MB Economic Fundamentals 2008-08

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Prime industrial land gets facelift

A prime parcel of St. James industrial land on a prominent route to the Richardson International Airport is getting a major facelift.

ING Real Estate is redeveloping a 3.85-acre plot in the high-traffic area of Century Street and Wellington Avenue -- building a 64,513 square foot office/warehouse/retail complex that a city planner said last week should provide "a heightened aesthetics" for those driving to and from the airport.

Ken Zacharias, local leasing manager for ING, said the front of the building will be a mixture of brick, stucco and glass, giving a "nice storefront appearance" to the industrial structure.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4807209c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Provincial Tories say no to RHAs

Rural areas in the province of Manitoba are facing a shortage of health care workers, and the Central Plains region is no exception.

Provincial Conservative leader and MLA, Hugh McFadyen, says the stress on the hearlth care system would be lessened by either overhauling or outright scrapping the provinces nine Regional Health Authorities (RHAs).

"This was based on two-years of discussions with nurses, doctors and members of the community, and I think clearly, if you look at what`s happening with emergency room closures throughout Manitoba ... there`s a need to reexamine the structures," he said. "One modest step towards making an improvement is to restore some sense of accountability within the system."

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1161972

 

[joeiannuzzi]

MTS TV prepares to expand west of Winnipeg

Portage la Prairie will be on the sharp end of cutting-edge technology when MTS TV arrives there within the next six months.

MTS Allstream`s TV service, which began operations in 2003, is expanding west of Winnipeg after the CRTC extended its licence. "We`re very excited to introduce newer, more advanced products on a trial basis," said Kelvin Shepherd, president of consumer markets at MTS Allstream.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/Business/2008/0...496291-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Sod turned for new sportsplex in Portage

Portage la Prairie is one step closer to getting a new sportsplex after the municipal, federal and provincial governments announced a joint $10-million contribution to the project Monday and turned sod on the site.

The planned $36-million PCU Centre includes an indoor aquatic centre, a 1,700-seat main arena, a 4,000-square-foot fitness centre, a 200-seat multipurpose room, a grand atrium and a two-lane walking track.

The environmentally friendly facility will also meet the Canadian Green Building Council`s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating. The new arena will have two regulation-size ice surfaces and will be capable of hosting large community events such as trade shows and concerts.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4807687c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Transit strike looms as drivers prepare to vote on contract

Winnipeg`s first transit strike in more than three decades could be around the corner -- but city bus drivers certainly aren`t tipping their hand.

"Nothing to say right now," said one driver, stopped at Portage Avenue and Garry Street on Monday afternoon.

That was the same response from another driver across the street, adding "...you`ll find out soon."

On Wednesday, the approximately 1,000 members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (Local 1505) will vote to either accept or reject a settlement reached three weeks ago by union executives and city transit managers.

"I would say it`s about 50-50," said a driver on Portage Avenue, asked to gauge the way the vote would go.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4807680c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Province sweetens pot to convert to geothermal systems

The province is handing out more cash goodies to green-minded Manitobans willing to go geothermal.

In addition to the low-interest loans already available, the Doer government sweetened the pot Monday, offering cash rebates and tax credits to homeowners interested in installing the underground heat pumps.

Homeowners building brand new can now get up to $3,000 toward the cost of a geothermal system.

Homeowners with older houses who opt to rip out their furnaces and install the heat pumps can get up to $5,600 in federal and provincial rebates and provincial income tax credits.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4807714c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Seven Oaks opens doors of revamped ER

The newly built emergency ward of the Seven Oaks Hospital officially opened Monday after a two-year, $14-million overhaul to keep up with a rapidly increasing number of patients.

"When you look at the new Seven Oaks ER, the aesthetics are obvious. This is a beautiful place to come when you`re not feeling well," Manitoba Health Minister Theresa Oswald said.

"But what you don`t see is how magnificent and transformed the processes will be here. It`s very much centred on the patient."

The ER will begin accepting patients today.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/stor...p-4807694c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Chelsea Terrace to be considered brand new building says owner

Rent or purchase, the choice will be up to the people who move into suites at Chelsea Terrace, currently undergoing an extreme makeover.

Once the complete cost of the first building is known, owner Patrick Penner, said, he and the other investors in the property, under Hudson Ventures Inc., can figure out how much the suites will be to either purchase or rent.

The investors are working with appraisers at the moment and doing what he called community research to figure out how much to charge.

"We should know by early September," he predicted, "probably after the September long (weekend)."

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1163607

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Plans for new business in Portage underway

If all goes as planned, Portage la Prairie residents may soon have a new restaurant/lounge to enjoy in the west end of the city.

Owner/operator Jan Verwey confirmed on Tuesday she hopes to have a new business, Tornado`s Restaurant and Lounge, ready for November, as a tentative opening date.

She said the idea came about for her family business after considering the need for another business venture for Portage`s west end.

"I`ve been in the industry a few years and I decided I`d like to try it on my own," she said.

The proposed pizza and steakhouse restaurant will provide seating for about 90 in the front with a lounge in the back with space for 65 seating.

http://www.portagedailygraphic.com/Article....aspx?e=1163566

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Revolting scam exploits tragedy

Just when Tim McLean`s family thought it was safe to find a quiet place to grieve.

And just when they thought the bizarre exploitation of the horrific bus beheading of their loved one was finally over, the family has been victimized again.

This time by an Internet scam artist.

