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. 

Tariff Retaliation by Canada 2026

Trump doesn't work weekends. He is generally golfing. Biden didn't work weekends either. World crisis have to wait till Monday. While Canadian negotiators remained in Washington many politicians in America were gathering support for the upcoming mid-term elections inn their home turf. Some, including Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative were in Iowa for the State Fair.

The Iowa State Fair is like the Calgary Stampede for the American political class. It is also an event that Canadian companies attend to promote trade. Canada is Iowa's largest trading partner and many farmers in the area are spooked by the possibility of losing that trade. Interviews with farmers show they know very little about the dispute aside from that it could hurt them. Most point to the dairy as being an issue but seem unclear if it because we are exporting into their market for milk with no reciprocity. The answer of course is no.

Many Canadian officials were at the Iowa State Fair and we'll have to send many more out over the days and weeks to talk to elected officials and industry. The level of cowardice among Republicans is such that they seem ready to lose the mid-terms rather than confront Donald Trump. Lest anyone think the Democrats are out friends, think again. But it seems more likely they will be predictable and more like to keep CUSMA. Don't expect any deals on softwood lumber.

And with no meaningful reduction of sectoral tariffs, the provinces are not inclined to put booze back on the shelf. Even in provinces that have put booze on the shelf, there is a 40% reduction in sales, particularly on wine. Ontario removing alcohol has been a proper punch in the balls for their industry. There has been a steady stream of executives begging for Trump to do something when brought the 50% tariff. However, it was the sectoral tariff that brought about the booze ban and reciprocal tariffs. The U.S. seems to still blink in surprise that Canada responded.

From what little disclosure we have gotten, it will likely come down to a talk between Carney and Trump. No deal is probably better than a bad deal. If the 50% tariffs are put in place by Trump on Wednesday, Carney says he has a response. It will hurt small business this time.

The Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley Conservative Party supporter has blamed Carney for trading with China for the issues. It is such a load of crap since the U.S. is looking to do their own trade deal in a few weeks. And the trade deal was to get Canadian farm goods from Canada back on Chinese shelves. In essence, Lilley wants Canadian farmers to suffer. Sometimes it is hard to take the American owned newspaper seriously.

In the end if Trump chickens out, the stopwatch starts again. In the meantime, no booze on the shelves.

The Rail Bypass Around Winnipeg Project

Lloyd Axworthy knows something about rail re-location. He was there back in the 1980s when CN Rail was convinced to give up their downtown rivers location in favour of Symington Yards. It is still going on now four decades later. It is one of Canada's prime examples of rail land being re-located to create one of Canada's top tourist attractions. The waterfront in Toronto is another example although that includes port as well as rail. There are examples of military based in cities also being repurposed. In Winnipeg, that would apply to the Kapyong Barracks. In Calgary, it would be the Garrison base.

Safe to say that the land recovery and end of displacement from city rail crossings is of greater value and cost than a port or military base redevelopment. The movement of rail within a city can be dangerous and serves less purpose now since the cargo is being loaded and unloaded much of the time outside the confines of the city. People have died as a result of hazardous materials being transported within cities.

It is also true that rail has brought great wealth to Canada. While it isn't the sole reason for Winnipeg's success, it is a leading reason why. Had the rail crossed at Selkirk instead, it would be Selkirk that was the biggest city. Boosterism and corruption ensured Winnipeg got the first rail across Canada. The railways got the lands closest to the areas they wished and prospered. It was mutually beneficial and Winnipeg and Manitoba did well by it.

A by-pass could open up lands and create an internal active transportation system, bus and light rail routes, parks and new housing and commercial developments. There would be no need to build a new Arlington Bridge if a surface road could just head straight through. The Great Divide between the North End and the rest of Winnipeg would be eliminated if the Weston Yards moved to the new logistics area of CentrePort or somewhere else in the the greater area. This will not be instantaneous not without many lobbying for favourite projects. It is worth noting that some advocated The Forks be made into an urban forest. While compelling. it is hard to imagine it being as being such a place as it is now.

