| This is a selection of recent popular blog | | | | post, “17,000 housing units were built |
| articles from TorontoIAM where you will find | | | | in the [downtown Toronto] area between 2001 |
| the best blogs from Toronto, Ontario as well | | | | and 2006” with many more building |
| as video uploads, social networking, rumors, | | | | permits currently in the process of being |
| and blog authoring. | | | | approved. |
| | | | |
| Fashion Week Finishes in Style | | | | The post reports that a study conducted by |
| | | | city planners meant to better understand |
| BlogTO has posted overall thoughts on this | | | | Toronto’s growth spurt of late, |
| year’s L’Oreal Fashion Week | | | | reflects a striking shift in demographics |
| Spring 08, which took place inside a large | | | | within the downtown core. Using housing built |
| central tent in Nathan Phillips Square. | | | | since 2001 as the benchmark for its |
| According to the post, the event came to a | | | | findings, the study revealed that “only |
| close last Friday, having achieved “an | | | | 4 per cent of households in the newer units |
| unprecedented air of liveliness and | | | | have children, compared with 12 per cent in |
| enthusiasm”. | | | | the older housing”. It also showed |
| | | | that the majority of newer units currently |
| In attendance was Fashion Television’s | | | | house adults 25-39, most of whom are |
| Jeanne Beker who was reported to be hard at | | | | employed full-time and most of whom enjoy |
| work showcasing what Toronto has to offer by | | | | incomes greater than $60,000.00. “In |
| nabbing designers and notable fashion | | | | the older housing”, continues the post, |
| experts and leading them “through the | | | | “51% of households were revealed to |
| crowd to the front of the tent to interview | | | | have incomes under $60,000.” |
| them after most of the shows.” The post | | | | |
| said that “the way she made VIPs | | | | Commenting on a dwindling child population, |
| visible and visceral was a striking | | | | the post quotes Leonhardt as saying, |
| statement.” | | | | "What is an issue, I think, is housing |
| | | | that's suitable for people when they decide |
| Setting itself apart from New York’s | | | | to have children: Is it being built?" |
| fashion week, Toronto offered catered | | | | It’s something they’re looking |
| dinners in the media room, which the post | | | | into, she says, “whether or not we |
| reports “had that wonderful effect of | | | | need to look at interventions in the market |
| creating camaraderie among those who [ate] | | | | to see that kind of housing built. |
| together. Veterans and newbies alike dished | | | | |
| and dined and dashed back to the runway and | | | | GTTA Drives Regional Transportation Plan |
| felt better for it”. | | | | |
| | | | Steve Munro’s Web Site reports that |
| Maple Leafs Twice Victorious | | | | the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority |
| | | | (GTTA) board met in Toronto recently to |
| A posting on Howard Berger’s popular | | | | present first round plans and timelines for |
| blog reports back-to-back road triumphs for | | | | the creation of a Regional Transportation |
| the Maple Leafs this week over the Pittsburg | | | | Plan (RTP). The board intends to have a |
| Penguins and New York Rangers respectively. | | | | completed plan for the project in place by |
| Apparently, “the club seems incapable | | | | fall, 2008. |
| of playing a relaxed, efficient brand of | | | | |
| hockey on home ice, [however] away from the | | | | According to the post, this is a relatively |
| "pressures" of the Air Canada | | | | aggressive schedule where “much work |
| Centre, it's a completely different | | | | needs to be done producing position papers |
| story.” | | | | and analyses to convert the shopping list of |
| | | | schemes like MoveOntario 2020 into a |
| With both the Penguins and the Rangers | | | | prioritized, coherent plan.” |
| seemingly caught in a pre-season slump, the | | | | |
| post says that the Leafs “sensed that | | | | The post lists a number of discussion which |
| they were playing a couple of struggling, | | | | arose during meeting, such as concerns about |
| top-end teams, and somehow found the killer | | | | the impact of the project on surrounding |
| instinct that is so often absent in their | | | | neighbourhoods, the myriad of studies that |
| repertoire.” The post also | | | | lay ahead, (both at the regional and federal |
| congratulates the Leafs for riding out two | | | | level), funding considerations and |
| Rangers power plays, both resulting from | | | | considerations around the prioritization of |
| highly questionable calls made by referees | | | | projects. For every concern tabled, the post |
| Wes McCauley and Eric Furlatt. | | | | notes that the board seems to have a |
| | | | workable, however preliminary, solution in |
| Of promising significance, notes the post, | | | | place. |
| was a switch-up in the Leafs’ usual | | | | |
| scoring patterns during both games. With | | | | The post predicts that the really tough |
| Matts Sundin making just one assist in | | | | debates will present themselves in 2008, |
| total, “the fancy work [was left] to | | | | “as the project list grows with items |
| people like Jiri Tlusty, John Pohl, Pavel | | | | missed by MoveOntario 2020 notably much of |
| Kubina and Alex Steen.” Perhaps the | | | | the day-to-day capital cost of |
| ability to put the puck in the net is not | | | | infrastructure and fleet renewal.” In |
| just a one man job after for this club. | | | | the end, it notes, it all comes down to |
| Could the tide finally turning for | | | | money. “If the available funds |
| Toronto’s beleaguered Maple Leafs? | | | | won’t pay for what is really needed, |
| | | | the GTTA could descend into the sort of |
| Toronto’s Sudden Growth Spurt | | | | us-versus-them debates that paralyzed transit |
| | | | planning at the old Metro Toronto |
| A post on the Torontoist reports that | | | | council.” |
| downtown Toronto is one of the fastest | | | | |
| growing communities in the area, with | | | | About TorontoIAM |
| “the population of the downtown core | | | | |
| [having] grown by 65 per cent in the past 30 | | | | TorontoIAM is part of a groundbreaking |
| years, and nearly 10 per cent in the past | | | | network of city-focused blog aggregation, |
| five.” | | | | user generated media and social networking |
| | | | websites currently rolling out across North |
| According to the post, Barbara Leonhardt, | | | | America. Each IAM website filters and |
| director of policy and research in the | | | | organizes blog content as well as offering |
| city’s planning department says that | | | | video upload capabilities, social networking, |
| "We're seeing growth in other areas as | | | | blog authoring, favourites lists and |
| well – all of the areas where we want | | | | rumours. The IAM Network is a division of |
| it to happen: the North York centre, the | | | | SoMedia Networks Inc which also operates |
| Scarborough centre, the Etobicoke centre and | | | | Inveslogic.com, Greenedia. |
| along the avenues." Even so, says the | | | | |