Amazon Prime Monday Night Hockey

The first game of Monday Night Hockey aired October 14. 2024 with Montreal Canadiens versus Pittsburgh Penguins on Amazon Prime. The site is subscription only so only those with an Amazon Prime membership can watch. For further clarification, these games are only seen in Canada because Rogers (which holds thee rights) has sold two years of Monday games to them. In the first game the Penguins took Canadiens 6-3. 

Amazon Prime has various business interests in streaming in addition to their massive online and bricks and mortar retail platform. Prime has been has been making exclusive content on their streaming channel but it is sports that draws in the big live audiences.

Amazon, like YouTube and Netflix, has been broadcasting a game a week on their platforms. It is less noticeable in Canada because CTV has the NFL rights and we get Prime, CBC, NBC and ABC games on regular CTV channels and TSN cable. This could change in the next TV and streaming deal with the NFL if the streamers insist on world-wide rights on their platforms only. This could lead to charges of antitrust.

It would seem the NHL wants to have streamers pay big money but everyone knows if a deal goes to just one broadcaster, it could lead to government breaking up a monopoly. Rogers buying national rights in Canada to squeeze out CBC and TSN might have been disallowed if it wasn't for regional broadcast rights being owned by TSN in major markets as well as Rogers using CBC and CityTV to further the reach of their broadcasts.

Mark Messier is easily the most recognized of the broadcast team. With six Stanley Cups, he is known on both sides of the border. It is hard not to think this is an audition for more Amazon broadcasts targeting the U.S. for the NHL. The amount of American talent on the broadcast makes you think Amazon is setting up for a long future. Play by play is being called by present say Seattle Kraken play caller John Forslund. He has been in American hockey broadcast since the 1990s and is a well known and recognized voice in the booth. Colour commentary comes from a series of broadcasters breaking a way from their other duties around the league. Blake Bolden, American, former NCAA and women's professional leagues and pro scout for Los Angeles Kings. Jody Shelly from Manitoba/Nova Scotia. A former enforcer in the NHL, he became a broadcaster with Columbus Blue Jackets. Shane Hnidy, another Manitoba, former NHLer and former much beloved colour analyst for Jets. Working for Golden Knights and TNT as analyst.  Thomas Hickey, Canadian, former NHL defencemen for the Islanders and colour analyst for the team with MSG Network.

I'm assuming that Shane Hnidy gets the call for the Amazon Prime broadcast in Winnipeg in two weeks against the Leafs. I expect it will quite the experience. The Montreal broadcast had Amazon crews all over the place shooting the city and the fans. Comments from Montreal fans was that broadcast was very high quality. Some camera work was not seen in broadcasts done elsewhere. One observation was that the commentary was simplistic and focused on the game rather than the league as well. They did have Gary Bettman there but it was not quite a state of the league address but more a welcome to Amazon.

The pre-game production was about an hour before the game. It consisted of American host Adnan Virk of ESPN introducing the game. The rest of the panel was Blake Boldren and Mark Messier with guest Bettman. The other co-host, Canadian Andi Petrillo, a long time analyst for CBC and Hockey Night in Canada, handled all the interviews except Bettman's.

Andi Petrillo will host a Thursday program called Coast to Coast on Prime. The NHL has a production hub in Secaucus, New Jersey and Petrillo will often use the studio there if she isn't doing it on location in various Canadian cities. Meadowlands sports centers are there and it across from Manhattan.

Amazon Prime is also producing a docu-series Face-Off Inside the NHL which will looks at the inside story with players and teams. So far it has been compelling TV. There are also some other NHL series on the streamer.

Last year Amazon Prime had just under 12 million average for Thursday Night Football. Not bad numbers considering some of the games were not exactly best of the week. In fact, some were calling it trash football. Next year Amazon Prime will have NBA games broadcast. It is unclear if it is for all of North America.

The Amazon in Canada won't feel like trash games to Canadians. Anytime two Canadian teams face off will get a TV crowd. The Leaf and Jets game will see a lot of viewers. The Winnipeg game is going to have huge excitement to it and could see a rise of Prime subscriptions or more people going to bars where it is playing. 

The who issue of subscriptions is a big deal. The next NHL deal is likely to have several aspects to it. It will be shorter, have regular broadcasters and cable but it could also be multiple streamers. People forget that the return of the Jets meant seeing games on a single cable channel TSN 3 and paying quite a bit for it. Imagine having to do that for several subscriptions. It could grow to prices that led people to cut cable.

Top 10 Most Wanted in Manitoba

There have top 10 wanted lists for crime almost as long as Manitoba has been around. The Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP have finally put a website with the top 10. Crime Stoppers has gotten an increased amount of money to give to those sending in tips. And police say it is working. The Manitoba Integrated Violent Offenders Apprehension Unit has been doing very well according to their own spokesmen.

Social media is a powerful tool for police to inform and apprehend suspects. They will need to be doing more, not less of this to successfully bring down crime. This involves various apps and not just Facebook. The top ten is great for violent criminals but just as much needs to be done in a timely fashion for petty crime.

The police mentioned that some people turned themselves in rather than appearing in the top 10 profile too long where people saw them. They didn't like that. For some they wouldn't care but it is useful to inform the public. One constant complaint is how police never inform people. 

In some cases it might hurt because the community is helping to hide someone. However, information can dry up completely leaving police with only getting tips from residents. 

The new top 10 list is already leading to apprehension of suspects. The people on the list are not just released. Many have enough charges of a serious nature that they are taken off the street.

Further changes provincially and federally are being enacted on parole and sentencing. A federal prisons such as Stony Mountain is the oldest in Canada.

Some say Winnipeg needs more cops but they are also working 50,000 extra hours a year for private organizations. It would not hurt to examine use of police and hiring for police special events. A lot of resources go into the police force and it is added to pensionable hours. Many police are retired by 50 and the age keeps going down. The police love these extra jobs but it may not be the best for the taxpayer.

The truth is we need a variety of security measures and not all of them involve police. An investigation by Manitoba Veterinary Office was turned over to the police. They laid the information in police hands and they got the legal supports to carry out search and arrests of two people responsible for the cruelty and death of cats. This is how things should work. Much of the legwork can be done by other bodies.

The gathering of video evidence and other security work need not be done by police but civilians. And managing websites of crime can be done by others.  The cruising crowd has attracted some motorcycle clubs and large crowds on Sundays. Signs of gone up in the Princess Auto parking lot which have been ignored. Police are near non-existent. So the most recent Sunday, uniformed security has taken over the lot. 

Private security has risen everywhere and the NDP provincial government has increased the money for private companies to buy alarm systems. However, even high security places like Polo Park can have issues from people despite cameras and patrols. Places like Polo Park can ban people and you see more and more of that but then it means those individuals can be out other places causing trouble.

Ultimately, only the police can get the violent offenders off the street and the Top 10 list helps a lot. It will be tips that do the job more often rather than relying on older, less reliable data. Confidence in the system will only be restored when people can see evidence of dangerous people removed out of their community.

Winnipeg Jets and Road Trip Flights

Winnipeg Jets and the Canada Life Centre is a big operation. Management consists of no less than 17 vice-presidents. In addition to managing the Jets, Moose and facilities such as the Canada Life Centre, Hockey for All Centre (Iceplex), Burton Cummings Theatre, True North Square and soon to come: Portage Place. There is a lot of real estate that is part of the overall company.

I think that it is hard to fully appreciate the impact a professional hockey team has on the city of Winnipeg. The management of two hockey teams is not the only part of community engagement. The Jets employ a communications team to reach people in a variety of ways. It isn't just radio, TV and web broadcasts of the games providing information and entertainment but TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.

In a post on their social media that has gone viral, the Jets showed what is involved in a road trip. It first appeared on Instagram but is has been on TikTok and drew the attention of the National Post because it sheds some light on a area of hockey operations. It follows the Jets as they board their aircraft and head off to Edmonton for first game of season.

