[1ajs]

That's a lot jobs, albeit low paying. All I remember of this place is that it had exceptionally high turnover. I had a job here for 4 weeks a few years ago.

EDIT: In regards to the economic conditions, I doubt it's due to less call volume and more likely due to offshoring.
they had been threatning to pull out for ages :haha: good ridence

[hexrae]

Canadian Western Bank Buys National Leasing Group (http://www.cjob.com/News/Local/Story.aspx?ID=1174376)

CJOB

12/10/2009

In local business news, the Canadian Western bank is buying Winnipeg-based National Leasing Group for 130-million dollars.
National Leasing has become Canada's largest independent leasing company. The CEO of Canadian Western Bank Larry Pollock refers to National Leasing as "a jewel" with considerable growth potential. Pollock says National Leasing will have lower borrowing costs as part of the bank, and will see an increase in market share.

[hexrae]

they had been threatning to pull out for ages :haha: good ridence

True, the place wasn't anything special. But still, that's 500 unemployed people. Hopefully they can all find something.

[Pegger5]

mis quote

[1ajs]

Hydro wants PUB hearings to await probes

A new review beforehand not 'appropriate': lawyer

By: Mary Agnes Welch
11/12/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/hydro-wants-pub-hearings-to-await-probes-79038402.html#comments)

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Manitoba Hydro says a bevy of investigations into the power company's financial risks ought to be completed before the Public Utilities Board weighs in, an approach the Manitoba Tories condemned.It's the latest twist in what's become a confusing mess of overlapping investigations into the Crown electricity company's finances, computer modelling systems and its drought plan, all sparked by a confidential whistleblower complaint filed a year ago by a New York risk management consultant.
The PUB is slated to hold weeks of hearings next year to determine what Hydro can charge Manitobans for power, and it's those hearings that many hoped would shine a public light on the whistleblower complaint and Hydro's risk.
The PUB met Thursday morning with Hydro and a handful of intervenors to hash out two preliminary issues: whether to have a separate hearing on Hydro's risks and how to handle the "blue papers."
Those are the documents Hydro files in confidence with the PUB because they contain sensitive corporate information about export prices and contracts.
Last month, after many requests from the PUB, Hydro filed a series of 16 risk reports, including the ones drafted by the whistleblower. Most of them were on blue paper, indicating Hydro would like parts of them kept confidential, though Hydro lawyer Patti Ramage said the company is willing to work with the intervenors to keep secrecy to a minimum.
But Ramage said the PUB ought to wait for the ombudsman, the auditor general and KPMG to finish their reviews of Hydro risks before wading into the issue.
"Manitoba Hydro is firmly of the view that the existing reviews should be completed before a duplicative review is contemplated by the PUB," Ramage wrote in her speaking notes.
"The timing is not appropriate for yet another stand-alone review to be initiated by the PUB."
In question period Thursday, Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen accused Hydro of "stonewalling."
The PUB will decide early in the new year how it will handle the risk hearing and how much confidential information it can share with the public.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca

[1ajs]

Provincial economy down in 2009, but it could have been worse
CJOB News Team reporting
12/22/2009

A decline in core government revenue, lower energy prices and dealing with the H1 N1 flu are among the reasons Manitoba will fall short of its fiscal expectations this year.

Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk released a pair of economic reports today and says the province's summary net income for 2009 will fall 592 million dollars short.

Wowchuk says 60 percent of the shortfall is directly attributable to the recession and unanticipated emergencies.

The economy is forecast to contract by 0.2 percent for 2009, the smallest decrease among all provinces and significantly less than the national decrease of 2.4 percent.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Manitoba posts major payroll earnings increase

By: Murray McNeill
22/12/2009 11:21 AM | Comments: 8 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Manitoba-posts-major-payroll-earnings-increase-79906197.html#comments)



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WINNIPEG — Manitoba had one of the biggest year-over-year increases in average weekly earnings in the country in October, according to new Statistics Canada figures released today.
Manitoba’s payroll employees — people who work for someone else as opposed to being self employed — were earning an average of $789.85 during the week, the figures show. That was an increase of 4.7 per cent from October of last year, when they were taking home an average of $754.40.
Related Items


Articles
Provincial report card: best of a bad lot (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/breakingnews/Provincial-report-card-best-of-a-bad-lot-79906372.html)
It was the second biggest year-over-year gain among the 10 provinces. Prince Edward Island led the way with a 5.2 per cent improvement, while the national average increase was only 1.6 per cent.
Despite the increase, Manitoba’s average earnings were still only fourth best among the provinces. Albertans had the highest, at $953.69 per week, while the national average was $831.17.
Although they were earning more money, Manitoba had fewer workers on payrolls in October of this year than in October 2008 — 552,600 compared to 567,600. That was a year-over-year decline of 2.6 per cent, while the month-to-month (September to October) drop was a more modest 0.5 per cent.
Nationally, the number of payroll employees in Canada increased by 0.2 per cent from September to October, but was still down 2.6 per cent from a year earlier, the figures show.
Average weekly earnings are considered important because higher salaries make it easier for employers to attract and retain workers. And payroll employment figures are monitored because they include the majority of workers.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Downturn wallops McNally

Tough market shuts stores

By: Morley Walker
29/12/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/downturn-wallops-mcnally-80254507.html#comments)



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http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/578*386/1757781.jpg WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Enlarge Image (http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/1757781.jpg)
McNally Robinson at Polo Park to close.


McNally Robinson Booksellers has entered bankruptcy protection and is closing two of its four stores.
The locally based company's Polo Park location in Winnipeg is being shuttered on Sunday and its Toronto store in the new Shops at Don Mills big-box centre is being closed today.
"It's a painful thing, mostly because of the jobs being lost," co-owner Paul McNally said Monday night.
The result of the economic downturn combined with a difficult climate in general for bookselling, the move means 170 people, 100 of whom are in Winnipeg, will lose full- and part-time jobs. The company has 425 employees here, in Saskatoon and Toronto.
McNally said staff in Winnipeg were told of the closings Monday night. Toronto staff, he said, were to be informed this morning.
The Prairie Ink Restaurant & Bakery in the Polo Park location will cease operations today.
McNally insisted the two remaining stores, the flagship location at Winnipeg's Grant Park Shopping Centre and the other in Saskatoon, will remain open for business, as long as the company's bankruptcy application is approved.
"They make money," he said. "They have a loyal following."
Holiday gift cards and all reader reward cards will be honoured online and at the surviving stores.
"We'll still follow through on all special orders," McNally said. "Apart from the disruption in physical space, we plan to maintain customer service."
He said the company, which was started in 1981 by his wife, Holly, has filed a bankruptcy proposal under the trusteeship of auditors Ernst & Young. He expects the company will apply to the court for sanctioning of a reorganization in the coming weeks.
If all goes well, he said, a smaller company comprising the e-commerce website www.mcnallyrobinson.com and the wholesale division Skylight Books, as well as the two surviving stores, will emerge from bankruptcy protection.
The proposed restructuring, he said, will save approximately 250 jobs.
McNally refused to talk financial specifics.
"The new stores absolutely did not perform," he said. "Business at our other stores was flat, but it was a matter of us taking on huge new costs and not getting the commensurate new business."
The company opened its Polo Park location in April 2008 in the wake of closing its store in the downtown Portage Place mall. It also closed a store in downtown Calgary in August 2008 after operating it for five years.
Last April, it opened a much-hyped big box in Toronto's new upscale Shops at Don Mills. On Monday night, Paul McNally blamed that mall's developer, Cadillac Fairview, for failing to secure sufficient tenants and to even erect proper signage so consumers could find the mall.
"Obviously you buy a pig in a poke when you go into a new place," McNally said. "But one would think that Canada's biggest retail developer might have done a better job."
McNally Robinson is considered Canada's largest independently owned bookstore chain. Its major competitor, the vastly larger Chapters Indigo chain, operates three stores in Winnipeg.
McNally admitted opening two new outlets during a recession proved a costly error.
"It was bad timing, that's for sure," he said. "Bookselling has been struggling in general."
The difficult climate, he said, is the result of stagnant book prices, steep discounting and increasing competition from Internet sales and electronic text formats.
The American online bookseller Amazon announced on the weekend that it sold more e-books on Christmas Day than it did paper books. This was seen as the buoyant consumer response to the company's new Kindle electronic reader, a top-selling Christmas gift.
Earlier in the fall, Amazon and the Wal-Mart chain went head-to-head, selling new hardcover books for as little as US$9.
"There was very aggressive, reckless discounting," McNally said.
In 2004, the McNallys' daughter Sarah opened a McNally Robinson store in Manhattan, where she had been working as an editor in the publishing business.
That store operates as a separate company and, in fact, changed its name to McNally Jackson Books in 2008 to reflect its co-ownership by Sarah's American husband, Chris Jackson.
morley.walker@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 29, 2009 A3

[Jeff]

that's horrible news about mcnally! the polo location was great!

on the other side of the coin, maybe this is the more high-profile location h&m was holding-out for?

[dsim249]

^ That's a real shame. I would be so upset if our McNally closed down here in S'toon. It seems to do pretty well though. :fingerscrossed:

[Boreal]

This is very unfortunate. I honestly did believe that the Polo Park location, in spite of monster rent, would be able to make a go of it. I suppose with the incoming wake of Kindle, prospects moving forward while already were not enticing.

The Polo Park space that McNally occupied is very large. It would make for quite the H&M location. With that said, it is said that the largest shopping centre between Toronto and Edmonton won't have a book store. Yuck.

[vid]

You mean this country has bookstores that aren't owned by Indigo?

[JayM]

Oh wow! That's crazy about McNally

[nordique]

RIP Mcnally Polo Park :(

[1ajs]

Tax relief for small businesses in 2010
CJOB News Team reporting
12/30/2009


Planned tax cuts for small businesses are about to take effect.

The province will eliminate the small business tax in Manitoba in the coming year.

Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk says the general corporation capital tax will be fully phased out in 2010 as well.

Wowchuk says the changes will make Manitoba the first income-tax-free zone for small corporations.

[rgalston]

Tax relief for small businesses in 2010
CJOB News Team reporting
12/30/2009


Planned tax cuts for small businesses are about to take effect.

The province will eliminate the small business tax in Manitoba in the coming year.

Finance Minister Rosann Wowchuk says the general corporation capital tax will be fully phased out in 2010 as well.

Wowchuk says the changes will make Manitoba the first income-tax-free zone for small corporations.

The savings will assist small businesses in paying increased minimum wage that will take effect in 2010, Wowchuk added.

[Boreal]

HaHa! That's funny, rgalston. I don't generally laugh on here, but I got a chuckle out of that.

Minimum wage is getting very steep, indeed.

[pegcity]

The Polo Park space that McNally occupied is very large. It would make for quite the H&M location.


Now would H&M want a basement location, they would seriously have to open up that entrance alot to make some kind of design impact.

Anyone know the reason why H&M put a hold on a Winnipeg store.

Right now I would take a J.Crew and a Zara over H&M.

[1ajs]

HaHa! That's funny, rgalston. I don't generally laugh on here, but I got a chuckle out of that.

