The Balance of Economic Growth, Cost Control and Living Standards in Canada

With the investment summit wrapped up, it is important to look at what the options are for economic growth, keeping inflation low and raising living standards. These don't all have to be mutually exclusive. At the moment Mark Carney and the government are trying to navigate an existential crisis with our neighbour to the south. Donald Trump is not a rational actor and his threats and tariffs have hurt Canada and the United States mightily. Not unexpectedly, Justin Trudeau bowed out early when pressure from all sides suggested Canada needed to pivot. So great was the pivot that Pierre Poilievre was not able to respond quickly. Since campaign was set for replacing Justin Trudeau, he was trapped in a death spiral of saying how wrong Canada was even as it mirrored what Trump said. Mark Carney won a minority largely on standing up to the challenge. Eventually, this became a majority through floor crossing and byelections.

So as fall season progresses, Carney has walked away from an agreement that really pushed the boundaries of sovereignty. Even conservative opposition agreed that it was right move as well as the retaliation for previous tariffs. Poilievre, however, can't help saying that Carney is not doing anything and that if he were in the lead would have got an agreement, had pipelines under construction immediately and would have cut all tax and environmental laws. It seems we'll never know.

As far as not doing anything, we have evidence of both tax relief, military spending on salaries and trade with nations aside from the U.S. on the rise. For regular citizens, the concern is about prices and jobs. Inflation is down from the very high prices but war around the world is putting pressure on that and it remains stubbornly high. Even if oil production was up in double digits here, it is the world price that we pay. And that price is bad. Six months in and Trump's war in Iran is far from settled. Moreover, the very long war between Ukraine and Russia is hitting oil infrastructure and it is possible Russia will stop exporting due to shortages. The U.S. itself will have some capacity problems as it gets colder.

As long as people live in Canada, the first order of business is food, utilities and shelter. Whatever misgivings Canadians had about ten years of Liberal government under Trudeau, they've set aside because the threat Trump has represented and continues to hold over the country. Couple this with a dislike for Pierre Poilievre and his approach to Trump and Carney has the most popular support we have seen in decades. This has given him a lot of latitude in how he handles Trump and the economy.

It seems to gall Poilievre that Carney is trying to forge new relationships and trading partnerships around the world. His view is we need to get an agreement in the U.S. and claims Carney is the obstacle. The problem with this narrative is that other Conservatives such as Stephen Harper disagree. Other Conservatives are also leaning to support Carney in his initiatives. Harper said he wished he had thought of the investment initiative himself. Two of the most important announcements made there were that a tax cut for investors to use immediately on projects was being introduced. The next was that four major airports were going to be opened up to private enterprise. In much of the world, airports are owned by investors. in Canada's case, it looks like only operations will be considered. NAV Canada (which is air traffic control) was privatized in 1996 to not for profit. The U.S. air traffic control is government. Likewise, nearly all American airports are owned by a variety of governments.

Canada's airports are not for profit run. Some of the airports considered for privatization have great reputations like Vancouver and Calgary while others not so great like Toronto and Montreal. It will be a balancing act to turn over operations and actually create value for the customer experience in airports already rated high. Some people in the west will say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. In the east, the thinking will be it needs fixing. No one wants to pay higher for an asset they already own for no improvement in price, efficiency or choice. As for Winnipeg, our airport was recently ranked very high for customer satisfaction.

Economic progress doesn't and shouldn't have to be big megaprojects. Not that big infrastructure isn't part of this but changes to red tape and tax codes can leverage even small investment of whether people buy or invest in businesses. All over Canada we have said no or slow walked initiatives. They duty to consult didn't mean no is the first response or that a 10 year blue ribbon panel is formed that has to deal with three changes of government or more. As Carney as said, it should be no more than a year before yes or no should be decided. 

It is possible to do things at speed when we are motivated. Canada became a industrial superpower between 1939 and 1945 because of World War II. A trade war is not the same thing as a kinetic war but the threats feel like what was experienced in the lead up to war. Most Americans are oblivious to this. And Poilievre and the National Post columnists keep telling Canada to return to negotiate as if it is just a matter of knocking heads to get a deal or that it will even remain a deal with the nature of Trump mercurial whims.

Ending internal trade barriers will help but it is glacially paced. Only a small window on cross cross alcohol sales has happened at this point. Seems a long time considering U.S. booze is off the shelf and we still can't get wine and spirits from other parts of the country. That is on the provinces and not Carney. However, Carney will have to continue to push to end the blocking that makes it easier to trade with Europe than within Canada.

Other trade deals with India this year could be significant. Energy and agricultures will benefit greatly. The recent visit by the president of Vietnam is the first state visit ever by that leader. Canada receives many Vietnamese goods but they are willing to take whatever energy we can send their way and could be a market for nuclear plants. They are a communist country but not a hegemony today as we see of China. Canada will have to it's eyes wide open but trade with Communist countries goes back to Soviet and China times in the 1970s.

The cost of living is generally self inflicted pain. The tendency of government to allow businesses such as grocery stores to merge along with their wholesale business has almost wholly failed us. There has been progress made on secret landlord agreements that are plain and simple anticompetitive. We have been living with those far too long. It is demonstrated when landlords won't lease property to any company that competes such a grocery or pharmacy. It is why London Drugs took so long to open in Polo Park or why there are empty grocery stores for years. It is deals that prevent anything from going up. There are other issues inside the store where companies are making hay such as including the price of the package in overall price. Doesn't seem to matter how many times it happens, stores get a slap on the wrist. If they are even caught. Corruption, collusion and corporatism are the banes if competition. 

Throughout its history, business has looked for government to invest and then bought the assets in place and then cut and raised prices. The example in Manitoba of MTS being purchased by Bell is overwhelming. And now Bell can barely deliver 911 service on any platform. Looking over at Saskatchewan with Sasktel and you really wonder what the government here was thinking. Ontario probably has similar stories about hydro and highway assets they sold off. Serious questions have to be asked on federal sale of airports. Some of the airports are well liked and well run while others are not. However, it would be a mistake to sell all the assets and be at the mercy of a company based in another country. 

Canada has always had a mixed economy. However, we have tended to let some wealthy individuals have far too much control over aspects of the economy. Antirust laws are supposed to protect Canadians from monopoly tendencies. It is toothless even compared to the U.S. and it hurts competition where there are fewer and fewer competitors. It doesn't help when potential competitors like Giant Tiger retreat from markets like Winnipeg because of crime, lower margins or whatever reason they can think of. The wholesale part of the grocery business is where grocery makes the big money. There are really only five main players in Canada. The Carney government has said they will set up supports for 10 food hubs and two depots. Considering how many marketplaces are looking to expand beyond warm weather sales, this is a good idea. 

