China

There is no doubt that China uses tariffs to punish other countries for infractions. They also use hostage diplomacy as we saw from the Two Michaels situation when two businessman were abducted when Canada responded to an extradition request from the U.S. for a Chinese exec. The Americans left us out to dry with that and we are still facing the consequences of that.

And this is part of the problem we face today is superpowers trying to acquire land, assets and influence. To an extent this has always been the way over the centuries with continental blocs held together by similar interests with one dominant who pushed their agenda the most. The Western Bloc, the Eastern Bloc and the Asian Bloc or whatever names they were called over time.

In recent years, the western alliance of NATO has been in ascendancy in that has grown and Europe by itself has become a a powerful bloc. Canada, by virtue of being a G7 country, founding member of NATO and for European ties, is part of a trans-Atlantic alliance. The U.S. is by far the largest entity in the Western alliance militarily and economically. At its best it is an example of democracy and economic innovation. At its worst, it can be authoritarian and a military menace.

Since the 1980s Canada has had a series of free trade agreements that has cemented our position as a primary trading partner with the U.S. and Mexico. It has become such a large percentage that some businesses have not really sought to expand their business elsewhere. That is, except for agriculture, where the U.S. market is saturated and protected that Canada exports around the world. 

The top two market of China and the U.S. in recent years punish Canada on trade for not obeying them. Canada is no longer naïve about China. Even in the Harper years there was a belief we could sell incredible amounts of product to China and not be dependent on the U.S. and Mexico. However, Canada quickly learned that China was looking at Canadian technology and manufacturing to access that information and then use it in their own products and limit Canadian trade. We weren't the only ones. The U.S. and Europeans also learned that China was not looking for a true free trade agreement.

So in 2026, Canada is back talking with China with a more nuanced approach. It is looking to trade more with China, especially with food but also on cheap EVs. However, like we did with the Koreans and Japanese in the 1980s, we are looking to draw more manufacturing to the country. If Ontario auto plant workers are working for BYD or GM, what does it matter? This should not be a hard thing. If the U.S. is trying to end all manufacturing of cars in Canada, why should we not seek out other manufacturers? The expectation that we only buy expensive cars from the States is nonsense.

The premier of Ontario Doug Ford is outraged about the deal to let Chinese electric vehicles in but it really goes back to 2022/23 in terms of what was in place prior. Ontario benefits now as Chinese purchases canola resume. Beef sales are also resuming. This is a good thing in a years long tariffs war. It isn't perfect or addresses interference in elections, espionage or human rights. Nothing is said on Taiwan. Canada isn't rolling over on these issues but is more likely to pick their battles more carefully. It is why Carney is going from country to country to limit our exposure to only one export market and to form buffer against dependency. This is hard when 75% of your export trade goes to the U.S.

In the 1980s there was a lot of fear about Honda, Toyota and Hyundai and Canada got them to build manufacturing plants in Ontario. I think there will wide acknowledgement that it helped makes cars affordable and the quality across the board went up. Ideally, a portion of the manufacturing comes to Canada. Some critics say it won't and say the country will lose manufacturing just as Australia did. That is possible even if Canada doesn't import Chinese EVs.

If the U.S. ends the free trade agreement with cars, all the manufacturers could move to the U.S. which is probably not great for GM, Ford and Stellantis (Chrysler). As it stands now, Canada depends on billions of subsidies to keep the car plants in Canada. Norway, Denmark and Australia don't have car industries and remain prosperous and even more productive. However, losing all your manufacturing has consequences. One example is that Canada used to produce all its vaccines. When Covid happened, we had no ability to produce anything and China cut us off.

For those who lobby strictly for only private aspects for the market, it can leave you vulnerable you to market manipulation that ends up being anti-competitive. Even within Canada anticompetitive behaviours by business. The right balance of government and business is difficult to gage. Perhaps the ones that create the fewest imbalances in society are the best.

Around 5% of export trade goes to China. That represents a lot of agriculture. For pork products that means the whole pig unlike Canada where not all is used. Because of China's past, we have to ensure that we seek out even more markets for our goods. Some things such as potash or oil products can go anywhere. As can critical minerals. The truth is we haven't looked much because we believed the U.S. market was always available. Selling gold recently has helped Canada in its international trade. India, for example, imports a lot of gold.

I don't think anyone is naïve about China in the Canadian government about the risks involved. The Carney government has to mindful of espionage, military escalation and other issues that come up. It is likely Carney won't be vocal in public about what some of the red lines are. However, I expect spies and aggressive behaviour over territory will not be ignored.

The world has been doing a lot of talking about what Canada is doing on the global stage. From Davos to Beijing, we are not doing what has been done in the past. We can't. The threats have just been too great.

Gen Z Leaving Winnipeg

Gen Z is often considered to be people born between 1997 and 2018. Everything they do as of late is drawing attention. It is a generation that is changing alcohol consumption, shopping and education because they don't do what previous generations do. To that end, each generation does their own thing. In some cases, like the Baby Boom generation, the generation is so large that it crashes through each decade like a bulldozer. Sometimes they are so small, like Generation X, they are not mentioned at all.

So if a place like Winnipeg can draw students (along with the province), how do we lose them? Jobs, wages and opportunities are a big factor. Perhaps the biggest. We can't compete with mountains and weather. 

One of the things that attract Gen Z to Manitoba has been post secondary education. From Brandon to Winnipeg and through the province there fairly decent post secondary schools. 

Gen Z in Manitoba is leaving in substantial numbers and questions are being asked as they always are about why people are leaving. The simple truth is that continued job and education opportunities await further afield. It is very competitive in that area and always has been. Alberta today probably has over 200,000 people originally from Manitoba who have re-located there.

CBC Manitoba had a panel January 13 of Gen Z students. Most of them said they are not leaving per se but did explain the rationale for those that do. In terms of higher education, sometimes Masters and Doctoral programs are elsewhere. Research money is elsewhere. To its credit, the University of Manitoba had a successful year this year in recruiting Canadians to the campus and the increase in research money has been among the highest in Canada.

The University of Winnipeg has had a decades long program of building student housing. So has Canadian Mennonite University. The University of Manitoba has lagged while private builders have begun to take on the job. However, affordable housing means units need to be built all the time with no 10 or 20 year gaps as we have seen.

One of the things the CBC panel mentioned over and over was transit. It is easy for those who have cars to dismiss those who take the bus. Young people are too young to drive or too poor to drive. The penalties and costs of campus parking has been a decades long agony for students and faculty. However, the priority on housing has been painfully slow even with so much land available.

So riding buses that require multiple transfers or require long walks or waits is looked on unfavourably. Trips to Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and elsewhere make the difference clearer when young people take trains and subways. If you don't have a car for any number of reasons, you long for good transport and affordable cost. Some would just like bike paths that connect them to parts of the city or walkable trails.

Young people, when not in school, are looking for those first employment opportunities and wage growth that help pay for rent and future home ownership. Manitoba has been known for low pay and the excuse has been lower cost of living. But it also comes with slow advancement. For those who advance in companies such as banks, insurance companies and government the promotion sometimes means a move to places like Toronto, Calgary and Ottawa. This, in and of itself, doesn't always represent a problem. While some who go away never return except as visitors, some return for a variety of reasons.

