Saturday, December 24, 2022
Seven8Nine Hookah Lounge Takes Over for Garden House East Indian Cuisine
Monday, December 19, 2022
The Specials - A Message To You Rudy (Official Music Video) Terry Hall Dead at 63
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Earls Main to Become Friskee Pearl Bar and Eatery
The first Earls arrived in Winnipeg in 1986 on St. James across from Polo Park. It was so popular that more were built including the Earls at 191 Main Street in 1994. For quite some time, it was the highest revenue Earls in town and one of the highest in Canada. Most people in town warned Earls that Main Street would be a failure and that people would die in a snowbank. They could not be more wrong. Instead, it was the 2006 Earls on Pembina that struggled and was eventually closed.
It goes to show that conventional wisdom was wrong on Earls at Main. For a time, there was a lot of foot traffic between a few places along Main. Earls, Grapes, Blue Note and Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club defied that dire prediction. Today, Times Change(d) remains and Blue Note is a vibrant summer outdoor place.
As for Earls, the city rejected a height change for a complete reconstruction at their location at 191 Main Street so they moved to a 6000 foot location in the new 300 Main Street tower, the tallest building in Winnipeg. This has left their 191 Main location across the street waiting for its next incarnation. The wait won't be much longer.
The owner of King's Head Pub Chris Graves is behind the renovations going on at the old Earls. The Friskee Pearl Bar and Eatery is tentatively scheduled to open sometime in February of 2023. Make no mistake, the building is large inside with 240 seats inside and 140 outside. The menu is Maritimes pub style with local drinks and east coast foods. Graves used to live out east originally so knows something about the cuisine. His long time presence in the Exchange District should inform his choices at Earls old location.Earls proved over many years that the location at 191 Main was a lively space to go before attending concerts, Jets games or events at The Forks. I suspect Friskee Pearl Bar and Eatery should meet up with success as well and their opening should coincide with later in the Jets and Moose season and might prove popular during play-off season
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Liberal MP Jim Carr Dead at 71
To put it bluntly 1988 was a time when some thought a death rattle for the Liberals both provincially and federally was sounding. From 1981-1986, there were only the NDP and the Progressive Conservatives in the provincial legislature. There were few times as toxic as that period in Manitoba history. It was an act of faith in 1988 to run as a Liberal either provincially or federally. Many were saying there should only be two parties. Some provinces were electing nearly all one party.
Carr at the time was a musician with the Winnipeg Symphony and arts council executive. A long time Liberal and faithful Jewish man, he put his name up against a powerful NDP cabinet minister Roland Penner. There had not been a provincial Liberal government since the 1950s so hardly anyone could say it was opportunistic. People were just that fed up of the bombastic politics in some of the most difficult years in Manitoba history.
In Manitoba, the electorate took a chance and Jim Carr was of the MLAs elected and became deputy leader defeating an NDP cabinet minister in the process. Serving for four years before moving into a Free Press journalism and then later as President and founder of the Business Council in Manitoba, Carr found ways to serve the province he loved.
In a highly charged partisan world, he managed to have the working relationships that only come from being respectful. For a time in the 1990s his name would always come up in conversation about mayoral elections. However, in 2015, he put his name up in the federal election for the Liberals headed up by Justin Trudeau. It was dark days for the Liberals nationally with only 36 seats. The NDP were the Official Opposition after their amazing run with leader Jack Layton, who fell to cancer and never would go on to live in Stornoway. Still, many thought the Conservatives under would defeat the opposition and perhaps but the nail in the coffin for the Liberals forever.
In a shocking reversal of fortunes, the Liberals won and Jim Carr, based on his political and business experience, would become a cabinet minister. Carr earned respect for his civility and his ability to come to deals in trade, intergovernmental relations and cross party collegial engagement. He loved his province, was active in the Jewish community and friend of Israel, a supporter of the arts and had a firm commitment to business.
Cancer has been a battle he fought for three years. He was still working up till the last week, passing bills and making positive addresses to the Commons. In days when politicians are not held in high esteem, Carr earned respect and he strived to work with people to reach solutions to the issues of the day. We can only hope to see more of this type of public servant in office.