Minimum wage is getting very steep, indeed.
hows it compare to anywhere els?

[1ajs]

Now would H&M want a basement location, they would seriously have to open up that entrance alot to make some kind of design impact.

Anyone know the reason why H&M put a hold on a Winnipeg store.

Right now I would take a J.Crew and a Zara over H&M.
perhaps because of speculation on some tenit movement

[JayM]

perhaps because of speculation on some tenit movement

High rent! Doesn't it make sense why else would they close McNally and keep Grant open? You telling me more people go to Grant Park to buy/read books then the Polo Park?

[1ajs]

makes sens i duno why companies over price shit and then wonder why theres no one renting or everyone leaves

[1ajs]

PricewaterhouseCoopers acquires subsidiary of MTS

1/12/2010

Consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has acquired a subsidiary of MTS Allstream.

The acquisition includes about 180 employees from MTS Allstream's IT consulting and security consulting groups, as well as client contracts.

The deal is effective February 1st.

[1ajs]

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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
U of W partners with telecom giant Cisco

By: Staff Writer
15/01/2010 10:25 AM | Comments: 5 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/U-of-W-partners-with-Cisco-81721327.html#comments)


WINNIPEG — The University of Winnipeg is growing again.
The downtown campus announced today it's partnered with telecom giant Cisco under a joint federal-provincial $7-million deal with Ottawa and the province.
The U of W is the first university in Canada to announce such a partnership.
It will create 34 research and teaching labs as part of the U of W's Commercialization Research and Education Alliance for Science, Technology and the Environment at the university's new science complex to open in the spring of 2011.
The deal will see the U of W the hub for a provincial network of Cisco TelePresence, a teleconference system that allows users at different points in the world to meet face-to-face without traveling.
In Manitoba it will be used for distance education and for researchers to collaborate more closely across Canada.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Manitoba leads country in job hikes

By: Aldo Santin
5/02/2010 8:09 AM




WINNIPEG — Manitoba led the country in January with the largest percentage increase in jobs from December.
That is part of the good news on the labour front from Statistics Canada this morning, which reported 43,000 more Canadians were working in January compared to December, resulting in a drop in the national unemployment rate to 8.3 per cent, from 8.4 per cent.
Manitoba's unemployment rate dropped from 5.8 per cent in December to 5.4 per cent in January, the second lowest in the country, surpassed only by Saskatchewan which reported 4.7 per cent.
Statistics Canada said the employment growth in January was driven largely by women and youth.
There were 8,400 new jobs in Manitoba in January.
Ontario created the most new jobs -- 30,000 -- but it's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.2 per cent.
Statistics Canada said the private sector was responsible for all of the job gain, with most of the new jobs being part-time.
Nationally, the number of employed full-time people had not changed.
It was a much different situation in Manitoba, where most of the new jobs created were full-time. The number of employed full-time people here increased 1.0 per cent from December, while the number of part-time employed increased 3.3 per cent.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

[Jets4Life]

High rent! Doesn't it make sense why else would they close McNally and keep Grant open? You telling me more people go to Grant Park to buy/read books then the Polo Park?

The bookstore franchise has made many bad business decisions in the last few years. I used to goto the McNally Robinson in Calgary until it closed down in 2007. The location in Toronto is closing. I never really understood their decision to move the McNally Robinson from Portage Place to Polo Park. The good percentage of people who shop at Polo Park are from River Heights, Tuxedo, and Charleswood. This only hurt the Grant Park location.

[Jets4Life]

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Manitoba leads country in job hikes

By: Aldo Santin
5/02/2010 8:09 AM




WINNIPEG — Manitoba led the country in January with the largest percentage increase in jobs from December.
That is part of the good news on the labour front from Statistics Canada this morning, which reported 43,000 more Canadians were working in January compared to December, resulting in a drop in the national unemployment rate to 8.3 per cent, from 8.4 per cent.
Manitoba's unemployment rate dropped from 5.8 per cent in December to 5.4 per cent in January, the second lowest in the country, surpassed only by Saskatchewan which reported 4.7 per cent.
Statistics Canada said the employment growth in January was driven largely by women and youth.
There were 8,400 new jobs in Manitoba in January.
Ontario created the most new jobs -- 30,000 -- but it's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.2 per cent.
Statistics Canada said the private sector was responsible for all of the job gain, with most of the new jobs being part-time.
Nationally, the number of employed full-time people had not changed.
It was a much different situation in Manitoba, where most of the new jobs created were full-time. The number of employed full-time people here increased 1.0 per cent from December, while the number of part-time employed increased 3.3 per cent.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca


Great News!

I only see the economic forecast for Winnipeg and Manitoba getting better over the spring and summer, as the construction industry is really heating up.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Futures brokerage comes to Winnipeg
By: Martin Cash

6/02/2010

R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO), the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States, has opened its first Canadian operation in Winnipeg.The 100-year-old Chicago-based firm, which specializes in sophisticated hedging strategies for agricultural producers and commercial agriculture-related customers, has about $2 billion in assets under management.

It intends to build a national presence in Canada from its Winnipeg base. The company has hired Robert Dzisiak as its Canadian president and CEO.

Dzisiak is the former president of Refco Canada and prior to that he was the CEO of Winnipeg-based CFG Financial Group Inc. futures trading company that had 60 brokers across Canada. It was acquired by Refco Canada in 2003. Dzisiak is a past chairman of the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange (WCE) where he was a director for about 10 years.

"RJO is going to focus on all agricultural commodities including canola futures (which trade on the former WCE, now called ICE Futures Canada)," Dzisiak said.

Since RJO is a futures commission merchant in the United States with a focus on risk management and trading agricultural commodities, Dzisiak said it made sense to start its Canadian operations in Western Canada.

"We intend to become a national firm with offices across the country over time," he said.

[1ajs]

Two Of Three Aspers Resign From Canwest Board
CJOB News Team reporting
2/10/2010

There are two less Aspers on the Canwest Global Communications board of directors this morning.

David and Gail Asper have resigned in an effort to help reduce the size of the board and to pursue other business commitments.

Leonard Asper remains at the helm as the Winnipeg-based media conglomerate continues its massive restructuring.

[1ajs]

Shaw moves for Canwest control

Last Updated: Friday, February 12, 2010 | 8:20 AM CT

CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/credit.html)


The company that owns Shaw Cable and the StarChoice satellite TV service has arranged to buy a controlling stake in Canwest Global Communications Corp.
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/photos/2010/02/10/canwest-place.jpgThe Winnipeg headquarters of Canwest Global Communications. Cable provider Shaw moved for control of Canwest Friday. (Canadian Press) Calgary-based Shaw Communications Corp. would own at least 20 per cent of Canwest's equity and 80 per cent of its voting stock if the transaction closes.
The sale agreement is contingent on the approval of the Ontario court overseeing Canwest's restructuring under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.
"Financial terms of the agreements will be filed with the court on a confidential basis and will remain confidential until court approval is obtained," Shaw said.
Initially, Shaw's equity stake may exceed 20 per cent, depending on the number of creditors that opt for cash over shares in the new company, Shaw said Friday.
Creditor, CRTC approvals needed

"The investment was structured whereby Shaw has the flexibility to increase its ownership in a restructured Canwest in the future," Shaw said.
If the deal goes through, Canwest will continue to operate as an independent company, with a separate board of directors. Final approval from Canwest's creditors and the CRTC would also be required.
Winnipeg-based Canwest currently owns the Global television network, one of Canada's largest newspaper chains and several specialty cable channels.
However, Canwest owes billions of dollars to creditors and has been operating under court supervision since last year.
Canwest says the proposed deal with Shaw has the support of key creditors.

[1ajs]

Olympic guard dogs sport Winnipeg-made armour

Last Updated: Thursday, February 11, 2010 | 8:03 PM CT Comments8 (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/02/11/man-knine-dog-games-winnipeg.html#socialcomments)Recommend10 (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/02/11/man-knine-dog-games-winnipeg.html#)

The Canadian Press


Man's best friend forms part of the security team for the Vancouver Winter Games, and he's being outfitted in some serious Canadian-made armour to protect his canine hide from everything from bullets to Molotov cocktails.
Guard dogs at the Vancouver Winter Olympics — police, RCMP and search-and-rescue canines — will all be sporting customized vests, made by Winnipeg's K9 Storm company.
On top of being able to repel bullets, knives and flames, the vests come equipped with harnesses allowing the dogs to be raised and lowered into wherever they need to be.
Jim Slater, who founded K9 Storm 12 years ago, said the vests allow their handlers to lower the dogs from helicopters and even use mountain chair lifts if they're needed on the slopes. They can also root out criminals wherever they take cover, he said.
"Bad guys tend to hide where they think they will not be caught," he said. "Sometimes, that is through a roof hatch or under a roof section or into tunnels, crawl spaces or confined areas. It's tough, when your tool is the dog, to get him into those areas."
Idea formed after jail riot

Slater, a former Winnipeg police officer with the K9 unit, came up with the idea in 1996 following a bloody riot at a provincial jail in Headingley, Man. While all the officers that stormed the facility were well-protected, Slater said his German shepherd, Olaf, was not.
At one point, the team had to get into a crawl space by climbing a 10-foot ladder — a feat that was difficult to achieve carrying a dog.
At the end of the day, Slater said dogs deserve the same protection as the officers they work for.
"Anything can injure a dog so that he's not workable," Slater said. "It could be something as simple as a screwdriver that's been ground down to become a weapon."
At the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, Slater said one dog's life was saved by his vest.
"One of the protesters threw a Molotov cocktail and it exploded underneath the dog. The dog was wearing K9 Storm armour and was absolutely protected from the flames," he said. "I think it's vital."


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/02/11/man-knine-dog-games-winnipeg.html#ixzz0fLL6I0GJ

[hexrae]

Asper makes late bid to regain TV empire (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Asper-makes-late-bid-to-regain-TV-empire-84783097.html)

By: Martin Cash

19/02/2010 11:31 AM

WINNIPEG — Leonard Asper was clearly not ready to throw in the towel.

Asper is party to an 11th-hour, $120 million offer disclosed this morning to acquire 32 per cent equity and voting control of the debt-ravaged broadcast company his father, Israel, founded in the mid-’70s.

Canwest Global Communications Corp. is in court-supervised creditor protection and its creditors are seeking a cash injection as part of a restructuring plan.

Asper is part of a group led by Catalyst Capital Group Inc. that also includes, Rael Merson, former president and CEO of Rogers Broadcasting Ltd., and John Tory, the politician and former president and CEO of Rogers Media.

Last week Shaw Communications of Calgary made an offer of at least $65 million for 20 per cent equity and voting control of Canwest.

At the time, Canwest chairman Derek Burney said, "We are very pleased with the firm investment commitment from Shaw."

Details of the Shaw bid were to be unsealed in court today.

The Asper/Catalyst bid has the support of Goldman Sachs, the New York merchant bank that has a complex partnership with Canwest in a group of lucrative specialty channels.

