New Bus Service Flixbus Coming to Manitoba

Bus service has always been a hugely important service in Manitoba and across Canada. Even with all the choices for transportation out there, most developed nations have bus service of some kind within cities and between cities and communities. In 2021, Greyhound and Grey Goose bus lines stopped running in Canada. 

A few companies tried to fill the gap with varying degrees of success. Brandon and Dauphin already have had airport and appointment shuttles since 1997. The Brandon-based family business has slick mini-vans that can be seen regularly in the city of Winnipeg headed to the airport and beyond. As good as they are, they are not a coach bus doing a regular route back and forth at a reasonable rate.

Thompson has had a few bus services set up for Thompson to Winnipeg and has had varying degrees of success. Difficulties in bus comfort in terms of heating have been mentioned in the past. It is not easy to run a bus service in Manitoba. However, there is good reason to have it.

Anyone going to the airport doesn't want to necessarily park in long term parking for two weeks although many do and appreciate that option. It is probably easier if there is a regular bus one can catch and take to the airport in comfort. It is doubly worse for people who have to come in for medical appointments. No one, and I mean no one, wants to park all day at the hospital regularly?

Greyhound went under in Canada in 2021. Ridership was down and the pandemic kicked them to the curb after many decades in business. There was no obvious competitor in much of the country to take over. In Manitoba, there had already been supports in place by the government for smaller communities. In the end, it was not enough.

There are really not enough options for a coach bus throughout the province. Rider Express has one stop here with routes across the country. However, the stop is at the Southdale Mall. Not exactly central. It is hard to find any service that uses a central or airport location for a stop.

The Greyhound name got scooped in 2021 up by the big German Flixbus that began operations in Canada in 2022 with three provinces. Manitoba is now going to be the next province to see bus routes added. The result will likely be routes that connect Winnipeg and Brandon and go beyond to the Saskatchewan border. The route east through Kenora and on to Thunder Bay would likely next. 

The key to Flixbus's success has been hiring local expertise, routing through airports, bus depots and train stations and keeping prices affordable but not building, owning or managing infrastructure like Greyhound did. The goal is to set up routes where air travel is not practical or cost effective and where car travel is inconvenient such as flying home and the last leg being a bus ride a few hours away.

Flixbus and others like it are helpful after the crushing blow of losing decades long service. It gets worse as the population ages. My seniors just might not be able to drive to go visit their kids or grandkids. An affordable bus from places like Dauphin or Brandon or Steinbach or Kenora might be perfect. There will be many communities still left out. And worse, the cargo trailers that Greyhound towed have not made a comeback. However, maybe this is the start of something new for buses in Manitoba.

Ricki's, Cleo and Bootlegger go Bankrupt

The long history of Ricki's in Winnipeg comes to an end as the national company has declared bankruptcy. Founded in 1939 in Brandon, it spread out across Canada and in recent years has been owned by Winnipeg Free Press owners Ronald Stern and Bob Silver. Part of the holdings in the same company called Comark are Bootlegger and Cleo.

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.

Manitoba Contemplates Local Media Support

Premier Wab Kinew has called for an all-party committee to look at how local media can be supported in Manitoba. It is uncertain how the PCs will respond. As noted here, much of the print newspapers in the province is owned locally. The Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Sun as well as papers in Brandon, Portage and Steinbach are locally owned. There are a fair amount of locally owned radio stations in Manitoba as well. A fair amount of independent media exist. No major television stations are owned locally owned in Manitoba including affiliates.

The big players in Canada of Bell Media, Quebecor and Corus have massive amounts of debt due to acquisitions. While many remain profitable, it is debt repayment and dividends that has them cutting employees regularly. Throughout the world ad revenue has gone to large international companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook and others. Newspapers, radio stations and TV stations have closed across North America. Even this week Corus and Bell continue to lay off long time employees.

Winnipeg has had a few radio stations close or make cuts. Newspapers have been downsized. So too TV newsrooms. Federal government programs on digital membership tax credits, local journalism initiatives and periodical supports have been criticized over the years. Tax credits for print, TV and radio go to advertisers but digital ads are not included. It means 70% of digital ads go to foreign media. It seems odd to not make advertising in Canada to Canadian people on Canadian media something a tax credit should be exclusive to.