Bison meat, Arctic char, lentils and others are directly sourced, warehoused and open to restaurants and independent groceries to purchase. It is often forgotten how important the restaurant industry as a customer for local products. They can be very important to local farms but also reducing inflation. Locally sourced products and supply chains reduces logistics and costs. Family Fare's five locations sourced their supplies from Toronto's Ontario Food Terminal and saved the company 15 to 20%. It is wholesalers controlled by the big retailers that can really hurt competition. And secret deals to control which retailers can build in an area. Aldi, the German hypermarket stays out of Canada because it is an uncompetitive market that won't allow their stores to build in many places.

The government doesn't have to be the primary owner and investor. In some cases like with a pipeline to coast, it had to be. And continues to be. The profitability long term remains questionable given the construction costs but world instability now on trade and war has brought in billions so far to Alberta and Canada this year. Even if overseas wars ended immediately, it will take a few years to reestablish inventories. The electrification of energy is moving forward but will take longer in North America where adapting to the very long drives will require charging stations far in excess of what we have now. 

It is very likely that if and when tariffs are reduced, we will see a real jump in both Canada and U.S. economies. However, we might see at least two years more of Trump vetoing any change. War will also affect things. There seems to be no immediate end to Ukraine or Iran conflicts. Even a Republican defeat in the mid-terms might not bring peace to the volatile Hormuz. Trump remains President and can still act in that capacity as military head. As for the rest of the world, chaos seems to prevail.

It appears tariffs are hurting Republican candidates but how much so is to be determined. If many Republicans ae wiped off the board, it is very possible many will blame Canada rather than Trump. As for Trump, he may strike out at Canada or seek out a trade deal if the next two years looks like a further erosion of his support. The truth is no one will know, least of all him. It seems unlikely a deal is made in the week before the election. But then again...anything is possible. It is strangely odd that Canada would play such a strong role in the present U.S. election.

To sum up: Canada can't rely on U.S. trade as it has in the past even if Trump's tariffs disappear. Nor can we use immigration at high levels to keep wages low and boost the economy. True productivity comes from investing in technology and infrastructure. Or working smarter rather than harder. The employment comes from investment in housing, roads, airports and ports among many other areas. To that end, we are seeing government spending in Canada on new engines and cars for VIA Rail that in past decades were built elsewhere. 

Even ending the 70% expenditure on American equipment and increasing made in Canada and from around the world makes a difference. Despite some some Canadian military people only wanting American equipment and being dismissive of trying to keep some independence, there is worldwide example of U.S. throttling of military capacity by would be allies. Ukraine finding that it can't defends itself because of kill switches in GPS and other equipment has alarmed even Americans. Data centers with secure Canadian information stored in U.S. has also presented a problem since the U.S. government can access it and cripple Canadian financial and government as well as security operations. The closeness of the present U/S. administration to Putin also does not bring comfort to Canada. And to top it off is the threat to take over Canada which far too many don't take seriously.

Cost control can come from making companies compete for projects. Sole sourcing that games the system so only one company will do doesn't save money. However, you don't want procurement that takes decades to achieve before anything is even built. Thankfully, you have many in government and organizations pushing for faster decision making. There are those who slow walk things not just for due diligence but to quietly kill projects they don't agree with. If legal approaches meet the consultative stage, a veto from one party can paralyze any action. This is what we have seen from housing to energy projects. Not in my back yard or ever. Even now some people are determined to stop most projects no matter what they are. Or perhaps are only interested in spending money on programs but not economies.

It has become clear that on housing, governments at all levels were protecting increasing prices. And citizens were taking the savings from low inflation and interest rates to put into ever bigger houses. The same thing happened with vehicles where, over time, everything got bigger. Huge in fact. Now that inflation, interest rates and energy costs, it is a return to the 1970s when people had to downsize and suffered as a result. It literally took the federal reserve and national banks around the world to choke out inflation. And with it came unemployment. Some places like Manitoba suffered more than others.

It seems each week projects are being announced. The glacial pace of things doesn't always seem to be about money but things like the North Treatment Plant in Winnipeg seem to have festered because the city slow walked it in favour of other projects including new road projects. Herein lies the problem. $500 million for the treatment plant is good but if the city feels it can now do $2 billion of new roads, they could end up cup in hand to the Feds again. Perhaps with 9 new councillors such spending will be reconsidered. As for the treatment plant, it is likely it would have been cheaper had it been completed 20 years earlier.

Much like the 1990s, inflation will have to be chipped away at. Unlike back then, protecting high prices for real estate is unsustainable. And protecting, it comes down to restrictive zoning or foot dragging on new housing of any kind, it comes in as flush tax credits so people buy ever bigger houses with even less density, rejecting infill, height restrictions and the list goes on. The truth is that every area of Canada needs to build consistently and with renewed safety but more efficient zoning as the Europeans have shown. And you can't do a 20 year break from it and think you can easily catch up. Nor can you just build low income housing and let it rot.

The good news is that there seems to be a lot of push to do things. We may not be able to control what happens outside our borders but within Canada we need to be focused on the economy, jobs and cost of living. It isn't merely lip service. And can't be at the mercy of Elon Musk and U/S. trade.

Fuck Trump on Trade

On Friday August 20, 2026, Mark Carney called the negotiation team home shortly before the deadline for 50% tariffs saying that last minute additions to the deal were just not acceptable. He gave a more detailed description of the problems the next day and said that medium to heavy duty trucks would be exempted from the deal. This ensured that Ford and GM would move those models to the U.S. over time. There was also items such as a veto over Canada trying to make trade deals with other countries. Not to mention issues regarding language and culture.

It was extortionist and according to Carney, was an effort to break Canadian sovereignty and unity. Some Conservative influencers and MPs are blaming Carney such as Jamil Jivani. When asked about Poilievre's response to the end of talks, Jivani was unreachable. A flurry of conservative posters were smug that Canada pulled out and were pro-American in their discourse basically saying it is all Carney's fault. A former top Conservative writing in the Free Press has called out the trolling and says it has harmed Poilievre more than Carney.

Danielle Smith in Alberta supports Carney but seems to want his desperately back at the table lest Trump focuses on tax on oil. She wants no response from Canada despite the late additional demands from the U.S. Scott Moe, on the other hand, support dollar for dollar retaliation. Smith seems brave enough on announcing separation votes but seems to know a lot of her supporter back Trump and his agenda. Quebec, meanwhile, seems terrified of bringing up a separation vote because of Trump. This would seem to suggest Quebecers back Carney and would not take kindly to such a vote.

