Investment Canada Conference This Week

Call it speed dating for investment. The two day summit brings investment banks, pension and sovereign funds to look at prospectus lists of projects across Canada that the government has said they are looking to push through with fewer obstacles than have existed for about a decade. In the past year Canada has led foreign investment in the G7. Both Mark Carney and Stephen Harper will be in attendance for the event and giving speeches as well as meeting with delegates.

Unlike when Chretien, Martin and Harper led Team Canada business travels around the world to sell Canadian goods and seek out investment in places across Asia primarily, this is inviting the business rather than just the political meet ups where we might be just looking to open up the tourist doors or seek out international students. This is cash and investment in multi-year projects.

Every province and territory has selected projects that are high up on their priorities but can't just be funded by government money. It was only a few years past when German leaders came to Canada pretty much begging to invest in LNG to breakaway from Russian energy. Trudeau said nope. Said there wasn't a market for it and along with some in his cabinet, had the attitude of "keep it in the ground."

There were exceptions to this when private money dried up and anger boiled to the surface, especially in Alberta, that Trans-Mountain was built with federal government money. It hasn't quelled some in Alberta of anger but it is noteworthy that the pipeline to the coast brings in more money than the pipelines to the states. It is also worth commenting that it is the United States which has been the biggest obstacle to pipelines south over 12 years. Regardless, Canada was turning away investment or slow walking decisions that easily could run a decade or more.

It wasn't the only government doing this. Provincial and municipal governments literally stalled work on roads, highways, housing and hospitals. Things were literally falling apart and risk adverse governments and civil service often acted like this is just the way it was. Many had pet projects that came ahead of other crumbling infrastructure. In Winnipeg that would Kenaston and Peguis road expansion over sewer treatment. Every lower level government believed the federal fairy godmother would hand cash over so they could build new infrastructure.

To be sure the Feds have committed money to provinces and cities but they are pushing those governments to commit to bringing forward projects that outside investors will sign up for. In the case of Manitoba, that would be the Port of Churchill expansion. There is not an area of the province this wouldn't help. As for Winnipeg, the biggest areas for international investors have to be the airport and Centreport. Ottawa seems confident that some memorandums and announcements are coming in the next days. To be sure the Churchill investment might be the biggest of the bunch if it comes.

There have been some critics but it is getting harder to separate the cranks from legitimate critical thinkers. Not to mention who in the commentariat that actually be a paid disturber from third parties trying to sow discontent in society. Actual agents. In other words, people you might not be able to trust under any circumstances. During this investment conference, I will be looking to a variety of notable opinions. What I will be looking at is the creation of new businesses, investments in big projects and less takeovers by large corporations. We really don't need startups in Canada being folded up into the U.S. and literally shut down here. I also don't want to investment solely to try and enter the U.S. market as a back door for supply chain elsewhere. I'm also not interested in seeing a lithium mine here open where all the product is owned and shipped out of Canada.

It will be interesting to see what happens and in some cases, announcements may be pending in the days and months that follow. This isn't the only part of Canada's economy strategy. Canada has recruited academic stars, many from the U.S., who come to the country because of funding and freedom to do their work. Military and infrastructure projects abound. Most provinces have generational investments being planned or in progress. And a lot of cities of transportation and road and sewer projects. All of this can lead to bond investments. They can't all be done on taxes at once.

Some union and labour protestors will be present railing against capitalism. Some of them seem to forget that the car industry depends on investment. While some have legitimate concerns, the issue is they don't often bring any plans to the fore except government spending which is unsustainable. So often this turns into heavy taxation and state planning. It is notable that Wab Kinew is part of initiative with Carney to bring investment. There simply isn't enough tax money to do a project like Churchill without investment coming in.

It is probably good to take a measured approach to this conference. The merits of any announcements will be a good exercise in assessing the good overall or the bad as well. What shouldn't happen is outright dismissal or demands to see the entire details even before the day has started. That is just posturing and we are seeing a lot of that from lobbyists, influencers and those seeking to harm Canada.

Ralph Cantafio Gets a $8.5 million Soccer Upgrade

It is difficult to say why the Valour FC went out of business. A mediocre record over the years, an ownership base that meant well but was not dedicated beyond measure to the product, an oversized stadium, a TV deal that didn't get enough eyeballs on it and other things ganged up on the team and Bomber management put the lights out. It was sad given the mighty support of a group of fans and for Winnipeg's overall sports legacy.

A team must have a dedicated ownership, a facility to generate revenue, a TV deal and a stable league. In women's soccer, former professional and national women superstars are leading the charge of a league that is growing. The Northern Super League for women has done all those things. This was was the inaugurals year with six teams and Winnipeg had already been announced as the seventh team with Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex as home.

The women's national soccer team got its start back in 1986 at that facility and over the years, it has hosted a number of men's teams and still does. However, the two pitches have only 2,000 seats and 750 seats. Not nearly enough. It is curious that the University Stadium (formerly Pan Am Stadium) wasn't used which has 5,000 seats but it could have to do with how to monetize it. Too many teams suffer because they need to be able to extract every dime from a facility and the university is the one that owns the place now along with whatever concessions. It also has its own teams using the facility.

Built in 1991, the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex has been the go to for Winnipeg's soccer needs and been the place to act as FIFA training pitch and host to various sports events like the Canada Games. It fit the needs accordingly. In recent years it seemed like it was on a long list of city facilities in need of a purposed and an upgrade. The arrival of a professional national women's team was the right time to go to funders to do the job.

The new NSL team has no name yet. That will come later when the kit and marketing of tickets happens. In the mean time, the facility gets FIFA turf, lights and covered stand seating for 4,500. The federal government has been announcing spending on recreational facilities all over Canada and investing in athletes as well. It is part of generational spending on areas of the country that may have not seen investment between 30 and 50 years.

Soccer, despite thoughts to the contrary, is the most popular and accessible of sports in Canada. And yet we have only in recent years started to build indoor facilities so we can play year round. The outdoor facilities are usually small and shared with other sports such as football. Compared to the UK, Australia and the U.S., we have tiny facilities. That isn't an exaggeration. We may think we are big supporters of sports but compared to others, we are not.

The Valour FC really needed their own facility and revenue stream to succeed. How bad is it in Canada? Well, the Vancouver Whitecaps struggle with good crowds because they don't own their facility. In Toronto, the Toronto FC shared a football stadium with the Argonauts with Rogers owning the whole thing. It is a very small stadium for such a big city. Still, the federal government doesn't seem to be interested in helping Rogers, a massive corporation, from receiving a new building from the taxpayers.

