MB Economic Fundamentals 2008-08

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Phase out freeze

It`s been more than eight years since the Doer government introduced a university tuition freeze in Manitoba, but hopefully this wrong-headed policy may be coming to an end. The province announced last week the establishment of a one-person Commission on Tuition Fees and Accessibility to Post-Secondary Education that will be charged with reviewing access to post-secondary education in Manitoba, including tuition fees and student financial assistance.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/Business/2008/0...351596-sun.html

 

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Magnet for creative types

The downtown Exchange District has become a magnet for architects, designers and planners, and no one has felt that pull more than the owners of Scatliff Miller Murray.

Twice in the past 11 years, the landscape architecture firm has outgrown its Exchange District office and had a chance to bolt to the suburbs. And both times it just moved to a different building in the Exchange -- first to 44 Princess St. and then to 136 Market Ave.

"We just couldn`t find the right kind of space (anywhere else)," Cheryl Oakdean, the firm`s design director and senior landscape architect, said in an interview.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4800753c.html

 

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Sorry, no news items today. I will check again tomorrow.

 

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Home sales still hot

It`s been the hottest July on record, at least for Winnipeg home sales.

Sales under the Multiple Listing Service hit 1,407 units last month with a dollar volume of more than $269 million -- a 13% increase in the number of properties from 1,250, and a hike of 24% from the $217 million involved in transactions in July of last year. That makes last month one of the Winnipeg market`s top six months ever for dollar volume.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...371646-sun.html

 

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City workers ratify new contract

A new contract has been ratified by unionized employees of the city of Portage la Prairie, and as long as council approves the deal, workers can soon expect to see an increase in their wages.

The roughly 83 city workers represented by CUPE 1002 voted in favour of accepting the new contract at a meeting held July 31. Under the new deal, the employees will see a three percent salary increase retroactive from January 1 of this year, and another three per cent increase every year until the contract expires on December 31, 2010.

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1145748

 

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New retailer coming to Portage

Businesses at the Royal Plains shopping centre in the west end of Portage are about to get a new neighbour.

Canada`s largest merchandise leasing company, easyhome, has inked a deal with the shopping centre`s owner, Shindico Realty Inc. of Winnipeg, that will see the tenant open a 360 square-metre store at the shopping development within the year.

Robert Shindleman, vice-president of Shindico, said the new store, which offers leasing options for a number of household goods, including furniture, appliances, electronics and computers, will be a perfect fit for the city of Portage and surrounding the area.

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1146965

 

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Manitoba economy on a roll

On the same day that two of Winnipeg`s largest manufacturers posted significant increases in sales, the Conference Board of Canada, in its latest provincial outlook, touted Manitoba`s economy as the second strongest for 2008.

It is forecasting 3.6 per cent growth in Manitoba in 2008 and 1.7 per cent for Canada. It says the national economy will be dragged down by weakness in demand from the U.S. for the southern Ontario and Quebec auto industries.

The Ottawa think -tank really couldn`t ask for better examples to illustrate some of the underlying strengths in the Manitoba economy than Buhler Industries (the only Canadian tractor maker left in the country) reporting a 54 per cent increase in sales and New Flyer Industries (the largest bus company in North America) up more than 13 per cent for the quarter compared to the year before.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4801848c.html

 

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Point Douglas artists blast stadium plan

A new football stadium has no place in South Point Douglas -- only people do.

That was the message Premier Gary Doer heard Thursday when he met with several local artists who work in South Point Douglas, a largely industrial area just east of Main Street along the Red River targeted for a possible new stadium.

"It would be catastrophic," painter and video artist Wanda Koop said.

"A stadium isn`t urban renewal," performance artist Shawna Dempsey said. "It`s neighbourhood obliteration."

Doer met with the artists, including painter Eleanor Bond and arts journalist Robert Enright, at Koop`s Point Douglas-area studio, a renovated 1910 factory.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4802484c.html

 

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Standard Aero expands plant

Despite cutbacks in North America`s airline industry, Winnipeg`s Standard Aero is spending more than $20 million on a plant expansion that could create more than 300 jobs over the next six years.

The aircraft-engine repair company is building an 80,000-square-foot addition to its division that does the maintenance, repair and overhaul on General Electric engines that power Bombardier Regional Jets and similarly sized Embraer jets from Brazil.

Seven years ago, Standard Aero was the first company to partner with General Electric to repair those engines. That line of business has grown while smaller regional jets become more popular with commercial airlines.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4802470c.html

 

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No work shortage here

In Ottawa and Toronto the economists are saying its the worst monthly job loss since the recession of the early `90s.

But in Manitoba it`s a different story.

Nationally, the job boom went bust in July, with the loss of 55,000 jobs.

But in Manitoba there were 800 more people employed in July compared to June and the job count has grown by 2.5 per cent over the past 12 months, almost twice the national rate of 1.3 per cent.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4802866c.html

 

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Helping businesses

At least week`s meeting, Beausejour council passed a resolution authorizing the town to participate in the BizPal program.
The program, put on by the provincial Department of Competitiveness, Training, and Trade, is a new initiative designed to make information regarding business permits and licenses available online.
"The information will, based on the nature of the business, include local, provincial, and federal permits and licenses," explained Jim Fenske, the town`s chief administrative officer. "The cost for our involvement at this time is, quite simply, the administrative commitment to provide the information for the online data, which is estimated to be approximately one half-day for one staff person."

http://www.beausejourreview.com/Local%20News/414117.html

 

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$544 K handed down from province for development

The Central Plains Regional Development Inc. (CPRDI) will be able to move ahead with its objectives this year, thanks to a grant from the government of Manitoba.