Carney has called it a war and it is starting to feel like one. Sadly, the public feels more triggered than usual and booing of the U.S. anthem from coast to coast is an indication. In some ways, the public is way ahead of the government. The best strategy for Carney is to reveal as much about the state of the talks and why they collapsed. He needs to brief the other leaders in the Commons. The full text of the agreement doesn't necessarily need to revealed because that might have changed dozens if not more times. To be fair, it could undermine talks if they resume at some point if it exposes the negotiating position of Canada. The media would just publish it carte blanche but very much like a labour talk, you don't want it out in public and just torpedo something getting done. And some people's goal is to torpedo the talks. Some of those people might be third party outsiders wanting to sow strife.

Still, the government has to let people know about the nuts and bolts about the deal and demonstrate how it can affect sovereignty. If Canada can't make deal elsewhere, we are trapped discounting to supply the American market. No government could agree to that. The U.S. government has not denied making that a demand.

Carney has to ensure those hurt by the U.S. tariffs in Canada are taken care of. And the countervailing duties have to placed on U.S. industry to cause Canadians least amount of pain and maximum pain in the U.S. ahead of the mid-term elections. The cowardice of the the Republican party should receive a full out hit. Trump now proposes a 50% tariff starting January on automotive industry. This would end the auto industry in Canada and put enormous costs on American taxpayers. Canada won't be able to buy the products solely made in the U.S. even without tariffs. The price is already soaring.

Ford and Trump have been exchanging potshots. Carney has said said what he has had to say. Democrat and state leaders have expressed alarm and blasted Trump. There is a lot of support out there for Canada but summer brain affects both countries and it will only be after Labour Day that people start to realize that the economy as it relates to affordability is not good. There will be an increasingly panicked Republican party who will try to blame anyone else for the circumstances such as Biden, Canada, Iran or China among others. 

 It is very possible some Republican voters will be less compelled to vote for Republican slate candidate when Trump is not in ballot. In fact, Trump's popularity is dragging down the party. As a lameduck president who by law can't run again, Trump should see more Republicans leave the administration over the next months to forge new paths. Most will stay friendly to get blanket pardons. Yes, it could be that bad. Many will want to keep their money that would otherwise be scrutinized.

Democrats and Independents will be motivated voters. Not all will be favour free trade. Biden didn't lift many of the trade problems Trump created in the first four years so it is possible we still will have irritants. Canada can't expect all will be well in two years. Expanding our markets to other countries has to be a goal. We have been selling our wares to the U.S. for discount prices because of weak dollar for too long.

There is also a lot of cowardice from other countries who have bad trade deals but don't say anything. Some of those countries may get even worse treatment in the next while so it will be interesting to see if they accept this. If Trump actually tries a third attempt at running, it could fracture the U.S., especially if the Supreme Courts says go ahead. The chaos south of the border could be something after the mid-terms.

This is all Trump and fuck him. The anger is spreading and his antics and bullying are going to have to be dealt with. Canadians need to look support our own people for their quite some time.

Forever 21 and Bluenotes Closing at Polo Park, Thrifty's Opening

Summer is when many malls start making changes so that everything is in place for the fall/winter season when school starts and Christmas shopping begins. Forever 21's American owners closed all their Canadian in 2019 stores despite their success in Canada to help their bankrupt U.S. stores. Even though Canadian owners took over the name and operations in 2021, the Covid years hurt retail for some time and changed shopping patterns. Even today, some shoppers were unaware that Forever 21 had returned. The Polo Park shop is a massive 37,000 square feet so the closure was something that is not easily filled. The first time it happened was when a flurry of closures in retail were happening.

And so Forever 21 is again closing their big store but at least there is a retailer in the wings waiting to take on 35 of their employees and add more. Thrifty's is returning to Winnipeg after closing their last store at Outlet Collection four years ago. Thrifty's thought their old name was losing lustre so many were converted to Bluenotes. More big retailers have a few nameplates to sell from. Forever 21's, owner also owns Urban Planet and that is still doing well.

The closure of Bluenotes at Polo Park is simply a transfer of those 20 employees and brands to the supersized Thrifty's. On July 12 Forever 21 will close and July 22 Thrifty's will open. The old Bluenotes should have no problem being filled as Polo Park remains one of the top 10 malls in the country. There are still no announced plans for the old Bay though. The size and score of that requires some real investment and innovation. There are no department stores about to take over.

Many malls are being upgraded at the moment. Polo Park has seen many changes. Victoria Secret's 12,700 is going through a complete upgrade. Body Shop is moving upstairs. Other changes and upgrades are expected. Will Forever 21 come back? You can never be too sure. Four years ago it seemed unlikely Thrifty's would be back. Generation Z and Generation Alpha seem to be driving mall renewal and interest. 

Another 7-Eleven in Winnipeg Closes 2026

After an indication that 7-Eleven was looking to expand in Winnipeg, another store at 1871 Main Street has closed. It has opened a huge debate in the city. Some are arguing this is just corporate downsizing the company is doing all over North America. It is true. The 7-Eleven owners in Japan fended off Circle K's takeover bid and now shareholders are looking for profitability in the shares.

Circle K has easily been more valuable as a stock whatever people's feeling are on where it it ranks as a convenience store. 7-Eleven in Canada is often in the same locations it has been since the 1970s. Some of these locations are small, in need of physical updates, owned by third parties who sometimes have other plans for the site and some have parking spaces that are too few when shared with other tenants. Not every store closure is about retail theft.

Having said that, store theft is out of control and not just at convenience stores. It is everywhere. It is becoming more brazen and sometimes includes violence. To most citizens it seems to happen with impunity. Someone picked up by the police is often released and back at it again. It is like to repeated drunk drive who is released and even when their license is taken away, does it again and again till someone if hurt.

The rate of theft post pandemic has risen dramatically. It is concurrent with poverty levels, addictions and mental health issues and homelessness. It is likely that those areas will take time and effort and many years to overcome. Only disaster or war comes close to the devastation wrought on so many over a widespread area. And like post-WWII, only a national plan focused on the displaced will come close to ending it.

Some crime numbers have dropped over the years, even in cities. In some rural areas, they have dropped to historic lows. Hard as it is to believe, there was more violence years past. What has really taken off is property crime and store theft. Even 7-Eleven with industry leading security has not been able to withstand the theft in their stores. No store can really. Despite claims by some that this is just corporate chicanery, most realistic observers have seen the helplessness of clerks and cashiers as people walk out laden with loot. Whatever sympathy for those who might by doing this is lost when yet another store closes or a clerk hurt by those in a rush to get out. 

Those who believe that any and all business is bad will not care about a 7-Eleven closing. Some seemed to think it impeded small independent stores. This, however, ignore the fact that 7-Eleven innovated in Manitoba by being open 24 hours, seven days a week against forces that wanted them closed before 11, on Sundays and holidays. No store that was family owned was challenging that. Only those who have never had a need overnight or holiday thinks stores closed when you need a tin a cat food for a cat who is in full hunger yowl think this was great times.

