Kevin Klein Group Buys Winnipeg Sun

 The announcement that Kevin Klein, former publisher of The Sun, former Councillor and former PC cabinet minister has purchased the Winnipeg Sun, the Portage la Prairie Graphic Leader and the Kenora Miner and News in Ontario. All related print and digital assets, employees and other associated activities of Postmedia Network related to the businesses is included in the sale to the Klein Group and its investors.

It is probably one of the most significant newspaper stories in Canada in a very long while. With this purchase, Winnipeg becomes the only other city in Canada aside from Toronto with at least two locally owned newspapers, owned by two different owners. The Free Press is owned by Bob Silver of Winnipeg and former Winnipegger and Vancouver resident Ron Stern and the The Sun will be owned by Winnipeg resident Kevin Klein. Compare to Toronto where the National Post and Toronto Sun are foreign owned, locally based newspapers, the Globe and Mail is the only remaining newspaper owned by David Thomson and the Toronto Star is owned by the Bitove Family of Toronto.

It simply is unheard of today that two competing newspapers have local ownership. Up until the 1980s Manitoba's local TV media aside from the public broadcaster were locally owned. This was true of radio stations ways back as well but this is true of neither now. In short, it is great news that both newspapers are locally owned by competing groups.

In the mix is Portage la Prairie and Kenora's newspaper which likely means a tighter focus on regional strengths. The National Post will still be a supplier content which should help, For 18 months there has been no agreement between the 37 union members at the Winnipeg Sun. New ownership will be tasked with getting an agreement for stability on that front. There are are agreements with non-unionized staff that will have to be settled but if labour issues are settled, Klein will be tasked with finding a way to make money in the news business.

Kevin Klein as former publisher knows the money side of the business. He has been providing to the content side as a columnist after his political career came to an electoral halt. One of the the things that will be interesting to see is if there is a return of sports reporters travelling with the Jets and the Bombers. The home games have reporters present but the away games have been covered from home base. This is a weakness because exclusives and on the spot coverage are suddenly lacking. 

For the Winnipeg Sun, sports and local stories, particularly crime and court stories are likely things to bring readers in. The paper, which was founded in 1980, started off as a locally owned tabloid publishing a few times a week. It was an act of faith that kept it goes before it got scooped up in 1983 by the larger national Sun chain. It adopted the corporate model of the Sun girl...or boy and the editorial comment on letters. Sports and local news became the focus and Peter Warren would contribute columns. It had its own comics section and TV and movie reviewers. 

In recent years, the Sun has lost some columnists to the Free Press and shrank its newsroom. It still puts out content but it has been in need of TLC from ownership who will both invest and somehow let the journalists pursue news, analysis and opinion. They need to fill the gaps the Free Press leaves open. Crime, city hall could all use a new perspective. It will be a challenge to reach skeptical citizens. And somehow make money on print and digital.

It seems Klein is likely to drop the local journalism initiative. The government money is needed to replace lost ad revenue. Also, the new media group is likely to apply for the digital fund supports coming from Google and the like. But more will be needed to support the business. Government ads of all kinds for announcements used to be helpful. There is no way Canada should be using Facebook when all money goes out of the country. However, the government has used media not based in the country.

Big media companies in Canada have been shutting down newspapers, radio stations and TV stations for years after stripping them down. It has seemed they are more willing to shut them down than sell them. Postmedia has owned The Sun since 2015. The Klein Group purchase The Sun and the other two papers is a welcome change.

I think there will be shockwaves across media in Canada about the purchase and what it might mean for other communities to purchase newspapers, radio stations and the like from large corporations who otherwise would just shut down these companies. I hope for success for The Sun and a healthy competition for readers with the Free Press.

Will Red Lobster in Winnipeg Close?

The first Red Lobster in Canada opened in 1983 and Winnipeg was quick to open after that. With sister restaurant The Olive Garden right beside it in front of Polo Park, it was a winning formula. Another Olive Garden is by Kildonan Place. I can't recall if Red Lobster had another location in Winnipeg. I do remember that a lot of Red Lobsters ended up going in former Ponderosa locations around Canada.

Red Lobster with their endless shrimp and lobster deals has brought the company to bankruptcy. And they have gone to court to bring the Canadian operations into bankruptcy too. It may not matter if the Canadian operations are profitable or not. It is very likely they will want to liquidate the restaurants here and send the money to creditors in the states. We have seen this happen for Sears, Bed, Bath and Beyond and other retailers.

Red Lobster was a huge success in Canada for nearly a decade but closed some stores in the 1990s when tastes changed somewhat, locations became less desirable and tougher economic times prevailed. Winnipeg had a fairly tough 1990s. However, the Red Lobster location paired with The Olive Garden was a top notch location across from Polo Park. It became a favourite of people coming into the city from all over Manitoba and Northwest Ontario,

The location of A&W, Red Lobster and The Olive Garden stand roughly on the space of The Paddock which was a restaurant with a long history from the horsetrack days until the 1970s of Polo Park Mall. While there were restaurants in the mall, the location right along busy Portage Avenue was tough to beat. Plus all the Bombers and Jets traffic drove right up St. James to their location.