Which brings us to Winnipeg. The expansion of women's soccer has exploded. The government sees it as an opportunity to get people active and a point of national unity. However, Winnipeg wasn't going to be ideal unless it could expands its misery small success complex. Moving yet another team, albeit female, into Princess Auto Stadium seemed a recipe for failure. That might one day be the future but it isn't there now. The right team for the right facility has to be the goal.

The Ralph Cantafio Success Complex is the right facility and getting the right pro team. By this time next year, the NSL should see success in Winnipeg. And soccer will continue to rise in the province as a result.

Google Needs to Replaced in Canada

Donald Trump changes the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America and every government map using Google in Canada lists it as Lake America. Let's assume that he renames Toronto Trumptown and as soon as it becomes official Google will call it Trumptown even in Canada.

Google can't fix it because they are an American company. Any name Trump chooses for Canada becomes what we see when we use maps provided by Google. That is everyone in Canada. And herein lies the problem with American companies controlling our data.

Trump can disrupt all all of Canada by putting in hundreds of names changes in Canada and Google will comply. Many government departments in provincial and federal government are being hammered today because it is now Lake America. It is embarrassing and infuriating for many in Canada..

It exposes a vulnerability that reveals Trump can cripple our online mapping system and Google will be a willing agent. Can there be any doubt he is howling with laughter about this?

The federal and provincial governments might mitigate this by fining Google $1 million every day they allow this to happen. If their mapping system is so easily effed up by presidential decrees, it is an instrument of terrorism on the rest of the world.

As a matter of national security, Canada needs to take over mapping and Google's error has to be the motivation for this and other data being brought home. And it isn't just Google who can have Trump play in their data to cause world chaos. We have to separate ourselves from their systems lest this happen over and over again.

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.

What Makes Winnipeg Great?

A lot of focus has been on the negative aspects of Winnipeg both in mainstream media and social media. Sometimes that results in very public announcements of people leaving or commenting about how happy they are since they left. Every now and again, there is someone who says just how much they love about this city or how glad they moved here.

Geographically, Winnipeg at the center of the country has been an important aspect of its attractiveness for business, cultural gatherings and shelter. The rivers were the key aspect of that growth but it was when the railways came that the city's development took off. It sometimes comes as a shock when people learn that Winnipeg was once the third largest city in Canada until the Panama Canal was built in 1913.

Ports by the sea or with access to the sea have always been attractive places for commerce as well as places to live. Steamboats travelled all the way from Winnipeg to St. Paul Minnesota and back again. However, the rivers were shallow, winding and frozen part of the year. After 50 years, railways changed all that. And all rails led to and ran from Winnipeg.

The dynamic of trade changed as well from north to south. The Canadian Pacific meant east to west travel exploded and those railways lines continued to help the city prosper although cargo, rather than passengers were the big economic driver. Air and road service became the other important developments. The first international flight in North America was from Minneapolis to Winnipeg.

Early boosterism in Winnipeg and Manitoba in general was about land. The flat plains of the Red River Valley and the rivers that met at The Forks were ideal for commerce and travel. It is what made the city great. The trails that grew from settlements that expanded from the forts became the next great thing for the city's growth. While the first fort was built near the Red and Assiniboine, the first business independent of the Hudson Bay Company decided to open at the corner of the Portage and Main oxcart paths in 1862. The province had not even been formed yet.

Nothing really except for the land and the resources gave indication of how great Winnipeg would be. It was a harsh climate at any time of the year. Literally everything had to be brought in by boat or trail because the land was was not providing in abundance for a rapidly increasing population. And even the indigenous population was one that followed game north to sound across the seasons.

The permanent settlements were one of hardship due to extreme temperatures, flooding, insects and disease. The fifty years of transport by water or trail was slow going in terms of development. Funnily enough, the first locomotive arrived in Winnipeg via steamboat. It began the longest era of greatness with explosive growth from 1879 through to 1913. Thereafter, growth was still propelled by railway but not as the boom levels once seen. The building of the Panama Canal meant that traffic could bypass the railway and arrive by ship in Vancouver. Everything didn't have to pass through Winnipeg anymore.

Given the traffic back and forth to Pembina, North Dakota and beyond via steamboat and then rail, it is only the the coming of the Canadian Pacific Rail that re-arranged the dynamic of east to west than south to north. This took place in 1881 when the railway and bridge over the Red River brought huge amounts of people to the city. At least Winnipeg was incorporated by 1874 and had street planning and a nascent business community ready to go. Still, the growth was beyond crazy. Literally thousands of people poured into the city and then out to the country and to the new territories to the west.

All this made Winnipeg great because the economy and fortunes were on an upward trajectory. Still, the Panama Canal in 1913 and World War I a year later in 1914 cut Winnipeg off from capital and immigration as the war ground on year after year. Add to this the Spanish Influenza and the Great Depression and you had a few generations dead to disease and war. And to cap it off World War II took another generation of young people in terms of death and injury.

One effect of the war was a level of industrialization and new population growth that lasted from 1945 to 1970. Many of the largest present-day companies like Manitoba Hydro, Canada Life (Great-West Life) and New Flyer and others grew out of this post-war industrialization. Many family run businesses grew and prospered. Even through the 1970s, Winnipeg was larger than Calgary and Edmonton but oil would soon change that.

Oil crashes in 1973 and 1979 along with inflation and a stagnant economy slowed growth, By 1980, Winnipeg was going through massive layoffs.  Even during this painful time economically, Winnipeg benefitted from a diverse workforce, tree-lined streets, good schools and a cultural vitality. Even during tough times new festivals were created, new school programs were introduced, new professional leagues of sports started and so on. This is an important thing to point out to those who might think that nothing was going on in the city. 

The diversity of the Winnipeg economy and stability of  it made it a fairly good place to raise a family. It was too easy to take for granted our universities and colleges that churned out graduates that became leading Canadian citizens in a multitude of fields. And many of the family businesses grew each decade to become national and international players. 

Winnipeg is still a leading destination for immigration. The province with its provincial nominee program has gone out and found people to come here and has jobs for them. Each decade has added to the depth of the population as well as the rich tapestry of shops, restaurants and businesses.

Winnipeg has had a long time reputation has been a tough city. Crime has long been listed as a problem. Still, anyone who knows the city is aware it isn't the entire city rife with violence. Crime has been coming down the last two years according to reports but it probably doesn't feel like it for those watching crimes take place in stores, buses and the like.