Lloyd Axworthy should present a route plan and the debate should be in earnest. In the fall of 2026, there could be billion in investment money from the meetings taking place in Toronto with the federal government. Manitoba should be at the table with shovel ready projects. We shouldn't be building anymore multimillion overpasses for rail crossings in the city when other solutions present themselves.

American Hostage Trailer Filmed in Winnipeg

 

Paramount Skydance Takeover of Warner Held Up Till Next Year

Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros Studio has hit roadblocks as it increasingly looks like the type of media concentration that the world has been trying to avoid. The Ellison family lays at the heart of much of the controversy with the promise of David Ellison to change CNN to satisfy ally Donald Trump. However, there is so much more going on.

Paramount Pictures as a studio goes all the way back to 1912 and was one of the global big five. In the U.S. it was second oldest studios after Universal Studios and right from the beginning was pursued by the U.S. government for antitrust. In a nutshell, the U.S. government tried to make sure there was a balance between copyright, patents and trademarks as well as ownership and business relations to ensure competition. This has made the U.S. an economic powerhouse.

The movie industry itself would not have grown were it not for breaking up the Edison Trust based upon Thomas Edison's movie making patents. The U.S. government broke up the trust that had operated from 1908 to 1915. Till that time it was foreign films that dominated American screens and enriched overseas owners and Thomas Edison. Independent filmmakers fought back and U.S. courts agreed that the level of control and profiteering was hurting an industry that was set to take off.

The federal government in the U.S. has always regulated the TV industry and pursued antitrust. TV and film companies have been snapped up in various megamergers with invariably comes with massive layoffs and usually less content coming out. Fewer of the studios produce content and there are less buyers of independently produced work. Post Covid, the studios are still struggling with getting things done as well as where things are produced.

The most recent Spider-Man was not produced in the U.S. but in Scotland. California and Georgia even with tax credits are too expensive. Manitoba has perhaps the top tax credit in the world and subsequently has attracted Little House on the Prairie to film here. While Winnipeg does have a number of creatives who produce TV and film, a huge chunk comes from U.S. studios. Little House is a Netflix program. As such, the merger of studios can and will have a large impact on Canada to the tune of hundreds of millions a year or more.

Warner Bros shoots so many shows in Canada and has so many broadcast deals in Canada that is hard to imagine what would have happen if business was interrupted or brought in house such as HBO, a Warner station. HBO is part of CTV's Crave streaming. That would be Game of Thrones franchise suddenly off the network.

Europe and Britain have just approved the merger but Canada has still not weighed in. And in the U.S, many states have gone to court to stop it. If Crave collapses because HBO moves to Paramount+, it could harm Canadian productions such as Letterkenny and Heated Rivalry. Many American unions are against and might only be mollified with four series and two movies a year in California a year.

Truth be told, Warner and Paramount together probably shoot far more in Canada with various movies, TV series and games than they do in California. For example, Star Trek franchises shoot in Toronto for Paramount. For The Arrow and it's universe, they shoot in Vancouver for Warner. In terms of gaming, Warner works out of Montreal. In short, the entertainment industry has big operations in Canada to the term of hundreds of millions. And while this doesn't necessarily help with the creation of Canadian content, it can contribute to buyers of Canadian content.

The worry in Canada's broadcast and cable industry is that if the the combined studio brings everything in house that it mean Discovery programming from Warner will no longer be available on those two platforms. Likewise, Paramount programming like Star Trek will be brought in house to streaming and it could kill cable channels Like CTV Sci-Fi.

In terms of news, CNN is respected in Canada and if the merger hurts them, at least Canada has CBC and CTV news outlets. It hurts the Americans more than it hurts Canadians if the station is degraded. In the U.S., there is huge concern CNN will be pillaged and turned into a FOX-like network. This is more a U.S. problem than a Canadian one. It should be mentioned that CNN is generally looked upon well in Canada.

