Sunday, April 6, 2025
Poilievre vs Carney and Threat of Western Separation
Friday, March 28, 2025
The Out of Town Visitor to Jets Fan Experience
Once again an influencer has come in to town to see the Winnipeg Jets and offer commentary on the city and its offerings when it comes to the fan experience. I won't post his links here but for those interested, it was in regards to the team playing Buffalo Sabres. The game was a loss and the crowd was not at their most animated. It happens. A dull, cold day and an afternoon game on a Sunday is more likely to attract young families, especially for last place Sabres.
Jets were ripe for the picking with some of the Winnipeg players on Sabres having great games. Good for those guys. As for Jets, the first place team is still pushing to stay on top and go to the playoffs all the way. It has drawn notice from hockey and sports fans all over North America. Some of them have come all the way to the city to experience the team. And in some cases rip the city for even having a team.
This is what happened with the vlogger who visited the city for three days and questions why the NHL ever gave Winnipeg a team. To put it bluntly, the Jets got a team because Atlanta Thrashers was just not able to succeed despite a small passionate fanbase. With only one playoff run, the Thrashers struggled and not even first round picks, big acquisitions and patience from the NHL was able to change that. Winnipeg got the team because they built a new arena, had an ownership group and ready to bail out the league if a franchise was about to go.
The Thrashers team that Winnipeg got was a one line team with literally not much in draft and development. None of the coaching staff moved over. And yet overjoyed Winnipeg fans bought all the tickets and provided years of waiting lists. I think it is quite undeniable that the Jets have built one of the strongest franchises today for draft and development, coaching and player enrichment. They have frequently updated their facility and added the iceplex and have done much to improve the fan experience around the arena.
The ownership of the Winnipeg Jets is held by the Chipman and Thomson family. The Chipmans, known for the Birchwood Auto Group, and the Thomsons, known for Reuters. David Thomson is thought to be richest owner in the NHL. He came to be owner after a long business association with Winnipeg as owner of the Free Press and CKRC. He was also a long time fan of the Jets.
The Jets ownership, management and facility are not in question. Could the arena be bigger? Sure. It has been expanded as much as it can be in its present form. It has three professional teams that use it and has a full concert docket. It is a moneymaker. Jets owners have also purchased the Burton Cummings Theatre to help manage its concerts and event business. They have built real estate investments around the arena to enhance the entertainment district.
It is important to keep in mind that the Jets are just part of the overall business. The Manitoba Moose and owning the Canada Life Centre contribute to the True North bottom line. Rental of arena to the Winnipeg Sea Bears and concerts help pay for overall operations. Moreover, the Jets have bought Portage Place and the $3 million a year in that parkade money is now in True North's hands. The Hockey for All Centre iceplex in Headingley serves as the practice facility for the Jets and Moose and is the central tournament spot for amateur hockey in Manitoba.
Sales of tickets were up 12% as of January for Jets. Corporate sales have also gone up and it has been a focus for the True North Entertainment group since fall. Millions have been spent to enhance fan experience and most visitors to the arena usually remark at how engaged the fans are. For this year, it might in playoffs where it is most important for the Jets organization to not only fill the arena but the streets. The economic benefits of the playoffs are enormous and the good wills and community engagement is what the team can build on and for the city to prosper.
The Jets have acknowledged they need more corporate sales. How they do a re-set is something that will have to evolve. The are many companies in Manitoba and some will have to be won over again or for the first time. In other words, corporate sales are not just about what is good for the Jets but what is good for the companies. And to thread the needle, the team can't lose the enthusiastic crowd for corporate seats where people don't show up. They need to make going to the Jets as vital to regular season tickets holders as it is to companies.
One accusation about Leafs playoffs is that the regular season ticket holders can't afford the corporate price of their seats later on. And the people who can get those seats just don't respond like the fans who were there for 41 regular season games. Thankfully, that hasn't been what is seen in Jets games. That is sometimes the trade-off that seats are sold out but passionate fans are fewer. It isn't always the case but happens often enough to be commented on.
A few sports operations have reported that the attractiveness of box seats has lessened while corporate meeting rooms at sports facilities has increased. If this true, we might see a reduction in box seats as we presently have within the arena. Apparently, Toronto has started creating more business meeting spaces for Leafs games. I assume regular bowl seats suffice if there is a meeting room before, during and after the game.
Most out of town fans to the Jets come to Winnipeg from all over Manitoba, Northwest Ontario and sometimes Saskatchewan. The rare guests come from elsewhere in Canada or international. Those that travel to Winnipeg for a game are often coming for shopping, visiting family and going out to restaurants. At the old Winnipeg Arena, people used to stay at the Viscount Gort or the Polo Park Inn (later Canad Inns Polo Park). At the Viscount it was possible that visiting fans would run into the visiting team staying in the same hotel.