What makes the city great has been the citizen driven initiatives to help on addictions, housing and poverty. There have been shelters built, rehab centres, lower income housing and foundational support for programming and education. It has pushed governments to act as well. United Way Winnipeg punches above its weight in fundraising. The Winnipeg Foundation and other endowments donate as much as the United Way. But it has been a hard year for many charities that still have not recovered from the pandemic just as demand as increased so much.

Still, the thing that makes Winnipeg great is that the city continues to adapt and grow. It has had good times and bad times but not end times. There communities all over Canada with declining populations as people move elsewhere. Winnipeg is not one of them although the fastest growing areas in the suburbs and metropolitan area. This spreading of population is not sustainable economically. It is why attempts to do infill such as Seasons of Tuxedo are transforming former industrial land.

It is great to see parts of Winnipeg have a second coming. The East Yards, Fort Rouge Yards and Tuxedo Yards have all been converted to commercial and residential uses. The density in the city as well as most of the country has dropped as suburban and exurban residential growth has exploded. The fact industrial and parking space is being repurposed is very good. True North Square was built atop a parking lot. Portage Place is being converted to Pan Am Clinic and residential units.

The year 2026 is to be determined but a lot of projects started earlier will be completed or near completion in the new year. A lot of initiatives on addiction, housing and poverty will also be well underway. The trick this time is not to take breaks as we have in the past because things like homelessness and rising rent is in part a capacity and programming failure. Winnipeg went years without adding any rental units or put roadblocks so long that it took years to get anything built. 

Winnipeg in a fit of urban pride once had a campaign called One Great City which its own citizens mocked in song and commentary. However, on a all too frequent basis we do things that are great and make the city great. We can't rest on our laurels though but it is important to see the greatness from time to time. 

Abolish Photo Radar in Manitoba?

A protest movement in Toronto has had photo radar stands being cut down in the middle of the night over and over. The Ford government has always leaned on populist moves and have vowed to ban photo radar. Some municipalities are steaming mad as they use this money to fund policing. 

In Manitoba, only Winnipeg is allowed photo radar in selected areas. Other municipalities in the province have lobbied for it years and you can see why. In Winnipeg it generates between $12-$13 million a year and after expenses for new technology, around $8-$9 million. The province actually takes in more than they city. The company that operates the machinery makes $25 million or about $5 million a year.

The police love the program because it is passive income. The city and the province loves it as it is a money machine. Private industry loves it as they get paid for running it. The only ones who hate it are people who drive and get caught by cameras all over the place in construction or school zones or select other areas around traffic cameras or calming areas. The police don't even have to lift a finger for the program. They just get money.

To be clear, tickets are issued for speeding or going through red traffic lights. Critics say this quantifiably different than if a police officer issued a ticket for speeding through a school zone. For one, those tickets don't come with fines but demerits which takes years of save driving to get back. Enough demerits or severity of the incident could result in loss of license. Other charges might result. With photo radar, it is just a picture and a fine. 

It is part of a growing surveillance society. In some places like Dubai, China and Britain there are cameras everywhere. Many of them are owned by private entities. When combined with AI and facial recognition, it is possible to track people all day long. If the police talk to anyone and a camera records it, that record is kept forever. These are innocent people according to the law. China uses the system to rank people on their reliability.

This should be kept in mind when when thinking of the the growing use of bodycam video from officers. All the people who might be at a Santa Claus parade might be videoed and their images stored forever and sorted by AI for tracking. The rules on all this are hazy.

For photo radar, it is likely it spreads to the rest of the province. The amount of money coming in is too tempting. And while violations are being recorded, the sheer volume of information that AI can sort through and track is staggering.

The NDP in Manitoba now have the reins but could we see the provincial PCs adopt a view to end photo radar. If Doug Ford gains political capital for ending the program, it is highly likely we'll see other political leaders latch on to the idea as a way to boost numbers. To be sure it has caught on in the media about this passive-aggressive monitoring system hoovers in money. The Globe and Mail's columnist Andrew Coyne wrote about it recently.

The police hate traffic enforcement. In the past when chiefs in Winnipeg have asked patrols to issue at least two ticks a shift, the force reacts negatively. And while the service has a traffic enforcement division, most officers would likely argue they don't have time in their day to ticket parking in front of fire hydrants or in handicapped spaces. 

It isn't a stretch to think that photo radar could be expanded to any place in the province as a source of revenue for the province and the city. And if that works, why set up in on streets to ticket cars elsewhere for other offences? The frustration among some people in Ontario has led to the cutting down of photo radar stands.

So far we have seen the level of fury as we have in Ontario come to Manitoba. In recent days though fury has been directed at photo radar, bike lanes and parking. It is a slippery slope if Doug Ford moves to intervene in all those areas, is not possible that areas like toll booths, the demerit system and even car licensing and registration come into question. However, when an investigative reporter in Toronto reported that photo radar could result in a ticket for 1 kilometer over the speed limit, the result was outrage.

Lots of eyes are on the issue here in Manitoba. Cities and municipalities are desperate for this money. And while the argument is this is about the law, the one kilometer over the speed limit sounds like it is more about the money. If Ford finds electoral success from banning photo radar, can it be too long before we see a political party make it an issues here too.

Rogers Buys Bell Canada Enterprises Shares in Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment

Rogers has become the foremost teams and facility owner in Canada with the purchase of Bell's shares in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in Toronto. Rogers, which already owns 100% of the Toronto Blue Jay, will now take 75% ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto Argonauts, Toronto FC, Toronto Marlies (AHL), Raptors 905 (Mississauga) and Toronto FC II teams. Rogers also takes majority ownership of the Scotiabank Arena, OVO Athletic Centre and the Maple Leaf Square. Rogers already owns 100% Rogers Centre (Skydome) and facilities in Florida for the Blue Jays.

The reaction of the Toronto media has been full on over the top. Some are saying it is brilliant, others are concerned about so much power with one corporation and others convinced it doesn't create winners in Toronto sports. All of those things can be true. Toronto will only have two major sports franchises not owned by Rogers. The Professional Women's Hockey League team and the upcoming WNBA team. 

There are numerous sports ownership groups out there. Few are as entrenched in one city covering as many sports as Rogers now does. The only ownership they presently lack is a NFL team. Few have captured one city as well as Rogers. Some of the debt from the purchase Rogers has made should come from NBA expansion fees, renewal of NHL TV rights and facilities rentals for concerts and events to name a few areas. Sports franchises continue to rise in value all the time.

Bell retain TV rights for 20 years for hockey and basketball for CTV and TSN. This is probably the least the government would allow. Rogers having complete control would be awful. It would likely violate antitrust in Canada and possibly elsewhere. After Rogers gobbled up Shaw, the Canadian government of any political stripe is likely to frown on the company if the act like pigs.

