The CEO of Morguard real estate, owner of the East York Town Centre, says it will be a slow job to find tenants for all the spaces left vacant by the decision of Target Corporation to pull out of Canada. Rai Sahi, also echoed the view expressed by many that there is no single chain of stores likely to take over multiple locations the way Target did when Zeller’s was going downhill three years ago. “This is a surprise to everybody,” Sahi told the Minneapolis StarTribune, hometown newspaper to Target’s headquarters city. “When (Target) came in, we were very happy because we were worried about Zeller’s space at the time,” said Mr. Sahi. He is also chairman of Morguard. It has 15 store leases with Target, one of which is the Town Centre. “We knew they had some trouble, but the last thing that anyone expected was that Target was going to pull out that fast.” What will happen now? Sahi says he thinks that retailers in Canada will take pieces of the space, with Wal-Mart Canada at the top of that list.” Sahi said there is already a competition brewing between some major retailers in Canada for his company’s most desirable Target locations. Those who might wish to see a Wal-Mart move into the Town Centre have to reckon with the choices available to Wal-Mart. The Thorncliffe site might not seem as attractive as a location in the new SmartCentre property on the north side of Wicksteed Ave and close to the LRT. So much property is in transition, including the Leaside Centre at Laird Drive and Eglinton, owned by Rio.Can, it is very difficult to guess where large firms like Canadian Tire might finally settle.
Toronto Police locate Jazmine 14
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Toronto Police Service has found Jazmine, 14, safe.
TSX rises 267 pts on the need to be sensible
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We will call it the need to be sensible, although that is not just how Reuters puts the resurgence in Toronto stocks on Friday, January 16, 2015. Yes, we have a glut of oil. No, it is not the end of days. There are bargains to be had.
$22 million Bloor Viaduct project nearly finished
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This year’s flu vaccine a total flop says doctor
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| Dr. Michael Gardam |
Reports that the 2014 flu vaccine missed the mark seem to be under-stated. A doctor with the University Health Network in Toronto, Michael Gardam, suggests the vaccine was essentially worthless. Dr. Gardam is the director of infectious prevention and control at the network. Reports from the Centre for Disease Control in the U.S. have set the effectiveness of the vaccine at 23 percent. Curiously, it appears the flu cases seen in Canada are even more mis-matched with the vaccine than that 23 percent. About 98 per cent of the viruses showing up in Canada are mismatched (meaning there is little or no protection) whereas in the U.S., its closer to 68 per cent mismatches. It is an interesting analysis seldom revealed before. Most people assume the annual flu is the same throughout North America. Since the CDC started doing flu vaccine studies in 2004, overall effectiveness has ranged from 10 per cent to 60 per cent. It’s those higher levels of effectiveness that prompts doctors to say it is better to take the flu shot than not.
Help Alexa collect gently-used prom clothes
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It’s time again to begin collecting used but still-good formal dress items that less fortunate teens would love to have for their prom nights coming up this Spring. A prominent organizer in this good work is Alexa Rocca, daughter of Realtor Patrick Rocca. Alexa is asking that you seek out new or gently-used dresses, suits, shoes, purses and accessories for donation to the drive. Drop them off at Bosley Real Estate at 290 Merton Street attention Patrick Rocca. You can also make arrangements for pick up by mailing Alexa at alexr@bss.on.ca. The items are laundered and taken to the Prom Boutique at New Circles Community Services. It is said the day of the actual fittings at the boutique is quite incredible. After collecting the clothing, Alex and family have helped out at these fittings. One can imagine it is very heart-warming to see the smiles on kids faces. The service is directed to Flemingdon Park families
“Survival officers” for our errant homeless?
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Nice as it is, Mayor Tory’s plan to rent hotel rooms for the homeless does not seem to address the gulf between the homeless and the rest of us. The homeless want to do whatever they want. Freedom of movement and personal choice is a dilemma faced by our kind-hearted society. It is the great un-addressed factor in making sure the homeless really do get inside. Any honest understanding of how people behave tells us that, yes, more space may help, but it is unlikely to eliminate death from exposure in the winter. In another world, the homeless might report to a “survival officer” every morning. But no one wants survival officers, effective as they might be, checking on them all the time. The Constitution no doubt forbids it. But remember, this is about how to stop anyone from freezing to death.
York Mills Rd. closed by watermain break
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York Mills Rd. will be closed all day Friday because of a watermain break between Fenside Drive and Parkwoods Village Drive.
Conservatives have national lead says Ipsos
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The creation of new federal political boundaries — which include the elimination of Don Valley West and the appearance of a riding known as University-Rosedale — is likely to favour the Conservative Party in the general election expected this year. Ipsos Reid has finished a poll which says the CP leads the Liberals nationally, including in Ontario. In addition, the new boundaries coming in 70 ridings move the Conservatives closer to a majority government, said Ipsos Reid’s John Wright. “If you took the 2011 numbers and applied them to the new riding situation immediately — without having a campaign or anything — the Conservatives already gain 22 extra seats as a result of that,” Mr. Wright told the National Post. The popular support numbers are Conservative 35%, Liberals 31% and NDP at 24%, down seven points since the 2011 federal election. According to Mr. Wright, the increased support for the Conservative party could be reflective of the shaky economy as the price of oil continues to drop. Mr. Harper could also be benefiting from a vocal stance against terrorism. “Two key planks that always emerge as a strong suit for the Conservatives over the other two parties are the economy and national security,” Mr. Wright said. Harper’s personal approval rating is at 49% – the highest since March 2012.
“The bloodless, casual cruelty of the young”
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Christie Blatchford summarizes the re-telling of the critical events as told to her by the young man sentenced today in Halifax in the Rehteah Parsons case.
Leslie Roberts gone immediately from Global
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Let City Council oversee the TDSB, schools
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There is really no way of knowing what is meant by nebulous terms like “a culture of fear” at the Toronto and District School Board. Possibly some teachers and staff were being threatened by trustees in a way that readers might recognize. Or maybe there was just a lot of neighbourhood and union politics at work. One stated alarm was fear of the use of email. That sounds paranoid, stupid or both. But these are the scary concerns being broadcast The special report written by Margaret Wilson for the education minister never gets down to cases, even anonymously. Too bad. It is clear however that there are an awful lot of people trying to run the TDSB. Trustees with as many as three assistants each, the school board staff, the principals and teachers and the parent associations. It’s too much. The unique thing about schools is that they send home a special agent every evening to tell mom and dad what happened. Very little gets overlooked in the day to day life of children at school. This is as it should be. It does not require the structure now in place. The trustee system is antiquated, expensive and confusing. This is an opportunity for the provincial government to reform the administration of schools. It need not be as simple as eliminating the trustees, but that would be a good start.