Someone posing as Amanda Corrigan, Tim`s 26-year-old sister, used a Facebook site to solicit funds from a sympathetic international public and set up a PayPal account to collect it.

"Taking advantage of somebody`s sorrow and another person`s generosity is just disgusting," Corrigan told me Tuesday from her home near Sarasota, Fla.

Unfortunately, disgusting behaviour is something the family has had to get used to over the last several weeks.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4808207c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Industry shakeout goes whole hog

The number of hog farmers in Manitoba has shrunk by half since the beginning of the decade, according to federal figures released Tuesday.

But those who remain boast operations that are, on average, nearly three times the size of what they were in early 2000, Statistics Canada said.

The report underscores the trend to fewer, larger hog farms that has been occurring for many years -- one that has led to greater public scrutiny of the environmental and animal health impacts of large-scale pig farming.

It comes as pork production in Manitoba -- and across Canada -- is declining after more than a decade of rapid growth.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4808202c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Transit strike to be determined tonight

A vote tonight by unionized transit employees could determine whether city buses are on the road tomorrow morning.

"It`s up to the members to make the decision now," said Rick Hirt, financial secretary and treasury for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.

About 1,300 of its members in Winnipeg will vote to accept or reject a contract settlement ratified by city council Aug. 6.

If the agreement is rejected, buses will not be on the road tomorrow morning, said Hirt. The union and city have been continuing talks in the meantime.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Manitoba/2...20/6512131.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Hydro will pay firms to turn waste to power

Manitoba Hydro is handing out more than a $1 million to any hog farm or big industry willing to turn potato peels and pig manure into power.

The Crown corporation unveiled its new biomass project Wednesday - an incentive program designed to prod about 250 of Manitoba`s biggest hog farms, food processing plants, pulp mills and other polluters into producing their own electricity using waste products.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4808816c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Big plans for St. Norbert hotel

TWENTY-FOUR years ago, David Kaisaris left Winnipeg for the West Coast, seeking his fortune in the clothing and restaurant industries.

Now, the 55-year-old is back, lifting a glass to his old hometown on the patio of his new hotel in St. Norbert, with plans to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next few years to refurbish the area`s premier watering hole and take advantage of the residential boom underway in south Winnipeg.

You`d think it would take a lot to kiss off the mild winters, the mountains and the ocean views that Vancouver has to offer.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4808814c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Another milestone for credit union

Steinbach Credit Union is on the brink of reaching another milestone in Winnipeg.

Executives broke ground yesterday at the site of SCU`s second location in the city, a 43,000-square-foot building at 1575 Lagimodiere Blvd., which after completion will be the largest geothermal non-government building in Manitoba. It will also be the largest financial institution ever built in the province.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...521551-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Transit workers ratify agreement with city

Winnipeg Transit workers have put the brakes on strike action by ratifying a tentative agreement with the city.

GOOD NEWS

Members of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 accepted a contract with a vote of 57% yesterday afternoon, meaning a strike, which could have occurred as early as this morning has been averted. "Transit services will carry on as regularly scheduled," said Dave Wardrop, the city`s director of transit. "This is good news."

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...521561-sun.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

U of M stadium the last option?

By now it should be obvious to all that a new football stadium built on top of South Point Douglas is a red herring.

Not only would it be too expensive and displace a lot of people; the land it would supposedly sit on is just too small. The south end would butt up against the Red River -- it`s been known to flood occasionally --and the north end would butt up against or even under the Disraeli freeway. Access to the site also makes it prohibitive. There are just too many buildings and homes and a river in the way.

Basically, as would-be builder Canwest Executive Vice-President David Asper said back at the end of June, the South Point Douglas plan was just a couple of drawings whipped up in about six weeks, not exactly a huge amount of time when one is thinking about spending millions of dollars building the thing and at the same time wooing the three levels of government for some extra cash.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4809441c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

U of W boss promising help for Churchill

University of Winnipeg president Lloyd Axworthy is expected in Churchill today to take the first step in a planned $100,000 sustainability boost for the town.

Axworthy will sign a memorandum of understanding at noon with Churchill Mayor Michael Spence to help develop a sustainability plan for the community. Project head Jino Distasio, director of the Institute of Urban Studies at the U of W, said the partnership will help prepare Churchill for its growing role as an international place of interest.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4809390c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

House sale good news for Protos investors

A former Winnipeg lawyer is one step closer to receiving the final payment on a house he sold to a prominent businessman nearly a decade ago.

The Park Boulevard home that Hersh Wolch sold to Costas Ataliotis, the former CEO of Protos International and Maple Leaf Distillers, for $375,000 in 1999 has new owners after Wolch exercised an unpaid vendor`s lien on the property. The house will officially change hands Sept. 1 after being sold for $850,000.

The dispute arose when Ataliotis claimed he had paid off the balance owing on the home. Wolch disagreed and subsequently filed court documents asking for $215,000. This spring, a Court of Queen`s Bench judge ordered Ataliotis to pay Wolch what he was asking for. Ataliotis has appealed.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4810055c.html

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Profits ripen in farm fields

Manitoba grain growers are poised to reap the most profitable crop in a generation, a provincial Agriculture Department official says.

"I`ve been working for the department for 30 years and it`s the best (profit) margins I`ve ever seen," said Peter Blawat, a policy economist who tracks farm incomes and expenses.

The crop isn`t in the bin yet. And there have been troubling reports of the presence of fusarium head blight, a fungus that can drastically downgrade the value of wheat, in some parts of the province.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4810039c.html