Canada should be concerned about American studio mergers and concentration but ultimately, they will likely go along with the British and Europe in approving the takeover. Despite concerns of media concentration, suspect overseas ownership and political bias, it is up to Americans to decide if this is what they want. Many don't. And California is particularly affronted by a merger they are convinced it is bad for the state. 

Even with tax incentives, Los Angeles likely won't be happy with this merger as it is so highly indebted and foreign funded, that it can only be paid for by big cuts and likely price increases that hurt the industry. As for Canada, the industry still offers the best price, locations and skill to attract film and TV crews. And more frequently, shows it can create Canadian content the world wants to see. The trick will to make sure we still have venues, streaming sites and studios wanting to buy.

Yuks Yuks Closed at Fort Garry Hotel

It was mentioned in and speculated on in social media about Yuk Yuk's. The question was: Are they taking a summer break or actually closed. The answer was that it was closed. This is the second time Yuk Yuk's has opened and closed in Winnipeg. In my mind, the innovative Fort Garry Hotel was a good choice and the hall and the building was an incredible place to make it happen.

Alas, even as it closed, some people said they were surprised it was even here. Some said they didn't know it was open in the first place. The audience for comedy is huge in Winnipeg. There are two major comedy festivals and one of the longest running comedy clubs in Rumors that call the city home. There are secondary comedy clubs as well such as the Basement Speakeasy in St. James.

In the 1980s and early 1990s Winnipeg had three comedy clubs including Yuk Yuks in the Osborne Village. It was a hey day for sure but many comedy clubs did not survive here and across North America. In many respects, places like Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax have been lucky because of comedy festivals and the television and radio specials they generate. The fan base is primed and ready for comedians who tour thereafter.

In terms of the Outdoor Comedy Festival, Winnipeg is one of only six locations in Canada that are host cities. It routinely attracts the best. But big comedians don't become big until they tour smaller venues as the wall of fame at Rumors. And before Rumors, comedians need to hone their skills in other venues such as the Basement or Yuk Yuks. 

The Fort Garry is up for sale once again after a failed attempt 10 years ago. By all accounts, owners are still investing and doing it right for operations but it is a locally owned business. If no one is taking it over, it is best to sell. Trying to make sure the newest operation of a comedy club would work might not have been in the cards. Using social media can be hit and miss. And hoping people come to your website is not always a recipe for success.

Yuk Yuk's Toronto management has said they will look for other opportunities in Winnipeg. It is possible another hotel might look at taking a shot at being the venue. Might be that downtown can make a go of it but then take a look at Rumors. They have called Tuxedo home for a very long time. Perhaps a Yuk Yuks might succeed in a place like St. James or Seasons. 

We should take comfort in knowing there are still business people opening restaurants, bookstores and convenience stores in Winnipeg. Yuk Yuk's could be here again but I expect a lot of thought will go into a possible venue. Maybe the old Tavern across from the arena?

GRETA Pub Coming to Former Garry Street Keg

If anyone had been interested, GRETA had announced they were coming to Winnipeg at the end of June. They didn't say where though. The retro arcade pub with locations in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver is run by a former Manitoban who says he has had Winnipeg on his list for a while.

The Keg closed the Garry Street Keg in June to make way for their very large location at Donald and St. Mary. The old Keg built into a converted Hudson's Bay auto garage from 1911 was the first location of the national chain in Manitoba. Originally The Keg n' Cleaver, the restaurant kept the brick interior and in 1975 became famous for the lounge became an attraction for the young and poor crowd. This reputation continued for much of its early years.

As the menu changed and prices went up, The Keg attracted lawyers from up and down Broadway and Portage and Main. It was also a place where gay community people felt they could go for lunch and dinner near venues close by. Fort Garry Hotel patrons who skip across the street as well to enjoy steak dinners. For Jets fans though, the restaurant was just a bit too small and a just a bit too far from the arena. 