Provinces have contributed to local media by posting legal notices in newspapers, advertising and other business tax credits over the years. Ontario is committing a percentage of their Crown corporation spending to Ontario-based media. This could be about $10 to $15 million of the $100 million spending guaranteed for Ontario.

The large corporate ownership of media is Canada was profitable until it wasn't. They kept gobbling each other up or shutting down papers, radio stations and TV stations until their debt from concentration just couldn't keep up. Today, the majority of newspapers in Canada are owned by the U.S. and they continue to squeeze what they can out of their properties and shut down parts regularly.

A few newspapers have been converted to charities but it is an expensive preposition.  Some have become non-profits although you see that more in the U.S. than in Canada. The government could help with this process. A charity or a non-profit might be the way to salvage some local media from being closed. There are some co-op radio stations as well that could use a boost of support and would likely be something that survives because of community support.

Advertising though has been the lifeblood of media. Consumers have largely paid a subscription fee for newspapers and magazine or a cable fee to receive additional channels or for free after paying for your own TV and radio equipment. The costs are largely borne by advertisers. It is those advertisers that have been lost across the board in many industries to the large trans-nationals that rely on content made by others that it is often not paid for. 

Generally in business governments should not be picking winners and losers. If a government chose the horse over the car as the transportation of the future, they would have been very unwise. However, if they had let one car company be the only company supplying cars, it would be to the detriment of society. It is why antitrust exists. One dominant company can stifle further development, exert inordinate power and hurt more than it helps citizens.

The province of Manitoba can do little on antitrust as that is a federal jurisdiction. However, the province does have its own budget on advertising which, like Ontario. it can direct to Manitoba media such as TV, radio, print, podcasting and digital. The province can also add a tax credit for private advertisers to advertise in the province. There are other ideas out there but none should look like direct support to journalists which the federal government does. It should look like business to business relationships. It should be supporting business in Manitoba, not individual journalists.

The journalists get their support from their ownership, their advertisers and their appeal. It avoids accusations that they are state media or controlled by someone directly. It is a tough path to follow but when done correctly makes the media and the various views essential.

To be clear, some people want all media to collapse. They accuse it of harm. Some of this comes from anti-democratic views which have grown over the years. If freedom of the press truly falls, freedom of speech will as well. 

It will be interesting to see what ideas come from this discussion. It would be tragic if we see more small newspapers closes, more podcasts end, more radio station shutter and all regional TV stations become just national carriers or even international carriers that do not do any reporting from local areas.

Fast Fired By Carbone Coming to Charleswood

March 2018, Fast Fired by Carbone Opened Brandon

The former Subway in old Charleswood closed and paper in the windows indicates that a new restaurant is soon to open. Fast Fired by Carbone is slated to open in the fall of 2018. The newly branded restaurant was formerly known as Carbone Coal Fired Pizza and had locations in River Heights and downtown.

Under their new brand name they opened a 1243 square foot location at the Coral Centre in Brandon, Manitoba to great fanfare in March. They show little signs of slowing down. In addition to the location being built on Roblin in Charleswood, they are working on a 1523 foot location in Sage Creek at Sage Creek Village North. There is also a new pad site of 1500 square feet at Kildonan Place being built. And lastly, at 201 Portage in the RBC building, a 313 square foot location is being built in the food court.

The Charleswood location will be 1290 square feet in the Morningwood Center. It is the first time I've heard that name used in the complex that also holds a Starbucks and the Capital restaurant. Subway had been the only survivor of a previous renovation that ended the tenure of Robin's and KFC.

Fast Fired by Carbone specializes in fare such as pizza and wings that are cooked in coal fired ovens imported into Canada. By the end of the year the restaurant,  founded in 2014, will have doubled in size from the present four location to eight. It is unlikely they will stay at the number given the interest in franchising the concept.