The initial Instagram post was produced by the Jets digital team which makes all hockey content. It is a combination of pictures, video and some information about the flight preparation that the team does. Each away game involves the transportation of 2,100 kilos of equipment which is 4,700 pounds. The 26 players on the team are about the same weight. Add coaching staff, media team and air crew loads the modified Air Canada Airbus 320 to capacity.

Air Canada has a division with Airbuses called Air Canada Jetz. It has four aircraft that provide surfaces for all Canadian NHL teams and the Seattle Kraken. The livery is a dark black with the logo of the airline. When they travel for the Jets, the team logo is all over luxury leather seats. As with all airlines, food service is provided. These jets are used for other charters to including election periods.

The two tonnes of luggage includes hockey bags for every player, five sticks each, two games jerseys, multiple practice jerseys, two skate sharpening machine, sewing machine and all the supplies that come with it. The players have their own personal bags. They are required suits for business travel when heading to work.

Everything is loaded on the tarmac off a truck and Air Canada has gotten down to 15 minutes. On long road trips, no one wants to be at the airport for too long. There are 41 away games and they are coast to coast and back and forth over the border. Add play-offs and that is a lot of travel!

And this is just the Jets. Let's not forget the Manitoba Moose travel by airplane as well. I haven't heard what they travel in now but it used to a prop plane from Calm Air. They were one of the few teams in the AHL to have one.

The media team with their story on team plane travel gave insight into what a road trip was like: the business side, the social side and the human interest side. Amazon is showing what is behind the curtain and there is an audience for it. TikTok or BookTok says hockey romance novels are among the best sellers and responsible for a growing fan base of women in hockey.

The truth is that hockey teams and hockey broadcasts are evolving and social media and streaming are playing bigger roles than ever.

New City of Winnipeg Housing Money Approved for

 

Even with many apartments being built in the last few years we have had several places closed for various reasons such as fires, engineering reasons and the like. The Parkview at 440 Edmonton was a personal care home right off Central Park that had deteriorated so bad that it was better to close it than keep it open in the pandemic.

Central Park had being seeing improvements a few years ago but has once again fallen into a slump. Security is an issue everywhere as addiction creates desperation and unsafe atmospheres. There is no shortage of apartments in the area but affordable places are hard to find. The Parkview will now be home to 180 units of transitional and social housing. The 13 storey apartment has been empty since 2022. The new owner is the University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation 2.0 which has had a lot of success building apartments downtown.

All around the Winnipeg Art Gallery are University of Winnipeg housing complexes. This is a complete change from the 1980s when the university washed their hands of their men's and women's residences and turned them into faculty use. The feeling is students didn't need university built housing. It was a terrible mistake but back then the U of W didn't have two pennies to rub together. How things have changed. If only the University of Manitoba did the same. The Fort Garry campus has done not very much despite having the land to do it. They have a huge swath of land where the Southwood Golf Club was. Perhaps in 2025 work will begin on the land they bought there.

An empty lot at 225 King Street and 231 Princess Street will become 54 apartments downtown. There has been significant housing built around here in last several years. Just down the street from there an open lot will be made into 128 apartments.

Around the art gallery at 530 St. Mary Avenue and at 252 Good Street will go 165 apartments and 50 apartments of affordable housing. And at 125 Garry Street, nearly empty building will be turned into 126 units of apartments.

Several other apartments will go up from Transcona to St. James as well. The applications were literally over-subscribed and many other worthy projects are looking to next year if the program continues. This came as a result of the federal accelerator fund via the city but if the money stops with the next government, the momentum could end.

Still, it is a lot of empty buildings and surface parking lots that will become housing. The Manitoba government has committed to a $10 million fund with with Business Council of Manitoba. This commitment echoes the important conclusion in the much shared Foundations UK essay about what is needed to get Britain out of its stagnant economy. The argument equally applies to Canada and by extension Manitoba. The idea is that business leverages what government does. Investment is the key for housing, infrastructure and energy. And government can't do that by itself.

Private investment has to drive growth and clearly, it has taken a NDP government to do that. The federal government has only recently gotten back into getting housing infrastructure built. They had been involved in the 1970s but the provinces pushed them out. The provinces themselves used their transfer payments for others areas such as tax cuts. The aging housing infrastructure and lack of new buildings has stretched into years. And the housing built was not the right housing as it was not near transportation routes, had not enough bedrooms and so on. 

Public investment needs to be focused on what gets housing built and not just one kind of housing. Capacity helps keep prices down but government seems to have lost focus and people start to think of there houses as an investment that beats the market and helps fund fabulous wealth in the future. This ignores the fact that people need need places to live after they sell their houses and will have to rent or buy in a high priced market. For some they can't sell because there is nothing to buy.

The government should only be concerned about capacity. If they try to help home owners achieve huge wealth through property, it will only backfire as it is still a market. As seen in the U.S,. cycles will tank property prices around every ten years. Canada has avoided this mostly by better banking and federal mortgage rules. However, it is not immune from it and house prices have reaches inflated heights and are already starting to lower. The question is whether rate cuts will start to raise prices way up again.

Building capacity is the one thing the government can do. It means financial supports to builders, zoning adjustments that don't force builders to build cars spaces or limit height onerously, that don't skimp on safety but drop rules that are a hundred years old and unnecessary, to help landlords and homeowners upgrade to energy efficient appliances and insulation and to infill vacant land and convert vacant buildings or demolish them for housing.

The city, the province and the Feds all seem geared to work on the housing crisis. It remains to be seen whether they stay focused on it. Too often it is one of the things cut by governments and it has become obvious that private business alone can't solve this. In Winnipeg, the people living on the riverbanks is an indication that we don't have the right type of housing. Zero vacancy affects everyone. It will remain one of the top priorities for Canadians. It should be the same for government.

Series Finale of SEAL Team

Seal Team started in 2017 when network television was still a big deal and had huge promotional parties celebrating the dozen or so series that were getting a 22 episode order for the new season. CBS likely greenlit the series following the success of History Channel's Six which ran two seasons starting in 2017. It was a SEAL team series as well.

Unlike History Channel though, the might of CBS meant they could 22 produce episodes a season and have the budget to do it. David Boreanaz, a consistent lead actor in television for many years was the eventual choice to head series. CBS has found success with a Delta Force series called The Unit from 2006 to 2009 so had some familiarity with a special forces series,

Embarking on a series like this generally means a smaller but dedicated audience as many women will tune in other shows. Still, for most of the time it was on television it held a fair sized audience. It was an expensive show though and CBS decided they wanted to make room on the network for other series so it was decided to make SEAL Team one of shows going to their new Paramount + Network.

It is the first and perhaps only program to start as a network series and continue as an original streamer series, SEAL Team was able to spice up the language if not the violence of the series. Swearing was featured on the streaming episodes.  One major difference was that instead of 22 episodes, the series had 10 episodes a season. Netflix, Amazon Prime and streamers like Paramount+ just don't producer as many episodes. It is their major weakness.

Boreanaz as Master Chief Hayes was the main character and the stories featured both his missions and family life. Writers on the show often had a military background including special forces which lent to the authenticity of the series. By it's nature fewer female characters appeared as regular cast but the ones that did were important to the show. 

Canadian actress Jessica Pare who played a CIA officer Mandy Ellis almost didn't get the role when CBS higher ups tried to torpedo her. It is still not known why the president didn't want her but producers fought to get her and she was a regular and recurring character throughout. It is shame they didn't use her more in the last two years as a CIA officer attached to Bravo because it was a very interesting role. They did try to have the relationship blossom between her and Hayes. In typical TV series drama, a wedding took place but it was Hayes's daughter but all of the cast was there and Hayes and Mandy were together as a couple ready to take it to the next step of happiness.

