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The Celtic Invasion: why the arrival of hundreds of Irish construction workers benefits Toronto’s building boom

The Celtic Invasion

Sean and James McQuillan left Ireland for Toronto in 2010

In the mid-1990s, companies such as Microsoft, Intel and Apple, attracted by Ireland’s well-educated workforce, tax incentives, minimal regulations and low wages, opened offices in Dublin with a speed that surprised even the gravest doubter. By the time the Celtic Tiger, as the exploding Irish economy was dubbed, had fully deployed its claws, the unemployment rate had dropped to just under five per cent, one of the lowest in the developed world. Ireland’s GDP grew to one of the highest in Europe, exports doubled in just five years, and the average income was climbing seven per cent a year, almost triple the
eurozone average.

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The Informer

Features

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Editor’s Letter (November 2012): Toronto’s glossy new global appeal

Sarah FulfordThe U.S. presidential race has been depressing to watch. The portrait of America that has emerged from the conventions and the debates and the attack ads is grim: a country plagued by vast unemployment and a shrinking middle class, where many average citizens can’t pay the bills. For the first time in generations, Americans anticipate their kids will never make as much money as they do. Even the flow of illegal immigrants to the U.S. is slowing; since the economy crashed in 2008, the number of Mexicans sneaking across the border has declined.

Both presidential candidates think they know how to fix the country. Obama believes in sharing the wealth, and Romney believes in the power of the free market. The only thing they agree on is that the American dream is in tatters.

Or maybe it just got displaced. Maybe it moved to Canada. We have our share of economic challenges, as anyone in ­Stephen Harper’s office could tell you. But compared with many troubled spots on the globe, Canada is paradise. Our middle class is relatively stable, and people from all over the world are desperate to move here. This country, of course, has always attracted immigrants in search of a better life. But Canada wasn’t necessarily a first-choice destination. Now, as Europe experiences extreme economic volatility and the U.S. becomes a place where people are working three minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet, Canada’s status abroad has greatly improved.

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The Informer

Business

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Canada’s banking boom has a downside: “shenanigans” from the big banks

Canada’s biggest banks are basking in good news lately: profits are up, as are payouts to shareholders, and (unlike their European and American counterparts) the largest lenders are expanding their workforces. However, those boom times aren’t trickling down to the common folk, according to the Globe and Mail’s Rob Carrick. Late last week, he decried the uptick in “bank shenanigans” since the tough times of the 2008 recession:

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The Informer

Sports

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Two GTAers’ Olympic hopes are revived thanks to some shady badminton shenanigans 

An Olympic scandal has worked out in Canada’s favour: badminton players Alex Bruce of Toronto and Michele Li of Markham are back from the brink of elimination after a Chinese team, an Indonesian team and two South Korean teams were disqualified for match-throwing. The teams were trying to lose to ensure they’d have easier match-ups in subsequent rounds (an official told the Toronto Star the dishonourable practice isn’t unheard of in lower profile events). Needless to say, the audience who expected (and paid) to see Olympic-level badminton were not impressed with the beginner-style skills displayed. As the players served into the net, missed some shots and over hit others, the crowd started booing and chanting “off, off, off.’’ And the Badminton World Federation complied, disqualifying those players and ushering Bruce and Li into the quarter finals. Chalk one point down for sportsmanlike conduct. [Globe and Mail]

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People

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Conrad Black hints that he may be getting back into the newspaper biz

(Image: Charles LeBlanc)

In an interview with Rachel Mendleson that ran on Huffington Post Canada yesterday, Conrad Black remarked that he sees investment potential in the country’s near-moribund newspaper industry and that he’d consider getting in the game if the “right opportunity” came along. (From Baron Black of Crossharbour: “There is a great premium to be placed on the editorial function and on the goodwill of a famous trademark like a respected newspaper.”) When pressed on how he would reenter the market, however, Black was evasive—he didn’t want to compromise his imaginary plans with “excessive disclosure.” Still, that didn’t stop the Western media from working itself into a frothy tizzy. The Guardian suggested he must have been merely “teasing” and Yahoo Canada pointed out that Black probably wouldn’t be allowed to buy a newspaper even if he wanted to (convicted criminal without Canadian citizenship and all). The Globe and Mail, for its part, compared Black to Warren Buffet (yes, Warren Buffet). [Huffington Post]

