population Molson Export :cheers:

My daughter is five months old and has a similar name (Madeleine)

ForestryW

May 17, 2008, 7:04 PM

Hm, not a lot of activity on this thread lately. Any news on the Old East development?

london2020

May 17, 2008, 11:27 PM

Renaissance rising.....

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/6910/img00320wc8.th.jpg (http://img527.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img00320wc8.jpg)

I counted 14 floors

ldoto

May 23, 2008, 4:13 AM

London developer Shmuel Farhi has purchased the Bell building at the corner of Talbot and Dundas, and says it will be a part of overall downtown redelopment.

What he isn't saying is exactly what he has planend for the property.

As one of the larger downtown buildings it is a key location, close to the JLC, the Courthouse, the Federal building and the Covent Garden Market.

Farhi is now the only landlord with a major supply of downtown office space to offer.

The Bell building has been vacant for about a year, and the Downtown Business Association is offering guraded support, waiting to see exactly how the building will be used.

(SEE VIDEO)
Shmuel Farhi's Plans Unclear

http://www.achannel.ca/london/news_57358.aspx

flar

May 23, 2008, 4:17 AM

Wow, I had no idea that building was empty, it's quite a large building.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k28/segaert/london/00193.jpg

LondnPlanr

May 23, 2008, 1:50 PM

The building is not ENTIRELY vacant.

Bell still occupies 5 floors of the 8 in the building.

ALSO, of particular interest from the LFPRESS article in this morning's paper, is that this building has the potential to have up to 14 stories added on to the top of the building... perhaps Farhi has more of his pie-in-the-sky dreams for this building.

That being said, what a TERRIFIC spot for a 14 storey residential tower.

MolsonExport

May 23, 2008, 2:07 PM

Wow, I had no idea that building was empty, it's quite a large building.
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k28/segaert/london/00193.jpg

Ultra 80s, Ultra Smell (Bell) Canada. Smell has a building like this in every single major city in Canada.

I'd love to see 14 storeys added, but with the lower 8 reclad in "non-eighties ugliness".

ldoto

May 23, 2008, 3:11 PM

Fri, May 23, 2008

There's 70,000 square feet of available office space

The London landlord with the most properties has acquired another crown jewel.

Shmuel Farhi, president of Farhi Holdings, yesterday announced his latest purchase, the Bell Canada building at 100 Dundas St., for an undisclosed amount.

Bell Canada occupies five of the eight floors of the building. There's 70,000 square feet of available office space.

"This building has unrealized rental potential and we plan to be energetic in attracting new businesses to fill it up, as we have been with our other downtown properties," said Farhi.

The building has the capacity for a 14-storey living space addition to be built on top, he added.

Other tenants include a coffee shop and a registry office. There are 324 underground parking spaces site plus a surface parking lot north of the building.

It was put on the market several weeks ago by Fortress Financial Group, a U.S. lending institution. This was the last Canadian building Fortress owned, Farhi said.

He said the replacement cost of the building would exceed $90 million. He owns more than 80 sites downtown plus dozens of others in the region.

The purchase of the Bell Canada building is another move to help revive downtown London, said Farhi.

"Adding it to our portfolio means we can now meet the needs of virtually any tenant, from the smallest to the largest."

"We are now the only landlord in the city able to offer a tenant more than 37,000 square feet on one floor in downtown London."

Gerry Macartney, general manager of the London Chamber of Commerce, said the purchase was a good move by Farhi.

"Hey, good for Shmuel," Macartney said when told of the news.

"Hopefully he's got plans for it. I would suggest that Bell remain a tenant."

Farhi said he doesn't plan on losing any tenants, only gaining new ones

worldwide

May 25, 2008, 1:40 AM

SlickFranky

May 25, 2008, 6:47 PM

I'll second that rumour...I've heard the same thing, but have nothing to back it up.

LondnPlanr

May 26, 2008, 4:09 PM

I'll second that rumour...I've heard the same thing, but have nothing to back it up.

Let me see what I can dig up...

ForestryW

May 26, 2008, 10:06 PM

I've also heard that, like Toronto's Eaton Centre. Westmount was the same concept when it was constructed.

ldoto

May 28, 2008, 11:11 PM

ldoto

May 28, 2008, 11:13 PM

Wed, May 28, 2008

London commuters frustrated with parking downtown will soon have a new option.

The City of London and London Transit have joined forces to offer a $50 monthly park-and-ride pass.

Beginning June 1, Londoners will be able to park their vehicles at a municipal parking lot located north of Dundas Street and take a bus downtown.

“The city has a supply issue of long-term parking close to the core area,” said Larry Ducharme, general manager at the London Transit Commission.

Long term means parking a vehicle for eight hours, or the length of a work day.

Commuters can leave their car in one of the two parking lots with access from English Street, Elizabeth Street, Adelaide Street and Queens Avenue. They can then board a bus on Dundas Street between English and Ridout Streets on routes 2 Dundas, 7 Wavell and 20 Cherryhill anytime from Monday to Sunday.

A London business manager said the program should help the weekday parking crunch downtown.

“Anything that can alleviate the problem of parking downtown during the week is positive,” said Bob Usher, manager of the Covent Garden Market and London Downtown Business Association board member.

Participants will be issued a special parking and transit pass. They will be able to claim the federal tax credit for the bus pass portion of the expense.

The park and ride will be a pilot program for a few months to gauge interest. The pass will be continued if there is a good response, said city parking manager Shane Maguire.

The program was motivated by a 2006 city parking study that highlighted a need for more long-term parking downtown.

“A number of long-term parking spots in the downtown have been lost in the last year to construction and other development,” said Maguire.

The park-and-ride may have spin-off benefits for the surrounding Old East area. The manager of the Old East Village business improvement area said she will be watching the program with interest.

“It remains to be seen if the people parking their cars will come into the Old East commercial corridor,” said Sarah Merritt. “Anything that brings people into the area can only be of use to us.”

MolsonExport

May 29, 2008, 3:55 AM

how many will benefit? Numbers, please.

SlickFranky

May 29, 2008, 7:30 PM

Is it just me, or is that park-and-ride plan pitiful? When the article said the lot was on Dundas, I assumed they meant Highury or Clarke area. Who is going to drive all the way downtown, then take a bus 10 blocks? I used to live at English and Queens...it's a twenty minute walk downtown. Oh yeah, and after they park their car, they just take dundas/wavel/cherryhill? Why didn't they just take the bus to begin with then?!

How about using parking lots farther out (masonville, whiteoaks, argyle, westmount, oxford/wonderland), then running dedicated express buses straight to the core (which they should be doing from some of those locations anyway). Does this not seem a lot more functional?

The plan laid out here isn't even a plan. It's just a discounted rate for using a municipal lot that is always empty. Stop screwing around and just sell that land already!