Convenience stores have continued to be under full assault. In some neighbourhoods, it has only gotten worse. If 7-Eleven intends on expanding via franchising in Winnipeg, it is likely not going to do it in areas that they abandoned unless there was a dramatic turn in shoplifting. While the police have made some key arrests, the proliferation of crime has been only overcome when with drastic security measures such as ID entry only for  entrance.  The most we have seen from grocery stores is the closure of second entrances all over Winnipeg starting around Covid.

It is unlikely that 7-Eleven would only allow entry via being buzzed in. That would entail a whole bunch of people who are banned from entering a whole bunch a businesses. In many parts of the U.S., 24 hour stores lock their doors and only serve through a slot in the front. In the past, they used to have the cashier locked in a booth but that doesn't protect the items in the store. In fact the booth sometimes didn't protect the occupant inside.

Some point to the hands off approach inside stores that was adopted to stop employees or customers from being hurt and liability. In Winnipeg, there have been a number of court cases where employees and owners and have tried to stop theft resulting in injury. On the side of the ledger, there have been employees injured and sexually assaulted even when they did nothing. Just this week a worker at a cannabis store was not only robbed but sexually assaulted.

Despite all that has been happening, there have been a number of convenience stores opening in the city, including downtown. Property crime has been around as long as human have been around. There is a reason keys and locks were invented so very long ago. 

It is unknown whether any retail will ever go in the 7-Elevens that are closed around the city. At least not for a while. I'm sure the owners would gladly sell to a convenience store if they dared to open there. The truth is between break and entering and store theft, it could be some neighbourhoods just won't have any commercial businesses willing to move into the area.

The trend of store theft is world-wide. Winnipeg isn't just the special case. Having said that, the only way to reduce the issue is to keep focusing on making it difficult for break and enters, store thefts and the like to happen. Some states are making an aggregate of $5000 over 180 days the marker for jail time. That alone won't do it but a few measures to avoid the non-stop revolving door would be meaningful. Meanwhile, 7-Elevens and other stores will close.

Loudmouth Lutnick

Howard Lutnick is a billionaire who routinely mouths off about Canada in his Trump role as Commerce Secretary. He and Jamieson Greer, the trade representative are sold on tariffs and manufacturing in the U.S. and this approach has been for every country in the world. Some countries rushed to make deals only to find Trump changes the deals.

Both Lutnick and Greerson have pretty much said the deal Canada must accept is that their auto manufacturing must move to the U.S. and that we buy cars from America and no where else. This, and pretty much every other industry, are to move to the U.S. and we buy from them or risk punishment. There is absolute fury in the administration that Canada went to China and made a deal to end the ban canola and other ag products and quota for EV automobiles in Canada. Strangely enough, Trump is going to China soon. How will his deal be different than Canada's?

Lutnick might be trying to impress Trump now so he can get a pardon later for behavior kinked to Epstein. This isn't just an idle observation. He seems to only disclose when under oath and Congress is about to question him again. It often seems that most of the cabinet and political appointees perform for an audience of one. It is all about Trump.

Canada had not risen to the debate as it might once have done. The U.S, seems to want to scare Canada into a deal while stripping out our tech and manufacturing industry at the same. The U.S. negotiating team seems bewildered why we don't jump at such a bad deal. Or ask to become a state in the U.S.

The mid-term elections in the U.S. this November likely mean change is coming for both elected officials and administration. The loss of the House of Representatives, and possibly, the Senate. It is the Congress that makes trade deals. It seems very likely that Canada just has to wait till January 2027 for when the newly elected members are sworn in.

There is usually changes in cabinet and other appointees as well. We have seen Trump fire a few cabinet secretaries and more may be on the way. Some will quit before getting fired while others will quit to get media jobs, lobbyist jobs or to run for office themselves. The last two years of a presidency is called the lame duck part of the term. It is when even the President's party is not likely to pass the agenda if it means a possibility of them not winning or moving on to another office in the next election.

The possibility of the president running a third term is remote because of two term limits. Any attempt to bypass that is likely to be struck down at every level of the courts. The Supreme Court knows that if they strike down term limits for Trump, it could result in multiple terms for other presidents, including Democrats.

The term limits work to Canada's advantage because tariffs are not likely to be as much on the agenda of any future U.S. president. It could be why the U.S. negotiating team is putting a rush on talks. They want to lock in terms favourable to them. The U.S. is particularly focused on pharmaceutical and online companies. They may have dropped bringing up supply management in things like dairy. It is possible that they fear Canada might bring up U.S. subsidies in ag and manufacturing.

Pierre Poilievre has been needling Carney that he has done nothing to make a deal and insists it is achievable if he was the prime minister. Interestingly, he doesn't reveal what compromises he would make that would be a win-win for both countries. He simply won't be PM if he throws supply management or pharmaceuticals to the Americans. And that is just to start.

Some of the U.S. demands are just being revealed. They want Canada to accept tariffs but also any attempt to diversify our economy from the U.S. or any regulation of our own economy. The fact that free trade exists at a level that is near complete in North America is not acceptable. They want free trade for U.S. into Canada while Canada pay high tariffs.

Lutnick says Canada delaying sucks and won't work but the truth is that he will likely not have his job soon enough. He will either quit or be fired soon. His appearance in future Congressional Epstein hearings in next days. The rush to submit to the U.S. in the negotiations is just not in Canada's interest. And despite what Poilievre says, Canada is not delaying. We just won't pay upfront costs anymore when the U.S. never gives anything back. Not will we accept the insults and threats of annxation.

China

There is no doubt that China uses tariffs to punish other countries for infractions. They also use hostage diplomacy as we saw from the Two Michaels situation when two businessman were abducted when Canada responded to an extradition request from the U.S. for a Chinese exec. The Americans left us out to dry with that and we are still facing the consequences of that.

And this is part of the problem we face today is superpowers trying to acquire land, assets and influence. To an extent this has always been the way over the centuries with continental blocs held together by similar interests with one dominant who pushed their agenda the most. The Western Bloc, the Eastern Bloc and the Asian Bloc or whatever names they were called over time.

In recent years, the western alliance of NATO has been in ascendancy in that has grown and Europe by itself has become a a powerful bloc. Canada, by virtue of being a G7 country, founding member of NATO and for European ties, is part of a trans-Atlantic alliance. The U.S. is by far the largest entity in the Western alliance militarily and economically. At its best it is an example of democracy and economic innovation. At its worst, it can be authoritarian and a military menace.

Since the 1980s Canada has had a series of free trade agreements that has cemented our position as a primary trading partner with the U.S. and Mexico. It has become such a large percentage that some businesses have not really sought to expand their business elsewhere. That is, except for agriculture, where the U.S. market is saturated and protected that Canada exports around the world. 