Bell is massively in debt after investing in their 5G network. They also have kept their dividend going for 16 years. Their corporate media buy of CTV/TSN assets have not served them well and they have cut 1/4 quarter of their workforce. The amount of debt has been weighing them down. Selling the teams while retaining rights is likely the best way to reduce debt if that is what they plan to do. Paying a dividend and not reducing debt would be dumb.

Rogers also has debt. It is why they are selling Monday rights to NHL games in Canada to Amazon for the next two years. That starts this year. For cable cutters who have Rogers and Bell, it is yet another reasons to stop cable altogether. Amazon already does Thursday Night Football and hired veteran Al Michaels but they have been graced with trash games for the last year. The first game for the NHL on Amazon is a more promising Pittsburg Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. They will also be doing a NHL talk show on the network.

Bell can't seem to run the conglomerate they have. The heavy debt, huge corporate bonuses and large dividend means they don't run their assets very well. The rely on government subsidy and protection. The six big global ad companies led by Google and Facebook hoover all the ad money. This is a world-wide problem and the U.S and Europe are acting on in antirust. The Liberal government in Canada has helped subsidize news and taxed companies like Google. The Conservatives have indicated big changes are coming including the likely end of CBC. It is unclear if this helps internet, media and telecoms in in Canada. They could all be close to folding and asking for international buyouts in the next years.

Bell keeps begging the government for help but it is hard to be sympathetic when they always cut, always acquire businesses and then cut them and give their leadership bonuses while having large profits and asking the government for subsidies or loosened rules to acquire more and provide less.

There is talk Bell might sell the antenna real estate it has all over the country. They are already downsizing real estate assets they have. Lower interest rates should help them. However, it has literally been decades of high prices and cuts over the years.

Rogers could make the sporting assets a real money spinner but they also seem to acquire assets, debt and high fees with other cuts in service. Meanwhile, telecom competition is growing while profits remain high. It could be Rogers feels more heat if their teams are chronic underperformers.

CBC's Ismaila Alfa to Host Toronto's Metro Morning

The plum jobs for local radio broadcasting are morning slots in both private and public stations. While there are very good afternoon and evening broadcasts, if a radio station doesn't have its act together in the morning it will suffer the rest of the day.

Two radio hosts came on board in 2013. Marcy Markusa became host of Information Radio and Ismaila Alfa became host of Up to Speed. They had plenty of time to know the Portage Avenue studios of the radio station since they had been working for years there already making the 990/89.3 the top station in the city.

It was not easy. Nearly two decades earlier, CBC Radio was middle to lower end of the ratings. While there was excellence in programming, it was hard to shake the music-only habits of many listeners.

There is much that can wrong trying to come up with the right hosts for radio stations. First you want to build an audience. Get too impatient on that and make changes and it is like not waiting for talent on a hockey team take leadership.

By the time Markusa and Alfa came on board, they were able to slide into chairs with teams that would go into the corners for them. Ratings have been solid. However, morning shows are still everyone's key to success. But what do you do with two hosts that came on in the same year? In radio, you wait for a golden opportunity.

Sometimes that doesn't come in your market. Matt Galloway, the longtime and beloved host of Toronto's Metro Morning was bumped up to CBC's The Current, the national broadcaster's big joint in the AM. This left a huge hole top fill because the morning radio gig can turn into a decade or longer job.

Markusa, a lifelong Winnipegger has her dream job. But Alfa, by way of Nigeria, Edmonton and then Winnipeg must have been thinking: Morning jobs don't come up too often. Is Toronto the right fit? Given his musical background, genial disposition and advocacy, Alfa probably thought how exciting it might be to explore Toronto.

Auditions happened with some of the biggest names in TV and Radio CBC land and today Alfa announce he was taking on the spot at Metro Morning.  It is quite possible we'll still hear Alfa from time to time nationally. That's how it goes with CBC. You are fill in host for holidays and such so don't be surprised to hear Alfa on Q or The Current in years to come.

Winnipeg's loss is Toronto's gain. There are a list of people who might be good in the Up to Speed slot. I think CBC Manitoba has their eyes on someone already but they are likely letting some auditions take place before they announce.

It doesn't hurt to have CBC Manitoba people in the Big Smoke. In recent years they are often the first to correct Toronto born and bred types about Winnipeg and have zero tolerance for nabobs of ignorance.

Congratulations to Alfa. There is a reason why Winnipggers land top jobs. They are usually well rounded because they learn their craft with skilled people who take pride in what they do.

Boeing Aircraft in Winnipeg

We often get questions from elsewhere such as: What do you do in Winnipeg? It isn't innocent question. It is a loaded one that generally suggests that the person can't figure out how anyone lives in Winnipeg. In other words, what jobs exist there?

Well, the answer is that Winnipeg has a diversified economy. We have needed it to protect us from the vagaries of commodity prices, booms and busts in different business enterprises, a more difficult climate and geographic isolation.

In other words, we sell insurance to the point that a number of our companies are the nation's biggest. Over the decades we have come to dominate bus manufacturing. We have strong positions in ag manufacturing, services, trading. The e-commerce side has taken off. We punch above our weight in TV, film and production. Medical research is quite prominent.

We also build and repair aircraft. We have done it a long time. We're good at it. So much so that one of the biggest and most successful aircraft manufacturers Boeing has one of the biggest plants in North America here in Winnipeg. Not Montreal, not Toronto, not Calgary or Vancouver. Winnipeg.

Boeing is going through a patch right now but rest assured, Winnipeg will be part of its recovery. And they will always have the company of several other big players in the air business here.

So when someone asks what we do in Winnipeg, tell them we do everything here. And that's just the business side. You should ask about our weekends.

Ubisoft to Open Studio in Winnipeg

Ubisoft is one of the largest studios in the world in the development of video games with locations in 18 countries. It was founded in France in 1986 and established a studio in Montreal in 1997 with government help. Not often has this type of investment paid off the way it has but in Montreal, the studio has grown to over 3000 employees and is the creative drive behind many of the most popular games the company produces including Assassin's Creed and Far Cry. Quebec fought for and won the location over the company's first choice in New Brunswick.

Today, Ubisoft has five studios in Canada in Montreal, Quebec City, Saguenay, Toronto and Halifax. Ubisoft has closed operations in Charlottetown and notably, Vancouver. At present, there are no studios in western Canada although all four provinces have been lobbying hard for the company's next major investment. That comes to a close today as it will be announced that Winnipeg will be the home to Ubisoft's next studio.

