The Rail Bypass Around Winnipeg Project

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

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

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

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

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

Manitoba Metis Federation Buy Former National Research Labs Downtown

The Manitoba Metis Federation via multiple settlements has purchasing various downtown buildings and businesses to serve the Metis and the Manitoba community at large. The home office for the organization is at 150 Henry which is the former home of the CPR regional offices for the railway when they consolidated scattered offices including at Portage and Main into one location. From 1959 to 1999, CPR used the site for administrative and communication. The MMF purchased the building and CPR and AT&T leased part for some time after that. In recent years, the MMF have had to fortify around their building because of encampments and danger to their property. Still, the four floor building serves as central office even they continue to buy property.

At Portage and Main, the MMF has taken over the former Bank of Montreal as well as BellMTS two office buildings at 333 Main and the parking lots behind them on Pioneer. Further down Main Street, the former Wawanesa headquarters at 200 Main and 165 Fort Street and their parking lots are filled with MMF workers as well.

The MMF is listed as having around 1,200 employees. Some of them are in rented offices elsewhere so the Metis have been looking to consolidate and invest in property. With that in mind, they have had their eyes on available properties in downtown Winnipeg for a while. Nearly no one wants to sell their surface parking lot cash cows so MMF has had to wait for companies looking to downsize and move or in the case of Wawanesa, consolidate to one headquarters. Hoarding parking spaces is a 70 year Winnipeg tradition.

Lloyd Axworthy as a cabinet minister in the 1980s, tried hard to bring development to downtown Winnipeg. To that end, he brought the National Research Council facility to the former St. Paul's College site and just as about to me complete the new Conservative government under Brian Mulroney cut it. The building, complete in 1985, sat empty for years till the Mulroney government started adding some labs in 1992. This was largely in response to the outright disgust  in the west about the CF-18 contract going to Quebec, despite Winnipeg's Bristol Aerospace having the lower price and higher technical rating. The Institute of Biodiagnostics was born.

Strange, when you let scientists do research in applied areas, they actually can make great advances. Amazing research created world class discovery in MRIs. Bu 2005, so much progress was made that a second office was built of 40,000 square feet to create about a combined 230,000 square feet. It is a very modern campus overall.

Nothing much happened until once again Axworthy was a cabinet minister. However, as soon Stephen Harper, the program was cut, 54 workers fired and the buildings put up for sale. This led to the problem with the MMF. When federal land goes up for sale, it has to go up for sale to First Nation and Metis to settle outstanding land claims. It is unclear what happened but Covid probably had the Feds thinking they needed the buildings. Ultimately, they didn't, especially with a new NRC facility near the airport. Labs and workers still can make use of the building but no reason why they can't lease space in what is largely empty floors now.

So after seven years of legal wrangles, the Manitoba Metis Federation have the building and will be bringing 100 staff from their Child and Family Services unit at 2000 Portage Avenue near Deer Lodge to Ellice. As for the 70 labs, the MMF wants to begin a nurse training program there as well as an MRI. This story is worth a followup later on. 

It is hard to assess the MMF's overall governance and planning. It appears they have times the market right. They do have employees in support agencies like training and child and family services who need office space. Income generation through owning parking lots if well established in Canada. They are building apartment space and being a landlord is well established at generation income. The MMF is looking at buying the Fort Garry Hotel. I'll write more on that at some point.

The MMF is not the first to create a business conglomerate. Some have been created and failed while others continue to offer supports to their community. real estate should have some lasting value. Hotels can be valuable but not upgrades. Ask the Richardsons about that and the Fairmont Hotel. That upgrade is $120 million. The point is that some businesses need capital and good management. And ultimately, a plan. This includes a succession plan. Who takes over when David Chartrand retires?

Relocating the CPKC Railways...Discussed Again

Picture from 1942 of the CP yards. Gives an idea of the barrier between the North End and the rest of Winnipeg. 

Railyards have been moved a number of times in Winnipeg over the last decades. The East Yards is now The Forks. The Fort Rouge Yards are now part of the Southwest Transportation Corridor and a series of apartments. The Tuxedo Yards are now Seasons of Tuxedo. 

The operations for those rail yards were moved to Symington Yards by CN. Rail has changed quite a bit with connection to road, port and airport. The work has evolved from labour intensive loading and unloading to intermodal where the boxes are loaded and unloaded offsite while the railway concentrates more on the delivery. 

