50,000 hits!

I would just like to take the time to thank everyone who has followed my blog over the last 3 1/2 years.  I admit that after June 2011, I haven't blogged as much as I would like, but it's nice to know so many of you all over cyberspace have read what I have had to say about issues surrounding Winnipeg, and more.  Cheers!

Congratulations to Brian Bowman: Winnipeg's New Mayor

Bowman and his wife celebrate the election victory.

With another election under wraps, Brian Bowman managed to thrash Judy Wasylycia-Leis 111,504 to 58,440 votes.  With the victory, Bowman becomes the first indigenous mayor of a large Canadian city.  The voters of Winnipeg also sent a strong message to the NDP, who backed Wasylycia-Leis. With the NDP approval rate hovering around 30%, it is clear Manitobans want change, and only a miracle can keep the NDP from being soundly defeated in the next Provincial Election.

Thomas Steen defeated.

In the City Council race, Jason Schreyor easily knocked off the incumbent, and ex-Winnipeg Jet Thomas Steen, who has been dogged by accusations of assaulting a woman at a Boston Pizza in the spring.  It did not do Steen any favors, when ex-Winnipeg Jet Bobby Hull, who also has a history of domestic violence, publicly endorsed Steen's campaign.  The move ultimately backfired for Steen's campaign, as Schreyor won the riding of Elmwood-East Kildonan.

Grant Nordman defeated

In other upsets, councilor Grant Nordman lost his seat to Shawn Dobson, in the St.Charles riding.  Long time councilor Harvey Smith went down in defeat, losing to Cindy Gilroy, in the Daniel McIntyre riding.  In all other City Council ridings, the incumbants managed to get re-elected.  

I congratulate all candidates who ran for office, and hope Bowman, and the new City Council can help lead Winnipeg into economic prosperity for the next four years.

CMHR Museum: Can it be converted into a Rock and Roll Museum?

Considering that the Canadian Museum for "Human Rights"  has caused more animosity and tension between different ethnic groups in modern Winnipeg history, even before it has opened it's doors, it's time we cut our losses and investigate if the structure can be turned into something that Winnipeggers will actually want to go to see.

I think it goes without saying that the construction and planning of the CMHR has been a disaster since it's inception.  From cost overruns, ethnic favouritism, and deception from Gail Asper and the project organizers, it is clear that this museum will do more harm than good in the long run.  The CMHR is now asking for an additional $3.6 million from the City of Winnipeg to cover cost shortfalls.  

Enough is enough.

Rather than watch this monstrosity turn into Canada's "Autoworld" (an infamous Automotive Museum which cost about the same amount as the CMHR when you factor in inflation), we should modify the project so that it can turn a profit. Or perhaps at the very least, not bleed the taxpayer white year after year.


Let's turn this building into the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  With local bands like the Guess Who, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, the Watchmen, Neil Young, Terry Jacks, Harlequin, Bif Naked, Remy Shand, the Weakerthans, Crash Test Dummies, and many more; Winnipeg has always been the rock and roll capital of Canada.

Let's honour our musical past and build a Museum that people in Winnipeg will be proud of.  Let's turn the CMHR into the inaugural Canadian Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

"Autoworld" grand opening, 1984- Flint, Michigan

Autoworld implosion, 1997- $80 million down the drain.

America's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame- Cleveland, Ohio.

Report: NHL Coyotes will relocate to Winnipeg within days

Reliable sources, including TSN, CTV Sportsnet, and numerous Canadian media outlets, are now stating that after 15 long years, the NHL will likely return to Winnipeg.  According to numerous sources, the deal between Matt Hulsizer and the City of Glendale has fallen apart, and Gary Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors will likely announce the return of NHL hockey to Winnipeg upon the conclusion of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Of course, the NHL top brass are denying these reports, but that is to be expected.  In the rare event of the Coyotes making a run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the league does not want the relocation news leaking in fear that it could adversely affect ticket sales for the Coyotes remaining games.

With the return of the NHL, many local sports fans will wonder what will become of the AHL Manitoba Moose.   Apparently there have been plans made up to relocate the Moose to British Columbia (most likely to Abbotsford), in the event of the NHL returning to Winnipeg.  True North Sports Entertainment (TNSE) will own the Winnipeg based NHL team, and they will play at the MTS Centre beginning with the 2011-12 NHL season.

