CBC News

I waited a bit to CBC News on both radio and television. Aside from a new a music intro for the radio news, it hasn't changed much. CBC's The National and CBC Newsworld had had significant changes though, not the least of which is renaming it to CBC News Network.

Much of the media has made light of the lack of chairs for all of the CBC News programs. They have a point. Some may recall when Peter Kent used to stand by a podium. It was an experiment that didn't last.

I think the thing many people have noticed is the busy background of swirling graphics.

In terms of content, the National is still presenting the news as they have but it seems more geared to who is delivering the news. In other words, Peter Mansbridge is interacting more with the correspondents, sometimes in the studio.

As the days passed, they have stopped Peter from roaming around the National studio floor as much as he did in the first day.

I'll wait a few more weeks to assess again but CBC's National News now ranks third in the country for national newscasts.

I hold off on commentary on the new Politics show and the new business show with Lang and O'Leary.

As for CBC's News at 6, I find it repetitive. Given 90 minutes, I'd expect a little difference in each half hour. It would be nice to see a local politics panel once a week or a review of entertainment rather than a constant refrain of the the same stuff.

It is good to see a late night local CBC News again but it is a pale comparison to what they used to have for late night.



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The Selinger Era

Greg Selinger pretty much had the advantage in terms of winning the NDP leaderdship from the beginning. After Andrew Swan bowed out, the momentum tilted towards Selinger even more. What Steve Ashton did was campaign hard, gain membership and keep some excitement in what many believed was a forgone conclusion. Organized labour used its slate to ensure it was a foregone conclusion by using their reserved slate of delegates to massively support Selinger. Perhaps they feared Ashton was too much of a gamble compared to the more drab and centrist Selinger.

So now we have the Greg Selinger era.

Aside from the chaos of the H1N1, Selinger has a number of changes to make in his cabinet, Hydro board and in his personal staff. He will probably keep much of the Doer team in place but he has to find a strong person to replace him in Finance and a replacement for Oscar Lathlin.

That is only a small amount of spaces for change unless some of the cabinet is leaving politics and first stepping down from cabinet.

Rumour is that there are two cabinet people who may be stepping down.

They are:

Dianne McGifford

That leaves an opening in Advanced Education.

Dave Chomiak

That leaves an opening in Justice.

I have heard no confirmation of either.

My guess is that we will see Bill Blaikie added to cabinet but beyond that, it gets fuzzy. Jennifer Howard comes to mind.

There may be a few people left on the sidelines after this wondering if they will ever get a chance in cabinet. I imagine that there might be one or two that might be a bit upset.

This is one of the main issues about a long serving government. The beginning of the end for the NDP in the 1980s was not keeping everyone happy in their caucus.



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Google brings Street View to Canada

Google Street View of Canada is available today.

Winnipeg is not available yet.



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Kenaston Boulevard Part 1

Manitoba Minister of Transportation Ron Lemieux (right) along with Winnipeg Deputy Mayor Justin Swandel talk to the media about Kenaston Boulevard plans.

Free Press photo

Surprised we don't have Bruinooge with a prop cheque too.

The Conservative Party cheque giveaway continues and Winnipeg is the recipient of the money to spent... in a Conservative riding. Amazing how that happens, right?

Rod Bruinooge, the Winnipeg South MP for the Tories is ponying up $18 million while the province is on the hook for $15 million and the city will pay $22 million.

With all spending, the cheque is not in the mail. Bruinooge says that the money is contingent on the Tories getting elected. Nice.

Later, Bruinooge said the federal cash is contingent on the Harper government winning the looming election or surviving long enough to write the cheque.

Ostensibly, this money is to extend Kenaston to the Perimeter Highway where it turns into Bishop Grandin. It is also to link Waverley to the Kenaston through Waverley Heights. The plan seems a little sketchy on whether an overpass is in the works at Bishop Grandin or an interchange at the Perimeter.

There are so many questions about this project. If it is supposed to be a stimulus project, one figures it would be starting by at least next year. An actual detailed plan is critical as well as a debate about the pros and cons of things such as underpass or interchange.



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CKX Part 4

The message left on CKX's website.

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

The impact on the community will be substantial.



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H & M Coming to Winnipeg

This report just in:

H & M is coming to Winnipeg.