Sears Polo Park Closing

Simpsons-Sears in the 1970s

The writing has been on the wall for some time. Sears in Canada has been suffering at the hands of the parent in the U.S. for years now. Every chance to modernize the department store was nixed by head office in the U.S. with ever growing demands to send cash south to bail out Sears/Kmart. Shares of the parent company dropped from 73% in 2006 to 10% today. All attempt to stem the downturn in Sears Canada was met with selfish resistance and the money still flowed south.

Sears joined with Kmart in the U.S. but the brand was old and tired and all investors wanted out of the company was the real estate holdings and credit business. The market was changing to more online sales but any re-investment in the company to other areas was quashed.

In Canada stores closed or leases sold back to the malls. The money was once again sent south rather to get Sears Canada better equipped for the new retailing. In Winnipeg and Brandon  came the closures of Sears Hometown stores and Sears Home stores and then Sears Outlet store at Garden City.

Sears in 2017 was left with three stores at Polo Park, St. Vital and Kildonan. The big whale and once one of the most profitable stores in the country for the department store was the 270,000 square foot Polo Park store. It was the original anchor in the mall and a major funder that got the place built in 1959.

Polo Park has expanded many times since the 1959 opening and Sears has been a major anchor and profitable for decades there. In 1999, Sears operated the old Eaton's as owner for a time making it a double anchor. That Eaton's eventually failed along with the other stores across Canada and HBC became the anchor on the north side.

For a few years now the rumour has been that Sears was going to sell the lease off or go under nationally. Several retailers such as Nordstrom and Simons have sniffed around waiting to see what would happen. It is one of the reasons why new development has not popped up immediately in the recently built Target building north of the mall. Why would a big retailer want to go in there when the 12th largest mall in Canada awaits your arrival?

The last large space to come available Polo Park came as the result of Zellers closure. Rather than looking for a one or two big retailers to take over the spot, the mall reconfigured it into a horseshoe- corridor that added 22 stores including a Disney store.

The Sears location is so enormous covering three times the size. It seems unlikely but not impossible the mall would be convert it to 40 to 60 new stores. Moreover, it is doubtful that Cadillac Fairview wants to leave the space empty for too long into 2018. The competition from Seasons of Tuxedo is not to be taken lightly.

Sears began in 1953 as a collaboration between Simpsons in Canada and Sears, Roebuck. The original sign on Polo Park of the store said Simpsons-Sears for years and was shopped at by many. It was the first credit card many young people ever got. The demise of the store in Canada can be laid at a changing market but hastened by the worst example of branch plant economy management. Selfish, stupid and ultimately self-defeating U.S. demands busted Sears in Canada. In the end it didn't help Sears in the States either.

There will be 159 people who lose their jobs at Sears in Polo Park. Pensions and benefits have been torpedoed as well as vulture strip off the carcass. Pretty shabby treatment from a once great icon of retailing.

Malls are changing for sure in the face of the new economy but Polo Park is probably going to do just fine re-inventing itself. After all, it once was a horse racetrack. They have changed before.

Sears Home Store on Ellice Closing

Sears on Ellice

Hot on the heels of Sears closing a store in Brandon, Manitoba, Sears has announced that the Sears Home store will close on March 12. The 33 employees can apply for jobs at the remaining Sears or take a separation package. Given the precarious position of the department store across Canada and with the former parent Sears in the U.S., it will be a tough decision for many.

The mall area north of Polo Park where Sears home is recently saw the opening of Jollibee's. The insane traffic though hasn't seem to have helped Sears in the least turn things around.

Sears Polo Park and three other city stores remain but the market continues to wonder how long the company will continue in such a decline.

Shoppers Mall Brandon Gets $30 Million Upgrade

Shoppers Mall before and after

Shoppers Mall in Brandon is the biggest retail center in Manitoba's second largest city. The chaos of the last few years which has seen stores like Safeway, Zellers, Target and others merge or close has left many malls scrambling to replace vacant spots. At 367,000 square feet the Shoppers Mall is sizeable enough to attract major retailers. However, Morguard Real Estate had decided the mall needs a freshen up and a few new stores and will pay $30 million to improve front entrance and common areas.