Friendly Manitoba?

I drove across the Red River earlier today, and it looks like it is rising pretty rapidly.  The fact that it has been raining this week, and the forecast for Monday is 15C will not make things any better.  I've helped sandbag in 1997 and 2009.  Unfortunately, I am still recovering from two herniated discs in my lower back, so I am not sure I will be able to pitch in and help this year.

It amazes me the attitude of some people in this city.  The Winnipeg Free Press published an article that says the city is in need of 900 volunteers to help sandbag.  Reading some of the comments disgusted me.  Hundreds (perhaps thousands) of Winnipeg homes are in danger of flooding, and some readers have questioned why they should help at all.  Here are some examples:

"Pay me $50/hour with benefits and full injury coverage if my back blows out and I will sandbag these expensive properties."

Dirty Ernie

"My husband and I were having this exact conversation as we drove past Kingston Row yesterday afternoon. Live on the riverbank? Not my problem."
Prairie Chicken

"It isn't my problem people built so close to the river. You want the view then you can pay me to work."

The Orange Rod Blog

I guess people are quick to forget that Winnipeg and the surrounding area were built on what was once a lake thousands of years ago.  The basin floods every so often, and if were not for the Red River Floodway, we would all be submerged in water by now, regardless of where you live.   

We should just be thankful we are protected by the Floodway.  Residents of Southern Manitoba outside the Floodway are not so lucky.  Many flooded homes, farms, etc. are miles from the Red River.  I am not surprised the author of the Orange Rod Blog feels this way.  She has made comments in the past referring to Manitobans who live outside the Perimeter as "idiots" and "rednecks." 

Having said that, if you want to help families and people in need of help to save and protect their homes from flood damage, here is the City of Winnipeg Emergency website.  You could always call 311 and ask about volunteering to help the flood prevention efforts.  

Let's put the "Friendly" back in "Friendly Manitoba" 

Parking Authority Clueless

I apologize if this blog will sound purely negative, but sometimes it baffles the mind the way the city operates.  For decades, they have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars, in order to attract people to the downtown core.  We built Portage Place Mall, the MTS Centre, the Manitoba Hydro building, and much much more.  All in an effort to lure people back to downtown.

Then the Winnipeg Parking Authority decides that the people who have returned to the City Centre need to pay more to park downtown.  This is counter-productive to what the city has been trying to do for decades.  Of course mayor Sam Katz, and most of City Council think it's a great idea (no surprise there).  It almost boggles the mind.  Just take a look at what Downtown Biz head Stefano Grande had to say in today's edition of the Winnipeg Free Press about the fee increase.

If the City of Winnipeg really wanted to increase parking revenue, why not install metres along the Osborne Village, Corydon Avenue and Little Italy?  I'm sure it would not deter people from packing the area, especially in summer.  Of course, that is where the people in Winnipeg with money like to spend their time.  Of course, Katz would not dare try and make the citizens of Winnipeg that are the most well off financially, spend a few extra dollars while they dine in their favorite Italian restaurant. And as we all know, Katz would never step on the toes of those who got him elected in the first place.

So leave it to the bureaucracy of Winnipeg to ruin any momentum downtown Winnipeg has, just to milk a few thousand dollars from the people they have been trying to entice to return to shop, visit, and live in the core area.   Then again, with the mayor's handling of the Bus Rapid Transit corridor, should I really be all that surprised?

Downtown Revitalization: The Avenue Building (265 Portage Ave)

While I was passing through downtown, I decided to check out the progress being made on renovating the Avenue Building on 265 Portage Ave, just west of Portage and Main.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how the future residential building is shaping up. As you may or may not know, it was announced last summer that the long abandoned building would be turned into residential units.

I can still remember going into the Avenue building when I was a teenager in the mid 90's.  I was honestly surprised it had not been condemned, due to the dust and mold of the unkempt building.  There may have been a couple of tenants inside the multiple story building at the time.  Soon afterward, Dominion News, the last tenant of the Avenue, moved across Portage, leaving the building completely vacant.

This is great news for the city.  I always thought the key to downtown revitalization was to build more residential units downtown, making the core area more vibrant.  Hopefully this is just the beginning, as I would also love to see the St.Charles Hotel turned into residential suites.  It's also nice to see the Downtown Red River Campus renovating the Union Bank Tower.