Today, it is not much different and out of town fans stay in their favourite hotels based on their shopping and entertainment needs. Some will stay where they have always stayed near Polo Park for water slides or for familiar hotels. Others have been staying at downtown hotels even if the shopping is elsewhere. In some ways, the old Polo Park location was already a hugely successful entertainment area. The 20 year old arena downtown is slowly building up to become an entertainment area.
Like most developments in Winnipeg, the entertainment district is years behind schedule. The discussion over the slow pace of Sutton Place Hotel has been made on this blog. It does appear that the speed should increase but it has been 8 years of waiting so far for the hotel and the restaurants that come with it such as Chop. In the good news category, The Keg is building a large restaurant at St. Mary and Donald, kitty corner to Cityplace and the Canada Life Centre. Once Chop goes up, there will be four steakhouses within walking distance of the arena.
A number of restaurants have opened in the Exchange and in Osborne Village which is an indication that restaurants are slowly coming back after the loss of so many over the last five years. Recovery downtown is much slower but the True North development of Portage Place and the new Pan Am Clinic will mean thousands of people in the area seven days a week. Expect some coffee shops, breakfast places and other restaurants to crop up around the area as the food court will be eliminated for the clinic.
It is expected the Portage Place and even further down the street Bay development will proceed faster than other projects. That is good because they have had several years of stalled work between the Canada Life Centre and RBC Convention Centre has been inconvenient and contributes to a sense of no life around the arena. The road is always an obstacle course and year after year of nothing. The moment it opens it will transform the area.
However, returning to the question of why Winnipeg has an NHL franchise. It has a a franchise because despite being a small market, it has a better facility than many other cities in the NHL. It has a richer and more stable ownership than most in the NHL. It has a very good management team that has been able draft and develop players which is what Atlanta was great at. It has owners trying to create a fan experience inside and outside the arena area. It has a good TV and radio broadcast team. It has good print coverage and a fair size podcasting coverage. It has a new strategy to increase corporate sales.
The Jets are number 1 in the league and some people keep thinking the team should be moved. It isn't going anywhere when the league has so many franchises that could be in need before the Jets are. Even the New Your Rangers could be moving to a new facility across the street. The Calgary Flames are in the process of building a new arena but the city of Calgary owns it. Salt Lake City has an old arena and no immediate plans to build a new one. Jets have one of the newer arenas with the only criticism that is should have 3000 more seats. I imagine the Jets have a soon to be announced plan for arena expansion or a second arena. The reason is that the city would like to have a women's pro hockey team, a women's pro basketball team and possibly, a WHL team. Can't very well do that with one arena.
So to those who wonder why Winnipeg has a franchise, it is because they are building an organization to that. And that will mean we'll see the fan experience from NHL to concerts become more important for putting fans in the seats. And for the out of towers, we have to make it is the best experience we can.
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Trump Dismisses Pierre Poilievre
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6370211707112
Conservatives in Canada are probably in disbelief. Two months ago it looked as if there were going to face Justin Trudeau and go to get a supermajority of seats in Canada. The latest polls suggest the biggest defeat for the Conservatives in decades. It could be there has been a boost as a result of Trudeau's resignation and for the subsequent Liberal leadership race but the real driver of polls in Canada has been Donald Trump.
Tariffs have dominated the discussion and fear has pervaded across Canada. Trudeau in his final weeks probably showed the best leadership with the provinces that anyone had seen in three years. Every insult aimed at Canada and Trudeau saw Liberal support rise. Showing fortitude worked for Dough Ford as well who rode a wave of unity to a third term for the PCs in Ontario.
Pierre Poilievre literally had to change tact of saying everything was wrong with Canada to defending Canada against Trump. His campaign needed to change as soon as Trudeau announced he was stepping down but his party seems to think that they just have to say that the new PM Mark Carney is just like Trudeau. Clearly the polling suggests that voters don't think so.
Trump has dumped on Poilievre for not being MAGA enough just when Canadians are looking for a leader who will not just stand up for Canada. The problem is that there are a lot of Trump supporters in the Conservative party and a fair number who support being 51st state. Poilievre treads a fine line of being critical of Trump tariffs and not making his base unhappy. He wants to keep the focus on the Liberals leaders but Trump comments on Canada every day. The people of Canada have no choice but to focus on Trump because of the tariff issues ands existential threat to Canada. Pussyfooting is not going to cut it.
If Conservatives thought Trump would be the best thing in the world for them and that his success would be success for them, they can't be more shocked than they are now. Some in the media are saying that Trump saying Poilievre is no friend of Trump's is a good thing. The FOX interview with Laura Ingraham tried to steer the conversation to China multiple times but Trump wasn't having it. He full on said he doesn't support Poilievre and said he'd prefer to work with a Liberal.
Canadians are in a mood not seen since World War II. There is a nationalism and determination to face the challenge. Shopping habits and travel changes borne of betrayal and anger are happening each day. Buying Canadian and travelling to non-U.S. destinations is producing noticeable numbers. Canadian leaders who are not standing up for the country or who sound like Trump could face resistance.