As reported here, GoodLife Fitness is moving into the mall in the old Safeway location. Also coming to the mall in the old Target will be a Sobey's Extra which will be a strong anchor. It will occupy 62,000 square feet so it has some size. Inside the mall Thai Express will join others in the food court.

Outside the mall and occupying the parking lot will be Brandon's first Swiss Chalet and Harvey's locations.

Also joining and sharing space with Fionn Macool's restaurant will be Brandon's first East Side Mario's.

Other retailers inside the mall are to be announced closer to the 2017 completion of renovations.

Goodlife Fitness Coming to Brandon

Safeway Brandon Shoppers Mall

Safeway closed their store in Brandon Shoppers Mall on 18th Street in 2014 and it has remained empty since then. Well, no more. It has been announced this week that Brandon, Manitoba will get the first Goodlife Fitness in the city. It will be eighth and largest location of the national fitness club in Manitoba.

The closure by Sobey's, Safeway and Target has had many landlords scrambling across western Canada to find new tenants. Not all have found ready parties interested in jumping in right away.

For Brandon people, this will be a good opportunity to be part of a gym with national reach. No more drop in fees while in Winnipeg or elsewhere as it will be an extension of their home location. The national TV ads by Goodlife should already give people in the area brand awareness of the gym, if not is amenities.

As for Goodlife, Brandon will be an excellent location in that the city a growing community, the second largest city in the province and a regional hub. Brandon Shoppers Mall is akin to Polo Park in terms of importance in the city. The new Goodlife will employ around 40 people and open in 2017.

Qdoba Coming to Winnipeg

Brandon was the first place in Canada to get one and now Winnipeg is getting one as well.

Qdoba Mexican Grill will be opening at 1320 Ellice in the Polo Park area in the Canad Centre which houses Winner, Jysk and the Canad Inns Hotel.

Three new tenants will move into the spot next to Winners. Those businesses are: Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group and Rogers.

The Denver-based Qdoba restaurants first opened a Canadian location two years ago in Brandon. The local franchise rights holders have been looking for the right location in Winnipeg ever since.

It is another case of Brandon got it first. Qdoba and Five Guys Burgers both got their start in Brandon.

There has been a real increase of Mexican style restaurants going up in Winnipeg. Most people in the city remember the success of Chi Chi's Polo Park next to the Winnipeg Arena in the Jets heyday.

Qdoba serves up San Franciso-style burritos and other Mexican dishes.

This is unlikely the last Qdoba to up nor the only U.S. Mexican restaurant chain to set up in the city. Rumour has been that Chipotle Mexican Grill be here in the next year or two as well.

Could Taco John's be next?

Could Conservatives Lose Brandon Souris?

It seems unthinkable.

The Conservatives were confident to the point of arrogance that the byelection in Brandon-Souris would be a walk in the park. The only question seemed to be who would win the nomination to replace Merv Tweed, the man who stepped down to take over Omnitrax in Canada.

The concern that Tweed's departure before his term was over and the fact that he took a job at a company he had regulatory control of seemed not to phase anyone. There a few worthwhile candidates stepped up. Brandon's deputy mayor Len Isleifson, Merv Tweed's former assistant Chris Kennedy and Progressive Conservative MLA for Arthur-Virden Larry Maguire.

It is a mystery how it happened but Isleifson and Kennedy were disqualified in favour of Larry Maguire as the Conservative candidate. The result of this has been bitterness and suspicion.

Killarney-Turtle Mountain Mayor Rick Pauls has announced he is running as an independent Conservative because of disgust with his party over the nomination.

A byelection is a different animal than a general election and sometimes voter turnout and local issues play a strong role in what the outcome is.

The Conservative Government has a record now in office and some of it has hurt their credibility, not the least of which is the steady stream of Conservatives who have run into trouble lately in the Senate. The fact that Stephen Harper chose many of them as reformers can't easily be played down.

Normally all of this would be noise in a riding that has selected conservative leaning candidates for decades. There is an exception of course. That would be 1993 when Liberal Glen McKinnon defeated PC Larry Maguire (yes, the same Larry Maguire) because of an unpopular PC party and a split vote with Reform.

