Winnipeg - Of Interest

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by sledhead35

this picture is probably the reason it is no longer, that cannot be healthy lol.

The global swine flu epidemic can be traced back to that moment.

Actually it would probably barely make the Top Ten of the things a toddler shouldn't have licked but did, on any given day.

[SKYSTHELIMIT]

Originally Posted by hexrae

Isn't there an art structure in front of the GWL building? Some men on horseback, IIRC.

Also...

It's actually 3 men on camelback...but it is only out at Christmas

[hexrae]

Originally Posted by SKYSTHELIMIT

It's actually 3 men on camelback...but it is only out at Christmas

Ah, so close! Thanks.

[SKYSTHELIMIT]

Originally Posted by hexrae

Ah, so close! Thanks.

I figured u were hinting at it, but I couldn't resist

[Andy6]

An idea arising from the discussion in the Construction thread:

I've wondered sometimes whether cutting the size of Winnipeg city council was a big mistake. When there were 50 councillors, not everyone considered it a lifelong profession to be a councillor. People with other jobs did it on the side because it wasn't as time-consuming to represent 10,000 people in your own neighbourhood as it is to represent 50,000 people across a huge swath of the city. There was a greater variety of voices on council and people really knew the person they were voting for. There were more openings for new people to get into city government. There was a much greater sense of the city as a collection of neighbourhoods. I've often wondered whether going back to at least 30 or 40 with part-time pay would be better.

[vid]

How much do Winnipeg councillors make?

[1ajs]

40-120 i think in that nieghborhood somewhere

[rgalston]

Originally Posted by Andy6

An idea arising from the discussion in the Construction thread:

I've wondered sometimes whether cutting the size of Winnipeg city council was a big mistake. When there were 50 councillors, not everyone considered it a lifelong profession to be a councillor. People with other jobs did it on the side because it wasn't as time-consuming to represent 10,000 people in your own neighbourhood as it is to represent 50,000 people across a huge swath of the city. There was a greater variety of voices on council and people really knew the person they were voting for. There were more openings for new people to get into city government. There was a much greater sense of the city as a collection of neighbourhoods. I've often wondered whether going back to at least 30 or 40 with part-time pay would be better.

I agree emphatically. But the first argument you will hear against that is that offering part-time pay excludes poor people in favor of businessmen who can afford to dedicate some time pro bonoto serve on Council.

[vid]

Thunder Bay's 12 councillors make about 30,000 and almost all of them are doing it part-time. Only the mayor is expected to work full-time.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by vid

Thunder Bay's 12 councillors make about 30,000 and almost all of them are doing it part-time. Only the mayor is expected to work full-time.

12 councillors for a city of 100,000 is that a joke? Calgary has 14 and Winnipeg 15!

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

12 councillors for a city of 100,000 is that a joke? Calgary has 14 and Winnipeg 15!

Pretty normal, I'd say. It's the small number in the big cities that's the recent development, and not a very good development in my opinion. City councillors used to be people like school board members, who served for a bit of money to represent a small ward that they knew intimately. Now they've become full-time (mostly) professional politicians with staffs and so on. There were real neighbourhood people on council in the old days; colourful characters. That's mostly gone now with the usual politically ambitious party-hack types taking over.

[rrskylar]

^ Do you work in the public sector?

[vid]

Thunder Bay elects one council, decides it has had enough for them, and re-elects the previous one. The only people that get elected are those with name recognition. Previous councillors, lawyers with big advertising budgets, and union heads. Tonight, they will decide whether or not we should have a referendum on getting rid of the ward system, which will make it even harder for unknowns to get into politics. Our future election could have 100 people run for mayor, and the top 13 will get in.

[1ajs]

National, Winnipeg ballets to share stage for Olympic shows

Last Updated: Monday, June 22, 2009 | 3:44 PM CT Comments0Recommended3

CBC News


The National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet will share a stage in Vancouver next February as part of the cultural Olympiad accompanying the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
The Olympic ballet gala, featuring contemporary dance from the two classical ballet companies, is one of 35 new arts projects announced Monday by Vancouver 2010 organizers.
It will be the first time in two decades that the two companies have performed together.
The National Ballet will perform choreographer Marie Chouinard's 24 Preludes by Chopin while the Royal Winnipeg Ballet presents Itzik Galili's trademark Hikarizatto.
Taiwan's U Theatre martial artists will perform The Sound of the Ocean and Toronto performing arts company Red Sky Performance will dance Tono.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will play with violinist Adrian Anantawan and again with vocalist Daniel Bernard Roumain.
The Lost Fingers are coming from Quebec, American jazz improviser Anthony Braxton is bringing his Sonic Genome Project, TAO will supply Japanese taiko drumming and François Houle will offer French-Canadian folk tales and music .
Theatre projects include:

• White Cabin, a darkly comic work from Russia's Akhe Theatre.
• BASH'd: A Gay Rap Opera, from Edmonton-based playwrights and performers Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow.
• Body and Soul, by Canadian playwright Judith Thompson.
• Rick: The Rick Hansen Story, a family show by Manitoba Theatre for Young People about the paraplegic athlete.
• The Erotic Anguish of Don Juan, from Old Trout Puppet Workshop.

The program starts on Jan. 22, 2010, and runs throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to March 21.
There will be more than 600 ticketed and free performances and exhibitions in 50 venues in Metro Vancouver and British Columbia's Sea to Sky corridor.

