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To Market, To Market

May 18, 2012 | 2:16 pm

A monster condo project could be headed to the St. Lawrence Market area

(Image: chriskay)

It’s generally agreed that urban planners have done a good job of organizing the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. With its eclectic mix of condos, subsidized apartments, restaurants, shops and hang-out spots, it’s an example of successful urban renewal, and that’s one reason why it made our “Where to Buy Now” list this year. But now there are rumblings of a new mega-condo project that could give even pro-development types reason to pause. Urban Toronto reports that the Pemberton Group has submitted a proposal to the city to build 1,663 units on an entire city block at Front Street East and Sherbourne. The development would consist of two towers, of 33 and 34 stories each, atop bases of 13 and 17 stories, with retail space on the ground floor. Internet commenters have already started to rage over the project’s scale, so we expect some vocal opposition at public meetings in the coming months. [UrbanToronto.com]

Summit Survivor

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May 18, 2012 | 12:04 pm

Senior commanders and front-line constables facing disciplinary charges over G20 tactics

(Image: Alfred Ng from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

Now that the Independent Police Review Director’s report on G20 policing has been released, both top brass and front-line officers will be facing disciplinary charges—nearly two years after the crackdown on protesters. The IPR director investigated 207 complaints against police, and a little over half of those (107, to be exact) led to disciplinary charges, 96 of which were deemed to be serious. The police review office recommended disciplinary tribunals for commanders with the Toronto Police Service (it’s still too early in the process to release names and numbers, but the charges will affect no more than six commanders). And it’s not just high-ranking officers who could get fingered: the director also ordered charges against 25 rank-and-file officers. So far, eight constables (Vincent Wong, Blair Begbie, Alan Li, Donald Stratton, Michael Kirpoff, Ryan Simpson, Jason Crawford and Michael Martinez) will face the disciplinary tribunal in June. Which should mean we’ll be heading into the third consecutive summer of G20 coverage. [Globe and Mail]

The Sporting Life

1 Comment

May 18, 2012 | 11:00 am

QUOTED: former CBC exec Richard Stursberg thinks Hockey Night in Canada is probably doomed

It’s going to be very, very difficult. The sports networks are jacking up the prices, so they’re going to have even deeper pockets when they come to the table. TSN and Sportsnet have proven that they can get big TV audiences as easily as the CBC does. And that’s very hard to fight against.

—Richard Stursberg, CBC’s former executive vice-president for English services, sounding the death knell for Hockey Night in Canada. The public broadcaster’s television and digital rights for NHL games expire in two years, and Stursberg believes there’s only a “low” chance it will be able to renew. (Kirstine Stewart, the woman who now holds Stursberg’s old job, insists otherwise.) While big telecommunications companies are willing to shell out wads of money for TV sports rights, the public broadcaster has had its budget slashed and has had lower ad revenues this year, in part because all the Canadian teams dropped out of the playoffs early. All of which imperils HNIC’s future—and Don Cherry’s opportunity to show off his flamboyant coats. [Globe and Mail]

To Market, To Market

1 Comment

May 18, 2012 | 9:30 am

Luxury condo wars: how the Trump Tower, the Four Seasons and the rest are doing so far

Donald Trump, with daughter Ivanka and sons Donald Jr. and Eric, launches the Trump Tower (Image: George Pimentel)

Sure, their hig h-profile restaurants and over-the-top ribbon cuttings have netted the Ritz-Carlton, Trump Tower, Shangri-La and Four Seasons plenty of press, but we’re still wondering if people are actually buying the luxury condos. In January, we noticed some early signs that the thousand-plus upscale suites heading to market could be too many (even for Toronto’s hot condo market), and this week, Reuters investigated how well the sales have been going. It turns out that none of the towers has sold out yet, and developers are feeling a wee bit nervous about getting their initial stock sold before the resale market kicks in. We broke down the numbers to see which tower is outdoing the rest and which is having the most trouble finding buyers. Find out which tower has only sold 40 per cent of its residential condos

Gimme Shelter

4 Comments

May 18, 2012 | 8:00 am

Condomonium: $1 million for a suite in a King West clock tower (round windows included)

ADDRESS: 700 King St. W., Unit 612

NEIGHBOURHOOD: Niagara

AGENTS: George, Frank and John Filntissis, Coldwell Banker Terrequity Realty

PRICE: $999,000

THE PLACE: A three-bedroom condo in the clock tower of a former King West office building. Converted into the Westside Lofts in 2001, the building is equipped with a gym, a sauna and a rooftop patio.