Also...even if by some miracle this did become popular, I don't see how dundas east would benefit. Like I said, I used to live there, and see so much wasted potential in the area. I really do want to see it succeed. That said, I would not want to park my car there all day, every day.

/tirade

GreatTallNorth2

May 29, 2008, 8:03 PM

You are right. It is a terrible plan. Other cities our size and smaller have had proper park and ride for years. This plan is a joke!

ldoto

May 30, 2008, 12:57 AM

Thu, May 29, 2008

In the late 1990s, developer Joe Carapella took what he calls "a great leap of faith" in downtown London.

His Tricar Group invested $14 million in a new kind of residential property development on the east side of Picton Street between Dufferin and Queens avenues.

The 17-storey highrise building was designed to bring all the comforts of a spacious single family home into its apartment units.

Words like cozy, snug and compact weren't to be associated with 22 Picton Place, but labels like luxurious and well-appointed were.

Apartment units were built with nine-foot ceilings, fireplaces, ceramic tiles, and typically, about 1,700-square-feet of living space.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/Ldn20080526SB_tower76.jpg

"The smallest unit in the place is 1,200 square feet," Carapella says today.

"That's the size of many bungalows in the city. We believed there was a market for apartments as big as a house in downtown London but we couldn't be sure because it hadn't been done before."

The development, located half a block from city hall and a short walk to Victoria Park, was fully rented very quickly.

It has been such a smashing success that Carapella says he wants to own "forever."

"We've rarely had vacancies and we usually have a waiting list of people who want to live there," says Carapella. "It's a great building in a great location."

And it was built with some give and take between the developer, city planners and local heritage groups.

Tricar originally planned to build 105 units but was able to add another 30 when it agreed to preserve and restore four late-19th century homes on Queens Avenue as part of the development.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/LDN20080521SRwindows2.jpg

The Italian-style terrace homes, built around 1881, have helped preserve the residential character of the neighbourhood, despite the size of the highrise behind them.

Unit bonusing and a 10-year discount on property taxes were incentives for Tricar, says Carapella.

The city's rules on downtown residential developments have attracted major projects and will continue to do so, he says.

"I believe in the future of downtown London," he adds.

It's not just talk. Tricar is investing $100-million in 28-storey twin towers across from the John Labatt Centre.

The residential project will contain 600 units and house more than 1,000 people.

It's aimed at the same market as Picton Place -- upscale empty nesters, retired people with summer cottages, snowbirds who go south for the winter and people who like living downtown.

Picton Place rents average about $1,400.

Many Londoners would find that expensive, but Carapella says it compares favourably with a house mortage when you consider heat and taxes are included in the price and "there's no condo fees."

GreatTallNorth2

May 30, 2008, 10:10 PM

I guess Tricar has style if you have never left the city of London, but if you venture outside of the city limits, you will find out that their buildings are pretty bland at best. Concrete city.

ldoto

May 31, 2008, 1:34 AM

Fri, May 30, 2008

The forks of the Thames was whirring with the sounds of heavy construction vehicles yesterday as work began on a fountain that will propel river water 30 metres high. :cheers: :cheers:

The final piece of London city council's massive investment downtown, the Blackburn Memorial Fountain will have one large jet of water and six smaller ones.

"It will be awesome," said Steve Robertson, whose company, Gary D. Robinson Contracting of St. Thomas, is serving as general contractor.

If the weather remains dry and the Thames River low, the fountain could open Canada Day. "There's about a five-per- cent chance," Andrew Macpherson, the city's parks manager, said.

It's more likely the fountain will be unveiled in September, but it could be as late as November, Macpherson said.

But whenever it's completed, it will play a vital role in drawing people to the Thames and downtown, he said. "This will change the face of downtown."

The effort is a collaborative one between the city and the estate of Marjorie Blackburn, whose family once owned The Free Press and CFPL television and radio.

The Blackburn estate has donated $450,000 to build the fountain, while the city is spending $850,000 to improve landscaping and lighting and to build walkways and a viewing platform near the west bank of the river just south of the Dundas Street bridge.

Other than maintenance, the only operational cost for the fountain will be electricity to run two pumps, a tab MacPherson estimates at $20,000 a year.

The project was long-delayed -- it was one of many ventures hatched by a millennium committee of city politicians who set out in 1997 to rejuvenate the downtown as the year 2000 drew near.

About $100 million was spent on millennium projects, from street-level improvements to big-ticket items such as the John Labatt Centre and a new Central Library.

But the proposed fountain, modelled after a jet d'eau in Geneva, Switzerland, was mothballed in 2000 after the city's medical officer of health intervened.

Dr. Graham Pollett questioned the wisdom of spraying river water too contaminated to safely swim in -- pedestrians would be at risk of diarrhea, vomiting and skin infection if they breathed droplets carried by the wind from the fountain.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/LDN20080529MH_jet.jpg

But Pollett retracted his objections in 2006 after the city made changes to the way the fountain would be engineered.

The original concept had been a floating fountain whose spray was more mist-like. Its replacement will be more jet-like and will spray from the bank to the centre of the forks.

"We have no objection to the current proposal," Pollett wrote following the change.

An intake pipe with a 0.6-metre diameter will extend 50 metres into the river, drawing water to the jets.

The smaller jets will run continuously while the large jet, from a pipe 30 centimetres wide, will be set to a timer, perhaps going off for five minutes every half hour.

A sensor will detect wind speed and lower the height of the jetted water to avoid mist drifting onto passersby. :tup: :tup:

ldoto

May 31, 2008, 1:36 AM

Less than two weeks sending out an SOS about emergency room wait times, the province is throwing a lifeline to the London Health Sciences Centre.

A total of 192 million dollars in funding was announced today to help clogged E-R's treat patients faster.

The Southwest LHIN will receive two million dollars to improve wait times at our E-R's.

Cliff Nordal, the President and CEO of the LHSC says this money won't fix everything - but it certainly helps.

Almost 40 million dollars will go to the 23 poorest performing E-R's to buy new technology and pay for coaching teams to boost efficiency.

Another 38.5 million dollars will be used for increased home supports to help move patients between hospitals and community care access centres.

ldoto

May 31, 2008, 1:38 AM

30, 2008

Long-term parking a problem downtown

London commuters frustrated with parking downtown will have a new option starting next week.

The city and its transit commission have joined forces to offer a $50 monthly park-and-ride pass.

Beginning June 1, Londoners will be able to park their vehicles at a municipal parking lot north of Dundas Street and take a bus downtown.

"The city has a supply issue of long-term parking close to the core area," said Larry Ducharme, general manager of the London Transit Commission.

