Official Brian Bowman Thread

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

Agreed that rent controls are a horrible idea. And yes, you're right that incidence probably ends up on landlords in rent-controlled units (each increase in property taxes not adjusted for in rent guidelines increases the rent-control subsidy). Over the long term, rising property taxes that cannot be shifted to tenants will create incentives to sell individual units to resident owners, engage in condo conversions for buildings, etc.

Among non-rent-controlled units (ones that cost more than $1400, ones built in the last two decades, etc.), I still suspect that tax incidence is likely to be borne by tenants rather than landlords.

I would hope so for the reasons you've stated; this still has to be a viable business model for proper supply to exist.

But the province tried to protect against this even further by raising the maximum rent under rent control by over a hundred dollars for 2015. This brought thousands more units under rent control that had either escaped it or were never under it. That means on average nobody is better off...

[Cyro]

Open site to all bidders: mayor
CentreVenture said to have True North in mind

Mayor Brian Bowman is demanding CentreVenture open up the former Carlton Inn site to all would-be developers -- even if the arm's-length city agency already has a deal in place with True North Sports & Entertainment.

Bowman wants CentreVenture to issue a public request for proposals (RFP) to develop the Carlton Inn site -- even though the agency signed an option on the land in 2014 with a "credible developer" believed to be True North.

"I'd like to have all the information in the public realm as soon as possible," said Bowman, pledging to amend the deal to ensure CentreVenture issues an RFP for the Carlton Inn site

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...289263061.html

Speak up Bowman, do the right thing. We need a mayor with some balls.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Cyro

Open site to all bidders: mayor
CentreVenture said to have True North in mind



http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...289263061.html

Speak up Bowman, do the right thing. We need a mayor with some balls.

Given that Chipman and Co. was one of Bowman's most influential backers not that long ago, I'm going to assume that nothing Bowman does - including this - will contradict anything in the Longboat playbook. As Simplicity alluded, Chipman may have already achieved the desired outcome with the option on the Carlton Inn land... whatever happens now is beside the point.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by esquire

Given that Chipman and Co. was one of Bowman's most influential backers not that long ago, I'm going to assume that nothing Bowman does - including this - will contradict anything in the Longboat playbook. As Simplicity alluded, Chipman may have already achieved the desired outcome with the option on the Carlton Inn land... whatever happens now is beside the point.

Exactly. Everything at this point is window-dressing. It'll be months before anything can be done to affect that option, months before anybody has an RFP ready to be launched, and a year before anybody could possibly have their ducks in a row and proper proposal submitted that would bring about a hotel on that space. It's dead and True North and CV killed it. Right alongside MPI who decided development of their adjacent site just had to happen now, right as the MLCC was deciding to move downtown.

And it was reported this morning that Ken Reiss had a proposal alongside Stuart Olson for the Carlton Inn site featuring a hotel and mixed-use office tower that Deloitte had short-listed for the MLCC offices that Ross McGowan first actively ignored and then actively killed.

Everything's already sorted, it's just not public. And every developer is going to know that. So you can put out an RFP on that site all you'd like, it's just meaningless procedure. Nobody credible is going to respond.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Everything's already sorted, it's just not public. And every developer is going to know that. So you can put out an RFP on that site all you'd like, it's just meaningless procedure. Nobody credible is going to respond.

Plus ça change...

[CoryB]

Even if the Carlton Inn site goes fully open, transparent RFP can CanadInns or True North (et all) be viewed as a fair, unbiased bid on that site given what is now coming out?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Even if the Carlton Inn site goes fully open, transparent RFP can CanadInns or True North (et all) be viewed as a fair, unbiased bid on that site given what is now coming out?

We're not done with True North yet. This is the mere tip of the iceberg. Angela Mathieson, a so far a no-show at EPC this morning, is supposed to be answering on behalf of Ross McGowan and Loretta Martin - two of the most deceitful, unethical minds to have ever set foot in this city - as to what went down. I don't blame her for what is sure to be a mess.

And when this is done and the public demands to pull the covers back on CV, it's only going to reveal another pile of skeletons in the True North closet. Their credibility is only starting to wither. The fact that Ken Reiss named himself as the source today shows you where people think the sentiment is going. There are lots of people with lots of dirt on both True North and CV who have kept quiet for fear of reprisal. Now that McGowan is gone and the shine is off the SHED, Kives is going to have an endless supply of sources ready to talk, both on the record and off...