Winnipeg will join the company's world-wide 35 studios and 12,000 employees in producing the popular games that easily out sell the biggest movies Hollywood produces. The attraction to Manitoba likely came in two ways: the first was that the Manitoba tax credit film, media and sound was retained into the future. There was some question why the government of Brian Pallister kept this in the last budget. Now we know. The 35-40% tax credit is a major selling point over the other western provinces. Just ask New Brunswick how they feel about losing Ubisoft to Quebec to know how big landing the company is. The second is: Winnipeg is home to a few winners in software development with Bold Commerce, Skip the Dishes, Invenia and Farmer's Edge. It also as some creative producers in film and TV as well as Red River College to help attract talent. That is nothing to say of the theatre departments of University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba.

It is unknown how many employees will end up working in Winnipeg at this point but recent studio add ons have started at 100 to 125. It is also unknown what projects Ubsioft the company Winnipeg would be working on. Some studios have started off small and have become the creative forces in developing games within their talent pools. It seems likely Winnipeg will start in support of larger operations initially.

A news conference is set for today. More details to follow.

It is now confirmed Winnipeg will start with 100 employees in a five year period at a location not yet disclosed. In Montreal, they have headquarters in a historic building. Given a lot of the movie industry as well as some of the tech sector is in the Exchange, expect to see a first look given to the area rather than building in an industrial park. Ubisoft is accepting applications from engineers, artists and other programmers starting immediately. Total investment announced is $35 million.

Sportsnet to End Stanley Cup Coverage If Leafs Lose

It is rumoured that Stanley Cup coverage on the main networks in Ontario is contingent on the Toronto Maple Leafs advancing in the play-offs. Network execs at the highest level met late night in a hotel following the Leafs loss to the Winnipeg Jets March 31st. The game's ratings tumbled as the Leaf's struggled alarming the network's advertisers.

Hockey Night in Canada's main coverage is dependent on the Toronto Maple Leafs doing well. The hosts and game coverage are geared to create the feeling that they are Canada's team even as they play other Canadian teams.

"You can't fault them," said an insider in the network said. "They paid a lot of money to make sure the Toronto Maple Leafs coverage gets the big ratings." At what point in the game senior executives from the network were on the phone arguing with Leaf's management about trying to get penalties and suspension for Winnipeg Jet's star Mark Schiefele over a collision with the Leaf's netminder.

The NHL is also worried about Maple Leaf's performance but have their own set of problems in that a perfect ratings scenario is Las Angeles Kings versus New York Rangers for the NBC network. However, NBC would settle for a Las Vegas Golden Knights western victor as it is a narrative they can sell. Toronto sports teams are always a major drag on American ratings as no one in the U.S. cares about Canadian teams.

The battle between Sportnet and NBC over which teams advance spells bad news for other markets. The NHL has done its resolute best to satisfy Sportsnet where the the bulk of the ratings are and NBC where the future is. NBC coverage also pushes up expansion fees which for Seattle are now $21 million per team.

If the Maple Leafs fail to advance, Stanley Cup broadcasts will drop in Ontario in favour of Toronto Blue Jays baseball which just had their home opener. Sportsnet executives says it is the only thing to do to stop a backlash against the network if Leafs are out. "There is no way we can show Winnipeg Jets games in Ontario," said an insider. "They are many in the network who feel the city should never have gotten a team in the first place. We have covering them. They are a downer for all our staff and fans, The Maple Leafs are Canada's teams. The only reason we cover the Vancouver Canucks is extend the broadcast late Saturday and talk about the Leaks more."

The situation for NBC is more dire. The loss of a few major market teams for the Stanley Cup play-offs means the network will switch to April's coverage of the Waiter and Bartender Games coming in April in Los Angeles. The games hosted by Kim Kardasian are expected to be a big ratings winner but the network is stymied on more coverage as they are obligated on hockey contracts. The only loophole is major market teams failing to qualify.

A final featuring the Winnipeg Jets would likely be pushed to a steaming service on NBC's lower tier or sold off to regional sports networks such as Buffalo and Hartford. In Canada, Sportsnet would a Jets final to Sportsnet 360 which has the lowest cable coverage in the country. "We simply have to have the Toronto Maple Leaf's in the final for the good of the country," said a network official speaking confidentially.

Polo Park Number 14 Mall in Canada 2017

In 2017, CF Polo Park continued to be one of the top malls in Canada based on sale poor square footage. As expected, Toronto took the top spot along with a few Vancouver malls rounding out the top 3. However, Winnipeg's largest mall came in at number 14 in the listings.

In other categories such as total square footage and most pedestrian traffic, none of Winnipeg's malls ranked in the top 10. Surprisingly, Garden City Shopping Centre had higher sales per square footage than St. Vital Centre. On the face of it, St. Vital has more retailers but obviously more does not equal higher sales.

There were no figures for the Outlet Collection Mall as it just opened this year.

The top four Winnipeg malls will all be dealing with the closure of Sears much like much of Canada. For malls like Polo Park, it represents an opportunity to land Nordstrom's or Simon's. The fully leasing of Polo Park's off campus building in the former Target takes that property off their books. HomeSense/Winners, 24-7 InTouch Call Centre and Cineplex's Odeon's Rec Centre moving in.

It will be interesting to see how replacing Sears in the top malls will affect sales. For some malls who saw Sears leave early on in their woes a few years ago, the sales jumped considerably.

The Retail Council of Canada which conducted the study indicates the Winnipeg has less retail than Alberta but more than Greater Vancouver. It will be interesting to see where the latest building of retails puts the city on the listing next year.

It is believed that Polo Park is looking at a major upgrade being announced soon with the redevelopment of Sears. Sometimes it is lost in the haze of the redevelopment of the old Zellers on the second floor that the mall has had the same decor for some time. It is going to be quite a whirl because four city malls will be in a race to fill their empty Sear space this year.

Sunrise Records Coming to Polo Park

There was a lot of sadness when HMV Records announced they were closing. For a time it seemed they were going to big enough and strong enough to last. In recent years they started losing money to changing tastes in how people consume media. Some if due to illegal file sharing but streaming music and video has meant consumers have chosen not to own but rather rent their collections.

HMV had tried to find areas of the market that they could make a profit in such as cultural goods that had a better mark-up. However, the leases inside the malls might have just been too pricey to make the numbers work. In the end, the company folded its tent and called it a day.

Manitobans would remiss if they thought this was the last multi-store record chain in Canada. Sunrise Records has been around since the 1970s and was once thought of as the big five in Canadian retailing along with Sam the Record Man, Music World, A&A Records and HMV. Even Sunrise appeared to struggle and closed the original 1977 built store on Yonge Street in Toronto in 2014.