The top two market of China and the U.S. in recent years punish Canada on trade for not obeying them. Canada is no longer naïve about China. Even in the Harper years there was a belief we could sell incredible amounts of product to China and not be dependent on the U.S. and Mexico. However, Canada quickly learned that China was looking at Canadian technology and manufacturing to access that information and then use it in their own products and limit Canadian trade. We weren't the only ones. The U.S. and Europeans also learned that China was not looking for a true free trade agreement.

So in 2026, Canada is back talking with China with a more nuanced approach. It is looking to trade more with China, especially with food but also on cheap EVs. However, like we did with the Koreans and Japanese in the 1980s, we are looking to draw more manufacturing to the country. If Ontario auto plant workers are working for BYD or GM, what does it matter? This should not be a hard thing. If the U.S. is trying to end all manufacturing of cars in Canada, why should we not seek out other manufacturers? The expectation that we only buy expensive cars from the States is nonsense.

The premier of Ontario Doug Ford is outraged about the deal to let Chinese electric vehicles in but it really goes back to 2022/23 in terms of what was in place prior. Ontario benefits now as Chinese purchases canola resume. Beef sales are also resuming. This is a good thing in a years long tariffs war. It isn't perfect or addresses interference in elections, espionage or human rights. Nothing is said on Taiwan. Canada isn't rolling over on these issues but is more likely to pick their battles more carefully. It is why Carney is going from country to country to limit our exposure to only one export market and to form buffer against dependency. This is hard when 75% of your export trade goes to the U.S.

In the 1980s there was a lot of fear about Honda, Toyota and Hyundai and Canada got them to build manufacturing plants in Ontario. I think there will wide acknowledgement that it helped makes cars affordable and the quality across the board went up. Ideally, a portion of the manufacturing comes to Canada. Some critics say it won't and say the country will lose manufacturing just as Australia did. That is possible even if Canada doesn't import Chinese EVs.

If the U.S. ends the free trade agreement with cars, all the manufacturers could move to the U.S. which is probably not great for GM, Ford and Stellantis (Chrysler). As it stands now, Canada depends on billions of subsidies to keep the car plants in Canada. Norway, Denmark and Australia don't have car industries and remain prosperous and even more productive. However, losing all your manufacturing has consequences. One example is that Canada used to produce all its vaccines. When Covid happened, we had no ability to produce anything and China cut us off.

For those who lobby strictly for only private aspects for the market, it can leave you vulnerable you to market manipulation that ends up being anti-competitive. Even within Canada anticompetitive behaviours by business. The right balance of government and business is difficult to gage. Perhaps the ones that create the fewest imbalances in society are the best.

Around 5% of export trade goes to China. That represents a lot of agriculture. For pork products that means the whole pig unlike Canada where not all is used. Because of China's past, we have to ensure that we seek out even more markets for our goods. Some things such as potash or oil products can go anywhere. As can critical minerals. The truth is we haven't looked much because we believed the U.S. market was always available. Selling gold recently has helped Canada in its international trade. India, for example, imports a lot of gold.

I don't think anyone is naïve about China in the Canadian government about the risks involved. The Carney government has to mindful of espionage, military escalation and other issues that come up. It is likely Carney won't be vocal in public about what some of the red lines are. However, I expect spies and aggressive behaviour over territory will not be ignored.

The world has been doing a lot of talking about what Canada is doing on the global stage. From Davos to Beijing, we are not doing what has been done in the past. We can't. The threats have just been too great.

Home Hardware in Winnipeg Finally Opens 2025

Peavey Mart closed both Winnipeg locations in January of this year. The entire company shut down but in Alberta but is slowly opening locations again. This might not be easy in Winnipeg because their former location at 2860 Pembina Highway has been taken over by the dealer-owned Home Hardware.

The Pembina location was also formerly a Zellers so the hope is that Home Hardware will be the one that find long term success in the 30,000 square foot location. The new owners are an Inuit family that operate the EPLS Group of Companies centered along the western shore of Hudson Bay. Two Home Hardwares in Arviat and Rankin Bay Inlet in Nunavut are owned by the family already. A distribution center in Winnipeg supplies the group.

The relationship between Nunavut and Manitoba has only grown in recent years and is likely to grow more. As for Home Hardware, it is a familiar friend to those in rural Manitoba with 25 locations already in the province. Across Canada, the company has 1000 dealer owned stores. To be sure the Winnipeg location will be very big for their locations. The EPLS Group will be able to use the buying power of their Winnipeg store to get good prices and supplies for their stores up north.

All around this is a good Canadian business story. A Canadian retail outfit opens in an area of Winnipeg in need of a store for renovators and contractors owned by an Inuit business from the north. This is the best kind of story.

Over the last months, there has been some indication that some of the gaps in the economy are starting to fill. The cost of living, housing and have seen some improvement although it has been painfully slow. Supply chains is like turning a ship. It is a slow and long turn. The loss of Peavey Mart hurt several areas of the economy but Home Hardware has been adding steadily over the years and now filling gaps left by the closures across Canada.

Some businesses such Home Hardware are not easily or conveniently replaced by online. The Canada Post strike repeatedly cutting service showed rural areas the weakness of the delivery system for online products. Home Hardware, by contrast, is owned locally, supplied nationally and is located right in communities where needed. For south Winnipeg along Pembina Highway, the new store will bring people in from that area and beyond the Perimeter Highway. 

It may be we have not seen the last of Peavey Mart or Zellers in Manitoba but the ascendance of Home Hardware is undeniable.

Unique Bunny Expanding Across Canada

For small vendors sometimes the best place to begin is flea markets and conventions and so it was with Unique Bunny. Started by Fiona Zhao, a young Chinese immigrant who ended up in Winnipeg due to the endless supply of overseas ambassadors from Winnipeg working in various job around the globe. Promotion works and people who come to the city often have immense contributions to make.

Small vendors in pop-ups are often afforded the chance to make connections and build a name and reputation. Early Comic Con and Ai-Kon conventions were Winnipeg-made and produced events and they leaned heavily on local vendors, especially collectibles, to draw fans. Public market stalls are no longer selling mostly food items from the farm. And so it was in 2014 Unique Bunny was a frequent vendor everywhere in Winnipeg.

Unique Bunny was everywhere as a vendor selling food and cosmetics. Many Asian clients appreciated that she had products for them. Non-Asians were very much interested in styles, foods and the like to satisfy their interests in Japan and Korea. Cultural interests in Japan have exploded in the last decade. It is why there has been a steady increase in music, movies, food and products making their way to Canada.

Unique Bunny got to the point that a physical store was called for and the first one was on Corydon. It wasn't long till that was closed that the company could take a space in the center of Osborne Village. Just as the pandemic was gearing up, Unique Bunny decided to open a location on Pembina Highway closer to their large university customers.

