A creative city is one that “people of all ages and ethnicities feel proud to call home,” said Robin Armistead, London’s manager of culture and an organizer of the conference. “What makes your city liveable — that’s what it’s all about.”

When e-technology allows people to move almost anywhere their ideas will take them, creative cities are about drawing them to a place where they can live.

That translates into bold new buildings and repurposed old ones, lively restaurants, cool businesses, brilliant nature, and an economy built on vision.

More information can be found here.

Source: LFPress.com

T.J. Baxter’s and Oscar Taylor’s, which debuted in 1991, have been closed since New Year’s Eve and plans to shut them down have been in place for at least a few weeks.

Those who supplied beer and food to those eateries were told their services wouldn’t be needed in the new year, restaurant industry sources say.

This week, employees were also told of the closings.

But while the news seemed dire for what may be the most prosperous retail strip in London, it appears good news is just around the corner.

The same sources that say T.J. Baxter’s and Oscar Taylor’s are out believe a national player will replace them  SIR Corp., whose restaurants include Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill.

Those beliefs gained traction Tuesday when officials associated with SIR Corp. were seen taking measurements in T.J. Baxter’s.

Neither officials with SIR Corp. nor the building’s owner responded Tuesday to Free Press interview requests.

Yay, more chain food!

Source: London Free Press

City and business leaders Tuesday officially took the wraps off the $10 million, 30,000-square-foot commercial plaza which will go up in the parking lot at Richmond and Carling streets, next to Moxie’s, that will be home to an expanded Shoppers Drug Mart, and an insurance broker moving to the core.

Rocco Tullio, president of Rock Developments in Windsor, is building the new office building and also bought the former Canadian Tire store in Masonville, redeveloping 75,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, a $13 million investment.

The most important thing is the tenants want to be there. Shoppers was a driving force saying they want a new home downtown. The drug store will close its store on Dundas St., just west of Richmond.

“The downtown is the heart, soul and spirit of a city. Getting more residential and commercial development is crucial to the well being of the core,” said Mayor Joe Fontana.

Construction will begin in mid January and be completed by August, with tenants moving in in September.

Source: London Free Press

Crews closed King Street west of Benton Street earlier this week to complete an entrance feature that was bumped last year by tight Oktoberfest timelines. The work will include a decorative paving-stone crosswalk and a concrete roadway similar to the one already in front of city hall.

That section of King Street will be closed until Labour Day.

Meanwhile, work on the final block of streetscaping continues further down between Water and Francis streets. Crews have finished the sidewalks and trees have been planted. They’re working to install paving stones before the road work is wrapped up. There will be an entrance feature at that end of the street similar to the one going in at King and Benton. That should be finished by the end of September.

The city is considering adding the same decorative crosswalks throughout the redeveloped street, but hasn’t made a decision on that yet. Those can be installed after the final layer of asphalt is down. The plan was to finish the final layer in 2011, but the work has been accelerated. If nothing alters the pace, it could be finished this year.

The street reconstruction is part of a larger push by the city to bring more traffic and business to the core. The city’s façade improvement grant program in the core has already seen 13 storefronts upgraded, with another three underway and eight approved but not yet started. They’re in addition to a number of businesses — Coffee Culture, Laurier Optical, Crabby Joes and Shoppers Drug Mart — which completed similar improvements outside of the program. Other large downtown projects, including the University of Waterloo’s school of pharmacy, Wilfrid Laurier University’s graduate school of social work and a redevelopment of the former Lang Tannery, are also part of the city’s push to revitalize the core.

Source: TheRecord.com

It replaces the city’s 1998 Bikeway Study that had become obsolete because of changes in programming, policy and infrastructure. Much of the new cycling network will comprise so-called bicycle priority streets, or traffic-calmed areas that will make it easy for cyclists to navigate existing roadways. The improvements will include signage indicating routes to major destinations and changes to major crossings that would give cyclists priority. The plan also calls for eight kilometres of separated cycle lanes that can safely accommodate cyclists past driveways and intersections. The remainder of the network will be made up of typical bike lanes and marked areas on shared roadways.

The idea is to make Kitchener a “bicycle-friendly city” and encourage people to use their bikes more for commuting, short outings and leisure. While the plan takes into consideration the views of those already sold on cycling, the idea is really to reach out to the majority of residents who are typically “interested but concerned” about cycling on city streets.

The new polices also require engineering staff to automatically consider the needs of cyclists on any future road projects.

There are several road projects coming up in city planning, including reconstruction projects on Huron and Block Line roads, where separated cycling lanes will be looked at. Councillors also agreed to look at the creation of a halftime transportation co-ordinator position to oversee the implementation of the master plan. A decision on that will be made during the 2011 budget review.

The full Cycling Master Plan will be available on the city’s website in the next few days.

Source: TheRecord.com

The one-day forum is called “Inspiring Grand Transformations: Our Preferred Future” and will feature speakers, panel discussions and displays on the current state and the future of the watershed.

Keynote speaker for the event is noted painter and environmentalist Ken Kirkby of Bowser, B.C., who will offer his special insights into how individuals can make a difference in today’s world.

Source: CambridgeTimes.ca

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Waterloo Region in the area of Homer Watson Boulevard/Fountain Street and the 401.

EAB is a highly destructive insect that attacks and kills all species of ash trees and was first discovered in Windsor and Detroit in 2002.

Residents and visitors are asked to take the following steps to help slow the spread of the pest:
• Don’t transfer firewood into or out of Waterloo Region – buy local, burn local, never take it home.
• If you have an ash tree on your private property that is showing signs of decline or distress and suspect it may be infested by the EAB, contact the CFIA at 1-866-463-6017.

Visit EABWaterlooRegion.ca

Source: CambridgeTimes.ca

The Campus will house several graduate schools and programs, including the already established Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA). It will cultivate an interdisciplinary learning environment focused on developing knowledge of global issues.

The Campus will create Canadian-based, but internationally focused, capacity in international affairs. It will be a hub of partnership between CIGI, global research institutions and the academic and research community in Canada. As such, a unique “incubator” of ideas will result from the physical proximity of a global think tank, a reputable school of international affairs, academic communities, and other centres of research.

The Campus will be located next to CIGI, in Waterloo, Ontario, 45 minutes from Pearson International Airport and 15 minutes from the Region of Waterloo International Airport. It will also be within an hour’s drive of eight leading Ontario universities, and located in a region that is home to leading technology firms with strong international reputations for innovation and knowledge transfer, as well as a leading institute for theoretical physics.

The Campus will be the home of several distinct schools and programs, including the existing Balsillie School of International Affairs. The BSIA was founded in 2007, and is a collaborative partnership between CIGI, the University of Waterloo (UW) and Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU). The additional schools and programs that will be housed in the Balsillie Campus are to be determined in the coming months.

CIGI entered the building phase of The Balsillie Campus in August 2009. Toronto-based KPMB Architects were hired in May 2008 to design the new campus. The project manager, Gregory J. Bewick and Associates Limited, was hired in October 2008 and Cooper Construction Limited was hired in April 2009 as the contractor for the project to provide construction management services. This current phase of construction will include two buildings: the first building will house the Balsillie School of International Affairs and an auditorium; the second will house additional academic programs.

The land of the Balsillie Campus was leased to CIGI by the City of Waterloo for 99 years, with the option for another two 25-year renewal terms.

Source: cigionline.org