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Swan Fall and Down to Two

Free Press photo of Swan and his supporters and withdrawal from the race

Now that Andrew Swan has stepped aside and supported Greg Selinger, it has turned into a dog fight between the Selinger and Steve Ashton.

The Free Press has tracked delegate support and says Selinger has the most as well as momentum. Still, Ashton continues to close the gap with some of the large ridings selecting his people.

Some seem to think that no matter what happens, the NDP will depart from the direction that Doer took. It seems that the fear in some quarters of the NDP is that Ashton will be the biggest change the party can make.

The leadership will be decided October 17. The results of the Probe Research poll said the NDP remain at 45% in support but this might not last. The poll was speculative as was the musing about a snap election. I don't know that we will get a full grasp of the NDP's selection of leader for a while. If they do go for a snap election, it may backfire on them as it would be a rejection of their fixed election date legislation.

The NDP will have some serious thinking to do about what their strategy should be following the leadership race.



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Kapyong Barracks Part 2

Kapyong Barracks



Google Map of the Kapyong Barracks site alone Kenaston

The court case for the Kapyong Barracks continues.

Federal lawyers have argued that First Nations were offered a crack at bidding for the land but didn't and now want the land given to them. The First Nations say they tried to communicate with the Feds and they didn't respond. Perhaps the truth lies in between.

The court has asked the First Nations to argue why they have a claim to this land in particular. Under the Treaty Land Entitlement, First Nations can make a bid or ask to be given federal Surplus Lands. So far, it looks like the First Nations do not wish to bid on the land with money they have already received to do this but would rather be given this land free.

The court is likely to reject that outright as the TLE clearly states that a bid might be part of the process. There is no way that a court is going to unilaterally pick one option over the other without negotiation.

The federal government has said they have the want to designate Kapyong as Strategic Land. This would have automatically transferred the land to agency Canada Lands where companies could bid to develop it. Even at this time, First Nations have the opportunity to bid on the land to turn it into a reserve.

As long as the First Nations believe the land should simply be turned over to them with no offer on it, there will be a dispute. At some point, if the court decides that enough consultation has taken place, Kapyong will transfer to Canada Lands. However, this could very well be a very long time in court figuring it all out.

The land has fallen in value but remains an area many are interested in given that Ikea is going up just down the block.



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NDP Leadership Race

The Manitoba NDP leadership race is on. The date for the convention is October 17.

The deadline for signing new members is September 17. The new legislative session starts September 14.

So far there are three viable candidates who have announced. They are Andrew Swan, Steve Ashton and Greg Selinger.

Of all the candidates, Selinger has probably the greatest advantage as one of the most senior ministers. After that, Swan with the generational change has strength. Ashton can say he is the most experienced of the candidates.

At the moment, it looks like Selinger has lined up the most supporters followed by Swan.

One sad note is the fact that no women have joined the race. I wonder why this is so.

So far we have not heard too much of the vision and policies the leadership candidates espouse. We'll see if anyone breaks away from the risk adverse policies of Gary Doer.



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Doer Gone

In a slow news summer there is now some news that seems to have caught many by surprise.

I recently wrote here that Doer's popularity was never higher and he could easily win re-election based on his performance. I questioned if the the NDP would ever find someone that matched him in appeal.

For some time now, I have been speculating in one of the larger political forums in the country about Doer's future. Doer appeared a little worn out this spring after the latest session than he had been in a long while. The Tories were more effective in opposition albeit the polls still show the NDP ahead.

This fall looked to have more challenges for any governing party. It was with this in mind that I started thinking if Doer might not be receiving some job offers. There has been the occasional talk of a few things such as a university job, candidate for a political party federally (either Liberal or NDP), an international position and even a few business or non-governmental positions.

I have written numerous times about the good relationship Doer seemed to have with Harper. While, I thought it was unlikely that a Senate job was in the offing, I wondered if Michael Wilson was staying longer in Washington. Given a new U.S. ambassador appointed by Obama and Wilson's very long public service, it made sense to consider that a replacement might be needed in Washington.

Doer is a perfect fit for the job. He has the relationships in the U.S. through years of work with people in Washington and various states. He is on a first name basis with quite a few governors.

He has left the NDP in a strong position save for the fact that much of the strength comes from his leadership and personality. My guess is that over the course of the days before the caucus meeting, many NDPers will be contemplating a leadership run for themselves. Others will be looking at retiring from politics themselves.