In 1993, the landscape of Manitoba was total defeat for ALL conservative leaning candidates. There were 13 of 14 Liberals victories and only Bill Blaikie of the NDP held onto his his Transcona seat.

The Harper Tories are not nearly in the same state as back in 1993 but they do face a slide in support, a possible split vote and a stronger Liberal candidate in Rolf Dinsdale.

The Dinsdale name is well known in the region. The father and grandfather of the candidate were both prominent Progressive Conservatives. The father, Walter Dinsdale, held the Brandon riding for 32 years. The grandfather, George Dinsdale, was mayor of Brandon and was MLA in the Manitoba legislature for the riding.

Rolf Dinsdale recently moved back from Toronto to Brandon where he was involved in various media and business enterprises. There is some controversy involving his statement that he was an executive for Facebook when in fact he guided sales for the company through a Canadian facilitator. There is also the rock band he has been involved with which is rather profane.

Will this be enough to discourage people? Maybe. But a front page Brandon Sun shows very popular Conservative Rick Borotsik with a Trudeau lapel pin beside Dinsdale.

I am no expert on the Brandon region and their feelings come this byelection. However, it does seem clear that some Tories are unhappy and that never bodes well between general elections.

The impossible might just happen in Brandon.

Target Opening, Cabela's Opening

The old Zellers now Target at Southdale Centre on Lakewood Boulevard

This is the day that Target opens three locations in Manitoba, two in Winnipeg and one in Brandon. The first to open in Winnipeg is the Southdale Centre location and Kildonan Place. Both of these stores occupy old Zellers locations.

There are likely only a few people who will mourn Zellers. It never did live up to potential, didn't capture the population like say... Canadian Tire, never became anyone's first choice for anything really. In the end, the smart move for Hudson Bay Company was to sell off the leases and use the money to at least save HBC. And it worked if the retail sales from last quarter of 2012 are to be believed. HBC is doing much better.

Target will be a huge improvement in retailing in Winnipeg and Canada. Each store has undergone a $10 million refurbishment. The Polo Park and Grant Park future locations will likely be much more.

I think the one disappointment people will have is that prices are not going to be as low as stores in Grand Forks or Fargo. Taxes and tariffs only count for a part of what the difference is. There is logistics involved as well and far greater competition in the U.S. To be blunt, world-wide manufacturers figure to have higher margins in Canada because it is considered less competitive or of value than the U.S. market. This forces Canadian retailers to charge more.

The only way to slowly force the prices down to something we see in the U.S. is for successful retailers like Target to be in the market. The scale needed and the competitive drive will certainly help.

What Canadians don't know and probably don't care since it doesn't affect them is that the U.S. government subsidizes or runs at a loss things that help make U.S. prices lower. And by that I mean the Interstate highway system and decades long support from the federal government, subsidized airports that don't charge user fees and a post office that loses money in the billions.

Imagine how that affects prices. A company can ship a product on a federally subsidized highway, place it in the mail offering free shipping cause of the subsidized mail and it can be sent via air because of federally subsidized airports.

As mentioned, Canadian don't care that this might not be sustainable in the U.S....they just wonder how it is that clothes cost so much cheaper there.

The stagnant sales over the last few years in the U.S. have meant that U.S. retailer are casting their eyes northward. We have seen a steady stream of U.S. stores and restaurants come up and we will see a lot more.

Target is not the only one to open up this week. On Thursday, Cabela's opens up their Seasons of Tuxedo location. It is a massive store and is sure to attract people from inside and outside the city to shop there. The fact that Winnipeg is head office to the Canadian operations will pay dividends for years.

A few closures to mention. After 52 years, Gord's Ski shop has shuttered its doors. The owner indicated the Kenaston location and poor snows over two winters along with a decline in snowboarding capped the iconic company.

Curiously, Dolce Vita in Polo Park is locked up in a dispute with Cadillac Fairfew, operators of the mall. No word on their St. Vital Centre location.

