Winnipeg - Of Interest

[1ajs]

Awww Man!

[wags_in_the_peg]

Good article in today's FreePress Galston!


The city's underground economy
Robert Galston

One afternoon, my wife Erin answered the door to a man who stood on our step with an ancient, motorless lawn mower and rake in hand. He was a kind and honest-looking man who lived around the corner in a Euclid Avenue rooming house and was out trying to make a little money.

In a wet, cool July that seemed to make grass-cutting a weekly chore, Erin took up this man's offer. Twenty minutes later, our front yard and boulevard were neatly trimmed, grass clippings and other debris were packed into grocery bags, and the man was walking away with 10 earned dollars in his pocket.

For this man, who has probably lived his life in a social system that rewards his failings and never his abilities and successes (never mind giving him a chance to act on them), I could think of nothing for him that would be more empowering -- to borrow that overused social-work term -- than to trade on terms agreed upon between us, value for value.

In the process, he was onto what could be a perfect business opportunity in central neighbourhoods like mine. Most of the increasing number of house owners taking pride in their property cannot afford to hire a regular gardener, yet can sometimes find themselves too busy to do the work. Others are becoming too old to carry on with lawn care on their own. Someone like this man, offering a quick, no-frills job at an unfixed price, is bound to do well. In winter, someone with a shovel could earn quite the sum after a heavy snowfall.

At one time, an unofficial underside of the service industry was common on the streets of Winnipeg. Until the mid-20th century, fruit carts, knife sharpeners and rag dealers traversed the city's residential neighbourhoods, servicing households. The rise of automobile use, and of over-regulating city bylaws that sought to separate commerce and residences, brought an end to this in the decades after the Second World War. In his short story Requiem for Bibul, North End-raised author Jack Ludwig mourns the loss of the old immigrant peddler Bibul, who, like the slums he pulled his rickety horse cart through, disappears forever in the name of civic modernization.

One type of street-level entrepreneur that does seem to be increasingly common today is the scavenger, or Dumpster diver: people who sift through Dumpsters for bottles to take to Main Street hotel vendors for a refund, metals to cart down to Sutherland Avenue scrapyards, or any other items they can use or trade.

Nowadays, the astronomically rising value of scrap metal is no doubt an added impetus for scavengers. As the global supply shrinks, scrapyards pay huge prices for any kind of metal people bring in. By doing this, scavengers recirculate metals (and other recyclable materials) that would otherwise be destined for landfills.

Taking out my garbage one Sunday afternoon, a man with a shopping cart called me from the next Dumpster over. In the midst of loading a trove of empty beer cans into his cart, he paused to offer me a rather feminine watch still in its package. I offered him a polite decline and the salesman then pressed in: "It just needs batteries. You could buy it for your lady or somethin'." While I am content with buying my watches from the Bay, not everyone seems to have the same hesitation when it comes to goods found in Dumpsters.

"Last week , I found a box of new watches here," he said. "I sold 'em on Main for 20 bucks each. Got rid of 'em all in a couple hours."

In a city where business is often conducted with a what's-in-it-for-me attitude towards governments, and where capitalism often equals cronyism, it is refreshing to see such pure, unadulterated free-market trade and industriousness survive, particularly on the impoverished side streets of the inner city.

Of course, for the poor, enterprise of this kind could never fully replace social safety nets, but for people with limited capital who could not start their own official business, or people with addictions or mental health issues who could not hold down a regular nine-to-five, this kind of unsanctioned, thrifty street capitalism allows them to feel the joy and the sense of worth that comes from receiving money in exchange for one's abilities.

Robert Galston is a Winnipeg writer.

[urbanprince]

Scrounge for stolen watches and sell them?

Kids make extra money from cleaning sidewalks, not grown adults.

Sorry, but that article does not do justice to the human spirit. Those people sound like beaten spirits and lost souls.

On the flip side, I guess they could be drowning their misery in booze. But then maybe they are.

[1ajs]

no ones to old to go shuvil snow or cut someones grass i'd rather they did that then begged for money.... thus then they have a job and contribute to society ever so slightly....

anyhow yea the dumperster divers are our recyclers just think how much trash they save from going to the dump every day? now if we could just set up a sorting plant for all the garbadge and let anyone just come in at their own risk and sort it for keeps at a small fee i am sure we could cut down on alot more of our waste................................

[urbanprince]

The approach sounds like something from a third world country, not Canada.

But I guess poor and old people do exist for whatever reason. And dealing with this issue is challenging when you through in the mix mental illness or addictions.

Society needs to do a better job in helping the poor, sick and week.

The present system of social supports is based on a very old mentality.

I like the idea of giving substantial tax breaks to families that keep their parents(s) housed because their parents do not have the financial means to manage on thier own.

[1ajs]

man tonight sure was nice... espeacialy when i discoverd the live dj show on um fm!!! aww man i got such a music high (not from drugs the music!!!)

[Only The Lonely..]

A waste of money: The city can stuff its ads touting speed-trap vans

Tom Brodbeck | Winnipeg Sun - Sept. 1, 2008

Get ready for a brainwashing ad campaign this fall from city hall on why Winnipeg's photo radar program is such a success.