The company survived Covid but Osborne Village struggled with crime, homelessness and a lack of foot traffic post 2020. The Village has had some recovery but many places in the city are still suffering from shoplifting, arson and a general malaise. Unique Bunny moved to malls and suburbs. McPhillips and an Outlet Collection Mall location joined the Pembina location in Winnipeg. 

In 2024, expansion to Alberta took place and locations opened in Calgary and Edmonton. The push for more locations extended again to Winnipeg and Unique Bunny opened in 2025 in Manitoba's biggest shopping center Polo Park. In the last months, Fiona Zhao has been in Saskatchewan and Quebec to open stores in Saskatoon, Quebec City and soon Montreal will join the growing stores.

By the end of November, the company will have ten stores in Canada. It truly is a success story that has not been recognized much outside of Winnipeg. That may soon change. It isn't the first time Winnipeg companies have spread beyond Manitoba and it won't be the last. The company will sale nearly 60 brands and employ 110 workers. They are beginning to have workshops in select stores to develop customer and store relationships that will last beyond casual visits.

Unique Bunny is a made in Manitoba success.

Freshair Boutique Academy Road Suddenly Closes

Only an email gives any clue to the demise of Freshair Boutique in River Heights. It simply says it is closed immediately and their website is down. At the corner of Lanark and Academy Road, the entire street has seen change. In the strip mall itself Starbucks closed in favour of Empty Cup. Across the street, 7th Avenue Fashions closed their doors in August.

The entire Academy Road strip has seen changes since 2020. Many retirements and business changes. It might not be as recognizable to someone who hasn't been down that way in a year or two.

The strip mall itself was a former gas station till the 1970s. It is too far back for me to remember. I'm not sure what affiliation it had. Across the street was Pacific 66 which became Petro-Canada. Down the street from there was British American which became Gulf and then Petro-Canada. In all, three former gas stations became retail in that area.

Every ten years or so there is a lot of change on Academy. At one time there were three grocery stores from the 1980s on. Now there is only one and the long time 1970s till now 7/Eleven.  Who knows why Freshair closed. But it should be noted that some people who had appointments into the next months are now finding them cancelled.

AI and Cryptocurrency Data Sites North Dakota

Full credit to the Fargo Forum newspaper for their reporting. The above graphic is information they collected with no help from North Dakota. The state itself seems to have no desire to keep track of the huge energy and water consumers in the state and organizations that collect data with seeming no regulation at all. The energy consumption is the equivalent of the Hoover dam and the employment numbers once operational don't seem to rival even the most modest farm processing plant. The campus construction of buildings and roads brings temporary job and start-up money but aside from a new bowling alley, what will these hyperscale camp data centers bringing to our neighbour? And what are the implications for Manitoba?

That is the billion dollar question for North Dakota. It is a supermajority Republican government and the counties have near full control to what they want. The seven large data centers have non-disclosures and all sorts of blocks to finding out who owns them or for what purposes they will serve. The only certainty is they are incredible users of electricity and water. Half the counties in North Dakota have been approached for data centers.

Manitoba and North Dakota have already concerns about the huge expansion of dairy industry near the Red River watershed. In two counties by the river, a 25,000 cow operation and a 12,500 cow operation have been approved. The concerns in both countries is manure spreading to the water of the river  and causing nutrients that are are toxic. There is also the issue of water usage.  It takes 31 liters of water to make 1 liter of milk. That's a lot of water. Add the hyperscale data sites and there could be water shortages. It is entirely possible the Red could be dry by the time it crosses the border.

Industrial farms don't even come close to the massive energy and water needed of hyperscale data centers. Elon Musk is building massive facilities near Memphis and is tapping that state's (and neighbouring state's) energy and water resources for his artificial intelligence GROK. He said he needs he will have exceeds what out sun generates...or the universe. Yes, he said that.

One thing is clear is that hyperscale data centers eat up huge amounts of water and energy. They are extremely hot and extremely noisy. They employ very few people. While the upfront costs are in the billions for what goes into these campuses, the amount of resources needed seems to exceed what any region can provide. It is that enormous. 

It is now beyond the realm of possibility that North Dakota will seek hydro deals with Manitoba to help drive its relentless addition of data centers. This seems unlikely as Manitoba is set to make a sale to Nunavut and has more deals with Saskatchewan coming. We are already about to build gas turbines to cover our own internal shortfalls.

The growth in AI in Canada is also coming. The water and energy resources and cooler temperatures in the country make it inevitable that companies are in the hunt. However, they are also looking for jurisdictions with literally no rules like North Dakota. These companies don't like people people poking into zoning, ownership or what the data center is doing. 

The people who know something about AI say it is about doing things with few workers. In short, ending lawyers, diagnosticians, accountants, ad agencies, actors/directors/writers and so on. The short sightedness of this seems obvious. Who will but these services if no humans and jobs. Perhaps AI will sell to other AI. At some point, will they even need humans? Certainly AI can be a tool but if, as Elon Musk says, this tool requires all the energy of the sun and every bit of water in the solar system, is it really good for us?

Hats of to the Fargo Forum for there investigative journalism.

Maximes Closing in 2025

A long time restaurant in St. Vital along St. Mary's, it has been described as fine dining that your parents loved. Reports all this week is that it will be closing in two weeks and that the property has been sold.

The restaurant has been owned by the Bekios family since 1984. George Bekios passed away in 2024 leaving his two daughters to run the place. Like many Greek owned restaurants, it comes down to no one left in the family to run it for years to come when everyone is near retirement or the founding member passes it away.

St. Mary's is a valuable piece of real estate and it is not surprising a buyer has been found. No word on what the new business might be.

This comes on the heels of another business in a different field closing. Croft Music, after a 110 year in the music industry is closing. Violins by Anton will continue in the same spot on Henderson Highway. A differed type of business than Croft's but related. It will be by appointment only.

There has been an uptick in the last year of business retirements and some locations have turned into hot commodities. Retail sales have been up, restaurants have found growth in breakfasts. Were it not for tariffs, Canada might be even better positioned for growth. As it is. we will have to see some innovation as one generation hands over business to the next generation.

Uniqlo, JD Sports and Lululemon to Open in St. Vital Centre

The closure of The Bay at Polo Park and St. Vital Centre has not stopped the two top malls in Winnipeg from frantically trying to upgrade. In a previous post, I indicated that Long Drugs and other stores are under construction in Polo Park. St. Vital Centre is also upgrading with some stores ready to open by September 26. It race to Christmas with only three months to go. Some stores will make it, others won't.

People in Winnipeg have a few stores on their wish list. Some they will get, others they won't. The malls have moved other retailers already in place to get choice tenants. Polo Park has done that with London Drugs coming. In some cases, the stores moved elsewhere in the mall. In other cases, they closed altogether.