The main female character throughout the series was Lisa Davis played by Toni Trucks whose evolution from Specialist to Lieutenant was something to see on the show. In the end Sonny, played by Canadian actor A.J. Buckley, gives up his trident to follow Davis to a big promotion to Washington. 

The loss of the character of Clay Spenser played by Max Theriot affected every other member of Bravo company and their families. It took the show down a path to show just how much military service and the aftermath affected those who served. 

There have been a number of shows about military conflict over the years that have marked certain times in world history. MASH, Band of Brothers, Combat! and others have been as important to our understanding of those times even if it has been told by Hollywood. The change from network TV to streaming service might make these type of shows a more rare item. 

Many streamers are not making any money but then again network TV is struggling too. The issue of how to make money in this new environment and it is a major concern. Paramount as a studio is going through its second series of cutbacks this year. Hollywood has many unemployed people in California. The government in the state is looking at tax credits. They'd be wise to do so as Manitoba is having a boom in filming because of the tax credit, the crews, the locations and facilities.

Shows like SEAL Team are expensive because of the location work. However, when places like Manitoba work with the film companies, you have more of a recipe for success. The final season of SEAL Team was filmed in Columbia. The realism is what drew fans to the show. It will be missed by many.

 

One Year Anniversary of October 7 Attack

It is hard to believe it has been a year since the terrorist attack on October 7 on Israeli communities just outside Gaza. The raids and kidnappings by Hamas has led to an ongoing military conflict involving a number of groups supported by Iran.  Above is a picture of Israelis troop in Gaza from IDF.

Saturday, October 7 in 2023 was a religious holiday in Israel so it was quiet. Festivals and faithful gatherings were taking place and it was a relaxed day. The brutality that followed from the attack by Hamas forces out of Gaza is hard to hear and yet some people have tried to deny how bad it was or to justify it. It was rape and murder on a scale that is sickening.

Despite the feeling that Netanyahu was responsible for the military and intelligence failure that led to to the attack, there was and is support for the attacks on Hamas as well as Hezbollah leadership. Responding to Houthi and Iranian attack also has support. 

However, there are also tens of thousand in Israel seeking the end of Netanyahu's leadership over the failure to get hostages back, the lack of preparedness for the attack and for a whole host of other issues from settlements to antidemocratic changes in Israel. I have written about how polarizing Benjamin Netanyahu is in Israel.

As a democratic state, Israelis are very active in the political system and a election will turn on the future of the state. In terms of the war, a hardened position has emerged as the details of the savagery of October 7 remains as an open wound in Israel. But people are also tired of the war and the more soldiers that die fighting it will test the resolve of the government. A total military victory is unlikely in getting all the hostages back. This has been an issue in past conflicts and negotiation has been the only thing to resolve it. Back in 2006, Hezbollah seemed shocked of the Israeli response in their attack in Lebanon. They are likely feeling the same way now as leader after leader is targeted.

In Gaza, Hamas is only focused on eliminating Jews from the territory and creating a religious state where all other religions are driven out. This is in their manifesto. It does not recognize Israel and neither do its's supporters in Gaza and other parts of the world. Moreover, their charter looks to spread Muslim faith worldwide under sharia law. It should be noted that the goals of Hamas are not shared by all Palestinians. However, there is really no one in Gaza to challenge them.

October 7 is called Israel's September 11. It is gut wrenching and emotional. For Jews in Canada it has been a tough time as they and their businesses are targets of antisemitism whether they have a connection to Israel or not. The bomb threats and and other attacks have risen sharply.

For Palestinians, Lebanese and other supporters in Canada, their rage is red hot as many often have family back in the conflict areas. Not surprisingly, some believe Israel is an illegitimate state and all Jews should leave as they are colonizers. Many don't believe in a two state solution. This doesn't give much room for negotiation. The dismissal of the October 7 attack and hostages largely doesn't get answered. 

So long as Hamas exists, it seems unlikely any solutions will have any permanence. Supporters who believe they can drive the Jews out and nothing seems to the dissuade them from this idea. As for Israelis, an extreme group of the religious right seem to think they have a greater Israel and look to push Palestinians out of West Bank. 

Canada supports a two state solution. Extremists want their side to eliminate the other. At some point, Israel will declare the war over and try to get their hostages back. A retaliation against Iranian missiles but set ups renewed hostilities between Iran and Israel. If Iran becomes nuclear in short order, it is possible a nuclear exchange could result. It is crazy and it is possibly why Netanyahu is trying to goad the U.S and allies to go to war against Iran. It won't happen. The U.S. is too burned by Afghanistan and Iraq to gear up for an invasion of Iran.

It seemed impossible that it is a year and fighting is still be happening. But hostages are still being held by Hamas. A ceasefire will come but not so that attacks can resume on Israel. And Israel won't tolerate years of hostages being held. 

For Canada, the government needs to ensure anti-Semitism is not allowed to threaten people, synagogues and businesses. There is anti-Muslim sentiment out there too but attacking Jews seems to be just too tempting for some people. Canada has been a refuge for people since the beginning. It cannot be where people wage war on one another for things that happen elsewhere.  In the end, Canada will stick with its two state solution and will push for some sort of negotiation. But no one should lose sight of the fact a terrorist attack took place and hostages are being held. As long as some people dismiss this, it does nothing to resolve things.

Portage Place Upgrade Gets the Go Ahead

Portage Place was originally built for $80 million in 1987 which is about $160 million in today's terms. It wasn't the only project on North Portage. Investors Group, Air Canada, Relax Hotel (Holiday Inn) and several apartments also went up. Some of those developments continue to exist today and are successful. However, the mall like much of downtown shopping suffered. Polo Park doubled in size around the same year. Eaton Place and Winnipeg Square were built less than ten years earlier. In short, Winnipeg was over-malled and the suburbs won the battle. Well, almost. Unicity failed before Portage Place.

The just under 1000 car parkade was the jewel under Portage Place. Generating millions in profit each year, it kept The Forks afloat from 1994 on. Cadillac Fairview and successor companies never owned the parkade. If they had, things might have been different. However, it is possible they might have just sold it as the downtown Bay sold theirs to make quick cash. The Forks North Portage Partnership on behalf of the three levels of government receives the parkade's profits. And those have all gone to The Forks since 1994.

 It is worth a passing thought to think what $3 or $4 million a year from the lot might have done for north Portage. It is likely though The Forks would have gone bankrupt. Today it is in much healthier shape. And the sale of the parkade to Truth North will result in a possible windfall of cash to The Forks to the tune of $35 million. On the profits generated by the parkade alone and the usefulness to Jets' owners, the deal will certainly generate cash. The millions spent by event parking that didn't go to the arena will now go to the arena.

Some critics are withering about anything going up downtown. Some says they haven't been for years. That is entirely possible for those who don't go to concerts, conventions, theatre, hockey, basketball, work or The Forks. Perhaps they live and work in the suburbs or just out of town. However, the downtown is where all three levels of government are located. The reason they are there is convenience for the services they provide and for the amount of workers needed.

The Chipman and Thomson families who own the Jets have been doing their part to make downtown dynamic. It has been a building block process. First it was to redevelop the old Eaton's site and move the AHL Moose to the building. Then it was to bring the Jets in. A exhibition hall was next and then a redevelopment of the block across the street with a combination of parkade, Alt Hotel, restaurants, condo and offices. Then it was True North Square and several office towers, residential units and hotel. In just over 20 years hundreds of millions has been spent and has transformed the arena district.

Portage Place will easily be the biggest redevelopment downtown since True North arena was built in the early 2000s. It will have multiple partners in all levels of government, True North, Southern Chiefs Organization and Pan Am Clinic. For those who say they will not ever go downtown, they certainly will go if that is where their knee surgery will be. 

