Susan Delean, the owner of Ballenford Books, has sent this message to the store's legion of fans and supporters:

I want to begin by thanking many of you for your years of dedication and support of Ballenford Books, and - because of that support - this is a difficult letter to write.

Over the past few years, it has become ever more clear that Ballenford Books, is no longer a viable business. The cumulative effect of more schools turning to Master’s programs and away from textbook based teaching; with local University libraries sourcing books through mega-distributors in North America while coping with shrinking budgets; with the onslaught of the ‘big-box’ retailers; online shopping options; the new norm of discount pricing; and - most recently - the parity of the Canadian dollar with the US dollar - that the Canadian publishers were too slow to react to - has forced the store into a corner.

We have worked very hard over the years to look for new and innovative ways to distinguish ourselves and to capture new markets and to maintain relevance within our niche; but these efforts alone have not been enough to keep the business healthy.

Most of you have been wondering if you can help. The answer is YES! BUY BOOKS AND IN VOLUME! We are liquidating and trying to do so as quickly as possible. The current inventory is an impossible weight, and it alone stops any chance of a future.

I cannot express how devastating this is for me personally and for my family. I would love to continue, it is my love and passion, but find my personal liabilities overwhelming and potentially irretrievable.

I have thought long and hard about potential partnerships and internal changes that might help long term, but ultimately have yet to find or resolve a realistic and sustainable option. I AM ALL EARS, if anyone has a worthwhile suggestion - now is the time to speak up. Toronto needs an architectural bookstore!

Take some time over the next week or so to visit the bookstore and make a purchase.

WWF photos of Toronto’s Earth Hour on Flickr

The ratings are in—Toronto’s energy use dropped about 9% over Saturday evening’s normal electrical consumption. Not bad, but when you think about it, not that great either. You have to wonder where most of that energy drop came from. My bet is that it was from the big commercial users—office towers, etc. Consumers? Well, the drop was probably 2 to 3%. After all, there was a hockey game on, right? 

Maybe we were inspired by our leader, Stephen Harper. Turns out that Mr. Harper kept his lights on both at home and in the office. The Toronto Star writes:

Thanks to its place of prominence in the capital, 24 Sussex Dr., the Prime Minister’s residence, is always easy to spot. As Ottawa went dark last night for Earth Hour, it was even easier.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s lights stayed on.
. . .

But two ground-floor rooms in Harper’s house stayed on and inquiries to a PMO spokesperson were not returned. The third-floor offices on Parliament Hill that house the Prime Minister’s Office were also among the few lights that stayed on, prompting a jeer from a handful of Green Party activists who had gathered in the cold to mark the occasion.

Actions, as it is said, speak far louder than words. To his credit, Environment Minister John Baird turned off his lights, as did Stephane Dion, leader of the Liberal Party.

Eli Singer just sent me this link to a video documenting the Sick Kids Radiothon taking place this week—in case you haven't heard. Sick Kids is a Toronto institution that represents the best of who we are as Torontonians, and as Canadians. The building they are in was designed by local architecture legend Eb Zeidler (also the designer of Ontario Place and the Eaton Centre).

The building was among the first medical centres to embrace the idea that places and environments greatly influence the speed of patient recovery. Kids especially need to feel safe when they are away from their homes and even, at times, their families. This hospital comes as close as any to being welcoming no matter what your age, race, or financial status. Take a moment to watch the video. Be prepared though to open your wallet at the end to contribute to a cause without equal.

Toronto Hydro's archaic pricing policies are bent on destroying the city's position as a leader in sustainability. Why? A colleague of mine, Cameron Miller, discovered that Toronto Hydro customers are not treated the same when it comes to paying for electricity. Mr. Miller and his wife live in a condo in downtown Toronto. Retired now, they remain—more than ever—committed to reducing their environmental footprint. Like many Torontonians, they believe that conservation is essential to our city's viability, and should be rewarded by our community-owned utility companies.

It turns out that in Toronto being green makes one a bit of a fool—at least in the eyes of Toronto Hydro. Mr. Miller found out that he was paying more for his electricity than others who consumed far greater amounts. In fact, the more he reduced his use of electricity, the more he and others like him underwrite the excess consumption of others. Armed with proof, he went to the Ontario Energy Board. Here is his case:

This is about residential rates only.

But as Toronto Hydro has 500,000 residential accounts, at an average of 2000 kWh per bill, it’s quite an important piece of business. I’m not suggesting that I “discovered” the issue I’m speaking about. I’m just expressing my personal views, and want to thank the board for allowing me to do so.

I have selected 5 actual TH bills that friends of mine sent to me.

They represent quite a range of consumption. They also average close to the TH residential customer average of approx. 2000 kWh per bill.



My point is that the Customer Charge of $12.68/30 days regardless of kWh consumed is unfair, and discourages conservation.

I recently received a cheque for $5.22 from the CEO of TH, along with a very effusive letter congratulating me on reducing my electricity use by 10% compared to the previous summer. (None of these five bills is mine, but my consumption puts me between customers A and B.) So TH wants to be seen to be encouraging conservation, but its rate structure actually encourages consumption. Look at Customer E. He consumed 6000 kWh, fully 14 times the amount of Customer A. As thanks from TH, he gets a built-in 33% rate discount over Customer A, a huge volume discount. I’ll have to save an additional 10% next summer to get my $5.00 cheque, but Customer E gets his 33% volume discount on every bill all year long.

The Customer Charge, and here I quote from an e-mail from TH is for

- “fixed administration costs that do not change with your consumption. This monthly charge helps recover the administrative costs associated with providing services such as: meter reading, billing, customer service and basic connection costs. It's calculated as a daily rate then multiplied by the days of service within the current billing period.”


It strikes me that such administrative costs could well be less for a unit in a condo than for a detached house in Scarborough, for example. I’m in a (...read more...)