Long-term means parking for eight hours, or the length of a work day. Commuters can leave their car in one of the two parking lots with access from English Street, Elizabeth Street, Adelaide Street and Queens Avenue. They can then board a bus on Dundas Street between English and Ridout Streets on routes 2 Dundas, 7 Wavell and 20 Cherryhill, anytime from Monday to Sunday.

A London business manager said the program should help the weekday parking crunch downtown.

"Anything that can alleviate the problem of parking downtown during the week is positive," said Bob Usher, manager of the Covent Garden Market and chairperson of the London Downtown Business Association.

Participants will be issued a special parking and transit pass. They'll be able to claim the federal tax credit for the bus pass portion of the expense.

The park and ride will be a pilot program for a few months to gauge interest. The pass will be continued if there is a good response, said city parking manager Shane Maguire.

The program was motivated by a 2006 city parking study that highlighted a need for more long-term parking downtown.

"A number of long-term parking spots in the downtown have been lost in the last year to construction and other development," said Maguire.

The park and ride may have spinoff benefits for the surrounding Old East area. The manager of the Old East Village business improvement area said she'll watch the program with interest.

"It remains to be seen if the people parking their cars will come into the Old East commercial corridor," said Sarah Merritt. "Anything that brings people into the area can only be of use to us

manny_santos

May 31, 2008, 2:42 AM

Catholic Board Plans New London Highschool

Get ready for another Catholic highschool to be built in London.

Despite declining enrollment, the London District Catholic School Board plans to build a new, $24m school which will accomodate about 1400 students.

No word yet on where it will go, but construction on the project is expected to begin by fall of 2011.

A school board official says the declining numbers are mostly affecting elementary schools while highschools are overcrowded with many kids in portables

A couple of years ago the Catholic board mentioned wanting to build a high school near Southdale and Colonel Talbot Road, just south of Byron. The Free Press article this week does indeed refer to a number of elementary schools near there.

manny_santos

May 31, 2008, 3:11 AM

London commuters frustrated with parking downtown will soon have a new option.

The City of London and London Transit have joined forces to offer a $50 monthly park-and-ride pass.

Beginning June 1, Londoners will be able to park their vehicles at a municipal parking lot located north of Dundas Street and take a bus downtown.

There are two things that need to happen. One is establishing park-and-ride lots on the outer parts of the city, such as at Masonville Place, Westmount Mall, Oakridge Centre, somewhere around Byron, Argyle Mall, and so forth.

The other is to have express bus routes that don't have to stop at every block to let off 10 students and let on another seven, two of whom can't find their bus pass and hold up the bus, making me late to catch the connecting bus to get home and having to wait another half hour at 11 PM in late January when it is -12 (thank God for Wendy's Chili). It would be nice to catch a 6 "Express" Richmond at UWO, and have it not stop until Oxford Street and then again at Dundas. The express route stops should be at major transfer points such as malls, downtown, or UWO and Fanshawe.

Just my two cents.

manny_santos

May 31, 2008, 4:55 AM

nice news!

I come from Oakridge, live just around the corner from Oxford & Hyde Park, actually really close the 19 routing, which is very limited. Having a bus garage nearby will definitely increase service around the area, which is a good thing. Hopefully bus service is improved even though service levels on the 19 Oakridge route don't justify it, but having a bus end service before 7 PM is quite depressing and annoying. Hopefully service times are extended, a bus connection route is created on Hyde Park Road from Oxford up to Fanshawe Park road, and ridership grows in Oakridge and most of the west end.

London Transit currently has a proposal to extend the 19 Oakridge route up to Fanshawe Park Road. They're also proposing an extension of 20 Cherryhill westward along Beaverbrook Ave into the new subdivision and south on Capulet Lane, eliminating the routing on Wonderland and Farrah Roads. There is also some other proposal involving 36 Airport Industrial, I think changing the direction of part of the route. The only down side with the proposed change to the Oakridge route is removing service on Royal York Road and Guildwood Blvd, although both are not too far from Hyde Park Road.

SlickFranky

Jun 1, 2008, 7:20 AM

Dr. Graham Pollett questioned the wisdom of spraying river water too contaminated to safely swim in -- pedestrians would be at risk of diarrhea, vomiting and skin infection if they breathed droplets carried by the wind from the fountain.

But Pollett retracted his objections in 2006 after the city made changes to the way the fountain would be engineered.

"We have no objection to the current proposal," Pollett wrote following the change.

Pollett-Approved or not, this still doesn't sound like a great idea. That section of river is fairly gross. On the other hand, I do often wonder what a 30m jet of brownish-grey water would look like (and smell like).

ForestryW

Jun 1, 2008, 3:04 PM

^^It won't be as bad as you think. The Thames is still much cleaner than many other bodies of water that have fountains. Virtually every major city in China, for example.

ldoto

Jun 6, 2008, 1:09 AM

Thu, June 5, 2008

Despite the sputtering provincial economy, the housing market in London-St.Thomas is still strong with resale homes and apartments both in demand.

The London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR) says 1,021 homes sold in May, the third-best total for any month since record-keeping began in 1978.

The apartment-vacancy rate in London fell to three per cent from 3.7 per cent in the last year, according to a new survey released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Both the real estate and the apartment-vacancy numbers seem to defy expectations of a slowdown in the local-housing market.

Although home sales are still down 9.9 per cent compared to first five months of 2007, LSTAR president Bruce Sworik says a rebound is now underway.

"Last month's strong activity comes as no surprise to local realtors who continue to see results of pent-up demand from a cold start to 2008," said Sworik.

Sworik said 2007 was a record-setting year for homes sales and he expects 2008 will come close to the five-year annual average of 3,903 sales.

Sworik said the number of listings also continues to climb to 3,648 last month. Listings for detached homes are up 21.4 and condo listings are up 14.9 per cent.

He said the increased listings should help balance the market and give buyers a wider choice.

The overall average price for detached homes and condos in London-St. Thomas was $215,000 last month, up 4.3 per cent over the same month last year.

CMHC analyst David Lan said the decrease in apartment vacancy rates is good news for London developers who bet on strong demand with a boom in apartment construction that started in 2006 with the construction of 1,100 units.

Lan said new high-end apartments in the downtown core are becoming more popular and driving down the overall vacancy rate.

"In past years the vacancy rate on those units has been around 10 per cent and we are seeing a significant drop this year," said Lan.

The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in London was stable over the past year at about $800.

Across Ontario, the apartment-vacancy rate fell from 3.9 per cent to 3.1 per cent in the last year.:tup: :tup: :tup:

ldoto

Jun 6, 2008, 1:43 AM

Update!!!

