Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 20, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba Special Spring pricing James Audi Quality in motion 7881100 305 Madison at Ness Winnipeg free press March 2001 local a3 City editor Steve Pona 6977292 features editor Carolin Vesely 6977292 Phil Hossack Winnipeg free press Hes got the rent Money Sam Katz is teaming up with a company to bring at least three Broadway musicals to including the pulitzer prize and Tony award winning which will open Here May he says next year the american promotions giant sex is willing to bring a season of Broadway musicals to town if the City scraps its 10 per cent amusement please see Morley walkers column on Page Good riddance to Winter but golfing seasons still a Long Way off by Holli Moncriel Agassiz ratepayers hit hard by Nick Martin taxpayers in the deficit plagued Agassiz school division Are reel ing after being hammered with a per cent increase in the school Mill the increase of Mills in local Edu cation spending represents a increase in local school taxes on a House assessed at we didst slash and Burn to Cut Down the tax school Board chairman Eleanor Zieske said from Beausejour Zieske said the Only cuts made were the equivalent of three full time teaching positions achieved by reducing teach ers preparation time from per cent of the teaching Day to 10 per they tend to give us a whammy almost every said Garson mayor Gerritt who said municipal officials Are stunned and upset at the Board bumps Mill rate per municipal officials stunned by whammy High level of education tax Ive been on Council since and Ive seen Only one year where it was this is but Boonstra said the blame lies with the which continues to place the education Burden on the property tax our provincial taxes should support every child in the Boonstra it should come out of general Rev you have retired and its hitting them this is not education minister Drew Caldwell said last week he wont make any com ment on possible changes to his funding formula until a province wide reassess ment is completed sometime later this by Brandon trustees raised the portion of education taxes for which they Are responsible by per fort Garry per and Winnipeg one per Agassiz trustees discovered during an audit in the fall of 1999 that they were running a deficit of million on a budget of that Winter they chopped More than million from their upcoming Bud get targeting teachers and special needs programs to avoid a second straight there now paying off that 1999 deficit through higher taxes Over three through a Deal negotiated with the but it want just the deficit that drove the huge tax Zieske Agassiz has 43 school bus routes and is paying skyrocketing bus fuel and school heating the division is bracing for hefty salary Zieske pointing out that the divisions share of provincial funding was Only per Well below schools of Choice is cutting heavily into with too Many students opting to go to lord Selkirk school Pinawa and Pine in some it could be for smaller class she if we Cut out too we lose them to schools of a provincial audit is expected to be made Public on the 1999 Possi Bly within a few Agassiz had also run up a million deficit in but Caldwell has rejected Calls from ratepayers to take Over the Board and have the province run the Zieske said Agassiz is talking to its Neighbours about possible amalgam and has implemented far stricter financial work on new Provencher Bridge expected to snarl traffic the new Provencher Bridge will be sleek and but the two year construction period Means traffic congestion is bound to raise the blood pres sure of some City engineers said do every thing possible to minimize disruptions in traffic flow when the work begins this but motorists expect to zip across the old Bridge at the Normal the Bridge will Cost about while an adjoining pedestrian Span has been pegged at construction of the pedestrian Complete with a Plaza jutting out Over the red is scheduled to begin next to accommodate Provencher Boulevard at tache Street will be reduced to two free flowing lanes in the traffic lights at tache will be enabling traffic to move through the intersection without having to except when pedestrians activate a corridor to Cross Provencher All left turns off Provencher Boule Vard and tache Avenue will be restrict the eastbound right turn from Provencher to tache will be the left turn from tache northbound into the Bridge will be the City says there will be some delays due to the reduction in by october traffic will shift to the new Bridge with one Lane operating in each it will still run free with no signals and no left westbound parking on Provencher Between tache and Joseph Street will be but alternate parking will be available the free press will publish a detailed map of the altered traffic configurations before construction Winni Eggers Are welcoming the first Day of Spring with open arms after surviving the longest Winter in recent compared to the last three this year seemed but its because the last three were actually Shorter and warmer than explained Rob environment Canada this Winter was just slightly below temperature one of the reasons this Winter seemed so gruelling was its Early he Winter started full Force with a real snowy and cold december it was the third coldest december on record since with twice As much Snow As the year before 41 Paola january was actually six degrees warmer than with less Snow than were used but the Early Start of the cold combined with a february that was three degrees colder than made this Winter seem he unpredictable the official first Day of Spring Doest necessarily mean Winnipeg will be seeing sunny skies anytime said Chris local presi Dent of the Royal astronomical society of the Vernal Equinox is the time when the Sun crosses the moving towards the Northern Rutkowski it will Start to get warmer As the Sun spends More time in the sky but our weather is so unpredictable who knows in addition to the warmer tempera Tures Winnipeg has been enjoying theres another hopeful sign that Spring has the Oak Hammock Marsh interpretive Centre celebrated the return of Canada geese Over the according to our the return of the geese is pretty much on time this said Cathy the centers visitor services adding a family of five Canada geese showed up on sunday while other pairs have been spotted flying around Oak Hammock Marsh rain and flurries Are predicted to come and go Over the next 10 said environment Canada meteorologist Rick what you see now is what youre going to he adding that Fri Day will be below Normal with a High of 5 c and a Low of 9 City told to dump inferiority Complex civic tourism branches failing to sell Winnipeg report says by David Obrien lets face it Winni Eggers have an inferiority but dont worry its All in our in the City has enormous Poten tial for tourism because it is unique in the even if we wont admit it to according to a report from the Canadian Centre for policy alter a the Only problem is we dont realize our own we have Little Faith in ourselves As a viable tourist says the 35page titled a City that Doest apologize for itself rethinking Winnipeg tourism that Low sense of collective self esteem is preventing Winnipeg from promoting itself effectively As a tourist the report the document says the provincial and civic tourism branches have failed to properly sell Winnipeg uncommon menu of opportunities and the reports authors Analysed the promotional material of tourism Winnipeg and the provincial department of Cul heritage and tourism and found them woefully one could read through the Provin Cial materials with place names blocked out and not be certain it was not Saskatchewan or Ontario or Ohio or Nebraska that was being tourist far from focusing on things that Are partic ular to Manitoba tended to be imitative of the least imaginative tourist promotions for other parts of North for the Forks has two dimensions As a waterfront Park and As a Centre of historical events involving the fur Trade and aboriginal it is emblematic of our self apolo Getic approach to self promotion that the generic aspects of the Forks the waterfront Park is Given a great Deal of while the aboriginal history is acknowledged in a few plaques and otherwise a proper the report should focus on Winnipeg As the Cradle of the emphasizing the cites his arts and entertainment scenes and its aboriginal life As unique tourist the province and the report seem to be trying to legitimize our selves by imitating rather than talking about what makes us Hubert assistant Deputy minister responsible for said he disagreed with the reports assume the province does promote the cites Mesman but not at the expense of other products that might interest he said the number of visitors the province receives from other provinces and outside the country has been grow into Over the our business is nationwide Royal offers canadians More business for i Montreal Ottawa i Ironto 1 99 royals your partner Hook your next trip i 1 888 8289797 fares quoted Are for one Are subject to inventory allocation and May vary according to departure add Nav fuel surcharge and applicable limited space available and new bookings no Advance booking or minimum stay bookings May be changed Lor a Lee and Are advertised frequencies Are from Maito to aeroplane is a Reo Elered trademark of air Canad Rotain conditions ;