The Forks development owes a lot to Lloyd Axworthy and has mostly been one of the most successful rejuvenation projects Winnipeg has ever seen. A close second place would be Seasons Tuxedo. Between the two areas, they have been huge economic drivers for the city's economy and overall successful. The Forks has taken longer to reach economic sustainability. It has heavily relied on Portage Place's parking money of $3 million or so a year to get it through the tough years. Things are much better now but the infusion of the final payment of money from the sale of Portage Place should keep it going for years to come.

The North End has the fewest green spaces of anywhere in the city. The CP yards are massive so that would address some of the issue. However, most would likely agree that something transformative for the neighbourhood would be appropriate. A mall is just not in the cards for an over-retailed city. However, a mixed development where a grocery, pharmacy and banking and other services are available. 

The most important thing initially might be that rail overpasses would not have to go through. Arlington and Salter bridges could could be north and south roads. This would apply to a few more roads as well which could save hundreds of millions in infrastructure costs. Mayor Gillingham has suggested that some of the spur rail lands including ones owned by city may be good for active transportation. He isn't wrong. Rail lines along the east side of the city have been successfully transformed although Councillor Browaty will confirm that like any other area of the city security can be an issue with homeless encampments sprouting up. This doesn't mean they shouldn't be done. Anyone will tell you how great the walking and bike path along that rail spur has been.

They key for any rail development is not speed but thoughtfulness. It has taken more than 10 years for Seasons Tuxedo to reach where it is now and building continues to happen. The Forks has been going on since the 1980s and more left to do. The main point is that even when the railyard moves, it takes some time to come up with a plan. 

The Kapyong Barracks developments is now decades in the making and only now getting started. While new housing and development is critical, it is important to think of the sustainability of what is being built. Does it have good traffic flow, enough green space, public space, housing, retail, restaurants and offices? Build a single focus development of housing and it may be a food desert. Put just a park in and it might be dangerous with no people in it at various times a day.

The CPKC yard should not be moved unless it is make economic sense for the company and the city. If they are moving to the CentrePort then it by all means is sensible. If the rail company is moving then the area will be clear and it totally make sense to extend the roads where tracks once stood. And thereafter create a development plan to service the area lest the empty areas see people build with no permission.

There have been some times lately when open spaces have led to people building their own places. The area behind Grant Park was built up by the Metis only to have it taken away. This raises the question of whether CPKC land might be purchased by indigenous groups. It is entirely possible. Still, the issue is what sort of plan will be followed and how the costs will be covered. 

It is possible that Axworthy will present a very ambitious plan only for the next federal government to torpedo it. The Martin government had an agreement for indigenous supports that the Harper government cancelled. It is possible this could happen as well. Still, it is better to have a plan even though this has been discussed for over 60 years. At some point, the railyard might move and they may seek partners in doing so. It would be better to have thought deeply on this and maybe incentivize it. 

Until then, the question of rebuilding overpasses will remain. Hold off because you won't need or let two areas of the city be cut off from one another?

True North Puts Bid in for Portage Place

Well, here we are again. Portage Place has received an offer locally this time from Jets ownership and the True North partnership.  The price had dropped like a stone. Starlight had offered just under $70 million that included the mall, parkade and skywalks. The mall owned by B.C. developer Spruceland Mall Limited Partnership (formerly Peterson Group and Peter Young) was valued around $22.5 million. The parkade and land lease which is owned by Forks North Portage Partnership around $47 million.

True North has bid $34.5 million for parkade and land lease. A separate deal has to be struck for the mall. It appears a number of groups have already signed off on the deal including The Forks, the province and the feds. A number of social agencies have said the deal should be rejected and the negotiations with First Nations and Metis should be begin. However, in two years no one (and that means no one) has actually stepped forward with any type of proposal till now. There have been wish lists but no actual plan.

The True North Real Estate Development is the lead on the proposal and consultations are allotted a 12 month window. Jim Ludlow, president of the company, has talked about deconstructing the mall, opening it up  and have housing as a component.  He says it won't be a mall anymore. Beyond that, I suppose it is anyone's guess what it will all turn out as. The one thing they have managed thus far is offering money and a timetable. The Forks North Portage agency has said there has be a re-evaluation of the monetary value of the site but they haven't released anything.

Social agencies have said the space should be open 24 hours and have laundry, showers and community space. Others have said affordable housing. A group of interested parties listed a number of things they wanted but no budget was given. It is likely they believed the three levels of government were going to hand over $400 million that Starlight wanted. However, if some of the governments balked at supporting that, they're not likely to going to hand two blocks to someone else with no plan in place or organization behind it.

Governments are more likely to back things like the Mclaren's Hotel's $12 million housing project to covert all the hotel's rooms in to 150 tiny homes with more modern amenities and and supports for under $550. Now that is a real project, with real management with real costs and timetable. It saves an old building and puts home pride behind it.

