For the first time in a very long time, a story about architectural heritage looks like it might have a happy - and relatively swift - ending. Nearly a month ago, two WW2-era airplane hangars on what was once an active air force base in Downsview began to be demolished, but thanks to their prominent location, they got noticed by the right people.

Built by De Havilland of Canada in the final years of the war, the two massive airplane hangars were once located among farms, miles away from Toronto's city limits, but today they're near the intersection of Dufferin and Sheppard streets, just north of the 401 and west of the Allen Expressway, just across the street from the Downsview terminus of the Spadina subway line. They're hard to miss, and it's no surprise that they caught the attention of Paul Oberman, a property developer notable for his willingness to take on and restore heritage properties.

I don't watch a lot of Citytv programming but when I do I inevitably get nailed with a Cashman commercial. You know, the one with the dancing girls, club beats and aging Russell "Cashman" Oliver wanting to trade cash for my used gold and jewellery. His ads have been running for years and actually have garnered him a fair amount of publicity including an interview on CBC last year when DC Comics sued him for one that had a Superman theme.

His ads keep appearing which means they must be successful enough for him to keep paying his bills. When Terry O'Reilly, famed ad man on CBC Radio's the Age of Persuasion spoke at Marketing Week in Toronto last week I fugured he'd be the perfect person to ask about them. Keep reading for our Q&A in which we discuss these ads plus other salient Toronto advertising related topics like marketing the city, ad creep and the influx of illegal advertising.

Photo: "Hot Dog On Xpro" by Metrix X, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

In their awful week, the TTC tried to ensure all blame for the Yonge Street subway shutdown was placed with Enbridge and their contractor, but now Enbridge is pushing back, saying the City of Toronto authorized the work. But the transit agency can't just focus there, they're also getting questions about why collectors let customers pay their fare without informing them they couldn't get on a train or get as far as they needed. Basically, the week just gets worse for the Red Rocket.

Councillor Joe Mihevc wants us to talk about issues, not just who's running for mayor next year, and is even having a public meeting next week to figure out which issues are on peoples' minds. He went so far as to set up a Setting the Agenda 2010 website so we can all discuss. Seems a laudable goal, but will people participate?

The American school of before-Christmas sales and discounts seems to be migrating north in the face of the sad worldwide economy. Look for Sears and Wal-Mart to start a big head-to-head price war: Sears is offering Boxing Day prices all weekend while Wal-Mart has a price reduction strategy that will see 18,000 prices drop in November. Small, independent retailers won't like this news, but none of the Canadian retailers will be happy if Canadians head to the U.S. for American Thanksgiving next week with such strong Canadian currency in hand to take advantage of the traditionally deep discounts.

An editorial cartoon by Michael De Adder on the cover of the November 18th issue of the Metro has got the head of the Toronto transit workers union all hot and bothered. According to Bob Kinnear, the cartoon, which depicts a streetcar operator picking the pocket of a pedestrian bystander, places the blame for the recently announced fare increase on front line TTC workers rather than the commission's management or insufficient government funding.

Kinnear is thus worried that it threatens the safety of his local 113 members, who already suffer increased instances of physical abuse in the wake of fare hike announcements. "It will provoke active animosity in some unbalanced passengers and lead to more assaults. We've been down this road too many times before to let this pass," he reasons.

But is it really that bad? And does it actually lay the blame for the fare increase on the TTC's streetcar operators and other highly visible staff?

Photo: "downtown 063" by Roger's Eye, member of the blogTO Flickr pool.

What's happening in the GTA (and sometimes beyond):

It would seem that a private Enbridge contractor cut away a bit too much of the Jackes Avenue bridge, right over TTC tracks, forcing the recently-beleaguered transit agency to shut down rush hour Yonge line service between Bloor and Eglinton. The TTC came on strong to pass the buck and even the Mayor tried to keep the blame away from Giambrone & Co. That service resumed around 8:30pm last night might appease some riders, but it doesn't change that this just ain't the TTC's week.

Don't expect any public hearings on the proposed HST. Premier McGuinty made it clear yesterday that he considers the 2011 provincial election to be the chance for constituents to weigh in on the weighty tax. Not sure if that's the Premier being silly, strategic or just laying down the gauntlet.

Police nabbed a 21-year-old and a 15-year-old accomplice in Malton yesterday, on charges for the murder of George Kalogerakis. Now three more suspects are sought after a shooting - fatal for Alex Rundle - in Etobicoke last evening. Maybe I was blinded by the summer sun, but after what seemed like a lot of early 2009 shootings violent crime seemed to get better... until the last few weeks.

Just over a year ago, I wrote a piece here outlining the history, importance, and final degeneration of Toronto's Hearn Thermal Power Station. In err, I had assumed that my many years of photo-documenting its decline from activity to decay were at their end.

On a recent journey back to the site, however, I realized that although much hollowed (even since my last visit), substantial portions of the space remain standing. The sense of scale in this building is almost unfathomable, and always leaves me in awe. I have spoken to many of the workers (whether plant or demolition), and they all seem to agree on this point: no matter how many times one returns, it is a perennial shock to bear witness to its mass.