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

And it was reported this morning that Ken Reiss had a proposal alongside Stuart Olson for the Carlton Inn site featuring a hotel and mixed-use office tower that Deloitte had short-listed for the MLCC offices that Ross McGowan first actively ignored and then actively killed.

While I have my doubts about how credible a new development involving Ken Reiss really is (although in fairness, he did get the parkade on King St. done), if that story is true and CV effectively sabotaged a legitimate proposal for a project that is EXACTLY what downtown Winnipeg could use, in order to help out its TNSE friends with a competing proposal, then that is absolutely unconscionable. It's like a doctor withholding medicine from a patient that needs it, or a firefighter deliberately failing to go to the scene of a fire. CV's whole raison d'etre is to get projects like the Reiss/Stuart Olson one off the ground, not to redirect the gravy to board members.

If this is all true, then I'd say there is a pretty sound argument for disbanding CV altogether.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by esquire

While I have my doubts about how credible a new development involving Ken Reiss really is (although in fairness, he did get the parkade on King St. done), if that story is true and CV effectively sabotaged a legitimate proposal for a project that is EXACTLY what downtown Winnipeg could use, in order to help out its TNSE friends with a competing proposal, then that is absolutely unconscionable. It's like a doctor withholding medicine from a patient that needs it, or a firefighter deliberately failing to go to the scene of a fire. CV's whole raison d'etre is to get projects like the Reiss/Stuart Olson one off the ground, not to redirect the gravy to board members.

If this is all true, then I'd say there is a pretty sound argument for disbanding CV altogether.

Presumably, Colliers was out representing the group in an effort to find a hotelier. There may be questions about Ken Reiss, but they won't be financial ones. If they had a hotelier, they'd have been in business and more or more it seems as if CV was actively stifling Stuart Olson and the Colliers and their effort to find one.

Because why wouldn't CV just hold Stuart Olson in contempt of the agreement? Or better yet - for the citizens of Winnipeg anyway - steer a potential hotel partner they knew of towards the group in an effort to generate $16MM in value?. Stuart Olson effectively had a $16MM option to develop a hotel. If they were in violation of the option - ie. it expired with no hotel contract in place - then why would CV let them off the hook for the $16MM?

Well, 1) we now know there was no contract because they're either negligent or incompetent or more likely both or 2) the difference between the $3.75MM and the $16MM is essentially hush-money that didn't stay quiet. There's no other explanation.

It needs to be blown up. And because nobody wants to go on record before Friday with the knowledge that the 'developer' in question is True North, while CV will acknowledge a member of True North sat on the CV board, nobody will publicly acknowledge it was Mark Chipman.

[Winnipeg Architect]

[QUOTE=Simplicity;6883467]We're not done with True North yet. This is the mere tip of the iceberg. Angela Mathieson, a so far a no-show at EPC this morning, is supposed to be answering on behalf of Ross McGowan and Loretta Martin - two of the most deceitful, unethical minds to have ever set foot in this city - as to what went down. I don't blame her for what is sure to be a mess.

You're preachin' the choir bro!

[Cyro]

Originally Posted by esquire

Given that Chipman and Co. was one of Bowman's most influential backers not that long ago, I'm going to assume that nothing Bowman does - including this - will contradict anything in the Longboat playbook. As Simplicity alluded, Chipman may have already achieved the desired outcome with the option on the Carlton Inn land... whatever happens now is beside the point.

It's good optics for the Mayor, regardless of what the final outcome actually is.

[CoryB]

It is interesting great care was taken to ensure that True North, et all were not mentioned on the record by name yesterday at EPC.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by CoryB

It is interesting great care was taken to ensure that True North, et all were not mentioned on the record by name yesterday at EPC.

It's not public yet. That's just intel being passed to Kives. If that special meeting is supposed to go tomorrow, it'll have to be revealed then.

But this Angela Mathieson woman is already proving to be another defiant McGowan-type who forgets who she answers to. First, she shows up late. Second, she claims CV can do what it wants - they own the land. As if CV is some independent developer with a portfolio. And now third, she's actively trying to undermine the mayor and process that will bare the will of True North's intent when signing the option. They claim there's a spectacular plan already worked out for the site. We know that's probably completely untrue. Bowman wants to see it at the special EPC meeting to verify the existence of a plan because he also knows it's highly unlikely there is one. Naturally, she goes public calling Bowman 'illogical' for both wanting to see a plan that would at least somewhat justify the option and to send it to an RFP. And she's right; it is illogical. But it's also the only way anybody can prove what is already mostly obvious which is that there is no plan and the option was only ever signed to stifle development of the site.

