Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 9, 1998, Winnipeg, Manitoba A18 saturday free May Brian Cole 6977044 editorials Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights i wrecker mentality the big 4 building on main Street at Bannatyne Avenue is an six storeys of Blank White it seems the White elephant Bill Clement and other visionary councillors insist it its so ugly one might wonder Why it was raised in the first and Why it Hast been razed or so they would have us that Why they insist and the nearby Leland be torn look at the big 4 building and see something Prairie architects Bird con shelter Canadian properties and like minded look past the they see that under the layer of the original Ash Down hardware building is still its handsome redbrick facade As neat and ordered As the Day it opened in the Stone Stone ledges and Terra Cotta round the win Dows Are still strip away the Neon and the funny Angle Corner of the building turns out to be a striking architectural they see the building which was beautified with stucco in 1972 has three working tin ceilings and Hardwood floors through they see a building perfectly suited to become liven work studios for artists who would become permanent residents of main Habi tues of the cafes and gift shops that could open on the ground the group that can see past the obvious wants four months to investigate whether the glorious potential of the building can be whether the costs Are As reasonable As they whether there exists sufficient demand for such a unique apartment the Leland hotel Doest have such a clearly defined but there Are Many preservationists who believe that Given the National historical designation of the Exchange Dis Given the Awakening interest in converting old that there is no reason to tear it Down councillors Mike Pat Phillips and Garth Steek think they paid million to tear Down the buildings and so they their vision is to use the properties in three years As part of the so called Campus plan for City a plan that still is just a Why Clement would stubbornly press ahead with a demolition plan three years before its needed and deny the group wanting to save the big 4 and Leland four months to make their Case is it is Clear he got into a shouting match with Glen a heritage about the Clement is not a great fan of but surely personal animosity had no bearing on the his in any the matter has yet to be voted on at executive policy committee and then the whole of cooler Heads May yet wrong leaders sometimes history can turn on the smallest things the personal dislike of one Leader for another the economic interests of an influential individual or sometimes history can turn simply because the right person is in the right place at the right sometimes it can turn because the wrong people happen to be in As seems to be the Case in the Middle East British prime minister Tony Blair achieved some thing of a diplomatic coup by persuading israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestin Ian Leader Yasser Arafat to go to London for talks this with United states Secretary of state Madeleine Albright taking part in the London Nego it seemed there might be some Small Hope for a breakthrough in the stalled peace in the there was Netanyahu rejected a Compromise that would have seen Israel withdraw from 13 per cent of the occupied territory in the West a much smaller withdrawal than envisioned in the Oslo accords but a larger one than the nine per cent proposed by the Arafat was willing to accept the proposal and israels refusal gave him a magnificent Opportunity to play to the gallery of world has yet to do anything to fulfil his commitment to Guaran tee Israel Freedom from palestinian throughout his tenure As prime Netanyahu has shown greater concern for the sur Vival of his scandal Ridden coalition government than for the Lon term interests of through out his Long tenure As Leader of the Arafat has never demonstrated any sincere interest in accommodating despite his Fine the americans Are attempting to bring the parties together again in Washington on Netanyahu appears to be trying to avoid that Arafat appears to View it Only As another propaganda the time is right for a peaceful solution in the Middle the time is right for an historic but the wrong leaders Are in place to accomplish Winnipeg free press Winnipeg free press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 Rudy email Nicholas editor Brian Cole editorial Page editor directors Harry Brown circulation sales and marketing Laurie Verne Kalichuk human resources Perry Nixdorf technology Glenn Williams finance and administration 1998 Winnipeg free a division of newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Manitoba r2x pm 6977000 a member of the Manitoba press Council vol 126 n0154 downtown needs a plan a year the free press convened a meeting of those interested and involved in revitalizing win Nipges our initiative was intended to draw disparate groups together to try to get a coordinated Effort under that and a number of other parallel meetings begun by which is As close to a coordinating body for downtown As led to the creation of the Portage Avenue property owners association and the beginnings of a plan to spend million on upgrading the cites main with provincial which is still Portage Avenue looks set for a partly in the belief that Portage Avenue will be a num ber of property developers have bought buildings in and around Portage at current prices the rewards look greater than the considerable this is How downtown revitalization is supposed to a but vital investment of time and Money by the private sector persuades government to Chip in a larger amount which in turn acts As a catalyst for still larger and More important Pri vate so so the rest of the Hopes of a year ago Arent much further the Nicholas mrs groups trying to develop Down town and its surrounding neighbourhoods remain a disparate lot and City Council still fails to pro vide the kind of leadership which could turn the downtown and the City if they Are looking for direct a framework for a plan of action was delivered last week by architect Ken Greenberg of Urban strategies of Toronto at a seminar organized by Centre plan at the pantages Greenberg has advised Many cities on improving their downtown and is currently working on Hart and possibly the City with the worst Urban decay in North Greenberg identifies