The Bay has a redevelopment plan coming and affordable housing is being supported there. And that truly is indigenous-led. The Metis have their Portage and Main development, a hotel planned and just finished social housing on Main Street. Treaty 1 has major work on the Kayong site. Is there an indigenous group ready to take over Portage Place with so much on the go already? If there are interested parties, maybe we will hear a counteroffer. However, nothing yet.

Criticism of True North simply to dismiss them does not solve the issue of Portage Place. Not at all. It remains for sale. Put up a workable plan. That is the benchmark for anyone and everyone out there. Don't ask for $400 million and not have any idea what you would do with it. Don't think you won't pay the mall owner and the parkade owner and get Portage Place for a $1. Unlike The Bay, the building is not nearly as distressed as the department store was. There is value there and saying it is worthless is dishonest.

A few critics blamed the Jets for gentrifying the area making the downtown too expensive. Some are still upset the Eaton's building was torn down. Some blame capitalism, colonialism and and a host of other things. This all might be true. But it doesn't offer solutions. Making up a shopping list of fixes if the goals are not achievable or sustainable is an exercise in frustration. Asking for housing where there are units with washers/dryers, dishwashers, two bedrooms+, pet friendly with utilities included for $600 a month may not support the maintenance of the building in the future. Just ask Lion's Place. A real plan is needed.

Truth is we need tens of thousands of units built every year for years to come. The best strategy might be to support renters and buyers directly rather than getting into building government structures. We have already seen the University of Winnipeg develop several buildings with market rate and below market rate rents. It has formed a cluster of apartments all around the art gallery and more are coming.

Speed is of the essence. It can take years upon years to get something approved. And people can be very contrarian. Many say they support more housing but not near them. This was from a 2023 poll in Toronto and is reflective of the whole country. Almost every housing project seems to draw a long zoning debate even if it is adding space to your own home. In recent months, density has been considered a threat. Thirty years ago most older neighbourhoods had more people living in them now and were considered good places to live.

Portage Place mall has been in place for 36 years and has had pads atop east and west and no apartments ever built. They money siphoned off to The Forks since 1994 could have made a difference. But then maybe we would be talking about how The Forks went under. Our large downtown has meant focus on developments is ever shifting. A crisis happens in a new place every decade. The development on north Portage had quite a lot of housing built but those final two spaces remained empty. And cash spent on the parking never went to anything else on north Portage. It is easy to see why disdain for the area grew as nothing was ever re-invested.

From the perspective of True North Real Estate, Portage Place represents a distressed asset across from all of of their developments. The most important part of the mall is the 1000 car parkade. Without it, no deal can be made. The parkade is the jewel in the crown. It makes money. It has always made money. It just doesn't have money go to mall owners. That changes if all of Portage Place is owned by one entity instead of several. I have lots of questions about the $34.5 million of the parkade and land rights sale going to The Forks but will save for another post.

The mall itself has little value but it will have to be paid something to the tune of under $20 million. Portage Place has been for sale for years but it does have some fine tenants like Prairie Theatre Exchange and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, dental offices, phone companies, university offices and Expo Live. But there are too many retail vacancies and the food court is considered is struggling as well.

Some people have said they think True North is nuts to buy Portage Place but the money spent can be made back on the parkade alone. Taken from hints from what Jim Ludlow has said, it is very likely the mall will be broken up with Edmonton Street once again passing through to the other side. It won't be a motorway in the traditional sense. Likely, it will be one lane only with wide sidewalks connecting to the Promenade on the other side. A second floor enclosed skywalk will fulfill the government's request to maintain connectivity all the way to The Bay. However, it also is an important link for the True North's arena to have direct connection to the 1000 indoor parking spaces of Portage Place.

The interesting part will be the west portion of Portage Place. It is the widest section, also has a pad for a tower on it and has the walkway that goes all the way to The Bay which should have a plan announced soon. Is that west section big enough for a future arena? Now I know you are saying...hold on, we have an arena. Yes, we do but we also have two hockey teams. And Winnipeg Ice are looking for a new home. Do we also get a lacrosse team? A basketball team? A women's hockey team? Could we be looking at two arenas? Don't rule it out. 

The entire length of Portage Avenue is important to the vitality of downtown. The entire reason for Portage Place's development was that while south Portage Avenue was vital with stores, north Portage was seeing more vacancies and in some cases, one building burned down and wasn't replaced. There were some bright spots to be sure such as Kennedy Street and some specialty shops but no new investments and a few hotels that were particularly rough.