The downward spiral might have continued save for the fact that Sunrise Records was bought by Douglas Putman, owner of Everest Toys. Instead of closing stores, the new owner started to open stores in Ontario defying the trend. Going against the grain was familiar ground for Putman. As owner of Everest Toys since 1992, he offered traditional quality toys using an online platform and found success in Canada, the U.S.  and beyond.

In 2017, Sunrise had nine locations throughout Ontario when it was announced that HMV would be shutting down all Canadian operations. In the last several days, Sunrise has jumped at the chance to go national and has taken over 70 of HMV's leases including Polo Park Winnipeg.

The re-branding of HMV to Sunrise will be occurring soon. The new company intends to carry more niche market product like vinyl records which is making a bit of a comeback. They also intend to carry more local artists in each market. Like HMV they also will be stocking higher margin entertainment apparel and merchandise.

There is probably room in the market for a music and entertainment store. Like bookstores, there has been a return to old product for the right price and for the niche market. There will never be a return to the grand days when several stores competed on one street for attention. However, well curated and local oriented stores could possibly be the right antidote to an online world.

Polo Park 13th Most Productive Mall in Canada

The old Polo Park sign and sundial

Polo Park is the hands down biggest and most popular mall in Winnipeg. None compares in size in the province. But how does it stack up nation-wide?

Well, according to latest figures quite high.

1) Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC: $1,498
2) Toronto Eaton Centre, Toronto, ON: $1,420
3) Oakridge Shopping Centre, Vancouver, BC: $1,395
4) Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto, ON: $1,356
5) Southgate Shopping Centre, Edmonton, AB: $1,157
6) Chinook Centre, Calgary, AB: $1,125
7) Rideau Centre, Ottawa, ON: $1,008
8) Holt Renfrew Centre, Toronto, ON: "over $1,000" says landlord.
9) Market Mall, Calgary, AB: $942
10) Sherway Gardens, Toronto, ON: $935
11) Square One, Mississauga, ON: $910
12) Metropolis at Metrotown, Burnaby, BC: $886
13) Polo Park, Winnipeg, MB: $873
14) Peter Pond Mall, Ft. McMurray, AB: $870
15) Le Carrefour Laval, Laval, QC: $865
16) Fairview Mall, Toronto, ON: $843
17) Richmond Centre, Richmond, BC: $833
18) Royal Bank Plaza, Toronto ON: $820
19) Toronto Dominion Centre, Toronto, ON: $818
20) Bayview Village, Toronto, ON: $810

Most of the above malls have done multimillion renovations to enhance sales per square footage including Polo Park that is still putting the finishing touches on the second floor improvements within the old Zellers location.

Old Polo Park

 The exclusive stores for certain malls really helps the bottom line. For example, Polo Park having the only Apple store is enormous. Many Apple stores in Canada rack up $50 million is sales with only 5000 square feet!

Sears continues to drag down sales in many malls across Canada including Polo Park. Can the big retailer turn things around? Hard to say. However, it is very likely if they don't there are many who would gladly take over the space or at least part of it.

It would be interesting to see where St. Vital Mall stands in all of this. I suspect that it has too many stores with far lower sales volumes to ever challenge Polo Park. It has also has less room for growth unless they ever take possession of the Sears store or a few other parts of the building. One has to wonder if 20 plus stores in the Sears space would be better for that mall.

What is next for Polo Park? Well, fill the last spaces and shuffling a few more retailers around and come the next months perhaps the biggest sales in the mall's history now that renovations are nearly done. The only big question? Is Sears going to be part of those plans?

Tourism in Winnipeg

Tourism is always hit and miss in this province. Travel Manitoba came up with a little buzzworthy four TV ads that emphasized the three things they thought were important. Those things were: Churchill, northern tours, fishing (especially with use of a guide) and Winnipeg.

These ads were set up to present Manitoba to others but they were also shown on TV within the province to present the province to itself. In other words, the biggest tourists are people in the province visiting one another. Show someone in Winnipeg what Churchill is like and they will be the number 1 source of tourists generally.

There is a limited budget each year and past efforts have been mediocre. The government realizes the importance and sets out to support key industries such as fly-in fishing and tours of Churchill. Winnipeg has always been more difficult to capture because cultural images show a world mosaic. It is hard to show the Winnipeg ID, the character of the city, who we are. The television ad shows dragon boat racing on the Red River. Don't know how that says: Winnipeg.

Tourism Winnipeg is obviously focused more on Winnipeg which you'd expect. The City  of Winnipeg tour book is as good as it gets. Top notch all the way. The request page though needed a correction. It said "chok full" rather than "chock full" and I hope it is corrected soon.

There is no doubt the city is trying to position itself a lot better with limited resources. Quite a bit of research is being done. And yet the city has suffered tourism-wise because in the grand scheme of things there has to be compelling attractions for people to want to visit the city.

The Canadian Tourism Commission turned its eyes to Manitoba and brought a hundred plus travel writers to the province for about $300,000. The first articles from that visit are starting to appear in newspapers like the Toronto Star.

Some journalists think travel writing is fluffy or dishonest. Perhaps that's because payment is often involved from the party being reviewed.

Given the cuts to newspaper and magazine budgets, few seem willing to send their reporters off each week to far flung destinations. Yet every major metropolitan newspaper has a travel section. Very willing to accept travel ads, not willing to assign hard news reporters?

I guess the same could be said of home and auto sections of the newspapers. Lots of ads but is there any hard news reporting in there? Is all we see softball in terms of reporting?

That is a debate for another time. Let's just say for now that travel writing is popular and if we can believe the tourism departments, it works.

In the aftermath of the tour of travel writers, we will have see if the articles that result from it see an uptick in the number of visitors.

The Journey Churchill at Winnipeg Zoo, the Human Rights Museum and swimming with belugas in Churchill are new to the province. Manitobans will visit them first in big numbers but their long term future depends on visitors from all over to survive.

Most of Winnipeg's greatest tourism attractions are cultural. The mountains and the ocean don't exist in a river valley. While the natural attraction Winnipeg does have can be emphasized, they don't hold a candle to the city's people and culture. That is hard to capture in pictures compared to Vancouver by the mountains and sea or Toronto by the lake.

Ultimately what becomes a national and international tourist attractions in Winnipeg are things the people in the city have done for themselves. The examples abound from Folklorama, the Folk Festival, Rainbow Stage and The Forks. As good as those are, it is hard to capture iconic pictures of it to sell the masses beyond Manitoba's borders.

The travel writers who recently visited our city now have the iconic pictures of people inside a tube watching polar bears above them. They have the distinctive Human Rights Museum that looks different from most buildings on the planet and further afield, they have pictures of people swimming with belugas.