Polo Park, the Arena, the Stadium, the Velodrome all contributed to an outstanding location for years and although only the mall remains, the restaurants across the street still do so well. If Red Lobster closes, it will have everything to do with mismanagements in the U.S. and how their endless shrimp and lobster campaigns ended up being too costly. Other factors hurt them as well but this is being attributed to their downfall.

In the next week, it indeed looks like Red Lobster in Canada goes bankrupt and store closures are inevitable? Does this mean the whole company in Canada closes? It could very well mean that. Many American and international companies shut down their Canadian operations rather than attempt to sell them. Case in point is Sears and Bed, Bath and Beyond where there was no attempt to sell the companies to other operators. They were shut down and money sent to the U.S.

Only a few companies ever seem to sell their operations so they can continue in Canada. Toy R Us and HMV were sold by their owners and continue in Canada under their old names or new ones. Is it possible Red Lobster is sold off and their stores retained in Canada? Or the Canadian division sold off and continuing to run? Yes? But it is just as likely we see the Canadian Red Lobster which number about 30 plus to be shut down almost immediately and liquidated for creditors.

I'm sure many Winnipeggers and those who visit from out of town will be shocked to see the closure. It does invite question of what would go in place of Red Lobster if it is closed. The competition will be stiff. Perhaps a restaurant that presently doesn't have a location in the province. However, it is just as likely a Joeys or Milestone's from Canada end up there. The closure hasn't happened yet. We should find out soon though. 

Cleo's Polo Park Presents Store Concept for Canada

Cleo's, Ricki's and Bootleggers remain national chains based in Winnipeg with a history going back 85 years. Between the Cleo's and Ricki's stores they have 214 locations coast to coast owned by Parian Logistics which has its head office and warehouse in the old McLeod-Stedman/Truserv/Ace building on McGillivary.

The new concept for Cleo's is a little brighter and Polo Park revealed earlier this month. It is being spread out across the country. Between the three store brands, Parian focuses on women from younger to older. In some cases they have combined Ricki's and Cleo's and others they have put put Ricki's and Bootleggers together. However, Cleo's is the brand they are trying to develop as a standalone store.

In recent months Polo Park has solidified it's hold as premier mall in the province and is currently ranked number 15 in the country. The vacancy rate has been low and when Christmas comes around, they are usually fully leased. Parian with brands like Cleo's wants to be in malls like Polo Park and to be able to show off their new concepts here.

Despite the attractiveness of U.S. brands, companies like Cleo's and Ricki's continue to thrive as they seem to know what Canadian consumer needs are.

Valedictorian Speech Calls for Ceasefire

Doctor Gem Newman seen in the above picture was chosen to be the Valedictorian address for the medical students at the University of Manitoba. In his speech he decries settler colonialism in Canada and around the world and calls for a ceasefire while identifying Israel as targeting hospitals in Gaza.

https://www.tiktok.com/@ajohn095/video/7370362916882631978

I have not the entire speech but don't no if he criticized the October 6 attack on Israel by Hamas forces. He only mentions Palestinian deaths which the Hamas health authority has provided. Around 1,200 Israelis were killed by terrorists and 250 were injured in the attack that day.

Free Speech is the hallmark of academic freedom and this goes for the administration as well. Dr. Peter Nickerson, dean of medicine expressed his disappointment in the address. He was uninvited by some university groups to graduation events. In turn, one of the major donors of the university expressed his dismay at the speech. His family name happens to be on the building. Ernest Rady says he is appalled and calls the speech hate speech. The word genocidal has disappointed many.

I previously wrote that campuses in Canada have been fairly quiet in comparison to U.S. universities. There have been encampments at both University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba but students have, by and large, finished school and only graduation ceremonies are left so it is quiet there. The weather has been cold and rainy much of the time which is not fun in a tent. And probably less motivating when no one is there at the campus. Events are coming in the next several days and it remains to be seen whether some students will try to disrupt activities. 

I'm not entirely sure what Dr. Newman's view of the state of Israel is. Since he uses the work colonial and settler, it feels like he is stating Israel is an illegal state with no status. This is certainly the viewpoint of some of the Palestinian supporters who believe that the solution to all the problems is for Israel to cease as a state and all Jews forced out. The River to Sea chants is a call to push Jews into the sea.

Canada favours a two state solution which is the official policy of the government. Hamas does not favour this and has been fighting other Palestinian groups as well as Israel ever since. They favour a Muslim state and a trans-national one at that. Most of the protestors don't seem to want to bring this to the attention of anyone.

The call for a ceasefire seems to apply only to Israel. Attacks from Hamas seem to be condoned. Many in Israel want to have a ceasefire but we hardly hear about hostage returns or cessation of of violence from Hamas. It is very one sided. We never hear about the rape and violence committed against Israelis or if we do, are told they had it coming.

A Valedictorian speech doesn't have to be a boring thing filled with platitudes but calling out genocide is very much likely to bring the fight out in people. The International Criminal Court is trying to make a case for arrests of Israeli and Hamas leader and it remains very much an open question whether the three judge panel is going to make an equivalency argument. The prosecutor has already said Israel has a right to defend itself.