By 1980, Manitoba was in a deep recession. Huge businesses had shut down. The first of tens of thousands of people were leaving the province, moving headquarters, closing factories and production. It was awful. In 1981, the Core Area Initiative was formed as a three levels of government program to cover a huge amount the inner city with a budget of $196 million over ten years. That is $600 million in today's dollars. Led by Lloyd Axworthy from the federal side, this was the creative force behind housing renewal all over the inner city, The Forks, Portage Place, social programming and private investments from Air Canada, Investor's Group, Cadillac Fairview, small businesses everywhere, The program ended in 1991 and by 1994, The Forks was almost bankrupt. 

A new Winnipeg Development Agreement was made from 1996 to 2001 but it was city-wide and did not carry on with nearly as much money. At $75 million, it went fast and when support ended, some projects began to whither just like The Forks did in 1994 without money from some other revenue sources. From 2001 on most city councillors have been focused on massive infrastructure further and further away from centre of the city. 

Places like Portage Place and North Portage have been stuck. The mall owner doesn't want to invest too much because they can't make the margins that other malls make. And since they didn't own the land, there was far fewer reason to change the building to another function. True North has worked on several building projects both north and south of Portage Avenue. They have been working on indigenous partnerships as a business longer than many companies. They have also been able to leverage money from governments for projects and other private businesses have joined in on the efforts.

The last time North Portage was shown some love tens of millions was spent by other businesses and organization. The criticism of the mall ignores the hundreds of housing units built. It ignores the hotel built, Investors Group moving its headquarters there, the Free Press building being restored to government offices, IBM building offices, Winnipeg's first IMAX, Prairie Theatre Exchange and Air Canada offices. 

It is unlikely that True North will abandon if they take the reins. And they certainly won't transfer future revenue to The Forks like what has been happening since 1994. It will be interesting to see what happens from here but these are no carpetbaggers like the last bunch who came to town to fleece the taxpayers. The Chipmans and True North have added considerably to the employment, tax base and downtown since 2011.

Predictions for 2014 in Winnipeg Part 2

In politics, we have one main election happening this year barring any snap elections of the provincial and federal levels.

The civic elections happens in October of 2014. A number of people have indicated interest. Many of those people will pull out when the realities of resigning from their positions on council to run for mayor look decidedly poor.

Having said that, I predict:

* Dogfights for two open city council seats in St. James and St. Boniface with a possibility of at least two more in places like Tuxedo and River Heights.

* Mayor Katz will announce at the very last minute that he won't be running in the upcoming election and will cite family and business as the reason plus achieving all his goals. 2014 will be a repeat of the previous years of questions regarding financial management.

* The stepping down of the mayor will cause the next mayoral vote to be one of the largest slate of candidates in Winnipeg history. The next mayor of Winnipeg will be Jeff Browaty who will land the endorsement of other councillors who chose not to run. Browaty will count on Conservative voters but will reach out to Liberals to undercut and divide center and left of center voters.

* On the provincial side of things, the provincial NDP will mount an advertising campaign using government moment for every department in an attempt to turnaround poor polling numbers. Toward the end of the year, Greg Selinger will announce that after 25 years of politics, he is stepping down and that a leadership campaign will replace him ahead of a provincial election in 2015. Sometime after the provincial election, Selinger will return to the University of Manitoba as professor.

* Christine Melnick will announce she is not running for the provincial NDP in the next election. She will be joined by a few more from her party as well. 

* In 2014, Vic Toews will become President of the University of Winnipeg.

* On the federal level, James Bezan will announce he is not running for the federal Conservative after 10 years in office for Selkirk-Interlake. He will be joined by Joy Smith who will also have served 10 years as MP for the Tories for Kildonan-St.Paul. Steven Fletcher will be challenged for the nomination in Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia.

New University of Winnipeg Housing

New 14 storey apartment behind Buhler Building

The expansion of the University of Winnipeg campus continues at a torrid pace courtesy of its benefactors in government and private donors. The athletic fieldhouse is still under construction with an opening in 2014 scheduled. However, hot the heels of that project is the announcement of the an apartment complex to be constructed south of the Buhler Centre on Portage Avenue.

Parking lot behind Buhler Centre site for apartments

The province of Manitoba is the funder for this $27 million project. At 14 storeys, it will be the tallest building in the University of Winnipeg campus. The 112,000 square foot space will house 102 apartments ranging from 1 through 3 bedrooms. The whole set up on the facility will be for students, many with families, to find accommodation that will match their income. 46 units will be low income, 32 will be rent geared to income, 56 will be market rates with 16 of those being premium units.

This will be somewhat of an experiment as social workers have been taking the government to task for warehousing lower income people in buildings that get run down due to the fact that it feels like it isn't doing any favours for those in need. What social workers have proposed is that a few units of every apartment development be designated for lower incomes or geared to income.

