Sheppard West

The pressure to increase property taxes seems to be increasing in Toronto. That outcome is strongly resented by most members of our community.

As expected, the Spadina subway extension is late and over budget - business as usual in the amalgamated Toronto.

Toronto and Vancouver lead rise in home sales in April | Toronto Star : Canadian home sales were up 2.7 per cent from March to April, boosted by the Vancouver and Toronto markets, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. However, some complain about the toll taken by the land transfer tax , and the white painters are not what they used to be . More troubling, economist David Madani is among those predicting a crash  soon.

The greenbelt article is very long, but we think it’s important, and so is the Downsview tour. Lastly, a few words on a crime that happened at Jane and Lawrence.

It is no secret that Toronto’s amalgamation, perpetrated by the Conservatives, happened against the will of the voters. In Montreal it happened on the same oppositional background under the Liberals. Two decades later, it is clear that the cost savings that were supposed to happen did not, we still do not have a harmonized legislation and corruption has increased, while representation and local democracy weakened.

Councillor Karen Stintz (Ward 16, Eglinton-Lawrence), a mayoral candidate whose riding had an 18-per-cent failure rate on nearly 1,000 tests, said financial incentives for homeowners who want to replace their lead pipes is worth consideration. “If that’s the reason people aren’t replacing the pipes, then I think we have an obligation to look at that,” she said. “People expect that when they turn on their taps, the water is safe to drink. It’s a reasonable expectation and one we need to make sure we deliver on.”

The Toronto Star, under the signature of Laurie Monsebraaten, social justice reporter , publishes a longer article on the needs of this neighbourhood as well as interviews with a number of citizens.

Planning developments in Toronto at City Age (and the brothers who ignored the planning notices), as well as what Vancouver is doing about its unmoving vacancy rate and how and what the minimum wage does in helping the poor.