In the 1980s during the recession, Winnipeg and the province lost massive population as big employers shut down. Many people had no choice to leave as they had no job. And tens of thousands didn't come back. Calgary and Edmonton surpassed us in population. As did Ottawa. And almost Hamilton and Quebec City. The decline has ebbed since but most of Winnipeg's growth has come from immigration and birthrate and not transfers from other provinces.

Gen Z is more mobile and while there are good reasons for them to stay such as family, higher education and family, the lower wages, lack of advancement and general fewer amenities in recreation and transportation to name a few. Various interviews reinforce Gen Z observations.

As mentioned, Winnipeg can't change its climate or geography and create oceans and mountains. However, it can make sure that it corrects its missteps on buses. Buses that drive back busy stops of students, buses that are never on time, buses that don't work with student schedules, bus shelters that are broken, unsafe, bus travel that can result in violence. And as far as fast or convenient, it pales to many other places.

Up until the last few decades there were deeply affordable housing in Winnipeg. Osborne Village was known for where many people started in their first rentals. There were a few areas around town like that. While there are some less costly areas to live, the rent has gone up and the availability gone down. Since 2005, new buildings don't have any rent control for 20 years and there is a $13,500 tax credit per unit. Not surprisingly, there is apartment building going up all over the city. 

However, it takes 20 years of consistent building where you start to see deeply affordable housing at sufficient capacities. Keep in mind though that even when rent was affordable, we lost young people to other provinces because of job opportunities, wages and perceived exciting city life. Still, a commitment to affordable housing often draws back people who live elsewhere for a while and wish to get more bang for the buck. Winnipeg and the province can't take a hiatus from building as they did for nearly 20 years.

In the U.S., Gen Z is re-populating mid size cities like Raleigh and Madison. Perfect climate and geography have been less important that being able to walk places, shop locally and have things to do. In Winnipeg, The Fringe Festival and Nuite Blanche are exactly what that population likes to see. Food truck weekend, bike event and the like are high on their lists.

For work, they want flexible workplaces, clear directives and commitments with opportunities for growth. The generation is prepared to come and stay in places like Winnipeg. This is not a case of big cities and nothing else will do. The generation will respond to an authentic and dedicated appeal to them.

What they won't respond to is a city they can't travel in, afford in housing or prepared to cut them the moment there is a business rationalization to maximize profit at their expense. They are looking at communities and at their present ages, they can't see it in long commutes to suburbs.

There are things that Winnipeg is doing to appeal to Generation Z. Some of them are here already but patience in improving wages, opportunities and transportation might be too slow to keep them here initially.

Toys R Us Closing at Polo Park

Opened in 1989. Toy R us Polo Park has had success even when American and UK divisions of the company folded. Sadly, many stores are now closing in Canada as competition eats away at them. At one point there were around 100 stores coast to coast. That number might be around 40 now.

Even as some other stores are folded into Toys R Us like Babies R Us and HMV, the company has had a hard time competing with Amazon and Walmart. In general, some toys stores have struggled in the past year such as Mastermind. There could be a variety of reasons why not the least of which is that the stores are too big and rent too high.

There have been some big changes since Toys R Us opened in 1989. Back then the Red River Ex, stadium and arena were all in the area and drew large crowds much of the year. Polo Park Mall still draw crowds. It has been some time since the arena and stadium closed and the spaces around that area remains largely vacant. This possibly has had an impact on traffic.

There will be some who mourn the loss. It is always surprising that Americans who come here have their faces light up when they see the store. In 2026, it is reported that Toys R Us will be opening stores again in the U.S. This could boost prospects in Canada too if there is a new approach and format that appears to work.

The Regent store remains for now. Perhaps this closure will forestall any more closures. All retail is facing a bit of chaos in terms of post pandemic climate, supply chains, inflation, tariffs and relevancy. Amazon has turned into a monster but in house experience can still be possible. For example, Spirit Halloween, is not just about costumes but the experience of being scared by some of the noise and pop up monsters. Amazon doesn't do that. A new offering of Toys R Us needs to entertain as well as have product on sale.

There is a new approach to the Polo Park area to mix in retail and residential. The Toys R Us site doesn't have an automatic store to jump into the space. It could be we see more apartments go up now that it is permitted after resistance from Winnipeg Airport. It is sad though that a long time store with memories for a lot of people over four decades disappears now.

The 2026 Winnipeg Civic Election

The city election is October 28, 2026. On May 1st of the year, candidates can begin raising and spending for their campaign. Two candidates who have previously run have indicated they will be back in the race. Don Woodstock and Mike Vogiatzakis have indicated they will run. The two businessmen have issues rated to crime that could be compelling running against Scott Gillingham.

The last election had candidates across the spectrum of left and right. Former mayor Glen Murray took a shot and came close to winning it. Perhaps Shaun Loney split the progressive vote with Murray. The Gillingham win was a narrow one. The election was as wide open as they come.

The incumbency factor in civic politics is one of the toughest when seeing competitive races. A sitting mayor is often in the job until they decide not to be. Incumbent councillors are reluctant to resign and run against incumbent mayors. They know it is an up hill battle. The present mayor had to leave his St. James ward to run for mayor. Unlike in the U.S. where a sitting senator can run for president and not resign from the senate unless elected president, our system doesn't not allow a MLA, councillor, MP or other elected official to run for mayor unless they resign from their old position. I'm convinced it would not stand a legal challenge but no one has ever taken it to court.

If no councillors step down, it is possible we see every person who stands for election re-elected. The voter turnout is so low and the public awareness of new faces is even lower. It is possible that nothing will remove the advantages of incumbency. I'm not in favour of term limits but perhaps allowing people holding other elected offices to run would bring competitive races to positions. Failing that, some form of ballot selection where voters pick their three top choices might work.

In the end it is the province that can change how city's function. And they don't seem too keen to change the dysfunction and lack of funding. It come down to a lack of trust. Some in the province likely think the city will overbuild highways and leave other aspects of the city to rot. The lack of trust between all governments is just not there. There is some evidence that between provinces and the Feds there has been a thaw. You would hope it would extend to cities like Winnipeg.

At the moment, the upcoming civic election will only produce a status quo.

Abercrombie and Fitch, Uniqlo Coming to Polo Park, Eddie Bauer Closing

Polo Park remains the top mall because it continues to adapt and attract tenants. Having said that, it must be exhausting some of the big retailers like Eaton's, Sears, Zellers, The Bay and others who have collapsed over the years. Even now, the mall and St. Vital are trying to figure out what to do about the empty Bay stores. It is likely we hear more in 2026 but it is unlikely that there is any big retailer is about to grab the whole space. Even Simons would not occupy that much space as seen from their recent expansion from Quebec into Ontario.

This story is not about the anchor stores though. This is about the smaller retailers that make up the corridors between the anchors. After Christmas every year changes are made and there will be periods where some retailers are looking to to downsize or close and others are looking to the opposite. There will be attempts in the mall to move retailers around so they can occupy bigger spaces or to be in an area where each retailer attracts a certain type of customer. For example, jewelry stores like to locate in the middle of the mall where two or more corridors intersect.