In its release this morning, Newton Glassman, Catalyst’s managing partner, said, "It is difficult to see how any proposed deal can be effected without Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. Indeed, Shaw’s own proposal is conditional on coming to terms with Goldman Sachs Capital Partners on a new shareholders agreement."

Shaw’s proposal would delist the shares and take the company private. The Catalyst bid would retain the stock listing.

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Catalyst is a "substantial owner" of Canwest bonds. It is also reporting that Asper will come up with $15 million in this bid and will serve as executive chairman.

His continued senior role in the corporation would mean a multi-million-dollar fee that comes with change of control of television licences would not be required.

The parties are in front of a judge in Toronto today arguing for the relative merits of each proposal.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

[newflyer]

New hope for north Portage buildings
Developers interested in sites
By: Murray McNeill

THE city's downtown development agency has taken a big step towards reviving one of the most high-profile dead zones on Portage Avenue with the acquisition of the former A & B Sound building.
CentreVenture Development Corp. CEO Ross McGowan confirmed Thursday the agency has acquired the vacant two-storey building across the street from the MTS Centre for an undisclosed sum.

He said CentureVenture and the North Portage Development Corp. are negotiating with several developers who are interested in redeveloping that and the adjacent Mitchell-Copp building as a single project. North Portage owns that property and has been trying for nearly three years to find a new use for it.

McGowan said they hope to know by May or June if the project will go ahead, adding he's "cautiously optimistic." If they get a deal by then, construction would likely get underway in early 2011.

He admitted it's far from a done deal, noting CentreVenture thought it had a deal a couple of years ago to convert Portage Avenue's other high-profile dead zone -- the long-vacant Avenue building between Smith and Garry streets -- into a green office building. But it fell apart when the developer couldn't find an anchor tenant.

But even if none of these developers steps up to the plate, McGowan vowed these two properties and the Avenue building site will be redeveloped.

"It's essential to changing the reality and the perception of Portage Avenue. They... have to get done."

The two agencies would prefer to see a multi-storey, mixed-use development on the A&B/Mitchell-Copp site. McGowan said it should be one that "conforms with the notion of that area as an entertainment district."

He said that could mean a restaurant or some other kind of entertainment-oriented retail operation on the main floor, while the upper floors could be a combination of retail, office or residential space.

"Anything is possible. We're looking at various uses to see what is most viable and most appropriate for that location."

They're also keeping an open mind as to whether one or both of the existing buildings should be incorporated into the development, or demolished.

"I think the preservation of some of the historical elements (of the Mitchell-Copp building) would be appropriate," McGowan said, noting it's been designated as a historical building. "But it all depends on the economics and what will work economically."

CentreVenture's acquisition of the A&B Sound building was hailed as good news by the executive director of the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone.

"We've been pushing hard for several years for the development agencies to take a more aggressive approach," Stefano Grande said. "They can't sit back and wait for the private sector. They have to lead the way..."

He said BIZ officials would like to see a restaurant included in the new development because that's what people attending events at the MTS Centre have told them they want.

The owners of the other two properties on the north side of Portage between Hargrave and Donald streets -- the O'Calcutta building and the Dayton building -- said they're also hopeful the other two properties will finally be redeveloped.

"We just need to get rid of those dead spaces that are there," O'Calcutta owner Gurinder Nirula said.

A spokesman for the Dayton building's owner -- real estate developer Bernie Cheater -- said Cheater wants to make changes to the front of his building but will wait to see what happens down the street first.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca

To be developed

Here is some information on the A & B Sound and Mitchell-Copp buildings, which are targeted for redevelopment:


Mitchell-Copp building:

Three storeys, built in 1906.

Has had a variety of names over the years, including the Kennedy Block (Canadian Imperial bank of Commerce) and the Affleck Block.

Vacant since 1992 when the interior was gutted by fire, leaving only the walls and frame of the former vaulted ceiling.

Acquired by North Portage Development Corp. (NPDC) in late 2007, which has been trying since then to find a way to redevelop it.


A & B Sound building:

Two storeys, with 11,310 square feet on each floor.

Was a hotel for many years, operating under the names The Clarendon Hotel and later The Portage Village Inn.

Purchased by the city in 1999 for $430,000, and sold the following year to the owners of the B.C.-based A & B Sound record store chain for $150,000.

Operated as an A & B Sound store until 2005, when the chain ran into financial trouble and closed it down.

The building has sat vacant since then. Owners resisted earlier attempts by NPDC to acquire it and redevelop it in conjunction with the Mitchell-Copp Building, hoping instead to find a new tenant.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 19, 2010 B4

[newflyer]

Sports bar, Vegas style
New facility to add to nightlife around MTS Centre
By: Murray McNeill


Two local businessmen will be injecting some Las Vegas glam into the blossoming nightlife around the MTS Centre, with the opening next month of a new mega sports bar on Portage Avenue.

Jack Salvaggio and Bernie Cheater say their 4Play Sportsbar and Entertainment Zone will boast such Las Vegas-style features as a main-floor bar with a 24-foot projection screen and 100 theatre-style seats, and a second-floor games lounge with three giant golf/multi-sport simulators. They say the TV screen will be the biggest bar/lounge screen in Winnipeg and maybe even Western Canada.

The two bar-and-restaurant-industry veterans want to grab a bigger share of the area's nightlife, which has roared back to life since the MTS Centre opened five years ago. They're spending upwards of half a million dollars to convert their former Blush Ultraclub nightclub at Portage and Hargrave into a 19,000-square-foot, two-storey sports bar/restaurant/entertainment centre. Unlike Blush, which was only open on Friday and Saturday nights, 4Play will be open seven days a week from noon to 1 a.m.

"We're not trying to put anybody else out of business," Salvaggio said in an interview Wednesday, adding there's more than enough business to go around on the roughly 180 nights of the year when there's a hockey game, concert or entertainment event going on at the MTS Centre. Other downtown bar and restaurant operators agree.

"I think everybody downtown is busy before an (MTS) event," said Denis Paulhus, general manager of the Boston Pizza restaurant and sports bar at cityplace. "If you're not downtown before 5:30 (p.m.) and have a seat, you're not going to get one. At least not here."

It's a similar story at the Elephant & Castle pub and restaurant in the Delta Winnipeg Hotel.

"Any concert night, we're full," general manager Dana Dandeneau said of the 180-seat venue. "There was a bit of concern when Boston Pizza opened, because it was right across the street. But it hasn't hurt us at all."

Dandeneau said 4Play's opening shouldn't hurt them either. And that's Paulhus's attitude, as well.

"If it brings more sports fans downtown, great!" he said.

Stefano Grande, executive director of the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone, said another restaurant/bar is exactly what the area needs. He said a survey four years ago showed more downtown restaurants topped the wish list for most MTS Centre patrons. Salvaggio, who has been in the bar and restaurant business for more than 30 years, and Cheater, a real estate agent who used to be a part-owner of the former Chi-Chi's restaurant next door to the old Winnipeg Arena, said they got some of their ideas for their new concept on a visit last year to Las Vegas.

"We looked at all the best sports bars and brought the best back here," Salvaggio said.

He said their full-service restaurant should appeal to both the lunch-hour and after-work crowds. And offering things like sporting events and interactive sports and video games -- 4Play will also have two 15-foot projection screens and 30 50-inch plasma TVs -- should appeal to both youth and adult customers.

Grande said that's the approach downtown bars and restaurants need to take because crowds in the area are still thin on non-event nights. "(They) can't rely just on MTS Centre events. You also have to have a concept that appeals to downtown office workers and downtown residents."

Twenty-eight-year-old real estate agent Steven Paulus is all of those things rolled up into one. Not only does he work downtown, he also lives there and attends lots of events at the MTS Centre. He said he's looking forward to 4Play's opening.

"It's always nice to have more options," he said, adding there's still plenty of room for more bars and restaurants within easy walking distance of the MTS Centre.

Grande said what's needed now is additional government incentives that will make it economically feasible for developers to redevelop some of the vacant buildings and surface parking lots near the arena.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca


Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 18, 2010 B5

[Andy6]

Mitchell-Copp building:

Three storeys, built in 1906.

Has had a variety of names over the years, including the Kennedy Block (Canadian Imperial bank of Commerce) and the Affleck Block.

It and the O Calcutta building are actually one building (the Affleck Block). The upper floors on the west side were removed many years ago after a fire.

[1ajs]

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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Moving downtown a Clear choice

IT biz likes being where action is

By: Murray McNeill
1/03/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/moving-downtown-a-clear-choice-garry-street-smarts-85799417.html#comments)



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From bottom right, clockwise: Clear Concepts co-founders Scott McKenzie and Shane Hartje with staff members John Schaab, Andy Whicher, Christopher Shand and Darryl Heppner. Relocating the business downtown made sense since they wanted to be in the thick of things.


It didn't take much to persuade one suburban IT firm to go downtown.
Not only did Clear Concepts co-founders Shane Hartje and Scott McKenzie like all the trappings of being downtown -- the nine-year-old firm spent its first two years in leased space above the Chocolate Shop restaurant on Portage Avenue -- but being there also made sense from a business perspective.
They said they moved Clear Concepts out of the downtown seven years ago because the firm had outgrown its space and they couldn't find another suitable location in the area. So they moved to Sherbrook Street, and then to Border Street in St. James. But the intention was always to move back downtown because a number of their major customers were located there, and the central location makes it easier to service clients in other areas of the city.
The groundwork for the company's recent return to its roots -- it moved 10 days ago to a three-storey office building at 325 Garry St. -- was laid about two years ago when Winnipeg businessman Christian Korell bought Clear Concepts. About a year earlier, he had purchased the vacant building at 325 Garry. And because it didn't have an elevator, and therefore limited wheelchair access, he was having trouble finding tenants.
He realized the solution to his tenant problem was right in front of his nose. And the move would be as good for Clear Concepts as it would be for him.
"In the downtown there is a ton of (computer network) users," Korell said. "There are just more business, more people, more action, more everything. And they can just walk out their door and walk two blocks to service a client (at Portage and Main). They don't need to get in a car and drive there, or worry about finding parking."
So last summer he pitched the idea to Hartje and McKenzie, who still oversee the company's day-to-day operations, and they were all for it.
Hartje said they scouted out a number of other potential downtown sites while waiting for the lease on Border Street to expire, "but it (325 Garry St.) had a lot of the things we were looking for, so it wasn't a tough decision for us...."
He said the increased exposure from being two blocks from Portage and Main and across the street from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce office was also a factor in the decision.
"We want to get more involved with other businesses down here."
Whatever the reasons for moving, the executive director of the Exchange District Business Improvement Zone said he's glad they did. Mal Anderson said there are other computer-related businesses in the Exchange, including a number of web-design and graphic-design firms. However, only one or two offer the broad range of services that Clear Concepts offers.
"I look at all the services they provide... and I think they could be really good for a lot of our businesses that require computer support."
While a lot of network maintenance work can be done remotely, Anderson said there are still occasions when technicians need to be on site. "So it's nice to have them so available."
Korell also owns Barnes & Duncan Land Surveying and Geomatics, as well as the office building its located in at 298 Fort St. He said he bought 325 Garry because its a similar-sized building, and it's only a couple of blocks from the hub of business -- Portage and Main.
He also liked the fact it was a newer building in an area with a lot of older buildings.
"It shouldn't have a lot of (maintenance) issues because its newer, and it's also got a bit of character," he said, citing the brick exterior, copper awnings, and arched windows on the third floor.
He said they plan to set up a computer-training centre on the third floor, and they're putting a gym for their employees in the basement.