This is matter of great difficulty for Poilievre because he has pocketed phrases by the bushel from Trump and leans heavily on sloganeering. Given the polls, it might not be working. Or conversely worked so well that he had already defeated Trudeau, Singh and all the policies he has singled out over two years.
But Poilievre can't overcome Trump himself. And as the election has started, it could be very well that he has no time to pivot. It is early on though. It may not matter if the NDP, Green and BQ support collapse and go the Liberals.
Friday, March 14, 2025
Will The Bay Close in Winnipeg and Elsewhere?
It is hard to believe there are only two Bay stores left in Manitoba, both in Winnipeg's largest malls St. Vital Centre and Polo Park but it is a reflection of how far department stores have sunk. This isn't just true of Canada but all around the world. There are a few strong luxury brands out there but a generalist middle income store has struggled.
The Bay has a line of credit from Cadillac Fairview, owner of Polo Park and other top malls in the country. They have not been receiving rent despite the cutbacks from the store to save money. This week BBC went into creditor protection to stop from being seized by landlords. The rumour is that 40 of 80 stores might be closed and that the licensed Sak's and Off Fifth Sak's may end up shuttered as well.
For some who have not shopped at The Bay in years, it is probably no surprise. In recent years, the Bay was trying to cater to the luxury market. Then they went for some Zellers nostalgia. Will it be enough to save HBC? We have seen store after store collapse recently. The Bay is one of the largest department stores out there still.
Some stores that have gone bankrupt and lived to see another another day with new Canadian ownership. HMV, Toys R Us, Northern Reflections and a few others are seeing new life. American ownership is not always going to be the right ownership for Canadian business now more than ever.
If the Bay ends up closing their locations at Polo Park and St. Vital Centre, expect something more dramatic as a replacement. It could be sub-divided into stores but it could also be turned into hotels, food halls and apartments. Even the big malls like Mall of America have been hurt by closures. Sears closing has left a huge hole in their mall and a long time lease has them trying to sort it all out.
Manitoba has been fortunate to turn around most malls that have had a major anchors leave have coped by filling it with other users. Some malls have converted to box stores instead. The ones that didn't like the Portage la Prairie Mall eventually lose one too many anchors and close.
As the details emerge about the precarious financial situation of the The Bay, it seems impossible that any of the company can survive. It owes $1 billion and credit protection will look to see what, if anything, can be done to emerge from that state. Anything of real value, like the real estate, has been sold off over many years.
It shouldn't be too long to see what the outcome will be. There is no doubt that if the company does come out of this, it will be much smaller. And sadly, that might mean that Winnipeg has no Bay stores.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Trump Speech to Congress
The 47th President addressed the 119th Congress at Capitol Hill in the longest speech in modern history. It was a combination of script and improvisation and very much a victory lap. The Democrats looked very much defeated and quite frankly, shabby. They wore shirts with messages, carried paddles with messages they kept flashing to the camera. At one point a Democrat had to be escorted off the floor as he was shouting at Trump.
Throughout the long speech, Democrats heckled and booed. At one time this was just not done. Now it is normalized. This is a reflection of the leaderless aspect of the Democratic party. Biden and Harris are out of sight. The minority leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives have been unable to show real leadership. The Democrats are rudderless with only brief example examples of policy and direction since their federal defeat.
Even in Canada in can be hard to be in opposition even though we have a formalized role for in our democracy. If the government has the majority, it can mean little coverage of opposition parties. Media often doesn't cover anyone except premiers and prime ministers. It isn't great for democracy as a leader-centric system means people are too scared to say anything even when it is clear that it will hurt the them.
This could be as true for Trudeau and it is for Trump. It is not even 100 day into the presidency but Trump changes positions sometimes a few times in a day. Trudeau is finished and a new prime minster will be in place. And that new leader will have the same powers as the old one. It is how our system has been set in place. Power used to be more diffuse.
Trump is very good at TV for the most part but his speeches can go on for quite a bit. He crafts himself as entertainment. His jabs at his opponents have been and always will be merciless. Republicans have largely gone silent or just let things happen. Some have tried to mimic his approach but it isn't something that other people have been able to translate into success.
Democrats sitting in the audience did a terrible job of sitting in opposition. Their dress, their paddles with slogans and constant shouting made them look like they were not ready to run a hotdog stand. Consider the professional appearance and demeanor the NDP in Manitoba had just prior to becoming government. They dressed and acted like a government in waiting. The policies were considered better than what the other side was proposing.
Being in opposition isn't easy. It requires ways to look relevant and oppose in meaningful ways. Some get attention with bluster and histrionics. It can help pull down your opponent but hurt your own likeability. It is unclear how Democrats will become relevant but when in doubt, focus on the economy. It is what worked for Clinton. And at the moment, the economy looks roughs and Trump is at the helm.
Monday, March 3, 2025
Canadian Snowbird Choices
For Florida, all of these things are piling up. Health, insurance (both personal and property) and now politics has people from Canada selling. They are cancelling trips as well. It is shocking to Florida locals when they hear one of the reasons for selling or not coming is because of Trump and his tariff threats. Florida people have been befuddled that people are taking Trump seriously, including the 51st state taunts.