Polo Park has kept up as the top mall because it constantly invests in the building and seeks out unique stores no one else has. The Apple store does huge business. However, even having one exclusive store can have it's time and close. Eddie Bauer has been around for years and was part of a huge upgrade in 2014. There is only one in the city and on January 7, it closed. It is unknown whether this is a lease that was not renewed or whether Eddie Bauer itself made the decision. 

In the end, it doesn't matter because the mall has been moving tenants around to accommodate incoming retailers. While it is suggested Gen Zs are not going to the mall, Canada cannot merely assume what is true in the States is true here. There is some evidence to suggest that certain stores can indeed attract young people. And malls have been trying to add attractions and activities that attract families. Ask West Edmonton Mall and Mall of America about those.

Malls are like hotels in that renovations and changes within an existing framework need to be done each decade to keep things fresh. It is worth noting that Polo Park was late to the food court crowd in the 1980s. They had mall restaurants as tenants and in department stores but nothing like the other malls until their late 1980s reno. That was the way to attract young people back in the day and still is.

The constant change in recent years hastened by Covid means just as a mall settles one issue or need, they get bulldozed by new announcements of store closures they perhaps didn't not anticipate. As mentioned, Eddie Bauer is closed. The company has been closing closing locations over the last few years. However, the location closure has given Hollister a chance to re-locate and do a re-fresh. The California-look store has been at Polo Park since 2010. It is unknown if they will restore the video walls of Huntington Beach webcam that the company has broadcast since the early 2000s. Most of the stores have dropped the beach hut like entrance for a brighter, open window look. Apparently, Gen Z likes brighter lights. Also gone in the new design is the heavy scent and loud music.

In Hollister's old location near Zara, sister company Abercrombie and Fitch is set to come to Manitoba for the first time. They have had their ups and downs, CEO problems and the like. The store first started in 1892 so they know something about adapting. As a new store to the province, it will attract a lot of interest from young to mid-range age shoppers. Abercrombie has gone through several iterations as most successful brands have done. The opening of the store in 2026 should cement CF Polo Park's hold as the top mall in Manitoba.

To cap it off, the mall is adding Uniqlo, the Asian-inspire store that has fans across the world. This will be the third in a series of Asian stores to open at Polo Park. It likely won't arrive before St. Vital Center's own Uniqlo arrives. The southeast mall continues to be the main rival to Polo Park. The large Asian population of Winnipeg and those that love Asian fashion and beauty is changing the retail industry.

The goal of any mall is to transform and not leave big empty gaps in the building. To that end, what Polo Park does with the old Bay will be one to watch after these latest stores open.

Meltwich Portage Avenue Closed Permanently

At least it is says permanently on a hand drawn sheet in the window.

It may not be the only. The website says temporarily closed. The website also lists the Pembina Highway location has closed too.

We have seen franchisors go down before and the re-opened with new owners. Sometimes they close never to open again. It would seem a grilled cheese sandwich concept would work. 

The location also has Le's Subs for a number of years and prior to it was a Quizno's. That is three for three for failed sandwich places. The parking for both Meltwich locations might have been an issue. It is hard to tell. 

Unless a new ownership group to take over, expect Meltwich to be closed for good.

The Most Overrated Holiday of the Year

Truly the most overrated day of the year is New Year's Eve. It isn't a religious holiday. It doesn't make a special time in Canadian history. It isn't a personal day of importance like a birthday. There are no meals associated with it. Drinking is usually connected the day. 

Those that have to work the day get paid time and a half. Most, if not all, stores are closed. The day can fall anytime of the week so it is not an automatic long weekend. This year Christmas and New Year's Day fell on a Thursday. In 2026, both fall on a Friday creating a long weekend each time.

In general though, New Year's Day has been quiet in Canada. The change in the retail act in 2020 means many stores are open in the day including malls such as Outlet Collection and St. Vital. It used to be that everything was closed on New Year's day and there was nothing in the way of public activities. This began to change in the 1980s and 90s with activities at city parks including fireworks as well as family-friendly activities. 

Today, there is an anti-fireworks movement in Winnipeg. It appeared that there was only one listing for fireworks on New Years Eve. The fireworks in Naples, Italy and in Los Angeles are purely citizen driven. The risk in curbing public fireworks events is that citizens will do it without permission and dare you do to something about it. Diwali fireworks are a good example. Citizen complaints on Reddit, notwithstanding, it is unlikely any police will go arresting Indian Canadians.

In the post pandemic, I'd say we are in a bit of a lull for what to do New Year's Eve and day. Drinking is way down and so are the restaurants and clubs that provide those services. It is a long way back in years when casinos and convention centre had regular events. The Winnipeg Convention Centre used to have major events.

I expect the only way things change is with time. Canada is such a young country. Even now we add new holidays or create names for old ones. Christmas and Thanksgiving evolved and keep changing even now from what they were as Canada developed. Who is to say what New Year's Day will be like in the next 5 to 10 years?

One thing is clear that probably all retail will be open holiday hours. It still not everyone but that is the direction it is going. I can't say that Christmas will be like that but I'd be not surprised if retail is available year round even if it is holiday hours. It will be important to distinguish it from any other if this is the case. And if the government doesn't do anything about that, the public will.

What Makes Winnipeg Great?

A lot of focus has been on the negative aspects of Winnipeg both in mainstream media and social media. Sometimes that results in very public announcements of people leaving or commenting about how happy they are since they left. Every now and again, there is someone who says just how much they love about this city or how glad they moved here.

Geographically, Winnipeg at the center of the country has been an important aspect of its attractiveness for business, cultural gatherings and shelter. The rivers were the key aspect of that growth but it was when the railways came that the city's development took off. It sometimes comes as a shock when people learn that Winnipeg was once the third largest city in Canada until the Panama Canal was built in 1913.

Ports by the sea or with access to the sea have always been attractive places for commerce as well as places to live. Steamboats travelled all the way from Winnipeg to St. Paul Minnesota and back again. However, the rivers were shallow, winding and frozen part of the year. After 50 years, railways changed all that. And all rails led to and ran from Winnipeg.

The dynamic of trade changed as well from north to south. The Canadian Pacific meant east to west travel exploded and those railways lines continued to help the city prosper although cargo, rather than passengers were the big economic driver. Air and road service became the other important developments. The first international flight in North America was from Minneapolis to Winnipeg.

Early boosterism in Winnipeg and Manitoba in general was about land. The flat plains of the Red River Valley and the rivers that met at The Forks were ideal for commerce and travel. It is what made the city great. The trails that grew from settlements that expanded from the forts became the next great thing for the city's growth. While the first fort was built near the Red and Assiniboine, the first business independent of the Hudson Bay Company decided to open at the corner of the Portage and Main oxcart paths in 1862. The province had not even been formed yet.

Nothing really except for the land and the resources gave indication of how great Winnipeg would be. It was a harsh climate at any time of the year. Literally everything had to be brought in by boat or trail because the land was was not providing in abundance for a rapidly increasing population. And even the indigenous population was one that followed game north to sound across the seasons.

