Investment Canada Conference This Week

Call it speed dating for investment. The two day summit brings investment banks, pension and sovereign funds to look at prospectus lists of projects across Canada that the government has said they are looking to push through with fewer obstacles than have existed for about a decade. In the past year Canada has led foreign investment in the G7. Both Mark Carney and Stephen Harper will be in attendance for the event and giving speeches as well as meeting with delegates.

Unlike when Chretien, Martin and Harper led Team Canada business travels around the world to sell Canadian goods and seek out investment in places across Asia primarily, this is inviting the business rather than just the political meet ups where we might be just looking to open up the tourist doors or seek out international students. This is cash and investment in multi-year projects.

Every province and territory has selected projects that are high up on their priorities but can't just be funded by government money. It was only a few years past when German leaders came to Canada pretty much begging to invest in LNG to breakaway from Russian energy. Trudeau said nope. Said there wasn't a market for it and along with some in his cabinet, had the attitude of "keep it in the ground."

There were exceptions to this when private money dried up and anger boiled to the surface, especially in Alberta, that Trans-Mountain was built with federal government money. It hasn't quelled some in Alberta of anger but it is noteworthy that the pipeline to the coast brings in more money than the pipelines to the states. It is also worth commenting that it is the United States which has been the biggest obstacle to pipelines south over 12 years. Regardless, Canada was turning away investment or slow walking decisions that easily could run a decade or more.

It wasn't the only government doing this. Provincial and municipal governments literally stalled work on roads, highways, housing and hospitals. Things were literally falling apart and risk adverse governments and civil service often acted like this is just the way it was. Many had pet projects that came ahead of other crumbling infrastructure. In Winnipeg that would Kenaston and Peguis road expansion over sewer treatment. Every lower level government believed the federal fairy godmother would hand cash over so they could build new infrastructure.

To be sure the Feds have committed money to provinces and cities but they are pushing those governments to commit to bringing forward projects that outside investors will sign up for. In the case of Manitoba, that would be the Port of Churchill expansion. There is not an area of the province this wouldn't help. As for Winnipeg, the biggest areas for international investors have to be the airport and Centreport. Ottawa seems confident that some memorandums and announcements are coming in the next days. To be sure the Churchill investment might be the biggest of the bunch if it comes.

There have been some critics but it is getting harder to separate the cranks from legitimate critical thinkers. Not to mention who in the commentariat that actually be a paid disturber from third parties trying to sow discontent in society. Actual agents. In other words, people you might not be able to trust under any circumstances. During this investment conference, I will be looking to a variety of notable opinions. What I will be looking at is the creation of new businesses, investments in big projects and less takeovers by large corporations. We really don't need startups in Canada being folded up into the U.S. and literally shut down here. I also don't want to investment solely to try and enter the U.S. market as a back door for supply chain elsewhere. I'm also not interested in seeing a lithium mine here open where all the product is owned and shipped out of Canada.

It will be interesting to see what happens and in some cases, announcements may be pending in the days and months that follow. This isn't the only part of Canada's economy strategy. Canada has recruited academic stars, many from the U.S., who come to the country because of funding and freedom to do their work. Military and infrastructure projects abound. Most provinces have generational investments being planned or in progress. And a lot of cities of transportation and road and sewer projects. All of this can lead to bond investments. They can't all be done on taxes at once.

Some union and labour protestors will be present railing against capitalism. Some of them seem to forget that the car industry depends on investment. While some have legitimate concerns, the issue is they don't often bring any plans to the fore except government spending which is unsustainable. So often this turns into heavy taxation and state planning. It is notable that Wab Kinew is part of initiative with Carney to bring investment. There simply isn't enough tax money to do a project like Churchill without investment coming in.

It is probably good to take a measured approach to this conference. The merits of any announcements will be a good exercise in assessing the good overall or the bad as well. What shouldn't happen is outright dismissal or demands to see the entire details even before the day has started. That is just posturing and we are seeing a lot of that from lobbyists, influencers and those seeking to harm Canada.

Ralph Cantafio Gets a $8.5 million Soccer Upgrade

It is difficult to say why the Valour FC went out of business. A mediocre record over the years, an ownership base that meant well but was not dedicated beyond measure to the product, an oversized stadium, a TV deal that didn't get enough eyeballs on it and other things ganged up on the team and Bomber management put the lights out. It was sad given the mighty support of a group of fans and for Winnipeg's overall sports legacy.

A team must have a dedicated ownership, a facility to generate revenue, a TV deal and a stable league. In women's soccer, former professional and national women superstars are leading the charge of a league that is growing. The Northern Super League for women has done all those things. This was was the inaugurals year with six teams and Winnipeg had already been announced as the seventh team with Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex as home.

The women's national soccer team got its start back in 1986 at that facility and over the years, it has hosted a number of men's teams and still does. However, the two pitches have only 2,000 seats and 750 seats. Not nearly enough. It is curious that the University Stadium (formerly Pan Am Stadium) wasn't used which has 5,000 seats but it could have to do with how to monetize it. Too many teams suffer because they need to be able to extract every dime from a facility and the university is the one that owns the place now along with whatever concessions. It also has its own teams using the facility.

Built in 1991, the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex has been the go to for Winnipeg's soccer needs and been the place to act as FIFA training pitch and host to various sports events like the Canada Games. It fit the needs accordingly. In recent years it seemed like it was on a long list of city facilities in need of a purposed and an upgrade. The arrival of a professional national women's team was the right time to go to funders to do the job.