The new gigantic Keg will open close to Jets season start. At St. Mary and Donald, it is kitty corner to the arena and success. The permanent boarding up the old location that is iconic, attractive and has a patio seemed impossible. However, the terrible demise of the former Earl's, now former Boujee on Main, with three arsons and imminent demolition shows that problem with downtown properties. They need security and active use to keep them safe.

GRETA will have the patio active by Labour Day and the pub active by November of 2026. The vibe is retro but should appeal from Generation Z to Baby Boomers. However, it is the Gen Z crowd that is bringing back interactive retro. This could be their place. The street food menu of smash burgers and the like could attract a wider crowd. Young lawyers don't just love big steaks. Attracting a younger crowd than the partners of law firms might be the tonic the downtown needs.

With all the bad news we have seen downtown, items like this indicate that businesses are still seeing opportunity to invest and attract customers.

T&T Supermarkets to Open in Polo Park

When EQ3 and 24/7 In Touch moved to the former Sears building after a few years of it sitting empty, there were a few spaces left within not filled. One of those spaces was eventually filled by the popular store Zara. However, one very large space was unoccupied. It was Sears basement which had at times hosted furnishing, discounted items and storage. Pick-ups came via a down ramp and you could load up your Sears Kenmore. At 265,000 square feet, the old Simpson-Sears was a monster. The total basement space was 48,000 square feet. 

I was always curious why EQ3, the Winnipeg-based store didn't take all the space of the first floor. A huge section facing towards Portage remained unfilled even as Zara opened next door. Nothing was ever announced and the focus recently has been on filling space in the mall and the disposition of The Bay. There had been rumours of a grocery store as Polo Park once sported two groceries across the hall from one another with Dominion and Loblaw's. Since Save On Foods is across the street from the mall and the biggest Safeway in the province was at Madison Square, the list of options was small.

One of the rumours was T&T Supermarkets, the B.C.-based Asian grocer, was the grocer to come to Polo Park. Certainly over 15 years of lobbying for the store to come have Tina Lee an idea that the province might be a good place to a store. Lee, daughter of the founders and one of if the Ts in T&T says that former Lieutenant Governor Philip Lee (no relation) advocated for years for a store. The T in T&T is Tiffany, Tina's sister. As Tina reveals, it was logistics and supply chain issues that made it so long in coming.

Seafood will have to be flown in and other supplies required a much bigger Ontario warehouse which the company has just built. Given the size of the Winnipeg store it will require a lot of stock. Target died in Canada because of their inventory system and stretched supply lines. It looks like T&T is getting their ducks in a row.

The store will have a hot take out area, live seafood as well as bbq section. Grocery will be include vegetables, fruit, full bakery and items for the Asian market. Non grocery items will include skincare products from Korea, China and Japan. The large Filipino will feature prominently. Nearly 70% of the products coming into Winnipeg are presently not sold here, according to the company.

The main level at the southwest corner close to Joeys will be the main entrance. It will have escalators and elevators capable of transporting carts, much like the old Polo Park Target. It is unclear how carts will be handled. The old Safeway frequently had to corral their wayward carts in mall parking. The grocery will be in the basement which has been empty since 2019.

The new grocery, like a lot of new Winnipeg investment, opens in 2028.

Canad Inns to Sell Properties in Downtown Winnipeg

Perhaps it was inevitable after the death of Leo Ledohowski in 2025. Not every one of his family member lives in Winnipeg. The disposition of the various hotels and properties has already begun. Recently, the Tavern United in the pumphouse beside the Canada Life Arena was closed. The speculation though was that the lease had expired and the Jets owner had a use in mind for the property.  The name coming up was Moxie's as being an interested in the space. I thought perhaps Tavern could go in Canad Inns own property at Somerset but it appears the family had other plans.