New Royalton Retirement Residence Luxury Senior Living Without The Cost!. Retirement homes, assisted living, and retirement communities
609 Wharncliffe Road South (at Highview Avenue):cool:

http://www.theroyaltonresidence.com/

These pics are from my bothers balcony!!!
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2008/DSC07043.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2008/DSC07046.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2008/DSC07041-1.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2008/DSC07039.jpg

MolsonExport

Jun 6, 2008, 1:54 PM

^not a bad looking development; refreshingly different from the slabs (commie-blocks) that constitute 90% of London's taller buildings.

ldoto

Jun 8, 2008, 2:57 PM

Sat, June 7, 2008

Toronto-based Timbercreek Asset Management has boosted its share in the London apartment market with the acquisition of two highrise buildings on Baseline Road.

The properties at 297 and 301 Baseline Rd., known as Capital Hill, were purchased from Transglobe, the largest player in the London residential rental market.

The two buildings have a total of 332 units, including bachelor, one- and two-bedroom units.

Timbercreek entered the London market in 2002 and now has nine buildings with more than 1,100 units.

Timbercreek chief financial officer Ugo Bizzarri says London is a promising market for the company.

"We consider it a stable, long-term market that is strong on students and families," he said.

Bizzarri said Timbercreek makes an effort to improve the properties it acquires by upgrading individual units as they change hands and installing amenities and landscaping around the buildings.

ldoto

Jun 9, 2008, 1:34 PM

Mon, June 9, 2008

SPRINGBANK GARDENS: The renovated former Wonderland celebrates opening

Toes tapping to the big band music, Joy Gerofsky just wanted to get up and dance, like in the good old days.

It would have been just the right way yesterday to officially open the $3.2-million Springbank Gardens, the outdoor London venue that has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes of Wonderland Gardens.

Springbank is the newest home in London for parties, weddings and free Sunday summer concerts.

"Oh, it's really nice, I really like the design of it," said Gerofsky, 83, who danced at Wonderland in the 1940s.

In fact, the architects pored over old photographs of the original Wonderland, which opened in 1935, to design the new space, said Jim Sheffield, partner in Malhotra Nicholson Sheffield Architects Inc.

"It was fun, a lot of fun," Sheffield said at the opening. "My high school graduation was here. I went to a lot of weddings and parties here."

It seemed everyone has a story about the old Wonderland, whether it was dancing to big band sounds in the 1940s or rock bands more recently.

"When I was in my teens, this was the place to come on a big date," said Controller Gina Barber. "It is a different venue now, contemporary, but it is friendlier to a lot more people, for families."

She recalls the time her cousin, attending a party, fell into the swimming pool in his best suit. "At that time it was not licensed, but I understand some people used to bring in bottles under the table," she laughed.

The pool, by the way, is now a picnic area.

"We wanted to respect the past, honour the past, embrace the past, but also start a new chapter, with new memories for new generations," said Mayor Ann Marie DeCicco-Best.

The gardens borrows from the original in its white buildings and bandshell done in Spanish-style architecture, with covered and open areas.

The old Riverview Restaurant hasn't been replaced, but there's a concession stand operated by Coppa Di Gelato, offering Italian sandwiches and ice cream.

"It is reminiscent of what was there before," added architect John Nicholson. "It is contemporary, but it feels right. We tried to grab the essence of the spaces."

As for the dancing, when Gerofsky and her friend George Hills of London complained they couldn't step out on the concrete yesterday because it was too rough, Controller Bud Polhill took the matter up with Nicholson.

The old terrazzo tile floor had to go, he noted; it was in rough shape and in this day and age too slippery for a venue that will be used over three seasons.

The brushed concrete is safer, but they may be able to offer a dance floor for special events, said Nicholson.

"We had to err on the side of safety," he said.

The city took over the old Wonderland in 2003 and in 2005 much of it was destroyed by fire. City council in 2006 approved a plan to rebuild the site, designing it to look much as it did during the 1930s.

SUMMER CONCERTS

Free upcoming Sunday shows planned at Springbank Gardens, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m:

June 15: Celebrate Father's Day with live music featuring New Orleans and Creole jazz.

June 29: Canada Day celebration, with big band music.

July 20: Classical chamber music.

Aug. 3: Special guest artist.

Aug. 17: Children's music day, with performances by young classical musicians.

Aug. 31: Labour Day weekend, live music from the Irish and Three Penny piece band.

Rental information: call 519-661-2500, ext. 5230

manny_santos

Jun 10, 2008, 3:02 AM

London has had several Burger King restaurants close in the past 3-4 years, including Wharncliffe at Baseline, Fanshawe Park at Richmond, Wellington at the 401 and both downtown locations. As of this coming Saturday the one at Wonderland and Oxford will be no more, although a new BK will be opening in the big box black hole on Wonderland south of Southdale. That's too far away for me.

The sign in the window at Wonderland and Oxford says the nearest BK is at Oxford and Highbury. That really shows how few BKs are left in London.

MolsonExport

Jun 10, 2008, 1:56 PM

Burger Thing has long struggled in Canada. When I lived in Montreal, there must have been at least a dozen Burthing closures.

What is sadder is the increasing rarity of Harvey's.

VectorBoy

Jun 10, 2008, 3:29 PM

Hey all, long time lurker first time poster.. Hurray.

Anyways, south end construction has started on a few buildings at the corner of Wonderland and Southdale, some (but not all) new businesses include:

- Arbys (Beside the royal bank)
- Burger King (new building beside the starbucks/source miniplex)
- Marble Slab (new building beside the starbucks/source miniplex)
- A pizza place (can't remember the name)
- Rogers Wireless store (not sure if it will replace Rogers Video at viscount/wonderland)

Also, new store at galleria mall foodcourt will be opening "soon" (keep in mind it took the Galleria Food court an extra two months to open):
- Arby's

manny_santos

Jun 10, 2008, 10:27 PM

I really wonder how many more food places the Wonderland/Southdale area can support. I don't think even the power center near Hyde Park has so many restaurants. Let's try and tally what the two areas have...

Wonderland/Southdale:

- Wendys
- Starbucks
- Williams Coffee Pub
- McDonalds
- Boston Pizza
- Quizno's
- KFC/Taco Bell
- Tim Hortons
- Pizza Pizza
- Loblaws (Meals to Go)
- Angelo's
- Burger King (coming soon)
- Arby's (coming soon)
- Marble Slab (coming soon)
- another pizza place (coming soon)
- Harvey's inside Home Depot?

Hyde Park:

- McDonalds at Wal-Mart
- Baskin Robbins
- Quizno's
- Montana's Cookhouse
- Sam's Club (has a pizza stand inside, if I recall)
- Ozone

Am I missing any?

manny_santos

Jun 10, 2008, 10:34 PM

Burger Thing has long struggled in Canada. When I lived in Montreal, there must have been at least a dozen Burthing closures.

What is sadder is the increasing rarity of Harvey's.

I've noticed that as well with Harvey's - in fact I think the one across from Police HQ is gone now. There also used to be a Harvey's on Oxford west of Wonderland, where the Cadillac-Hummer dealership is now. Keen observers will notice that although the dealership was renovated extensively and doesn't look like a fast-food outlet on the outside anymore, the old drive-thru window is still there.