For the next 35 years, the Pam Am Clinic will be on east side of the former mall and take over the space that was the food court and movie theatres. It will be 12 storey centre of excellence for surgery. It will occupy 265,000 square feet. By comparison, the present location by the Pam Am Pool is 72,000 square feet. By any measure this a massive expansion to help bring down waiting times for healthcare. The present Diamond Athletics is 10,000 square feet and will be moving as well. Presumably, they will also increase in size.

On the west side of the former mall will be a 13 storey apartment that will be a partnership of Chipman/Thomson and Southern Chiefs Organization. Affordable units will be part of the building. There will be 200 units built with about 40 per cent allotted lower income. The skywalk will remain connected throughout including to the former Bay. The Southern Chiefs Organization has a budget of about $130 million for that building alone which will also include housing.

As for the rest of the mall, it was revealed a grocery store has signed a letter of intent for about 19,000 square feet. Other mall residents such as Prairie Theatre Exchange are expected to stay. However, actual plans and tenants have not yet been revealed. Work is set to begin in 2025 and be complete by 2028.

For the first time 100% of Portage Place, the parkade and additional buildings will be owned locally by one group but in partnership with several other groups. Long tern planning is already part of the core mission of the facility. A health centre that is needed and wanted is key to people coming there every day of the week.

Mixed developments are central to long lasting success. Portage Place was simply too much retail and not enough street presence. It turned its back on the street and in many ways, turned away from ground floor in favour of the skywalks. As seen in the above picture, the new Pam Clinic will have a street presence. There has to be handicapped access and pick up/drop off spots out front. You simply can't have a surgical center with no road access. For this reason Edmonton will go through where the escalators and clock are now to connect Portage and Ellice.

There appears to be a few park-like areas in front of the new Pan Am entrance and around the new mall entrance. Without a doubt there will be high security to keep the area from becoming like the pocket park of Air Canada in terms of an encampment and more like what True North Square is. That is to say the park will be there for citizens to use but not to take up residence in. There will be simply be too many people going in and out of what is essentially a hospital.

There are around 80 encampments around the city now. It is important that more is done to find people housing, treatment and not have more areas become permanent outdoor settlements. Certainly it would appear the goal of True North and Southern Chiefs Organization is to build affordable housing. Many people this winter could suffer if it is colder and snowier than past years. Living on the street or the river is dangerous.

There are a lot of moving parts to Portage Place but working with The Bay conversion by Southern Chiefs, it is a near $1 billion amount of work. The inclusion of health and housing ensures vitality seven days a week. This was always a flaw of the old mall. Evenings and weekends were not strong. There was just not enough people living in the area.

In recent years around the Art Gallery, there has been a number of apartments built, same for Truth North Square and along Portage Avenue. In the past week, there have been several apartment projects in the downtown approved to begin immediately. There are more coming next year and possibly in years after even with a federal change of government.

The truth is that there can't be any ten years or more breaks where literally nothing is getting built. And that is what has been happening in Winnipeg and longer at times. The hoarding of land for parking spaces have left large areas under utilized. Downtown has football fields of space, some of which has not seen a return of traffic since the end of the pandemic. Shopping malls are coming to the conclusion that too much of their lots are not being used regularly. Space is being converted to other uses including apartments.

The initial Portage Place mall attracted tens of millions of other investment. It is likely the new initiative will do the same. Still, it will take three years to see much of this come to pass. By then, perhaps, True North's Sutton Place Hotel and Suites will be complete as the need for additional hotels downtown has grown. It often takes a very long time to get shovels in the ground.

Still, this new project is a step in the right direction and a great improvement on past proposals. No one development alone with save the downtown but, like The Forks, step by step action will make that area a vital component if rejuvenation.

Winnipeg Sun Switches to Broadsheet

This is going on third week or so of the Winnipeg Sun's switch from the tabloid format it has had since its 1980 beginning. The paper initially was only three days a week and began evening delivery about a month into publication. Initially, the paper was black and white but eventually started having colour in their Sun logo. The publication was owned and operated by Winnipeggers, many of whom were refugees from the shuttered and beloved Winnipeg Tribune.  After getting to a respectable 34,000 plus circulation, Quebecor bought the paper and folded it into their national national Sun chain.

The early Sun was a little more serious paper in that there was no Sun girl. Editorial policy was more local and more encompassing. The tabloid format was streamlined and within two years some editions had a whopping 120 pages. The new Sun managers had a way of doing things that was more pugnacious and heavily conservative. It should be no surprise now that with a former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, the new Winnipeg Sun should continue to be very conservative. However, it has picked up on local which the former owners seemed to have cut considerably in recent years.

Kevin Klein contributes regular columns and there are several additions in terms of columnists and writers on the paper. The relationship with the former Sun ownership continues but the focus there is all too often on the federal government. It is likely why Klein has tried to beef up local coverage.

The broadsheet format change is more of a hybrid. The broadsheet has a tabloid sports section in it. That section more closely resembles what a Sunday Sun was like. Even the logo more or less is the same. However, the front section has a banner type font reading Winnipeg Sun with a that at first glance looks like the Free Press even though the lettering is completely different. A rising sun in the middle of the letters is the one splash of colour in the heading. The stories and columns are laid out around a main picture. 

Inside the broadsheet is a fair amount of news and editorial. This seems to be true of both the Saturday and Sunday printed papers. It would appear that the newspaper is a work in progress so I am treating it more like what those 1980s days were like when the paper kept adding colours, days printed, delivery and the like. Klein keeps adding content because it is the only way to grow subscriptions.

Print newspapers are now quite dead yet. Just like books were written off far too early, newspapers and magazines can survive but they can't exist on classified and commercial ads. The big 6 gatekeepers such as Google and Facebook are starting to run afoul of antitrust. The fact that they can have anti-competitive practices hurts news media is only one aspect of concern. Their systems are capable of taking down banks, airlines and government services. The Microsoft update shows how badly we can be hurt. It cost billions.

Government can't pay media but these large groups that use content paid for by groups such as the Free Press and the Sun need to be held to account. If a new Conservative government drops supports for TV/film and media, it is entirely possible we see large areas of industry, news and production cease. 

Winnipeg is lucky as it has two local owners for their major newspapers. Kevin Klein will have his work cut out for him re-building the Sun. It still heavily favours a lot of national Sun/Postmedia content. To appeal to women, they will need different content than they do now. The New York Times gets thousands of subscribers for their game section. Other newspapers get reader for their advice columns. It was the Winnipeg Sun that was original home of Miss Lonelyhearts. There are many things that a newspaper is on a daily basis. But a big part of it should be informative and entertaining. 

The Sun really needs to build their Winnipeg Jets and Moose coverage. It is possible some relationship with the various sports podcasts is appropriate. This could apply to radio stations as well. Hal Anderson has contributed to the Sun for years. However, the paper could benefit from more restaurant reviews. More entertainment reports on what is happening in the city.

I get that this will be a piece by piece building project. And it won't all be about print newspaper. But it can be about news and information. And it can be a heck of a lot better than TikTok or Facebook.

Pierre Poilievre Next Prime Minister of Canada?

Double digits poll support over the Liberals, it would seem the Conservatives are in a position to take a historic victory with a majority not seen since Mulroney. His axe the tax stand of removing the carbon tax is resonating with a lot of people. However, he hasn't made clear if he is dropping all the efforts in the area of climate change. For example, will he drop electric car support, geo-thermal, solar or electric power grids in favour of oil and gas. Some of their policies suggest they will sell water and allow resource development in presently protected areas. There doesn't seem to be anywhere to ask questions about if any of this is true. Increasingly, Conservatives are not responding to any media...even those that would seem friendly to it.

It probably isn't necessary. Poll numbers are great, money is coming in and even if the economy improves, it still doesn't change the message. The gas tax cuts will be the first things to go if and when Poilievre is elected. Climate change supports are likely to go next. The only thing that might mitigate that is what happens in the U.S. and the world. If the markets start to really change for oil and gas products, it will not help if Canada is not manufacturing electric vehicles and investing in other technologies. The German government has already said they are committed to energy such as hydrogen. Some Conservatives have attacked her for saying this.