The permanent settlements were one of hardship due to extreme temperatures, flooding, insects and disease. The fifty years of transport by water or trail was slow going in terms of development. Funnily enough, the first locomotive arrived in Winnipeg via steamboat. It began the longest era of greatness with explosive growth from 1879 through to 1913. Thereafter, growth was still propelled by railway but not as the boom levels once seen. The building of the Panama Canal meant that traffic could bypass the railway and arrive by ship in Vancouver. Everything didn't have to pass through Winnipeg anymore.

Given the traffic back and forth to Pembina, North Dakota and beyond via steamboat and then rail, it is only the the coming of the Canadian Pacific Rail that re-arranged the dynamic of east to west than south to north. This took place in 1881 when the railway and bridge over the Red River brought huge amounts of people to the city. At least Winnipeg was incorporated by 1874 and had street planning and a nascent business community ready to go. Still, the growth was beyond crazy. Literally thousands of people poured into the city and then out to the country and to the new territories to the west.

All this made Winnipeg great because the economy and fortunes were on an upward trajectory. Still, the Panama Canal in 1913 and World War I a year later in 1914 cut Winnipeg off from capital and immigration as the war ground on year after year. Add to this the Spanish Influenza and the Great Depression and you had a few generations dead to disease and war. And to cap it off World War II took another generation of young people in terms of death and injury.

One effect of the war was a level of industrialization and new population growth that lasted from 1945 to 1970. Many of the largest present-day companies like Manitoba Hydro, Canada Life (Great-West Life) and New Flyer and others grew out of this post-war industrialization. Many family run businesses grew and prospered. Even through the 1970s, Winnipeg was larger than Calgary and Edmonton but oil would soon change that.

Oil crashes in 1973 and 1979 along with inflation and a stagnant economy slowed growth, By 1980, Winnipeg was going through massive layoffs.  Even during this painful time economically, Winnipeg benefitted from a diverse workforce, tree-lined streets, good schools and a cultural vitality. Even during tough times new festivals were created, new school programs were introduced, new professional leagues of sports started and so on. This is an important thing to point out to those who might think that nothing was going on in the city. 

The diversity of the Winnipeg economy and stability of  it made it a fairly good place to raise a family. It was too easy to take for granted our universities and colleges that churned out graduates that became leading Canadian citizens in a multitude of fields. And many of the family businesses grew each decade to become national and international players. 

Winnipeg is still a leading destination for immigration. The province with its provincial nominee program has gone out and found people to come here and has jobs for them. Each decade has added to the depth of the population as well as the rich tapestry of shops, restaurants and businesses.

Winnipeg has had a long time reputation has been a tough city. Crime has long been listed as a problem. Still, anyone who knows the city is aware it isn't the entire city rife with violence. Crime has been coming down the last two years according to reports but it probably doesn't feel like it for those watching crimes take place in stores, buses and the like.

What makes the city great has been the citizen driven initiatives to help on addictions, housing and poverty. There have been shelters built, rehab centres, lower income housing and foundational support for programming and education. It has pushed governments to act as well. United Way Winnipeg punches above its weight in fundraising. The Winnipeg Foundation and other endowments donate as much as the United Way. But it has been a hard year for many charities that still have not recovered from the pandemic just as demand as increased so much.

Still, the thing that makes Winnipeg great is that the city continues to adapt and grow. It has had good times and bad times but not end times. There communities all over Canada with declining populations as people move elsewhere. Winnipeg is not one of them although the fastest growing areas in the suburbs and metropolitan area. This spreading of population is not sustainable economically. It is why attempts to do infill such as Seasons of Tuxedo are transforming former industrial land.

It is great to see parts of Winnipeg have a second coming. The East Yards, Fort Rouge Yards and Tuxedo Yards have all been converted to commercial and residential uses. The density in the city as well as most of the country has dropped as suburban and exurban residential growth has exploded. The fact industrial and parking space is being repurposed is very good. True North Square was built atop a parking lot. Portage Place is being converted to Pan Am Clinic and residential units.

The year 2026 is to be determined but a lot of projects started earlier will be completed or near completion in the new year. A lot of initiatives on addiction, housing and poverty will also be well underway. The trick this time is not to take breaks as we have in the past because things like homelessness and rising rent is in part a capacity and programming failure. Winnipeg went years without adding any rental units or put roadblocks so long that it took years to get anything built. 

Winnipeg in a fit of urban pride once had a campaign called One Great City which its own citizens mocked in song and commentary. However, on a all too frequent basis we do things that are great and make the city great. We can't rest on our laurels though but it is important to see the greatness from time to time. 

100 Years of Winnie-the-Pooh December 24

Winnie the Pooh as most Winnipeggers know, was originally Winnipeg Bear at the London Zoo. The first story by A.A .Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shephard was inspired by Winnie at the zoo and from a stuffed bear he had bought his son Christopher Robin at Harrods.

The first children's story was published in the London News on December 24, 1925. The U.S. and Canadian rights to Pooh are in the public domain as of 2022. A Winnie horror story came out shortly after that.

Today, an original painting by E.H. Shephard is the Pavilion Gallery at Assiniboine Park and a statue of Pooh with Lieutenant Harry Colburn is in the playground adjacent.

The Winnipeg connection to Winnie remains strong today but started 100 years ago on December 1925. 

The Winnipeg Sun Re-Design

The Winnipeg Sun under the Klein Group has tried to distinguish itself from Postmedia Sun and National Post papers since the purchase in 2024. The first obvious step was the paper format with a switch from tabloid or broadsheet. It's actually a hybrid with sports tabloid inside a broadsheet. The font and the marquee also were also new. In fact, some said it looked like Free Press. I credited the Sun for local ownership which the Sun had lost way back in the 1980s.

It is expensive running a newspaper. However, it is possible to generate income if the product gets subscribers, advertisers, sponsors and finds their audience. Print newspaper remains where best profit is but newspapers like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Minnesota Star Tribune make money in a variety of ways digitally and with specialized products like Wordle in the case of the Times.

The Sun digital web page leaned too heavily on the Sun look. Now it looks cleaner and more focused on news with sports and opinion following. Video media was left to the bottom of the page. The Toronto Sun and their group has the videos prominently on the side. It always looks cluttered,

The Conservative opinion in The Sun is not a problem unless it can't make money. If the Klein Group doesn't look at increasing its sports and entertainment as well as news reporting, it risks not growing its audience. It really needs to have a reporter who travels to away Jets games. How that is funded, I'm not sure. I think it has to be a presence on something like YouTube that pays for the news content.

Make no mistake, I want the two main local papers to be successful. And to be successful, it means covering a range of subjects from news to sports, appealing to men and women, having stuff that kids will like, offer entertainment and advice as well as opinion. It isn't an easy task. I approve the new look of the print paper and the digital format looks much better than what they had previously.

In 2026, there is likely going to be a new Manitoba journalism initiative. While the PCs and NDP disagree on parts of it, it is likely the broad strokes of a plan will be to spend 25% of the provincial advertising budget locally and to have tax credits and other initiatives to support newspapers, radio stations and even newsletters. A number of federal programs are in place and others about to start although big online companies want to kill them. It is interesting to note that even in the U.S. antitrust and national security is raising some concern ala TikTok and Middle Eastern investors making a bid for Warner Bros. and CNN.