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Friday, December 2, 2022
Can Housing in Winnipeg Keep up With Demand?
The present PC government is focused on turnpikes all along the Perimeter Highway presumably to add even more housing just outside the city. However, single family dwellings just won't cut it with the amount of people entering Canada. Winnipeg can expect a huge influx over the next few years. And for those asking why, the answer is a huge amount retiring from the baby boom. Business is already crying for more workers. And wage is not the only factor in not filling jobs. Unemployment is historically low and well paid jobs are not being filled simply because we don't have people in Canada either trained or available for the job. It is hard to unretire someone who has left the workforce and spends six months a year in Arizona.
For those who resent immigration, it is difficult to imagine who would staff manufacturers, healthcare or technology companies without it. Quebec has said they will limit immigration for language reasons. It seems that is a race to extinction of another kind. Want to see what a very rapidly aging population looks like that is not replacing its workforce, look to Japan where non-urban areas are being abandoned and no one is alive to keep them going. Japan's population is going down rapidly which has has major implications for prosperity and caring for that aging population.
The cost of business materials and shortages of workers is making it harder to build units of housing just when we need it the most. And people feeling costs but moving out of the city find that those costs don't stay low because of rising support of infrastructure and transportation costs to get to jobs. It is a vicious circle. The federal government is contributing money to affordable housing, Notable of the 500 units going up in Bridgwater at EpicCentre, 50 of them will be at 30 per cent below market rates. The federal absence from housing over the last decades save for financing was a mistake. Provinces often used transfer payments for tax cuts and other CMHC policies on mortgages favoured those buying detached houses.
The lack of a more coordinated effort of all three levels of government, four if you include school divisions, has meant affordable housing has gotten harder to get. This is reflected in growing amounts of people homeless. Rent can't keep rising 10% a year without more fallout. The lack of single room occupancy in Winnipeg has created a situation where a few thousand people are without permanent housing.
Some tiny homes are coming onstream on Main Street shortly but they are millions over budget and very late because of the pandemic and supply chain issues. The closure of so many Main Street hotels discharged so many people onto the street. There were two few conversions like the Occidental and now the Bell hotel into small and affordable housing. Minneapolis has accelerated their plans to converted worn out motels to these affordable option. Government have bought these places rather than let them go to demolition. In Winnipeg we have cleared land and demolished hotels that stand vacant today.
As yet another homeless camp burns down, the need seems even more deadly apparent. Even in the 1970s when alcoholism was perhaps as destructive as the drug problem was now, you did not see homeless camps everywhere. Single room occupancy was the stopgap even if people thought it was not desirable. Today, small places and some form of support for income-based housing has to be the rule of the day.
As for the housing for other incomes, recognition that building massive highway, water, sewer, police, fire, social, community and education services for a low density area will only result in its failure. Greenbelt encroachments around cities like we see in Ontario takes up agriculture space that we don't get back. Worse, it creates demand beyond those greenbelt evens further afield. In Manitoba, we see urbanization outside Perimeter and those areas still rely heavily for coming into the city for jobs and services.
The new mayor has said he realizes he needed the suburbs to win election but that the problems of crime, public transportation and downtown will simply affect the city as a whole. Those won't be fixed by expanding Kenaston and Peguis. A serial killer caught and three missing indigenous women makes it difficult for elected officials to pretend that their job is limited to infrastructure. The deaths of these women is world-wide news and the vulnerability of our population, poverty and issues surrounding violence can't be overlooked.
The only way out of this cycle is to build housing like what is happening in Bridgwater with an affordable housing component. There just isn't enough. And while there are a ton of apartment housing going up along streets like Pembina Highway, it is generally not as affordable as it should be. It also points to the utter and complete failure of the University of Manitoba to build enough housing for the nearly 30,000 students it has. When students rent illegal room houses near the university, it shows that failure boldly.
