MB Economic Fundamentals 2008-07

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Making Central Park a better place

Children frolic in the wading pool as their parents bask in the hot summer sun; people munch on hotdogs while sitting at a row of picnic tables; a man is passed out, sprawled on his side on a wooden bench; and a handful of men and women are gathered in a circle, drinking a Lysol cocktail from a two-litre bottle.

Welcome to Winnipeg`s Central Park.

"The kids are seeing way too much," says Maizie Taylor, who runs a nearby day care and often takes the kids to the park for a swim. "Things that they learn about society, the derelicts that hang around."

Even during daylight hours, some drug pushers or panhandlers approach the children, she says. And sometimes, the children go into washrooms near the wading pool and find street people inside.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4793668c.html

 

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Does Katz know where he is going?

If not a football stadium, then what is Mayor Sam Katz`s vision for South Point Douglas and the core of the city?

David Asper`s bold vision for Point Douglas is certainly not dead, but as Katz deliberates on the economics of the proposal, public opinion seems to be suggesting a football stadium in this part of the city could be the proverbial square peg in a round hole.

As a result, there appears to be a good chance critics who see the stadium as a bad fit with the downtown in general may see their wish granted. But with the death of the stadium proposal, what if anything will be done to help an area of the city most Winnipeggers have long since forgotten.

The Point Douglas debate is evolving quickly from a discussion about where we should locate a new home for the Blue Bombers, into a discussion about where Katz wants to take the city and whether or not he knows how to get there. The narrative on the South Point Douglas proposal suggests Katz does not know where he`s going.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4793657c.html

 

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Public works blasted by councillor for `pothole city`

Some Winnipeggers have a sinking feeling when it comes to city roads.

"People are getting used to thinking of this as pothole city," said Coun. Harvey Smith, who raised the issue at city hall yesterday.

Smith said potholes are especially bad in his Daniel McIntyre ward because of its aging infrastructure. "I`d like (the city) to set a deadline for when they can get them all filled," the councillor said. "There is no accountability."

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...226976-sun.html

 

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Schools recruit foreign students

Rural school divisions are recruiting international students as a way to cope with low enrolment.

Dauphin-based Mountain View School Division expects at least 17 foreign students, ranging from Grade 4 to Grade 12, in September.

"We`re certainly very excited about the progress that we`ve made," said Dwayne Zarichny, international education director for Mountain View School Division.

Students from South Korea, Germany and Austria are already registered.

The program brought students into the division for the first time in the 2007/2008 school year -- two short-term students from South Korea and two full-time students from Mexico.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4794091c.html

 

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Nitrogen must go: province

The Doer government is forcing Winnipeg to spend $10 million to $50 million on a sewage-treatment process that one of the world`s leading freshwater scientists believes will actually make Lake Winnipeg filthier.

The city is in the midst of a $1.8-billion wastewater upgrade ordered up by Manitoba Conservation in 2003. While most of the money will buy new sewers, big vats of phosphorus-gobbling bacteria and tanks where toxic ammonia is turned into relatively harmless nitrates, one final step in the wastewater-treatment process -- the breakdown of nitrates into a gas that can dissipate into the atmosphere -- has come under fire from the former University of Manitoba scientist who helped discover how overfertilization kills freshwater lakes.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4794672c.html

 

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Manitobans bump up May sales

Manitobans loaded up on everything from booze to building materials in May as they ignored some dark economic clouds on the horizon and soaring gas prices, and spent like there`s no tomorrow.

New seasonally adjusted Statistics Canada figures released Tuesday show Manitoba retailers rang up the second-biggest monthly sales increase in the country in May, at 1.1 per cent ($1.26 billion compared to $1.24 billion).

They also posted the second-biggest year-over-year increase, at 7.9 per cent, and the second biggest year-to-date gain at a hefty 10.6 per cent ($5.9 billion compared to $5.3 billion).