Know of any news in the office, retail, or industrial real estate sectors? Let
Murray McNeill know at the email
address below, or at 697-7254.
murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca


About 325 Garry St.:
"ö Built in the late 1980s
"ö Brick and concrete construction
"ö Three storeys with developed basement
"ö 6,500 square feet of usable space
"ö Two stairwells (front and back), but no elevator
"ö Owned by Winnipeg businessman Christian Korell, who also owns the tenant that just moved in -- Clear Concepts -- as well as Barnes & Duncan Land Surveying and Geomatics and the office building it's located in (298 Fort St.)

About Clear Concepts:
"ö An information-technology firm specializing in the design, development and maintenance of computer networks
"ö Also offers network security audits, disaster recovery and prevention, data recovery and website design and development services
"ö Founded in 2001 by Winnipeggers Shane Hartje and Scott McKenzie, and purchased in 2008 by Korell
"ö 12 employees and about 300 customers, most in Winnipeg. Also has customers in rural Manitoba, and as far away as British Columbia and New York
"ö Spent its first two years in the downtown, then moved to Sherbrook Street for two years and to Border Street for five years. Moved back downtown on Feb. 19
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 1, 2010 B6

[1ajs]

^^ glad to see the dudes back downtown :P remembers helping them fix up the space above the chocolate shop fun times.

[1ajs]

Leonard Asper steps down as Canwest president and CEO

By: Andrew Flynn, THE CANADIAN PRESS
4/03/2010 10:48 AM | Comments: 0 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/leonard-asper-steps-down-as-canwest-ceo-86338857.html#comments)

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CEO Leonard Asper resigned Thursday. (ADRIAN WYLD / CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)


WINNIPEG - After a long battle to remain at the helm of Canwest Global Communications, Leonard Asper announced Thursday he has resigned as president and CEO of the crumbling newspaper and broadcast empire founded by his father.
The move, widely expected after Calgary cable giant Shaw Communications (TSX:SJR.B) won bankruptcy court approval to take control of Canwest's broadcasting assets, nearly severs the last Asper family tie to the Winnipeg company. Leonard's brother and sister, David and Gail Asper, resigned from the Canwest board last month, though technically the family still holds a controlling block of multiple-vote shares in Canwest.
In a brief note to Canwest staff, Leonard Asper - the son of Canwest founder Israel (Izzy) Asper who died in 2006 - expressed little emotion as he announced his departure as a "natural time for me to move on."
"This decision did not come without a lot of careful consideration," wrote Asper, whose own last-minute bid to retain some control over the company failed when Shaw's offer won approval.
"Taking this action now will also allow me to pursue other business opportunities and avoid any conflict of interest that I may have."
"As I embark on a new path, I will be taking with me many fond memories from my years as CEO, most of which centre on the inspiring and talented people with whom I was fortunate enough to work," Asper wrote.
Canwest (TSXV:CGS) owns the Global TV network and a number of major Canadian daily newspapers including the National Post, the Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Montreal Gazette and the Ottawa Citizen. The company has been operating under protection from creditors since last year after it ran into trouble paying down a massive $4-billion debt racked up when Izzy Asper was at the company's helm.
Leonard Asper's exit was almost assured after he was involved in a failed bid last month for Canwest's broadcasting assets, which was led by his financial partner Catalyst Capital Group.
Shaw emerged from that process as the winner, and struck a deal to take control of Canwest's TV and broadcasting businesses. A number of suitors have come forward to bid separately for the newspapers.
Even before Asper lost that bid, he showed a determination to stick with the company. For months, he staved off filing for creditor protection by helping to secure numerous payment extensions with its lenders as it sold assets and streamlined operations to reduce costs and pay down some of the debt.
Eventually, his efforts proved insufficient to overcome the company's debt problems, which began a decade ago with Canwest's $3.2-billion purchase of 13 major Canadian newspapers, 126 community newspapers, Internet properties, and half of the National Post from now-disgraced newspaper magnate Conrad Black.
The company also expanded its debt when it struck a deal to acquire the Alliance Atlantis specialty TV channels three years ago in a $2.3 billion deal financed mainly by Wall Street partner Goldman Sachs.
When Canwest filed for creditor protection last fall, Asper pledged to commit up to $15 million in the restructured company as part of an agreement with lenders intended to save the company.
That was before the company was forced to start searching for buyers of its broadcast and newspaper assets.
Asper will continue on as a consultant to Canwest until the restructuring process has been completed.

[Jeff]

the news in the free press about cabella's taking over 350,000 sqf for their new canadian hq. and distribution centre in transcona is exceptional news from today too! along with 250 jobs and growing..

[1ajs]

Consultant makes intervener pitch

Also asks PUB for help dealing with civil case

By: Mary Agnes Welch
13/03/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/consultant-makes-intervener-pitch-87560102.html#comments)

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Report Error (webnews@freepress.mb.ca,copyeditor3@freepress.mb.ca?subject=Reporting%20an%20Error%20in%20Consultant%20makes%20intervener%20pitch) The Manitoba Hydro whistleblower asked the Public Utilities Board Friday to make a civil court case against her disappear -- or at least help cover her legal costs.
And, because her whistleblower complaint has dragged on for 15 months, she needs time -- and $50,000 -- to refresh her memory of the technical details of her allegations prior to the start of a huge regulatory hearing later this year.
"I am not able, for commercial reasons, to just stop what I am doing and just donate free pro-bono time," said the New York-based risk consultant. "If I am going to be under the firing squad and facing some very hard questions, I want to be completely back up to speed."
The whistleblower's identity is protected by a publication ban and she was allowed to speak to the PUB Friday without revealing her name or her company's name.
During Friday's unusual PUB hearing, the whistleblower asked for intervener status in the upcoming mega-hearing on power rates. Intervener status would allow the New York consultant to walk the PUB through her allegations, submit evidence, make arguments and call witnesses -- including Manitoba Hydro staff.
But the PUB's process is tangled up in a related court case involving many of the same secret risk reports that suggest Hydro lost $1.1 billion in the last five years and could face bankruptcy and rolling blackouts.
Hydro has sued the whistleblower in the Court of Queen's Bench to force her to allow a detailed public airing of her findings. Hydro has hired another consultant, KPMG, to scrutinize her reports, and Hydro wants to be allowed to release the KPMG report to outside investigators, the PUB and the public. The whistleblower has insisted her reports remain secret because they contain confidential information that could damage her business interests.
During Friday's hearing, the whistleblower appeared via telephone and said she can't devote her time to both the PUB hearing and the court case, which she said is only an attempt to exhaust her resources and damage her credibility.
She asked the PUB to find a way to end the lawsuit -- something Public Utilities Board members quickly said they do not have the power to do.
The whistleblower is also asking the PUB for financial aid worth between $300,000 and $800,000 to help defray the cost of participating in the hearing. The money would not go to her directly, but cover lawyers' expenses.
Lawyers for Manitoba Hydro said it's "unheard of" to ask the PUB to cover legal fees for an outside court case.
Hydro also objected to granting the whistleblower intervener status at the upcoming rate hearing, saying the PUB shouldn't get enmeshed in a "he-said-she-said'' battle between Hydro and the whistleblower over things that simply aren't relevant to the rate application.
Surprisingly, most of the other regular interveners agreed. Lawyers representing seniors groups, consumer advocates, environmentalists and large power users all said the whistleblower doesn't represent a cross-section of ratepayers whose views ought to be heard.
Byron Williams, the lawyer representing seniors and consumer advocates, said he feared the meaty issue of Hydro's risk levels could get hijacked by attempts to redeem or undermine professional credibility.
"The clearing of one's professional name is not sufficient to establish one as an intervener," he said.
Nor did the PUB appear overly sympathetic to the whistleblower's request for intervener status, suggesting instead that the PUB send two of its own independent risk experts to New York to interview her and study her reports instead of asking her to testify and call evidence.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca

Whistleblower replies
Late last month, as part of a civil court case, Manitoba Hydro tabled a damning affidavit from one of its senior executives that detailed Hydro's relationship with the New York consultant.
In it, power sales and operations manager David Cormie painted her as an unprofessional lone wolf who was in over her head, had a deeply flawed understanding of Hydro's operations, overstepped the scope of her contract and kept trying to sell Hydro her proprietary software. Emails she sent to Hydro staff joked about wishing the company's current risk manager would commit suicide.
In response, the whistleblower circulated a 36-page letter earlier this week that will likely form the crux of her formal response in court. Here are some excerpts:
"It was Hydro's employees who in many cases invoked such jovial comments and it was meant to be a humorous attempt to make light of a very stressful situation... It was nothing more than idle banter and tomfoolery in the office between friends... I do want to reassert that no ill will was intended in any form."
"Both the CFO and the CEO at numerous times provided validation and agreement on the issues I had raised... My work was well regarded, well respected and highly praised by my line manager and the CFO. This was also indicated by the many contract renewals...
"I was receiving direct communications from Hydro employees that the risk issues I was raising (such as blackouts, reliability failures, computer problems and financial forecast errors, losses in the millions due to the negligence by Cormie) were not being reviewed properly by Hydro and that (Hydro president and CEO Bob Brennan) himself was sweeping them under the rug."
"I believe Hydro has run a campaign of intimidation and ridicule to prevent employees who have and can testify to the accuracy of my work."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 13, 2010 A3

[1ajs]

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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Bright future here: BMO CEO

By: Martin Cash
23/03/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/bright-future-here-bmo-ceo-88892817.html#comments)



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BMO CEO Bill Downe believes the bank can grow its market share by being more attentive to its customers' needs. (PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA )


THE current rebalancing of the global economy is an opportunity for Canadian businesses to take a larger share of North American and world markets.
And Bill Downe, CEO of the Bank of Montreal, said that in this post-recession era, Canadian banks are well positioned to make positive moves -- for themselves and their customers.
Downe, along with the bank's board of directors and senior management team, is in Winnipeg this week for BMO's annual general meeting Tuesday at the Fairmont Winnipeg.
With Canadian banks emerging from the economic crisis in better shape than many other global financial institutions -- BMO recently posted first-quarter earnings that were almost triple last year's results -- Downe said he believes the current dynamic allows BMO to grow its market share.
He said the global credit crisis arose because consumption was overly dependent on debt and the world "got a little bit in front of its skies." What that is going to require is a "fundamental change" in the way time and energy are spent growing Canadian businesses and BMO's own business.
"(In Canada) we need to reinvest in our business systems and our factories, in our sales and distribution models and use the capital strengths we have in the country to gain a bigger share of the North American market," he said. "The next couple of decades presents a terrific opportunity for us to grow (as a country) and for us to grow as a bank."
BMO, the fourth-largest -- and the oldest -- bank in the country, is in the midst of its own rejuvenation after some failed merger attempts early this decade and its share of debt-related writedowns.
Downe has put his stamp on BMO's current institutional theme -- "making money makes sense."
Downe said he and the bank's senior management believe the way BMO can grow its market share is by being more attentive to its customers' needs. But there are no stated competitive goals or benchmarks to achieve with that kind of marketing emphasis -- and for good reasons.
He said he recently read about some Toyota officials reflecting on their current setback and some related it back to a period between 2002 and 2004 when the emphasis at the company went from making better cars and serving their customers better to passing General Motors to become the world's largest car manufacturer.
"One had intrinsic value," he said. "The other had ego value."
That attitude may explain why Downe seemed more keen to talk about a new five-year mortgage offering at a fixed rate of 3.75 per cent than to crow about the bank's recent earnings results.
In 2009, BMO made about $2.7-billion worth of capital available to about 5,000 business customers in Manitoba.
"When I think about our aspirations, our growth will break down to our ability to serve 5,000, then 6,000 businesses in Manitoba," he said. "I can trace our growth in net earnings back to the focus on serving our customers."
martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

BMO and Manitoba
-- The Bank of Montreal set up its first branch in Manitoba in 1877. It now has 22 branches and 400 employees. Its most recent Special Report on Manitoba says it's bullish about the provincial economy:
-- Non-residential construction -- With the floodway and some other construction projects winding down, the double-digit growth of the last four years is expected to become a 1.5 per cent decline in 2010.
-- Agriculture -- Excellent long-term growth potential.
-- Mining -- Not that large relative to the country as a whole, but has strong long-term growth prospects.
-- Population growth -- Running ahead of the national rate for the first time since the early '80s.
-- Bottom line -- Manitoba may not have attracted the attention of the other western provinces, but its well-diversified economy and solid growth prospects deserve attention in a challenging environment.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 23, 2010 B5

[hexrae]

-- Non-residential construction -- With the floodway and some other construction projects winding down, the double-digit growth of the last four years is expected to become a 1.5 per cent decline in 2010.

So, is the floodway expansion anticipated to be completed this year? The Floodway Authority construction status (http://www.floodwayauthority.mb.ca/construction_status.html) on their site appears to be from last fall.

[Bdog]

Does anyone have a list of the biggest corporate headquarters in Winnipeg?

[1ajs]

Winnipeg comes out on top
Lowest cost of 22 centres in region: study
By: Martin Cash

31/03/2010


Winnipeg gets bragging rights for another two years as the lowest-cost place to do business in Western Canada and all of the midwestern United States.

The 2010 version of KPMG's study on global competitiveness, called Competitive Alternatives, ranks Winnipeg No. 1 among 22 cities in this region when it comes to business costs.

The study, released Tuesday, ranks 112 cities in 10 countries. It puts Canada second of the 10 countries studied, (Mexico, the only developing country in the study, was No. 1), five per cent less expensive than the United States.

When the study was last produced two years ago, Canada and the United States were virtually tied.

KPMG analysts said more favourable exchange rates (when the study was done at the beginning of the year) and increasingly lower corporate tax rates across Canada over the last two years were among the reasons Canada comes out more cost competitive now.

Winnipeg's ranking has not changed dramatically. In 2008 it was slightly more expensive than Saskatoon. This year Winnipeg edged out Saskatoon.

The study measured 26 significant cost components that are most likely to vary by location, including labour, taxes, real estate and utilities as they apply to 17 business operations over a 10-year planning horizon as well as a range of non-cost competitive factors.

Greg Dandewich, vice-president of Destination Winnipeg, the agency responsible for the city's economic development, said KPMG's report is eagerly anticipated and is useful in the city's efforts to attract business to the city.

"We come out extremely well," Dandewich said. "It's very helpful. One of the things we need to do is to give companies a snapshot of where we fit in. When you are dealing with opportunities to attract investment, you use it as a door opener."

Dandewich said the study does not include all of the intangibles that businesses would look at, but it is valuable in that it compares the same metrics in every city across the board.

And in that context, Dandewich said Winnipeg looks great, scoring between 4.2 and 5.7 percentage points ahead of every one of the midwestern U.S. cities.

As a regular subscriber to the study (cities have to pay to be included), Dandewich noted that Winnipeg's cost ranking in the region has gone from fifth to first in aerospace manufacturing and third to first in electronic assembly.

Considering that the largest cities in the countries surveyed are the most expensive ones in their respective countries, cost competitiveness is clearly not always the most important consideration for companies.

But Simon Harding, project leader on the KPMG report, said, "Given that the global economy has been through a recession, I would argue that it is now more important than ever for companies to look at costs when thinking about having international locations or moving into a new market."

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce is spearheading an initiative called Selling Winnipeg to the World, where it is using community contacts to approach businesses that might establish a presence in the city.

Bill Morrissey, the chamber vice-president in charge of the efforts, said the results of the KPMG study will be a great marketing tool.

"Companies are looking at taking action on both the revenue and cost sides of the ledger," he said. "For us to have the distinction of having very competitive overall costs of running a business, it definitely bodes well for us."




1. Winnipeg

2. Saskatoon, Sask.

3. McAllen, Texas

4. Cheyenne, Wyo.

5. Sioux Falls, S.D.

6. Oklahoma City, Okla.

7. Edmonton, Alta.

8. Billings, Mont.

9. Fargo, N.D.

10. Omaha, Neb.

11. Cedar Rapids, Iowa

12. Wichita, Kan.

13. Salt Lake City, Utah

14. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

15. St. Louis, Mo.

16. Milwaukee, Wis.

17. Houston, Texas

18. Phoenix, Ariz.

19. Albuquerque, N.M.

20. Chicago, Ill.

21. Minneapolis, Minn.

22. Denver, Colo.


http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/winnipeg-comes-out-on-top-strongranking-of-cost-competitive-cities-in-western-canada-and-us-midweststrong-89582562.html

[JayM]

Well that's good to know...

[JayM]

-- Mining -- Not that large relative to the country as a whole, but has strong long-term growth prospects.

The Mining sector should be increasing with prospects so I wonder what the deal is with that. I think is quite large.

[1ajs]

theres a reason the golden boy faces north lol

[JayM]

theres a reason the golden boy faces north lol

The reason being that the north is the the primary focus of manitoba being a success in the future.

[RTD]

The Detroit of the Prairies?
MLA makes pitch for Tata auto assembly plant in city
By: Larry Kusch

Winnipeg Free Press

8/04/2010



If Alabama can build automobiles, why not Manitoba?

That's the attitude of NDP backbench MLA Bidhu Jha, who is leading a push to persuade Indian automotive giant Tata Motors to build a North American version of its cute Nano car -- or any other model -- in Winnipeg.

The mechanical engineer, who has owned his own business and worked as an international trade and business development consultant, may have an in with the company. He once worked as an engineer for Tata in Jamshedpur, India, before emigrating to Canada 35 years ago.

Jha, the province's special envoy for international trade, said that before 1997, when Mercedes-Benz began producing cars in Alabama, there was not a single automobile manufacturing job in that state.

Now, according to the Alabama Development Office in Montgomery, Ala., there are 35,000 people employed in the sector. Hyundai, Honda and Toyota have joined Mercedes in setting up shop there, as have a host of auto manufacturing suppliers.

Alabama's success shows that God didn't preordain that all North American automobile manufacturing would be located in Detroit or Windsor, the MLA for Radisson said. "Somebody started with a vision."

Manitoba shouldn't feel inferior to anyone, Jha argues. It already successfully manufacturers buses, is home to a thriving aerospace industry, has a highly skilled labour force and plenty of land and cheap electricity. He said Red River College has already assured him that it could quickly offer special courses in automobile manufacturing.

The Nano, which looks like a Smart Car but costs only $2,500, is inexpensive because it contains absolutely no frills. It's just basic transportation -- and very easy on gas. Tata is said to be interested, at some point, in locating a manufacturing plant in North America.

Jha was part of small Manitoba trade delegation that went to India last summer and met with senior members of Tata, as well as with other companies. The delegation also included representatives from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association and the provincial government.

Diane Gray, now president of CentrePort Canada, Winnipeg's inland port initiative, participated in her then-role as Manitoba's deputy minister of trade. She cautioned Wednesday that the delegation's discussions with Tata -- India's largest corporation -- were more of a get-acquainted session. She said forging business partnerships often takes years.

"It would be very premature to say that Tata is considering any investment in Manitoba at this time. That would not be true. We do not know that. And we have not made a formal pitch to them to assemble or build anything here," she said.

But Jha and others in Manitoba have continued to court Tata, inviting the company's top Canadian official to Manitoba last fall and meeting informally with senior officials from India in Toronto in February. Last week, Jha travelled to Virginia to meet with the head of Tata's North American operations, who had previously visited Winnipeg.

Dave Angus, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said he was pleased with the results of the trade mission in India last summer. He said the Manitoba group met with "very senior" officials with Tata Motors and presented the case for Winnipeg and Manitoba as a manufacturing hub.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Prairie credit union giant near

Deal currently being finalized that will see unity by next year

By: Geoff Kirbyson
9/04/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/prairie-credit-union-giant-near-90335614.html#comments)



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Report Error (webnews@freepress.mb.ca,copyeditor3@freepress.mb.ca?subject=Reporting%20an%20Error%20in%20Prairie%20credit%20union%20giant%20near) The credit union centrals of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta are finalizing a deal that would see the trio merge by early next year.
Those close to the negotiations say the move is being driven by the changing landscape of financial co-operatives, which have been consolidating and growing at increasing rates in recent years.
Garth Manness, CEO of the Credit Union Central of Manitoba, said with fewer but larger credit unions in each of the three provinces than ever before, it's becoming more difficult for them to perform their roles. (Credit union centrals are the trade associations and service providers to individual credit unions within their provinces.)
"The gap in size between the smaller and larger credit unions is growing and the gaps in their needs are growing, too. We're finding it more difficult to meet the needs of small, medium and large credit unions together. We believe we'd have greater capacity (for servicing them) if we came together as a Prairie entity," he said.
Large credit unions, for example, may want more sophisticated services or need more liquidity to take advantage of lending opportunities that are above their deposit levels. Smaller institutions are more likely to need things like human resources consulting services.
All three centrals have received overwhelming preliminary support on the merger strategy and all will vote on the final plan at some point later this year. If it passes in all three provinces, the decision will then be made where the Prairie Central -- that's the working name -- will be located and who will run it.
As with all mergers, there will be some job losses. Manness said he expects about 10 per cent of the CUCM's 100 jobs and 350 across the three provinces, to be eliminated.
The three Prairie centrals have gone to school on the experience of their counterparts in B.C. and Ontario, which merged in the summer of 2008 to form Central 1 Credit Union, said Graham Wetter, president and CEO of the Alberta Central. The centrals in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have previously announced their merger plans, which should close before the end of the year.
He said just because one of Winnipeg, Regina and Calgary will be chosen for the head office doesn't mean there won't be a significant on-the-ground presence in the two other cities.
"That's very important. Legally, we'll have to have a head office designated but it's certainly not an indication that a whole bunch of jobs are going to move (to one city)," he said.
Keith Nixon, Regina-based project office chairman of the Prairie Central Initiative, said the proposed merger has been in the works since the summer of 2008. He said by becoming a better service provider to its members, credit unions in the three Prairie provinces will be better positioned to grow their market share at the expense of the Big Six banks.
"The three centrals have been working for quite a number of years on various partnerships. This was seen as a natural way to come together for future positioning," he said.
The CEO of the largest financial co-operative in Manitoba, the Steinbach Credit Union, said he's in favour of Prairie Central.
"We think it's a good thing. I think there are a lot of services that are duplicated in other provinces and if we can take the duplication out and cut expenses, we can pass the savings on to our members in the form of better rates," said Glenn Friesen.
He said the centrals are looking to follow the consolidation lead set by their credit unions.
"There is a lot of merger and acquisition activity in the industry. The credit union system is doing quite well and growing. We have come a long way in the last number of years. We're nowhere near as big as the banks but we can do virtually anything the banks can do," he said.
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
Give them credit
If credit unions across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta approve the merger of their respective centrals, the resulting body will represent a powerhouse group of co-operative financial institutions. Here's how the credit union systems across the three provinces stack up:
Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Total
Members 640,625 497,701 566,001 1.7 million
Assets $17.49B $13.48B $15.85B $46.8B
Credit Unions 46 65 44 155
Branches 215 310 184 709
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 9, 2010 B4