Dif Fering neighbourhoods within a City fits them to their Nat ural surroundings like for is a River City and then gets the differing Neighbours to coordinate their actions in an Overall development the key is plans within neighbourhoods can easily be modified to fit changing Cir development and redevelopment can proceed the driving Force to get such an Overall approach under Way has usually come from mayors and committed councillors with support and publicity from local i believe this approach would work our neighbourhoods and districts Are easy to at groups develop ing Osborne West Broad North Portage or the Forks have very Little to do with each other and an Overall plan does not City business groups and individual development groups often work at Cross Pur one group trying to improve the Portage and main intersection developed its proposals in isolation from the Portage Avenue Sam katzes Ball Park project on land adjacent to the Forks is not being coordinated with developments in the Exchange District or with a plan to link it to Portage and City Council declares the Exchange a heritage Dis sets up a tax credit and then declares it will demolish two important properties to make Way for a City Hall Campus plan so is a Castle in the at a time when Wayne executive director of the Exchange says that interest in buying and renovating Exchange buildings is what can be done the City and the province have to agree on a comprehensive and coordinated plan for the City which will build on and encourage the activities already under a Greenber style mapping exercise identifying Neighbour hoods and districts with common interests would be extremely but will it happen City Council now appears As the main Obsta Cle to a coordinated it Nei ther champions downtown nor acts in a cohesive manner on its own the time for change is several groups Are looking at building or converting space into housing speculators Are interested in commercial there is More Buzz about the downtown than there has been for if the free press can be a catalyst by bringing interested Par ties together once we will be delighted to do Nicholas Hirst is editor of the free his column appears on new mayor needed for new Era the Date of the election for Winnipeg next mayor is Over five months but it is not too Early for win nip Eggers to Start thinking about who they would like to see sitting in the mayors chair come what sort of vision the mayor might have for the City or what kind of qualities a mayor should it of trite to suggest the next civic election will be one of the most important in this cites All elections Are important inasmuch As each one offers an Opportunity to elect leaders who might make a Dif Ference in the economic and political life of the comm yet there is plenty of Evi Dence to suggest the civic election will be More important than most in terms of defining this cites that is partly because of the economic and technological changes that Are transforming our changes that Are also redefining the role of govern ment at All Levels by Exten the role of elected although civic politicians have historically played a key role in the development of that role seemed to diminish Over the As Federal and Provin Cial governments became More Active in social and economic municipal politicians were reduced to Little More than civic that not to say they we rent interested or involved in economic and social its just that the senior Levels of government Usu ally played larger civic for the most were responsible for making sure the Snow was cleared in win boulevards were Cut in sum garbage was picked up and buses ran on this change in the free globalization and the debt deficit crunch combined to Force change across every dimension of the need to Cut the deficit and reduce for meant cuts to various social which in created problems in Winnipeg inner new globalization and deregulation meant changes in the Way companies do the elimination of subsidies and a general reduction in the role the state plays in the free Trade with the United states and Mexico meant a change in the flow of goods and services from East West to while All these factors have contributed to the spate of Merg ers involving huge corporations Over the last they have also helped to Foster a new class of Small or locally based that is particularly True in Winnipeg where the closing of a Labatt brewery or Safeway regional office has been More than offset by the expansion of locally owned companies like Palliser furniture or Vansco the next mayor of Winnipeg will have to be adroit at handling All the usual issues that come up at City ranging from cat bylaws to Street but he or she must also have a Good understanding of the larger economic and social changes that Are under Way and the opportunities they the next mayor must for that Winnipeg eco nomic future is increasingly tied who will fill mayors chair after next election to the ability of local business to take advantage of the fact that it is 24 hours away from a Market of 80 million people South of the he or she must under stand the importance of projects like the mid Continental Trade corridor and win port and How they can be exploited to create jobs for the new mayor must also understand that these opportunities can Only be exploited if Winnipeg is that Means continually looking for ways to Cut costs at City Hall and reduce property and business but it also Means investing in Infra supporting arts and sports and building a vibrant downtown that can be used to attract investment and keep talented Young people from looking elsewhere for a better the new mayor must also be prepared to aggressively defend the cites interests in issues that directly affect the even if they do not come under his or her universities and Community for May fall within provincial Juris but an education system that is properly operated and funded is crucial to the Lon term economic future of the a Good mayor must not Only be Able to recognize when the City is being shortchanged by the province or Federal he or she must be Able to rally the citizenry and ensure the senior Levels of government take in the next mayor must have not Only an understanding of the but How the Economy can be made to work for the Benefit of All Winnipeg and voters will need All the time they can get to find the right person for the Brian Cole is editorial Page Gid Tor of the free appears on ;