There are some that believe that lower income anywhere will be bad. But is this really true? Osborne Village is a mixed income area. You have posh Wellington Crescent condos and lower income rental units in a high density area and what do they call it: Canada's best neighbourhood.

The loss of a surface parking lot for student housing is a very good thing and it will be interesting to see how the experiment pans out.  The province says the project is self financing and the University of Winnipeg says they will partner with a co-op to run the place and it won't affect the institution's budget. It is possible this is the model of how to leverage money to get work done that will pay for itself. It remains to be seen.

Still, there needs to be something different than Manitoba Housing done. The province could simply put up a $27 million apartment for strictly lower income and not have the same impact as this project will have.

There will quite a number of people watching the project with a critical eye but it could be something that changes how we approach housing for people in the future.

Oil Through Churchill

Oil pipeline across Manitoba

Make no mistake...oil is going across Manitoba now. It is shipped by truck, rail and pipe. We are likely to see even more over the next few years.

The increases in rail and truck traffic has spiked enormously. Literally tens of thousands of tankers are moving across North America filled with oil where just even a few years ago almost nothing went that way.

As Lac Megantic can attest to, there are dangers involved that need to be addressed.

You don't have to be a wooly eyed environmentalist to be horrified by loss of life and destruction that happened in Quebec. Seems a pretty high cost of doing business.

And oil spills from pipelines seem to happen with regularity as do refinery disasters.

The long terms costs to the environment and to people's health are well known. Smog and particulate matter are undeniable. Water contamination is a fact. And scientists say our need for oil comes at the cost of global warming.

Most of the increase in rail oil traffc has happened without anyone knowing about it. It should not be surprising given that pipeline approvals are slow or not coming at all. The insatiable demand for oil had suppliers seek out other methods of transporation.

The state of North Dakota has lept up to become the second largest oil producer in the U.S. in a very. very short time. Only Texas is bigger now. Unlike Texas though which has built pipelines and supply routes over a long time, North Dakota is experiencing boom growth that outpaces present infrastructure. The rail lines in the area were set up for agriculture not oil. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Rail has announced hundreds of millions of rail expansion for the area.

Pipelines just aren't getting approved or built fast enough.

The people who have successful blocked pipeline development probaby had no idea that rail traffic would leap to 500,000 tankers of oil this year from a few thousand maybe even five years go.

According to some environmentalists, there is no safe way to transport oil and that every drop burned is destruction of lives and eco-system. This might be true. However, there are no alternatives that are cheaper or as easily available. Even reducing enegy needs doesn't make the need go away.

In short, the economy and people's lives depend on energy and no collectivist anti-development pro-environment opposition will change that.

So here is the conundrum: we need oil and people will suffer and die without it. The result of our need for oil is that people will suffer and die because of it. Yeesh. What to do?

 It seems clear that since oil is not going away too soon that government and industry have to take a stand on safety. If people feel they are easily sacrificed, they will resist at every turn oil exploration, transport logistics and general use that may affect them negatively.

Port of Churchill

The announcement that Omnitrax Canada is going to experiment with a shipment of oil from Alberta through the northern port of Churchill has got some environmentalist up in arms. Omnitrax has tried to keep the rail, port and Churchill Fuel Terminal viable as private enterprises but the main trade passing through for decades has been grain. In October, they hope to send oil via the deep water northern port via a 330,000 gallon tanker ship.

Many people forget how the federal government stepped back from investing in Churchill and the north. First the military pulled back and then space-based rocket testing and then it looked like the very lifeline of the port, rail and grain trade was about to end. Lloyd Axworthy helped with the privatization that saw big U.S. operator Omnitrax take over.

Town of Churchill

The Town of Churchill depends completely on the rail link and the port for its long term success.

Presently, Omnitrax is completing a $2 million construction project to accommodate the new oil business. They also announced that former Brandon Member of Parliament Merv Tweed is becoming President of Omnitrax at the same time. Tweed announced his resignation as MP and hours later he was standing out front with his new job.

It is only two years ago that Brad Chase, formerly an exec at Kleyson took over the top Omnitrax job in Winnipeg with its 16 employees on Carlton Street.

Obviously, the heavy duty politics of having 10 ships a year pick up over 3 million barrels of oil a year using the rail, port and fuel terminal needed an inside guy to shepherd it through. Tweed, with his Conservative connections and loyal service to Stephen Harper, seems to fit the bill.