The Winnipeg Sun and other news companies across Manitoba might benefit from greatly from a province that is not spending their considerable amount money on American-owned media. The Manitoba government won't even say how much they pay for Facebook. Politics aside, The Sun can be a lot more and will be if it keeps looking to increase readability from print to digital. Keep working on it and for goodness sake, start sending a reporter on the road for Jets and find a way to monetize it.

So, good job to the Sun. Winnipeg has to local papers whereas it doesn't exist elsewhere in the west. Let's keep building on that. Build your audience, push for better anti-trust protections and find ways to monetize the product. That comes from the best look and feel of content produced here at home.

The Fight for Warner Brothers and What it Means for Canada

Warner Bros has gone through so many mergers, acquisition and ups and downs that it is difficult to even keep up with nowadays. It is important to note that the legacy Hollywood studio did start off with four brothers. The name Warner Brothers is the anglicized version of their name from the old country. The youngest of the brothers Jack was born in London, Ontario but was raised in the States. The first film production began in New York in 1910 but by 1917 they began to do work out of Los Angeles.

The patents of Thomas Edison were ended in 1915 by the U.S. courts in an anti-trust case that took the handcuffs off the movie industry. Warner Brothers was the most junior of these new film companies and only took off with the story of a Canadian dog called Rin Tin Tin. But this isn't the history of one of the leading companies in film and television. It is about the future.

Warner Brothers has been constantly been bought and sold by big players. Most recently AT&T sold the company off and it merged with Discovery to form Warner Bros. Discovery. And now this massive company is in play as Paramount and Netflix fight over it. This has caused widespread panic in Hollywood because Netflix is not a company that produces movies for exhibition as part of its business model. The other suitor Paramount looks like it is very close to the Trump administration and his family and might take the company in a conservative direction. All of the TV and film industry is worried by fewer buyers and distributors of content in the world market. Every one of the mergers is marked by cutbacks.

Warner Bros. Discovery is massive but lately top execs have been treating all non-digital assets as trash and splitting them off from the company. They call the split off part Shitco. That would be the cable assets and the legacy TV channels. Streaming is where the growth is. The big money people hate those assets and yet those assets continue to generate huge cash.

Warner has shot a lot of movies over the years in Canada. It and Deadpool among many have filmed in Canada. Winnipeg has not seen too many. Universal, Netflix and Hallmark are more frequent American studios who film in the city. If Warner gets bought up, do they simply become an inhouse library for either Paramount or Netflix. Do we see massive cuts, shifts in production? Do they simply go all AI?

Warner has gone from one crappy deal to another from AOL to AT&T. It is so bad they call it the "'Warner Bros Curse." Corporate civil war at all times, terrible debt and mismanagement. Buying any studio seems a recipe for debt and heartache. It can work if your corporate structure is set up to support your other businesses. In the case of Sony, was hardware and software coming together where it made sense for it. 

Too often studio purchases are ego trips with terrible debt. And if accountants get too involved, the creativity part that makes the business work gets drowned in a numbers game. While it is nice to have franchises, it can turn on a studio and lose a massive amount of money if the magic is gone.

If Warner does get swept up in Netflix or Paramount, it may hurt supply chains across the world. For example, Warner Bros. produces content for other television networks and partnerships. Netflix tends to keep things in-house and vertically integrated. A Warner merger with Netflix might make a company so powerful that that United States and Europe might order it broken up or not approved at all.

In Canada, it could mean a sold Warner Bros. might equal fewer buyers and distributors of Canadian content. It may hurt Crave TV which uses HBO content. It could hurt cable which uses Discovery content. It just doesn't seem to pass anti-trust laws in any country. Even Donald Trump seems to get that although he couldn't care less about Canada and the world. However, he does know that Netflix would be so powerful that it could be a threat to him. At least Trump's family member has stepped aside from the bid. It might be he saw the potential legal problems or the price was just going to be too high.

The loss of Warner Bros is not the same as Amazon buying MGM. While concerning, MGM was just not the huge player Warner is. Nor did it have news and sports divisions like Warner does. The Paramount deal might have Saudi Arabia and interests owning CNN as part of Warner. The Netflix deal might have CNN stop broadcasting on cable and move to Netflix. All theatres might lose product. It is safe to say that the deal will not close as quickly as any of the parties want and that by 2026, electoral changes could mean a deal is rejected.

Not every deal goes through in business. In Canada, the big five banks wants to merge down to three. The Liberal government of the day said no. The banks survived. It would have not served any Canadian had we gone down to three. One wonders if the government had said no to the Sobeys takeover of Safeway in 2013. The Conservative government of the day let it happen and it did none of Canada good. The lack of competition of food prices is partly to blame for that decision.

Does Canada have a say in it? Possibly. But every time we try to regulate online, the more the U.S. complains. In this case though, it is American interests themselves that fear the Warner Bros. takeover by Paramount or Netflix. The market is also dubious with Netflix stock down. This should be of concern. Disney's takeover of 20th Century Fox is still a drag on their stock price. Because of the world implications on this deal, the Europeans could reject some or all of it. Canada is just thought to be part of the American market so no consideration will be made even if it hurts the theatres, cable industry and our streaming business.

It s unclear what politics might be in play. If Paramount gets the deal, does the company become ultra right wing? If Netflix gets the deal, do become political? It is an overall mess. And may go on long into 2026.

Hanukah and Bondi Beach Australia Attack

Bondi Beach is the legendary suburban beach near Sydney, Australia. Often called the lucky country because of the people, the climate, geography and any other number of items make the country seem wonderful. Australians themselves will tell you it isn't perfect. The country is a democracy that has engaged in dialogue and achieved a measure of peace and prosperity. There have been some violent gun incidents in the past including 1996 in Tasmania where Australia suffered one of the biggest mass shootings in world history. The response was a firearms crackdown unprecedented in the country's history. Such was the horror that it changed the country on how to stop such things from happening.

It is with this in mind, it is completely shocking how two men could acquire long guns to attack Jewish people on the first day of Hanukah on Australia's most famous beach. It appears there are 15 victims of the two shooters. There may have been more if not for a bystander who ran from some distance to disarm one of the men.

There has been a rise of antisemitism following the October terrorist attack is Israel and the two year hostage ordeal and military response. There still a lot not known about the shooters but police in Australia are saying it was a targeted incident. It is Australian summer and Sunday would have have seen many enjoying the outdoors and the Hanukah event. Gatherings of the Jewish community are sometimes last minute details for security reasons. However, it seems the suspects knew exactly where to find the celebration.

World leaders have condemned the attack against Jewish people in Australia. Israel leader Netanyahu has pointed blamed Australia for the attack for not doing enough on anti-Semitism. It seems a little early for recriminations. Netanyahu is likely referring to responses to Gaza by the world. He is careful not to criticize the U.S. but has plenty to say on pretty much every other country. 

To be clear anti-Semitism is unacceptable at any time. We have seen evidence of it in Canada where Gaza protestors seem to conflate all Jewish people as being responsible for events overseas. It has resulted in some awful encounters. Still, I believe, at least for Manitoba, we have not reached the point that Australia has. Whether that is luck or general culture of the people, it is hard to say.