Chain restaurants traditionally have not done well in that area - there used to be a Pizza Hut and Ponderosa out there too, and of course the impending BK closure is at the same intersection. New Orleans Pizza, a staple of advertising on CKCO TV for many years, used to have a location around there as well. The local chain Cheap Charlie's was in the same plaza as Harvey's, but that whole chain went under. There is a lot of competition there and there is just not enough room for everyone, which is why I worry about the Wonderland/Southdale area.

If that were the case though, the KFC on Wonderland should've closed by now. I have never been to a KFC that ran out of chicken, except at that one.

SlickFranky

Jun 11, 2008, 1:56 AM

^ If they're actually running out of chicken, they must not be doing too bad (though they may want to look at their inventory processes).

The BK closures might not actually be related to demand though. I heard that about 1-2 years ago the franchising arrangements for all Canadian BK's was drastically altered. I can't recall the numbers exactly, but each owner had to renew a merch. license (or something) to the tune $1M per location. I guess the owner of several London locations decided to retire or move on instead.

I do miss the BK(s) and the Arby's downtown. They were good places to grab a quick, cheap lunch. Anyone know who else is moving into the galleria food-court? It's open now by the way. As is Suzy Sheir.

ps-all that bk insider stuff was hear-say from a guy a who knows a guy...

Skorji

Jun 17, 2008, 5:33 PM

Hey everyone,

My name is Blair, and this is my first post in this thread. First off, I just wanted to thank everyone for their contributions to this thread. I'm a Londoner, but I've been out of town for several years. Right now I'm at McGill doing an urban design study of downtown London (developing a precinct plan for the area surrounding the Covent Garden Market). I just wanted to say that the information posted in this forum has been extremely helpful to me! What a great way to do my research! Thank you so much.

Secondly, I wanted to contribute by saying that the Covent Garden Market was recently listed in Via Rail's top 10 market shopping destinations! Score another point for London!

MolsonExport

Jun 17, 2008, 7:44 PM

Welcome (back) to (the) London (thread)!

LondnPlanr

Jun 18, 2008, 4:33 PM

I think I can speak for a few of us on here that we would LOVE to see your study upon it's completion.

You could perhaps Private Message me, and I can supply you with my personal email address.

Anything I can do to help, let me know. I am in the Design/Planning field here in London.

VectorBoy

Jun 26, 2008, 7:21 PM

Taco Del Mar is going to be opening in the Galleria Soon, filling the last of the available eatery locations in the new food court.

There's a large raised area that is still blocked off, I'm not sure if it'll be new retail space, seating, or more stores.

Both Arby's and Taco Del Mar are due open later in the summer.

GreatTallNorth2

Jun 26, 2008, 8:50 PM

ldoto

Jun 27, 2008, 1:17 AM

:previous: So true!!!

btw here's some news!!!!

Thu, June 26, 2008

NDEBONO -- It's not often a property manager gets a thank-you letter from a tenant.

But the Dominion Loft Apartments on Dundas Street, above storefronts in the 200 block, are no ordinary apartments, says property manager Kristina Lansbergen.

It's been one year since they came on the market, marking a new trend for rental units in London's core, an elegant space above a storefront.

"We have been very happy, very satisfied with these units," says Lansbergen. "Before one of our tenants moved out he gave us a letter of recommendation. He just said he appreciated renting from us, that the style of the apartment was exceptional."

The six units target a young professional clientele who want to live in the core within walking distance to work, or students who will bus to the University of Western Ontario, she adds.

The newly renovated spaces have hardwood floors, private patios, stainless steel appliances, a coin-operated laundry on site and secure entry, says Lansbergen.

The spaces have leased out quickly and owner Tom Bird is now looking for other spaces in the downtown to renovate into high-end units.

"I enjoy doing this type of work, restoring old buildings. It was fun and I want to do more," says Bird. "I'm keeping my eyes open."

After buying the space above the Jonathon Bancroft- Snell store and what is now a Coffee Culture in 2004, it was renovated and reopened last year as apartments.

"You cannot get these type of loft storefront apartments anywhere. It it is truly unique, downtown living," says Janette MacDonald of MainStreet London. "They are fantastic. Young professionals want a unique place to live, someplace different."

It's estimated there are 35,000 people working in the downtown and only about 5,300 living in the core.

The units rent from $725 for a bachelor apartment to $1,059 for a one-bedroom, plus utilities.

"We have been happy providing such high-class apartments downtown. There are individuals out there looking for this in the core," says Lansbergen.

"For a lot of people the location is ideal, they can walk to work. It is convenient."

ldoto

Jun 27, 2008, 1:21 AM

They're the downtown version of Wal-Mart greeters. LOL:haha:

Friendly, accessible and filled with information about what to do in London's core.

This summer will see the city unveil its SuperGuides, four young women dressed in T-shirts, with "Ask me about downtown" emblazoned on the front.

They'll walk the core and offer help to anyone who needs questions answered about what do in the city centre, says Janette MacDonald of MainStreet London.

"It's essentially a customer service program for the downtown," said MacDonald.

They'll be armed with directories, maps and information as well as business cards with a web address on it where people can access information about the downtown.

They'll also have cellphones to call MainStreet if they're asked any question they don't know the answer to.

"It's to create a comfort level in the downtown," says MacDonald.

"People may not come downtown if they don't know where to go or what there is to do. We have a lot of tourists in the downtown and people need to know where the market is or the JLC, where they validate parking."

John Winston, general manager of Tourism London, cheered the news saying it offers a friendly face for visitors to the city.

"I think it's a very good idea, it's really innovative. It means we'll have people on the street who are well versed in the amenities of the core."

The guides will also take to the double decker tourism buses driving the streets of the city, Winston adds.

"It enhances what we're already doing. It makes sense."

The guides will be walking in twos and will also be at festivals and events in their uniforms of green shirts, black pants and a ball cap, says MacDonald.

The SuperGuides will start Monday and work until Labour Day.

ldoto

Jun 27, 2008, 1:26 AM

Thu, June 26, 2008

The project costs $1.2 million

The ghosts of the Middlesex County building -- who have been silent around the old place lately -- might well approve.

A $1.2-million refurbishment of the historic building in London's core is well under way.

Gone are the 30-year-old orange carpets that splashed the council chambers, and the creaky fabric chairs, mismatched desks and assorted obscure wall plaques denoting long-forgotten minor events.

In their place: a fresh paint job, more muted carpet, new oak desks, a new sound system and wireless computer technology.

"This is just the icing," said Middlesex chief administrative officer Bill Rayburn, "but the real 'cake' is the structural work."