Apparently the tall foreheads at city hall are a little worried support for photo enforcement -- photo radar and red light cameras -- is slipping.

And they want to use tax dollars to shore up that support -- money that should be used for front-line policing, street repair and park refurbishment.

The TV, radio and print campaign could cost taxpayers as much as $200,000 and may begin as soon as October, according to city plans for the project.

TAX DOLLARS

What a great use of tax dollars. An ad campaign telling us how wonderful and important photo radar is.

The city says it wants to "maintain public awareness and increase support" for photo radar.

Why? Is support waning?

It wouldn't surprise me. Ever since the city decided photo enforcement is no longer about safety and is now about raising revenue, I've heard more complaints about it than ever before.

The city decided a few years ago to cancel further expansion of red light cameras (which don't make much money) in favour of putting more photo radar vans (which make oodles of cash for city coffers) on the roads.

They've had one set up all summer on Bishop Grandin Boulevard near Pembina Highway where there's some construction work going on. It's there whether construction workers are on the job or not, and it must be raking in the cash.

The city now regularly puts photo radar vans on main thoroughfares such as Portage Avenue and Pembina Highway where it can find a school zone to do it legally.

Photo radar vans are only allowed in school zones, playground areas and construction zones.

But if you can find a school located on a major route, you can stick a photo radar van near it at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning -- when there are no students around -- and snap more pictures than the paparazzi at a celebrity wedding.

The program is no longer about safety. It's about money.

If it was about safety, they'd be increasing the number of red light cameras, which have far more of a safety aspect to them than photo radar vans.

Perhaps the public is becoming wise to that. And maybe that's why the city is launching this ad campaign.

Either way, it's a complete waste of taxpayer dollars.

We don't need a public awareness campaign about photo enforcement. We all know where the red light cameras are, there are signs up everywhere.

BRAINWASH

And we don't need an ad campaign to try to brainwash us that photo radar vans are about safety.

What we do need is for scarce tax dollars to go into our community centres, libraries, roads, bridges and police.

That's what we pay taxes for. We don't pay taxes so city hall can launch indoctrination campaigns about controversial programs like photo radar.

[thegreattait]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

man tonight sure was nice... espeacialy when i discoverd the live dj show on um fm!!! aww man i got such a music high (not from drugs the music!!!)

Wow what a nice picture. All I can say is that it reminds me of home. I'm in Russia right now for three months and seeing my "backyard" brings a smile to my face.

I'm making a presentation tomorrow to some Russian university students about Winnipeg and Canada, do you mind if I use this picture?

[1ajs]

go ahead

[1ajs]

anyone seen the cities website today its been changed ..

[hexrae]

About time (Transit is still using the old template).

From WFP

Forks marks 20 years with public party tonight

Updated: September 5 at 08:06 AM CDT

The Forks is no longer a teenager.

To celebrate its birthday, there’s a bash tonight at the Scotiabank Stage headlined by Juno-award winning band Nathan.

Organizers will hand out free cupcakes for the first 1,000 people.

The party starts at 6:30 p.m. and features other local talent and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

There will be fireworks at 10:30 p.m. to wrap it up.

[drew]

Winnipeg to lose 'car-theft capital' distinction?

Last Updated: Friday, September 5, 2008 | 12:58 PM CT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...uto-theft.html
CBC News

The Winnipeg police force's stolen-auto unit say the city is well on its way to ditching its reputation as the auto-theft capital of Canada.

Winnipeg has, statistically, been the country's car-theft capital for several years, and the issue has come to the forefront of public attention over the last year after a series of cases involving stolen vehicles injuring or killing people.

But the situation is improving, police say. August saw fewer thefts and attempted thefts than any month in the last eight years — something officers in the stolen-auto unit consider a massive feat, since historically auto thieves are most active in August.

It was a good month for arrests, as well — the stolen-auto unit made 56 arrests in August, breaking its record for monthly arrests.
Theft down 40%

Brian Smiley, spokesman for Manitoba Public Insurance —- the Crown insurer that pays for the losses and damages caused by auto thieves in Manitoba — said vehicle theft in Winnipeg has declined by 40 per cent in the first eight months of 2008.

"That's certainly significant. It's about 1,600 less vehicles that have been stolen," he said.

"It's certainly good news for people who worry about public safety, and it's good news for vehicle owners."

Smiley credited two major efforts by MPI, police and the provincial government for the steep decline in theft.

"With the combination of the WATSS program — that's the Winnipeg auto theft suppression strategy — combined with the immobilizer program, we're seeing auto theft dropping dramatically," he said.

The WATSS program monitors youth considered at risk of stealing vehicles. Youth considered at the highest risk of reoffending can be contacted by justice officials as often as every three hours to ensure they're not out stealing cars. They can also be outfitted with GPS tracking devices as part of a one-year pilot project.

Since June 2007, the province has required the owners of hundreds of models of vehicles MPI considers to be most at risk of theft to install electronic ignition immobilizers if they live in Winnipeg or commute to the city. Without an immobilizer, the vehicles are denied insurance.