For St. Vital, there has always been an awkward spot just off the doors to the food court. The mall moved some shops around and Mark's Warehouse took a very large 16,455 square foot space. It effectively created an anchor for that area and the store is less than a year in the new spot. Stores like Garage and Dynamite are opposite.

With so many hits to mall department store anchors both Polo Park and St. Vital have have had to respond to the closures. However, so much has been happening that it has been difficult to keep up with. The good news is that retail sales are up in Canada and retailers are expanding their businesses. And while the big departments are closing, other smaller are doing better.

Truth be told, the make-up of stores in malls has always been changing. The one consistent thing had been the anchors. Now the anchors are changing. Some say Amazon and Wayfair are killing the malls or big box stores or Walmart and Real Canadian Superstore but malls still are gathering places for people. In a lot of cases, stores like Walmart want to be part of or attached to malls.

Malls are evolving and are now places to go a spa, get your nails done, go to a gym or go to food halls. Something that can't come in a delivery van. The fitness centres at malls has developed nicely in Winnipeg. We can expect to see more sport and recreation related investment to attract people which supports the mall. It will be interesting to see what they do with the old Bay. That won't be a task till at least next year.

Perhaps the biggest entry into malls lately has been nail and spa shops. The Venetian has been so successful at St. Vital Centre that they are moving to larger quarters. Men's hair shops have been finding success in the malls too. Polo Park has always had some men's barbers but now they can be seen in many malls. Tommy Gun's has become a Canadian success around the world.

Venetian might be an example for other malls across the country of of spas in malls.

At St. Vital Centre, mall owners have been always wanted some good original stores that no one else has but they also look at Polo Park with envy and hope to grab their own version of popular stores in the largest mall. And so it is that two popular stores will be coming in the next days and weeks to St. Vital. Over time, malls like St. Vital have filled spaces such as the departure of Sears.

The first to open September 26 is Lululemon is opening their third location in the city after Polo Park and Outlet Collection. This is a huge win for St. Vital. Lululemon has a very loyal costumer base that makes their way to wherever the store is. Now for people in this area of town, they have a store right where they live.

Another huge win is the soon to arrive JD Sports. The UK-based store has only one location in Manitoba so far at Polo Park. The St. Vital location will make two. The stylish sports store is pricier than a SportChek but has collections that shopper look for.

To bring these storm in, some doors have moved and others have closed altogether. Sunrise Records has moved to a different corridor.

The big get the St. Vital hasn't announced is Uniqlo. To get this store, the mall is moving a bunch for stores or seeing some close.

Uniqlo has 33 stores in Canada and many have just opened in 2025. St. Vital will get the first one in Manitoba. You can bet that Polo Park will be envious. The Japanese-based store has been on some shopper's list in the province for some time.

Another add on to come is HolyShakes which is a Canadian company the specialized in gourmet shakes. They are to open soon but their doors open to the exterior of the mall near SportChek.

Without doubt the large amount of building are the malls adjusting to the renewed demand for in person retailing. It could be indicating a slow recovery post Covid.

Bath Depot Now Open Regent West

In mid August Bath Depot opened their first prairie location on Regent Avenue West. It is the 48th location for the Quebec-based retailer founded by four brothers in 2008. The whole family had plumbing experience but wanted to bring under one rood manufacturing, distribution and retailing of bathroom items.

The goal of the family business was to be a box store and boutique but to keep prices reasonable. With tariff problems being what they are, it makes more sense than ever to have manufacturing and supply chain tied into a Canadian closed loop.

As the first venture into the prairies. Bath Depot is straying from the denser population of central Canada. However, the reward is a stronger west economy and becoming a true national retailer. There is probably room to challenge retailers such as Home Depot and Rona.

Some Canadian retailer have managed to do very well in Canada. There is likely room for more stores beyond 1530 Regent. There are opportunities in south, north and west Winnipeg still. Initially, it might be contractors who discover this store and then a wider audience will start to pay attention. Expect to see more stores soon.

Modern Ambition/Mondetta Coming to True North Square

 

Mondetta has been a fashion brand based out of Winnipeg Winnipeg since the 1980s. Their flag-based shirts and jackets have been a staple for years although they a number of different brands that they sell. The 2014 Winter Olympics featured their clothing on the athletes. In 1995, Mondetta World Cafe opened in The Fork partnered with Danali which was founded the same years as Mondetta in 1986, That store and restaurant closed in 1995. Danali continues to be a clothing store at Kenaston and Grant and is opening a consignment store on Corydon in the fall. After Danali will be located in the former October Boutique after the former owner retired after nearly 25 years.

Over the decades Mondetta has managed to stay relevant and get their lines of fashion in various stores in Canada. The head office is in Winnipeg and the core ownership group has remained intact. It therefore seemed appropriate that their new venture would be launched in the city.

The new venture is a 1,200 square foot men's business and casual dressy aimed at Gen Z and Millennials. There are suits in the $200 to $400 range and there are some suits out there in the $5,000 to $6,0000 or higher range. Tip Top, RW&CO and Moores are the most well know places in Canada to find suits as well as rental formal wear. Aldo Formal Wear and Mallabar's are also important because men will always need some places for events like weddings, funerals and grads. For more in the pricier business suits there is Harry Rosen which has been in Winnipeg since 1986. And for local flavour and often bespoke you have Danali, Eph Apparel, Hanford Drewit and Vittorio Rossi. 

Mondetta wants something in the middle and are looking at suits in the $900 range. But they also want to create an atmosphere as seen in their supplied pictures posted here. The location chosen for this venture is True North Square at the corner of Carlton and Graham. Opening will be in the fall and it remains to be seen whether Graham's closure might affect traffic. Businesses along the former bus route have complained that customers have dropped 80 per cent. The city has said for them to be patient for when workers return after the summer break.

The choice of location for Modern Ambition at True North is an interesting one. There are a number of head offices located in the nearby towers. The Canada Life Centre is just steps away. Restaurants and retail are nearby. The Liquor Mart is on the other side of the wall along with the square itself. Mottola Grocery all features prominently.

Aside from the diverted bus traffic on Graham, the long time obstruction of construction (or lack thereof) of Sutton Place Hotel and Suites. It is now headed into 8 years of squat. The owners have said it will be this year that it is complete but that seems wishful thinking. They also said maybe 2026. Perhaps that is possible since the company's other project The Sandman Signature Hotel is complete. That one took about 5+ plus years to get done.

If indeed the hotel and apartments are completed in the next 12 months along with Chop restaurant, then Carlton would be a far more active place with people making their way down it for the hotel, restaurant and Convention Centre generating traffic. As it stands down, it is a permanent construction site. As far as security goes, try and linger in True North Square too long and watch security exit 

Mondetta has generally been ahead of the curve and finding a retail location and a format that they take across Canada. There are a lot of projects all coming on stream in the next 12 to 18 months downtown. Portage Place, The Bay and Sutton Place should be reaching completion all around the same time. Men do need suits and a place they feel comfortable buying them at. Perhaps, with even more people returning to the workplace, the downtown area will be easier and the desire to explore the area greater. And more people in the office might mean more people need suits or dressy casual. At any rate, Mondetta's Modern Ambition will be there to make it possible.