On crime, the statistics are bad over the last ten years with rising numbers. While some numbers are lower, violent crime and property crimes have spiked. It isn't just as federal government problem. It affects provincial and municipal governments as well. The Conservatives say this all began when the Liberals took over as government in 2015. While this is true, it ignores the others levels of government, few of which were Liberal. Police themselves have said there are many factors leading to more violent crime, some of which are are at levels of government below the federal one such as social services, education and housing.

The Liberals though are taking it on the chin mostly from inflation. And even though it has come down to 2%, a lot of people are still carrying a lot of debt and renewing debt on such things as mortgages at higher levels. Bank of Canada rates have come down and are forecast to come down more but people are still hurting. After nearly 10 years, it very hard to win elected office again for the same leader. Nearly impossible. Pierre Trudeau couldn't do it and relied on the Conservatives under Joe Clark not being able to retain confidence. Poilievre is hoping to land a large majority to keep that from happening like it did to Joe Clark.

The government could collapse in October if the Bloc don't get some of their policies pushed through on seniors. They appear to be expensive promises and it is uncertain if the government supports them or believe they are necessary. The Liberals will likely weigh the benefits of supporting this plan, especially if it only buys a few week of confidence. An election could easily be before Christmas.

The Bloc Quebecois could end up being the Official Opposition in this scenario as they were from 1993 to 1996. The difference then was the Liberals were in government and campaigned to keep Quebec in Canada. Would the Conservatives do that or would they push them out the door? There are so many policy issues that largely remain unknown. A vote on the carbon tax is what Poilievre wants to make the election all about but he hasn't indicated much detail on other areas including defence and national unity.

Poilievre has said he will make it a priority about bringing down the cost of housing. This past year thus far has seen housing starts go up 4%. Lower interest rates should help builders with more starts but even with historically low rates a few years back, housing prices were rising. This isn't something the Conservatives can change any more than the Liberals. 

The Conservatives think inflation might go down if they eliminate the gas tax but it could increase spending in other areas which could raise inflation. It certainly did that for housing prices even when the overall rate was 2% inflation. The only thing that will really moderate prices is capacity. We don't enough housing units overall and haven't for many years.

The market is tricky that way. If there is a mad rush and bidding on houses goes crazy, people will not benefit. Supply chain issues, zoning and approvals all take time. Some areas in Toronto and Calgary are saying no to anything except detached housing. This happened when Harper was in power as well with Poilievre in cabinet. Now the Liberals are in power but provinces in Ontario and Alberta have conservatives governments and struggle as well. The truth is that all levels of government are responsible for this.

In some university towns in 2024, there are now rentals available because the federal government has limited students. However, this is now putting pressure on universities because of reduced tuitions. Meanwhile, some businesses won't have skilled people coming out of the university system leaving the job market unfilled. 

Clearly, we need more policy ideas from Poilievre if he is to become prime minister.  If tax cuts are the only thing offered, the possibility of rising deficit is strong. And if service cuts are in the offing, where will they come? In Manitoba, we saw a balanced budget under Pallister but it came at the cost of cutting constructions budgets, not settling contracts and a whole host of other spending throttling that was eventually was going to have to be paid later on. The NDP under Kinew seems reluctant to end some of those tax cuts even as the deficit grows. They will have no choice at some point because borrowing money to pay for tax cuts is just not on.

What a Poilievre government might do aside from cutting taxes, climate investments and the CBC is unclear. And will the social conservatives on the team have sway on abortion, IVF, assisted death and other areas? No one knows. It is possible his government might be as light on legislation as the Republican Congress in the U.S. is. The big difference between the U.S. House of Representative and Canada's Parliament is that a majority in Canada is able to achieve far more with less chance of a veto by the courts and Senate.

As far as foreign affairs goes, it is likely that aid to Ukraine could come into question. Some Conservatives are outright hostile to the assistance and our more supportive of Russia. As far as Israel goes, there are enough evangelicals in the party supporting a war there for biblical reasons. Canada's allies give the country less leeway to not pull weight. Presently, the Liberals are being pressured to get to 2% GDP for defence spending. Poilievre has said he is not committed to spending that much. It is unlikely he will be able to pull that attitude in NATO meetings. 

A sudden election could very well have Pierre Poilievre become prime minister without a clear direction. One possible clue of what is to come is to look at the Doug Ford government in Ontario which defeated the Liberals who had been in power for 15 years. Ford has won two majorities and seems set to win a third majority. Ford, unlike Poilievre, is a populist which propels his agenda. It remains to be seen is Poilievre can get people to like him as much as Ford. Moreover, there tends to be a trend in Canada that provinces often balance out political support. In other words, if Canada goes Conservative, it often results in changes on the provincial level.

Change is important in government. It also allows the opposition to rebuild and focus their role as critics and alternatives. At the moment, it is hard to see what change will be coming, especially with an election possible very soon.

Rogers Buys Bell Canada Enterprises Shares in Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment

Rogers has become the foremost teams and facility owner in Canada with the purchase of Bell's shares in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in Toronto. Rogers, which already owns 100% of the Toronto Blue Jay, will now take 75% ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts, Toronto FC, Toronto Marlies (AHL), Raptors 905 (Mississauga) and Toronto FC II teams. Rogers also takes majority ownership of the Scotiabank Arena, OVO Athletic Centre and the Maple Leaf Square. Rogers already owns 100% Rogers Centre (Skydome) and facilities in Florida for the Blue Jays.

The reaction of the Toronto media has been full on over the top. Some are saying it is brilliant, others are concerned about so much power with one corporation and others convinced it doesn't create winners in Toronto sports. All of those things can be true. Toronto will only have two major sports franchises not owned by Rogers. The Professional Women's Hockey League team and the upcoming WNBA team. 

There are numerous sports ownership groups out there. Few are as entrenched in one city covering as many sports as Rogers now does. The only ownership they presently lack is a NFL team. Few have captured one city as well as Rogers. Some of the debt from the purchase Rogers has made should come from NBA expansion fees, renewal of NHL TV rights and facilities rentals for concerts and events to name a few areas. Sports franchises continue to rise in value all the time.

Bell retain TV rights for 20 years for hockey and basketball for CTV and TSN. This is probably the least the government would allow. Rogers having complete control would be awful. It would likely violate antitrust in Canada and possibly elsewhere. After Rogers gobbled up Shaw, the Canadian government of any political stripe is likely to frown on the company if the act like pigs.

Bell is massively in debt after investing in their 5G network. They also have kept their dividend going for 16 years. Their corporate media buy of CTV/TSN assets have not served them well and they have cut 1/4 quarter of their workforce. The amount of debt has been weighing them down. Selling the teams while retaining rights is likely the best way to reduce debt if that is what they plan to do. Paying a dividend and not reducing debt would be dumb.

Rogers also has debt. It is why they are selling Monday rights to NHL games in Canada to Amazon for the next two years. That starts this year. For cable cutters who have Rogers and Bell, it is yet another reasons to stop cable altogether. Amazon already does Thursday Night Football and hired veteran Al Michaels but they have been graced with trash games for the last year. The first game for the NHL on Amazon is a more promising Pittsburg Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. They will also be doing a NHL talk show on the network.

Bell can't seem to run the conglomerate they have. The heavy debt, huge corporate bonuses and large dividend means they don't run their assets very well. The rely on government subsidy and protection. The six big global ad companies led by Google and Facebook hoover all the ad money. This is a world-wide problem and the U.S and Europe are acting on in antirust. The Liberal government in Canada has helped subsidize news and taxed companies like Google. The Conservatives have indicated big changes are coming including the likely end of CBC. It is unclear if this helps internet, media and telecoms in in Canada. They could all be close to folding and asking for international buyouts in the next years.