The biggest part of the work includes the heating and cooling systems, roof repairs, phone system and wheelchair-accessible washrooms to bring the offices up to building code.

The refurbishment is the biggest there since the former courthouse re-opened as the new Middlesex County offices 27 years ago today.

Years earlier, as its use as a courthouse and jail ended, some wanted to raze the relic.

More recently, many repairs had been deferred as county council pondered a possible move elsewhere.

"We were kind of awaiting a council decision on whether we were going or staying -- and now that we know we're staying, we had quite a lot we needed to do," Rayburn said.

The changes retain, restore or work around heritage features, while making it more livable for its occupants.

The wood-timbered beams still soar above the oak paneling of the council chambers. A retractable video screen for presentations will be hidden behind one of them. The original courthouse crest has been rehung over the new paint job. Some wood railings have been stripped and refinished.

"I wanted it to look new, yet like it was always there," Rayburn said of the new furniture.

Cabinet maker Paul Janssen of Mt. Brydges was hired to build oak councillors' desks to replace the battered, 1970s-era desks that had suited the old council chambers about as much as a hat on a horse.

"It did look out of place," Janssen said.

Janssen said he worked a lot of late nights there. But despite regularly traversing the building's maze of tiny passages and secret staircases, he never did see or hear any of the ghosts rumoured to haunt these halls.

Rayburn said the more modern furniture is being recycled to other offices in the county and a loaned collection of some historic pieces will find a home in a museum.

flar

Jun 27, 2008, 3:01 AM

This summer will see the city unveil its SuperGuides, four young women dressed in T-shirts, with "Ask me about downtown" emblazoned on the front.

If the city is smart, that should read "four hot young women dressed in T-shirts" :D

GreatTallNorth2

Jun 27, 2008, 12:26 PM

"Smart" is something we are not. We will probably have four 300 lb. mamas wearing spandex.

MolsonExport

Jun 27, 2008, 12:57 PM

Great...Kitchener is getting light rail and we're getting Taco Del Mar. This forum lately seems to be a sad reflection of our city. Any one else tired of endless debates on drive thrus and water bottles?

Yeah, but we have them beat on employement figures: London lost over 3000 jobs (net loss) over the past year. Tra-la-la.:(

manny_santos

Jun 28, 2008, 3:17 PM

ldoto

Jun 29, 2008, 3:55 AM

Growth proposal meets approval

Sat, June 28, 2008

After 20 months of fighting about how London should grow, city council has agreed to a plan that will see it take more control over development.

The plan places council at the tiller as city hall plans growth in London's southwest, where a lineup of potential developers includes a group tied to the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart.

It does so in a way -- proposed by Controller Gord Hume -- that addressed concerns raised by developers:

- The city will try to complete plans for the southwest by the end of 2009, six months sooner than had been proposed by city staff.

- Developers can begin their plans while they wait for the city to finish its work.

Hume's proposals won support of three council members who a week earlier had opposed the plan before the planning committee. Council supported the plan by a vote of 17 to one.

"I think the decision is tremendously important," Hume said yesterday. "This will set the parameters for the next several years for how the city will grow and prosper."

Also praising the direction was Coun. Joni Baechler.

"It's pivotal. I'm really pleased to see that city hall is now in the driver's seat," she said.

The agreement may mark a turning point for council by removing what was a significant source of political acrimony that often spilled into debates on other issues.

"I'm hopeful the acrimony will reduce. This has been a contentious issue," Baechler said.

The city plan received support from the construction lobby and developers.

"(We) support the city's (strategy)," Jim MacKinnon, head of the Keeping London Growing Coalition, wrote to a city official.

"The city should immediately begin a high-level master planning process that identifies segments within the southwest and . . . the order in which these lands will be developing," wrote Barry Card, a lawyer representing York Developments.

However, industry advocates also want the city to adapt its plan to changing market conditions.

"Flexibility is key," wrote Stephen Janes of the London Development Institute, a lobby group for developers.

Developers want to build in the city's southwest, near highways 401 and 402. Staff say the city can only afford to develop one-quarter of the southwest, with much of it not to begin for another decade.

Some issues remain unresolved, including who will call the shots in the construction of storm-water facilities.

manny_santos

Jun 30, 2008, 1:09 AM

- The city will try to complete plans for the southwest by the end of 2009, six months sooner than had been proposed by city staff.

I hope when they refer to "southwest" they're also referring to the area around Byron. That area sorely needs some commercial development, especially on the south end. Or is the old view of London ending at Wonderland Road still present?

worldwide

Jun 30, 2008, 8:46 AM

yea! fast track that sprawl

flar

Jun 30, 2008, 1:46 PM

London's urban area (well suburban ;)) has been expanding at an alarming rate, all out of proportion to the actual population growth. Just a few years ago there was nothing along Fanshawe Park Rd. except around Richmond to Adelaide. Now there are big boxes and power centres along the whole thing. Same in the southwest area. It's real sprawl too, development is very haphazard and intermittent. They really do need to put the clamp on further expansion and fill in some of the holes. Many of these areas will be very difficult to serve with public transit and it takes way too long to get downtown from these areas even by car.

GreatTallNorth2

Jun 30, 2008, 1:55 PM

flar

Jun 30, 2008, 2:43 PM

^^The Smart Centres and Power Centres are like that everywhere. There are already 7 of these things built or under construction in Hamilton with two more proposed and two others already built in Burlington. All of them are nearly identical and I would imagine the ones in London are about the same too. Good luck revitalizing downtowns anywhere with all this new retail being built.

MolsonExport

Jun 30, 2008, 3:30 PM

Is it just me or does "SmartCentres" not build the dumbest developments around? If you have been to their centre in Hyde Park, you will have to say that it is the most pedestrian unfriendly places around. They should have built the development close together and put the parking around it so people could walk to the stores. Instead you find yourself driving from store to store.

I refer to them as Dumbcentres. I live very close to the one in Hyde Park; close enough to walk. But I don't walk, due to the pedestrian-unfriendly design. Bad enough the stores are scattered across hectares of space. Worse still are the numerous 'roads' that must be crossed (this is another area that is dumb in design, from a driver's perspective), and the aggressive drivers that drive on these internal roads.

London is at the forefront of de-densification.

manny_santos

Jul 1, 2008, 1:09 AM

Is it just me or does "SmartCentres" not build the dumbest developments around? If you have been to their centre in Hyde Park, you will have to say that it is the most pedestrian unfriendly places around. They should have built the development close together and put the parking around it so people could walk to the stores. Instead you find yourself driving from store to store.

Yeah, it's horrible, I took a bus up to Future Shop once and had to walk through expanses of mud to get to and from the bus stop. It is a horrible design. I rarely ever venture up to that power centre because it is way too far out of the way and it is too inconvenient to get from store to store. I am downtown often enough that I do some shopping there.