Benjamin Netanyahu has done a poor job on military intelligence and defence and the Gaza hunt for Hamas has been less helpful at hostage recovery than the short ceasefire and exchange for Palestinians for hostages. The areas that were taken by Israeli Defence Forces have still seen rocket attacks launched. It makes the statement that Hamas can be totally defeated seem less likely. On the home front, some of Netanyahu's coalition is pushing for Jewish settlements to return to Gaza and to get Palestinians to leave. Even the prime minister seems to know this is a security risk and provocation that even many Israelis are just not willing to take.

Given the history of Israel when it comes to this type of breech of security, an Israeli prime minister is usually defeated in the next election. Already, there is evidence that the war cabinet is breaking apart but when an election happens is anyone's guess. Israel is as polarized as other western nations. Netanyahu works best in this highly charged atmosphere but there does seem to be a reckoning coming. What seems unlikely is whether the International Criminal Court is going to be his undoing. The case for self defence will remain and even the prosecutor will have a tough time untangling that one.

The thing about Israel is that it is a democracy and they debate these issues. It isn't a monolithic view. And it certainly isn't one that seeks never-ending war. Israel has made peace with neighbours and exchanged land for security in the past. A two state solution has been discussed and moves have been made to achieve that but Hamas has never agreed to two states. They push for the violent overthrow of Israel and elimination of them as a people in the region. Sadly, some of their supporters also support this.  And not just in Israel but everywhere.

Netanyahu has been unprepared for the defence of Israel and has squandered the goodwill that so many had following the terrorist attack. But it is hard to say to that his government is singularly responsible for genocide. A unilateral ceasefire is probably not going to help Israel's security. And Palestinian supporters are uncritical of the awful governance of Hamas or it's attacks on Israel. 

Meanwhile in Winnipeg, a Valedictorian speech that accuses Israel of deliberately targeting hospitals and genocide probably inspires Hamas to keep fighting. Some students might have taken inspiration from the speech and feel persecuted for their free speech. However, free speech runs both ways so people should not be surprised by counter criticism.

Israel and Gaza need food and health agencies who are able to earn the trust of people in areas of conflict. Taking sides makes it impossible to do the work. A Valedictorian could have made the point that rendering aid for non-combatants is in the good offices of anyone who calls themselves doctor. It doesn't support any side except the vulnerable.

Certainly doctors can be political but their ability to navigate through tough political water often depends on their good work. Red Cross has been able to help get hostages freed because both sides have trusted them to do this work. If Red Cross blamed one side or the other, it would just eliminate one more arbiter of the conflict.

Sometimes people identify with one of the parties and assumes they are the underdog. It is far more complicated than that. The ceasefire calls and blaming Israel don't seem aimed at the ending the conflict and getting hostages returned. I'm sure there will be more speeches made in graduation ceremonies in the next little while and there will be likely just as much countercriticism.

One thing is for certain is that the Israeli people will decide in an election what the future. Many of them are looking for clarity as well as a reduction on hostilities. The big question is whether Gazans get that choice from Hamas as well.

 

Canada Water Agency to Be Located in Cityplace

There are times when Winnipeg gets the booby prize in federal spending because we were denied other projects. Case in point when Bristol Aerospace was the chosen company for the billion dollar maintenance contract for the CF-18s but was denied when Brian Mulroney re-directed to Quebec, Winnipeg got the booby prizes of the Microbiology Lab and the Institute for Sustainable Development. Why two things? Well, it is because it took a full 10 years to design and build the $172 million facility between 1987 and 1997. Mulroney was long since retired from politics by then. However, in 1987, he was under all sorts of pressure from his caucus and the electorate for pulling a Lucy with the Football move on the west. Anger was raw. The PM knew that he needed more than a future project to assuage the anger so he announced the Institute for Sustainable Development in 1988 which was able to get underway in 1990 while he was still leader. Jake Epp led the charge for some sort of booby prize for Manitoba when he was Mulroney's Health minister.

Losing a $1 billion contract based on Mulroney's decision cost the Progressive Conservatives the election and divided the party for decades. However, the booby prize has been two federal institutions with annual budgets of about $120 combined. Not all of it in Winnipeg but a great deal of it is. Is that better than the CF-18 contract and the subsequent contracts that went to Quebec and elsewhere after that? I don't know. All told since the 1980s, there has been nearly $3 billion on maintenance on the planes. It still means more money spent on the military than on health and environment.

After the merger of the branches of the military in 1968 and with James Richardson as Defence Minister, Winnipeg got the booby prize of Air Command HQ in 1975. The downsizing in the military was substantial in the years prior. Churchill, Gimli and Portage la Prairie were closed or downsized. Richardson ensured a command center was firmly in place in Winnipeg so today the 1 Canadian Air Division with 600 HQ staff and NORAD responsibilities is as strong as ever.

Sometimes the booby prize is all you get when something is taken away. Or in some cases, it is given out when a number of expensive decisions are made on other policy matters. In 1970, the metric system was adopted in Canada and the official languages policy came into effect. Once again, James Richardson as Supply and Service minister (before he became Defence minister), steered the Royal Canadian Mint to Winnipeg. It became apparent that Ottawa was at capacity and worse, buying material from the U.S. including coins. Alberta was thought to be a better supplier and Winnipeg a better manufacturer. However, a large part of the mint's move came from a rapid growth of departments in Ottawa that did not go unnoticed in other parts of the country.