All of this has turned Florida into a state with falling real estate prices and empty houses. Not all of it is Canadians de-camping. However, after many disasters some people are just not able to rebuild after perhaps doing it before. In some cases, people can't get permits to rebuild in areas deemed unsafe. House prices are dropping all over the state and people are trying to sell before it gets worse.
Will it recover? Will Canadians flock back? It is possible. The insurance issues means between 15-20% of the population of property owners in Florida have no insurance. That doesn't bode well for the next weather issues that always come up in that state. And as Canadians owners in Florida get older, their health insurance also gets higher. This will be challenging in every year after 65 for most people. One health scare could boost insurance or have the insurance company require a return to Canada to get a health update every few months rather than have an emergency happen while spending time south of the border.
The next four years could be tough for Florida. Canadians have a huge impact on the economy there but politics, insurance, aging and other choices could see citizens choosing other places for warm holidays. The Canadian dollar could have the biggest impact of them all. If it slips lower, Canadians will look for places where it stretches more and that might not be the United States.
Canadian snowbirds will have choices to make. If tit for tat tariffs start to happen things can and will get very expensive. This will drive decision-making and more and more people will pull back on spending, especially if it is months in the U.S.
Saturday, February 22, 2025
The Granite Club Housing
The Granite Club project has been in the news because the curlers have been nervous that they will lose 70% of their parking and that the club would suffer. Considering there is largely an empty parking lot for Canada Life next door evenings and weekends, it seems a solution could be arranged. Since the city owns both the club and the parking lot, it is in their interest to ensure the historic club can continue but somehow find housing solutions as well.
The Granite Club is a handsome building built in 1912 with a dedicated curling membership. The surrounding west parking lot is where the city wants to build an affordable rent apartment. The east lot is unaffected. The developer has offered 15 spots in their development and a long term financial incentive to the club. Nevertheless, the executive has said the loss of the lot is an existential threat.Thursday, February 20, 2025
Tariff Wars with United States
Trump wants tariffs just to see what will happen. It clearly isn't about border security when Canada is already acting on it. Certainly it isn't about Trudeau who is leaving shortly. Some say it is a negotiating tool but others think that is a basic misunderstanding of who pays the tax on this policy. Somehow many people think it is countries other than the U.S. that pay the tariff.
There are some real tariff supporters in his administration but they can't articulate what is they want from Canada except to say Trump says to become the 51st state. The measly amount of fentanyl coming into the U.S. pales to other countries. It is a cover to say it is national security. The goals keep moving. When Canada gets to 2% GDP for defense, the U.S. will say it has to be 5% even though they are not at that level themselves.
If the goal is to have all manufacturers and producers move to the U.S., it will have to force Canada to find new markets for resources. Already aluminum companies are looking to begin shipping their product to Europe which has no tariffs. I'm sure Chinese would like Canadian oil and minerals. These are products that Trump supposedly says the U.S. doesn't need.
Canada's problem will be to re-new east-west connections to get things to coastal posts. Thankfully, we still have road, rail seaway connections but they could could all stand upgrades. The TMX pipeline to the coast came at the very right time. Improvements are being made to Churchill so more goods can go to Europe through there.
U.S. unions are terrified that 30,000 steelworkers might be out of a job if Canadian oil is not getting to refineries that employ them according to the Wall Street Journal. Those same unions are asking for tariffs on steel and aluminum in Mexico and Canada. This might be what many unions face. Some of their members do well from tariffs, others lose their jobs.
Polling in the U.S. suggests that even among Republicans, support for tariffs is only about 30%. It is doubtful anyone wants higher prices. Or lose their jobs. However, even if Canada had zero issues at the border, the U.S. would hit the country with a tariff. Trump has been talking about them for years. This is a substitution of taxes. Some Trump supporters believe all income tax disappears hen tariffs take over. The problem is that tariffs will only account for 2% of income tax. That is pretty thin soup.
Most of the trade deficit is oil exports. Some in the administration think they don't need that oil but it is hard to imagine that U.S. finding cheaper, reliable oil from a trusted partner such as Canada. The problem is that no one seems to be listening in America. And those that do are afraid to speak out until it begins to hurt them. And it will hurt. If gas goes up, regular consumers will feel it.
The deadline now seems to be April 2 and Trump has said he will hit many countries with a 25% tariff. Our Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the Europeans have been stunned about how to respond. She said Canada has to coordinate with its allies. However, that may only occur after the tariffs hit. There are probably many countries hoping it just doesn't happen.
It has been four weeks of chaos so far south of the border. The only thing Canada can do is to make sure it supports Canadian business, looks to create freer trade within Canada and know what our response will be if the U.S. does enact tariffs.
Sunday, February 16, 2025
Saturday Night Live - Winnipeg Fan 1975-2025
By 10 years old, most Saturdays were filled with sports but soccer and hockey were largely played outdoors. It still left young kids able to watch cartoons which started at 8 AM or earlier in the central time zones and ran to noon-ish. Most kids in sports were home early enough for dinner and Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday.