The Manitoba Metis have already announced early they might be interested in the hotel at the very least. However, the Ledohowski's have said that is only available as a package with the other properties. It is possible the MMF could take all the properties of partner up with someone. Perhaps, the Jets might be interested in the Met building for its concert business and Jets/Moose game events. Certainly the Jets organization don't want empty buildings beside them after all the years of trying to build up surrounding area.

Some on Facebook are proposing a treatment and addictions housing center. That is probably premature for a hotel that still is viable but probably in need of an update just as several in the downtown have been getting or are getting now. As for the largely empty Somerset building, it sits right across from the arena and has a skywalk through it. I expect there is a use for the building, especially the ground floor which one house a Dollar Tree. Sitting directly across from one of the main entrances to the arena, it is possible it could be a good place for some restaurant or bar. The Somerset used to have Woolworth based there and the upper floors offices. It is possible someone might have a use for it. The Aveda building next door is a great example of someone finding a new use for a fine building.

The former Northstar Inn (now Radisson) with its parkade might be an attractive option for someone wanting a hotel. However, the price to upgrade will be the millions. The Fairmont is presently going through a $120 million rebuild. The Charterhouse rebuild to Best Western Plus Downtown was $30 million. The Sutton Place Hotel and Suites is likely up in two years. No timetable or price another hotel on Broadway. Add to this the impending sale of The Fort Garry. The final touches are the skywalks funded by city and province for Sutton Place are being made. The Radisson and adjacent buildings already have skywalks.

So many projects come on stream late this year and into the next two years. Changes of ownership should not be unexpected. It was locals families that transformed the Fort Garry and the Metropolitan. Hopefully, it will be local to take them to the next level.

The Winnipeg Police will be initiating a crackdown on open drug use. However, this time it will run into November and they will be accompanied by workers equipped to help people will assistance. Too many residents, businesses and even support services are overwhelmed by overdoses on such a scale and people in doorways and encampments and not being able to ensure personal safety and property security.

The longer a building has no users, the greater the chance it will burn in this environment. It appears that the hotel and the Met are not shuttering but a new owner dedicated to their revitalization would be most welcome. Meanwhile, the city and province could do a lot to make sure that people feel they can come downtown and not regret it because of safety and security reasons.

U.S. Consulate in Winnipeg to Close

We've been here before. In 1986, a very hostile NDP government had cabinet ministers outside the U.S. consulate and burned an American flag down in opposition to Reagan and foreign policy, particularly Central America. The Howard Pawley NDP government was easily one of the most socialist governments  Manitoba had two years later crashed in the election that almost wiped them out. It took another NDP government under Gary Doer to mend the fences and have a consulate re-opened in 2001. It is under yet another NDP premier Wab Kinew that the consulate will close again.

Is it punishment for this province? Unclear. There are consulates closing including Nagoya, Japan which is easily bigger that Calgary and it is getting closed too. The position of an Agent General from Manitoba in Washington D.C that Kinew appointed just got a lot more important. It hurts the Americans more in terms of the loss than it does Canada, or more directly, Manitoba and Winnipeg. There are a variety of honourary and full consulates in Winnipeg. About 20 at this point. Who knows, in two years, there could be one again with a change of government.

Canada has 12 consulates in the U.S. with the closest to Winnipeg being Minneapolis. How important are these consulates? For Canadians, it represents access to services when they are travelling, working or in schools in the States. For businesses in those regions, it may be their entry way into Canada for sales or for purchases. When free trade was running smoother, it helped elevate many provinces and states to being each other's biggest partners.

The present consulate is at Portage and Main and while smaller than the large presence that was here in 1986, it had an impact at goodwill and helped in trading partnerships. There are elements within the U.S. who really want to pull all their foreign offices and forces and turtle within the their territory. Any time America has done that in the past, the war has come to them. Or the economic  harms if ones looks back to the 1930s.