Anti-Semitism has been in Canada a long time. There has been an increase and now all of is linked to October 7 attack in Israel. Some statistic, even according to Israeli media, are not sourced. However, where they are sourced, indicate the rise. Unlike Australia, the U.S. and France, we haven't had a catastrophic attack and I hope we never do.

There are 400,000 Jews in Canada, the fourth largest grouping in the world. It hasn't always been easy. Some of it was downright awful. However, I suspect many would agree that things had been remarkably peaceable in the last decades. The election of Carney has brought fear he will allow Jews and Israel to be vulnerable. The conditional recognition of a Palestinian state is not an invitation for attack on Jews or Israelis. That's in Canada or elsewhere.

Australia will be go through a full mourning and reflection. They have this before when they had one of the most terrible spree shooting in history in Tasmania. It resulted in one of the strongest responses ever seen in a democratic society of guns and safety. It is obvious there were some loopholes left that will be looked at. Still, even if guns were not involved, the suspects also had explosives and could have used knives. The point is that an investigation will need to uncover if there were warnings that these suspects gave to indicate a threat. This could be communications, assistance or encouragement from other or a foreign actors.

In Canada, Carney has not got one piece of legislation approved except the budget. There are criminal code measures and other items awaiting support but they appear blocked with every party playing brinkmanship. One more floor crossing and there will be no election for four years. It will be up to the federal government then to ensure there are no attacks like the one we saw in Australia.

Winnipeg Sun Believes Removal of Removal of Covenants Has No Effect on Competition

The December 13 editorial of the Winnipeg Sun believes competitive food prices only come from tax cuts. Removal of gas tax, business tax, property tax and income taxes. There is no mention of price fixing. Even if all those thing happened, the grocery and suppliers have fixed prices for bread and other items to that point that companies like Aldi believe the game is fixed here. And it is.

Large grocery stores have agreements to keep empty store faces or other competitors from setting up anywhere near them. Such actions with surely have U.S. authorities such as FBI kicking down the doors were it to happen in the States. The Sun says the Competition Bureau says the restrictive covenants don't restrict competition. In fact this is what the Canada's agency says:

A restriction on land that prevents a purchaser or owner of a commercial property from using the location to operate or lease to operators of certain types of businesses that compete with a previous owner.

The UK and New Zealand have restrictions on grocery stores from hoarding land and forbidding others from buying or using it to compete with them. This has NOTHING to do with taxes. Nothing. 

In Brandon a Sobeys was closed in 2017 and Sobeys has leased the property twice for five years terms to prevent competition. Above is a picture of that store. The Sun believes this is the result of overtaxing? Shindico said this was to prevent competition. Does the Sun believe this property should be restricted from sale or use? Do they even think this is a good idea? Why would Sobeys do this if they thought it didn't limit competition?

Antitrust is a real thing. It is private enterprise manipulating prices and competition. It happened with bread and it happens with property. The Sun says this doesn't exist? 

Prices are indeed affected by many things. But it just isn't government taxes. It is sometimes companies inflating prices, putting the thumb on the scales (or the packages) and they have been caught red handed. However, an empty storefront leased for years doesn't raise any eyebrows. It is the government's fault. 

West End Cultural Centre Programming Saved

In 1987, an old church was turned into the West End Cultural Centre by Winnipeg Folk Fest creator Mitch Podolok and Ava Kobrinsky. The building had been home to a few church groups and just prior to the takeover was the Portuguese Cultural Centre. From the start it was a non-profit performance space and perhaps every music act in Canada and beyond as likely stopped to perform there. Built in 1909, it still looks like a church. Renovations in 2009 to the south expanded the size of the performance space stage to 900 square feet, added a green room and other improvements for about $3.5 million. A lobby and additional meeting/performing spaces were also created for a total of 16,000 square feet.

A bar and rentals have helped fund operations, some of which are offered free to groups in the community. Alcohol sales are way down and this is affecting every hospitality-based building. Legion halls and veterans associations have had to close if bar sales were their main source of revenue. And so it goes with non-profits.

In the case of the WECC, the issue of heating and cooling from their ancient HVAC system has been setting them back for years in the thousands. It can put organizations in a lot of debt. Just ask the Manitoba Theatre for Young People that just retired $1.5 million in debt with a capital campaign that raised $9 million. It also created a $1 million endowment.

At least three arts groups have closed because of money woes in the last little while. The heavy reliance on government funding is not enough enough. Even the WECC says it likely needs corporate support. The 380 seat performance center has been more innovative in how they book events but the music industry has really been hurting in recent years and a hall can't really get by with only several booked dates a month. 

The big arts groups in Winnipeg were slow compared to American arts groups. The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre hasn't revealed their endowment recently citing privacy rules but they do receive $1 million a year from the investments. That would at least be $20 to $40 million in an endowment. It is thought that the endowment is probably close to the $30 million mark. The younger Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis is thought to have $70 million U.S. in their endowment. That is just under a whopping $100 million in Canadian.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery also has a multimillion endowment that follows their $65 million expansion. They add to theirs by selling part of their collection when they have quite a lot of an artist's works. Some arts groups also make money from value added services such as schools and seminars that come in addition to the main product they sell whether that is music, art or entertainment. Even private businesses such as McNally Robinson have value added with their restaurant and their classes.

The West End Cultural Centre has to do more than book talent as a rental hall and make money from the diminishing returns of a bar. They seem to have the right idea about seeking out support but it has to be more than a one-off of $50,000 for a budget shortfall. The response of getting $70,000 is wonderful but the WECC needs to assess its needs now and into future. It should possibly look at a capital projects upgrade where sponsors can be involved. This requires priorities as well as vision. It cannot be periodic support. It may be an annual donation request or bequests for those who pass away to include in their wills. 

It is hard running a not for profit at the best of times. The need for volunteers, consistent use by the community and a steady stream of booking dates is hard enough to organize never mind thinking about mid to long term planning. It is promising that so many rushed to help support the WECC when they needed it but the next 30 years may require millions of upgrades and the time to think about it is now.

Underdogs Restaurant Parking Becomes Paid Parking

Okay, it's not Underdog's parking lot. It isn't actually clear who owns the parking lot at 207 Thompson Drive between the strip mall on Portage Avenue and Prairie Spirit United Church but it has become a paid parking area. The 79 spots now require a cellphone app from Indigo Neo and the price is $2 a hour. A Sunday football marathon could set you back $10 if you are at the restaurant. Church goers just have to register in the church to get parking redeemed.

I am not sure there are any other paid parking lots in the St. James area except Grace Hospital. It is worth noting that the City of Winnipeg has been in discussions about how to extend paid street parking to city streets as well as a variety of expanded hours and surge pricing. This has landed with a thud but any paid parking plan usually falls flat. The city has very low rates annually for overnight parking in the city on the street versus private lots. Many park their cars on the street for unlimited times. It would come as a shock if paid parking spread from not just private lots but to public streets but this is likely something we might see more of.

Winnipeg is very much a car city. It remains to be seen if paid parking spreads and will affect consumer habits. Will only restaurants that own their parking remain? Will small businesses that lose street parking or have surge charge prices on it survive? Will it create a new public transit system or increased density? This is possible but given the timeline it took to get one transit corridor done and the fallout of changing the bus system, we can't rely on buses to get people out of their cars.  In some cases, the buses are just not there and never will be.