They say a picture says a thousand words...those pictures from this past trip of travel writers are probably worth at least $300,000.

Let's see if those pictures result in millions more being in Winnipeg and beyond.

Uniqlo to Open in Polo Park?

Fashion experts have been discussing where there fast growing Japanese retailer will build their stores in Canada and all agreed that Polo Park was the first choice. Yorkdale Mall in Toronto is scheduled to get a new Unigqlo in 2016 coinciding with a massive expansion of the mall. However, it has been reported that Nordstrom will help with the company opening their clothing retail operation in Canada as well. Nordstrom expects to open stores in 2015.

Uniqlo is a casual clothing store for men and women and they have stated flatly, they intend to be the biggest in the world in terms of locations and sales.

Polo Park continues to do a multi-million dollar renovation on the old Zellers site as well as a first floor site for the very large H&M.

Do they have room for a large Uniqlo? Will Winnipeg get one before Yorkdale in Toronto?

There is no doubt that they second floor will be ready in the next several months and it is unlikely a more choice spot will come up as soon as this.

As the insiders were saying...maybe Seasons of Tuxedo lands a Uniqlo first.

St. John's IceCaps Canada's Team

The Stanley Cup is being fought by the New York Ranger and the Los Angeles Kings. There are many Canadian players on both team but alas, the excitement of supporting a Canadian-based team won't be happening this year.

There is a Canadian-based team in the second best league in the world though that begins the Calder Cup play-offs starting this Sunday and that is the St. John's IceCaps.

While many Winnipeg Jets fans have been pouting about another play-offs denied for the home team, the farm club team of the Jets has been soldiering on from one round to the next. It is now all on the line against the Texas Stars for the Calder Cup.

In the 15 years of the Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg never did win a Turner Cup (in the old IHL) or a Calder Cup in the AHL. In less than three years, St. John's, Newfoundland is not only in the final but has a very, very good shot at winning the Calder.

In many ways Winnipeg and St. John's are the same in regards to the terrible loss we experienced losing our hockey teams. In Winnipeg's case, it was the Jets and St. John's case it was the Maple Leafs (who moved to become the Toronto Marlies).

Winnipeg's good fortune was also St. John's good fortune in that Winnipeg chose to place their farm club team of the AHL in St. John's. The unadulterated joy in both cities was palpable. And St. John's has rewarded that commitment by selling out the arena all the time.

It has always been joy in IceCap land. Last year the team was not in the play-offs and finished second last in their conference. The joy is back now and this a reflection if three years of drafts for the Winnipeg Jets and from sound management practices that saw the old Moose consistently advance in the play-offs.

Why should Winnipegger's play attention?

Well, the short of it is that many of the players playing their hearts out have played on the Jets for a few stints and are now eying permanent jobs on the team.  Easily the stand out that we in Winnipeg need to watch Is Michael Hutchinson, the goaltender the Jets picked up as a free agent this year and who had started in the even lower East Coast Hockey League. This young man has amassed over 50 wins in three leagues including the Jets this year!

Three veterans on the team have shown leadership to many of the young guys coming up. Jason Jaffrey, Andrew Gordon and Blair Riley have helped the kids do well and wracked up points too. But this isn't just core vets getting the job done. Winnipeg Jets prospects like Adam Lowery and Josh Morrisey have jumped into the line-ups and helped the team. Eric O'Dell at center has been solid on Jets and with the Ice Caps. Zach Redmond is making his way from that terrible injury with the Jets.

Many of the prospects had a chance to show some stuff with the Jets when late season injuries crippled the team. Ben Chiarot helped on defence with Jets this year. Patrice Cormier and John Albert showed some center ice promise. J.C. Lipon, Karl Klingberg and Brenden Kitchon are playing their hearts out.

Yes, all in all, this is an exciting team and we have gotten to know a few of these players this year.

Quite frankly, we need to see these guys get experience and confidence as they play the Calder Cup. Why? The reason why is that the new Winnipeg Jets and old Atlanta Thrashers don't have a lot of play-off experience. We need that grit, experience and confidence going forward.

Not all of the Jets on the team this year will be back next year. We could lose a few to free agency. We could lose a few to trades. A possible retirement could also happen. In all likelihood, some of the St. John's Ice Caps or others in Winnipeg's system will make their way to big show this year.

In the mean time, it is a crying shame that we can't watch Canada's team, the St. John's IceCaps, play the Texas Stars. The IceCaps have one heck of a good website and update Twitter so Winnipeg fans can enjoy it through there.

So, go IceCaps go! You deserve it St. John's! Hope you can hold that cup high!

American Girl Coming to Winnipeg?

Tomorrow, two stores of the wildly popular American Girl stores open in Canada in Chapters and Indigo stores in Toronto and Vancouver.

Chapters has indicated that they will open 15 stores before the end of next year. The rumour is that Chapters Polo Park and Indigo Kenaston Common are being considered for late this year or early next. Only one is to be picked.

American Girl will occupy about 1,800 square feet in any Chapters bookstore they locate in. This will be smaller that the average U.S. store where the size can sore to over 50,000 square feet.

Many American retailers are taking a slower approach after Target's hammering in Canada the year it opened. It has been extremely costly for the big retailer and has given pause to others coming into the market. It is likely the reason American Girl decided to partner with the big Canadian bookstore.

So what is American Girl? Well, it is a 25 year old retailer owned by Mattel that sells pre-teen dolls in historical times. Most guys are not likely to get it but these dolls sell for over a hundred dollars in many cases. There is also lots of purchases a customer can make after their purchase such as hairstyling  and ear piercing.

If this sounds like a retail operation that should give its head a shake, consider this: Chapters could see a rise of between $20 and $30 million in revenue just having the stores take space in low volume areas of the floor space.

Expect to hear an announcement soon about when Winnipeg gets a store.

Thank you Winnipeg Jets

"The Jets were lousy anyway." The Weakerthans

Third year out of the play-offs but undeniably the Winnipeg Jets are the must see and must talk about item in the city. They are the water cooler talk of the town.

Winnipeg has had quite a few hard knocks over the last decades but losing the Jets in 1996 was one of the most heartbreaking. It bespoke of a place that was not just down on its luck but in unspeakable decline. The fans who rallied at The Forks emptied their piggy banks only to hear the powers that be say: No.

The 1990s were a bad time not just for Winnipeg but across Canada. The dollar was at the lowest point ever, the deficit was being cut everywhere, interest rates were out of control, taxes were up, inflation high and unemployment rising.

