Toronto, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – Metrolinx Chief Executive Officer Bruce McCuaig rejected on Thursday proposals from Toronto mayor candidates to improve the city’s transportation problem. McCuaig said the Big Move plan has been endorsed by municipal councils and Ontario, and the next move is to deliver the project.

The $50-billion project will transform Toronto’s transit system in the next 25 years. Components of the project include construction of the Union Station-Pearson Airport air-rail link, expansion and improvement of GO Transit and development and investment strategy.

Unless the city’s transit system is modernized, residents will have to battle traffic going to their work daily. The cost of the gridlock to residents of the Greater Toronto Area is estimated at $6 billion yearly and may escalate to $15 billion.

McCuaig disclosed Metrolinx has 10 major projects lined up, but the provincial agency is focusing on five. These are:

• the Sheppard light rail transit line scheduled for completion by 2014
• the York VIVA Rapid Way targeted to be completed by 2020
• the Englington light rail transit line set to start tunneling in 2011
• the Scarborough rapid transit renewal which will start 2015
• the Finch light rail transit line to begin in 2015 and be completed in 2019.

The Metrolinx CEO discussed the status of the transport projects at a Board of Trade event, partly to address the proposals from the five mayoral candidates in Toronto.

Rod Ford, Rocco Rossi and Sarah Thomson have proposed shifting financial resources already committed to Transit City to their own transit solutions focused on building subways. George Smitherman is in favor of following Metrolinx’s plans, except for minor changes. Only Joe Pantalone favored following the original plans of Transit City.

However, updated plans have delayed parts of the project and $4 billion in funding as Ontario grapples with a record-high budget deficit.

View full post on Economy, Business And Finance Stories

“He who plants a garden, plants happiness” is an old saying. However, things have changed a lot nowadays. Today, the proverb could be thought of as “He who plants a garden, plants money!” When it comes to selling a house, landscaping is an important factor that determines the value of the property. Real estate gurus believe that gardens around a house can contribute more than 10% to the total value of the property. Moreover, the houses with attractive gardens, particularly mature trees, are easily saleable when compared to the other houses with limited or underdeveloped landscaping. Investing a little time in tending your garden can really pay dividends when it comes to selling your home.

Enjoying Green

Houses with gardens around them are excellent choices for those who wish to enjoy time outside, while not travelling far to do so. It is always refreshing to open the door and go out into the garden and smell the flowers, plants, and trees. Most of us spend less time enjoying the greenery in public parks and sanctuaries since they are becoming more scarce and because of urban sprawl are often far away. Since most of us will never have a chance to visit the tropical rain forests of Central America why not invest a few dollars and house and have your own piece of nature right outside your door?

Green can be healthy

Plants not only contribute value to the property, but gardens also have great health benefits. The health benefits of gardening are impressive. According to medical experts, gardening is a great exercise for legs, shoulders, arms and neck. Gardening also helps to strengthen the joints in our body. Recent researches indicate that gardening lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol levels and also prevents diabetes and heart diseases. Gardening is also an ideal physical exercise for people who want to reduce their weight. Gardening helps to burn fat and as an added bonus, creates some healthy, organic fruits and vegetables for your entire family to eat.

Green in real estate

Based on a recent survey or property owners, it was noted that 95% of residential homeowners and 86% of commercial property owners believe that good landscaping adds more value to their properties. Also real estate brokers around Austin think that merely having a garden is enough to attract the buyers. Moreover, gardening has lots of benefits like offering a healthy body, fresh air, a fresh mind, fresh food, bringing birds, attracting butterflies, sustaining beneficial insects and added value to your property. Finally, gardening and makes your property look its best. So plant gardens around your home and grab the sure ticket to quick and valuable resale!