Police say Winnipeg is on target to have as many as 5,000 fewer thefts and attempts in 2008, compared with last year.

[thegreattait]

Today's Local Business
House prices too high in city: study
Homeowners warned of drop

By: Eric Beauchesne

Updated: September 9 at 09:19 AM CDT

* Print Article
* E-mail Article
* ShareThis

OTTAWA -- Canadian homeowners should be prepared for a fall in housing prices, warns a study that estimates homes in most cities are overvalued by as much as 25 per cent.

With the exception of Toronto and Edmonton, houses in Canada's major cities are overvalued by anywhere from $32,000 to $87,000, says the study of prices in nine cities by researchers at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

Houses in Winnipeg are overpriced by 20 per cent in relation to rents, a University of British Columbia study says. (Christopher Pike / Winnipeg Free Press Archives )

The study, released Monday, looked at prices for single-family homes in the second quarter of this year in nine major Canadian cities and compared prices in those cities with what they would be in a balanced market based on the relationship between house prices and rents.

Only in Toronto are prices in balance with rents, the study concluded. In Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina and Winnipeg, prices would need to drop by at least 20 per cent to be in balance, in Calgary by seven per cent and in Vancouver by 11 per cent.

In contrast, Edmonton prices are actually below equilibrium, and would have to rise by eight per cent to be in balance, it said.

"The decade-long boom in Canadian markets is over," said Tsur Somerville, the study's lead author.

Housing affordability is a severe problem in some Canadian cities, limiting the ability of markets to continue to rise, says the report, titled Are Canadian Housing Markets Overpriced?

The rapid price increases in many Canadian cities since 2001, along with the downturn in the U.S. housing market, has raised concerns about the future of housing markets here, it noted.

"There are parallels between the path of house prices in Canadian and U.S. markets," the study said. During the U.S. housing boom, which ran from 1997 to 2006, prices rose 132 per cent, while in Canada, during the 2001-08 boom, prices in the nine cities rose by an average of 87 per cent.

Though Canada's more conservative lending practices have prevented the speculative excess and severe downturn experienced in U.S. markets, they haven't prevented homes from becoming overpriced, the study said.

The assessment of whether a housing market is in balance or equilibrium takes into account the ratio of rent to prices, mortgage rates and the cost of owning a house, and the expected long-term price appreciation.

In dollar terms, the amount by which house prices would have to fall to bring them back into balance in each of the overpriced cities was: Calgary $32,000, Halifax $58,000, Montreal $68,000, Ottawa $81,000, Regina $87,000, Vancouver $85,000 and Winnipeg $74,000.

That houses are overpriced doesn't guarantee that prices will fall, the study said.

"Instead, the market could return to equilibrium through an extended period of housing-price appreciation that is above zero, but below the long-run rate," it said.

The potential for price declines is greatest in cities that have a large supply of unsold inventory or a mismatch between the number of units and the number of households ready to occupy them, it said.

The study looked at prices for single-family homes, but noted that a concern in some housing markets is that the buyers of units are not living in them.

"If markets turn, these investor-buyers might behave in a manner akin to other asset markets, dumping their units to avoid future greater perceived price declines," it said. "In contrast, owner occupiers, unless forced to sell, can remain in their units and wait out a weak market."

Canwest News Service
Seller’s market hot
Annual price increases during the 2001-08 housing boom for some Canadian cities:
Regina -- 14.5%
Calgary -- 12.4%
Vancouver -- 10.6%
Winnipeg -- 10.2%
Montreal -- 8.1%
Halifax -- 5.7%
Ottawa -- 5.7%
Toronto -- 7.2%

[thegreattait]

Not that I want to start discrediting the Sauder School of Business but I think there might be a fundamental flaw in their calculations.

Comparing Rent and housing prices doesn't take into account that Manitoba has rent control, while some other areas don't have it.

This rent control keeps rental prices down, thus this would show that the houses are over priced compared to the rent in that city.

Take a look at Edmonton where they don't have rent control, I know that rental rates there are high perhaps too high, so maybe its not that their housing prices need to increase, perhaps its their rental rates climbed faster then housing prices.

[1ajs]

wonder what the stats would be if we didn't have rent control?

[MichaelM]

Rent controls have hurt developers in building new apartments.

MM

[1ajs]

anyone going to go out and check the writers festival events going on this week?

www.thinairwinnipeg.ca



i stumbled across a poetry event at the Oodena at the Forks tonight and sat and listened to some good stuff part of the opening night for the winnipeg international writers festival witch i was not aware was happening yet... thought it happening in november not september lol

[viperred88]

yeah I might go with my mom.

[rrskylar]

Does she remind you of a particular US VP candidate (and fellow redneck)?

[Boreal]

I actually really like Shelly Glover. I can't think of much that qualifies her as a redneck. I can however recall her service to the City of Winnipeg, and the extensive background she has regarding the inner workings of crime at many levels in this city. I'm not sure where your comment was coming from, and although it's perfectly fair to not like Shelly Glover, I think it's absurd to call her a 'redneck'. Particularly if it's just because she's a strong female who wants to get tough on crime. I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, but I am trying to defend Shelly Glover at least on a level of character.