On the face of it, it would seem that federal Conservatives would embrace a new transport route for oil via the north. Stephen Harper travels to the area every year making announcements about how important the area is. It is true that tens of millions have been spent on the route to Churchill from the The Pas as well as port improvements. However, the prime minister has fallen short of re-establishing a permanent military presence in Churchill for both the navy and air force.

Instead Harper has announced three different military bases for Resolute, Nanisvik and Iqaluit. None are established and ships that were supposed to be ready this year have not even begun construction. Snowmobiles won't be purchased till 2021 and there are no plans to replace the rifle that ranger use which go back to World War I.

It is seven years of unfulfilled promises in the north but it meat for the partisan masses in the south in that it all sounds good.

The focus should have been for the military to make sure Churchill became the navy port of the north. It is already a deep water civilian port. It is where any icebreaker and tugs should be based and the launching point for economic development and the establishment of a security and rescue presence.

But back to oil...

Churchill's fuel depot already receives oil along the rail line. Over the last 15 years, it has received 2.5 million barrels of mostly gas and diesel over the rail line. Still, it is a big difference receiving those type of deliveries every year not to mention the shipping aspect through Hudson's Bay.

I'll repeat that: Omnitrax wants to transport 3 million barrels over softening permafrost for a shipping season that is growing but is still four months long.

The tracks will need greater monitoring, more safety checks and lots of consultation. It appears that many people in Churchill might support the movement of oil through the port. Others don't even want the fuels that comes through now and might even support closing the rail link to the port for environmental reasons.

It will be a battle for sure and it might be one that Omnitrax might not win. And if it doesn't, is the future of northern Manitoba in jeopardy? If the grain industry declines at the port, the very lifeblood of the rail and port could falter. I don't think the government will buy the rail and port back if private industry fails.

Things might move faster than anyone realizes as it seems rail traffic and oil is growing swiftly.

This could be a very good thing for Manitoba. It could also be terrible if a disaster happens as a result of transporting oil through vulnerable areas. But why should the north not have economic activity that happens every day in the south?

Lip service can't be given to safety and environmental concerns but nor should the impact on the economy.

The government needs to be strong and represent all the interests of the province both economic and environmental. It remains to be seen whether the provincial NDP or the federal Conservatives are prepared to do that.

Both seem very nervous about the prospect of a lot of oil heading through North America's only deep water port in the north.

Kapyong, Kapyong, Kapyong

The battle for Kapyong continues.

It has been characterized in the media again as a victory for the First Nations against the federal government. But it is more complicated than that.

What the federal ruling said was that the federal government must negotiate in a meaningful way with First Nations in regards to surplus land as part of a 1997 agreement. The land claim is not settled. No transfer was ordered. In fact, the judge stated clearly that no transfer to First Nations was automatically in the offing. Further legal wrangling was suggested as being a possible outcome.

In layman's terms, no deal happening yet.

The court says talk. Or appeal to a higher court. We'll see.

The Princess Patricias left the base in 2004 for CFB Shilo. The Liberal government had been in contact with the First Nations in regards to the land from 2001 to 2004 about its disposition. However, it should be noted that Liberal MPs in Manitoba were far more focused on not seeing all of Manitoba's military bases close.

In 1992, CFB Portage la Prairie closed. And in 2001, CFB Shilo sat empty after Germany repatriated training to home territory. They had used the base for thousands from 1974 onward.

CFB Winnipeg's Kapyongs Barracks required costly upgrades and the feeling was that moving the Princess Patricia's to Edmonton to join the rest of the battalion was the best option.

The Free Press mentions that some Liberals were involved in that discussion surrounding the base and the military unit. This is true. However, let's not forget the timeline. Lloyd Axworthy left Ottawa in 2000. At no time would he have had the chance to discuss what was to happen to Kapyong. Ron Duhamel died in 2002 and was sick in that year. Rey Paktagan lost his seat in 2004, the year the Princess Patricia's left the barracks.

My understanding is the latter two Liberal MPs were part of the caucus push to save the military presence in Manitoba. And to that end, they were successful in halting the transfer of the Princess Patricia's to Edmonton along with the area MPs Reg Alcock and Anita Neville.

There were some preliminary discussions in regards to the lands from 2001 to 2004 between but no one was sure exactly how much land might be available or might be absorbed by CFB Winnipeg's military air unit. In other words, the thinking was that some of the land would become surplus but the houses and possibly Lipsett Hall would still be needed by the base. And in fact, that has been the case. Many of the military houses are in fact occupied by Royal Canadian Air Force members.

Lipsett Hall was used up till 2009 by Canada's national volleyball team.

It is fair to say that no discussions of any kind took place in 2005. However, it can also be said that the Liberal government at the time was not attempting to sell or transfer the lands either.

