Knock-down furniture fight looms

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A Danish knock-down furniture chain is set to square off against Swedish-based IKEA. Jysek is a retailing success with some 1700 stores in countries around the world. It has announced that it hopes to open as many as 20 new stores a year in Canada for the next three years. And although their stores are not as big as IKAEA outlets, some say that somewhat smaller stores permits Jysek to penetrate markets better.

Golf Town takes on U.S. market

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Golf Town, a national chain of Canadian golf stores with one located on Laird Drive, is taking on the U.S. market. Golf Town Inc is a big-box retailer with headquarters in Markham. It will open several golf superstores in Massachusetts this year as it expands into the U.S.. The company said it is making a $25 million investment and creating 200 jobs in the Boston area, with five stores opening next month and one more in the fall. Among Golf Town’s 55 locations in Canada is one at 147 Laird in the Smart Centre.

NIMA money exchange will open Tuesday

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The currency exchange known as NIMA, at 1538 South Bayview, will open for business Tuesday morning. Today the owner, Hamid, was on site with cleaners and others getting the place ready for business. Hamid is an enterprising businessman who, among other things, owns eight Subway sandwich outlets in the Toronto area. His family operates a currency exchange similar to NIMA in Montreal. Hamid promises rates on currency exchange which will greatly undercut the banks, and deliver funds much more promptly. Hamid’s promise is that he will be able to offer most currencies immediately, in 24 hours at the latest. NIMA incidentally is the name of Hamid’s son.

80-year-old Teddington Park mansion fetches neat $17.5M

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174 Teddington Park

When they say this one is your dream home, it’s because you can only dream about owning it. And truthfully many people would probably pass on the chance to live in the 80-year-old stone mansion at 174 Teddington Park Avenue. But as you may have seen it’s been sold recently for $17.5 million to a European plutocrat who feels Toronto’s real estate market is stable. Absolutely, and we appreciate your help Sir in adding to that firmness. It’s worth noting, as the linked story reveals, that the sellers of the home severed a 100 by 190 lot from the property and thus earned themselves about $5 million clear on their complete dealing around 174 Teddington Park. So for the meantime, you may have to settle for something more like 60 Donegall which we told you a couple of days ago had sold last week in one day. The listed price was $1,398,000 and whispers have it that the actual sum paid was very close to that.

Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada

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Saturday, February 12, 2011, is Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, and bank employees will be wearing pins to mark the occasion and inviting customers to consider saving plans which help put away money for their kids hockey equipment. At the Scotiabank on Bayview, opposite Belsize, the place is decorated with handsome Hockey Day jerseys (right) shown by Katy. The day is marked by pretty much non-stop hockey on CBC-TV sponsored by the bank. Celebrations will focus on Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, the epicentre of the hockey spirit in Canada as THIS CBC VIDEO at our associated blog, The Planet Guys, shows.

Water main break on Brendan Road

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A broken main has caused severe flooding along Brendan Rd in Bennington Heights Friday. The repair effort, including many pieces of equipment, backed up traffic on Moore Ave (upper left). At one point, eastbound traffic was being re-directed into the westbound lanes. The flooding turned Brendan into a frigid pond, which except for the current of the City’s pumping system, would have been an instant skating rink.

No drinking jokes please, we’re Irish

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Here is what Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York, said at an Irish event last night. “I live in the neighborhood, right around the corner. Normally, when I walk by this building, there are a bunch of people that are totally inebriated hanging out the window. I know that’s a stereotype about the Irish, but nevertheless, we Jews around the corner think this.” As the subsequent news report said, many people in the crowd took it personally. The mayor had to apologize. We guess he hit a nerve.

Nature Unleashed at the Science Centre

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The Ontario Science Centre is launching a Spring exhibit that will shake the ground under your feet. Nature Unleashed explores natural disasters — the kind that happen every day — from earthquakes such as the one in Haiti, to the floods in Australia. The exhibit runs from February 11, 2010 (that’s tomorrow) to May 1, 2011. Visitors will get to build their own volcano, experience what it feels like to be inside a tornado, measure the magnitude of earthquakes by stomping, and trigger underwater earthquakes to create a tsunami.

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.