It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. As for me, I am close enough to walk.

Bus Driver Protection

The bus drivers union has been begging for better shield protection for over ten years. The half shield has resulted in some passengers reaching in to the wheel to grab in their attack on drivers. The most recent CBC investigation of violence on buses has shown a significant rise across Canada. Not just drivers are in danger but passengers as well. No other city in Canada has seen a higher rise of violence on buses since 2015.

Winnipeg Police have been aboard buses in recent weeks and have made arrests. Transit supervisors have been trying to make a difference on fare jumping. It has been an ongoing battle. Add to that the destruction of bus shelters or the taking over of them as encampments and the entire experience of travelling on bus has been more unpleasant or downright dangerous.

The driver shortage seems very linked to the lack of safety they feel. Improving the service means having enough drivers. Safety and wages will help. So many drivers are five years from retiring. This is probably true of every public service in the city. Police are close to hundreds of cop taking retirement. The big question is even if wages are attractive, will the jobs still go wanting?

The full shield for drivers seems the best solution for driver safety. The issue of passenger safety is still just as much a priority. The shield still has to allow the driver to view passengers coming aboard for safety. No sense blocking the view of the doors just to run someone over. Thanks for nothing.

Despite security cameras on buses, there seems to be a defiance that any consequences will result from being violent.  Or in some case, mental health or addiction issues means some people just have no impulse control. Protecting the drivers can't mean screening them from seeing people being attacked in their own buses. 

The bus shelters themselves are getting shatter proof glass. It has taken a while to fill the orders. So many were wiped out by people. It is unclear if it was by those using the shelters for homes or by people trying to prevent them from being homes. Or maybe it was out and out vandalism to break things. No one was ever arrested for the many shelters smashed.

If Winnipeg was Sim City, the entire urban area would be on fire with police and fire tracks running all around. It is difficult to know where to respond to next. However, targets have to be picked. When liquor stores were being robbed the province opted for locked doors, ID and security guards. The program worked and they are mostly secure for employees and customers. It is now cannabis stores that are looking to up their security with some violent robberies becoming more frequent.

It is sad security has to be such a priority but car locks, house locks, bikes locks and the like have been around forever. Personal security has become one of the biggest issues. The full shield at least allows drivers of buses to have a measure of safety. As for the passengers, they can't be potential victims of violence because they take the bus or are waiting for one. Security and police have been promised and in some cases have been present but it will take some time to show perpetrators that fare jumping and bad behaviour aboard the buses will be dealt with. And once that happens, customers will feel more secure.

Controlled access to buses, stores, offices and shops is basic security nowadays. Keeping workers safe in their workplace is key. As for bus stops, they can't become shelters or traps for someone to be assaulted. They have to cameras and regular checks by Transit and police.

There is no doubt that mental health and addictions are contributing to violence when combined with poverty and homelessness. This doesn't mean the public transit attacks, robberies and the like are acceptable. And if encampments are not ever accepted on school grounds, why should a bus shelter be acceptable? Sympathy is fine but not at the expense of public security. Shelters with wrap-around supports are necessary for those with mental health needs. And for those who have addictions issues, the wait for treatment can't be a prolonged one. We need places more promptly. As for those who don't seek or accept treatment, the crimes committed to support their addictions can't be brushed away. 

The police have had a very successful fall for arrests for prolific arsonists, shoplifters and for incidents aboard buses. This must be maintained because repeat offenders will not be stopped any other way. However, things like bus driver protection and fare enforcement buses are the city's responsibility as are safety features for bus shelters. Security cameras have been shown to be effective in helping to prevent theft and vandalism but have been shown in studies not to be helpful in preventing violence. In Britain, terrorists knew the cameras would not stop them from an attack. However, they were used to track the terrorists. This should be a good reminder about cameras on buses. They might not an attack but they can who did it.

The city should go ahead with the shields and with other real time safety features. However, for every safety feature, there will be workarounds for those with ill intent. When buses were hit by bombs in Israel, they had security before people got on the bus. Then bombs and attacks happened to those lined up for the bus. The point is that safety is not just one thing you do, it is something that you build piece by piece. Sometimes it means preventing violence from happening by getting to understand who the people committing the acts are.

There is no doubt if the city can't get a handle on transit in terms of safety, routes and convenience, they will see it collapse and find that no amount of road building will help them solve the time and logistics of travel. It is time to fix the problem.

Home Hardware in Winnipeg Finally Opens 2025

Peavey Mart closed both Winnipeg locations in January of this year. The entire company shut down but in Alberta but is slowly opening locations again. This might not be easy in Winnipeg because their former location at 2860 Pembina Highway has been taken over by the dealer-owned Home Hardware.

The Pembina location was also formerly a Zellers so the hope is that Home Hardware will be the one that find long term success in the 30,000 square foot location. The new owners are an Inuit family that operate the EPLS Group of Companies centered along the western shore of Hudson Bay. Two Home Hardwares in Arviat and Rankin Bay Inlet in Nunavut are owned by the family already. A distribution center in Winnipeg supplies the group.

The relationship between Nunavut and Manitoba has only grown in recent years and is likely to grow more. As for Home Hardware, it is a familiar friend to those in rural Manitoba with 25 locations already in the province. Across Canada, the company has 1000 dealer owned stores. To be sure the Winnipeg location will be very big for their locations. The EPLS Group will be able to use the buying power of their Winnipeg store to get good prices and supplies for their stores up north.

All around this is a good Canadian business story. A Canadian retail outfit opens in an area of Winnipeg in need of a store for renovators and contractors owned by an Inuit business from the north. This is the best kind of story.

Over the last months, there has been some indication that some of the gaps in the economy are starting to fill. The cost of living, housing and have seen some improvement although it has been painfully slow. Supply chains is like turning a ship. It is a slow and long turn. The loss of Peavey Mart hurt several areas of the economy but Home Hardware has been adding steadily over the years and now filling gaps left by the closures across Canada.

Some businesses such Home Hardware are not easily or conveniently replaced by online. The Canada Post strike repeatedly cutting service showed rural areas the weakness of the delivery system for online products. Home Hardware, by contrast, is owned locally, supplied nationally and is located right in communities where needed. For south Winnipeg along Pembina Highway, the new store will bring people in from that area and beyond the Perimeter Highway. 

It may be we have not seen the last of Peavey Mart or Zellers in Manitoba but the ascendance of Home Hardware is undeniable.

New Drive-Thru Concept McDonald's Coming to Kenaston

It is not the first drive-thru only from McDonald's in the city. That honour goes to Pembina Highway which also became the first 24 hour location in Canada. This however will be the first drive-thru that is heavily automated as well as have storage lockers for delivery people. There are presently two other location in North America like the one proposed for Winnipeg. One is in Fort Worth and one is in Los Angeles.

The location at Kenaston at Grant in the Real Canadian Superstore parking lot right at the corner that turns east down Grant. It will require some zoning changes to operate longer hours but Councillors don't seem alarmed by the proposal. The spot being looked at is where the garden centre has usually gone. I have no idea if it will be relocate to another area for seasonal sales.