Canada will grow most certainly but the housing policy has to grow or we will not be able to take students in, immigrants in, serve our elderly, end homelessness or make room for kids. And we certainly won't be able to take care of vulnerable people who are ending up dying every week.
Saturday, November 19, 2022
Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club Returns to Winnipeg
In 1984 Rumors Restaurant and Comedy Club was founded when it took over for Kappy's in the recently renovated Tuxedo Village mall. Around the same time the Al Golden owned hotel began doing very local comedy and now the new owners do the same thing. Winnipeg was an embarrassment of riches for comedy.
By 1991, Yuk Yuk's had closed and a series of night clubs succeeded it. But Yuk Yuk's is back in a pretty upscale place in 2023.
In January, Yuk Yuk's will occupy the club space downstairs at Fort Garry Hotel. It follows a revived comedy boom in Winnipeg where several establishments such as Limelight, Wee Johnny's, Handsome Daughter and The Basement offer up talent.
The Fort Garry Hotel continues to find ways to enhance what it offers. The patio and renovation of the Palm Room, the spa and continued service as a locally owned place keeps it relevant. The days of cabarets and nightclubs has declined. Hotels that used to have multiple dance clubs are finding new audiences with sports bars, karaoke and comedy clubs. Live music still has a place. The Marion Hotel for example is doing an only original music night. However, there is no denying that comedy has had a resurgence.
Winnipeg took the genesis of the last comedy wave to create the long lasting Winnipeg Comedy Festival. Make no mistake, we are movers and shakers in this industry.
Thursday, November 17, 2022
The End of Lowe's in Canada
I personally like Rona and here in the west, it operates much like Home Depot. This was a reflection of the days when it was Revy and started off with larger stores. But that is not what Rona has been like, especially in Quebec. It was small hometown feel and all had all manner of operations that were grass roots, independent dealers and stores not so large.
Certainly Lowe's could run a big store like we saw in Winnipeg. However, their corporate structure wasn't easily replicated in Canada. And just like Target, they have retreated with heavy losses.
In the end, Lowe's was paid $400 million U.S. to walk away. Their losses look to be $2 billion U.S. New owners Sycamore Partners will probably take a while to figure out their strategy. Not all of their assets are corporate. There are a lot of independent associates in their network.
The independent dealers number around 210 stores and it is expected some might leave for one of three other buying groups. It depends on what the new owner Sycamore Partners does. They already own Staples in Canada but how the manage independent dealers will be the real test.Wednesday, November 16, 2022
KUB Bread Closes
The end of restrictions on Covid have not restored business as inflation, the difficulty in finding workers and the various customers who went out of business was too hard for a family owned company to struggle through. Add to that the rising cost with lower demand, they made the only decision they could.
The location at 850 Erin had a simple note explaining the closure and social media was ahead of almost everyone in spreading the word. All the stock was bought out a day early.
The Einfeld family as co-owners of the bakery said they were open to selling the KUB name but the bakery itself founded in 1923 would not see its 100th birthday. Thirty employees are affected by the closure and the owner himself will retire. The name KUB came from one of the four original partners. His name was Kucher and thus Kucher's Ukrainian Bread was shortened to KUB.
The oldest rye bakery shop in the city closing is quite sad. It will be interesting to see if someone will leap into the business before the bread cools.
Thursday, November 10, 2022
JD Sports Coming to CF Polo Park
At 8000 square feet, the new store is fairly big and carries most of the big sports brands. The company is focused on local partnerships and promotion compared to some other retailers who are more nationally branded.
CF Polo Park has been trying to regain some big names as competition from St. Vital and Outlet Connection at Seasons has been keenly felt these last years.
Store opening November 19.
Monday, November 7, 2022
2022 Winnipeg Civic Election Results
Another election cycle has been completed and we welcome Scott Gillingham who replaces Brian Bowman who bows out after serving two full terms. We welcome first time Councillor Evan Duncan in Charleswood and returning Councillors Russ Wyatt in Transcona and Shawn Dobson in St. James.