While the departure in 1986 of the consulate from Winnipeg could be traced to hostile relations, the departure this time is not likely targeted. It's possible. If it was alcohol off Manitoba shelves, they might have closed Toronto's offices. Or Vancouver's. Winnipeg is only likely to grow in the future and the need for future services and investment will still be there. Expect that they return at some point.

Giant Tiger Downtown To Close

There was a deep concern that this might happen. Giant Tiger at the corner of Donald and Ellice has seemed defiant to keep operating although circumstances of shoplifting seem brazen and dangerous even to faithful customers there. Food has always been priced better than almost anywhere else in the downtown. 

Back in 2024, Giant Tiger closed shop at 305 McPhillips Street and at 1441 Main Street. The claim was that theft from stores wasn't sole reason for the closures there. The company continues to have eight stores in Winnipeg but the trend is obvious: none in the core. This is true for companies like 7/Eleven as well unless you count Slurpies in the Canada Life Centre.

To the people experiencing the loss of their local store for groceries and merchandise this is pretty devastating news. Downtown Family Foods at the other end of Donald Street at Broadway is the last general grocery store in the area. However, their prices are higher than the national retailer. The Downtown Family Foods manage has also said how difficult is with constant shoplifting.

Food is being used as a currency for drug use. This isn't so much about people starving to death. A hot meal at many of the missions can't be used as currency. Many of the addicted have a need for drugs that exceed what many of us could pay for on age wage we have. This results in people trying to sell whatever it is they can get their hands on. 

Even as a number of apartments go up, it is obvious the downtown is struggling with more affordable grocery options. Everyone is crying for more security. It seems to come in dribs and drabs. Meanwhile, city councillors are headed for the exit exhausted. The chief of police is next with 37 years on the job. Something the new council will have to figure out with chiefs going every few years now.

Poverty and addiction might be main driver of the grocery exodus but it won't be confined to downtown. Strong evidence suggests it will be go as far as any bus route extends. And while meals and shelter might be on offer, the need for drugs might prevent people from accessing it because the addiction will drive behaviour. 

A multi-pronged approach will help but not in time for Giant Tiger. I suspect that it will take more consequences for anything to work. The traffickers have to be stopped. Housing has to be built at a faster pace for all income levels. Treatment centers have to have a faster response and transition housing with supports put in place. And for those who resort to violence and repeat offences, society can't function in fear of ones safety and security. Yes, the police will have to charge people, the courts will have to hear their case and in some instances, remanded for some time to prevent arson, murder, home invasions and theft at an epic scale.

July Weekend of Crime and More

It was a pretty awful weekend by any metric. A man in a wheelchair stabbed randomly in the afternoon in a courtyard on Powers Street Friday. In Crescentwood by Kelvin High School, a man smashed windows at the school and various homes at 6:30 AM. He threatened people and stole items. Some time on Friday, someone cut all 15 tipi poles in half for an indigenous celebration on Kenaston. And the list goes on of drug arrest, high speed chases and other assorted stabbings and violence. 

This isn't cherry picking. And heaven's knows what the police and fire reports will be Monday. Multiple neighbourhoods and businesses are begging for a surge of police resources. At the same time activists are begging them to back off. They really can't went people are being stabbed, threatened or businesses and schools attacked. 

It doesn't help when Reddit anonymous posters complain about the patriarchy and corporate ownership when stores are being ransacked. They even complained when unionized government liquor stores used security screening even after violent assaults. To be fair, even posters at Reddit are getting a little exasperated at the threats to safety with comments on the rampant arson, store chaos and literal open use of drugs and people dying in the streets every day. 

Once again, this is happening everywhere with toxic drugs everywhere in Canada and beyond. No one wants to blame to victims but who exactly are the victims here? And how are you helping if they are released so quickly after offending. Clearly, some resume immediately what they are doing. The lawlessness is exhausting even the most sympathetic to addictions and poverty. 