The new NSL team has no name yet. That will come later when the kit and marketing of tickets happens. In the mean time, the facility gets FIFA turf, lights and covered stand seating for 4,500. The federal government has been announcing spending on recreational facilities all over Canada and investing in athletes as well. It is part of generational spending on areas of the country that may have not seen investment between 30 and 50 years.

Soccer, despite thoughts to the contrary, is the most popular and accessible of sports in Canada. And yet we have only in recent years started to build indoor facilities so we can play year round. The outdoor facilities are usually small and shared with other sports such as football. Compared to the UK, Australia and the U.S., we have tiny facilities. That isn't an exaggeration. We may think we are big supporters of sports but compared to others, we are not.

The Valour FC really needed their own facility and revenue stream to succeed. How bad is it in Canada? Well, the Vancouver Whitecaps struggle with good crowds because they don't own their facility. In Toronto, the Toronto FC shared a football stadium with the Argonauts with Rogers owning the whole thing. It is a very small stadium for such a big city. Still, the federal government doesn't seem to be interested in helping Rogers, a massive corporation, from receiving a new building from the taxpayers.

Which brings us to Winnipeg. The expansion of women's soccer has exploded. The government sees it as an opportunity to get people active and a point of national unity. However, Winnipeg wasn't going to be ideal unless it could expands its misery small success complex. Moving yet another team, albeit female, into Princess Auto Stadium seemed a recipe for failure. That might one day be the future but it isn't there now. The right team for the right facility has to be the goal.

The Ralph Cantafio Success Complex is the right facility and getting the right pro team. By this time next year, the NSL should see success in Winnipeg. And soccer will continue to rise in the province as a result.

The 9/11 Terrorist Attack and Canada 25 Years

It is hard to believe it is 25 years this year. The drone memorial with one drone representing each person who was murdered that day. For Canada, it was 23 who died on the planes and the towers including a Winnipegger and a former Winnipegger's husband. In the very short time after it was obvious it was a terrorist attack, a single official in the U.S. closed down American airspace and any flight in progress who couldn't get down in the allotted time was going to get shot down down. Nearly 250 flights were diverted to Canada with a large amount landing in small but mighty Gander, Newfoundland. Most people forget that Winnipeg took in 17 flights that day too. Many of us watched flight after flight land until there were none.

I think anyone who lived through that day remembers the horror. And the anger. The CBC took forever to switch their breezy morning programming to something that mattered. One hour of waiting for something other that a pre-recorded political interview. It was frustrating as they all must have been watching coverage at their offices. 

CJOB, to their credit, switched over very quickly. For myself, I heard a brief radio news report at the top of the hour and switched on ABC's Good Morning America. My mom stepped into the living room just as the second plane hit. It was only after the second plane hit that CBC TV News switched to 44 hours of continuous reporting. My mom had abandoned the CBC's lack of a report on the radio in the kitchen. Eventually, my dad and I had to go to work and listened to CJOB from a feed they were broadcasting straight from New York to Winnipeg.

No one at work was in the dark by this point. There were no music stations now. Every station had coverage. Employees in the offices were switching on TVs. A short time later the towers began to collapse. It was the same time as all the flights started coming in one by one to Winnipeg as refuge. Tall buildings in Winnipeg like the Richardson building were evacuated. Reports of the Pentagon being hit by a plane and another plane crashing in Pennsylvania falling to the ground had everyone scared.

By the time work was over, not much was normal on TV and radio. The CBC eventually came out of its snoozy start to the day. However, even now they trip all over themselves about attribution to terrorism. This dick tripping was leaked out because some in the CBC leaked it. Likely, in fear that the network would downplay the events. Thankfully, actual journalists blasted them for stupidity and slowness in the past and now about a terrible act.

Winnipeg news groups will have some reporting for the 25th. It is important even now as we have seen so much covered up, or just not reported as people went through awful trauma and just buried themselves in grief and recovery. But as the mayor of New York's release of 17,000 pages reveals, there is much left unknown. And many more lives affected and lost because we just didn't know.

It will be a somber day but it is important to remember how we showed the best of ourselves that day. And it ultimately led to Canada going to war in Afghanistan as a NATO member defending another from that attack. It cost Canada years of commitment in money and lives. In the war, 159 soldiers died. Many more were wounded.

We can't forget and we won't but even now there is reporting to be done. We need to know and certainly Americans need to know our loss, out help and our friendship in this. It would seem some of them have forgotten too.

Prepare for Crazy America

The tariffs retaliation go up at midnight Monday. Already this weekend Trump and his cabinet have been aggressively campaigning against Canada. Trump is panicking and throwing everything he has out there. By Tuesday he will be mad. As in furious and will probably suggest all manner of retaliation including invasion. We will hear a lot of 51st state. We will hear a lot of blaming of Canada that compare us to China.

As Labour Day toils on, Trump is busy with what he does best...golfing. Perhaps he will throw out some AI slop over the day. Most of his minions are taking the day off because Sunday is self promotion day on the Sunday political talk shows. The administration on them are putting their time in to get pardons when Trump leaves so they are not investigated for years after and possibly get charged. Seriously. The expectation is that blanket pardons might be requested for thousands. Worst case scenario is Trump dies early without those pardons and that JD Vance leaves them high and dry worrying thousands of pardons torpedo his run for the presidency as it did for Gerald Ford. Howard Lutnick, in particular, probably doesn't want to have to go under oath about certain files.

As for Canada, the tariffs are surgically placed to states that will influence what comes next following their elections. The tariffs are very unpopular as is the  name-calling and re-naming of Lake Ontario. Trump seems only interested in monument building and getting things named after him. It occupies a lit of his day. He hates that Canada just won't submit to U.S. control. It will be a tough couple of weeks coming but many Canadians are pissed right now.