Change is coming. For the first time in a long while, politics in Manitoba will be broken wide open.



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Polo Park Part 6 Fifty Years Old

The old Eaton's building (now The Bay) on the north end of Polo Park in the 1970s
Exhibit area of Polo Park in the 1970s
Fountain at Polo Park 1970s
Exhibit area of Polo Park in the 1970s
Interior shot of Polo Park in the 1970s
Interior shot of Polo Park in the 1970s
Interior of Polo Park in the 1970s
Another angle of the sculpture looking out on to Portage Avenue
Sculpture at the east entrance
The Polo Park Cinema
Sculpture outside the north entrance.
The old yellow and black Polo Park sign. Photo and all others from the U of M archives.

Winnipeg Building Index at the U of M Library - Digital Collections https://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm%3A2631259

Polo Park celebrates its 50th birthday this year. I have written extensively on the mall as it is the oldest and largest shopping centre in the city. In 1963, it became the first covered mall in Manitoba and possibly the second in Canada since the first was in B.C. in 1962.

The former racetrack was converted to its present retail format in 1959. At that time Simpsons Sears department store began construction and was completed in May. The rest of the open air mall was completed in August of the same year.

The design of the mall was Simpsons Sears at the south end and two retail strip malls facing one another running north from the department store. There were 40 stores in the first incarnation of the mall, only seven of which remain with the mall in 2009.

Those stores are:

Simpsons Sears
Broadway Florists
Fashionette Hair Stylists
Mario's Beauty Salon
Perth's
Tip Top Tailors
Zellers

The Polo Park Bowling Centre was also an original tenant.

The present owner of the mall Cadillac Fairview is celebrating the anniversary of the mall's opening on August 20 by honouring longtime employees and the original stores.

Today the mall, after five renovations and three expansions, is home to over 200 stores, a 500 seat food court and 6000 parking spaces. The last major expansion in 2008 saw Sport Chek move from its basement location to a large store fronting the south entrance. This made way for McNally Robinson to take over the location. The old food court on the second floor was expanded atop Sport Chek below.

As I have detailed here before, the mall still lacks a theme and is poorly organized. The food court is off to one side of the mall and lacks the great hall feeling that St. Vital Centre has. Women's fashion has no discernible groupings.

Still, after 50 years, Polo Park has survived and prospered. It will be interesting to see if it will be here 50 years from now.

Winnipeg South

One of the federal ridings to watch for the next election will be Winnipeg South. Rod Bruinooge won it handily in 2008 over John Loewen. The election in 2006 was a squeaker with Bruinooge taking it from Reg Alcock.

Talk about the future of Winnipeg South have come to the fore following Dan Lett's column in the Free Press about Terry Duguid vying for the Liberal nomination.

Duguid was a city councillor from 1989 to 1995. He has vied unsuccessfully for the mayor's chair, the legislature and the Commons. I'm sure there will be a lot made of these past attempts. Bruinooge took two turns to win. Doer took four to become premier.

Still, it is going to be a challenge for Duguid to appear fresh and innovative for people in the riding. He will have to get up to speed on the quickly changing Winnipeg South. New homes go up all the time and new people take up residence all the time.

Anyone who says they know who their constituents are or what they believe in is probably wrong. Some believe that the suburb is more conservative and that might be true but there is no evidence that is overly conservative.

Bruinooge has staked out an even greater position on social conservative issues, especially abortion. It could hurt him with some women voters.

Duguid doesn't have Dion around weighing down his campaign. He came very close in 2006 with Martin to taking a federal seat. If Ignatieff continues at his present strength, it isn't a stretch to say that Winnipeg South will be in play. A strong performance by Duguid coupled with a better national leader and policies will help the Liberal vote in the riding.

At the moment, the factor of incumbency favours Bruinooge. He will have to be careful in regards to his own personal stance on issues being out of tune with the riding. One factor he won't be able to control is how popular Harper is. This could be the anchor around Bruinooge's ankles.



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Parker Avenue

A Google map close-up of the Parker Avenue lands

In July, a land swap took place between Gem Equities and the city's transit department. The area has been undeveloped all these years and has acted a shortcut for many between Waverley Street and Pembina Highway. Gem promptly indicated they were going build townhouses on the site.