Some transitional housing groups are now refusing housing to those who have not even begun some process of weaning off drugs. The worry is that it will end in arson, violence and hurt those being taken care of. At some point, for many, a violent encounter probably means being remanded and awaiting trial. That is too late after damage is done but it might be the only time to get people off the lethal drugs they are on. The problem is the endless supply of people into this cycle.

Add in racist instant of attacks on indigenous people and high speed street racing and you have a weekend of chaos. The police have their hands full. Still, neighbourhoods are begging for a police presence to enforce some form of lawful behaviour. Those living in areas seem to think that all that is being done is reviving people and giving them clean needles and save places to get high. Many of the people are too high and unsafe for shelters and the constant need to find money to feed the addiction means businesses and individuals are targets. It is a vicious cycle.

With an election this fall imminent, it seems we will likely have police called in more. However, Gillingham is looking for a non police and fire-paramedic response to this. How this is done remains unknown. It probably involves existing services but how they become involved in a mental health or drug crisis that doesn't require any police or fire is the big question. It might be some sort of triage in the 911 calls. At the moment, we are short 107 paramedics so maybe he can address that first. If there are police shortages, I have not heard the latest number.  Shortages in front line workers before and election is a recipe for questions on re-election for mayor and council alike.

Something has to be done before it gets even worse.

Fuck Trump on Trade

The constant bullying and gaslighting of Canada by the U.S. on trade is relentless. Their trade negotiators tell Canada that they have to settle for second best, limit our trade with others and only trade with the U.S.

The free trade agreements made over decades was to supply chains crossed the border and that rules would make sense from a prosperity standpoint. CUSMA trade is nearly completely tariff free. Only a few areas like culture, dairy are set aside for specific reasons of ensuring support for farmers and culture industries. We have already backed down on policy a few times on culture legislation. On dairy, it is unclear what talks have taken place.

What is clear from the premiers meeting with the prime minister in PEI is that most premiers are not backing down on alcohol on the shelves. But don't expect much help from Saskatchewan and Alberta. They keep alcohol on the shelf and don't want any interference on potash and energy. They have agreed to direct to consumer sales within Canada this week which is a huge deal for Canadian beer and spirits. This is a big deal in bringing freer trade to the provinces which could increase gross domestic product internally. The longer U.S. liquor is off the shelf, the more it is changing consumption habits. It is for sure making the U.S. crazy about liquor off the shelf. They seem completely puzzled by it.

Trade negotiators in the U.S. seem shocked we just won't accept a permanent tariff on everything and that we are obedient and compliant. And because we have tried to remove some irritant, they likely think they can have it all and even more. The Canadian public is even more incensed and want to fight so premiers are actually holding them back from even more. I think the realization is that Trump is the unpredictable one. Still, you often hear Moe and Smith say that Carney has to get a deal but wont saw what concessions should be made. Just not any in their provinces.

Greer, Bessant, Lutnick and Hoekstra are all bootlickers for Trump. Perhaps they believe in or merely looking to get a pardon when their time is up for something. I seriously believe the desire for pardons is what guides many of the people who work for the administration. So fuck them now and later on. They should be ashamed in years after even if they avoid criminal charges.

Greer spoke before Congress and there is an even longer list coming. He wants bilateral deals that protect the U.S. on cheap energy and minerals but that's it. Expect huge tariffs on everything else. A number of the Senators put the pressure on but Republican Senators have no balls. Peter Navarro goes on the pages of the National Post with absolutely no rebuttal to his bullocks argument that it is Canada's fault.

If Canada does get hit with tariffs it sure seems like there will be a reply in kind. The two provinces that are allowing U.S. liquor sales will likely find a 50% tariff on bourbon and wine in those provinces. They can continue to buy but will there be consumers in the market? Is having a bourbon in Calgary worth paying 50% more? I guess some people will pay that price but many won't. There is already evidence that people are moving away from American wine even when available.