In later years, it was Lloyd Axworthy taking over the role that Richardson used to have. This time the booby prize was the Core Area Initiative, The Forks and Portage Place. I say booby prize because the federal government had been pouring money into Montreal and Toronto as well as Vancouver. The redevelopment of rail and port lands in the aforementioned cities resulted in money for conventions centres, arenas, stadiums and enormous developments. Meanwhile, Winnipeg paid for its own convention centre and arena without the federal help that seemed to flow to several regions other than ours.

One of the balancing features of Canada's federal cabinet has been at least one strong representative at the inner cabinet. Manitoba has had a strong Liberal or Conservative cabinet member for decades. The last one for Manitoba was Jim Carr who has since passed. There really has not a powerful presence for the inner cabinet from Manitoba in a number of years. Dan Vandal is the only Manitoban at the cabinet and handles prairie economic development and northern affairs. In a nearly 40 member cabinet, it means there are a lot of people fighting for budget and our representative doesn't have the senior ministry to make things happen that Finance, Health, Defence and others areas might otherwise have.

Four Liberal MPs make up the caucus from Manitoba. The rest of the ten MPs are split between Conservative and NDP. Dan Vandal has had Kevin Lamoureux, Terry Duguid and rookie Ben Carr pushing to get projects for Manitoba. If, as an MP, you can't be in cabinet, the next best thing is to be a Parliamentary Secretary. Terry Duguid is the prime minister's special water adviser and parliamentary secretary.  Kevin Lamoureux is parliamentary secretary to the Government House Leader. Being close to power and because of the loss of other projects (such as the lithium processing plant) means Manitoba was set for yet another booby prize.

As mentioned, Duguid is the water adviser and because of past cuts during the Harper government to lake research, Winnipeg became the chosen place for the new Canada Water Agency. The chosen place for the offices will be Cityplace where Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation has offices. Perhaps 100 of the nearly 215 staff will be in the office, assuming they are not working from home. This has been a federal issue all this year with many employees seeking to make permanent working from home.

Downtown supporters are chuffed by the new federal workers downtown and the new agency has a lot of work ahead  so looks to be around a while. It certainly is a central location and if indeed more workers are returning to downtown it should provide more vitality to the area. It has been a painful process of worker return. Some places such as the virology lab don't lend themselves to working from home but so many other workplaces have workers who believe that work from home is permanent.

As a start up, the Canada Water Agency might have most workers in the office so that should be a good thing. Once again a booby prize may prove to be a lasting thing in Manitoba. It is good to keep in mind that booby prizes usually come after so many other projects got cancelled, re-directed or never got out of the planning stages. 

Winnipeg's greatest strength is the diversity of its economic base. It is industry, government, culture and agriculture. All of it contributing to the vitality. The weakness of the city is how spread out it is, it's dependency on cars, poverty and addiction and most of all crime. In 2019, the city was in much better shape than it is now in part because there were predictable patterns of commuter travel. Things are slowly improving and more efforts are being made to fill empty buildings with residential conversions. The booby prize of getting a new federal agency is that those employees will become denizens of the city and that a filled building of workers can support a whole lot of other businesses in that area.

Welcome to the new workers.

Giant Tiger to Close Two Winnipeg Locations

When Sobeys took over Safeway in 2013, they were forces to divest some stores to get federal approval. One of the Safeways sold was at 1441 Main Street. Red River Co-op decided it was a good time to get back in the grocery market and picked up some of those locations such as Grant Park and the Main Street location.

Things seemed to be doing well with the Red River Co-Op but then managers indicated that the landlord did not re-new their lease and lo, and behold Giant Tiger was the new tenant. Red River was so perturbed that they set up a stand alone Co-Op pharmacy in the building next door. It remains to this day.

It is being reported that Giant Tiger is looking to close the same store they fought so hard to get on Main Street this July. Also to be closed is long time Giant Tiger at 305 McPhillips. This might be cleaning up a but following the purchase of the franchises of the North West Company who had western Canada Giant Tigers. The corporate re-purchase could also have nothing to do with things. It could be the security of the stores is in question and that the company feels they can't can't make money there anymore. The point is we will not know. However, what will happen is that Giant Tiger will go from 10 stores down to 8. And Main will lose a grocery that a lot of people use.

Will Red River Co-Op be first in line to go for the property again? Or will the grocer even trust the landlord again? They have kept the pharmacy on Main even after all this time. It seems terribly unfair to this part of Main Street that they keep losing retailers. Perhaps we will get some clarity as to the reason.

The other location a 305 McPhillips has been in place for a long time. Is security there an issue as well? Who knows? Some stores in this city are under siege. Food Fare is constantly have difficulty. Staff and customers are getting hurt. 

Expect more news on this and more in the coming days.

Graham Avenue to Convert to Non-Bus Way

Consultations continue but one thing for sure will happen to Graham Avenue and that is in 2025 it will no longer be used for buses. The design for the streets seems to be designating into four zones. Some of the businesses hear the former Bay are alarmed that they lose their parking as well as loading zones. They should be. The design thus far is dominated by continuous bike path. Road traffic, just as it is now, is generally not for cars. However, parts of the road are reduced even more. There is nothing left on the south side for loading or parking. Nothing.