Progress Report on Metis Renovation of Bank of Montreal Building

The design of new Metis headquarters in the Bank Of Montreal building at Portage and Main had become clearer. It will be very well lit and features both the old architecture and new. The completion date still says 2027 but a work left to do. They have good company because the Fairmont Hotel's $120 million renovation will be complete around the same time.

The truth is hundreds of millions of dollar are being spent up and down Portage Avenue and beyond. Portage Place, The Bay and the former Bank of Montreal building as well as various hotels. It takes a lot of time for big projects. And a heritage building takes a long time to renovate versus a new build. At least the Portage and Main removal of barricades has really opened up the space and even critics have come around to the fact that the traffic is not backed up to Portage la Prairie. 

Step by step things are shaping up even as the issues surrounding encampments, drug addiction and mental health issues loom. Connecting the dots of the developments will be the key to success. At Portage and Main, the Richardson building and the former Trizec building across the street are all getting new tenants. The level of activity is probably the highest it has been in a few decades. It is encouraging that there is so much private investment as well. The government money has been mixed in but none it works without a lot of private cash.

I don't just buildings too much by the renderings. When I first saw the the drawings at the Inn at The Forks, I thought it was too dark and foreboding but it has been a success from the start and looked far better in person. We'll get a better idea of the BMO makeover soon. However, momentum has to be kept up. As so often happens, the focus shifts such as it did with apartment building. Going nearly two to three decades of slow to non-existent starts and zoning that the surpasses a decade or more is crippling. Both the city and the province have been guilty of this. They hoard land, take forever to make decisions and delay year after year. Worse, they let private companies do the same with vacant or underused buildings.

In about 24 months Portage and Main will look quite different. It is already look bright and more open and will soon have new attractions with a museum and spanking refurbished hotel. In future, the city needs to looks at building signage and lighting. We have some spectacular buildings but lighting and pizzazz will go a long way. We can be pretty boring in North America. We only have two video walls at the arena and Portage and Main. And they are low down and nothing like what you see in the UK and in Asia.

The MMF will be increasingly responsible for the look and feel what is downtown and are engaging the best designers and artists to it. Can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Clay Young to Report From Winnipeg Sun

Clay Young has been reporting and working as an anchor since the 1990s. MTN's (now CityTV) saw the beginning of Young's work. The station, originating in Portage la Prairie, was to serve rural Manitoba but reached into Winnipeg to serve as the fourth station. Like CKND (now Global), it served up lots of local news and weather. Young was among those local staff. Arriving in the province after print and TV experiences in other communities, his news voice was distinctive and the anchor desk beckoned. 

The 1980s and 1990s was a bit of a heyday for Winnipeg media. While specific examples of awfulness are there such as the Winnipeg Tribune, you had newsrooms in two print papers, multiple radio station and four local TV stations. It was a competitive market and the press gallery for political office was filled and columnists covering everything from sports to politics as part of the civic discussion.

In 2026, we have seen newsrooms get smaller and smaller. Most radio stations don't have any except someone reading something gleaned from other source. Even traffic reports are usually outsourced. Clay Young seems to get shunted around in these reductions of weekend news or evening news after several years in place from MT to CTV to Global. And now breakfast TV is dumping people so he likely had a choice of between retirement or part-time work.

He chose work at the Winnipeg Sun. This has been coordinated with the two month campaign for mayor by owner and publisher Kevin Klein. In fact, Young's first scoop was an interview with Klein about the election. It will be interesting to see who and what Young covers as a contributor. There are a few reporters for news and sports anymore. The newspaper once had 45 reporters in the good old days. A lot of staff in printing, administration and distribution as well. It is down to handful now.

The ad supported newspaper is a thing of the past. I have described how newspapers like the New York Times support journalist in the 1,200 range but they try to have area where they can make money. Hence, they bought Wordle. The created The Athletic which even has a reporter in Winnipeg covering the Jets (although they used to have two). Now, Winnipeg is not the New York Times but finding ways to earn income has to be a priority. 

There is no doubt that AI is Hoovering up all data and often not paying for it to create content. The big tech companies are getting rich on peoples news, music, TV and movies and not paying. The Sun has taken the position that they won't take money from government. Copyright is government. It is something they seem to believe or they would produce their product for free. They need more people covering news to counterbalance opinion. All news does. While hiring Young helps bring a reporter on board, the Sun needs to stop thinking that government acting on antitrust is bad. Antitrust is what brought lower phone prices and affordable airplane travel.

Congrats to Clay Young. Hope he can produce interesting material for a newspaper that was seriously near shutting down. I think local news can recover with a new funding formula. It can't be AI creating slop they call news for our region. It needs people who produce original work.

This post has not been created with any AI.

DUER Opens in Polo Park

Over the past weekend DUER opened a fashion store at CF Polo Park. The men and women's active clothing line has already seen demand according to the company spokesman. The talk was that Polo Park was on a upswing and this past year, along with St. Vital Centre, we have seen Generation Z lead a recovery back into malls.

Even with tariffs there has been an indication that retail sales have had some resilience. It will be a short time after school starts that many malls will have jobs markets. The savvy kids who struggled this summer and only started looking for jobs just before July weekend should know this is the time to look. And no, we have seen a huge decline in student visas as well as temporary foreign workers. Jobs should be added this fall but looking when you finish your last exam mid December is probably too late.

