Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 7, 1998, Winnipeg, Manitoba Brian focus toes press bed Ember Protection for sky dome suspicious a great Temple sinking fast de Dandruff flaking on the holders of a Blue Woollen the problems Etc sat ing from the sky dome described variously As the worlds greatest entertainment Centre and the eighth wonder of the world have been Onerea singly apparent to even the most casual but like the sky domes prob lems were thought to be hardly considered so Why is it pleading for Protection against bankruptcy about a decade before every thing went Toronto boosterism was even More annoying than people City was where everything was world class of where it was there was no end to the empty in one memorable the writer compared tron to to Athens tinder for those who May not Pericles had pretty Well consolidated the athenian Empire in St Century by orthere and using the taxes built the great temples on the crop was this the inspiration for Toronto to get out from under the put Down by Peter Ustinov that it was merely a new York run by the Swiss of Canada Rae Murphy Ontario own Premier William who had an edifice Complex As big 89 All was conned into giving million directly and assuming a government anted debt of More than metro then under chair Man Paul also donated the private under the inspiration of senator Trevor president of raised Mil lion from each of 30 corporate part on paper this looked like Mil but million of every million paid was for Box supplier con tracts and advertising for Mcdonalds got the Ham Burger concessions and Labatt the the Bittove family handled the food concessions in the luxury boxes and charged More than for a in Many these rights were give others contributed greatly to the stadiums operating from the the finances of the Radium were made precarious by Exira agent and Stuple Cost Over a hate built overlooking the Field we True Only claim the Fame came when one amorous couple either forgot to pull the curtains or decided to watch the baseball game coitus an expensive health club was added to the plans that became a financial then there was the ultimate ego an exclusive private club with custom made leather chairs and As one reporter understated new York there was even a mural across the bar with sketches of Trevor Eyton and the ubiquitous Paul the club came with Initia Tion and annual membership fees of the annual dues were soon Cut to within six months the Initia Tion fee was the costs of building and operating the the gym and hotel but the province agreed to pick up the Cost which enabled the private partners to receive the revenues while the province covered the by the provincial government was forced to write off in it was Able to get out from under the debt by Selling the sky Doffie for million to Many of its erstwhile so what began As a venture costing the people lion in a project that soul dirt wound up costing the Public Mil although the new owners got it for such a fraction of its they refused to put any Money into but rather borrowed the the interest the dome must pay on these borrowings has contributed much to its financial As the stadium claims bankruptcy Protection allegedly because it lost a million last and the claiming still refuse to put any Money into the and refuse to pay Are talking Here about Imperial Bank of and the Parent of dont believe it for a the most obvious reason not to believe it is because the Blue jays need a place to play next there Are other agendas being worked for the Blue Jay baseball club and the dome have been in Furi Ous negotiations Over a new lease for the which is the principle it is hard to imagine these negotiations for the simple reason that the ownership that controls the Blue jays also controls the the Agenda Here seems inter brew wants to sell the jays and a sweeter leasing agreement would make that the current word is that the new Deal Between the dome and the jays will actually have the stadium paying there Are other for exam How could the City Advance a credible olympic bid and All the construction promises that entails with the bankrupt could this be a Power play for the City to bail it out and give it the expensive retrofit it needs for the olympics and then for a National football league franchise in any it seems that mayor Mel Lastman is on to the its he they would of going its Stu people who Are Worth so much what kind of example Are they stay Jae Murphy is a Toronto letters to the editor Farmers feel need for free markets the past several years have Given us rarely seen in the farm Economy rising commodity prices and rising Farmers have responded by increasing investment in their farms in the Hope that returns would continue to but those Hopes have now been clouded by the Panicky state of the world Economy farm income is in a Steep decline due to falling commodity worse a lot of the past investments made by Farmers were very expensive with machinery and rents priced at exceptionally High the main problem facing Farmers today is How to pay off those invest ments in a climate of declining most mainline farm lobby groups have a Standard and by now tiresome response to this problem just have the government put More Money into the hands of Farmers through revamped safety thereby giving them the Means to pay for their but whether financed by plundering budget surpluses or simply raising such strategies Are unbelievably it is time to move beyond proposals that treat taxpayers As a bottomless pit and adopt sensible Mea sures that will allow the farm Economy to Prosper beyond the next with that in farm lobby groups ought to be pressing the government to get its own economic House in instead of thinking about ways to spend dubious governments should be slashing spending and pay ing Down they ought to be creating a climate in which Job creation and growth is encouraged by cutting taxes and eliminating regu which benefits Farmers immensely by lowering their input if Farmers have lobbied governments for safety nets in the past and have been there is no reason they cannot lobby for in Freedom and be just As it is also crucial that Farmers lobby for flexibility in marketing if a Farmer is to be successful in a Tough economic be has to be Able to make on4hespqt decisions about marketing and be willing to change Strate Gies he cant do that if he has to wait for a Gaggle of Central ners to do his thinking for on a personal the Cardinal Rule for any businessman and farming is a business is to take responsibility for Bis own life and his own no one should farm based on the expectation