All three increases were substantially higher than the corresponding numbers for Canada, where retail sales were up a lacklustre 0.4 per cent from April to May to $35.8 billion, up 4.8 per cent from a year earlier, and up 5.5 per cent for the first five months of the year.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4794652c.html

 

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Transit drivers reject contract, strike possible

Winnipeg Transit drivers have rejected a proposed new contract, setting the stage for a possible strike.

In a secret ballot yesterday, nearly 65% of members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 voted to reject a contract offer recommended by a provincial conciliation officer. Of 990 ballots, 349 were in favour of the contract and 640 were against. There was one spoiled ballot. The vote authorizes strike action, the union`s negotiating committee said in a media release.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...250301-sun.html

 

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City does nothing about derelict house: neighbour

Winnipeg`s core-area revitalization efforts can`t work if governments don`t enforce their laws to help.

That message has been sent to city hall by a West End woman who is angry that a neighbouring home has been allowed to deteriorate into a dangerous blight for at least the past 21/2 years. Following a long struggle to get the city to take any kind of action on a vacant and boarded-up two-storey house near her home on Simcoe Street, Anne Dawson`s efforts yesterday prompted a municipal inspection staffer to take photographs of the eyesore.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...250336-sun.html

 

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Gallons Galore at new paint store

The evolution of Portage la Prairie`s downtown continues with a bright new business opening recently on Saskatchewan Avenue.

Following the arrival of several other new stores in Portage`s downtown, such as Fine Presence and Vandenberg`s Fine Jewelry Inc., Portage`s newest paint store, Gallons Galore and More, is now doing business. Since opening the doors at 160 Saskatchewan Ave. W. in early July, owner Cam McLean remains optimistic and excited.

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1127228

 

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Rotary gets multiplex update

Portage la Prairie`s new multiplex may have been 40 years in the making, but the project is expected to start construction as early as next month.

"I`m tremendously excited. Tenders are going to be coming back in the next week or two, and we as a public will be able to see some machinery over there toward the end of August," said Warren Neufeld, co-chairman of the Portage Recreation Committee, on Tuesday. "We`ve talked about Portage waiting for 40 years to have this going."

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1126665

 

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$2.5-M upgrades will fix `death trap`: Wyatt

A Winnipeg city councillor is hoping nearly $2.5 million in municipal funds will bring upgrades to a Transcona intersection before the "death trap" corner brings a tragedy.

Following another serious crash at Dugald Road and Ravenhurst Street on Wednesday afternoon, Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt said he looks forward to days when he won`t have to worry about the intersection any longer. The corner, currently controlled by only one stop sign, was the scene of a serious accident Wednesday.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...261481-sun.html

 

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Traffic through airport starting to slow

Passenger and cargo traffic through the Richardson International Airport increased at its slowest pace since the 9/11 tragedy in the second quarter of this year, the Winnipeg Airports Authority said Thursday.

Air traffic volumes through Winnipeg were virtually flat from April to June -- following six years of impressive growth -- as consumers reacted to fuel-based fare hikes and the North American economy continued to experience turbulence.

"We`ve had, since 2002, incredible growth rates each and every year, so at some point you`re going to slow down," WAA president and CEO Barry Rempel said in an interview Thursday.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4795886c.html

 

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Don`t bet the ranch on housing market

Every time the stock markets go down for a sustained period, as they have over the last 12 months, investors tend to look at alternatives like real estate.

I often hear people say things like, "I have never lost money on real estate," or "my house has been my best investment."

Both statements are sometimes true, but they also might reflect a short memory.

In Winnipeg, we had 10-year periods when house prices have remained flat. Other cities have experienced house-price declines as high as 20 per cent, although not for a long time.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4795896c.html

 

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Sprucing up your house with a grant

Homeowners in Portage la Prairie interested in sprucing up their houses can now apply for a grant that could provide up to $2,500 towards the project.