In 1975, almost everything was closed on Sundays in Manitoba except church which generally had 11 am services. This meant that if kids were going to stay up later hours, it was going to be Friday and especially Saturday because of being able to sleep in a bit later than all the rest of the week. Entire families watched Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays. Back then it was only one game on that night. And while Winnipeggers loved the WHA and the Winnipeg Jets from their start in 1972, they could love an NHL team as well because it was different league. In our house and many homes in Winnipeg, it was the Montreal Canadiens.
After a game, my parents were usually exhausted and whereas, week nights where they had lunches to make and kids to organize, no extra child care was needed when all that was happening was church the next morning. Stores were closed, workplaces closed. It was very sleepy most Sunday except for maybe some kids sports.
So what did Gen X kids do on a Saturday? At 10 years old, as long as I wasn't outside, I was able to stay and watch TV in the living room as my parent's slept. My siblings sometimes stayed up but were often asleep as well by 10:30. Most networks would show movies before going off the air shortly after midnight. There were no 24 hour stations back then. But what could I watch?
I was a Winnipeg Tribune carrier which was delivered 6 days a week after school or afternoons Saturday. Both the Free Press and Tribune had TV guides in their Saturday papers and at 10, I had several part of the paper that I read first: comics, sports and TV guide. It was there and other places I noticed something on NBC called Saturday Night which was going to be on after the hockey game.
At the time, I didn't know the show format had been pitched to the CBC and rejected or that that executive producer was a Canadian named Lorne Michaels. I was too young to remember the Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour in 1970 that was on Saturdays at 9 PM on CBC. Lorne Michaels had been working on both sides of the border for comedy. There were so many variety/music shows in the 1970s. The TV guide just said there was a live comedy variety show on Saturday after the hockey game.
NBC already had a musical variety show called the Midnight Special. In central time zone it came on at midnight but in east and west zones it was at 1 AM. It was the first time I got to see Wolfman Jack. The Royal Canadian Air Farce was a comedy sketch series in Canada that started on CBC Radio in 1973 so I was familiar with the format so a live TV comedy/music show sounded awesome.
In the end, when everyone else went to bed, I watched the very first episode of Saturday Night and was introduced to the characters of John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Dan Ackroyd along with the rest of the cast. I was delighted by the sketches, the musical guests and the whole rebellious demeanor of the show. It felt very Canadian and of course, I didn't know that so many of the people involved were Canadian.
For young people who had few options for going out Saturday night or who were coming home from hockey, movies and the like, watching Saturday Night Live at 10:30 PM was a real treat. The show started a little rough but by the fourth episode or so started to take shape. I saw Weekend Update with Chevy Chase and it was a fascinating and funny look U.S. news. It would be Chase who would be the first big film star to emerge from the cast. But soon after Belushi and Ackroyd would go to take their SNL characters of the Blue Brothers to film.
The show has ebbed and flowed for the 50 years it has been on. Some amazing years and some awful ones. In some years I was busy and sometimes was doing things on a Saturday night but I have kept coming back in years when things are really top level. And nowadays, segments will appear on social media if I miss an episode.
I do still try to see the show on and off. Sometimes it will be a guest music act or a host that will bring me in. Sometimes it will be the outstanding performances. In 2025, I think they have an excellence in their cast that has really made for a new relevance. It is curious though if the medium of TV continues to be relevant long into the future.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Is the Fairmont Hotel the Issue for NHL Players?
Thursday, January 30, 2025
The Sandbaggers on Tubi
The 1970s were the days when the national news programs of CTV and CBC were at 11 PM. Networks liked to put in programming in the 10 PM slot in central time or later that might not fit in the prime time schedule. No one had 24 hour TV back then including the stations down in North Dakota. The CBC would often squeeze in shows like Fawlty Towers and Sandbaggers at end of day schedule. I know I missed both when they aired on CBC but by early 1980s Fawlty Towers was endless played on PBS. It would take years before I'd catch The Sandbaggers to watch in it's entirety. Prairie Public Television carried a lot of British TV but they were often comedies and dramas. That remains true today.
Tubi has got the Sandbaggers on now which is rather amazing since it will bring a whole new audience to the show. Some find their way to show by following the work some of the actors did through the 1970s and 1980s. This is very much the case for Roy Marsden who gained fans on both sides of the Atlantic for the P.D. James series Dalgliesh. Many loved his cool performance as a detective. And if they liked that, they searched out and loved his acting in Sandbagger as director of operations for SIS.
The writing of Ian Mackintosh was exceptional and nuanced. His background as a naval officer had served him well as a writer on the BBC series Warship. However, it was rumoured he had experience with the Security Intelligence Service as well. This contributed to the sense of realism. Any variance from the actual SIS was probably to avoid running into the Official Secrets Act. In fact one episode was torpedoed because of the act.