As one can see from the picture, there is a combination of woods and scrub land in the selected area. It has never been designated as park land for the city although many people use it for walking trails.

There was some controversy a few years ago when the Winnipeg Humane Society located to Hurst alongside the 22 acres around Parker. Now, some workers there are complaining about further development. It is hard to hear people advocate for closing the door once they themselves are in place.

The Not in my Backyard (NIMBY) protests are sounding all over the city for almost any type of change.

The lands around Parker Avenue could have easily gone industrial rather than residential. That probably would have drawn even more criticism. The plain truth is that the area was never designated as park land and there has never been plan to make it a park.

The city has recently completed the Sterling Lyon Parkway from Route 90/Kenaston to Waverley Street. It makes sense to connect Waverley to Pembina Highway via an extension of that road.

Some have complained the lands should remain as is, a forest or scrub land but this doesn't help the neighbourhood if traffic continues to rise along Parker as the city grows. To simply make it local access only bottlenecks traffic even for those who wish to preserve their little sanctuary.

I don't know the full environmental impact in the Parker Avenue woods. A study should be done to see what it will entail. I do know that we if protect every space within the city that we will continue to sprawl, we won't have transportation corridors for rapid transit or traffic and it will cost everyone in the city.

Ideally, an extension of Sterling Lyon would have bikepaths, sidewalks and greenery. It would connect Pembina and Waverley and put off the need immediately for an underpass for Waverley. It would allow for easy and controlled access north and south of the road.

If Gem does decide to build townhouses, it should be done with the same principle of sidewalks, bikepaths and greenery.

The NIMBY principle of rejecting any type of change in a neighbourhood is becoming exasperating.

I think that the project should be watched closely but it could be a very good thing for the city as a whole.



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CBC Changes

The CBC announced the changes to their schedule for the fall. Once again they are tinkering with their presentation of the news. In some cases, they have been successful doing this as when they moved The National news broadcast to 10 pm back in 1982. It was part somewhat of a golden age for the CBC which saw the broadcast teamed with The Journal and regularly win its timeslot.

CBC's daily local news broadcast 24Hours started in 1970. Priot to that, Winnipeg's local news came once a week on a program called Eye-to-Eye. Garth Dawley was the original newsreader.

The local CBC news occupied its present 6 to 7 pm slot in 1977. It proved to be a very successful model for the local CBC and for decades, 24 Hours won its timeslot over local rivals.

From 1985 to 1990, 24Hours LateNight ran on the CBC. It was a more robust platform than the local late night news round up that had existed in the years before. Alas, it was abandoned due to continued changes when 24Hours Talkback expanded the supper news to 90 minutes from 1990-1992.

Local latenight news returned from 1994 to 2000 but it never has the same robustness of the 1980s.

In 2000, cutbacks at the CBC resulted in a national news program taking the 6 pm slot in Winnipeg. The program was renamed Canada Now and hosted by Ian Hanomansing. Local news was relegated to 6:30 pm. The change proved to be deadly for ratings and the national news experiment ended in 2007.

Since 2007, the CBC has returned to a one hour news format called CBC News: Winnipeg at Six. now hosted by former CTV News corespondents Janet Stewart and John Sauder. It has slowly restored ratings for the one time champion of local news but CTV News (CKY News) has been number 1 for many years now. In the last ratings period in spring in 2009, CBC local news vaulted back into second place.

From the Free Press:

CBC-TV was the biggest winner in this spring's version of the local-news ratings race, according to figures released this week by the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement.

CTV maintained its dominant position among local newscasts, despite a dip in ratings, while CBC leapfrogged Global to take over second spot among Winnipeg's supper-hour news programs.

CTV News drew an average audience of 126,700 during the spring BBM ratings period, compared to 165,800 in the same period last year. CBC News at Six increased its viewership dramatically, attracting an audience of 43,600 compared to 31,200 last spring.

It would be terrible if the CBC experiment that failed in the 1990s hurt the CBC's present climb back to better ratings. In part it looks like the news is being bookended with products picked up last year and this year.

The new schedule starting August 31 looks like this:

4:00 PM to 5:00 PM Ghost Whisperer
5:00 PM to 6:30 PM CBC News
6:30 PM to 7:00 PM Coronation Street
7:00 PM to 7:30 PM Wheel of Fortune
7:30 PM to 8:00 PM Jeopardy

There has been some criticism from some anonymous CBC sources.