Most of the two floors of Polo Park seem to have secured the majority of leases headed into Halloween and Christmas season. DUER will succeed or not succeed based on the quality of their wares, the price and Polo Park's ability to attract floor traffic. The T&T Supermarket will take time to build but is an indication that the mall is looking to bring back grocery which sees more frequent mall guests.

As mentioned, the only fly in the ointment is trade and instability south of the border. However, Canada as a country of 42 million is seeing substantial investment with resources like oil and mining. There is also pent up demand post Covid. Cadillac Fairview seems to be focused on the mall any any empty space before engaging in any additional building outside of the mall. They are already selling parts of surrounding area. This may trigger other investors who have been waiting on the sides.

For the moment store like DUER seem happing to secure space. 

Kevin Klein Makes Second Run For Mayor

In the last civic election for an open seat for mayor, the race attracted a number of politicians with experience to the job, including present Mayor Scott Gillingham who had been a long time councillor in Winnipeg. That was 2022. One of the candidates to run back then was former city councillor, former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Kevin Klein. 

Fresh off a loss from the defeat that swept nearly every PC from the city of Winnipeg with Wab Kinew's majority victory, he probably thought his record in city and provincial politics would be welcome in city hall as a counter other governments. He finished third. Glen Murray, the former mayor of Winnipeg and provincial politician in Ontario finished second. 

Party politics affiliation is not a thing. The NDP used to run way back with somewhat of a banner but most people in the city don't want it. That is not to say that political leanings are not relevant. While there have been left wing politicians elected to council, there has never really been a full left wing mayor. Over the decades the mayors job has been won by supporters of Liberals and Progressive Conservatives. So not surprisingly, the 2022 election had two conservatives and one liberal at the top and one progressive trailing.

The mayors race attracts perennial candidates. Some of the people seem to be there to pump their tires every four years. They don't seem to run for other elected offices...only the mayor's office will do. There is nothing wrong with that. Nick Ternette used to run as a protest candidate but he also was an activist in every living moment of his life. Being active in politics every four years is not generally going to get you into office.

There are some people who live very public lives in business, community and politics. It isn't a recipe for electoral success but is a good basis for an electoral run. On this account, Kevin Klein has stayed in the public eye. Following the election, he purchased the Winnipeg Sun and two other newspapers from PostMedia when certainly they would have been closed by that American owned company. To that end, I commend him.

I have written how important local ownership is for media and what is good about the Sun and what is bad. I have repeatedly said how important sports is to the heart of the community. It is a unifier in a way that few things are. If you cover the Jets and Bombers independently, you will find an audience. The Sun also has a local journalism initiative reporter to cover local news. That's the Trudeau program for reporters which might be a good question for Klein running. 

Klein has gathered pretty much every conservative in Manitoba for his editorial content. It is his paper, his ink so he can do what he wants with his paper. But it will generate interest in how he would be as mayor with Wab Kinew as premier and Mark Carney as prime minister. He has advocated for deals with the U.S. on trade but what does he bring to the table with inter-governmental relationships? The big question will be on business. When Michael Bloomberg ran for mayor and won in New York, he put his substantial business in a blind trust.

In interviews, Klein has said he waited to announce because he was assessing a health care issue. Having determined it would not impede, he announced his candidacy. This may come up as an issue again. He would not be the first elected official to die in office who may have had underlying health issues. One councillor passed away since the last election. His health condition prior was a mystery.

The strength of incumbency cannot be denied. The last mayor to be defeated in office was in 1956 when Winnipeg was not nearly as big nor covered areas such as St. Boniface, St. James and Transcona. Mayor races are largely decided in heavier turnout areas like River Heights. They tend to like their candidates moderate. Probably doesn't make PCs or NDP very happy.

It will be quite the campaign to convince voters in places like River Heights who to vote for in the next election. However, they probably won't go for a firebrand of either the right or the left.

Hellebuyck Asks for Trade from Winnipeg Jets

Certainly there will be no statue built for Connor Hellebyuck built after he leaves Winnipeg. Even with a gold medal, three Vezina (finalist for five), Jennings Tropy twice and one Hart Trophy. The closest playoff run was 2018. He achieved a gold medal in 2026. And now he wants out.

It is the talk of the league and aside from vague messages from play and Winnipeg Jets, most of the discussion has been fans and media. ESPN, the American-based cable network has been merciless with Helle. They said he is an ungrateful piece who is trying to sneak out of contract...except for the money, to another franchise presumably in the U.S. The reaction was incredulous based on how many years left on the contract and his reasoning. 

The reaction on the U.S.-based NHL Network has been more in favour of Helle. The feeling is these U.S. players need to be playing where it will do the league some good. And that isn't in Canada. I'm sure they would say the same for McDavid and Matthews leaving Canada too. In a pinch, they would list a number of Canadian teams that would look good heading to the U.S. And given Trump, you can see him encouraging that thinking.

Social media reports suggest that Hellebyuck's house is now for sale. Cannot confirm or deny that. Likely, Helle's agent wants him out before training camp so he doesn't even have to set foot in the city. He doesn't want to face the media questions except to say how much he will enjoy his new location. If he decides to sit out till he is traded, we may never hear a media interview. No one has sat out since Alexei Yashin sat out the last year of his contract with Ottawa Senators. 

Yashin eventually was trade a full season after that and lost his legal case over his contract. Ottawa did very well when a trade did happen. Helle's team must know the legal challenges of trying to break the contract but if he is prepared to sit until Jets have the deal they want, he will sit and his five years resumes when he plays again.