that otters will automatically be forced to come to the Rescue once things get every Farmer ought to build a or a i Tough that Reserve Mim of share equity or a sensible Divera Leatton 3 in of economic armers aught to take to lower their Debetta equity ratios immediate they nut off major equipment land Pur i Balej for the time and make sure rent contracts Are abort term1 a Antenna a Neirink of bids Famou e4 m for Farmer Sis to How to reach us the free press welcomes letters from letters must be signed and should include a clearly printed address and Telephone names will be published but not All letters May be edited for style and Short letters Are less Likely to be please address letters to letters to the Winnipeg free 1355 Mountain Winnipeg letters can be sent to our fax number letters May be submitted the internet at letters sent the internet obviously cannot tie but must include Home address and Telephone them for less than they Are getting right that task will be made much easier if the government stays out of the allowing land and equipment prices to fall to Levels at which the Lon term profitability of farming can be if it insists on trying to then input costs will stay where they Are and Farmers will find profit Levels continuing to not Many farm lobby groups rebel at such harsh pre but there is no alternative to Basic economic reality no one can farm fan tas land and make a in the calling for Freedom and free markets int really a huge change Farmers have always recognized the value of hard individual Initia Tive and increasing that How we progressively expanded our farm Economy for Over a lets not jeopardize that expansion by creating a culture of dependency on government Dennis Rice Starbuck opposition pushed grits on farm Aid reports indicating that Reform opposes Short term emergency Aid for agriculture Are completely false on at a press conference at the National press Preston Leader of the official stated we would not oppose an gency any Short term measures must also address the Root causes of the Over the past 20 years successive conservative and Liberal governments have failed to develop an effective income disaster As a once the government has to come up with Short term emergency Aid we must have More than Juit a Short term in addition to any emergency Aid we Are demand ing that the Federal government solve the International Ana Domestic causes of the government must obtain free and fair Trade we must reduce the costs that the Federal j imposes 01 for we have asked the liberals to l i of put costs As fuel unlike others entered the debate on the farm i Asp Askp a Brit wow pupae a pop of lie in Holhi v Reader says government should stay out of the Way and let profitability of farming to be Reform has been pressuring the Liberal government to take action since the opening of for at the first meeting of the standing committee on Agricula i put Forward a motion that required the committee to hold hear Ings into the agriculture the Liberal chairman of the committee delayed these but they finally began on in addition to the committee hear on the Reform party took one of the rare Days set aside for the opposition to control the Agenda in the House of commons to demand action for Canadian it is due in Large part to the efforts of the official opposition that the government finally appears to realize the seriousness of the farm income the liberals still have not taken any real the longer they the greater the Price to our farm Howard Hilstrom give history some relevance Christopher Dafoe noted that the main reason people remember so Little about history is that it is either too unpleasant or too More people see Little relevance in the past to their own lives the history that is remembered has to be packaged and promoted As entertainment such As the movie titanic and include events which have no relationship to reality the inboard coupled with the appropriate special this kind or history evokes an emotional Appeal that Dri ves the Public to buy videos and this kind of albeit is not to have historical to Cre ate a link with past and there must be a significance that has or will touch Peoples most canadians have not been touched by War or revolution their country has never been in a Fea Eddeath Strug Gle the War of 1812 hardly and they do not see the significance of sending soldiers abroad to fight in world unlike the United Canadas birth in 1867 was relatively contrast Canadian wartime experiences and for with those of the people in Belarus and the Baltic states that lost four years and some 20 million relatives after the Ger Man invasion of the soviet Union in canadians dont ask Why their Citi Zens were sent what these wars were All or what was gained or lost by All of just As they dont question the need for Canadian participation in nato or in peace keeping missions abroad today Little rebellions and ethnic revolutions Are not relevant if the Impact on canadians of today global events Are not explained or taught in terms we can How can yesterdays events hold much relevance and be remembered Winnipeg Murray has sense of fair play the two most necessary attributes for a Leader Are fair mindedness and strength of i voted for Glen Murray on election Day because i believe him to possess my belief stems from viewing him in action on television some years the Mem Bers of a private club that had been in business for Many without Inci were applying for a which up until that time they did not realize was the councillor in their constituency attempted to limit the hours of operation of the Glen Murray stood up and his words that is not he went on to say when the members rented the premises to outside the club could not Complete with other clubs of similar nature if the hours were not he stood his ground until the councillor concerned conceded and the club was granted the same hours of operation As Glen Murray had nothing personal to gain from his stand Only his sense of fair play i read the article knives Are out for mayor As old grudges free the subject was an out burst by councillor Shirley Timm Rudolph and my first thought poor mayor the outburst is reminiscent of a spoil sport taking the Bat and Bill Home so the remainder of the team cannot play the grow up lady and get on with the business of running the City of Winnipeg As the new mayor is and keep in fair mindedness and strength of con my tax dollars pay your salary and i expect More for my it is not the big things in life we do that determine the kind of son we it is the Small Muriel Campbell Winnipeg doonesbury by Garry Trudeau ;