The grants are being doled out by the Portage Community Revitalization Corp. (PCRC) to people living within the boundaries of Portage, who earn a gross income of less than $50,000 per year.

Elicia Funk, PCRC facilitator, said the committee expects to receive $30,000 in funding for the initiative from the provincial government`s Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation, and hopes the grants will help Portagers brighten up their neighbourhoods.

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1128748

 

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OT refusal delays buses as possible strike looms

Winnipeg Transit says it is working to diffuse a labour dispute with bus drivers that interrupted service yesterday morning.

Rush hour commuters and early birds were left 20 buses short as a result of the Amalgamated Transit Union`s Local 1505`s decision to refuse overtime as a form of strike action. One commuter route taking time off yesterday morning was the busy Downtown express -- or number 41 -- which leaves Glenway Avenue close to the North Perimeter before heading down Henderson Highway.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...269786-sun.html

 

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NDP earmarks $45M to expand Brandon college

THE NDP government has committed $45 million to the second phase of Assiniboine Community College`s expansion -- the largest post-secondary provincial investment in Brandon`s history.

Premier Gary Doer unveiled the architectural designs for the historic Pine Ridge building Friday, which will become the new trades and technology centre, scheduled to open in 2010.

And it will be named the Len Evans Centre for Trades and Technology after the longtime Brandon NDP politician.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4796401c.html

 

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Second quarter report shows strength of resale market

In Winnipeg, limited new and resale housing inventory continued to tighten the city`s real estate market, and will do so for the remainder of 2008, according to a new report from Royal LePage Real Estate Services.

The limited supply of housing throughout Winnipeg had a dramatic impact on average house prices which, for all housing types surveyed during the second quarter, experienced double-digit year-over-year increases.

The report indicated Canada`s real estate market is poised to maintain the momentum gained from a solid second quarter through to the end of 2008.

http://www.winnipegrealestatenews.com/Editorials.aspx?id=108

 

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RCMP warn public to protect property

RCMP are looking for help in solving B&Es throughout the region, and they are warning others to be aware of the danger.
The most recent incident happened at Ecusta Fibres Ltd., three miles east of Winkler off PTH 30 in the R.M. of Rhineland.
Police say that sometime between June 11 and June 25, people entered the plant site and stole close to 3,000 feet of copper wire in bundles.
The estimated cost of the loss was $20,000 plus an additional $10,000 in labour.
RCMP are also investigating a break, enter and theft that occurred two months ago, five miles north of Rosenfeld near the R.M. of Morris southern boundary.

http://www.altonaecho.com/News/412469.html

 

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Arborg aquatic centre to break ground early next month

ARBORG -- Allan Georget has faced his share of questions about the town`s aquatic centre. Work begins on the $1.1-million project in early August, with a projected completion in time for Canada Day 2009.
Georget is chairman of the committee that`s shepherded the ambitious aquatic centre since its inception 18 months ago. He`s also general manager of the Arborg Credit Union.
The questions Georget faces include ones about whether such a project is sustainable, why it`s not year-round and how can it pay its way with just 90 days of good weather at best.
"The number-one question is: Why is this not an indoor pool? And Tom Chwaliboga [recreation director] and I did a lot of research on that," Georget explained in an interview on a sun-blessed Tuesday morning. "Just on the operational costs we would lose a quarter-million-dollars a year with an indoor pool.

http://www.interlakespectator.com/News/412615.html

 

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Housing plan irks neighbours

A new subdivision with a proposal for four-plex units does not sit well with neighbours to the development site in the northwest corner of Morden.
They brought their objections to Morden town council Monday as it considered approval of the subdivision as well as a related conditional use and rezoning of the site from AR agriculture restricted to RM residential multiple family.
They cited concerns ranging from increased traffic to drainage, but the 19th St. residents who will live next to the development primarily argued it does not fit with the adjacent single residential homes in the area.

http://www.mordentimes.com/News/412448.html