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Political Whoas

2 Comments

May 17, 2012 | 2:39 pm

Pride déjà vu: the Queers Against Israeli Apartheid debate imperils funding (again)

Like another Pride controversy of yesteryear, the question of whether Queers Against Israeli Apartheid should be allowed to march in the Pride Parade is once again up for debate. Last year, some city councillors (we’re looking at you, Giorgio Mammoliti) freaked out over the possibility that the group would show up, and talked about revoking funding for the event. In the end, QuAIA volunteered to skip the march (though they did drape a large banner above the Wellesley subway station), and Pride got city cash (though council changed its Pride funding policy: it would only hand over the cash after the parade on the condition that the festivities don’t violate the city’s anti-discrimination policy). This year, however, QuAIA plans to apply to march, making council’s vote next month on Pride’s $123,807 grant potentially thorny. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that council is still working on figuring out exactly what qualifies as discriminatory: though the city manager has determined the use of the phrase “Israeli Apartheid” doesn’t break any anti-discrimination rules, the policy will be reviewed at the mayor’s executive committee meeting in June. [Globe and Mail]

Ford Focus

4 Comments

May 17, 2012 | 1:06 pm

SPOTTED: Rob Ford attends—and reads a proclamation at—a gay outreach event (!)

Rob Ford at IDAHOT flag-raising (Image: Don Peat via Twitter)

Something awfully surprising happened just moments ago: Mayor Rob Ford not only attended the flag-raising ceremony for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, but he also delivered the IDAHOT proclamation, receiving a huge round of applause and cheers from the crowd. Given Ford’s impressively weak ties to the gay community in Toronto, and the fact that his office had told organizers he wouldn’t be attending this event at all, we’re shocked at his surprise appearance. Does this mean he’ll be donning a neon green lycra Speedo and a Super Soaker holster at the Pride parade this year? (You’re welcome for the visual.)

In Transit

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May 17, 2012 | 12:20 pm

Major traffic disruptions on the Gardiner this summer (and the nine summers after that)

While construction on Toronto’s highways and roads is as much a sign of summer as a smog alert or a crowded patio, the next 10 years will have some especially sucky conditions for Gardiner Expressway drivers. Work on the elevated portion of the highway will start this July, when the eastbound Bay Steet on-ramp and Jarvis Street off-ramp will be closed for up to six weeks, and lanes on Lake Shore Boulevard and Bay and Yonge streets will also be closed off. The city has a decade worth of construction projects in store for the seven-kilometre-long elevated section, which will cost about $10 million this summer and up to $15 million a year after that. City staff insist the rehabilitation project has nothing to do with the falling-concrete incidents of last week. To which we reply: if you say so. [Toronto Star]

Summit Survivor

1 Comment

May 17, 2012 | 11:02 am

A report slams the G20 police response—but says most officers acted properly

(Image: Phil Marion from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

Another long-awaited report on G20 policing—the second this week—is out, and it details some egregious behaviour, including civil rights violations, the use of excessive force and some really bad planning. In the report, Independent Police Review director Gerry McNeilly writes that police unlawfully stopped and searched people on the street, and that the kettling at Queen and Spadina was “unreasonable, unnecessary and unlawful.” He also criticizes the force’s mass arrests and miserable makeshift detention centre on Eastern Avenue.