And yes, the drivers on the internal roads at the Hyde Park centre are extremely aggressive. They're probably trying to make up for the lost time making their way northward on Hyde Park Road, now one of the most congested two-lane roads in London from my experience.

QuantumLeap

Jul 9, 2008, 2:36 PM

This is an application that the city is considering for a 6-floor building on the NORTH side of Dundas Street at English, across from the larger development currently proposed on the South side.

REVISED - 744-748 Dundas Street - The proposed amendment is to permit the construction of a 6-storey mixed use residential/commercial building with an increase in the permitted density of the site to allow 53 residential units and 6 commercial units, a reduction in the minimum front yard depth, and increase the maximum lot coverage. Possible amendment to the Zoning By-law Z.-1 FROM a Business District Commercial Special Provision (BDC(19)-D250-H46) Zone which permits a broad range of commercial uses and residential uses (restricted to the rear portion or above of the ground floor) TO a Business District Commercial Special Provision Bonus (BDC(_)-B-(_)) Zone to increase the permitted density of the site, reduce the minimum front yard depth, and increase the maximum lot coverage. In the alternative, Council may also consider an amendment to the Zoning By-law Z.-1 TO a Business District Commercial Special Provision (BDC(__)-D610-H46) Zone to increase the permitted density of the site, reduce the minimum front yard depth, and increase the maximum lot coverage.
File: Z-7544 Planner: Michael Tomazincic

worldwide

Jul 10, 2008, 7:29 AM

well now that is great news. the development seems like exactly what london needs more of. human scaled density with street fronting retail to help revive one of london's main streets.

any word on what the actual site coverage/setbacks will be?

i'd like to see more of this on richmond and other main roads near the core.

Skorji

Jul 12, 2008, 2:24 PM

Yeah, Wellington St. South of the tracks needs it. Most of that stretch between the tracks and the river are in pretty bad shape. It is also the city's main artery.

MolsonExport

Jul 14, 2008, 1:05 PM

I think that London's city planners look towards the 905 area as an urban model, rather than say, more concise urban fabrics like those found in Europe.

RickRobs

Jul 15, 2008, 1:09 PM

Tue, July 15, 2008

By AM980

London could be getting a freeway in the east end over the next 20 years.

It's actually a big extension of Veterans Memorial Parkway that got the approval of a city committee last night.

Officials suggested a four-lane expansion, a northern extension and new interchanges.

The cost would be about $230 million.

Chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee Cheryl Miller tells AM980 the city is thinking long-term and showing some vision.

There's still no word when construction would begin.

The proposal must first go to the planning committee and then full city council. If it passes, the project would be included as part of the city's official plan.

There's still the issue of acquiring all necessary land, as well. At this point, city officials say they've got about 70% of what they need to work with.

For the latest local coverage, read The London Free Press on the web or in print.

MolsonExport

Jul 15, 2008, 3:15 PM

Weird. Hope that it is better than the aborted pseudo-freeway blip that is Highbury Ave.

GreatTallNorth2

Jul 15, 2008, 5:06 PM

ldoto

Jul 16, 2008, 2:12 AM

Tue, July 15, 2008

The city is developing the largest tract of industrial land in London in more than 10 years. Over 80 hectares of land is being serviced in Innovation Park at a cost of $23 million.

London is running out of city-owned serviced industrial land, with about 40 hectares available and the largest single parcel is about nine hectares, Kapil Lakhotia, director of research and business development, with the London Economic Development Corp., said yesterday.

"Our land has been selling and we have to keep up with demand," said Lakhotia. "The Industrial Land Development Strategy states that once a threshold has been reached (on available land), we have to buy and service more."

The move to service land comes as the city and region suffer through plant closings and layoffs in manufacturing and automotive industries, but London still attracts business and has to be prepared, he added.

The city recently landed C.S. Automotive Tubing, an automotive parts supplier; The Cakerie, a food processor; and Hanwha, a building supply company, to Innovation Park at Bradley Avenue and Veterans Memorial Parkway.

To make room for future growth, Innovation Park's phase two of development will see 26.4 hectares by the end of 2008 and another 56 will be added in 2009, in a future growth phase.

"If we have available, serviced land it makes a difference," said Peter White, chief executive of the LEDC. "We are looking at opportunities in other areas," of manufacturing. "We have a serviced park in a great location and it can take any one of a number of different applications."

City-owned land in Innovation Park costs $30,400 a hectare, jumping by $4,000 a hectare in October.

In other communities, land in St. Thomas costs about $18,000 to $26,000 a hectare, Strathroy can range from $16,000 to $20,000 a hectare, and Thames Centre may cost $8,000 to $24,000 a hectare.

But London offers Class A servicing with that cost, including technical support and better infrastructure on site, said Lakhotia.

"We have more inspectors, engineers, grading done by the city, underground hydro, and a storm water management system," he added.

As for Innovation Park, of the $23 million cost of servicing the land, the province pays $11 million.

Gerry Macartney, general manager of the London Chamber of Commerce, believes expanding servicing is a good strategy, adding the city needs to be prepared for future business attraction despite the manufacturing downturn.

"If you have to put a checkmark against one initiative or program the city has undertaken in the last 15 years, it would have to be the industrial land strategy," said Macartney.

"If we do not do this, we take ourselves out of the game. This is the last place the city should cut."

Peter Whatmore, senior vice-president of C.B. Richard Ellis, agreed the city is running out of industrial land.

"Companies that are interested in being part of Innovation Park are not satisfied by the existing inventory. We do not have a huge inventory of land," he said.

Despite the slowdown, several industries still look to move to Southwestern Ontario, added White. In fact, a European plastic injection mould firm is believed to be in the process of deciding between London, Thames Centre, St. Thomas and Strathroy as to where it will locate its plant.

There will be four phases of Innovation Park development of nearly 240 hectares

manny_santos

Jul 16, 2008, 2:29 AM

It probably will be a proper freeway, but if the city wants to build a ring road, they will have a long way to go. Think about this...they said they want this built in 20 years. If that is the case, we won't have a full ring road system for probably 40 years and if this is going to cost $230 million just to upgrade to freeway, what will a ring road actually cost? 1 billion or more?

I would rather see all of this money spent on rapid transit, but unfortunately our city thinks rapid transit is something unachievable.

There hasn't been any movement whatsoever on the Western leg of the freeway, although I doubt it will be needed for a long time. And nobody has dared bring up the possibility of a Northern section for a long time (last time it was brought up Middlesex County threw a hissy fit), although it is going to be needed. I think a combination of freeways and rapid transit are the best option. Perhaps a northern leg should be built by the province as part of a new highway to Stratford and Kitchener, linking the 402 with the Conestoga. It could be built somewhere north of Sunningdale Road wherever there is space, and then turn north to run roughly along the GEXR to St. Marys where it would link with Highway 7, and then run westward roughly along old Highway 22, meeting the 402 just east of Strathroy. It would be a staged project, much like Highway 100 has been - built to two lanes at first (although the section in the immediate London vicinity should be built to four lanes with interchanges from the start), then expand when needed.