Social media has been mixed on the possible traffic to the area, an American restaurant expanding, quality of the food and a few other things. Some thought it would be helpful for pick-ups in River Heights and Tuxedo. Others thought it would be good for deliveries. Those people who hated McDonald's are not about to change their minds. Those that hate traffic will continue to hate it.  There is nothing wrong with having an opinion about it.

River Heights is a food and grocery desert as is a Tuxedo. So much is beyond walking distance for as little as coffee. And certainly there are hardly any options for 24 hour locations for the thousands working shift work in parts of the city. Aside from 7/Eleven which are not drive-thru, where do the people go for those super early morning family hockey travels, late night flights and the like?

I am not entirely sure how traffic flow will be inside the Superstore parking lot. As some people pointed out, it is up to the grocery store to figure out. As long as the traffic doesn't line up on the public road, city zoning people seem satisfied. And the McDonald's itself is on the farthest corner away from apartments. 

The delivery system has multiple competitors such as Skip and Uber among others. People in Winnipeg are avid fans but some companies like McDonald's might find it more convenient to have a place such as the new Kenaston location where drivers pick up orders at lockers where items are slid through to the kitchen to the lockers that open to the parking lot. It is very popular in the United States. This can make other McDonald's less crowded with drivers waiting at the counter.

The local franchise owner in Winnipeg says the new drive-thru will be about 1,800+ square feet. He also mentioned 80 new workers but it is unclear if that was across all his locations or just Kenaston. With Kapyong under development the next few years, this is probably not the last restaurant or drive-thru to go up. It may not even be the last McDonald's.

What Restaurants Should Locate by Portage Avenue Costco?

Costco is now open along Portage Avenue. Even as the doors opened and work continued in different places, apartment construction continues. The rumours on restaurants locating right by the highway have jumped since last week. There are some diners further in Headingley such as Nick's Inn and Headingley Grill. Denny's operates on many days 24 hours. The Gates just across the river has fine dining. However, with Costco now open, the demand for drive-thru and casual dining in a growing commercial and residential area is rising.

There are many more stores coming to the area as well as apartment buildings. The plan is for at least 6 or 7 roadside restaurants and drive-thrus. Nothing has been announced yet but several places have been mentioned as potentials. Arby's comes up all the time as a potential tenant. It is no secret they want a second location in the city after the success at Seasons of Tuxedo. There has been talk of a return of Swiss Chalet to the site for a third return visit to the city. I'm not sure why this chain would think the results would be any different than the last times they were here.

Montana's has been mentioned as a possibility. It is highly likely that McDonald's will want to build out at the site given that their closest restaurant is inside Walmart Unicity. This is true of all the big chains. They will look at the Westport site because of the shopping, recreation and new housing going up. In 2026, expect the hear a flurry of announcements now that Costco has gone up.

To review some of the restaurants I've heard from clients that may look at kicking the tires of locating at Westport are:

Arby's

McDonald's

Applebee's/IHOP

Pancake House

Starbucks

Smitty's

My understanding is that breakfast/lunch places are highly sought after because of Costco's hours and to reach the commuters coming down the Trans-Canada Highway.

Tim Horton's is already on site and has been there for years. Robin's is possible but they have been struggling for years to come back. Some local coffee places that are possible are.

Thom Bargen

Empty Cup

The word is that a steakhouse/casual dining place is being looked for. Original Joe's is nearby already so that is unlikely. Some of the ones mentioned are:

Joeys

Moxies

Earls

Lot 88

Olive Garden

Frankie's

Chipotle

Stella's

A lot of people have had some swing for the fences hopes for restaurants such as:

Cheesecake Factory

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Texas Roadhouse

These restaurants don't have locations in Canada presently so seems unlikely they come now.

There are many in Winnipeg who probably have hopes of an American chain coming to the city that we don't have. It is possible. We have had a few come that eventually closed such as Earl of Sandwich, Royal Fork and Longhorn Steakhouse Winnipeg. Some like Famous Dave's just keep rolling along.

It is possible that some independent local restaurants opens on the site too.

One thing that is clear is that the huge amount of traffic is going to attract a lot of restaurants and retail to the area.

The Restaurants in Marcello's Old Hydro Location

Covid hurt businesses associated with office workers. The Manitoba Hydro building with between 1800-1900 employees went on remote work and even today, still has workers at home part of the week. It can be pretty stark when people are not at headquarters. In better times, the first floor which includes a bank, Rudy's Restaurant and up till the pandemic, Marcello's Market and Deli.

The empty streets in downtown hurt a lot of businesses. Marcello's was not able to survive in such a large space. The Ottawa-based restaurant group still operates in Winnipeg but in a smaller space in the Richardson Concourse. The Hydro site was a huge space of 3,500 square feet and in need of a customer base. Returning workers represented that boost but it has been a chicken and the egg thing. Restaurants won't return if there are customers and employees are reluctant to go back to the office if there are no amenities.

Manitoba's Hydro's move to the downtown might have been as a result of Glen Murray's exacting a price for the sale of Winnipeg Hydro, but the company has used the space in their building for political debates, fashion shows, banking services and food halls and restaurants. The empty Marcello's spot was an impediment to serving Hydro employees and the public at large.

With that mind, Hydro sought out established downtown Winnipeg businesses with the draw being a food hall with 60 seats and a large potential customer base. To that end, Hydro reached out to Baglesmith which agreed to relocate from their other downtown location. The owner of Bagelsmith also brought their other restaurants Super Slice to the space. In the past days, people have been trying out their celebrity pizzas including one named after Betty White.

The other two restaurants added to the food hall is a Asian place called the Greenish and a coffee spot Colosimo Coffee Roasters. The food hall will be collectively known as Café 360. For the various owners operating in the space, they are no stranger to downtown, the common comment they have meant that there is a sense of security being in the building. The Manitoba Hydro building, like the food hall in True North Square, have security guards.

The arsons and protection rackets have had businesses rattled. Add to that the changes in bus routing, businesses are looking for safer options. Locating inside a building with a shared space, security and hours that end at 4 pm probably is very attractive. The complete makeover of Portage Place next door will bring a raft of potential customers when the Pam Am Clinic is complete in 2026. It is estimated that nearly 7000 people a day will be using the clinic's services.

A lot of downtown projects will be complete in 2026 and security is playing a strong role in their success. No one does anything in True North Square because even loitering will bring out security to escort you away. Mess around in the arena or the convention centre and that will result in a permanent ban from every sports event, concert or convention. The power of that punishment can have a lasting effect. Real consequences for violent or disturbing acts. It happens in every mall in the city. 

So while those inside the new Café 360 will feel safe, more will have to happen outside the building for people to feel secure. Restaurants every week are being targeted for arsons. We have never seen such a concerted effort to burn them down. There is likely video of a particular suspect involved in multiple locations but any place that doesn't have onsite security, is in jeopardy. The Manitoba Hydro building has such security in it and around it and any attempts of harm there are likely to have a response in seconds. 

Café 160 will be a welcome addition to Portage Avenue and will attract people from beyond Manitoba Hydro. The only way to bring vitality and safety back to the area is one building at a time and one street at a time. The places downtown that people feel most secure are the ones that draw many people and security is clearly visible. Food halls have proven to be a favourite for many.