[Riverman]

The Nano could not be sold here, it does not conform to North American standards for crash safety or emissions, nor could it be retrofitted. Certification for our markets would mean a complete redesign of the car and a large difference in the price. Probably not worth it.

[hexrae]

:previous:

Tata is said to be interested, at some point, in locating a manufacturing plant in North America.

Isn't that something that Tata should be concerned about? If they wanted to move to North America and jump through the hoops of regulation (to conform to standards), then why not Manitoba?

[Jeff]

here goes another winnipeg HQ... no wonder the canwest sign hasn't been lit at night for the past month or so..

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/aspers-tv-empire-at-an-end-92745864.html

[RTD]

here goes another winnipeg HQ... no wonder the canwest sign hasn't been lit at night for the past month or so..

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/aspers-tv-empire-at-an-end-92745864.html

Screw Shaw. I'm going to switch over to another cable/internet provider.

I'm sick and tired of cities like Calgary and Toronto sucking the life out of this city :hell:

Just as this city takes some pretty big steps towards improvement, we get shoved back a full kilometer with shit like this.

[drew]

^ that HQ was here on paper only really.

I am not sure there is anyone to blame for this but the Aspers.

You knew as soon as they bet the farm on CSI about 10 years too late, it was over...

[1ajs]

canwest was driven into the ground not muh we can do about that

[trueviking]

my shaw cable and internet have been down for two days now....bastards...spent the evening surfing the net on my iphone....almost considered reading a book.

this is why i hate calgary.

[drew]

Switch back to MTS. MTS TV is far better than shaw now anyway. The new menu system on the digital TV is fantastic.

The MTS internet is OK as long as you don't need to download huge files quickly.

[1ajs]

all shaws problems started when they started to get this voip phone crap

[Boreal]

Screw Shaw. I'm going to switch over to another cable/internet provider.

I'm sick and tired of cities like Calgary and Toronto sucking the life out of this city :hell:

Just as this city takes some pretty big steps towards improvement, we get shoved back a full kilometer with shit like this.

I wouldn't put any blame on any municipal jurisdiction. Business by and large is conducted without the interference of civic politicians (construction etc. not withstanding). Any uber-large (by Canadian standards) company in this country is going to more than likely be located in Toronto or to a lesser extent Calgary. This is unavoidable, due in large part to proximity to capital markets and the movers and shakers in those markets. Hence why many businesses gravitate to financial centres - Chicago, New York, London (UK), Frankfurt, Shanghai. It's certainly not because they like paying the absurdly high cost of real-estate in those centres.

I do agree that CanWest gave Winnipeg some clout that it no longer has, and CanWest (the Aspers) did force feed the Winnipeg market with some operations that benefitted the city. As it stands, it looks like many of the rank and file operations will remain in town, at least for the time being (we only stand to lose those if our business climate is considerably more expensive then say, Alberta, because there aren't many synergies to be had between the head office and the more mundane operational employees - hence why Toronto is the home to the people who run CanWest, but having some lower level positions in Winnipeg didn't negatively affect the firm). CanWest's top jobs as said were in Toronto, and have been for some time. We stand to lose the most in terms of the contributions CanWest made to the community. With that said, CanWest didn't sink because of Winnipeg, Calgary or Toronto. It sunk because Izzy and greater extent Leonard had a thirst for debt at any cost so that they could hang with the big boys, and were lured to the red-ink at a time when many (though not all) economists worth their salt would have strongly suggested to tread lightly. The Asper's lost CanWest and the Shaw's gained CanWest. $0.06 per share pretty much says it all.

It is also arguable as to whether a vertically integrated Shaw is even beneficial. Though that's an argument for a different post.

As for Winnipeg, entrepreneurship is something that needs to be taught in schools in my opinion. My highschool experience in a nutshell, could be defined as "learning how to be a good little employee". Though there is nothing wrong with being an employee, financial literacy and the spirit of risk by way of entrepreneurial endeavors was a foreign concept. Home grown business owners are the only way Winnipeg will be able to grow it's inventory of private enterprise and at that, paid private enterprise positions and the associated tax base that comes with it. (caveat: CentrePort could be very lucrative, but it's difficult to speculate on something that doesn't really exist right now in any operational capacity. The road will be a good start. I'm very hopeful.)

[h0twired]

my shaw cable and internet have been down for two days now....bastards...spent the evening surfing the net on my iphone....almost considered reading a book.

this is why i hate calgary.


So what explanation are they giving you for the two day outage? Seems a bit extreme to me.

I have never had a single outage (TV, internet or phone) with Shaw over the past 9 years that I have been with them.

However when I was with MTS and then Telus the outages were frequent and long in duration.

[The Jabroni]

I've never had any major issues with MTS or Shaw, except outages from them from time to time.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Half Pints Brewery tanks up

Two 40-barrel vats raise capacity 50%

By: Geoff Kirbyson
10/07/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/half-pints-brewery-tanks-up-98158669.html#comments)



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Report Error (webnews@freepress.mb.ca;copyeditor3@freepress.mb.ca?subject=Reporting%20an%20Error%20in%20Half%20Pints%20Brewery%20tanks%20up) THE (pint) glass may have been half full at Half Pints Brewing, but now it's overflowing.
The Winnipeg-based microbrewery has just installed a pair of 40-barrel tanks, which will increase its capacity by nearly 50 per cent.
"What used to take us a week to brew will now take us two days in one tank. We used to have four single-batch fermenting tanks. These are quadruple-sized tanks. They're 4,000 litres each," said David Rudge, brewmaster at Half Pints.
The new tanks boost the brewery's capacity to 8,000 hectolitres a year, or nearly 100,000 two-fours. That's up from 1,500 hectolitres or about 18,000 two-fours when Half Pints started up nearly four years ago.
"If we're going to keep the quality of the beer the same and not filter it, it takes a little longer, so you need a few more tanks to do it. We have to spend a little more money on tanks and more time on the brewing process, but in the end, it's worth it," he said.
Rudge said the brewery's second expansion in less than two years will be critical in helping it keep up with demand, particularly during the busy summer beer-drinking season.
"We were at the point where the demand was outstripping our capacity again. The new tanks will help keep up for the next year. If they don't, we'll have to buy two more tanks," he said.
Rudge said Half Pints is preparing to launch a new seasonal beer this month called Rigamarole Rye, which uses rye in the brewing process and has been aging in oak barrels for the last six months.
Although it's not unusual for Half Pints to come up with seasonal recipes periodically, Rudge said he plans to increase their frequency.
"Some are more intense or expensive to produce or wouldn't have the same kind of market (as our traditional beers). We sell them from the brewery for one day. We'll put it on our website a couple of weeks in advance and the people who are honest-to-goodness Half Pints fans know they have to be here that morning or it will sell out," he said.
"We're not a huge brewery. We're not going to make thousands and thousands of litres of specialty beers to sell."
It recently made 1,000 litres of another one-off production, Black IPA. The lineup outside the St. James brewery on the day it was available was nearly 100 people deep.
"We limited sales to one case per person. It was pretty crazy," Rudge said.
He said his goal is to grow the company in a deliberate manner with support from his core group of shareholders. He said there are absolutely no plans to follow in the footsteps of Fort Garry Brewing and take the company public.
"We have no want or need to go to public offerings," he said.
geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 10, 2010 B4

[roccerfeller]

so what will happen to the canwest building then?

[1ajs]

its not owned by canwest global crewswin owns it

[JayM]

its not owned by canwest global crewswin owns it

Yeah Canwest/Global is different then Creswin Properties.

[jimj_wpg]

Isn't Creswin like a Canwest subsidiary?

CresWin - like a concatenation of - Wellington Crescent and Winnipeg.

And didn't the Aspers once live on that street? :rolleyes:

Just like the Shaw family owns SHAW Cable, Star Choice DBStv, CORUS, and now Global Tv.

Videon should have sold to ROGERS instead of SHAW. I hate SHAW.

They even changed the name of the DBS service from Star Choice to the icky sounding name of SHAW Direct.

[trueviking]

canwest and creswin are different companies...one is owned by a family in calgary the other by a family in winnipeg.

[JayM]

I'm assuming that recent house that's 7 million is a house that the Aspers own.

[Biff]

I'm assuming that recent house that's 7 million is a house that the Aspers own.


I don't think so. I thought it was Marty Weinberg's (Assante) ex wife's house - but i could be wrong.

[hexrae]

New Flyer lands N.Y. bus contract (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/new-flyer-lands-ny-bus-contract-101215579.html)

NEW Flyer Industries has won a contract with the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority for up to 475 buses.

The contract is for 135 40-foot compressed natural gas (CNG) heavy-duty transit buses with options for up to an additional 340 CNG buses.

The order will add about US$216 million to the New Flyer backlog.

Two pilot buses will be delivered in the second quarter of 2011, with the balance of the base order delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011 and early 2012.

The buses will be operated by the New York City Transit Authority and the MTA Bus Company, the largest transit agency in North America, which is responsible for public transportation in the state of New York.

Since 1996, New Flyer has delivered 823 buses to the MTA, including 630 60-foot diesel buses, three 45-foot diesel buses and 190 40-foot CNG buses.

[JayM]

New Flyer lands N.Y. bus contract (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/new-flyer-lands-ny-bus-contract-101215579.html)

NEW Flyer Industries has won a contract with the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority for up to 475 buses.

The contract is for 135 40-foot compressed natural gas (CNG) heavy-duty transit buses with options for up to an additional 340 CNG buses.