The series was filmed in Leeds and some location work in London and Malta. The large population of Leeds made it possible to film many locations as eastern European. Casting was also done in such a matter that scenes felt authentic. The budget for The Sandbaggers was not huge. The studio work was shot on videotape and location on cheaper 16 mm film. A lot of stock footage was used to great effect. It is striking that filming took place inside McDonald's or featured Hilton Hotels. Such things seem less likely nowadays. It seems to provide a time capsule of what Britain was like in the late 1970s/80s.
In 1978, the time of Britain's Winter of Discontent weighed heavy. Massive strikes were happening all over and the Labour government of James Callaghan struggled to keep the country going. Strikes even shut down Sandbaggers producer Yorkshire Television. Even the BBC was shut down by the end of the year. Shows about corrupt and violent police were more likely to be seen in the UK over an urbane and realistic spy series. James Bond series and The Saint were more likely to be seen than The Spy that Came Out of the Cold- type of series.
The Sandbaggers name was used for the Special Operations Section of the SIS consisting of three operatives who take on the most dangerous or politically sensitive assignments around the world. The term came from how thugs would fill socks with sand to beat someone for their goods. Neil Burnside was D-Ops and responsible for sending Sandbaggers 1 through 3 out on jobs. As former Sandbagger 1, Burnside knew what it took. Burnside reports to the Deputy Chief and Chief of SIS (known as C) and is often in conversation with the Permanent Undersecretary of the Foreign Office Sir Geoffrey Wellingham, his former father-in-law.
For non British watching, they often miss the class visuals. Ties that indicate Oxford colleges or military background abound. Top administrators are often knights with the title Sir added to their name. The Deputy Chief Peele seems to aspire to that type of recognition.
The Sandbaggers themselves such as Willie Caine and Laura Dickens seems to come from more common folk. Caine has a military background but not particularly fond of guns. Dickens wants to serve her country as an intelligence analyst but in her introduction shows her deliberately overturning a car to make a contact with the son of a foreign leader. Her relationship with Burnside ends tragically when under his orders she is shot in a prisoner exchange to prevent the French from interfering with the special relationship with the U.S. government.
It is the sad and singular life that Burnside lives. A dedicated intelligence service man, divorced and with no outside interests. His best friends are the CIA station Jeff Ross chief and his Sandbagger 1 Willie Caine. He resists pretty much any attempt to set him up with a date. And the one person he does form affection for he has to order to be shot. It is likely we have never seen this type of storyline before on TV and may never see again.
Some have called Sandbaggers the best spy show there ever has been. Since I enjoy many spy TV/movies like James Bond and Tinker Tailor, I wouldn't want to limit myself. I can say that many probably enjoy the show so much is because the characters are very well developed. The friendship between the intelligence officers, especially SIS and CIA, seems sincere and authentic.
The show ended suddenly with the death of the producer/writer Ian Mackintosh in a small plane crash in Alaska. The network didn't believe anyone else could write the show like he could. A lot of mystery surrounded the death of the show and some even wondered if it was related to espionage.
Sadly, unlike other shows that the British have done, the Sandbaggers has never been set for a sequel, remake or anything of the like. This is a mystery since so many American shows or productions from other countries seem to be re-made. If Matlock can come back, why not Sandbaggers?
Watch while you can on Tubi.
Monday, January 27, 2025
Peavy Mart Closes All Stores in Canada, Two in Winnipeg
The National Grain Company of Minneapolis set up National Farmways, a "super farm market" based in Winnipeg with their first store in Dawson Creek. In 1975 the company became Peavy Mart, a subsidiary of Peavy in Minneapolis. In 1984, the company was bought by Canadian owners and remained as such till 2025.
The Peavy Marts in Winnipeg were former Zellers locations on Pembina Highway and Nairn. They are a mix of farm supply and do it yourself shop. They had grown in size in company by taking over TSC stores a few years back and their association with Ace Hardware.
It would be appear that the association has failed and the expansion has left them with underperforming stores. It will be saw for the Winnipeg locations but the pain will be felt a lot harder in many of the rural locations where stores are closing.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Tubi Finds New Fans in Canada
Friday, January 17, 2025
Pony Corral to Close at Grant Park
For restaurant starved people of River Heights and Fort Rouge and for those wishing for a bite before or after a movie, for those wanting live music or to enjoy the classic cars on Sunday Cruise Nights, the Pony was the place to go. The Ginakes family have always staked a huge contributing effort into wrestling, classic cars and live music and it has been bestowed a love that comes from people gathering, eating and enjoying each other's company.
When the Pony Coral first moved into the corner restaurant, it shared the lot with Zellers. Then Walmart. Then Zellers again. Then Target. Then Goodlife Fitness and Canadian Tire. It seemed the only consistent thing was the Pony Coral. The Grant Park Mall has gone through a lot of changes.
The last time there was a major renovation of the restaurant was under the Bombay Bicycle Club in 1984 when they added space and re-did the interior and exterior. Before that it was Barnacle Pete's, a seafood restaurant. Even back then, the restaurant needed plumbing and sewer work and apparently still does. Today, it is need of roof repairs.
