Mayor Ford is in hospital this afternoon awaiting treatment for kidney stones. The hospital is unidentified. His spokesperson said Ford is busy with City business in his hospital room and talking to staff and others on the phone. She said the matter was not serious.
Will CTV be “Canada’s fastest network”
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Canadians must be asking themselves today whether the CTV Network is really going to be run by BCE. The lumbering telecom goliath seems bent on a mission to permanently destroy its reputation. To be charitable, its malfeasances and mistakes, are careless to say the least. Now BCE has been caught using a faulty Internet monitoring device that has overcharged customers. Before that it was utterly irregular cold calling which netted a huge fine from the CRTC. Will such unwelcome techniques soon appear on TV? Will CTV’s new slogan be “Canada’s fastest network?” Will Lisa LaFlamme have to make harassing calls? Will local news be out sourced to Mumbai? A whole new media world awaits.
Lower prices for Emma Bridgewater goods
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The continued strength of the Canadian dollar against the British pound has led to a reduction in prices of certain goods made in the United Kingdom. British goods are frequently known for higher prices but they are desirable just the same. The dollar is at 1.607 to the pound and some stores, including Homefront, have reduced prices accordingly. All prices on the well known Emma Bridgewater dishes for example have been reduced by $2 to $5. It is an extensive line made in the traditional china making centre of England, Stoke- on-Trent. Aldo Settimi on Omni TV
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Aldo Settimi was right at home in front of the microphone today at the Mad Italian. Settimi has a long and distinguished political career in Italy as a member of the Democratic Party, a major centre-left movement. He was President of the Province of Rome and a member of Parliament for two terms from 1994 to 2001. He has held numerous other public positions. Today reporters were seeking his view on the news that Prime Minister Berlusconi may face trial for his meetings with various young women, including a 17-year-old dancer. Berlusconi is leader of the People of Freedom political movement which he founded in 2009. It is generally centre-right. Drilling down 300 feet on Bessborough
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The recent post on the Geothermal conversion taking place on Bessborough Drive has proven to be one of the most popular in recent days. A return visit found work in full swing. Three holes have been bored 300 feet into the earth. The contractor, Four Seasons Geothermal of Mississauga, says it might have gone down 600 feet if the property had permitted a larger drill. But, three holes at the shallower depth will provide lots of heat in the winter to keep the home warm. The contractor also spoke of cost, and the time required to return one’s investment. At $15 per square foot, it may take ten years. But if the property is heated with electricity at present, the time to return the cost will be more like five or six years. Anyone can do the arithmetic to find an estimated cost of this conversion by multiplying the square footage of his house by 15.
Hodgson Bid and Brew a huge success
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Reader and Hodgson School mom Diana Goldie writes to say that this year’s Bid and Brew event was a huge success. Hodgson parents met at the Granite Brewery on Eglinton East to raise funds for school enrichment. Above we see a spirited auctioneer (aka Grade Eight Home Room Teacher Mark McCain) at work.Mass exodus at CTV as Bell takes over
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Clockwise from upper left, Ivan Fecan, Susanne Boyce, Paul Gossling, Dawn Fell, Paul Sparkes, Alon MarcoviciFive high-profile members of CTV ‘s management will follow chief executive Ivan Fecan (upper left) out the door as BCE gets ready to take over. They include programming guru Susanne Boyce (upper centre) according to an internal memo obtained by The Globe and Mail. Mr. Fecan announced last summer that he will be leaving the company once BCE’s $1.3-billion deal to buy CTVglobemedia closes in early April. The departing executives are chief financial officer John Gossling (upper right) executive vice-president of corporate affairs Paul Sparkes (lower centre) Ms. Boyce, president of creative, content and channels; executive vice-president of digital media Alon Marcovici (lower left) who was promoted to an executive role less than six months ago; and Dawn Fell (lower right) the executive vice-president of human resources and operations. Wendy Freeman remains as head of news and current events programming, a position she was promoted to in January; and Chris Gordon stays on as head of radio and will be handling “a significant new radio initiative” in the spring, possibly the launch of the long-rumoured TSN branded network of stations. A BCE import and the new chief operating officer of CTVglobemedia, Kevin Crull, made the announcement about the changes to his team in an e-mail on Tuesday.
Sport Swap moves up the street
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Sport Swap, the pre-owned sports goods store, will move up South Bayview from its location at 1440 (just north of Balliol) to 1541B, the premises just south of Starbucks. This would seem like a much better location for the established business. 1541B has been vacant since Sharon’s Collection moved two years ago.
KIA’s “One Epic Ride” our favorite
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There were many winners among this year’s Super Bowl commercials. But for sheer sweep of story-telling and non-stop surprises, KIA’s One Epic Ride gets our vote for best of game commercial breaks. Follow the Optima sedan through an adventure which is really too good for a mere car. See it on a special page at our associated blog Yonge and Roxborough.
Union gets notice re private trash collection
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The City has taken the first necessary step to privatize garbage collection. Mayor Ford said at a noon hour news conference that he has officially notified the Civic Employees’ Union that the City intends to recommend seeking competitive bids for curb-side pick up west of Yonge Street, to the Etobicoke border, plus privatize more of the litter vacuum operations and litter and recycling pick up in parks. The notice given today is required under labour legislation. More.
TD Canada Trust ups mortgage rates .25%
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TD Canada Trust has raised its residential mortgage rate by a quarter of a percent to 5.44%. The other banks are not likely to be far behind. This increase comes two days after a CMHC analyst said there was movement expected in mortgage rates in the first half of 2011.
60 Donegall sold conditionally in 1 day
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What is so hot (for real estate) as a day in February? Not much apparently as the renovation at 60 Donegall was sold over the weekend at the first open house. No price is disclosed before confirmation but as readers will recall (post below) 60 Donegall was being offered for $1, 398,000.