Jimmy Johns Coming to Winnipeg

Jimmy Johns, a U.S. submarine sandwich maker, has begun construction on two locations in Winnipeg. The restaurant has not even been in Canada a year. The first location opened in November 2024 in the greater Toronto area. Winnipeg has seen a number of U.S. and international restaurants open in the city in the last few years. There seems an insatiable desire to see even more.

In some ways Winnipeg is fortunate because of its combination of homegrown restaurants as well as international franchises. Salisbury House, Stella's and Pony Coral are all homegrown. We have had many Canadian chains locate in the city as well. It may seem like every day type of things for those in the city but visitors from all over the province marvel at the places they can go to eat such as The Keg or Olive Garden. We take it for granted and pine for what we see south of the border or in larger provinces.

In terms of submarine sandwiches, the only place that served them aside from Italian family restaurants in the 1960s where they went by the name hero or hoagie sandwich. By 1968, Canada had Mr. Submarine and it spread across the country. Today, Winnipeg has only one. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Sub had the market to themselves. The juggernaut of Subway came in 1986 to St. John's Newfoundland and today has 3000 restaurants in Canada today. Quiznos came soon after and in recent years Firehouse. Rumour is Jersey Mike's is coming next.

Jimmy John's has been around in the U.S. since 1983 and has been been on the wish list for some Winnipeggers for years. The St. James locations in a former Urban Barn is just off Ellice. The first Jollibee's in Canada is across from it. The other location being built on Pembina in a closed Macao Imperial Tea location. 

Macao Imperials Tea has one other location still in the city on McPhillips so should be fine. Urban Barn has two other locations in the city and a warehouse just outside the city. Both Canadian stores have locations across the country and seem to be doing fine.

It should be important to note that while Jimmy John's is American, the franchise owner is Canadian and their employees are Canadian and their supplies are Canadian. It is hard to be purist in all things Canadian. For many years Tim Horton's was American owned and even now has shareholders all over. Coffee beans are certainly not Canadian although I don't know too many Canadians about to drop their favourite hot drink.

Jimmy John's will likely be well received when they open and I expect they will emphasize the Canadian aspect of their supply chain. It is something that we are seeing more and more in Canada. It will take a long time for it to ever reach Subway location numbers in Winnipeg. At present there are 73 listed which makes it the most of any Canadian city per capita.

Peavy Mart Closes All Stores in Canada, Two in Winnipeg

Peavy Mart started in Winnipeg in 1967. It presently has five stores in Manitoba, two in Winnipeg. The company head office is now in Red Deer along with their flagship location. All this year they have been struggling and it looks like this week it ends. The 22 stores announced for closure so far will not be enough. The entire company will shut down.

The National Grain Company of Minneapolis  set up National Farmways, a "super farm market" based in Winnipeg with their first store in Dawson Creek. In 1975 the company became Peavy Mart, a subsidiary of Peavy in Minneapolis. In 1984, the company was bought by Canadian owners and remained as such till 2025.

The Peavy Marts in Winnipeg were former Zellers locations on Pembina Highway and Nairn. They are a mix of farm supply and do it yourself shop. They had grown in size in company by taking over TSC stores a few years back and their association with Ace Hardware.

It would be appear that the association has failed and the expansion has left them with underperforming stores. It will be saw for the Winnipeg locations but the pain will be felt a lot harder in many of the rural locations where stores are closing.

Skip the Dishes to Fire Hundreds

The downtown head office in True North Square of Skip the Dishes will look a whole emptier today as 100 corporate staff are laid off and 900 operations staff. In Winnipeg the number might be 350 staff. Four floors in the True North tower were Skip offices. It was estimated that in 2019 that nearly 2000 employees were in Winnipeg.

Skip has has three top execs in one year so clearly something has been going on there. The purchase of GrubHub for billions in 2021 has been a major drain on the company, a huge mistake. The heavy debt and the reduced demand post-pandemic on takeout has hurt the multinational company.

Further details likely to be released but with so much debt, Skip is struggling in 2024 and is looking to cut where it can.

More 7-Elevens to Possibly Close in Winnipeg

In a meeting with 7-Elevens CEO and officials from Canada, Winnipeg City Council was warned that 10 more of their convenience stores face closure over crime issues. This is a unique warning for Winnipeg as the company has tremendous success in the city but shoplifting challenges have outpaced all their considerable security measures. The time-lock safes, the LED lights, the security cameras, the removal of lottery tickets and tobacco from easy access at night and the low amount of cash on hand has not been enough to stop wholesale removal of product. Police regularly stop at 7-Elevens for coffee and Slurpees. It still isn't enough.

Some helpful people have suggested liqour store-like IDs and locked doors. This would an expensive add on as a full time person has to be doing security. Heaven help us if every store went this way then it would lead to line-ups the likes we haven't seen since Covid. Perhaps there is a way to streamline this but it puts the onus far too much on the retailer. And to be fair, 7-Eleven already does a considerable amount on security.

The ten stores likely to be closed have not been identified but there are several such as William and on Ellice that have shuttered and remain boarded up. No other business has seemed interested in the properties. And why would they? If heavy security 7-Eleven can't withstand it, who can? Some areas of Winnipeg that are a food and convenience store desert will be even more so. 

The province has stepped up policing with supports and retailers and restaurants are asking for it to be extended and expanded. The feeling is that some crime issues manifest from seeming lack of consequences. Add to that a real increase in toxic drugs that result in addiction and more desperation.

So what stores are in danger of closing? They are: 1895 Wellington (Airport location) 119 Salter Street, 1184 Portage Avenue (Wolsely location), 909 Lorette (Fort Rouge location), 665 McPhillips, 120 Keewatin, 456 Talbot, 891 Arlington, 1485 Inkster Blvd and 815 Ellice. At some of these locations stock was entirely removed from shelves and walked out the store.

One suggestion was for doors to be locked and only a few people let in at a time. In the U.S. sometimes only a take out window is open. Some suggested security guards full time but even grocery stores are finding only police actions and consistent arrests will put a stop to it. 

Others will blame society, police, housing, poverty, drugs and say only a re-make of society will be helpful. That likely won't save the grocery and convenience stores. Certainly police arrests of some people with tens of thousands of goods should give some idea how pervasive the problem is. The loss of so many stores is an emergency requiring provincial and city effort.  Having only two city councillors meet the officials from 7-Eleven might not be enough. The warning should be enough to reach all elected officials on holiday.