The gist of the argument is that it is very hard to produce a 60 minute broadcast and doing 90 minutes is going to extremely difficult. It is also argued that the move to an earlier hour is to get bigger ratings for its British and American imports.

Time Program National Toronto Calgary

4:00 p.m. Fashion File 22,000 3,000 No rating

4:30 p.m. Rick Mercer 34,000 No rating No rating

5:00 p.m. The Simpsons 169,000 13,000 9,000

5:30 p.m. Wheel of Fortune 370,000 18,000 3,000

6:00 p.m. Local News 294,000 44,000 6,000

7:00 p.m. Coronation Street 557,000 173,000 11,000

7:30 p.m. Jeopardy! 683,000 161,000 9,000

It remains to be seen whether this move will hurt the CBC even more or whether this will turn local ratings around.



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New Water Utility

Winnipeg Free Press picture of the council meeting to decide the fate of Winnipeg's water utility

So it has been decided. Winnipeg will have a P3 partnership for the water utility. Officially, Council voted 10-6 Wednesday to create municipal corporate entity that will manage water and sewer services. This entity will also oversee garbage and recycling.

The council meeting lasted 12 hours and covered several things including the transfer of land at Parker (which I will discuss in another post).

I can honestly say I have no idea if this new utility will be better than what we have now.

Will it cost less? Will it be more accountable? Will it be more efficient?

Who can say? At most this is an experiment.



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CKX Part 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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Doer now, Doer tomorrow, Doer forever

The latest Probe Research poll is out and the news is that Gary Doer and the NDP will be in office... forever.

Doer is a populist. He probably helps win five or six seats just based on that popularity.

As long as the economy doesn't completely tanks in Manitoba and as long as he refuses to hold inquiries into his government, Doer can probably win majority after majority.

I don't think there is any evidence of voter fatigue with Doer.

The question is: Will Doer look to step down after the next election? If he does, the NDP has no one who comes close to him in charisma. Blaikie is popular among his own party and in his riding but I think he would be the first to admit, he won't be voted for based on being a superstar like Doer is.

Doer's good looks for a number of voters has probably turned the tide in a number of elections.

If some people think is not important, think about how many people would rally to Chomiak provincially. Being rumpled and looking like you've missed sleep might not affect you in your local riding but it certainly will affect your provincial appeal.

There are some who think Oswald might have appeal and she certainly might. There are others too who might be a fresh face but there is no superstar in the way Doer is now.

At the moment, it looks like Doer now and Doer tomorrow.

I think the problem for the province is that the NDP is highly risk adverse after a number of years in office. They wait for others to introduce private member's legislation before adopting the idea. It is a slow moving process.

Meanwhile, issues like the lack of rental housing and social housing fester. The ribbon cutting on some social housing this summer still doesn't address a terrible rental market for available living space. Rent control is too tight and no one wants to build in sufficient numbers.

It is much like the university freeze. Doer kept it until the universities started to teeter under the rising costs that were not being met.

Housing is just another one of those neglected issues.

In any event, this is the way Doer does things. He has been lucky that the economy hasn't stuck it to the province like it has in other regions. It still may affect him in the fall but he has a long way to ever be in danger because of it.



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Miss Lonelyhearts

Since 1980, Maureen Scurfield has written Miss Lonelyhearts for the Winnipeg Sun.

On April 15, Maclean's wrote about she has written for the paper all these years and how her attempt to syndicate were unsuccessful. She has been, however, a mainstay of the Sun since it started. Now the paper has lost yet another local reporter.

The Winnipeg Free Press made the announcement by saying that Miss Lonelyhearts would be taking over for Rhona Raskin.

It is somewhat of a coup for the Free Press. There are some people who read her column in the Sun whenever they had a copy of the paper. I don't know if it is enough to make people switch to the Free Press but she is local in a way that Free Press advice columns have not been before.



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Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Part 3

The Winnipeg Airport Authority has begun announcements of some of the businesses that will operate in the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

There are some interesting retailers that will locate in the mall.

The most interesting announcement is that McNally Robinson and Toad Hall Toys are opening stores. I'm not sure what than means for the Virgin Books and Records store in the old terminal but it seems that they would be in conflict with McNally.