Bike paths might just sail past empty storefronts. It would be preferable to reduce speeds on Graham and really share the road but there seems to be a determination to not put in two way traffic along most streets in the downtown. Assiniboine Avenue is going through a similar thing. The street has not been normal for years due to lengthy construction and changes to its design.

The changes to Winnipeg Transit are still confusing and the consultations don't seem to have covered all the possible implications of changes. The Southwest Transit Corridor is still not fully realized. They sent it for a jog down Parker and then dragged their feet about housing along it for more than a decade.

Graham Avenue's businesses need some parking and loading to be successful. This doesn't mean there is no room for wider sidewalks or even a bike path but, while the plan includes a double bike path for the full extent of the street, the plan does not include a road for vehicles all the way through. There is still not enough information about bus routes are changing at this point as well to how they affect other streets.

Pre-Pandemic Graham Avenue would have buses lined up so long that it was possible to walk atop of them for a few blocks as they were that packed together. With so government workers still at home, it is uncertain if the dynamic will change. Still, there is a growing number of apartments being built and will continue to go up in the next years. It is unknown if the people moving in are living and working downtown or what their commuting needs are going forward. These are things that will reveal themselves as a neighbourhood develops.

The history of pedestrian corridors is now always a good one. Sparks Street in Ottawa is very quiet on weekends. Attempts to liven it up have not worked. Government offices line both sides of it so pre-pandemic it was busy in the week. But with so many working from home, it has been a problem. This has to be considered in regards to Graham Avenue. It can't have dead zones or areas that are blocked off for concerts or festivals that make me people have to detour even if they are on bikes. I've seen Sparks on weekends and that is not what we want downtown to look like.

A great deal of thought needs to be put into Graham. It has to be a multi-use street and more sidewalk and bike consideration needs to be made. However, it is preferable to reduce speed on the street and make it two way rather than ban cars from large stretches of it. Will anyone listen to the businesses? They worry that a bike lane and foot traffic will not replace the missing people coming to their businesses.

 

Birchwood Terrace Evacuated St. James

The Birchwood Terrace is a sprawling apartment of 171 units built in 1962 at 2440 Portage Avenue when the St. James area around Moray Street was booming. The apartment was one of many that were going up along this stretch and with a Safeway at the time just down the street and bus stops able to take people downtown, it made for a very busy area. Ladco owned by the Borger family owns the apartment as well as the Holiday Inn Airport West.

Many apartments in the area have been undergoing renovations so it should not have come as a surprise over the months to various vans outside from companies appearing to working. For those living in the building, the attention looked like the underground parkade. Little did anyone know the engineers were increasingly alarmed by the stability of the structure.

Late Thursday a decision was made and at 7:30 and through till 8 PM, people were told they had 12 hours to get out because there was a fear of collapse. How anyone could make arrangements then is anyone's guess. Most stores were getting ready to close, most rental truck places as well. Could you pack everything you own in 12 hours?

In a meeting last night, over 100 residents listened to the developments that led to their leases being terminated and being told to leave. Many seemed numb with shock, sleeplessness and a range of emotions. U-Haul has given a few month of rent for those displaced at their facility on Notre Dame. Where so many people will move to is a mystery.  The shortage is rental accommodation has gotten critical even though there are buildings being constructed all over the city. 

Winnipeg is 150 years old this year. Buildings, houses and infrastructure are a growing refurbishment need. The city let its own Civic Parkade and Public Safety Building deteriorated to the point where they had to be demolished. The Winnipeg Square parkade was in need of refurbishment and the city sold it. And the Millennium Library parkade is in desperate need but it looks like they will actually fix it.

The point is that a lot of places in Winnipeg require maintenance.  Even the city lets things slide until the only option is to close. It isn't a good look and in this case, could have led to people being hurt. It still might in the case of Birchwood. It is hurting in terms of the terrible displacement of people.

The collapse of a residential building in Florida is still fresh in mind. Some of the thoughts on the engineering failure was thought to be that it was by the ocean but there was a lot of focus on the swimming pool as well. Birchwood Terrace has a swimming pool but there doesn't seem to be any engineering focus thus far other than the parkade support beams. 

Fencing went up around the building Saturday. It is apparent by many balconies that quite a few people have not been able to clear their belongings in the short time allowed. Security is present. Owners gave a time limit since once work begins, it is not safe to be inside. It is a big question whether people just leave items and hope the building stays okay so they can return in however long it takes. Some said till next year.

Rick Bowness Retires from Winnipeg Jets

The newest version of Winnipeg Jets doesn't fire all that many head coaches. Claude Noel was the first and last coach fired by the Jets. Interim Coach Dave Lowry wasn't fire inasmuch as he was not offered the head coach job was he completed the year where Paul Maurice stepped down. And now Rick Bowness retires after an excellent regular season but shaky play-off run.

This past season for the Jets brought back a level of excitement and achievement. The winning streak, the defensive game, the team effort was all part of a style that Rick Bowness had developed over five decades as a coach.