On July 17, the province announced it would be giving all of the provinces` seven regional development organizations (RDC), including the Central Plains, grants totaling $544,000.

The CPRDI`s share of the grant money was $77,442, and Ron Roteliuk, CEO of the CPRDI, explained the funding is an annual contribution the organization relies on.

"It represents a chunk of our budget," he explained. "These monies augment the budget and looks after things like building expenses, staffing costs and operations."

http://www.cpheraldleader.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1149417

 

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Investing in the lake`s EAST side

The federal and provincial governments have invested $245,000 under the Canada-Manitoba Economic Partnership Agreement to assist in creating sustainable aboriginal tourism in the Lake Winnipeg area.
The Eastside Aboriginal Sustainable Tourism (EAST) Inc. will utilize this funding to launch a comprehensive aboriginal tourism development and marketing initiative to help promote the wealth of natural resources and tourism opportunities in the communities along the east side of Lake Winnipeg.
The announcement was made on behalf of the Canadian government by Selkirk-Interlake MP James Bezan, saying the provincial and federal government are pleased to partner in supporting aboriginal tourism in Manitoba.

http://www.selkirkjournal.com/News/414171.html

 

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Home-building workshop revives old building method

IT`S an age-old home-building method given a green twist by a New Mexico company, and now a Steinbach couple is building their own "EcoNest" -- an environmentally friendly abode made of straw, clay and timber.

Dubbed EcoNests by a company of the same name, the homes have timber frames and walls made with a thick mixture of clay and straw -- an old building technique known as wattle and daub -- and coated with earthen plaster.

The company`s founders say the homes are "breathable" and use sustainably harvested, non-toxic materials, and can lead to energy savings for their owners due to the construction methods.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4803603c.html

 

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Southdale finally done

Land developer Ladco Co. Ltd. is putting the finishing touches on a 47-acre commercial development along Fermor Avenue in Southdale that it began in the early 1960s.

Southdale Market, a new 58,000-square-foot development on the east side of the strip near Beaverhill Boulevard, will include a large Giant Tiger store, a 7,200-square-foot day care and an as-yet unnamed national retailer.

The new 24,000-square-foot Giant Tiger store is set to open on Saturday. Construction of the day care on the southeast corner of the development, immediately north of Vermillion Park, and a 21,500-square-foot stand-alone retail complex facing Fermor will begin soon, said Ladco president Alan Borger.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4803638c.html

 

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Restoring lustre to Selkirk Avenue

It was once the hub of the North End; a street that bustled with immigrants who brought their customs, music and food to their new country.

This blend of culture created a thriving marketplace on Selkirk Avenue -- one whose glory days are long gone.

And now the Selkirk Avenue Business Improvement Zone wants the city`s help to restore the lustre to the historic street.

Selkirk Avenue, between Main and Arlington streets, has seen too many retailers close down, Sylvia Todaschuk, president of the 90-member Selkirk Avenue BIZ, said Monday.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4804121c.html

 

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Organic milk to be made here

Winnipeggers should be able to buy Manitoba-produced certified organic milk for the first time later this year.

Organic Meadow Inc., the leading producer of organic dairy products in Ontario, will sell the milk under its label as early as October, said Andrea Ramlogan, the farm co-operative`s operational planning manager.

"This is our first new production centre outside Ontario, so we`re very excited about this," she said in an interview Monday.

A Boissevain dairy farm became the first in the province to be certified organic last November, and a second farm at Reinland, near Winkler, is set to receive its papers later this month.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4804127c.html

 

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Out of province cars may get free parking in Portage

Portage la Prairie is considering a plan that aims to make the city a friendlier place for visitors from other provinces to stop in and stay for a while.

Under the proposal, pitched to councillors at Monday`s council meeting by representatives of the Portage and District Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Association and the Portage Tourism Advisory Council, vehicles with out of province license plates parked at a expired meters would no longer receive parking tickets.

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1152209

 

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In Brief

Manitoba Hydro`s Power Smart programs have earned an A+ from a national energy efficiency watchdog.

The Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance released its annual report card Tuesday that rates each province`s conservation programs. Manitoba got bumped up from an A and shared top marks with British Columbia.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4804625c.html

 

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City of Portage facing possible deficit in utility fund

The City of Portage la Prairie may be facing a small deficit by the end of the year.

City council adopted its second quarter financial forecast at Monday`s council meeting. A year-end deficit of $62,371 was forecasted in the city`s utility operating fund, which has a budget of more the $10 million.

"I think this is the first time since I`ve been chair of finance that we`ve forecasted a deficit in any area," said Coun. Dave Quinn, chairman of the city`s finance, legislative and property committee, after the meeting. "However, times have changed. We know that the cost of certain products has increased."

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1153138