Winnipeg had barely emerged out of the 1980s recession when we ran smack into a wall in the 1990s. The city became a war zone of crime, declining home prices and high taxes combined with poor economic growth.

The Winnipeg Jets remained a passion for the people of the city but the Winnipeg Arena was owned by the city through Winnipeg Enterprises. The worst kept secret in the city was that some people who were most likely to afford season tickets got in through side doors not controlled by the team organization. Even when the product on the ice was excellent, the team had problems selling out the building.

The attitude in the city in the 1990s was defeat. So much bad news piled atop bad news. And then there was the Winnipeg Jets question. Will they stay, will they go? Do we get a new arena? And in the last year we trade Teemu Selanne for a bag of hockey pucks. It was awful. Heartbreaking.

The refrain of: "Will the last person to leave Winnipeg turn off the lights" was heard frequently.

The arrival of the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg seemed like the booby prize.

It took a while for the Moose to win us over and for the new ownership group of the Chipman family to convince us there was a plan and that the plan was good. On the back of a paper napkin, a downtown arena plan was hatched and a long game of building on success in hockey management and entertainment was forged.

The MTS Centre was a controversial yet important step in overcoming the knocks the city had been taking. Sad as people were to see the Eaton's building come down, it was unlikely that the site would ever see as many people on a day to day basis as it gets now were it not an arena.

The long plan for hockey and entertainment has meant a certain amount of patience has been required...like 15 years patience. It wasn't just one thing Winnipeg had to wait for, it was a lot of things. We needed someone interested in running a hockey team first. We needed private and government investment in a new arena. We needed the economy to improve. We needed a good salary cap and revenue sharing for any team we had in the city. We needed a building that was run by the team owners and revenues from concessions and merchandise staying with the ownership group. We needed non-hockey events to come to city whether they were monster trucks or curling or Juno Awards.

After the MTS Centre was built, Winnipeg started getting all those things. And it started to be part of the conversation in regards to a possible NHL franchise. Inevitably, whenever a NHL franchise elsewhere in the league was in trouble, Winnipeg became the hammer to use against cities who didn't buckle down and give the owners/league what they wanted.

It seemed we would always be a bridesmaid and never a bride. But the plan, the plan continued and when the Atlanta Thrashers needed a home, the NHL came calling. And the Chipman's were ready, hockey was ready, the arena was ready and the city was so ever ready.

People might have forgotten already how important it was to sell out the MTS Centre not for one, not for two but five seasons in a row. This is turn ensured the success of TSN Jets, the dedicated channel for Jets games. The hottest ticket in town was now available to those who couldn't go on TV...every game. The mostly ESPN programmed 1290 sports radio became one of the most heavily local stations as a result of the Jets.

Quite literally the Winnipeg Jets became the joyous talk of the town. We followed every announcement from general manager to coach assignments. But what wasn't certain was the name of the team until the draft and then we swooned when indeed the name was going to be the Winnipeg Jets.

The uniform design came later. We hemmed and hawed a bit. Debated it but ultimately fell in love...all over again. We were even prepared to buy counterfeit designs of it before it was officially released.

We got to know our team and they got to know us. On everyone's Christmas list was something with the new Jets logo on. Even if you couldn't get into a game, you could show your love.

Training camp was everyone's chance to learn how to pronounce player names and see what they were all about. Heck, we got excited just to hear who would be calling the games and doing colour!

Those pre-season games gave everyone a hint of what was to come and when that first game came...even the new Winnipeg Jets players could only look up and wonder who on earth these insanely joyous fans were. It was heaven.

It seems anticlimactic to point out we didn't make the play-offs in the first year. We didn't expect to. That was part of the plan too...tell people the plan. Winnipeggers were told to expect a slow build over five years. And how much could we expect of a team that first year that really only had a few months to gel in a new home, with new owners, new management, new coach and new fans?

That first year we did make a good go of it.

Second year, league-wide issues came up in the form of a lock-out. It was amazing we even had a season. However, when we did start playing, oh boy! It was a fast pace all the way through and for a while...we touched first place in our division. It was not to last as injuries and inconsistencies and lack of depth had us on the outside looking in when it came to play-offs.

There were many promising signs, not the least of which was the players we drafted. Some looked like they might join the line up in the third year of the re-constituted Jets. And we would need it as change was happening once again for the team in a move to the powerful western conference.

For the first time, training camp really was able to bring in all, and I do mean all, prospects, and have everyone in the organization get to know what we had in talent and prospects.

Third season...this season...the Winnipeg Jets were better. But so was out conference. Our new rookies played like champions but both were stung by injuries. In fact, the last several games looked like the farm club had all been promoted. They played like champs regardless.

This year the Jets showed they could beat the best in the league only to lose to the worst in the league. Consistency is still not there. But what a ride.

The joy is not gone. It is still there every time we shout True North! Where once the old Winnipeg Arena was sometimes filled with more Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys or Edmonton Oilers ones, it is a pretty solid Jets crowd in the audience. And not just in Winnipeg. It seems over many decades we may have exported citizens but the one thing they refused to give up was love of Jets.

So thank you Jets. Thanks for the fun, the excitement....the sense that we are together again, the possibilities you represent...not just for hockey but for entertainment beyond the arena. We have bought into the plan. And the plan is good.

New Long and McQuade to be Built off Kenaston

Similar to the one in Calgary?

I cannot say for certain although it would appear that the Long and McQuade location at 651 Stafford will be no longer if plans are approved for a Kenaston and Wilkes location.

Long and McQuade presently has over 60 locations across Canada and generates nearly $300 million for the family owned business. It is one of the world's largest musical instruments, lessons and rentals business in the world.

The large store at Stafford Square right by Pembina has grown over the years. It is a rambling store over a piece of property that once dominated by Videon and VPW, the public access network. Nearly 40 employees work the Stafford location. I am uncertain of the square footage but based on the footprint, I would have thought perhaps under 20,000 square feet.

Long and McQuade founded in Toronto in 1956 has grown over the years incrementally by expanding locations or buying up music companies that were being sold in cities across the country. As so often happens, a family looking to retire from the business looks to Long and McQuade to buy them out.

 One such business was Mother's Music on Wall Street in Winnipeg. It was incorporated into the Long and McQuade family.

It looks like Long and McQuade is prepared to make a substantial multimillion design for a warehouse, showroom and offices complex near the Golf Dome on Wilkes. The design is based on a 2012 complex that McQuade built in Calgary. The overall building with be a sprawling 30,000 square feet.

Right beside Golf Dome

At the end of the line beside Kenaston

More news on this big investment for the music industry in the weeks ahead.