It's also possible somebody is working very hard on a rendering at the moment, but who knows. Either way, this woman just showed everybody that as long as she's around, Centreventure is still the same unbeholden group of incompetent cowboys who still haven't figured out they're not the smartest people in the room.

[bomberjet]

I'm liking Bowman more and more everyday day. He's not making any friends, but digging deep into these issues and bringing everything out in the open. Exactly what he said he would do during the campaign.

I understand he had TNSE support during the election. But if they really were in his back pocket, would he be doing all this digging to expose them?

I kind of had this feeling during the election that Bowman would be the Mayor to expose the corruption throughout City hall et all. He won't be remembered as this sexy, high flying Mayor. But rather the guy who did the dirty work to get this City back on track. We'll see how things play out over time.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I'm liking Bowman more and more everyday day. He's not making any friends, but digging deep into these issues and bringing everything out in the open. Exactly what he said he would do during the campaign.

I understand he had TNSE support during the election. But if they really were in his back pocket, would he be doing all this digging to expose them?

I kind of had this feeling during the election that Bowman would be the Mayor to expose the corruption throughout City hall et all. He won't be remembered as this sexy, high flying Mayor. But rather the guy who did the dirty work to get this City back on track. We'll see how things play out over time.

My take is that Bowman probably has greater political ambitions than being mayor. If he aligns himself early on with the city's next Shindico, he'll be a lame duck for the next 3.5 years with little credibility remaining. And while that endorsement was good at the moment, it didn't swing anything and it won't be so valuable in a few month's time. He's right to turn Centerventure on its head. And maybe he did and may he didn't realize that under that rock was True North, but that's always been the case and everybody knew that any true assessment of Centureventure was going to reveal the same antics Shindico was guilty of.

I'll be interested to see how he handles it. He has a fantastic opportunity at the moment to build lots of very valuable political capital. Let's hope he takes it.

[CoryB]

CentreVenture is effectively a City of Winnipeg operating agency, correct? Is so, could city council not dissolve CV and perhaps replace them with something more to the liking of current council?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by CoryB

CentreVenture is effectively a City of Winnipeg operating agency, correct? Is so, could city council not dissolve CV and perhaps replace them with something more to the liking of current council?

The Mayor can end it all with a signature. We'll see just how committed to cleaning things up he really is. That organization is rotten to the core and they've obviously selected somebody intent on keeping it that way. If it survives this mess with a continuing mandate and the same employees, we'll know he's putting on a show.

And what difference is an RFP going to make, anyway? You're going to waste everybody's time? Unless True North is disqualified from participating - which would be fair given their year-long head start and obvious preferred participation - how can anybody honestly say this competition isn't completely rigged, just like the MPI lot? Especially with CV technically owning the land. It'll be up to them to decide and we know who's behind the curtain over there.

It's a mess. The only way this moves forward with even a modicum of dignity good fatih is if you erase Centreventure, thank Angela Mathieson for her early defiance and indignation, and send her packing.

I just want everybody to try and remember a public project over the past ten years where bureaucrats were involved that was carried out with even a modicum of competence. We have a $180M Convention Centre contract proceeding with no contract.

[Danny D Oh]

Would have liked to see Bowman stand up for our city a little bit against what's going on in the national media right now. Looks like Falcon-Ouelette is making the media rounds doing that for him. Obviously there are a lot of issues in Winnipeg and many are correctly identified in the article, but it's total crap for a writer from Vancouver to be pointing fingers and labeling our city. If you singled out one person that way, it would be libelous. Do it to a whole city, fair ball.

[cllew]

Bet he is wishing he stayed in his law practice.

Announcing tonight that Winnipeg is under a boil water advisory when we have a brand new multi million water treatment plant at Deacon is going to cause a lot of questions to be asked as to where the problem came from.

[bomberjet]

Likely false positives or cross-contamination. They said tests upstream and downstream from the water treatment plant show no signs of contamination. And just because we have a new water treatment plant doesn't really mean anything over such a large system. Contamination can come from many locations.

Anyways it's been a busy few months for Bowman! Let's hope the tests were in error, which does happen often.