It is not easy to win Stanley Cups and Bowness didn't win one even with two appearances in the finals. Fans in Winnipeg seemed very mature about defeat compared to the much less happy Toronto fans. The Jets have the misfortune to be in the toughest division in the NHL. All season we see sawed back and forth between the top teams. We just didn't have another gear for the playoffs.

It was disappointing but I, like many others, really enjoyed this season and the new players brought on board and those in the system coming up. Bowness really got a lot out of the team but given his health challenges and that of his wife this year, it likely felt it would be hard to commit to an option year or an extension. He has coached the most games in history of the NHL and is the oldest coach in the NHL. 

The Jets now have a very good team and could attract a very good coach although a few major market teams out are prepared to pay big money for a coach. That doesn't mean Jets will not pay well but it has to be a good match. Even now, teams like Toronto are firing coaches. Jets may find a few coaches out there that are interesting but they also might just keeping Scott Arniel in the job is the way to go.

The Jets are a very loyal team but a coaching decision is a tough one. Rick Bowness created a successful style for the season and a few players added by Chevy made it even better. I suspect the question asked of Arniel will be how to get to the team deep into the playoffs.

Bowness was with the Jets in the 1.0 version as coach and back to Jets in the 2.0 version. Kind of legendary. The Stanley Cup. Arniel was there too as a player and Moose coach. These guys have deep connections to the city of Winnipeg and understand its fans. It will be interesting to see how they honour Bowness next season and who they chose as coach for the new year. 

 

CancerCare Headquarters Expansion Courtesy of Big Tobacco

In 2016, Premier Greg Selinger announced CancerCare Manitoba's expansion as part of a series of announcements ahead of the election. He subsequently lost the election and Pallister cancelled the expansion and instead introduced cuts and consolidation. This past election in 2023, the NDP under Wak Kinew also promised CancerCare's expansion. This time the NDP won and the insurance policy to carry it forward was the longtime lawsuit against tobacco companies by all the provinces over the costs to the healthcare system as a result of smoking. Manitoba's share, expected in the next 12 months, is likely to be half a billion.

The above illustration was the plan in 2016. It was to take over the land of the former space across the street and voila, a new building. A cost wasn't really talked about, however, the Women's Hospital that was just built cost $233 million and took from 2007 till 2019 to get done. These things don't come quickly or cheaply. 

The new Calgary cancer hospital is to cost $1.5 billion. I don't expect those type of costs for the new CancerCare building in Winnipeg but the plans might be more expansive than originally forecast. The space where Manitoba Clinic was is quite big. In the last 10 years, CancerCare has raised tens of millions from donations so they have been awaiting this project for some time.

The Calgary hospital expansion asked the people what should be included aside from the clinical needs. The building design is beautiful and has many aspects of greenery and design to please those going through a tough time. The present CancerCare building is nice but not exactly beautiful. The area across the street has been used for lunch events and the like but no one has to remind people just how unfriendly the streets have been the last few years around HSC.

The HSC and adjoining University of Manitoba downtown campus occupy 39 acres. Two hotels are associated with the complex, Canadian Blood Services is across the street and the Cadham Provincial Laboratory along with the Manitoba Clinic are adjacent. The National Microbiology Laboratory is a baseball throw away.  Still, compared to Toronto where City Hall, the provincial legislature, the University of Toronto, the hospital sector, the law courts and Eaton Centre are all very close, HSC is much farther away from downtown. Winnipeg is very spread out. And HSC resides in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada.

One new hospital is not going to rehabilitate a whole neighbourhood. It certainly hasn't for the new Women's Hospital but it certainly has improved the maternity care in Manitoba. What is needed though is a CancerCare Hospital that feels safe and secure both inside and out. When the General Hospital expanded out to William Avenue, it lost a lot of green space. The Children's Hospital borders right up to the sidewalk and is not very street friendly. It is just a wall with high windows.

If there is any hope for the area, sympathy for the street has to go into the construction. It can't be like Portage Place presently which turns its back on Portage Avenue. Windows should be able to let light in and entrances shouldn't feel like turning into an alley. As assault can take place right outside Children's Hospital and no one on the inside could see or hear it. Blind spots and wind tunnels are not very people friendly.

It will be interesting to see if the design of the new CancerCare HQ will be getting a tweaking after so many years. Not to mention some public input on how it looks and feels on the site. McDermott can be attractive given how many students are present with the medical school, nursing school, pharmacy school and dental school present. All told ten university buildings on a tree-lined street. CancerCare also faces out to the street and will be building immediately across from their present facility. Pre-pandemic, the street was often filled with vendors and people enjoying lunch outside.

The safety and security issues can't be overlooked but CancerCare has to make sure they are part of the vitality of HSC. The new security detail at the campus has to make sure that people feel comfortable both inside and out of the building. The danger is making all of HSC a fortress instead of a social and economic driver of the neighbourhood. However, it is tough with a number of burned out buildings just steps away that never seem to get rehabilitated. A lot of businesses have closed in the last few years along Notre Dame as well. The aftermath of the pandemic has been painful.