The Goods

Shopping

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The Bay’s Team Canada Olympics collection includes a teddy bear, a flag and an adorable onesie

2012 Team Canada Olympics gear (Image: B Insider)

The 2012 Olympic Games begin tomorrow, which means that in addition to being bombarded with a lot of McDonald’s advertising, there will be a lot of barbecues and parties requiring guests to wear patriotic swag. While maple leaf-emblazoned shirts and jogging shorts may not make it into the permanent rotation, for the next 17 days, The Bay’s Team Canada garb will likely become a de facto uniform for some. And, though wearing so much red and white may seem daunting, The Bay’s Olympic team collection includes several pieces that will actually look good after the Olympics. (So, the opposite of this.)

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The Informer

Business

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Hudson’s Bay Company entertains the idea of an IPO

(Image: JamesZ_Flickr)

Rumours are swirling about an initial public offering for Canadian icon Hudson’s Bay Company. Women’s Wear Daily is reporting that HBC’s owners want to capitalize off The Bay’s recent rehabilitation—the department store has seen a marked improvement in finances since 2010 (it was reportedly running negative or break-even comp-store sales for 20 years prior to that), a Topshop expansion and reports of other retail partnerships in the works. Moreover, as Canada’s retail sector braces for Target’s impending arrival, the fact that HBC has operations both north (The Bay, Home Outfitters) and south (Lord and Taylor) of the border could be a draw to investors. In 2011, the company was exploring the possibility of listing publicly, but the idea was reportedly squashed due to market volatility. This time, Richard Baker, HBC’s governor and CEO, is remaining cagey. He told WWD, “There is nothing on the radar at the moment, but it could come at any time.”

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The Informer

Sports

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VIDEO: see how much hard work—and how much food—it takes to be an Olympian

We were already pleased at how well represented Toronto will be at the London Olympics next month, and now we have another homegrown athlete to cheer on. Beach volleyballer and Toronto native Josh Binstock and his B.C.-born teammate Martin Reader earned their Olympic berths last weekend, just 20 days before the Olympics are set to begin. And, based on this YouTube video oatless oatmeal looks pretty gross but the “Olympic-sized” burrito from Chipotle near the end of the video is truly something to behold). [York Region]

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Business

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VIDEOS: our favourite Toronto-made commercials from this year’s Cannes Lions awards

The red carpet at last year’s Cannes Lions festival (Image: Digitas Photos

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is an annual pat on the back for the advertising and PR industries, recognizing the most innovative works of communication (and salesmanship) from around the globe. Canada was well represented at this year’s fête, with Toronto bringing some serious creative fire of its own. We sorted through the pile of honorees and picked out our favourite ads from local agencies—they include videos of a reverse bank heist, a Cyclops doctor and a sexy apology. Click through to watch them all.

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The Hype

From the Print Edition

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The Argument: Why is quintessentially American writer Richard Ford’s new novel about Canada?

The Argument | Ford NationThe day after George W. Bush was re-elected president, the American novelist Richard Ford got in his car and drove across the border to Saskatchewan from Montana. He did not come in search of political asylum—something many American liberal intellectuals loudly and half-jokingly yearned for that day—but for a flu shot, which his U.S. health care provider had deemed him “not old enough or sick enough to merit.”

Ford had made the journey north often enough, but this time it was different. “I crossed that border, and I just felt the world lift off my shoulders,” he says. “I realized there was something about Canada that was very established as good in my mind.” The burden of being American—of being from a politically fractious, sometimes violent place—suddenly vanished. “For many Americans, Canada has long been seen as a place of refuge.”

