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