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Opine for Business

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May 16, 2012 | 3:42 pm

Bell Mobility faces a class-action lawsuit over its pre-paid wireless services

Bad news for Bell Mobility and parent company BCE: they have been served with a $100-million class-action lawsuit over wireless services—a division that has been a cash cow for the company in recent months. Bell Mobility customer Celia Sankar says expiry dates on pre-paid wireless services are illegal, arguing that the payments are defined as “gift cards” under Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act and therefore shouldn’t have a best-before date that allows the company to seize unused credits. If the class-action suit is allowed to proceed, Sankar will represent anyone in Ontario who has used Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile Canada and Solo Mobile pre-paid wireless services since May 4, 2010 (i.e., a boatload of people).
[Canadian Press]

From the Print Edition

4 Comments

May 16, 2012 | 3:30 pm

The Chase: a young couple finds a place to party in the west end

By Monika Warzecha

The Buyers: Joel McConvey, a 33-year-old freelance writer and producer, and Amy Butoiske, the 33-year-old manager of the Worldwide Short Film Festival.

The Story: McConvey and Butoiske, who lived in a small apartment at Bloor and Ossington, never thought they’d be able to afford a house in Toronto. Then, about a year ago, McConvey finished work on The National Parks Project, a popular documentary series, and the couple found themselves with a windfall (he got paid, unusually, for all 13 episodes at once). “We thought, ‘Who knows when this will happen again? Let’s put the money into a good investment,’ ” McConvey says. The couple loved their neighbourhood, with its cool bars and restaurants, and hoped they could find something nearby. They wanted a place big enough for McConvey to have an office (he works from home) and with a good-sized backyard for hosting summer barbecues. The couple set a budget of $465,000 and started their first-ever house hunt.

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Ford Focus

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May 16, 2012 | 3:25 pm

Could his support for a GTA casino hurt Rob Ford in the 2014 election?

(Image: Shaun Merritt)

Most of the casino coverage has focused on the economic and social aspects of the debate, but today Spacing’s John Lorinc turns his attention to the potential political fallout. He argues that the casino issue has potentially upended the 2014 election, which, until now, pundits had assumed would be centred around subways and fiscal conservatism—issues on which Rob Ford continues to garner a healthy amount of support. However, if a referendum on a casino is on the 2014 ballot, Lorinc continues, it could be “manna from heaven for the centre-left.” The logic goes that Ford’s opponents would be able to rally against the pro-casino mayor by calling attention to the corporate and political villains and backroom deals that surely go along with pushing through such a development. Lorinc says that the trick is to not sound too sanctimonious about shielding Toronto from wicked gambling dens, but rather to paint Ford “as someone willing to gamble the future of the city and its waterfront.” For a mayoral race that’s still more than two years away, things are already getting heated. Read the entire story [Spacing Toronto] »

To Market, To Market

4 Comments

May 16, 2012 | 1:45 pm

Ontarians aren’t buying cottages (even though prices have plateaued)

(Image: b.m.a.n.)

Even if summer weather calls for decompressing in front of a lake (that is, one that’s out of earshot from the Gardiner Expressway), Ontario’s cottage market is lagging. Royal LePage just issued a report on the recreational property market that says a whopping 59 per cent of Ontarians who planned to buy a cottage have postponed the decision because of global economic uncertainty. With the slower demand, and an abundance of supply coming from baby boomers who no longer want their vacation homes now that their children have grown up, prices have plateaued—although waterfront properties under $400,000 and over $1 million are still attracting buyers. But cottage lovers who don’t want to take the plunge into ownership can always rent—and may want to check out twohoursnorth.com, a new Toronto-based site that lists rental cottages by travel time so they’ll know exactly how long they’ll be stuck in traffic before arriving lakeside. [Toronto Star]

Gimme Shelter

8 Comments

May 16, 2012 | 1:00 pm

House of the Week: $8 million for a deluxe Arts and Crafts home steps from Lake Ontario

ADDRESS: 412 Lake Front

NEIGHBOURHOOD: The Beach

AGENTS: Thomas D. Neal, Royal LePage Estate Realty and Sam Mcdadi, ReMax Performance Realty

PRICE: $8,000,000

THE PLACE: This massive house on the water boasts a 270-degree panoramic view of the lake, making its vibe more island than urban. Built in the 1920s, the Arts and Crafts-style home underwent two years and $4 million worth of renovations to turn a rundown hodgepodge of small apartments into a single-family dwelling.

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