The Free Press listed the 13 retailers and restaurants:

Local operators:

Salisbury House of Canada, best known for its Sals nips (hamburgers), hot dogs, french fries and pastries.

Gondola Pizza, known for its pizzas, pasta dishes, ribs, chicken wings and salads.

Stella's Cafe & Bakery, which specializes in home-made breads, cinnamon buns, soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts.

McNally Robinson Booksellers, a full-service bookstore known for carrying a broad selection of titles from local authors.

Toad Hall Toys, an "old-world" toy shop whose products include exquisite dolls, miniature puppets, musical toys, science kits, and arts and crafts supplies.

Stella's or Gondola's Pizza will be favourites for locals and expats coming to the city.

I have never been a favourite of Sal's. I find they are expensive and the food pedestrian. The only thing I found appealing about them was their late hours. I admit I haven't dropped by recently so maybe I shouldn't judge so harshly.

There are some national and international operations as well.

National and international operators:

Starbucks Coffee, an international specialty coffee/restaurant chain.

Tim Hortons Inc., Canada's largest specialty coffee/restaurant chain.

T.G.I. Friday's, a U.S.-based, family-restaurant chain.

Rice Tales, a contemporary Asian, quick-serve, restaurant chain offering a variety of Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Filipino dishes.

Upper Crust Bakery, a U.K.-based chain best known for its freshly baked French baguettes. Also carries an extensive selection of gourmet salads and fresh pastries.

PGA Tour Shops, a U.S.-based retailer offering both men's and women's golf and leisure apparel and accessories.

Rosetta Stone, one of the world's leading language companies that sells specialty CDs and other computer-based language-learning products.

CNBC News, which offers in-store broadcasts of CNBC business news programs and carries a broad range of traditional newsstand products, including books, magazines and convenience items.

Rice Tails and Upper Crust Bakeries sound very interesting. I have heard of Rosetta Stone through their ads. I'd have to see what the store offers to make a full assessment.

TGI Fridays is huge in the States. I think they only offer a few locations in Canada. It will be curious to see what the size of some of these restaurants are.

There are more stores to announce yet. Let's hope they have a few more local companies.

My big issue is that 70% of what has been announced is in post security. That means for people waiting for friends and family to depart or arrive will not have access to many of the businesses in the airport.

Why is this a problem? Well, for airports like Winnipeg, I don't how long people wait to depart once they have cleared security but shopping and dining takes time. For hubs airports where the wait might be long, such things are fairly important. However, I am curious as to how much time people will spending in the security area prior to or immediately after their flights have landed. I guess this will be the main determining factor in how these place succeed.

Still, some interesting business announcement for the airport.

Some questions remain: What happens to the old terminal?



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Highrises in Winnipeg

It has been reported that the highrise that was supposed to be built on the site of old Upper Fort Garry may now rise a short distance away on Assiniboine Avenue.

It seems every time there is an apartment proposal lately that a protest emerges of not in my backyard.

The apartment complex proposed by Heritage Landing and its owner Rubin Spelzer is set to rise 25 stories. Spelzer was the man who gave way to the Friends of Upper Fort Garry. The city seems to be offering the surplus land to Spelzer while denying no quid quo pro. I don't know if we'll ever know.

There have been no high rises built for residents in the downtown since the 1980s. The area behind the Fort Garry Hotel and Fort Garry Place were the last to be built. The focus in recent years has been the Exchange District and the condos along Waterfront Drive.

Winnipeg's downtown is very spread out. The density level is low and there has many surface and other parking lots spread out all over. Even so, the complaints of not enough parking keep cropping up and heritage buildings keep going down to put up another parkade.

We'll see if Spelzer's project will get the go ahead. It is obvious there is a crying need for apartment space in the city. The NDP is trying to fund social housing but it is a drop in the bucket. Not in my backyard thinking and rent control have strangled the market.

The Tories are terrified of losing another election because of rent control but only the removal of it will help on supply. To mitigate quick rises in rent, the program should be phased out. Just as the freeze on tuition had to end lest the universities start cancelling even more programs, the government will have to phase out rent control.

I suspect as soon as that happens, a lot of the empty spaces occupied by parking lots downtown can be turned into apartments.



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