From 2000 to 2020, Pony Corral operated a restaurant downtown at 444 St. Marys Avenue in a former Keg location. The intention was to build on Donald Street but Covid put a damper on that. Oddly enough, it is The Keg that is building a Donald Street location.
There will be many people sad to see Pony Corral leave the Grant Park area. There will certainly be concern about how Sunday Cruise Night will be affected. Portage Avenue has been the site of cars cruising and while Grant Park is not super closer, it is closer than Pembina or Nairn locations. However, given the issues of cruising on Portage in recent years, perhaps a change will be good.The restaurant business has always been a tough one but there have been a lot of closings so far. Rent is too high in some cases, restaurants are downsizing and patrons are not going out as late as they did pre-Covid. Even big national chains are still not back to full lunch service as were five years ago.
It is hard to imagine a restaurant that served so much of the community in a variety of ways besides besides serving food. They will be missed for sure. And it will be curious what comes next. It could be that only a national group like Earls or Joeys can afford that corner.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Ricki's, Cleo and Bootlegger go Bankrupt
Cleo had just built a new concept store in Polo Park in the fall. Formerly Irene Hill, Cleo became part of Comark in 1979. Bootlegger was founded in 1971 in Vancouver and became a national chain. Comark itself was founded in 1976 and is based in Vancouver where Ronald Stern, former Winnipegger, now calls home. However, the combined company used Winnipeg as a logistics hub in the former McLeod's warehouse on McGillivary. It has around 200 employees and is about 400,000 square feet. It is unclear what happens to Parian Logistics, the company that manages that hub and is also owned by Stern and Silver.
Together all three stores have 221 locations across Canada. There are 13 stores in Manitoba with ten in Winnipeg and with three in Brandon. Some industry people have speculated how fast fashion online from a number of companies has hurt mall stores like Ricki's and Cleo. Creditors believe they can salvage some of Bootlegger. And this might be because everyone could use blue jeans. There seems to be less dressing up by women because of the expense and perhaps because some items are just not as versatile.
Retail is in flux all over the world and malls are particularly having to adapt. It is why malls are looking to build housing and actually have other services asides from fashion stores. Even Kildonan Place sees that they need for an upgraded food court.
In Winnipeg so far, stores like Polo Park and St. Vital have done mostly a good job of filling in places that have vacated spots. The second floor of Polo Park will see a new London Drugs which will fill space in an area that has often had a few vacancies. If women's fashion stores won't fill spaces, I expect we see more day spa, gyms, nail salons and optical stores. And this is always a good opportunity for Winnipeg-based businesses to occupy mall space. It is sad to see Canadian businesses in retail go bankrupt but hopefully, the retail sector will be more diverse and resilient as a result.
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Five Guys Restaurant Portage Avenue Closed for Remodelling
They opened at Westwood in 2014 and seems like they will be around longer.
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Costco To Expand Footprint in West Winnipeg
Adding parking space is nothing new. Costco Kenaston has had parking space added twice front and back. It has helped but not enough. Hence, the new store. Compound the possible issues when St. James Costco becomes a Costco Business Centre. The store will be more aimed at supply hotels, convenience stores and restaurants than family shoppers. It surely means family shoppers will head to Kenaston or Headingley.
Make no mistake a Business Centre fills a need and could help divert businesses to switch there for goods that they get at regular Costcos. However, the city likely needs four regular Costcos all with gas stations. We'll have to do with three as zoning for a Costco even where there there is space can take a decade to get. This will be for Costco to decide. They probably would like to be just outside of Winnipeg but Walmart has tried this. It depends on Winnipeg road access and most municipalities are are not willing to build the highway access to make it possible. And Winnipeg is not going to let a road be overused within city boundaries to service a Costco that doesn't make taxes in the city to maintain it.
For all these reasons Costco is looking to turn the west Portage Avenue location into the right size to serve a very large section of the city. They'll need a lot of parking. More than the 900 parking spaces have been listed this far. They'll need traffic lights and turning lanes for this massive amount of traffic.
And Costco is just the first part of a much larger commercial development in that area. It is still within Winnipeg's boundary so it will be a boon for taxation. It will also be huge for housing. What will be needed is bus transport. The Costco construction continues so expect to see it open in this year.
Sunday, January 5, 2025
The Jordan Peterson Interview of Pierre Poilievre
I have already written here that I believe that Poilievre will win the election and within his first year, I believe he will cut the carbon tax, pull out of international agreements on climate and cut federal environment engagement in favour of the provinces. I don't believe there will be controversy on lowering the gas tax. NDP governments including in Manitoba have lowered the tax to great popularity. With Trump as president in the U.S., there is likely not going to be any free passes.