Or were they? If we accept that the 1997 federal obligation was to negotiate land settlements for surplus land and that Kapyong was declared surplus in 2001 with final departure of the military from the site in 2004, how is it that part of the base was transferred to the city of Winnipeg in that year for construction of the Kenaston underpass?

 Kenaston Underpass, land transferred to the city in 2004

If you examine the picture above, you will note that land on both the west and east side was transferred to the city for the underpass.

Now this was Reg Alcock's main infrastructure project and it required land from the military base to achieve it. Additional lanes were carved out of the east and west side of the base. The underpass cost $43 million and built between 2004 and 2006.

Now my question is: If the base was declared surplus in 2001 and the military left in 2004, how is it part of the base was sold to the city that year? Who was paid for it? The military? The federal government? No money changed hands?

Now, I am not arguing against the underpass. Anyone who waited for two trains to pass only to get hit by a third train probably fully understands why the need was there. But how was the land made available?

If it was so easy to transfer land without dealing with surplus land issue, why couldn't the city get three lanes each way all down Kenaston?

The only conclusion I can make is that the land was kept off the books when it  transferred to the city. Because in all honesty, shouldn't the land have been part of the overall surplus Kapyong property?

Makes for an interesting legal argument, doesn't it.

But let's get back to the Free Press and Liberals in regards to Kapyong. At least one of the Liberals mentioned could have had nothing to do with Kapyong being declared surplus and other two were out office by 2004 while the base was still in use.

If Reg Alcock were alive, it might be revealing to ask how Kapyong land was extracted for the underpass.

By 2006, the Liberals were out of office. Why did nothing happen with the base in 2005? My only conclusion is that everyone was distracted by the impending election. And with the underpass under construction through till 2006, it is possible the Liberals didn't want questions about they sold part of the base already under our noses.

It is only in 2007 when the Harper Tories began the transfer of the base as a whole to Canada Lands without consulting the First Nations that the real proverbial pile hit the fan. Unlike prior Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments that signed agreements to transfer urban lands to First Nations, Vic Toews sought to sell the land as strategic land rather than surplus land.

In the end, the court in 2012 believes the government failed in its obligation under Treaty 1 to negotiate meaningfully.

And round and round it goes.

This has been through three rounds in the courts. More could come.

The resignation of the PC Youth president over inflammatory remarks that some say are racist demonstrates the mindset in regards to a possible land transfer of Kapyong to First Nations. Even aboriginal leaders are sensitive to the use of "urban reserve" lest people believe the negative connotations of what reserves are like in Manitoba. Most leaders are careful to indicate that the area would be an economic zone not a transfer of the reserve population from old reserve to new reserve.

To be blunt, the First Nations want the land to generate income.

It remains to be seen whether a deal can be made. The fears are through the roof that Kapyong might be full of crime, protests, roadblocks, poverty and who knows what else.

I don't think it will be but the Harper government certainly is acting like the last thing they want to see is the First Nations get the land.

I think in the end, Winnipeggers want the land used wisely and that the Kenaston be widened. Throw in a service agreement for water, sewer and roads and city politicians should say: "done deal."

The Bay and University of Winnipeg

The Bay downtown future home to University of Winnipeg.

It seems a deal to good to pass up. The Bay has approached the University of Winnipeg and offered them the two and half floors for an aboriginal under-graduate and graduate studies program.

It is an exciting opportunity to be sure but given the largest expansion of the University of Winnipeg in history is already underway, one wonders if the money is there or the ability to offer programming that can be sustained long term. The amount of space at The Bay is huge. Off hand, I don't know if the present aboriginal programming at the U of W could fill such an expansive site. I'm sure the itemized list could include the Aboriginal Student Services Centre (ASSC) and the Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre as well as offices of professors and some classroom and lab space. However, each floor is over 70,000 square feet.

University officials have said that they will need to talk to private partners and for this to work, there is no doubt that talk with First Nations, the province and the federal government is essential. Perhaps if they hurry, they could convince Yellowquill College to move from Assiniboine Avenue before they go to the Polo Park aboriginal site.

It is possible with this type of cooperation, a super center for aboriginal education could be established.

It won't be easy but lately we have come to expect a lot from Lloyd Axworthy and the University of Winnipeg in terms of dynamic school in the downtown area.



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University of Winnipeg Part 2

Leave it to Lloyd Axworthy. He seems to be able to shake major donors of cash by the ankles to cough up for major projects.

The latest money extracted from a donor comes from the Buhlers. The $4 million donated by them for the new building at the site of the United Army Navy Surplus location is the largest private donation in the university's history.