It will be good to see the open space of the re-located Manitoba Clinic filled with CancerCare's building. It is much needed as we continue to make progress on raising the lifespans of those who rely on early detection, treatment and sustaining those who need the services of specialty trained health professionals. Let's hope the wait is not nearly as long as it was to get Women's Hospital built.

Do Boycotts Work?

Do boycotts work? In short...yes and no.

One of the more prominent boycotts was against South Africa and apartheid. It lasted 35 years and even now, one can question whether it was effective at bringing change on the policy in 1994. To some extent, South Africa was not hobbled by the boycott. They made the change in large part because they chose to make it.

The Montgomery bus boycotts in the U.S. over Rosa Park being asked to move in a segregated bus was more effective and in 1956, the buses in this part of Alabama were integrated. Change happened quicker because of the effectiveness of the boycott and the inability of the bus company to operate with so many customers not using their service.

That is the rub of boycotts. If some people continue to do business with those being boycotted, the ability to change things diminishes. Case in point, sanctions and boycotts of Russia have not compelled them to change their ways on territorial expansion or rigging world games for their athletes. Too many have bought their oil or sold them weapons so that that the economic effect has been blunted.

This is not to say that there is no choice but to do carry on normally with organizations and countries. People make choices all the time. We just don't call it boycotts. For example, some people stop going to a store when they stop carrying the brand they like. It helps to tell a company why you are not seeing them anymore. If they stop carrying Sprite, let them know you won't be back till they do.

A boycott in Canada of Loblaw's for one month may or may not be effective if people don't know what all of the companies owned by the parent are. For example, if you don't go to Real Canadian Superstore but go to No Frills, you have failed. Some people have said straight out that while they are upset with Loblaw's, they are still cheaper than other options.

The big question is whether a boycott is to change behaviour or to just hurt sales numbers of an organization. If it is to change behaviour, it might work if everyone stays on message. In Canada, the boycott against Loblaw's has people advocating for taking things from stores which organizers do not want to associate with. If organizers meet with Loblaw's they need to focus on things like discounted items. 

Loblaw's has gotten so big that a boycott will be less effective than more timely investigations of grocers and suppliers fixing prices as we saw with bread. It took the government 13 years to fine one company $50 million. That is painfully slow. They are investigating meat now but if we go on the same timetable, it is worth it for a company to carry on like there are no consequences. Think about that every time you buy chicken, beef and pork. A boycott does little because the price is the same across different companies by design. Only government regulations can get to the bottom of it because competition doesn't exist.

Palestinian supporters have tried a BDS campaign against Israel. It stands for boycott, divest and sanctions. Three countries have taken up the cause and a few others have broken relations with Israel in last few weeks. The 20 plus year campaign though pre-supposes that only Israel is to blame for what is happening and the answer is for Jews to leave the territory. It is couched in terms of de-colonization and that Jews have no right at all to the area. They are settlers. Things quickly dissolve into anti-Semitism. Any two state thinking is dismissed. Any thinking that Hamas Palestinian leaders might try something different than pushing Jews into he sea is not accepted.

Subsequently, after 20 years plus, Palestinian BDS campaigns have been largely unsuccessful. A boycott is not going to force Israel to do anything. And it deceives people into believing that no diplomacy is needed. All that has to happen is for Israel to be abandoned for everything to be right in the world. The Palestinian/Israeli conflict will only reach some sort of outcome through negotiation. It is unlikely either side will achieve total success militarily or through sanctions and boycotts.

Presently, the Israeli government believes it can defeat Hamas completely, That seems a tough nut. The most meaningful peace agreements they have come by historically has taken great effort, timing and negotiation. And Hamas should not take comfort in their strategy with protests at campuses in North America and elsewhere. Israel will still defend itself if attacked.

So to sum up, boycotts can work if the objective is to change behaviour and the demands are focused. But much of the time demands are unfocused and angry and least of all, sympathetic. Having said that, I will shop elsewhere for the month of May than Loblaw's if no other reason than I believe they and others can do better. However, I am also pushing the federal government to not allow any more mergers that would not help consumers. I especially want the to to use the regulatory authority they already have to stop uncompetitive practices.

Starbucks Osborne Village Temporarily Closes

A sign in the window says Starbucks Osborne Village is closing temporarily. This has led to all sorts of rumours. Some said it is because they don't have a drive-thru. Some said because of safety reasons. The one thing no one is saying is that there was not enough foot traffic. It is a very busy corner with some anchor stores right there as well as parking.

Starbuck has been having a difficult few years. The business model was not heavy on drive-thrus and in the pandemic that didn't work. The Starbucks within bookstores was also bad in this environment. And lastly, they had a lot of locations and their prices were higher than other coffee companies. Add all this up and there are a lot of corporate reasons Starbucks might close. However, this seems different. If it is a crime issue, the company should say so.

There was an assault just the night before steps away from the entrance. This might have been the final straw. Staff from the store are being transferred to other locations which makes it feel like this is something that could be indefinite.  Crime statistics are out of control for the area. There has been a 100% rise in overall crime according to the numbers. Drugs are out of control. Violence is out of control. Even where there are many people present, there is a threat of being attacked. And this isn't just hysterical talk. This is what is happening and what the Osborne Biz is reporting.