Google Needs to Replaced in Canada

Donald Trump changes the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America and every government map using Google in Canada lists it as Lake America. Let's assume that he renames Toronto Trumptown and as soon as it becomes official Google will call it Trumptown even in Canada.

Google can't fix it because they are an American company. Any name Trump chooses for Canada becomes what we see when we use maps provided by Google. That is everyone in Canada. And herein lies the problem with American companies controlling our data.

Trump can disrupt all all of Canada by putting in hundreds of names changes in Canada and Google will comply. Many government departments in provincial and federal government are being hammered today because it is now Lake America. It is embarrassing and infuriating for many in Canada..

It exposes a vulnerability that reveals Trump can cripple our online mapping system and Google will be a willing agent. Can there be any doubt he is howling with laughter about this?

The federal and provincial governments might mitigate this by fining Google $1 million every day they allow this to happen. If their mapping system is so easily effed up by presidential decrees, it is an instrument of terrorism on the rest of the world.

As a matter of national security, Canada needs to take over mapping and Google's error has to be the motivation for this and other data being brought home. And it isn't just Google who can have Trump play in their data to cause world chaos. We have to separate ourselves from their systems lest this happen over and over again.

Return of the Revolving Restaurant

Prairie 360 was the last tenant of the three story revolving restaurant at the top of the Fort Garry Place apartments behind the Fort Garry Hotel. In 2020, Covid pretty much killed any business that was buffet style. There was other aspects of the business but any restaurant requiring an elevator to get it during a pandemic likely would have struggled. And so the revolving stopped.

A few other things happened as well. The owner of Edison properties Miriam Bergen died in 2022. And while the nearly 30 properties and 200 workers continued, ownership was gifted to Winnipeg Foundation in the largest charitable gift of its kind in Canadian history. Fort Garry Place and the restaurant above it are still owned by Winnipeg Foundation.

Edison manages itself but having a stable ownership has been helpful. Investing in the properties rather than living off the $500 million ownership is important. The restaurant needs mechanical and other work to get the wheel rolling. What it didn't have was an operator that was experienced with the logistics and experience for a very large restaurant. That changed when the former executive chef of Prairie 360 came to look at some of the kitchen items to support his restaurants that he owns presently. 

Alfonso Maury, the former chef, now owns the Argentine specialty food La Pampa Empanadas Gourmet stores that makes a variety of empanadas. He was the longtime owner of Corrientes Argentine Pizzeria in the Exchange till he sold last year. The last thing he and his wife were looking for was a new restaurant. He was only looking for equipment for his gourmet shops.

The meeting of the Edison people and Maury was fortuitous. Edison was willing to invest in facility upgrades and Maury was willing to manage and new enterprise. And Dos Pampas Skyline took root. The revolving restaurant that was first built in 1988 ran operations till 2008 but a further lease could not be agreed to. It sat idle till 2013 when Prairie 360 took over and ran till 2020 when Covid hammered it.

Maury envisages a steakhouse and an Argentina influence elsewhere in the menu. Winnipeggers are familiar with that cuisine as Corrientes has been a fixture since 2012.

The excitement from some radio stations, TV and print media to the story is a much needed shot in the arm for the downtown after a number of restaurants have closed. No time was set for a re-opening. Edison probably has some work to prep the site but given the public enthusiasm, it is unlikely they will keep the public waiting forever.

Don't Boo the Kids from UND at the Bomber Game

About five months ago, the Blue Bombers invited the University of North Dakota's Marching Band, the Pride of the North to perform at Princess Auto Stadium during the tilt against the Montreal Alouettes. Certainly, Canada and the U.S. have been at trade odds for more than a year but the relationship between UND and Manitoba is a long one.

Two of our present day players, one Canadian and one American, are alumni of UND. Despite the fact that we don't have a reciprocity agreement with North Dakota as we do with Minnesota, many Canadians (particularly from Manitoba) attend specialized programs such as speech pathology to sports programs like football and hockey. The owner of the Jets is a University of North Dakota alumni. Lots of people in Manitoba went there. It is the largest university in three state only two hours away from us and 

The management and players on the team have asked fans to be kind to the kids in the marching band and any North Dakota and Minnesota people attending. The social media outrage about the UND band was white hot. It isn't the kid's fault and nor are they responsible for the timing. Traditionally, around Grand Forks and Fargo where the universities are has been friendly territory for Canadians. It may be a Republican now state but it was once dominated by Democrats federally. Elections matter. And it is evidence of how things can change back and forth.

The uncivil behavior of fans on kids is misdirected. Thankfully, most of the heat might have been unleashed online. Bomber fans need to focus on the win against Alouettes. Appreciate the CF-18 flyovers, thank military in attendance and appreciate the kids who have come to entertain you in your barn. And if you can't watch, go to the Rum Hut and fill that trap so you are in a more cordial mood. 

West End Continues to Suffer Drugs and Crime

The police surge in the center of the city seems to have the unintended consequences which is driving the problem into the West End. Businesses and residents have indicated that there is has been greatly increased drug use and criminal activity in their area. News stories seem to confirm the activity. And even those just passing through will notice the influx of people and drug activity plainly visible.

In the days after the July long weekend the numbers have really increased for those out on the streets. Drugs are ever present as are the needles and other sharp material. The vulnerability of businesses, churches, schools and cars is palpable. A door locked does not represent safety. Walking to your home, car, place of worship, restaurant could be perilous despite how short the distance. 

