Agree. We live near Avenue Rd., where a condo development north of the railway tracks took 5+ years to finish, closing off car lanes and half the sidewalk for pedestrians. Now a retirement home is being built south of St. Clair on Avenue Rd., a busy commuter route, blocking car lanes for 2 years.

Where did you take this sunset photo? It’s gorgeous.

My photos from a recent walk down “Kringlewood” in Toronto. Fun to see the inflatable Santa’s on almost every front yard.

It’s a gamble, since retailers don’t always disclose the policy before ordering. But next time you’re stuck with something you don’t love (but aren’t bothered enough to return), try to see if you can keep the product and still get your money back. (Peak Money)

Returnless refunds: good or bad?

Hi Alan, my former Toronto Star colleague James Daw wrote often about mutual fund sellers pushing teachers to cash in their pensions to invest with them. The results often led to disappointment and regret. Check out James’ final column in 2010.

www.thestar.com/business/per...

Hi Norm, you’re right about the building construction that can block off lanes of traffic for a year or more. We live near Avenue Rd., where a new retirement home is going up just south of St. Clair Ave. Makes it hard to get through the intersection without delays. Not even close to completion.

Toronto used to be known in the U.S. as the city that works. Now it’s dysfunctional with traffic gridlock, major construction on most major roads and a public transit system that takes years to build new capacity. Still a great place to live, but we all long for the days when the city worked.