The order will add about US$216 million to the New Flyer backlog.

Two pilot buses will be delivered in the second quarter of 2011, with the balance of the base order delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011 and early 2012.

The buses will be operated by the New York City Transit Authority and the MTA Bus Company, the largest transit agency in North America, which is responsible for public transportation in the state of New York.

Since 1996, New Flyer has delivered 823 buses to the MTA, including 630 60-foot diesel buses, three 45-foot diesel buses and 190 40-foot CNG buses.

Should New Flyer think of getting into Inter-City/Coach buses...? They have solid ground in the City Transit but nothing outside.

[Riverman]

Should New Flyer think of getting into Inter-City/Coach buses...? They have solid ground in the City Transit but nothing outside.Those two businesses are very different, the only similarity between Flyer's vehicles and say Motor Coach Industries' vehicles is that they are bus-shaped.

[h0twired]

Should New Flyer think of getting into Inter-City/Coach buses...? They have solid ground in the City Transit but nothing outside.

Inter city coaches aren't exactly a growing industry. Most people these days fly than take a bus and the trend seems to be continuing in that direction.

Transit is where they should keep their investment.

[JayM]

Inter city coaches aren't exactly a growing industry. Most people these days fly than take a bus and the trend seems to be continuing in that direction.

Transit is where they should keep their investment.

Just a thought really. If there is advancements in quality and safety im sure people would change their minds. Too many car dependent people.

[vid]

They could work on producing more comfortable buses for long distance trips. I'm not sure if they have a proper BRT line or not, either. Novabus just came out with one, the LFX I think. They also produce a suburban model of their bus, with comfortable seats, luggage racks, personal lighting and a single door. Sudbury has a few of them for its far flung suburbs.

[JayM]

They could work on producing more comfortable buses for long distance trips. I'm not sure if they have a proper BRT line or not, either. Novabus just came out with one, the LFX I think. They also produce a suburban model of their bus, with comfortable seats, luggage racks, personal lighting and a single door. Sudbury has a few of them for its far flung suburbs.

I took a look at NovaBUS' website. They have some pretty convincing models.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Exchange nabs Bearskin Airlines

Company dominant in northern skies

By: Martin Cash
Posted: 16/09/2010 1:00 AM

Exchange Income Corp. is adding Bearskin Airlines to its portfolio of Manitoba regional airlines and now owns just about the entire set.
The Winnipeg-based holding company has signed a letter of intent to buy Bearskin Airlines for $32.5 million.
The Sioux Lookout, Ont.-based airline will broaden Exchange Income's air service reach into northwestern and central Ontario as far south as Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo.
Bearskin operates hubs out of Thunder Bay and Winnipeg and dominates in the Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay markets.
It also flies to Flin Flon and The Pas and has several flights into northwestern Ontario from Winnipeg.
Last year Bearskin generated about $47 million in revenue and the company has consistently turned a profit for several years.
After raising about $60 million in debt offerings during the last 12 months, Exchange had made it clear it was on the lookout for acquisitions.
It will pay for Bearskin by issuing about $3 million in new shares and the remainder will be in cash.
Harvey Friesen, who owned Bearskin with his brother Cliff, said they have been talking with Exchange for several years.
"We see what they have done with the other airlines they have bought," Harvey Friesen said from Sioux Lookout. "The other airlines have continued to operate independently and we are really looking forward to continuing to grow the business."
The Friesens and all the rest of its 260 employees will continue to work for the airline.
In addition to Bearskin, Exchange owns Perimeter Air, Keewatin Airways and Calm Air.
Last year Exchange Income Corp.'s airlines generated $153.5 million in revenue out of total revenue of $211 million. (It also owns some industrial manufacturing companies mostly in Alberta and B.C. )
Recently, Exchange acquired the Manitoba dealership for Shell aviation fuel and runs depots in Winnipeg, Thompson and The Pas.
Its operations have also solidified their presence in the field with Keewatin Air recently winning a multimillion-dollar medevac contract with the Nunavut government and Calm Air winning a multimillion-dollar contract with Hydro One in Ontario to distribute diesel fuel in the region.
The newest addition to Exchange Income's family of airlines gives it considerable dominance in the market.
Although it will control the entire air service offerings in many small communities in Manitoba, company officials maintain its interest is in expanding service, not cutting it or gouging its customers.
"We do have a strong market position, but we bristle at the suggestion that we have a monopoly," said Exchange Income CEO Mike Pyle.
He said the price-per-seat-mile at Perimeter, Keewatin and Calm Air is less than air service prices in northern Ontario and Quebec.
Tribal Councils Investment Group holds a large block of Exchange Income shares and has a marketing agreement with the company to establish community partnership agreements in many of the First Nations communities that Perimeter flies into. Those deals mean significant money has flowed back into the communities in the form of free tickets and other services.
"For instance, when NAC (North American Charters) failed a few years ago we cut fares rather than increase them," Pyle said.
Barry Prentice, a transportation expert at the University of Manitoba, said the Bearskin purchase makes sense for Exchange.
"They have become successful in their niche market and this will allow them to grow it," he said. "These communities need service and Bearskin provides it. It is the right sized company. The whole idea of deregulation in the airline industry was that niche markets would be serviced."
Prentice said rather than ownership concentration being a negative thing, it could be seen as a good thing for the region. "It is a vote of confidence in the region that there is a commercial enterprise willing to invest," he said.
Exchange shares closed down 12 cents on Wednesday to $15.74.
martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

Locations serviced
Bearskin Airways
Manitoba -- Flin Flon, Lynn Lake, The Pas, Winnipeg
Ontario -- Kenora, Fort Frances, Dryden, Red lake, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Kapuskasing, Timmins, Kitchener/Waterloo, Sudbury, North Bay and Ottawa.

Perimeter Air
Manitoba -- Berens River, Brandon, Brochet, Cross Lake, Dauphin, Garden Hill, God's Lake Narrows, God's River, Lac Brochet, Lynn Lake, Norway House, Oxford House, Red Sucker Lake, Shamattawa, St. Theresa Point, Tadoule, Thompson, York Landing and Winnipeg
Ontario -- Pikangikum and Sandy Lake

Calm Air
Nunavut -- Arviat, Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbour, Rankin Inlet, Repulse Bay and Whale Cove
Manitoba -- Churchill, Flin Flon, Gillam, The Pas, Thompson, Winnipeg

Keewatin Air
Nunavut -- Arviat, Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbour, Repulse Bay, Rankin Inlet, Sanikiluaq, Whale Cove
Manitoba -- Winnipeg and Churchill
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 16, 2010 B6

[hexrae]

It's let's-make-a-deal time (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/its-lets-make-a-deal-time-105418458.html)

As a large delegation from Algeria registered for Centrallia 2010 Wednesday afternoon at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, row upon row of numbered desks sat empty, ready to be occupied today and Friday with head-to-head meetings among business people from around the world.

As one local business person said, "All it takes is one or two successes" to make it worthwhile.

Centrallia, the stylized two-day speed-dating event matching small and medium-size business owners from around the world, has also been welcomed because of the sheer aggregation in Winnipeg of so many keen business proprietors -- about 500 -- at one time.
For instance, it's hard not to be impressed having a short conversation with Algerian "informatique" (information technology) company executive Chouikh Abdelhafid in English, which is surely his third language at best.
His company, which employs 20, is in Winnipeg looking for partnerships and growth opportunities.
It's a big world, made smaller by Centrallia, so who knows what could happen?
Noah Decter-Jackson, founder of Complex Games Inc. in Winnipeg, said he's not sure what to expect or what opportunities he'll encounter at Centrallia. But the digital gaming industry is now a multibillion-dollar global behemoth and meeting another developer from another side of the world or in a neighbouring province could evolve into a key source of growth for Decter-Jackson's small Winnipeg shop. "You never know," he said.
The same sentiment is shared by Albert ElTassi, CEO of Peerless Garments. In addition to countless uniforms Peerless has made for the Canadian military, the Winnipeg manufacturer has now added the army of Colombia to its portfolio.
ElTassi is not expecting to land big-time military contracts through his meetings at Centrallia, but as he said, "That's not all we do."
Winning new customers was not even top of mind for ElTassi, who said he was motivated to participate as a member of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce which, along with ANIM (Agence nationale et internationale du Manitoba), organized the event over the last one-and-a-half years.
But that's not to say there will not be some hard-headed business going on in the next few days. There are rumours that a local company is on the verge of signing a significant wind-energy deal in India and another even more sizable information technology contract is said to be in the works.
A New Brunswick drilling company may also close a deal with a Manitoba company at Centrallia.
Francois LaFortune, a former chemistry professor at St. Boniface College, now a technology consultant in Montreal with Carbon Credit Solutions, hopes to meet some Winnipeg technology companies to offer his services in accessing research tax credits.
A large contingent from India, 28 companies in all, is here to do some serious business.
The delegation is led by Jagat Shah, whose international trade consulting business, Global Network, based in Ahmedabad, has been under contract as the province of Manitoba's trade representative in India for the last two years.
"Exporting is a craze in India right now," he said. "It is a sign of credibility (in the Indian business community). And the moment they become exporters, they want to invest in other countries."
Rather than depleting domestic economic resources, Shah says that activity improves the Indian economy by importing best practices from around the world.
Meanwhile, they are here and hungry for contacts and partnerships.
For instance, Jayant Keni, the 26 year-old chairman and managing director of the $250-million-a-year family business, JK Group of Companies of Mumbai, said there is an "energy crunch" in India.
"There is a huge demand for power in India and we are looking for partnerships with unconventional energy technology companies," he said.
Many international delegates talk about the goodwill in their country towards Canada, which is what Centrallia is looking to take advantage of.
martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

[nordique]

New York Times article today: (and it has nothing to do with MuRdEr-KaPiTal-oF-CaNaDa bullshit)

Defying Trend, Canada Lures More Migrants

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/11/13/world/sub-IMMIG/sub-IMMIG-articleLarge.jpg
Immigrant workers at the Palliser furniture factory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The province tries to attract semi-skilled workers.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — As waves of immigrants from the developing world remade Canada a decade ago, the famously friendly people of Manitoba could not contain their pique.

What irked them was not the Babel of tongues, the billions spent on health care and social services, or the explosion of ethnic identities. The rub was the newcomers’ preference for “M.T.V.” — Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver — over the humble prairie province north of North Dakota, which coveted workers and population growth.

Demanding “our fair share,” Manitobans did something hard to imagine in American politics, where concern over illegal immigrants dominates public debate and states seek more power to keep them out. In Canada, which has little illegal immigration, Manitoba won new power to bring foreigners in, handpicking ethnic and occupational groups judged most likely to stay.