Bell keeps begging the government for help but it is hard to be sympathetic when they always cut, always acquire businesses and then cut them and give their leadership bonuses while having large profits and asking the government for subsidies or loosened rules to acquire more and provide less.

There is talk Bell might sell the antenna real estate it has all over the country. They are already downsizing real estate assets they have. Lower interest rates should help them. However, it has literally been decades of high prices and cuts over the years.

Rogers could make the sporting assets a real money spinner but they also seem to acquire assets, debt and high fees with other cuts in service. Meanwhile, telecom competition is growing while profits remain high. It could be Rogers feels more heat if their teams are chronic underperformers.

Party City Expands in Winnipeg and Canada

In 2019 Party City was bought by Canadian Tire and operates separately from Party City in the U.S. which started in New Jersey in 1986. The 65 Canadian stores were bought for $175 million and the plan was to double sales and then the pandemic hit. Now, Canadian Tire has expanded locations and focusing on holiday sales.

The company should not be confused with Winnipeg-based Party Stuff which has three locations in the city and has existed since since the 1950s and owned by the Glass family since 1982. Their Polo Park location on Century has been there since 1985. The family also has a Halloween shop on Regent in addition to their other Party Stuff locations.

Party City, owned by Canadian Tire, should be not be confused with the Spirit Halloween stores either. This is one of their big competitors although those stores are only in places less than half a year. It would be a mistake to think that party stores are only about the holidays certain times of year. They are for milestones and fundraisers as well as retirements and birthdays.

Winnipeg has rated two new stores of the four that are newly built for Party City. 

Locations of the four new stores:  

• Party City Kanata, 501 Earl Grey Drive, Kanata, ON 

• Party City Kitchener Sunrise Centre, 1400 Ottawa Street South, Kitchener, ON 

• Party City Winnipeg Kenaston, 1765 Kenaston Boulevard, Winnipeg, MB 

• Party City Winnipeg Polo Park, 1545 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB 

The former EQ3 location at Polo Park is one location. Since the furniture store moved into the old Sears, the old EQ3 sport has looked for a permanent replacement. It held a Spirit Halloween store strangely enough. Party City should find the Polo Park spot a busy location. And for Cadillac Fairview, the store is a unique attraction.

The other location opened is the former Nygard store in Linden Woods. It seemed a big reach to find a single retailer to take over the large space but Party City has filled the whole spot.

The one stop aspect of a party store is favoured by many. Walmart and Costco just don't carry as many balloons and knick knacks, decorations. The party stores also cover other religious and ethnic celebrations well. It just don't feel like a Christmas store. Halloween though has grown into an enormous industry in the last years.

In Winnipeg's case, the expansion of some large Party City stores fills some retail holes that have remained open for some time. The loss of some major retailers with U.S. ownership was substantial. This has been mitigated by Canadian companies buying U.S. assets when the opportunities came. In a lot of cases, U.S. liquidators were only interested in shutting things down.

In the case of Party City, Canadian Tire took it over in 2019 and folded into its retail operations. It means Party City items are in Canadian Tire stores as well. This has been a successful marketing move for Canadian Tire as they can get clothing, party and other supply chain movement into their stores.

Having Canadian Tire as owner gives a huge amount of stability to Party City. The Canadian retailer is simply one of the best and has fund ways to be profitable and growing even with huge American competition. As for other competitors such as Party Stuff, there appears to be room for them as they also rent party tables, equipment that so many people need to run a successful party.  For the consumer in Winnipeg, it means many options.

More Housing for Seasons in Tuxedo Site

The Seasons of Tuxedo and Seasons in Tuxedo area has been non-stop construction for more than a decade. IKEA has been up since 2011 years and the area on both sides of Sterling Lyon have been transformed. From zero population back then as industrial land, it now has thousands living and working there every day.

Krispy Kreme and Arby's are but the latest additions as the last spots fill up in and around the Outlets of Seasons mall. In a spot  across the street from Frankie's are zoning approvals going forward at 457 Sterling Lyon for two 7 storey apartment buildings with 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units. Three bedrooms in Canada is the unicorn of multi-family dwellings. 

The Seasons district 13 years ago was the former CN Intermodal site but now it is an example of infill mixed development. The site at 457 Sterling Lyon is one of the last sections large enough for apartments to go. The other apartments in the development have filled fast. It is a testament to the idea that mixed developments are the right direction as they were in the past. The Courts of St. James and the Holiday Towers are among a few long term examples of mixed developments succeeding for decades. However, they fell out of fashion for many year and some places, especially downtown have no balance between residential, office and retail.

The new apartments will be walking distance to any of the amenities one might expect in any neighbourhood. The Red River Co-Op grocery store and a few pharmacies have the basics covered. However, there also doctor, dentist and vet offices within walking distance and a bus terminus is located right by the mall. A sidewalk on the south side of Sterling Lyon is sadly lacking though.

Winnipeg is still need of many apartments for its growing population, rising rents and low vacancies. As has been said many times now, the affordable housing of 20 years from now is being built now. And the only way to lower rents today is to build capacity in the system. The Seasons site is fortunate to not have to face opposition from residents like so many other areas do. Since it was industrial before, the developer has been able to get quicker approvals. Polo Park and the surrounding area have been trying to get approvals for housing for more than a decade and the wait continues. There is no doubt that people would move to and live in the area if the option was there. Undoubtedly, many other shopping areas of the city will see apartments go up as the surface parking lots take up a lot of space.

These apartments being built at Seasons will have some underground parking as well. Many apartments have storage for bikes as well since the Harte Trail is so close and people are using for quick commutes and recreation. Still, the attraction of such apartments is how walkable everything is. It likely takes longer to get your car than it does to walk to the store.

Look for these apartment to go up some time around 2025.

Canada's Couche-Tarde-Circle K Attempting Takeover of 7-Eleven

Getty Images / 7-ELEVEN, Inc.

It sometimes comes as shock to North Americans that 7-Eleven is owned by the Japanese. It has been since 1991 when it bought a bankrupt Southland in Dallas, Texas that owned the company. The late 1980s and 1990s saw major purchases by Japanese companies of assets in North America. At the time it caused all sorts of fear. However, Sony and 7-Eleven among them, have been  good owners of these assets. Perhaps, they might have been run better because they were Japanese.

At the moment Nippon Steel is trying to takeover U.S. and both Republicans and Democrats are vowing to block the deal. The U.S. steel manufacturer says that without the takeover thousands of American jobs will be lost. With this in mind. a decision either way on the steel purchase could factor in on the 7-Eleven purchase by Canada's largest convenience store owner. If the steel deal goes through, questions will arise about the ability of takeovers going the other way. If the deal doesn't go through, Japan can make similar arguments about why the 7-Eleven deal should not go through.

Circle K has been around as a brand in western Canada since 2018. It was part of a re-branding of the Mac's Stores that dotted the city for decades. Mac's logo once had been a cat's head that eventually became a red owl. Circle K's owner Couche-Tarde essentially means "night owl." 

The first acquisition bid by Circle K has been rejected as being too low and not taking into account antitrust. The combined assets of 7-Eleven and Circle K in North America could bring calls for a sell off of some stores and gas stations. A Circle K and a 7-Eleven on the same corner from one another would hardly be competitive. 

People in Winnipeg are familiar with this with Sobeys and Safeways using the same flyers while often being across the street from one another. Sobeys was required to sell some stores in Winnipeg to complete their purchase but there are still many stores very near one another. This is the case across much of western Canada.

The owners of 7-Eleven have asked the government to declare the company part of their national security core assets. The Japanese government seems reluctant to do that since the company essentially bought a U.S. company and asking that it be declared forever Japanese could hurt other trade. As mentioned before, Nippon Steel's deal for U.S. Steel depends on each country mostly staying out of it except where it comes to antitrust.

