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Newsstand: November 25, 2014
RIP Pat Quinn. You will be missed. In the news: A transport plan for the Pan Am Games, a (likely) end to paid plasma donations in Toronto, a list of dead pets, and a warning to condo builders to slow down new builds.
The provincial government has announced the transportation plan for the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. According to transportation minister Steven Del Duca, the $61-million plan includes new temporary high-occupancy lanes, increased public transit capacity and extended service, and a route-planning smartphone app. Temporary parking bans near Pan Am venues and limited construction during the Games will also hopefully alleviate some of the anticipated gridlock. By no means does it sound like a perfect system, though, since the plan also calls on businesses and residents to do their part to minimize gridlock by avoiding rush hour, carpooling, and cycling or walking to their destinations. Del Duca would not hazard a guess at how much time would be added to the average commute during the Games, although he believes the plan will help create efficient and safe transpiration. To encourage spectators to use public transit, all anticipated 1.5 million event tickets sold will also include the cost of transit. For those who drive in and around the GTA, the plan banks on relief from temporary HOV lanes that will be open to electric cars, emergency and public transit vehicles, Games-related vehicles, media, and vehicles carrying more than three occupants.
Toronto-based Canadian Plasma Resources has put the brakes on a $400-million expansion planned in Ontario. In light of the province’s intention to ban paid blood donations, the company says that 10 plasma collection centres and a plant required to separate plasma—along with an anticipated 2,000 jobs—will now move to Western Canada. Dr. Barzin Bahardoust, CEO of Canadian Plasma Resources, says that plans remain to see at least one Toronto clinic open to the public on a volunteer-donor basis, or offering payment to donors for research purposes, although he admits that it is still possible for operations to be blocked by the province even under those provisions.
Now for something you likely did not know your tax dollars funded. The City of Toronto keeps a list of all the dead domestic animals found by Animal Services in the past 30 days. Appropriately named the Deceased Animals Report, owners of missing pets who fear the worst can look through listings based on criteria including location and basic description. Last year alone, 1,016 cats and 223 dogs were entered into the report.
A new day, a new take on whether or not condominiums will be the downfall of existence. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation issued a caution to condo builders that cities like Toronto and Montreal run the risk of unsold units piling up as construction levels remain elevated despite questionable demand. Even though permit applications for new condo builds have fallen in recent months, the new report urges builders to balance demand for units with already-planned developments, or currently undersold builds.