This experiment in designer immigration has made Winnipeg a hub of parka-clad diversity — a blue-collar town that gripes about the cold in Punjabi and Tagalog — and has defied the anti-immigrant backlash seen in much of the world.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/world/americas/13immig.html

[MooseJets]

New York Times article today: (and it has nothing to do with MuRdEr-KaPiTal-oF-CaNaDa bullshit)

Defying Trend, Canada Lures More Migrants

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/11/13/world/sub-IMMIG/sub-IMMIG-articleLarge.jpg
Immigrant workers at the Palliser furniture factory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The province tries to attract semi-skilled workers.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/world/americas/13immig.html

They just had to mention the weather :rolleyes:

[The Jabroni]

They just had to mention the weather :rolleyes:

Interesting article. The weather is hereditary though. ;)

[roccerfeller]

Interesting article. The weather is hereditary though. ;)

is it just me or is the weather getting warmer in Winnipeg?

I dont recall November being this warm growing up!

[vid]

When I was little we would get snow in mid-October. That hasn't happened in years.

[roccerfeller]

vid, why dont you just get it over with and move to Winnipeg :) :)


edit: that is unless your location is misleading ..

[rrskylar]

^ I second that, move Vid to Winnipeg, anyone have an empty storage shed on their property for him to live in?http://photos.friendster.com/photos/97/31/451379/2616578955863l.jpg

from trailerparkboys.org

[1ajs]

i've been working on kidnaping him for seveal yrs now

[JayM]

^ I second that, move Vid to Winnipeg, anyone have an empty storage shed on their property for him to live in?

Can you claim rent for shed property rental? lol

[viperred88]

New York Times article today: (and it has nothing to do with MuRdEr-KaPiTal-oF-CaNaDa bullshit)

Defying Trend, Canada Lures More Migrants

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/11/13/world/sub-IMMIG/sub-IMMIG-articleLarge.jpg
Immigrant workers at the Palliser furniture factory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The province tries to attract semi-skilled workers.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/world/americas/13immig.html

companies such as palliser should be ashamed for not hiring locals who would try and try to get an interview yet they are disfavored by the race card which is complete bs.

[Bdog]

companies such as palliser should be ashamed for not hiring locals who would try and try to get an interview yet they are disfavored by the race card which is complete bs.

You're kidding, right?

[vid]

Immigrants are locals. I know of people who sound like they're just off the boat but they've been here for 20 years.

i've been working on kidnaping him for seveal yrs now

Worst. Kidnapper. Ever.

Seriously, man. Get on with it! :rant:

[viperred88]

You're kidding, right?

I know lots people who can't afford college and university.

[Bdog]

I know lots people who can't afford college and university.

That doesn't have anything to do with the post you made... Maybe you can explain why companies should be ashamed of hiring immigrants, and how they are playing the race card as you mentioned...

[viperred88]

That doesn't have anything to do with the post you made... Maybe you can explain why companies should be ashamed of hiring immigrants, and how they are playing the race card as you mentioned...

the government sponsors (business and government cheap labor agreement) therefore the locals are at a disadvantage. The only way a local would have a chance is if they know someone who works there.

and the locals that are poor can't afford post secondary education are the ones who fall in the cracks.

[Bdog]

the government sponsors (business and government cheap labor agreement) therefore the locals are at a disadvantage. The only way a local would have a chance is if they know someone who works there.

and the locals that are poor can't afford post secondary education are the ones who fall in the cracks.

First of all, once immigrants move here, they are also locals.
Second, I'm not sure what "cheap labour agreement" you are talking about - immigrants fall under the same minimum wage standards as natural born residents
Third, you really believe that immigration is so rampant (as if it's a bad thing) that the only way locals can find jobs is through some sort of inside connections? With Manitoba having one of the lowest unemployment rates in north america, I think your buddies need to start looking harder before blaming immigrants for their woes.
Fourth, in terms of "poor locals", I'm not sure what kind of post-secondary education you need to work at a furniture factory.
Lastly, you mentioned that Paliser and others were playing the "race card": What advantages do they reap by hiring immigrants over locals? Are all immigrants racial minorities?

I don't think you realize how most immigration works in Canada. We're not bringing in "cheap" labour from overseas - Rather, for the most part, we're brining in skilled labour, to fill specific voids in the economy. Most immigrants have some means when they get here, or its their family joining them once they're established. Unfortunately, foreign credentials are often not recognized: The government should work to expedite accreditation/upgrading programs so that immigrants skills can be optimized here in Winnipeg. That way, those darn immigrants won't keep "stealing" your buddies' manual labour jobs at "race-card playing" companies like Paliser, as you claim :rolleyes:

[roccerfeller]

^ I second that, move Vid to Winnipeg, anyone have an empty storage shed on their property for him to live in?http://photos.friendster.com/photos/97/31/451379/2616578955863l.jpg

from trailerparkboys.org

:haha: :haha: :cheers:

great one rrskylar

[roccerfeller]

First of all, once immigrants move here, they are also locals.
Second, I'm not sure what "cheap labour agreement" you are talking about - immigrants fall under the same minimum wage standards as natural born residents
Third, you really believe that immigration is so rampant (as if it's a bad thing) that the only way locals can find jobs is through some sort of inside connections? With Manitoba having one of the lowest unemployment rates in north america, I think your buddies need to start looking harder before blaming immigrants for their woes.
Fourth, in terms of "poor locals", I'm not sure what kind of post-secondary education you need to work at a furniture factory.
Lastly, you mentioned that Paliser and others were playing the "race card": What advantages do they reap by hiring immigrants over locals? Are all immigrants racial minorities?

I don't think you realize how most immigration works in Canada. We're not bringing in "cheap" labour from overseas - Rather, for the most part, we're brining in skilled labour, to fill specific voids in the economy. Most immigrants have some means when they get here, or its their family joining them once they're established. Unfortunately, foreign credentials are often not recognized: The government should work to expedite accreditation/upgrading programs so that immigrants skills can be optimized here in Winnipeg. That way, those darn immigrants won't keep "stealing" your buddies' manual labour jobs at "race-card playing" companies like Paliser, as you claim :rolleyes:

This might not be what you two are talking about, but I know of many people who have credentials in other countries that once they move here they cannot use simply because the Canadian gov't doesn't recognize it or puts them through some serious hurdles to "activate" said credentials.

I suppose this is both good and bad; good in the sense you screen out a lot of people whose credentials are "lackluster" (see Pharmaceutical controversy in Ontario regarding Egyptian trained pharmacists) but bad in the sense these immigrant families have a tougher time than your "typical" Canadian family

(the issue of being a minority doesn't quite play into this, as a Canadian raised family could be minorities too, theoretically)

Then again, I might have jumped into the completely wrong discussion here and you two were talking about something else

[viperred88]

First of all, once immigrants move here, they are also locals.
Second, I'm not sure what "cheap labour agreement" you are talking about - immigrants fall under the same minimum wage standards as natural born residents
Third, you really believe that immigration is so rampant (as if it's a bad thing) that the only way locals can find jobs is through some sort of inside connections? With Manitoba having one of the lowest unemployment rates in north america, I think your buddies need to start looking harder before blaming immigrants for their woes.
Fourth, in terms of "poor locals", I'm not sure what kind of post-secondary education you need to work at a furniture factory.
Lastly, you mentioned that Paliser and others were playing the "race card": What advantages do they reap by hiring immigrants over locals? Are all immigrants racial minorities?

I don't think you realize how most immigration works in Canada. We're not bringing in "cheap" labour from overseas - Rather, for the most part, we're brining in skilled labour, to fill specific voids in the economy. Most immigrants have some means when they get here, or its their family joining them once they're established. Unfortunately, foreign credentials are often not recognized: The government should work to expedite accreditation/upgrading programs so that immigrants skills can be optimized here in Winnipeg. That way, those darn immigrants won't keep "stealing" your buddies' manual labour jobs at "race-card playing" companies like Paliser, as you claim :rolleyes:

I am not racist I am merely stating facts, the government does sponsor new immigrants as they pay half of minimum wage for the employer to the immigrant.

What I mean by saying poor locals is they are the one who need the jobs the most and have no means to get a post secondary education.


I do find it pretty sad to hear many immigrant educational degree are not recognized here. Yet the stupid thing the government does not tell them before get here. So when they get here they are forced to work low paying jobs. When I hear that I think its intentional to get cheap labor here. Why else are they not told?

Why does it matter when you fill an application and it asks you if you are in the visible minority? Everyone should have the equal opportunity to get that job.

[Bdog]

I am not racist I am merely stating facts, the government does sponsor new immigrants as they pay half of minimum wage for the employer to the immigrant.

What I mean by saying poor locals is they are the one who need the jobs the most and have no means to get a post secondary education.

I do find it pretty sad to hear many immigrant educational degree are not recognized here. Yet the stupid thing the government does not tell them before get here. So when they get here they are forced to work low paying jobs. When I hear that I think its intentional to get cheap labor here. Why else are they not told?

Why does it matter when you fill an application and it asks you if you are in the visible minority? Everyone should have the equal opportunity to get that job.

I'm unaware of the program your talking about, where the government pays half of the wage. Please send me the link to that government policy...
I highly doubt that the government is intentionally misleading immigrants to bring in cheap labour - How is immigrant labour any cheaper than the other unemployed people already here? They have to make minimum wage regardless...

And finally, you say yourself that "everyone should have the equal opportunity to get that job". If that is your view, then why were you arguing in your first post that it was unfair that immigrants were being hired over locals? For those that argue that visible minorities somehow have everything handed to them, and that caucasians are suffering because of this, give your head a shake...

[vid]

What I mean by saying poor locals is they are the one who need the jobs the most and have no means to get a post secondary education.

Ontario's welfare programme will pay for much the education of anyone who is a client of them, though there is a complex application programme and certain things they will or will not assist you with. With the recession, the province also started a massive retraining programme, which was free to anyone who needed it. Low income people have a lot of opportunities to get post-secondary educations, whether they're young or older and need to learn a new skill because their job is gone. People just don't know about this. The advertising budget for these programmes? $0. Compare that to the advertising for immigrants... My city has a website that was professionally translated into a dozen languages. The priorities are a bit mixed up. In our case we can barely employ ourselves. I'm not sure if getting unskilled immigrants is a good idea. But we have a doctor shortage, so as long as he speaks English, I have no problem with Dr. Singh.


Yet the stupid thing the government does not tell them before get here. So when they get here they are forced to work low paying jobs. When I hear that I think its intentional to get cheap labor here. Why else are they not told?

It isn't the governments responsibility. The people in the old country helping them with their immigration don't make it clear, or perhaps the institution that granted them the degree misled them about where it was valid. It should be brought up when they apply to the Canadian government to immigrate but before that, it has no responsibility to inform everyone thinking of moving here about what is and is not recognized.

Why does it matter when you fill an application and it asks you if you are in the visible minority? Everyone should have the equal opportunity to get that job.

I agree that ethnicity should be hidden from job applications. Even names (which can hint at ethnicity, or even mislead--my last name is Jewish, but I'm not) ages and genders should be hidden. They should focus purely on skills and past experiences to narrow it down at first. There are probably many employers in the private sector who would throw away applications from names or ethnicities they don't like, just as the government seems to ignore white males.

Although in the government's case, I do think it is good to make sure that the demographics of the employees are a close match to the demographics of the region it serves. But then where do you draw the line? Should we have a mandatory requirement of 10 Chinese-Canadian MPs? :shrug: