We used to be friends - Dandy Warhols (Theme for Veronica Mars)

Winnipeg's Tallest Tower

The new downtown tower

It it all hype?

A Winnipeg Free Press story mentioned how many building projects are going up...only two actually under construction.

On average since 1970, Winnipeg usually sees a few taller buildings go up every ten years. There is one big gap of nearly 15 years over the entire 1990s and into the mid 2000s where nothing was built if any real height over the entire city. As most will remember, Winnipeg and much of the country was dragging through a recession, very low dollar and major cutbacks at every level of government. The one major initiative was the construction of Shaw Park for baseball as part of a plan for Winnipeg hosting the Pan American Games and permanent home for the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

Winnipeg in the 1990s saw property values drop horribly and the struggle every day was palpable. The departure of the Winnipeg Jets in 1996 seemed to leave the message: Will the the last one to leave turn out the lights? It was an awful time that saw the city tear itself apart with murder, arson and car theft. People fled the province.

The closure of Eaton's downtown store in 1999 and the huge hole it created downtown kind of shook up the business and government community. The empty Eaton's building was the biggest symbol of how Portage Avenue was on life support.

Despite efforts to preserve the Eaton's building, no one from the private sector came forward with a viable plan year after year until the arena proposal led by the Chipman family came to the fore.

It would be wrong to say that this deal turned this around for the downtown of Winnipeg. It did however lead to a partnership between the Chipman family and David Thomson, who owned the Eaton's property, to create the circumstances for the return of the Winnipeg Jets.

Serendipity. The combination of the two families led to the building of the MTS Centre which led to the Jets which has resulted in the construction of the biggest project on North Portage since the 1980s. The Centrepoint development is well underway and will have offices, a hotel, a parkade, condos and restaurants. The tallest building since the Investor's Group office is climbing into the air.

The very slow recovery of the economy that includes Winnipeg and the excitement of the Jets return has inspired some investors to invest in property in the downtown area. We have seen some private developers buy hotels, apartments and offices for some pretty big money.

There are a few proposals for residential towers downtown, only two have shovels in the ground, one other look ready to go. A few have seemed to falter on the lack of parking and their unwillingness to invest in a parkade. The Waterfront Drive phase one of condos depended largely on the developers putting their own parkades in. The price point as a result is higher.

Notwithstanding the issue of parking and how government can help, many developers are proceeding with their own plans. No one builds on speculation anymore so pre-sales are the rule of the day. Even when everything is almost pre-sold, it is still a slow process as one Assiniboine Avenue developer has shown.

The biggest hype probably surrounds the Fortress Real Developments and MADY Developments with their tallest building in the city proposal for 245 Graham Avenue across from the old post office/new police headquarters. The tower continues to get pushed up in proposed height. The latest word is that it will be 46 and possibly as high as 55 storeys in height.

The proposal also includes a grocery store, some offices, parking.

The creed of the new development is Live, Work, Play.

Can it work? Well, it has been done before. Winnipeg developer Lakeview has done it twice with Lakeview Square and Delta hotel complex from the 1970s and 1980s and the Courts of St. James in the 1970s. Each project required tens of millions of dollars and had retail, offices and residential components that ensured their success.

The $200 million to complete Winnipeg's tallest building could be there to spend. The impression from the developers is that they do set out to do the work they promise. They have an established record.

However, we have had many promises from even well know Winnipeg firms that were withdrawn because market conditions were not right.

It remains to be seen if this project can go forward. But in the end, Winnipeg has waited a very long time for a major building like this and the timing for it might be perfect.

New Politics - Harlem

Lorde - Royals

First woman to top alt chart in 17 years.

Banjo Bowl Message

Premier Brad Wall of Saskatchewan, a bango picking inbred says: It's on.

Attractive cousins.

Boosters and Complainers

There has been a bit of a discussion on booster and complainers in the city of Winnipeg. The word angst has been described a few times. I think it should be pointed out that we are not the only place like this. This same navel gazing takes place in Toronto as well.

They were so determined to land a big sports event that they bid on and got the Pan American Games for 2015. Two previous times to get the Olympics failed.

Many cities all indicate they want to do something world-class. The suggestion is they don't want to appear ordinary. Toronto uses the term frequently. And to be fair they often do have amazing events, attractions and people.

I have travelled to a few countries and it has always been a mix of boosterism and complaining. The truth always lies somewhere in between.

The Weakerthans in their song One Great City celebrated the complainers of Winnipeg.

Venetian Snares had an even more negative view.

Not surprisingly, there are not as many moment where people stand up and say how proud they are publicly.

Even when there is a Winnipeg song, it seems like faint praise such as what you find on Randy Bachman and Neil Young's Prairie Town.

In the last little while, I have detected renewed irritation in Winnipeg often manifested in snark. I suppose it is a bit better and more clever than some in the west who with a certain smugness call where they live "God's country." The inference being that the people there are also God's favoured.

No matter. As I mentioned, the truth lies somewhere in between.

Bloggers have come in for scrutiny a bit, especially by the main media. I have no problem with that.  Truth be told, there are lot of fewer Winnipeg bloggers than a few years back. Many people have migrated to Twitter or other social media.

I don't really see myself as a booster or a complainer. I feel I can write about the attraction of IKEA while still pointing out about the traffic chaos in the area. I speculated long ago what sort police cars Winnipeg might get when Crown Victorias were retired while gagging at the paint jobs they were getting. I have mused about commercial and retail developments, wrote about educational and institutional construction, talked about cultural, sport, recreational activities and politics.

I'd like to think I have not been anything but myself. I'm not a journalist. I rely heavily on mainstream media for information. I don't have that type of access or the resources or the time to cover stories. I respect TV, radio and newspapers. It is an endless mouth that needs to be fed and I am sure it is like any job out there that you might love and hate at the same time.

I often think some bloggers just eventually quit as it is fatiguing thinking of what to write. Or they just have said all the want to say. For a journalist, the work continues, assignments are given, deadlines set. Not easy.

I write mostly about Winnipeg. My blog usually gets between 14,000 and 25,000 hits for the year 2013. I hope people find what I write or what I find interesting. Sometimes it is just a song or a website I have liked. Mostly I have taken the time to write something about the city.

I think I am like a lot of people in Winnipeg. I know what our problems are but I also know what a great place it is to live here as well.

So Booster or Complainer? I am neither and both. So stick that feather in your cap.

By the way, I wish I was joined by more long form writers in blogs who write about where they live. I can't tell you how much I enjoy it.

Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood

Ms Mr - Hurricane

Atmosphere, Marshalls Coming to Linden Ridge Shopping Centre

Marshalls, Atmosphere, SportChek, Petsmart, Dollar Tree

No official announcement yet but here is what is going up beside The Brick at Linden Ridge Shopping Centre.

Marshalls is looking to expand fast in Winnipeg and their second location in the city will be in the southwest of the city in the mall.

Winnipeg will get its first Atmosphere. The retailer is a sports equipment and outdoor fashion store with no locations outside of Quebec and Ontario.

Also added to the list of stores opening is a large SportChek, a Petsmart and Dollar Tree.

There is still room for development of the site but this represents one of the largest expansions of retailing for this mall in a number of years.

It is a coup for this developer to grab Marshalls and Atmosphere because clearly, they seem well suited for Seasons of Tuxedo down the street. However, the second and third phase of that mall are barely under way or still on the books.

Tebow Cut.... Next Stop Winnipeg

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow has been cut from New England Patriots.

Next stop Winnipeg?

Montreal has the negotiating rights but they picked up their own former NFL quarterback Troy Smith to play in the last weeks because Anthony Calvillo is concussed. The 2006 Heisman Trophy winner has been signed for a 2 year contract.

And now Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner has been cut from his third NFL team in 18 months. It seems unlikely that Montreal could carry three quarterbacks this year so will they allow Winnipeg to negotiate a contract? I think the answer comes after tomorrow's game.

Winnipeg has four CFL quarterbacks right now. Someone is getting cut by the end of the weekend, maybe two somebodies.

Will Tim Tebow suddenly be in Winnipeg's future? A lot of things will have to happen but desperation could drive the bus.

So Winnipeg, take a knee. Prayers either way?

Teemu's Decision

Eric Robinson Should Go

Deputy Premier of Manitoba Eric Robinson

Osborne House does a lot for Winnipeg and the surrounding community. It is a women's shelter that is there when women need it the most: at their most vulnerable. It is for all women regardless of their background. Eric Robinson sullied that reputation by attaching race to their fundraising motivations.

The suggestion that those who organized a Burlesque were "ignorant white do-gooders" was bringing in race into a the discussion based on Eric Robinson's own prejudices and race based beliefs. The fact that one of the prime organizers was black from a mixed white and aborginal family appears not to have been known by Robinson. His assumption was it was white people, they were ignorant and they were go-gooders.

Let's go over that again. Robinson believes that people associated with Osborne House fundraising are white, ignorant and do-gooders.

The government did not want this view known and in a freedom of information request redacted those words. However, typical of government, the blacked out areas were not adequately invisible due to cost saving paper that was near transparent. You could see Robinson's views plain as day.

