MB Economic Fundamentals 2008-09

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Premier launches inland port

There`s not a heck of a lot there now -- mostly empty fields and the odd goose taking a breather before heading south for the winter.

But in the months and years ahead those fields northwest of the airport could help Winnipeg become the place it was always meant to be -- the gateway not only to the west, but every direction in between.

That process began Wednesday when the Doer government introduced legislation designating the area around Winnipeg`s James Armstrong Richardson International Airport as an inland port.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4862316c.html

 

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New women`s hospital set

The province promises it is cooking up a deal to greatly benefit women planning on having a bun in the oven.

On Tuesday, with the aroma of baked bread wafting from Weston Bakeries near Health Sciences Centre, Health Minister Theresa Oswald confirmed the bakery as the site for a new, state-of-the-art women`s hospital.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4861599c.html

 

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Bike lanes were a bit of a wash

A $100,000 plan to make Winnipeg roads safer for cyclists has literally washed off city streets, forcing officials to search for a more durable brand of paint.

Back in May, the city created extra-wide "sharrow" lanes on seven major streets to give cyclists and motorists a little extra breathing room.

Sharrows were created on Higgins Avenue, Roblin Boulevard, Grant Avenue, Regent Avenue, Plessis Road, Dakota Street and Dunkirk Drive. Bicycle symbols were painted on the streets and metal signs instructing motorists to "share the road" were erected along boulevards.

But most of the paint washed off by the middle of June because the city used a water-based paint.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4863026c.html

 

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Amish furniture comes to Manitoba

FIRST came some Amish families, and now Amish-made furniture has arrived in Manitoba.

A northwestern Ontario company that sells Amish-made, solid-wood furniture is expanding into Manitoba with the opening of two franchise outlets.

The first Strictly-Amish-Furniture outlet -- a 4,000 square-foot store in the Cavalier Square shopping centre at 1600 Regent Ave. W. -- opens today. Another 1,700-square-foot store is to open next month in Steinbach.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4863007c.html

 

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Canad Inns hotel chain purchases the Radisson

Manitoba`s biggest hotel chain has made its first foray into downtown Winnipeg -- but it likely won`t be its last.

Canad Inns has purchased the Radisson Hotel at the corner of Portage Avenue and Smith Street from the Paletta Group for an undisclosed sum and will take possession in the next few weeks.

But Leo Ledohowski, Canad Inns` CEO, said his people are also crunching the numbers on Winnipeg`s premiere business hotel, The Fairmont, which is currently for sale.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4863628c.html

 

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Gas prices in Winnipeg highest in the land

Shocked motorists were faced with a 15-cent-per-litre rise in pump prices across the city Friday, while analysts were divided between bad weather and oil industry greed as the explanation for the increase.

Prices at many gas bars in Winnipeg reached a record $1.48 per litre, the highest price in the country.

Pump prices increased in several major Canadian cities, but remained stable in the U.S. Friday.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4863643c.html

 

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Manitoba Small Town Updates 2008-09-14

 

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Waverley West work can start before road

The city is changing the Waverley West development agreement to allow up to 500 new homes before developers build a second road into the massive south Winnipeg subdivision.

In a report going before the city`s Riel community committee Monday, city staff expressed confidence that 500 houses using one entry road will not lead to traffic problems.

The only current entry point to the projected 11,000-unit subdivision is off Waverley Street, south of Bishop Grandin Boulevard.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4864240c.html

 

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A walk in the industrial parks

An industrial park just outside the city limits has been so successful the developer is now planning two more phases that will more than double its size over the next five to six years.

A spokesman for the local developers -- Martin McGarry, president of DTZ Barnicke Winnipeg Ltd. -- said work on Phase 2 of the Brookside Industrial Park development just beyond the northwest boundary of the city will begin as soon as the developers receive zoning approval from the Rural Municipality of Rosser. And they should have that before the end of this year.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4864192c.html

 

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City`s growth a national leader

Winnipeg will be one of the country`s leading economic performers this year before losing some of the wind in its sails in 2009, according to the latest metropolitan forecast from the Conference Board of Canada.