Defense policy out of Poilievre's camp seems under developed. This should be of no surprise because the Harper government which Poilievre was part of only spent 0.8 of GDP on defence. That is 47% lower than todays Trudeau government. This is increasingly not being accepted by NATO and especially by Trump. There has has been extreme pressure on Trudeau. It will be no less on Poilievre. Will he support NORAD or NATO? Will he have an answer for Trump when penalties for poor defence spending? As much as Poilievre might want to blame Trudeau, he will have to have some coherent policy here. If the policy is isolation, expect Canada to withdraw in some fashion from alliances. There are certainly some isolationists in the party that want to pull out of the U.N. and other groups. What does it all mean? It means they will have to choose a direction that someone in the party won't like. The Liberals have been doing the same thing for the last several years.
Poilievre mentioned a few potential cabinet ministers. It is fairly weak tea. But then it doesn't matter. All that matters is the Prime Minister's Office. If his party is as weak as the Liberals they won't say a thing as long as he has the polls. Unlike other Commonwealth countries, it is impossible to remove the leaders of parties here. It is how we have set it up. It is a leader-centric party and will cause issues for the Conservatives just as it has with the Liberals. Just as it has for every party with all an all powerful leader and weak cabinet and caucus.
A tough on crime stance was made but no real indication of how that happens. There is no policy, timetable or budget listed for it. Is it more police, change in the parole act, build more prisons or what? Is there a budget for it? Timetable?
The problem with just a long interview with Jordan Peterson is that he is not a journalist. This is a campaign ad. However, given the deep misgivings towards the Liberals, it is possible that the Conservatives don't have to engage any media for the entire election. It has been often said that elections are no places to talk about policy. Perhaps the Conservatives win a massive majority with few details. The danger of this is that is not necessarily an affirmation for that all the party wants to do. Massive majorities in Canada often come from 39% of the vote. That is hardly a ringing endorsement. It is a reason why the Liberals have seen support fall in every year since 2017.
The large majorities Mulroney and Harper got had a far greater amount of policy that was thought out that what we have seen here. Given that Trump is not likely to give the Canadian government a lot of time to develop a coherent plan, expect chaos. And while the Conservatives will blame the Liberals, it is going to be hard to say that over and over again for four years if the country truly suffers. Given the lack of a plan so far, we could be in trouble no matter who wins.
Those hoping for the NDP to breakthrough will find they still don't have strength in Quebec and don't really have a defence policy. The agreement they had with Liberals means they are weaker, not stronger. Those that are in opposition to the Liberals just lump the NDP in there with them. If any party gains strength it is the BQ who look to have another referendum on separation in 2026. It is curious what the Conservative response to that might be. So far there is none.
While the Conservatives under Poilievre seem destined to win in the new year, they don't seem the least temperate in their disposition. We can expect a lot of ripping stuff up like the CBC. However, we can likely see unexpected outcomes as a result. For example, while Conservatives like hockey, their moves on broadcasting might make fewer Canadians have access to it. Unintended consequences.
The mistake in believing your own publicity is that if it is not based on solid policies. And to stay in power, it requires a frequent refreshing of people and idea. This is something the Liberals and the Conservatives don't seem to learn. We have been leaning on cult of personality too long and it is hurting the country.
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Quiet January 1st in Winnipeg
The late night opening of some stores and restaurants is a story about liquor and cigarettes. No need for a 24 hour Shopper's if people are not coming in at all hours to buy tobacco. Likewise, no need for a 4 AM closing at a restaurant if booze is not sold in sufficient quantities. The aging population means that people don't roll into a restaurant at midnight and spend a few hours there.
And so it goes for a day like January 1st. The evening event on the Eve in places like The Forks and Assiniboine Park end early. There are no fireworks. Skating and restaurants are still open although close before midnight in the parks. City parks are largely empty after 10 pm. There really has been a turn against fireworks in the city of Winnipeg.
Fireworks have largely been left to the community clubs and few of them do it on Canada Day or January 1st. I suspect a bylaw at some point to ban them in Winnipeg including sports events. The opposition to them has grown so determined that it will probably be something that could preclude fireworks for Grey Cup. Much of the resistance to fireworks has centered on the noise that affects animals. However, we have come to see public parks largely abandon evening events on New Year's Eve entirely.
The night lights program over winter at the zoo and Assiniboia Downs are good but the days of a New Year's celebration in the evening are largely gone. If New Year's Day is not that important or overrated as a holiday in Manitoba, it strikes me that more stores and services should be open. If city, provincial and federal governments think the day should be devoid of real celebration, open it up and remove it as a statutory day. Have people return to work that day if it is a normal day of the week. Or at the very least, let's grocery stores and malls open.
Federal holidays should be re-evaluated after consultations with the public. It is likely July 1st Canada Day and Christmas remain statutory days. However, does Victoria Day mean anything? Truth and Reconciliation is new and likely to stay but I expect it evolves over the years. Thanksgiving is unlikely to change as is Remembrance Day (although I can see it becoming a Monday at some point). However, Good Friday and Easter Monday are probably not needed.
It is clear that many public places would rather not do much on New Year's Eve so what is really special about it? Perhaps it should be just like any other holiday like Halloween or Valentine's Day: Just a regular work day.