Some business people indicated they were adding security features or patrolling themselves but almost all were crying for sustained police presence. As of June, we have increased police numbers in keeping with our increased population but we are still below the national ratio for police. Those running for council or mayor could make a case more police on the street. Those asking for defunding of police could be asked how they would handle the problems the city is facing now. Perhaps they have better answers. Living a socialist life doesn't always end addictions and mental health issues as demonstrated by the Soviet Union or present day China where reports say young are using mind numbing drugs. And the toxicity of the drugs now make it seem impossible that even with food and shelter security, some people are not going to have the mental health or addictions control to to avoid self harm and harming others.

It is no wonder why the West End is begging for some relief. To support using drugs every day requires money and that means anything that is not cemented to the ground is taken and sold. A vacant house will be stripped down and a fire set to stay warm resulting in another tooth knocked out on the street. Whatever sympathies people have can't stand the constant pressure of fear and loss. As it gets colder, we could see an acceleration and loss of life seems inevitable and, in fact, is already happening. A more aggressive stance for criminal behaviour comes with that. There is zero tolerance for violence or, at least, should be. Chronic repeat offenders have to be dealt with. Just as repeated drug and alcohol driver who won't control their actions, they have to serve time because even loss of license or car sometimes doesn't work.

The numerous councillors and MLAs still holidaying is galling. Do something and stop saying a long term plan is being debated. You don't have that amount of time. If something happens in a school, you won't have anywhere to hide. And it will. Kids navigating the bodies, needles and possible assault will be hard to ignore. School starts soon. We can't let this get worse.

Fuck Trump on Trade

On Friday August 20, 2026, Mark Carney called the negotiation team home shortly before the deadline for 50% tariffs saying that last minute additions to the deal were just not acceptable. He gave a more detailed description of the problems the next day and said that medium to heavy duty trucks would be exempted from the deal. This ensured that Ford and GM would move those models to the U.S. over time. There was also items such as a veto over Canada trying to make trade deals with other countries. Not to mention issues regarding language and culture.

It was extortionist and according to Carney, was an effort to break Canadian sovereignty and unity. Some Conservative influencers and MPs are blaming Carney such as Jamil Jivani. When asked about Poilievre's response to the end of talks, Jivani was unreachable. A flurry of conservative posters were smug that Canada pulled out and were pro-American in their discourse basically saying it is all Carney's fault. A former top Conservative writing in the Free Press has called out the trolling and says it has harmed Poilievre more than Carney.

Danielle Smith in Alberta supports Carney but seems to want his desperately back at the table lest Trump focuses on tax on oil. She wants no response from Canada despite the late additional demands from the U.S. Scott Moe, on the other hand, support dollar for dollar retaliation. Smith seems brave enough on announcing separation votes but seems to know a lot of her supporter back Trump and his agenda. Quebec, meanwhile, seems terrified of bringing up a separation vote because of Trump. This would seem to suggest Quebecers back Carney and would not take kindly to such a vote.

Carney has called it a war and it is starting to feel like one. Sadly, the public feels more triggered than usual and booing of the U.S. anthem from coast to coast is an indication. In some ways, the public is way ahead of the government. The best strategy for Carney is to reveal as much about the state of the talks and why they collapsed. He needs to brief the other leaders in the Commons. The full text of the agreement doesn't necessarily need to revealed because that might have changed dozens if not more times. To be fair, it could undermine talks if they resume at some point if it exposes the negotiating position of Canada. The media would just publish it carte blanche but very much like a labour talk, you don't want it out in public and just torpedo something getting done. And some people's goal is to torpedo the talks. Some of those people might be third party outsiders wanting to sow strife.

Still, the government has to let people know about the nuts and bolts about the deal and demonstrate how it can affect sovereignty. If Canada can't make deal elsewhere, we are trapped discounting to supply the American market. No government could agree to that. The U.S. government has not denied making that a demand.

Carney has to ensure those hurt by the U.S. tariffs in Canada are taken care of. And the countervailing duties have to placed on U.S. industry to cause Canadians least amount of pain and maximum pain in the U.S. ahead of the mid-term elections. The cowardice of the the Republican party should receive a full out hit. Trump now proposes a 50% tariff starting January on automotive industry. This would end the auto industry in Canada and put enormous costs on American taxpayers. Canada won't be able to buy the products solely made in the U.S. even without tariffs. The price is already soaring.

Ford and Trump have been exchanging potshots. Carney has said said what he has had to say. Democrat and state leaders have expressed alarm and blasted Trump. There is a lot of support out there for Canada but summer brain affects both countries and it will only be after Labour Day that people start to realize that the economy as it relates to affordability is not good. There will be an increasingly panicked Republican party who will try to blame anyone else for the circumstances such as Biden, Canada, Iran or China among others. 

 It is very possible some Republican voters will be less compelled to vote for Republican slate candidate when Trump is not in ballot. In fact, Trump's popularity is dragging down the party. As a lameduck president who by law can't run again, Trump should see more Republicans leave the administration over the next months to forge new paths. Most will stay friendly to get blanket pardons. Yes, it could be that bad. Many will want to keep their money that would otherwise be scrutinized.

Democrats and Independents will be motivated voters. Not all will be favour free trade. Biden didn't lift many of the trade problems Trump created in the first four years so it is possible we still will have irritants. Canada can't expect all will be well in two years. Expanding our markets to other countries has to be a goal. We have been selling our wares to the U.S. for discount prices because of weak dollar for too long.

There is also a lot of cowardice from other countries who have bad trade deals but don't say anything. Some of those countries may get even worse treatment in the next while so it will be interesting to see if they accept this. If Trump actually tries a third attempt at running, it could fracture the U.S., especially if the Supreme Courts says go ahead. The chaos south of the border could be something after the mid-terms.