Several days earlier a NDP caucus member was disciplined for trying to out a Conservative MLA as gay. It was repugnant and the NDP were forced to act.

Days later Greg Selinger was defending Eric Robinson and saying the apology on the subject made things right. But was it an apology? No. Robinson said he was entitled to his beliefs on race. The no apology apology stands and Robinson remains defensive and defiant. Selinger is in his corner but questions remain about Robinson's ability to do his job given the views he says he is entitled to have.

Robinson was perfectly entitled to his view on Burlesque. He was the one who added a race component. It was totally uncalled for.

The government blacking out Robinson's views is also astounding. It is hard not to think that their solution to the problem is thicker paper and blacker ink rather transparency.

It seems unlikely that Robinson can represent all Manitobans because he seems to have learned nothing from this ordeal. One can imagine him representing his government at various events with: Hello ignorant white do-gooders of...Osborne House, Winnipeg Football Club, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce...

No apologies for you ignorant white do-gooders even if you happen to be black, Asian or Hispanic.

Eric Robinson should go. Will he? Probably not. Selinger is stuck now.

The aftermath of this is that women are increasingly feeling this NDP government is out of touch. This just added fuel to the fire.

Call Me Batman Musical Parody

Oil Through Churchill

Oil pipeline across Manitoba

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Port of Churchill

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

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

Town of Churchill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But back to oil...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Metric: Gold, Guns, Girls

Big Audio Dynamite Bottom Line

Why is Target Failing in Canada?

Target has not even been in Canada for that long and it is already pulling in satisfaction numbers that are below industry standards. Heck, even Zellers probably did better.

Costco tops the Forum Research poll that came out this week for Canada and retailers.

The list ran this order:

Not very good numbers.

Now this list is for those people who have been to the stores in Canada since they have opened.

So what accounts for the dissatisfaction? The details are a bit sketchy but in a nutshell people are no doubt comparing Target USA with Target Canada and finding it wanting. Even more troubling for Target in Canada is the fact that their numbers are dropping. A previous poll found higher numbers than they have now.

It is no easy task to create a new national store with 124 stores, three distribution centers. They certainly can't blame Zellers staff since they only retained 1% of them.

In Winnipeg, we have one major Target renovation of the old Zellers at Grant Park underway and new construction of the the Super Target at old Canad Inn Stadium site at Polo Park. Quite simply, a lot of Winnipeg does not have a really local Target yet. There are no Targets in west Winnipeg. Many people in the city have not been to the ones open yet.

Analysts are saying that Target needs to do well with their grocery so that they get more regular visits. Walmart has recently upgraded its grocery sections to counter Target and Loblaw's/Real Canadian Superstores.

Loblaw's is set to buy Shopper's Drug Mart and Sobey's is buying Safeway.

And there is Target will sub-par numbers for satisfied customers.

What is the solution? Price and selection and location, location, location.

Can Target do it? Well, they have had a reputation for being a tough competitor. Most Canadians won't give up on them yet but they are showing dissatisfaction now.

Dirty Donkey/Colour Me Rad

What are they?

Well, essentially they are private companies venturing into outdoor fitness events with the emphasis on fun.

This past summer, two companies from the U.S. came across the border after successfully introducing 5K runs in the U.S. where participants are hit with colours consisting of cornstarch over their white clothing. The colour is thrown, shot through water, cannons and squirt guns.

The East Indian community's full moon spring festival Holi is the inspiration for the colour event.

There is no timer on the five kilolmeter run. It isn't for experienced runners to show fast they are. It is often novice runners, people out for a fun outdoor event, families and friends and those looking for photo friendly activities.

And oh yes, colour runs are all about the photos. It is the quintessential social media event in that pictures will flood the Internet.

It also makes for good TV news in an increasingly negative new cycle.

The colour runs evolved from the dirtier obstacle course races that started in the western state such as Tough Mudder, Spartan Race and Mud Hero. In Winnipeg, the races are called the The Dirty Donkey.

The mud races requires a little more fitness on the part of the participants but once again the day is about fun and there is so much mud that people are completely covered by the end.

 In an day and age of isolation and individualism, these events really crank up the fun factor, get people out of their comfort zones, encourage more outdoor activity and perhaps lifestyle changes and give the attendees a cool factor that is visually demonstrated in Internet pictures.

Often, these private events are partnered up with local charities but make no mistake, it is a business venture as only business could spread this idea so fast and to so many countries in a year.

The thing to remember with all of these events is keep your eyes and mouth closed!

Machete Kills

Talking Heads - And she was