Winnipeg 2010 vs Winnipeg 1994

I came across some interesting statistics about how much Winnipeg has changed since 1994, when the Jets were still in existence.  Special thanks to the Globe and Mail for publishing these figures.

Population:

1994: 676,000

2010: 753,000

Average house value:

1994: $84,000 (Canadian average $158,000)

2009: $227,000 (Canadian average $340,000)

Total value of building permits issued:

1994: $300-million

2009: $1.1-billion

Housing starts:

1994: 972

2010: 3,200

Average household income:

1994: $43,000 (Canadian average $49,000)

2010: $72,000 (Canadian average $70,500)

Unemployment rate

1994: 10.4% (Canadian average 9.5%)

2010: 4.9% (Canadian average 8.1%) (best in Canada)

Total employment

1994: 318,000

2010: 425,000

Retail sales:

1994: $4.3-billion

2010: $9.8-billion

GDP per capita

1994: $21,100 (Canada $26,700)

2009: $37,500 (Canada $39,000)

Personal disposable income per capita:

1994: $17,700

2010: $29,900

Difference: +170% increase

NHL average ticket Prices:

1994: $34

2010: $49

Difference: +140% increase

Corporate head offices, companies of all sizes:

Edmonton: 157

Winnipeg: 129

Ottawa: 101

Corporate head offices, total employment:

Winnipeg: 6,890

Ottawa: 4,667

Edmonton: 3,428

Canada's 800 largest corporations:

Winnipeg: 32 plus three 3 subsidiaries = 35

Edmonton: 25 plus one subsidiary = 26

Quebec City: 16 plus two subsidiaries = 18

Ottawa: 15 plus one subsidiary = 16

I never realized the City of Winnipeg had come so far in the last 16 years.  Quite the contrast, when you consider average house price, housing starts, building permits issued, unemployment rate, average household income, retail sales, disposable income,  and Gross Domestic Product.

Additionally, we complete with much larger cities (Edmonton and Ottawa), when it comes to large corporations and head offices (total employment and company size).  From these figures, you can make a strong argument that Winnipeg would easily support an NHL team.

The new YFC Centre on Higgins and Main

The new Youth for Christ centre on the Northwest corner of Higgins Avenue and Main Street is going up fast.  This centre will give inner city youth the chance to play sports and get away from some of the negative influences of the inner city.  It may even be ready by fall.

There was a lot of controversy surrounding the funding of this youth recreation centre.  Many were opposed to giving the YFC any public funding whatsoever.  I never understood this.  They may be a Christian organization, but what is wrong with that?

Look around the city.  The Siloam Mission, the Salvation Army, the Grace and St.Boniface Hospitals, and all Winnipeg YMCA's are Christian based.  These types of centres are hardly run by people with a "hidden agenda" to steal your soul.

Besides, look at where it is going to be built.  Residents from Winnipeg's poorest neighborhoods will have full access to the facilities.  Point Douglas, Central, the North End, Elmwood, etc.  This rec centre will give people, especially youth the chance to stay away from gangs, crime, and other temptations that plague the inner city.  I can only see positive things coming from the YFC building in the future.

The empty lot near Portage and Main

You would think that with the metro Winnipeg area topping 750,000 this year, a record low vacancy rate, and construction everywhere that someone would have shown the initiative to fill in this embarrassment just north of the 201 Portage Tower (formerly known as Canwest Building).  I wish Manitoba Hydro had went through with their original proposal for a 40(?) story tower at this very location.

It looks horrible.  On the east side of Main Street, you will see turn of the century buildings, just north of the Richardson Building.  On this side you have a nightclub that was forced to close it's doors a couple of years back due to shady activity.  Walk another 1/2 block, and come across yet another parking lot.   Then you hit the Woodbine Hotel, which is one of the last sleazy bars in the exchange.

It's time for developers to get off their ass and build something here.  Just look at the Union Tower.  In a year or two, it can be the home of hundreds of Red River College students.  With many lofts and condos springing up, it will only be a matter of time before someone takes a keen interest in what I refer to as "Winnipeg's shame".

Welcome to the Purple Rod!

I think it is about time that I created a blog.   Considering naming a blog after a colour of a rod is the latest "craze" in Winnipeg, I am going to call my blog the Purple Rod!  Special thanks to the Black, Orange, Blue, White, and Stiff Rods for inspiration!