The Ottawa-based think-tank predicts the Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) will ring up real growth of 3.3 per cent this year -- good for third-best among the 13 cities covered in its Autumn 2008 Metropolitan Outlook report. However, that rosy picture will start to fade a little after this year, it said, with real growth falling to 2.8 per cent in 2009 and to an average of 2.7 per cent a year for the next four years combined.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4864727c.html

 

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Asper`s U of M stadium proposal pleases premier

While it wasn`t an official commitment, a statement from Premier Gary Doer yesterday should be music to the ears of David Asper and Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans. Doer said he already has people doing due diligence on a proposal his government has received from Asper, whose Creswin Properties operation is proposing to build a new stadium at the University of Manitoba for about $130 million.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2...776321-sun.html

 

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Outlook poor for manufacturers

Tough times are ahead for Manitoba manufacturers, even though they led the country in sales increases in July, one senior industry official said Tuesday.

Ron Koslowsky, vice-president and general manager of the Manitoba division of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said concerns are mounting that the deepening economic storm in North America will make it more difficult for manufacturers to borrow money and will undermine the confidence of both consumers and retailers.

And if those two groups start cutting back on their purchases, that will mean fewer sales down the road for local manufacturers, Koslowsky said.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4865243c.html

 

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Huge chance for `Peg

More than a century ago, Winnipeg`s population exploded from 25,000 in 1891 to 179,000 just 30 years later.

This was thanks in large part to construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway line, which positioned Winnipeg as the gateway to the West from Eastern Canada. Back then, transportation opened the door to mass immigration and trade across Canada and Winnipeg was perfectly positioned to reap the benefits. Fast forward to today and Winnipeg could once again reap the economic benefits of our central position, with transportation being the catalyst.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/Business/2008/0...787981-sun.html

 

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Seems irresistible

Treasury Board President Vic Toews says he`s on board with funding a new football stadium at the University of Manitoba and has pledged to take the proposal to his cabinet colleagues.

"I`m willing to take it forward on a serious basis," Toews told the Winnipeg Sun yesterday. "I can bring this forward to my colleagues." It`s the first time Toews has thrown his support behind the U of M plan. Until now, he has said only that it warranted serious consideration

http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Manitoba/2...801361-sun.html

 

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Immigrant program eased

Manitoba can expect to pull in skilled immigrants at a far faster pace because of speedbumps removed from a provincial government nominee program, Labour Minister Nancy Allan said yesterday. The program has been streamlined through a removal of several licensing requirements -- a change aimed at allowing any skilled worker with Manitoba ties to apply to relocate to this province.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/Business/2008/0...787976-sun.html

 

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Grits promise $2.8B for `Toba infrastructure

Manitoba`s share of a massive infrastructure program promised by campaigning Liberals yesterday could include funding for an east-west power grid, rapid transit and sewage treatment facilities, and improvements to the Port of Churchill.

Incumbent Liberal MPs Ray Simard and Anita Neville, flanked by other Grit candidates, made the announcement at the federal party`s Winnipeg office yesterday a few hours after national leader Stephane Dion unveiled the program aboard a commuter train in Toronto.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/canadavotes/new...810566-sun.html

 

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Dion woos rural voters with $1.2-B plan

Backed by hay bales at a farm just west of Winnipeg and flanked by Liberal heavy hitters Ralph Goodale and Wayne Easter, Dion said his agriculture platform is geared to weaning farmers off fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas production in fields and barns.

Dion, continuing a campaign theme of focusing on the Liberal team instead of just his leadership, said he wanted to "partner with farmers to build Canadian agriculture as a leader in the green economy.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4869413c.html

 

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INLAND PORT

Calls going out for businesses to relocate

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and Doer government launched an $80,000 program Friday to recruit businesses to locate around Winnipeg`s airport and its inland port development.

The program is called Business Call and it will use the chamber`s contact list of city businesses to find which ones are interested in relocating to near the airport. Targeted businesses include local distributors and manufacturers.

The selling point is that by setting up shop near the airport they can take advantage of new truck, rail and air routes to export their products to the United States, Asia and Europe.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sto...p-4869408c.html

 

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Manitoba Small Town Updates: 2008-09-21,

 

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Commercial real estate Looking for a loan? Good luck

It`s a lot harder to obtain a commercial mortgage loan these days, and real estate industry officials say it`s about to get even harder.

The officials said most commercial mortgage lenders -- including banks, credit unions, life insurance companies, pension funds and trusts -- had already tightened up their credit policies and lending criteria after the subprime mortgage crisis began to unfold last year in the United States.

And last week`s spectacular U.S. financial market meltdown, which saw the collapse or near death of financial giants such as Lehman Brothers, AIC and Merrill Lynch and the loss of billions of dollars of value from the equity markets, has only added to their nervousness.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscribe...p-4870083c.html