This is all Trump and fuck him. The anger is spreading and his antics and bullying are going to have to be dealt with. Canadians need to look support our own people for their quite some time.

Rudy's Downtown Closes

The Manitoba Hydro building has faced security issues over the past year. People have not been secure in the building and outside the building. Rudy's with a patio basically needs a police officer right there on the street. Anyone walking up, on the patio or in the restaurant itself could be subject to problems. Food deliveries, employees arriving early or late now worry about random assaults. This isn't just rhetoric but actual facts on the ground.

Sympathetic as people are, we have have a drug and homeless problem that is accelerating and as evening get cold, the fires start. More arson, more trees cut down and more possibilities of people getting hurt and dying. Where are the councillors and MLAs? No where. Even the more progressive Reddit Winnipeg is becoming alarmed but the rapid increase. Not too many solutions being offered except more progressive councillors getting elected. 

That is an October thing. The problem worsens by the day. And when school starts along with school daycares, it will be harder to ignore school intrusions and unsafe disposal of needles and other things. If it sounds apocalyptic, it is because it is.

If a restaurant like Rudy's can survive in the largest government corporation HQ close to the entertainment district. Does it get so bad that Hydro tells workers to work from home or just outright say they are moving? I don't think that will happen but with transit schedules awful and buses unsafe, who wants to be stabbed, bitten or abandoned at a stop? One again, look at reaction on Facebook and Reddit and commentary on media. People are worried about security and not just downtown.

Rudy's could have closed because of changing habits but the fact that they expressed concern in January that security was not good should bring a chill to local and provincial government. Many councillors are seeking the exit. Lots of their assistants are running. It is still too early to tell what their policies are. As for ones currently running, by September we might be in full failure downtown.

For every good story and there are many in the city, we are seeing a literal collapse of addiction, homelessness and violence. Businesses and communities are begging for it to be stopped. Even with treatment centers, safe injection sites, soup kitchens and overnight beds, there are people who won't accept those. Moreover, some of the treatment centers can't treat the complex needs of some. It often ends with police for violent incidents.

The police are apparently being more visible but the people who are being managed just move to other areas. The West End is being for a permanent police presence. What will it take? Will it take encampments at City Hall or the Legislature grounds to do a full court press? Certainly the loss of businesses doesn't seem to have an affect. Clearly telling voters sense the elected officials are too afraid to address what everyone is seeing out there.

Perhaps another restaurant opens where Rudy's is. But will Hydro just begin to lock itself up and give up on commercial space due to danger? This is not a good situation at all.

AC/DC's Pop Up Winnipeg

AC/DC has been a fan favourite in Winnipeg for decades and on September 20, they will perform at Princess Auto Stadium. The longstanding tradition was that sales of merchandise from the band would take place on the day of the show. The opening act for a groups was usually the perfect time to buy. However, with certain concerts people like to get close to the stage and won't budge once there.

Some bands are now doing pop up sales offsite in the days before the concert. In the case of AC/DC they will be doing September 19 and 20 before and on concert date. This helps a local club that becomes the sales venue. In this case, it will be the Pyramid. Those that go to the store can pick up something they can wear to the actual concert. There can also be more expensive collectibles that you don't have to lug around the concert in a bag worried it will disappear.

Concerts have become very important for bands to make money since streaming even for superstar bands does not generate the currency. Radio royalties help concerts are the way to make money along with your branded merchandise. AC/DC didn't get tp where they are now without knowing something about marketing.

Expect other musical acts to follow suit which could turn some clubs in Winnipeg into opportunities for booking nights.
 

The Recovery of St. James

There have been gaps in the commercial and residential retail and businesses on West Portage Avenue the last 10 years. Sometimes it is a natural cycle. Business operators start up and some run years while others just don't catch on. Some close as there is no one left in the family or employees left to carry on.

In 2026, the vacancies are filling in. A number of convenience stores focused on the ethnic community have opened up. A number of new restaurants have opened up. And more importantly apartments are under construction between Polo Park and the Perimeter. 

As the population grows and ages, the housing needs change. New people needs their first apartments and the older population doesn't need oversized houses with too much yard care. Young families are coming back to the area as houses become available and can be more affordable.

I single out St. James because there has not been this much activity in the area for decades. It is possible the area became stagnant as some landlords just held on to properties without sprucing them up. The Costco has encouraged a lot of store improvements inside and out of businesses big and small. Facades are being spruced up all over. It is easy to see why. A few retail strips have had long time vacancies and the ones that made improvements saw space filled.

It is shocking how some landlords just hoarded property for years without filling the space. Many likely didn't want to lower the rent to lease space. Obviously taxes were not high enough to encourage a change in behaviour. Whatever the reason, it is obvious things have changed. And even with slow post Covid growth and Trump causing chaos for business, there is clear indication that change is afoot.

Where there is a slow response to upgrades is the street experience the city presents. Hydro lines down Portage, no trees for the most part from Moray to the Perimeter. The two years of street repairs and some sidewalk work has not made the street nearly as walkable as it should be. Walking down the street in summer in no shade is pretty uncomfortable. Sitting outside Dreamland or Dairy Queen can be pretty hot but you can tell people want to do it!

As far as the neighbourhoods go, many are leafy green and dotted with schools and churches and lately other religions. People how much industry is located in the area west of the airport. Plus, it is very likely we will see growth on the military base and military families for a few decades now. It is what helped build St. James in the past.