While 7-Eleven might have the same owner in Japan and Canada, they operate with their local customers in mind. However 7-Eleven has far fewer locations in Canada than what is found in Japan. In Canada all magazines have been purged from the stores. There used to be a whole row. Japanese 7-Elevens still have a row of them. It is not uncommon to see 20 or 30 people casually reading inside stores. Some stores are dropping the magazines but it is at a slower pace that it has been for Canada.

What Japan has purged are Slurpee machines in some stores. They just not big sellers compared to Canada. In some stores there a 20 flavours of Slurpees lined up along with the Big Gulp dispensers. Japan sets up more space for food sales, especially, rice balls known as onigiri. Chicken and other items are fresh every day at the store. With literally thousands of stores in Japan, deliveries are made multiple times a day of product. Canada has under 620 7-Eleven stores for the whole country. Winnipeg has many stores but at least four due to issues of lease or crime have closed.  The city could lose ten more and crime has been blamed by top execs of the corporation.

Canada has its own executive offices of 7-Eleven in Surrey, B.C. and world-wide executive offices are in Irvine, Texas. Ownership and management of 7-Eleven is in Tokyo. Canada has it's execs appointed by world head office. For the first time in 15 years it is headed up by a Canadian.

All things being equal, a takeover of Circle K by 7-Eleven is just as likely a scenario. The issues of antitrust would still apply. The 7-Eleven company has outbid Circle K a number of times for U.S. assets. The only reason Circle K appears stronger is that they have been assessed as having more market value and are favourable to shareholders.

If Circle K takes over 7-Eleven, it might eventually get approved by their board only if there is a plan that the U.S. and Japan and other countries can agree on. In Japan the Fair Trade Commission could order some aspects of 7-Eleven divested such as banking or other aspects of the business. However, since Circle K is not in the Japanese market in a big way, it will be curious what concerns they might raise.

While 7-Eleven is a very successful company, it is has underperformed the market for five years. It is has not increased shareholder value despite acquisitions. The market valuation for the company is below Circle K which has had very successful shareholder increases. There are shareholder activists in 7-Eleven who are pushing the company to do better. They might not support the Circle K bid based on not enough money offered but they won't support the company running to the government to thwart the takeover based on nebulous national security claims. Nor will the government likely allow two Japanese konbini companies to combine to take a 60% presence in Japan just to keep out Circle K.

As good a company as 7-Eleven is, the low shareholder value makes them vulnerable. Couche-tarde has asked for a meeting to see what the board of 7-Eleven might be looking for. It is a meeting that that they can't easily rebuff. If 7-Eleven itself is looking for new acquisitions around the world, it can ill afford to look as if they can buy assets and no Japanese asset is available for sale due to their efforts and government protection. 

Make no mistake, the thousands of 7-Elevens in Japan have become part of the culture and a critical supply chain provider of so much. I was present when in Japan when the purchase took place in 1991. The stores were popular but in the last decades they have taken off and are clearly everywhere. Other konbini stores that are prolific are FamilyMart, Daily Yamazaki and Lawson. In my hometown on Tsuru, I had a Daily store and a FamilyMart within walking distance. I preferred FamilyMart for their fresh sandwiches. However, both had fresh foods I liked that they were close. A 7-Eleven was about a 20 minute drive from by scooter so I went there from time to time. Back then the Slurpees were limited to a few flavours and like a lot of Canadians outside Canada, I felt the Slurpees were different and not as good. I have felt this way about Slurpees in the U.S. as well.

As far as the rest of the store went, it had snacks and product not found in Canada. Fresh sushi is always there as well as rice balls. However, at Japanese 7-Elevens you can buy concert tickets and pay bills in addition to the ATM. All Japanese stores have free Wi-Fi which is a popular attraction.  It doesn't appear to be the case in Canada or the U.S. as a corporate-wide thing. It is just a few examples of how service is all about how Japanese 7-Eleven's operate.

Canada does innovate in ways unique to its market. Throughout Canada, a large number of stores will be serving alcohol in a small lounges. In Winnipeg that will be at their Ness location where 10 seats will be reserved for 18 and older for cider, beer and wine. The area will be open 12 to 11 every day. Some people thought it was a bad idea but some people thought movie theatres and alcohol was a bad idea and today Cineplex in Canada outperforms the market.

Some 7-Elevens in Canada sell gas but it is seen less in Manitoba than other areas. Circle K in North America is more likely to be a seller of gas. Another offer is likely for 7-Eleven  from Circle K soon. However, it is entirely possible that Circle K makes an approach to Mitsubishi to buy Lawson instead. The convenience store subsidiary is enormous as well and might be more amenable to a purchase offer.

Regardless if Circle K and 7-Eleven become one company, it is likely they will continue to innovate and offer more fresh food. In Winnipeg, the big question is how will 7-Eleven and other convenience stores deal with the issue of crime. In Japan crime is not something most of the stores have to worry about. In much of Japan, vending machines are everywhere which seems impossible in much of Canada. 

If the companies ever combined in Canada, it would mean the 2,100 stores of Circle K and the 620 stores of 7-Eleven would start to have the synergy that Japan has to keep prices down and deliveries coming a few time a day. It still would come close to the amount of stores Japan has and how much competition there is.

Media Changes in North Dakota and Minnesota

Media shake-ups abound on both sides of the border. in 2024, Winnipeg Sun was spun off from National Post media group to locally owned Kevin Klein Group. It marks the first time that both major newspapers in the city have been owned locally in their history. For the Sun, it has led to more local news columnists. It also led to breaking more stories.

The Winnipeg Free Press has also added more local columnists over the years even if some have been controversial such as Charles Adler. Local is what newspapers and TV/Radio news need to stand out and yes, make money. Large conglomerates cut and cut again and then often just close and add the tax loss to write off debts. They are rarely builders. Free Press ownership is shared by Winnipegger Bob Silver and former Winnipegger Ronald N. Stern.

Two local owners of major newspapers in Canada is so unusual that is you can count on three fingers the cities they are in. For the west, it is only one city: Winnipeg. And so far they are fighting a battle against what many in Europe call the six gatekeepers: Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Apple, ByteDance (TikTok), Meta (Facebook) and Microsoft. Even those who receive no government money, companies such as these can control access to their platforms. The breakdown of Microsoft update shutting down the Internet is one 2024 example of how bad things can get. And digital ad money gets swooped up and AI from these giants creates content mined from creators all over. In other words, an independent journalist who breaks a story can see it used by the biggies and not get paid for it.

The gatekeepers can do this to even larger companies too. Artificial Intelligence is being used to create new stories. But where does that information come from? It is often mined from companies such as the New York Times. If the largest newspapers, media companies and the like are vulnerable from the super giants, how do the rest of us even cope. Those saying that the government tinkering in business ignore the fact anti-trust moves are to keep things competitive in a capitalist market. For example, the modern Internet became possible when AT&T was broken up. It triggered some of the biggest investments in telecom ever seen which was essential to a widespread, faster Internet.

The questions of what to do about the supranational giants will remain the question of the day. In recent weeks, Google's search engine has been declared a monopoly by the U.S. government. It remains to be seen see what the federal agencies will decide to do. In the meantime, news and media companies are coming up with new strategies to stay relevant and profitable. North Dakota and Minnesota have seen some of their largest media companies make moves in 2024.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has dropped the Minneapolis part and it is now Minnesota Star Tribune. This would be in keeping with their sports teams that have always been wise to using Minnesota for their NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB teams without fail. Minneapolis and St. Paul are truly Twin Cities and there are communities of some size all through the metropolitan area. Changing the name makes sense.