Qdoba Mexican Grill Coming to Manitoba

Qdoba Mexican Grill

Once again Brandon, Manitoba beats Winnipeg to the punch just as they did with Five Guys Burgers. Qdoba Mexican Grill is opening their first franchise in Canada in Brandon in an old Rogers location.

Qdoba is a huge 700 location Denver-based operation. Its main competition is Chipotle Mexican Grill which started in Denver as well. Chipotle just opened its first location in Toronto and will open another in Vancouver next year.

The battle between these giants is huge. Canada represents a potential 100 more locations to whoever gets their first.

Qdoba Mexican Grill serves San Francisco-style burritos and other Mexican dishes.

The rumour is they are eyeing Winnipeg next and are in talks with franchisors.

The complete and enormous success of Famous Dave's since it opened in Winnipeg is not lost on any of the chains out there.

Winnipeg Free Press Fires Seven News Staff

Winnipeg Press Offices on Mountain Avenue

It is the paper of record and rightly or wrongly takes it on the chin when they gets things wrong, overlook things or take a position that someone is not going to like. the Winnipeg Free Press has the largest news gathering force in the city. It still does but it is minus some of its most junior staff as of Tuesday.

Seven in the newsroom were let go.

They were:

John White, online editor
Melissa Martin, reporter
Alison Mayes, reporter
Adam Wazny, sports writer
Rob Williams, music columnist
Lindsey Wiebe, social media reporter

And one web position not named.

It should be noted that some of these latest hires are the most active in multiple media platforms, especially Twitter, blogging, radio and elsewhere.

Unions protect senior employees first. Always have. With some justification the fear is that companies will dump older workers for ones paid lower wages. However, the problem with removing new and younger workers in a downturn is that they are the very people to build for the future.

I can say about some of the above writers that some were truly innovative and exciting to read. They will be missed.

This lay-off represents 8% of the news staff. I think it is devastating. It comes on the heels of 15 people let go earlier this year. The Free Press and its partners such as Canstar, Brandon Sun and the Steinbach Carillon employ around 570 people. Employees had a 2% wage increase in the year and revenue was down $500,000 in the second quarter from last year.

Like many newspaper companies, the Free Press is trying to figure out how to increase advertising revenue and profit.

Some say that newspapers are a declining business as people get their news online. However, getting news online also entails people writing it and the best writing is that which comes from people who make their living on it.

The Brandon Sun is mostly behind firefalls now. I am not sure how the paper fares compared to its larger counterpart but I'd wager the fact that the previous cutbacks of 14 jobs at the Free Press and 1 at the Brandon Sun were not an accident.

We are seeing more firewalls going up for newspapers all the time. Content has to be paid for somehow. We have gotten used to the idea that things are free and they really aren't.

I think the Free Press has no choice but to go behind a firewall so they can create exclusive content for the local area. The trick will be to create content so that is affordable and unique. That won't be easy without the writers that were let go.

I am wondering if a new model of newspaper by owner/operated news reporters might not work in this city. The big corporate format seems to be driven by management and union issues that won't go away too soon.

It may be that the future job security for journalists is multi-platform like Gary Lawless with the Free Press and TSN or finding reporting work with Shaw cable like Marty Gold on City Circus or Scott Taylor and Goldeyes broadcasts. The first writer likely does well with two strong commercial enterprises paying him. I am not sure about the other two writer/broadcasters but I hope they are self sustaining with their work.

I want strong newspapers and media but fear the corporate and labour structure that seems to put them in conflict.

To the writers who are out of work. Please keep writing! And hope upon hope that jobs are there for you.

Polo Park 11

The incoming American stores are displacing older Canadian stores across Canada. Tabi International, a womenswear clothing chain with 76 stores across Canada is shuttering its doors. There are three stores in Manitoba. One of the stores is in Brandon and the other two are in Winnipeg at Polo Park and St. Vital Shopping Centre.

The Polo Park location is located across from Lululemon.

There have been quite a few changes at Polo Park in recent months. The changes are likely to continue and a few older Canadian brands such as the three decade old Tabi International will either have to adapt and change or close to allow the incoming Victoria Secret and Abercrombie and Fitch move in.