There are some good news stories for Osborne. The cat cafe is set to open soon. Some of the new residential units with ground floor commercial units are set to open. However, if addictions and violence continue to affect the area, even very well attended coffee shops might decide to close rather than have someone hurt.

The interviews from people on the street are downright gloomy. Businesses right across the street say they have been broken into in the last days. Seems like police could sit in the area and make a hundred arrests in only a few days. And that might be what needs to happen.  It isn't just a case of helping people with their addictions. We have real safety and violence issues and whatever sympathy someone might have, it can't come at the sacrifice of their personal security and safety. 

Major arrests have been made on dugs and trafficking. Good on Winnipeg Police on that. Lots of money, cars and guns are off the street. They are being pretty cagey about it all but we are likely to see it wind through the courts. It takes months to set these things up and the costs are high. But one vehicle taken by the police was just under half a million. There is a lot of money apprehended by the police and drug route that has been closed.

Police and addictions counsellors though say a drop in the supply equals more desperation though and the use of even more toxic stuff. As for Osborne Village, as the weather warms up it could see more encampments nearby that could be difficult for the community. Even as more efforts are made to find people homes, the sheer volume of addictions threatens to overwhelm. 

The people interviewed all seemed saddened and shocked. There has been a steady stream of long term businesses leaving even as building continues. The helpless feeling was pervasive. Crime will kill the Osborne Village and many other areas if the city can't get a handle on things. You just can't be in a line at the liquor store and get choked or at Shoppers and get stabbed. We'll see what the response is from elected officials. There are a lot of NDP members in the area and city councillors know that Osborne is not the only area in serious trouble.

Work Begins at Kapyong Naawi Oodena

It is 20 long years of waiting for something to happen on the former Kapyong Barracks. One wonders if things had proceeded promptly back then whether First Nations and Canada Lands Corporation (the federal Crown) might have signed IKEA up to locate here. I strongly suspect it would have. Highly likely that Superstore and Safeway would have relocated there as well.

Nothing to do about it now. Construction has started on the first section at the corner of Taylor and Kenaston in one of the smallest segments. It will be a gas station and likely a smoke shop. Not entirely glamourous but probably a necessary step to bring in capital for the First Nations. Commercial development is required for the long term investment to pay off. Presently, between the St. James Bridge and the Perimeter there are only a small number of gas stations along Kenaston. Considering the traffic along it, it isn't a bad idea for the station. However, between Superstore and Costco, prices are pretty competitive. There is very little room for a station always higher than those stores.

It is uncertain how long other announcements will be. The most ideal spots for initial development are along Taylor. A hotel and residential apartments are probably an upcoming announcement. As it stands now, we might not see some of the commercial development arrive until January 2025 and in the months that follow. If the city wishes to pay for additional lanes alone Route 90, they are running out of time. The First Nations may wish to get the capital from this purchase but there is no evidence that the city or the province has the budget to buy more road lanes along Kenaston.

It is for this reason that we might see slower development along the corridor. Gas stations and commercial leases are reliable ways to earn income for what is to come next. You can see that at Madison where a Petro-Canada and a Wyndham Hotel have gone up. The $21 million plus construction and the office complex surrounding it is a long term investment that should pay off in the Polo Park area,

Initial plans for Kapyong site seem to include two hotels. Given the very few numbers of hotels in the city's southwest, this is probably a good bet. However, two hotels are likely to come in at $40 million plus easily and take two years to build each.

Recreation facilities and health facilities are listed as coming but details are light at that the time about what they are how, how much they will cost and when they go up. It seems hockey rinks could be highly sought out but are not presently listed. Again, it could be a question of money. And nothing will happen with any real speed. It has taken Seasons of Tuxedo ten years of construction and they are still building this year with a few sections left to do.

Housing is the key to any development now. The government estimates that Canada as a while needs nearly 4 million housing units and we are way behind. While it might seem a like a lot is being built in Winnipeg and across the province, it is still too slow compared to the demand. 

Canada Lands Corporation is likely to make announcements as well for building. They are the federal Crown and own a significant amount of the Kapyong lands. Given the Trudeau government's desire to kickstart housing, it is very likely these federally owned lands will take greater importance in the weeks and months ahead.

In Vienna, it is government owned land and government-led housing development that keeps prices low. There is a 1% tax that guarantees millions spent every year for the last 100 years. A two bedroom apartment in Vienna is $500 Canadian. The Austrians have felt supply is the key metric and not demand to keeping prices down. They are right. The one thing that will help reduce prices is to go beyond demand. And subsidize their building and keep building.

The Naawi Oodena is the type of infill housing that is required to meet the housing needs of the province. What will also be required is more public transportation. It simply isn't on to add several lanes of traffic. Frankly, it is impossible unless a lot of housing is demolished along Kenaston to do it. Not to mention creating turning lanes and blocking traffic from crossing Kenaston at various intersections. Any plan thus far shown seems likely to not solve the problems of congestion and in fact may hurt River Heights and Tuxedo and several others areas south to the perimeter.

It might be that the former Kapyong Barracks might be well under way before any transportation plan is ever full realized. The sad thing is that they had 20 years to plan for it and have done nothing about it even now.