The Buhler Centre is the future location of the continuing education department and the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art.

Continuing Education has moved around the downtown multiple times, six at last count. This should finally give them the permanent home they deserve.

While all the building has been a good thing, I hope the university doesn't forget the need to keep programs running at a high level and watch for deficits in keeping the university running. Some of those deficits can be from not getting a handle on pensions, salaries and benefits.

Still, I don't want this post to be a downer. The University of Winnipeg has made an number of announcements in regards to expansion, programming and the like which deserve kudos.



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Portage Avenue Part 1

Picture taken by niceheart. Note: Holt Renfrew closed in 2007.

Portage Place was built in 1987 after a long debate as to how to best rehabilitate North Portage Avenue.

Lloyd Axworthy, the driving force behind the Core Area Initiative in 1981, was the minister charged with the federal response to Portage Avenue's decline. In 1980, Winnipeg was hit with a series of devastating economic hits. The Winnipeg Tribune had shut down as well as the Swift's and Canada Packers plants. It threw thousands out of work and that was just a few of the prominent businesses that closed during the recession at that time.

Axworthy spearheaded a tri-government agreement called the North Portage Development Corporation and although Axworthy advocated for an arena, the city rejected it in favour of an enclosed mall. A deal was signed but Axworthy was not there to follow it up. His government was ousted by Mulroney and while the Tories axed many of the Liberal projects in Winnipeg including the underpass at Waverley and the National Research Council lab on Ellice, they let the mall proceed.

It appears that the Portage Place land acquisition was too far along for Mulroney to cancel (although many thought the same thing about the NRC lab since the building was complete). Before Axworthy lost his job, he was able to get the funding and construction started on the Air Canada building at 355 Portage Avenue. It was completed in 1985, two years before Portage Place was constructed.

At the same time Portage Place was being constructed, Investors Group was looking to consolidate its people spread out over several offices in Winnipeg. For many years, they occupied elegant headquarters in a Broadway office tower built in 1962. Even now the building and design reminds one of the series Mad Men.

The new building, attached by skywalk to the mall, has peaked roof and a brick design. It was completed in the same year at Portage Place.

The concept behind the mall was to somehow bring retail success to the north side of Portage to mimic what was still happening on the south side. It was believed that connecting the north side by skywalks to The Bay and Eaton's would be key to that success.

(to be continued)



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University of Winnipeg Part 1

The University of Winnipeg has been on a bit of a roll as of late. It is a bit of a change since 2003 when Constance Rooke, the fifth president of the university was fired. The university was crippled by cutbacks, faculty unhappiness and administrative problems. The future didn't look bright.

Through three presidents from Robin Farquhar (1981 to 1989), Marsha Hanen (1989-1999) and Constance Cooke (1999-2003), the U of W has had its funding chipped away at and yet still somehow managed to stay fairly well rated in Maclean's annual survey.

There were few triumphs in regards to campus life aside from the Athletic Center ( later named the Duckworth Center).

Constance Rooke tried to be creative with financing but ended up alienating faculty and the powers that be above her. One of her creative adventures was to buy some of the houses in and around Spence Street for student housing. While this may have been good for some of the students, it was probably the last straw when it came to her job.

Lloyd Axworthy left politics in 2000 and took a job with the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Issues in British Columbia. In 2004, he accepted the job of president of the University of Winnipeg. It was the return of the prodigal son in many ways. Axworthy had taught at the university many years earlier before and it seemed a natural fit once he was out of office.

While there must have been great hopes that a man of Axworthy's stature would enhance the reputation of the University of Winnipeg, I don't think anyone realized that he would embark on some of the most exciting changes the university has seen in decades.

Since 2004, the university has not only initiated one of the largest brick and mortar repair and expansion projects but has created new faculties and enhanced others.

For some time, the front of the university facing on to Portage Avenue was a dangerous place to be. Not only did someone risk being assaulted by people seeking money or worse, there was also a danger of getting conked on the head by a piece of masonry from the Collegiate.

Axworthy was able to get increased funding for a three pronged attack that repaired the masonry, revamped the green space in the front of the university and increased security. For many years mesh held back falling rock atop the Collegiate. It was a constant reminder of the sad sack state of affairs in terms of infrastructure at the campus.

The frontage out to Portage Avenue has been rejuvenated completely and now with the addition of the closure of Spence Street, we are seeing a more pedestrian friendly campus.

It remains to be seen whether the green space at the front of the university is going to be a place for students to hang out and sit in the sun as they once did prior to the makeover. This fall should give a pretty clear indication of whether the improvements are being utilized as they were intended.

(continued in Part 2)




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