Best Dressed Police Car - Winnipeg

Blue Line magazine has declared the Winnipeg Police Service car's new colours the best dressed in Canada for 2010.

I dunno. I like Brandon's better.

List Time - Arts, Culture and Entertainment

Here is a list of what I thought were major achievements in arts, culture and entertainment this year.

1. The Winnipeg Art Gallery announced a major expansion of their gallery. Not only is the art gallery an architectural treasure but it is the foremost exhibitors of Inuit art. It has been a good year for the gallery with an amazing painting donated, some great exhibits and now the expansion.

2. Le Cercle Molière’s new théâtre opened in October. Canada's oldest theatre on Provencher Boulevard gets the street presence that it richly deserves and the venue to continues presenting French plays and culture.

3. Plug-In Art Gallery and the University of Winnipeg get together for a major presence of a well know gallery onto Portage Avenue and and a continued expansion of the university eastward to downtown.

4. Astron 6, a moviemaking collective from Winnipeg markets itself in Toronto and lands a film deal for Father's Day, a horror film put together by famed studio Troma of Toxic Avenger fame. Look for these guys for more films over the years.

5. Manitoba Theatre Centre get a royal designation from Queen Elizabeth. The continued strong showing year after year for Canada's first regional theatre deserves a salute.

6. Manitoba Museum wins international award for Beneath the Seas and hosts a retrospective of Manitoba rock, country, folk and French language music in Alloway Hall.

7. The Great Canadian Talk Show is cancelled by Kick FM at the behest of Red River College. The timing after the civic election is suspect.

8. Oldies rock station is killed on CFRW and becomes 1290 Sports Radio, the second time in a number of years sports radio tries to make a go of it in Winnipeg. Not to be outdone, Curve 94 FM kills their alt-pop music format and goes oldies as Fab 94.

9. Bachman and Turner go back on the road. Randy Bachman and Fred Turner might not be in overdrive but they are back to making rock music on tour across Canada.

10. ITV Brandon goes off the air. After the death of CKX in Brandon, it looked like the only alternative to the print media was ITV Brandon. Now it too has gone off the air.

Alternative Media On Its Knees

Today, ITV Brandon went off the air. This comes on the heels of The Great Canadian Talk Show going off the air and two prominent bloggers leaving the scene.

The owner of Winnipeg-based Studio Publications Glenn Tinley said that the franchise in Brandon ran into trouble. Similar problems seems to have affected the Winnipeg franchise.

ON CBC Radio at Noon, Tinley said he hoped to see some re-introduction of the media group in Brandon by March.

In the mean time, Brandon is left with one less alternative for news and insight in the Westman area.

It has been a sad few weeks in regards to non-mainstream media.

CKX Part 4

The message left on CKX's website.

In a shocker, CKX collapsed after Bluepoint walked away from keeping the station afloat. Here is the video of their final broadcast.

The impact on the community will be substantial.



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CKX Part 3

CKX finally feels the love. After Shaw left them on the altar, an investment group has stepped forward.

It is hard to believe previous bidder Shaw was ever serious about buying the station. They seemed to have bid only in an attempt to embarrass CTV.

Bluepoint investment is the new buyer lined up for CKX. They outlined their strategy to the Globe and Mail.

On CJOB, Bluepoint said that they will continue with their affiliation with the CBC but pick programs they like rather than taking the whole thing.

Local news and programs will be funded by the new federal program for small market stations.

It remains to be seen if Bluepoint will be successful with this formula. It does seem the big media players have orphaned some of the smaller players and more focused ownership may be better.

I suspect local TV can be profitable but it can't pursue foreign programming that is overly expensive and gives narrow returns. I expect local news and programs might be a good way to get the ad dollars in western Manitoba. A suitable relationship with CBC and some affordable daytime and primetime programming might be the ticket for CKX.



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CKX Part Deux

It looks like CKX has a new owner in this high stakes game of chicken that cable is playing with regular broadcasters.

Shaw has bought CKX.

Shaw already owns Kenora's TV station which it runs at a small profit. Let's see if they can do the same for Brandon.



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