Now St. James isn't the only place to see a recovery. They city has to thrive all over to succeed and we have seen several neighbourhoods go through improvements. Some of them were planned a long time ago and are only now coming onstream. Costco itself at Headingley (actually still inside city limits) is creating the most housing in the St. James area and the commercial development along with hotels is substantial. 

The upcoming city election will see numerous new councillors as many are retiring. However, even St. James could be competitive. The councillor candidates who focus on raising the livability of the community will likely make good headway. Most people won't pay attention till after the Labour Day weekend on what the future looks like. However, they will notice issues of crime and neglect. It is why areas of improvement as we have seen in St. James need to be nurtured.

CBC Sports on Saturday Night

CBC and Sportsnet ending Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays opened the network up to 6 hours a weekend and sometimes up to 9 hours of time to fill. No NHL meant that the CBC could possibly pursue other sports that they had let slip away from them. One of those sports was curling.

Over the years the sport cable networks have taken over curling and with multiple channels covered it fairly well so long as it was the major rinks. While ratings were good, it has left Curling Canada long for the fuller coverage they used to have with CBC. Fans have had to look over various broadcasters to watch their teams. And pay for those rights unlike CBC.

The new five year agreement between Rogers Sportsnet and CBC will add 300 hours of curling to the CBC network and CBC Gem. It will bring CBC full circle as it was their broadcasting that set the standard for curling in the world. Curlers have complained for some time that they were being squeezed off the airwaves. CBC and the cable channels had so much hockey, it just didn't leave as much time for curling. That changes with this deal.

Curling does get high ratings but generally attracts an older audience. That could change if the audience can find more ways to grow through streaming, mainstream TV and the like. Hockey became too expensive and too dominant for CBC. And for a decade, they really didn't benefit from it in terms of cost.

CBC needs to upgrade their sports departments from local to the national level. The main webpage for CBC barely mentions sports which the BBC in the UK would never dare to do! Seriously, if the mandate of CBC is to unify the country, the deletion of amateur and pro sport is not the way to do it. Perhaps that can change.

Curling won't be the last sport added to Saturday. Perhaps in the next weeks we'll hear other announced sports being slotted in Saturday. The networks used to cover far more sports than just football and hockey. They covered a whole lot more amateur sports as well. It would do them good to go back to that.

Costco Breaks Ground on West. St. Paul Store

Costco waited years to invest in Winnipeg and surrounding area. Even as it prospered for the stores, it just seemed the announcement of a new store never came. That is not to say that upgrades didn't happen to their other properties in the city but their CEO years ago in a visit said the plan was for at least one more store. Perhaps Covid was the problem. Who can say. Even now, Manitoba is still emerging from the slowdown.

Now, in 2026, the Headingley Costco is complete and prospering and the Costco at St. James Polo Park has been completely renovated to a Business Centre. And now ground has broken on Costco West St. Paul inside the Perimeter Highway off of Main Street. For many, it still feels like it is Winnipeg although it is a few streets past it. The new 162,000 square foot store will be comparable to Headingley and include a gas station. A McDonald's is already up and running on the corner nearby.

The American owned Costco is very popular in Canada despite membership requirements. The price leading gas prices and tire store affects prices regionally wherever they have a location. St. James and Headingley has seen those prices change all along Portage Avenue. It also caused massive upgrades to competing grocery stores that were getting a little dowdy.

It will take till August 2027 for the West St. Paul Costco to be complete. It has already attracted an ethnic food grocery store to be nearby. Jagjit Gill says his family will be opening their fourth location in the city. Gill Supermarket will be 10,000 square feet and cater to the growing community in the surrounding area.

The entire development is overseen by United Equites Group, a family owned Winnipeg company largely responsible for the revitalization start in the Exchange District. The Nathanson/Greenspoon family has experience an incubator for other businesses to succeed. The sum part of this development is an increase in housing, commercial development and infill inside The Perimeter Highway.

Competition comes from many choices. Fewer choices means higher prices. For those that say Costco is a giant that can only hurt others ignores examples like Gill's who will prosper for the traffic while offering items not found in the Costco itself. It is without a doubt that the end part of the city will be very appreciative of a store they probably had to drive some distance to in the south end of the city. And for those living in Lockport, Selkirk and surrounding, this will be excellent news. Overall, for the city and beyond, this will only be seen as a good thing.

 

The Passing of Lloyd Robertson, Longtime Anchor

At once point in Canadian history, all three networks in Canada had news anchors who started in Winnipeg. And so it was with the longest serving anchor Lloyd Robertson who got his first time on TV as anchor in Winnipeg roughly two years after the station started in 1954. Prior he had been working in radio in Ontario.

In 1956, CBC had some national programs but leaned heavily on their local talent to fill hours of news and variety. It truly was a time when things were so new and everyone was just winging it. By 1960, Robertson moved to Ottawa to get their station up and running to the same success as Winnipeg. It was only a matter of time before he ended up at The National for the flagship news show.

He left CBC in 1976 for the anchor job at CTV for the chance to be the chief correspondent. This was impossible under union rules at CBC where the job was just news reader. Because of his bravery, the CBC eventually made The National anchor, chief correspondent. The affiliate stations eventually stations eventually went that way too as it increasingly became untenable to election night coverage with someone who could only read what was put in front of them.

Both the CBC and CTV owe a lot to the longest serving anchor in North American history. Robertson came to be a trusted voice on the news and gave CTV credibility in its coverage. And it all started back in Winnipeg. Even today, Winnipeg is a bastion of journalism but it not quite the heyday it once was. Perhaps there will be a new evolution in TV coverage but it is hard to imagine the longevity of anchors like Robertson again.