I'm not sure we have seen the last of Kevin Klein or Shawn Nason and a number of others who were not successful in this civic election. In fact, Klein is already the nominated candidate running provincially for the PC's in Scott Fielding's former riding of Kirkfield Park. A byelection is due there by this December.
As far as the new mayor goes, Gillingham has filled the Executive Policy Committee with loyalists but kept his word at one fewer members. He has at least 14 positions in the mayor's office to fill and unlike Bowman who had a mix of Liberals, NDP and PCs hired, the new hires come from PC or civil service ranks and have worked with him before. Stability is the key and relationships important as we see Lukes, Chambers and Browaty on EPC.
This week Gillingham has met Premier Stefanson a few times, one for a provincial announcement on a new integrated police warrants unit to go after repeat offenders. It was the type of meetings that Bowman couldn't get. But then Pallister did not meet anyone save for demanding to meet with the prime minister to ask for more transfers even when they increased every year he was in office. He wanted them all for tax and service cuts. Stefanson is now left to deal with gutted departments and a deep distrust and unpopularity. Forging cordial and productive relationships with Mayor Gillingham could spare her government a thrashing in a year. Maybe.
The falling voter turnout numbers and acclamations points to a citizenry disengaged and apathetic about the system working for them. However, government would do well not to be smug that it doesn't matter. It could be their own supporters who stay home. For civic elections, the experience of voting has gotten easier but incumbency means that positions only open up when someone dies or leaves of their own accord. Rarely is an incumbent unseated in Manitoba. It raises the case of term limits or ranked ballots because while experience is great, if there is no change for decades, it stagnates the system.
There was a wide variety of mayoral candidates from progressive to conservative. Many had political party links to provincial of federal parties. But being a Liberal did not guarantee Liberal supported as witnessed by endorsements of Lloyd Axworthy for Gillingham or Shannon Sampert there as well. Why the endorsement? I can guess. Axworthy was former transport minister and while there are parts of the infrastructure plan he might disagree with, he probably agreed with a tax increase that was both reasonable and targeted on fixing things. For Sampert, it could have been the various indigenous groups that felt they had a partner in Gillingham. It might also been his appearances at Pride. As a former Christian pastor, he showed the aspects of faith in people that showed personal growth and a caring heart.
Small as the turnout was, it can be surmised that the voters wanted stability, a plan and credibility. The tax freeze/2.3% rise seemed to meet skepticism when Murray and Klein talked about it. It probably was because alternative funding depending on other governments or unspecified savings was hard to swallow. Gillingham also had some proposals such as Kenaston and Peguis requiring provincial and federal contributions but the public greeted the tax proposal as more realistic than other candidates.
One thing the public seemed to have no appetite for was someone who was looking to get in bun fights, culture wars or just looked like they could not work with others. Jenny Motkaluk had as much fight in her for The Forks as she did for her fellow candidates. Don Woodstock seemed to have more fight for Jenny Motkaluk than for other leading candidates. Scott Gillingham did raise the issue of Glen Murray's past record at the debate but it was after weeks of revelations by CBC that did not seem to have anything to do with springing a surprise on the former mayor.
It is unclear when the tide turned in the election and made it possible for Gillingham to win by four thousand votes, One thing is clear is that there was not a lot of polls released publicly. And too many decisions on who could participate in debates was made based on very early polls.
To the candidates who lost, the question has to be: Is the mayor's job the only one suitable for you? It seems to me that some candidates could be effective Councillors but never seem to run for that job.
As for the new mayor, crime remains a priority and he needs to keep working with the province because the Stefanson government has more levers to pull when it comes to the courts, social work, prisons, Crown prosecutors and mental health. Not to mention poverty, housing and addictions. The mayor though needs a better handle on policing.
The mandate is four years but I expect we see change early. Let's just see if a healthy dose of realism comes with it.
Saturday, October 22, 2022
Winnipeg Comiccon October 28-30, 2022
Civic Election Debate 2022 - Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood/St. James Debate
Kudos to Assiniboia Chamber of Commerce and to the Holiday Inn Airport West for sponsoring and hosting the candidate debates for for two city council wards at the same time.