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The Hype

The Velvet Rope

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Party Pages: The Trillium Awards, a rowdy affair for beflowered Ontario authors

The Trillium Awards, the annual ceremony for Ontario-based authors, took place, fittingly, at the Toronto Reference Library last week. The awards have honoured some of Canada’s most famous writers, like Michael Ondaatje, Alice Munro and Margaret Atwood, and this was an extra-special night in celebration of the event’s 25th year. Nominees wore pink flowers, while past winners wore white to differentiate themselves in the massive crowd of literati (we guess wearing trilliums would be a little premature for the pink-flowered crowd). As it has since 1994, the event also fêted French- speaking nominees, so hosts Heather Hiscox of CBC News and Karen Thorn-Stone, president of the Ontario Media Development Agency, jumped between French and English (it becomes a rather long night when you hear everything twice). Though Hiscox sounded fluent, Thorn-Stone’s delivery seemed a touch forced—she even quipped, after her first French foray received a round of applause, “Now you’re just making fun of me.”

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The Informer

Real Estate

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Ontario’s cottage market went from lagging to booming in a month

(Image: Gary J. Wood)

Like all good real estate studies, the latest report on cottage sales in Canada contradicts the one that came before it. Last month, the Toronto Star ran a story on how Ontario’s recreational property market had plateaued, based on a report by Royal LePage; yesterday, the paper’s Moneyville blog wrote aboutRe/Max report that says Canadians are buying cottages in the biggest numbers since 2008. Apparently, sales are up in 70 per cent of Canadian markets, including Muskoka, Grand Bend and Lake of Bays, thanks to renewed consumer confidence, low interest rates and lower prices. Which sounds great, except that those soft prices are due to the fact that people don’t want to shell out more than $400,000 for a lakeside cabin. Not to worry if you’re feeling a little confused—a month from now, someone will release another report saying something completely different. [Moneyville]

The Hype

Cinemania

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David Cronenberg is already working on his next film

David Cronenberg and Robert Pattinson (Image: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)

The moody nihilism of Cosmopolis still lingers in the blogosphere like a weird perfume, but David Cronenberg has already moved on to his next project: Maps to the Stars. The cast will include Robert Pattinson, who’s evidently proven himself to be a thespian worthy of roles outside the Twilight franchise, and Cronenberg hopes his bestie Viggo Mortensen will sign on. The Canadian director describes Maps to the Stars as a “hard sell,” which we imagine he does with a wink and a nudge. (We expect that Cronenberg is in a position to make whatever he wants, whenever he wants to.) A synopsis describes the film as a “dark comedic drama about two children ruined by Hollywood depravity.” Does that mean there’s going to be more sex than Cosmopolis? If yes, that’s crazy. [Indiewire]

The Informer

Random Stuff

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Hate sitting in Starbucks surrounded by squealing kids? Stay downtown 

The 2011 census confirms what most city-watchers have suspected all along: Toronto is a working adult’s town. For instance, in four downtown tracts, including three along the waterfront, the percentage of the working-age population is over 90 per cent compared to the national average of 68.5 per cent. That’s not surprising, given the spate of yuppie-sanctioned condos along the lake—nor is it a shock that Milton, Ajax and Brampton have seen a steady uptick in young families drawn by cheaper housing and affordable child care. To find out how child-light your neighbourhood is, check out this cool census map rigged up by the folks at OpenFile. [Toronto Star]

The Informer

People

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Conrad Black’s post-jail plans: chatting with Peter Mansbridge and shunning beer

(Image: Charles LeBlanc)

Conrad Black is back in Toronto, and so far his plans sound pretty low-key for a baron. In an email to the Globe and Mail, Black wrote that his post-jail life will include updating his book and trying to lose some weight. He’s also trying to sort out a court case with U.S. tax authorities, suing British writer Tom Bower for $2.5 million over Bower’s biography of Black and his wife, Barbara Amiel, and wrapping up a few lingering Hollinger lawsuits. Not on the itinerary: buying back the National Post (which he launched in 1998), entering the newspaper business again or giving interviews to anyone in Canada but Peter Mansbridge. Black also refused the Globe and Mail’s long-standing invitation for a beer in characteristically verbose style: “I only drink the odd glass of wine and am trying to lose weight, so the forum you proposed, though appreciated, is a bit dated after these years that have passed.” [Globe and Mail]

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