[Jeff]

recent observation: vaughan @ portage - may it be the busiest pedestrain corner in the downtown? everytime i go by there i'm almost trampled to the ground as if i'd be on yonge st. in TO [this is during 9-5 office hours].. it really is a great convergence point with people from the u of w, the bay, portage place and graham ave. if they'd ever build on those pads on portage place and once the new building goes up on the army surplus site, i see this trend continuing! the franchise owner of that new timmy's there is gonna do well!

[1ajs]

not just during those hrs i have passed by at 11pm and there be lots of people out and about that times has added to the area now if the way would just stay open later...

[wags_in_the_peg]

from todays globe and mail... it says Winnipeg downtown parking is $18 day...that BS $10 a day max I thought?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...rticle1195092/



In Calgary, you could buy an iPhone every month this year for less than it costs to park your car.

The operators of the parking lots that dot the downtown cores of major cities are bucking the trend of the recession, raising prices by almost 10 per cent at a time inflation sits at just above zero.

Canadians pay an average of $17.78 a day to park, according to a survey released Wednesday by Colliers International, a commercial real estate consultancy. Monthly parking rates hit an average of $222.75.

Calgary is the country's most expensive, with median rates of $22 daily and $460 monthly. The numbers bolster Calgary's reputation as the country's most expensive in which to do business – the city has the highest office rental rates. But while parking fees are going up, analysts have said Calgary's office rents are poised for a fall, thanks to too much supply and not enough demand.

The only city in North America with parking fees higher than Calgary's is New York. Toronto was next highest on the list, while Regina and Saskatoon boast the lowest rates of Canada's urban centres.

This is the sixth year in a row that rates have gone up in Canada, compared with the United States, where parking rates have fallen slightly.

Montreal is the only city where monthly rates have fallen, and Vancouver also showed a drop in daily prices. In contrast, Winnipeg has seen a boom in monthly rates, where prices are up 72 per cent.

Still, Canadians have something to be thankful for: They pay rates that pale in comparison to those of the Brits. London's monthly average at the car park is $1,353.

That's a lot of bus passes.

[rrskylar]

From letters to the editor in today's freep:

Thunderbird pride

Early most Sunday mornings during the summer I like to ride my bike and explore the quiet streets of downtown Winnipeg. This past Sunday morning found me at the iconic Thunderbird House on Main Street. My first impressions were, "What a dump this place has become!"

This potentially beautiful property looks like it has been abandoned as it apparently hasn't seen any maintenance since it first opened around 10 years ago. What I saw was wall-to-wall dandelions, trampled and yellowed grass, weed-infested and untended shrub beds and litter. C'mon, First Nations peoples of Winnipeg! Where is your pride? Is this the first impression you want to leave with non-aboriginal people and visitors to Winnipeg? This beautiful building and surrounding grounds is representative of your culture. This site should be as immaculate as the legislature grounds and could become a tourist draw.

AL PROKOPOWICH

Winnipeg

[Biff]

I am also disgusted with the shape the building is in and state of the property. every time i drive by that corner it is saddening to see, i actually like he building architecturally and believe it to enhance the corner greatly. It it true that it is abandoned? If so find a tenant for it, for christ sake turn it into a bank or something. If the first nations can't make it work then fine. It is a landmark building and should be put to use. I know Me-dian Credit union was looking for a new home (they already found one) but maybe something similar.

It is just a shame.

[DowntownWpg]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

From letters to the editor in today's freep:

Thunderbird pride

Early most Sunday mornings during the summer I like to ride my bike and explore the quiet streets of downtown Winnipeg. This past Sunday morning found me at the iconic Thunderbird House on Main Street. My first impressions were, "What a dump this place has become!"

This potentially beautiful property looks like it has been abandoned as it apparently hasn't seen any maintenance since it first opened around 10 years ago. What I saw was wall-to-wall dandelions, trampled and yellowed grass, weed-infested and untended shrub beds and litter. C'mon, First Nations peoples of Winnipeg! Where is your pride? Is this the first impression you want to leave with non-aboriginal people and visitors to Winnipeg? This beautiful building and surrounding grounds is representative of your culture. This site should be as immaculate as the legislature grounds and could become a tourist draw.

AL PROKOPOWICH

Winnipeg

About two years ago, I took take part in a three day workshop there to foster better awareness of Aboriginal issues.

Maybe I should have wrote about this a while back in the CMHR thread, but I had some very bad impressions from what their Elders were trying to indoctrinate into us.

I found it to be blatantely racist, and always directed at "the white man" (I lost count of how many times one of the elders said "the white man"). Blaming all of their woes on "colonization" and Residential Schools. However, it was always a race-based rant.

They conveniently ignored the fact that the Catholic and Anglican Churches had much to do with residential schools, it was all just blanket statements about "the white man."

Figurative finger pointing.

Also, how we have to cater to Aboriginals specifically.

Myself, I think that when addressing poverty, crime, addictions, that programs should not be ethnicity-based. Makes it more inclusive that way. There can, of course, be links between social services and Aboriginal leadership and Elders to improve access, but to give special status and parallel programs on everything is ridiculous IMHO.

But, mainly, my beef was the pointing of blame. What the hell did I have to do with residential schools? Also, my great-grandparents weren't even alive during "colonization."

Somehow, I'm to blame, and need to be kept in-check.

I can honestly say that my experience at the Thunderbird House had much to do with shaping my views related to things such as the CMHR and the "right to not be offended" mentality that the Canadian human rights industry propagates, due to the line of "reasoning" that I was exposed to at Thunderbird House. One of the organizations listed as a supporter of the CMHR was the same group that ran the workshop.


Oh yeah, on the inside, at least then, there was notable damage to the inside as well. Some wood paneling on the walls was apparently stolen.