A competing broadsheet in St. Paul, Minnesota also dropped their city name in favour of just Pioneer Press. It is not owned locally and have experienced massive cuts over the years. In 2006 they had over 200 unionized writers. By 2023, that number was down to 23. The MediaNews Group that owns the paper and has a reputation of cuttings. Still, like the Star Tribune, it is trying to extend its readership and their website to include all of Minnesota. Their website is twincities.com which doesn't even mention Pioneer Press.

The Twin Cities also has MinnPost.com which is a non-profit digital news for the region. TV and radio stations have substantial news and sports content in Minnesota as well as North Dakota. PBS has extensive coverage of the regions. While there is less local ownership of TV and radio stations in big markets likes Minneapolis, there remains some. In this way, they are not much different than Winnipeg where nearly all local TV and radio has ownership outside Manitoba.

It is the digital audience that everyone in media is trying to capture. Just as landlines are being cut, people are cutting their print newspapers and cable. The problem is that digital ads don't pay as much as print or TV ones. Plus, the gatekeepers scoop up all the money that is there as well as use the content for their own ends. It is the definition of antitrust. 

What the big digital companies don't do as well is news that people might want or need locally. Reddit has discussions on local stuff but it isn't curated in news, weather and sports categories in the way other media is. To that end, local news and TV/radio in North Dakota and Minnesota are offering much more local appeal. Having a local meteorologist reporting is standard for TV stations in the U.S. where some of the wildest weather keeps them on our toes. Winnipeg does not make this a priority. Also, the new digital sub-channels that a station like WDAY Fargo as makes local sports a priority. Al the high school football games in the Fargo region is on the WDAY sub-channels. We don't have digital sub-channels on TV or radio in Manitoba yet and none seem to be happening in Canada. It would appear media empires and the CRTC just don't see the need. If it is Canadian content guidelines that are required, there would seem to be enough library material of older shows to put in place.

In terms of Minnesota, the 157 years old Star Tribune is hiring more writers, not less. The are focusing on placing more reporters outside Minneapolis-St. Paul and covering areas such as business, downtown, regional state issues and investigations. Cannabis stores are new in Minnesota so they will cover that. This is a familiar area for Free Press who covered cannabis with a dedicated journalist for a while. Overall, the state-wide focus means that the Star Tribune will be reaching large audiences but still remain hyper-local. Large media networks just don't cover those areas except in general terms of news, weather and sports.

There will be a lot of eyes on the Star Tribune's investment in expanded coverage. Glen Taylor, the billionaire local owner, is spending new money on top of the $100 million that he paid for the paper in 2014 has turned the paper around. It makes money and has maintained around 225 writing staff and a total of 1,000 or so altogether. The Free Press, by contrast, has 50 reporter and 580 total staff. The Free Press also have community newspapers, Brandon and Steinbach journalists which adds to total writers in Manitoba.  

The Winnipeg Free Press, like Star Tribune, have rich owners. The Free Press is owned by Bob Silver from Winnipeg and Ronald N. Stern, formerly from Winnipeg but now based in Vancouver. Bob Silver is the director in charge. Stern owns companies valued just under $2 billion including many based in Winnipeg. Some wags have suggested that only papers with deep pocketed owners, preferably local, will ever invest in local media. Examples abound in Canada and the U.S. of this.

Digital subscriptions, as the New York Times has shown, is the way for the newspapers to find success. However, the big six grow ever more powerful so that that they can simply use artificial intelligence to create news stories largely harvested from what others report. All the money flowing to the big six even threatens the major industrial nations. It is the inherent danger if antitrust is not pursued. Total monopolies bullying nations.

The Star Tribune is probably not finished evolving. Both the Star Tribune and Free Press are doing newsletters and podcasts. Those are likely a lot of better for a newspaper than X/Twitter or Facebook. As the fifth largest newspaper in America and the addition of hiring six more Minnesota reporters, it will be creating considerably content.

In Canada, TV and radio conglomerates such as Corus, Rogers and Bell use their news teams across platforms. However, they have all made cuts and likely overpaying for show rights in the U.S. This makes them routinely ask to cut Canadian content. Rarely do they use Canadian-made content such as news as part of their commercial success. The mergers and acquisitions and overpaying for product brings inevitable cuts. And for what? Some of the radio and TV stations that get bought get closed down. Often enough there isn't even an attempt to sell the enterprise. Luckily, in Winnipeg, the National Post sold three papers including the Winnipeg Sun to Kevin Klein so they could be owned locally. There is a strong possibility that the papers might have been closed otherwise.

Throughout North America, the rate of closures is about two newspapers a week. Often this mean no local coverage of any regional issues which can lead to poor performance from local officials who face no scrutiny. You don't need a billionaire for a small media company but you sure could use a leading citizen or two interested in running and operating something that can't be treated like a franchise 

with identical reporting.

The Star Tribune has a billionaire owner in Glen Taylor and a local interested in investing in more reporting. The competitive market in Minnesota will be very interesting to keep an eye on. However, Minnesota is not the only state to keep an eye on. North Dakota has seen their own local media become regional in focus.

In the case of North Dakota, Winnipeg has been able to watch the growth of this media company much more closely. Anyone from Manitoba has been able to read the Grand Forks Herald and Fargo Forum newspapers has been exposed this Pulitzer-prize winning companies. The Herald won the Pulitzer for its coverage of the 1997 flood and fire which flooded and burned down their building.  The Forum won the Pulitzer for coverage of the 1957 F5 tornado that killed over 100 people. It was the northern most F5 today until the Elie, Manitoba F5 in 2007. 

The Black-Marcil family have built their business from the Fargo Forum platform. The newspaper was started in 1878 and took on the name Forum in 1891. The Black-Marcil family have owned it since 1917 and took over the Grand Forks Herald in 2006. Forum Communications is also a TV and radio owner. Most in Winnipeg will be familiar with today's WDAY (formerly WDAZ) that has been on the cable band for decades. Along with Prairie Pubic Broadcasting (PBS), these two station remain the only North Dakota stations still seen in Manitoba.

Forum Communications, from their Fargo headquarters, has run a large news team from their newspaper as well as their TV station. WDAY began in 1953 and was originally a NBC affiliate with a helping of other network programming from CBC, ABC and Dumont. A sister station in Grand Forks was started in 1967 because the region needed a station since Fargo's signal was now powerful enough to reach the area with CBC Winnipeg's broadcast. WDAZ ended in 2006 except for a news bureau of WDAY.

The Marcil family has had to adjust to the size of the state and but to go where their audience is. The state capital is down the highway from Fargo and has to be covered so a Forum bureau reporter is based there. The WDAY network maintains a bureau and sales office in Grand Forks. All of the newspapers that Forum Communications has purchased from big media companies have been folded into a news service that covers North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota.

In 2024, Forum Communications continues to pick up independent TV stations in places like South Dakota with the intent of establishing a regional media presence. The company has been expanding rather contracting. While it was a blow to Grand Forks to lose WDAZ, the trade off has been great state broadcasting of local sports throughout the region including Grand Forks. No national media corporation will ever be interested in this type of work.

Forum also owns WDAY radio but literally everything in radio is owned by huge conglomerates. Forum contracts out management to a North Dakota media group. Almost everything in American AM radio is conservative or Christian broadcasting. In many cases there is not a single employee working aside from some technical person. It has been problematic in disasters as there is often no one to even broadcast emergency signals as mandated by the FCC.

Bismarck, which is the second largest city in North Dakota, literally has no media that is locally owned. Were it not for  Forum Communications, it would not have any North Dakota owned media. So much of newspaper, TV and radio industry is controlled from somewhere else and often, they would rather shutter the business than attempt to sell it. It has been Forum Communications that has picked up these assets when they have come available.

In Canada and the U.S. we have seen newspapers, TV station and radio stations closed down with very little attempt to find buyers. Assets are trades by big corporations and then dumped after after a while. It is only local owners who will care such as we see in Minneapolis and Fargo or in Winnipeg. And the goal of the local owners is to expand coverage and reach a larger regional audience.