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k is 14 v f economist suntribune economy thursday oct 26 2006 c a il be w ta l v- t t zyst mqr its kicis stuff 9057271251 this message brought to you as a community service of economist suntribune breast health every womans right everyones responsibility for more information contact your local canadian cancer society office it could save your life v- le move to yofk 011110 close to work from page 1 three 400series highways serving our transportation needs accessibility is a key reason why companies locate in a new place with a good labour force people are moving to york region because meyhavemejopportunity to work in the same area they five he said eastwoods comments followed the release of the regions economic and development rhidyeaf review last weeks report identified 13 bil- lionin tolal construction a 29percent increase fromthe same period last year thanks to a 25percent hike inthe value of residential construction the regions population jumped 24 per cent while the number of jobs increased 11 per cent or 45000 jobs since an employment survey was com pleted in 1998 iv eastwood doesnt anticipate an eco nomic slowdown anytime soon espe cially not with13 yofk region companies representing industries ranging from automotive parts plastic products and financial services each employing more than 1000 people there have been some blips and temporary market corrections sending shivers down the spines of people launching new companies but the regions economy is well diversified he said r fortunately we are not poised on the edgejpf one industry the economy is driven by manufacturing technology services and construction with our kind of mix we are in good stead a slowdown is often a respite but i dont foresee a huge glut of housing and acres of unsold land- other highlights of the sixmonth report include the regions population jumping to 730000 by june 30 an increase of 17250 residents the region now- contains 141 per cent of the greater toronto population total construction for the first six months of 2000 was valued atmore than 13 billion- housing completions reached 5010 and construction began ori another 1375 houses by the end of june housing sales were up to 5047 dwelling units worth 14 billion the regions employment increased to nearly 375000 jobs the unemployment rate in the region is about 57 per cent despite the rosy picture for residen- r tial development the new home indus- tryis still faced with challenges said ed obrien of norman hill realty y l thereisjust so much competition t on the market that it becomesa battle to stay a step ahead oftheotherbuilders pointed out obrien who sells for sundial homes housing is no different than other businesses in that we work on supply and demand v buyers have plehtyof options before them but an eightweek strike by con crete truck drivers this spring didnt help our cause much either and eastwood said the regions chal- t lenge remains balancing the growth v againstmfrtructufe and servicesto accommodate jme influx ofvhew resi- dents- r we are well positioned for the fore- seeable future he said i i 1