Skorji

Jul 23, 2008, 3:12 PM

Here is a preview of the 25 year development concept I've created for my core area urban design study.

Summary:
- Intensification concentrated around the Thames River.
- Performing Arts Centre located at the rear of the Middlesex-London Health Unit, fronting onto Ivey Park
- Maintaining low-mid rise development throughout the majority of the downtown, especially along Dundas and Richmond retail corridors
- Two mid-block promenades, 1) linking the Covent Garden Market to the Performing Arts Centre and Riverfront. This space can also be used for outdoor activities. Festivals, etc., and 2) another linking London Station to Dundas St. and mass transit. This space is ideal for creating secondary retail frontages and outdoor cafes, patios, etc.
- maintaining and enhancing of all mid-block connections and alley spaces, creating a secondary pedestrian network
- redeveloping the backs of existing buildings, which front onto the secondary pedestrian network, converting back alleys into central courtyards, and back of buildings into live/work units and artist lofts.
- creating a new urban plaza at the northwest corner of richmond and carling street.
- providing a special paving treatment for Talbot between James St / Covent Market Place and King. This area will be designed as a homezone or shared path, and can be closed for special outdoor events, including festivals, etc.
- Improving the quality of the sculpture park in front of museum London.
- there are many other things I could say, but I have to get back to work on my design guidelines.

Enjoy!

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v309/33/33/172002286/n172002286_36147120_6528.jpg

ldoto

Jul 24, 2008, 2:26 AM

McGuinty resurrects bid for better financial deal with Ottawa

By Keith Leslie, THE CANADIAN PRESS

LONDON, Ont. - It's time Ontario started showing a united front in its feud with the federal government, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday as he urged voters to learn more about what he considers Ottawa's unfair treatment of Canada's largest province.

It's a familiar refrain for McGuinty, as it was for generations of his predecessors, he acknowledged, but the dispute has taken on a new urgency - "the unfairness is more pronounced," he said - because of economic growth in other provinces.

But McGuinty admitted that he has no plans to follow the lead of Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams, whose dispute with Ottawa had him lowering the Canadian flag and calling Prime Minister Stephen Harper "Steve."

"Historically, we've been somewhat reluctant to stand up for ourselves," McGuinty said after a speech to the London Chamber of Commerce.

"There's been a rejigging of the economy of late, nationally, and it's time for Ontarians to come together and assert their claim for fairness."

The federal government collects $20 billion from Ontario every year for distribution in the rest of the country, which no longer makes economic sense when other provinces are doing so much better financially, McGuinty said in his speech.

"Rain or shine, the federal government extracts over three per cent of Ontario's GDP from our economy to redistribute across the country," he said.

"Despite the energy boom in other parts of the country, the federal government today takes more out of Ontario for distribution to other provinces than ever before in Canadian history."

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which supports McGuinty's bid for a better financial deal with Ottawa, said the premier is well advised to stay on a leadership track and forget about trying to embarrass the prime minister with stunts or name-calling.

"Those antics may grab headlines but ultimately we want to make some change and we want to make sure that Ontario gets its fair share," said Chamber president Len Crispino.

"It's come to the point now where we're funding other parts of Canada to a far greater degree in terms of quality of services, and that can only be sustained for a portion of time. "

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said he has personally assured McGuinty the opposition will co-operate in the fight for a better deal with Ottawa, but he complained that the governing Liberals need to do more to boost Ontario's economy.

"Denial and diversion are not going to rebuild the Ontario economy," Tory said in an interview.

"I think he's got a lot of homework to do to make Ontario an attractive place to invest again. It's time for him to act to get Ontario back on top instead of just pointing fingers at the federal government."

Canada's equalization program is "so badly broken" that Ontario is required to pay more every time the price of oil goes up, McGuinty complained. Unemployed Ontario workers still don't get a "fair shake" from the federal Employment Insurance system, he added.

"Today, workers in Ontario who lose their jobs get $4,000 less to support their family than workers in other provinces," McGuinty said.

"That's not fair. "

McGuinty also dismissed Tory's call for a public update on the state of Ontario's finances, despite jumps in energy prices and the value of the dollar since the provincial budget was tabled last March.

Tory said growth projections have been cut in half, and government revenues could be well off the forecasts in the budget, but McGuinty said the budget was still balanced and he still expected "modest" but positive growth this year.
__________________

ldoto

Jul 24, 2008, 2:54 AM

Wed, July 23, 2008

Ash Borer Battle Downtown
The City of London undertakes a new project to protect the healthiest ash trees in the downtown..

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/News%20Paper%20Photos/tree_doctor.jpg

The Amabile Choirs sing in Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria... Some downtown London ash trees -- the city's largest -- are getting the equivalent of a flu shot to help protect them against the deadly emerald ash borer.

Chemical injections around the base of 44 ash trees in the city's core are aimed at deterring infestations for two years. The injections have shown to be effective 80 per cent of the time.

"It's like a flu shot for trees," said Ivan Listar, the city's urban forester.

The trees -- which aren't infested -- are scattered around Victoria Park, Covent Garden Market, John Labatt Centre and the London Convention Centre.

The initiative -- called the Ecoject System -- will cost the city about $8,000, Listar said. It will expand into different areas of London in the future if more money becomes available, he said. London and Toronto are the only places in Ontario to use the system city-wide.

The ash borer was discovered in London last year, when the city first experimented with Ecoject on 300 trees. The metallic green-bronze bug can kill healthy trees in two or three years as the larvae create tunnels by feeding under tree bark, preventing the flow of nutrients.

The ash borer has been found in Lambton, Chatham-Kent, Elgin, Middlesex and Norfolk counties, and has killed 20 million ash trees in North America.

There are 150 ash trees in the city's core, but only the 44 in the best condition were chosen, Listar said.

The injections will start this week.

A plant health-care technician will drill a series of small holes around a tree trunk and attach plastic canisters holding a chemical, called TreeAzin.

The chemical will travel through the tree like water.

The process can take a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the tree's size.

Strathroy-based Arbortech Professional Tree Care will administer the injections.

SOME FACTS ON ASH BORER

Emerald ash borer is a wood-boring beetle native to China and eastern Asia.

It attacks all species of ash trees.

The bugs were found in Michigan in 2002 and have move eastward -- landing in London last year. Some infestations in London are near Masonville Place and Parkwood and University hospitals.

Larvae can kill a healthy ash tree in two to three years.

Adult beetles are 1-1.5 cm long with a metallic green-bronze body colour.