The latest indignity is a 10% tariff on Canada starting July 24 for forced labour. It is a catch all for 80 countries. There is no way to satisfy Trump on this even with the same law as they have. The U.S. exempts themselves from prison labour. Some countries like the UK will get a worse deal than they had previously with Trump. One wonders if they will take it lying down. Norway has said they will. If they are prepared to to take that, maybe they can give up some more too.

So Canada has to cobble together trade deals elsewhere. This week it was free trade with Ecuador. There always seems to be complaints about most deals and this is no different. Ecuador is not what many want in terms of human rights. Many advocates say Canada should not have trade with most of the world till human rights and environmental issues are settled. Conversely, we are asked for aid and criticized when that doesn't come. The balance is a difficult one but don't know bans or tariffs helps on banana and cocoa from Ecuador and airplanes from Canada. If we want to promote world peace, we have to keep talking, trading and finding common ground.

There are sometimes reasons for sanctions and tariffs but not for the reasons Trump has. Anti-dumping is a tariff for those countries that are dumping product that they are overbuilding in their territory so that they can undercut another country. It is anticompetitive practice. Tariffs can be used for national security reasons too. In general though, a tariff should be regarded as a tax on yourself and if kept in place can keep your home industry out of date and unproductive. It seems a dumb thing to keep taxing.

Trumps tariffs are to bully Canada. We should take him at his word he believe Canada is about to totter and become a U.S. territory. Fuck him on that idea. Many Canadians are horrified at the chaos down in the U.S. and want nothing to do with being strip mined. We really don't Target stores back in Canada that bad. In the mean time, we should remain calm and carry on. In the last week alone, free trade agreements with Ecuador and United Arab Emirates. There is a huge investment conference in Canada coming in September. We really need an internal response to to overcome what is happening down in the States and for the next two and half years.

King Charles Arrives at Glasgow Commonwealth Games in the Tardis

 

Osborne Village Suffering

There are many good things happening in Osborne. New buildings, new restaurants and new housing. However, the drug toxicity has been profound and some of the social agencies are now causing friction among their neighbours. Daycares and businesses are dodging needles and human waste. Belligerent and drugged people are in doorways and everything from employees to customers risk and encounter that is more than just unpleasant but dangerous.

Despite a lot of sympathy and understanding, the level of tolerance for increasing levels of encampment within the streets is waning. Safety feels like it is being compromised. The social agencies can't simply fob this off and say any type of diversion, enforcement or security presence undermines their efforts. They are literally not responding to requests to do something.

More money is coming to assist those in need, more housing and support workers are coming and more recovery addictions centers are opening. The police are even making major trafficking arrests but the scope is so great that progress looks glacial. And if hard drugs are off the street, it means people with addictions seek other things including hand sanitizer. Street patrols seems to be in endless cycle of reviving of people who would surely die. Multiple times. It is soul destroying for those going through it and for front line workers. But it is also exhausting for those living beside it.

Many of those people will not complain, won't make a fuss or even inform others. They will simply stop shopping, close businesses, stop providing services and move. They will abandon the area lest anyone say they are intolerant, paranoid or cruel. If people feel unsafe, experience security and sanitation issues or feel their place of business, services or home is in the line of fire, they will start streaming out.

At the moment, people in Osborne are begging for help and often having their calls unanswered, This is an election year and that dog won't hunt. It will be too difficult when schools and daycares start pushing the issue of needles and dangers of aggressive behaviour within their areas. The first child to get an infection from stepping on a needle or teacher harmed trying to defend heir students will result in an explosion of calls to action.

There are double the amount of MLAs in Winnipeg than Councillors. Most of the them are NDP. Osborne is the premiers riding. It is unlikely that he will able to pass the buck too much longer if the crisis grows even greater. There is a growing desperation about dealing with this even as parts the area are trying to revive. The drug problem is out of control. Activists telling the public that police, security and other hurt their efforts seem willing to have daycares and school bare the costs of someone getting wounded or worse. Or watching a neighbourhood whither and die and go down in arson.