Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 20, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba A8 rim the Forks key issues for All its grand there Are Only two projects contained in a new development plan for the Forks that require debate in the immedi ate future a proposed hotel and a proposed Park ing a hotel seems a natural enough making it pos sible for the Forks to become a destination unto itself As opposed to a place to visit from a hotel would serve to facilitate commercial contacts Between businesses at the Forks and suppliers or customers of those a hotel could provide a steady but itinerant customer base for the and a temporary Home for performers and others passing through As part of the various Public entertainments that attract it has the additional advantage of being inclusive any one who wishes to can stay at a it is not exclusive As Are Perma nent for a hotel proposal to gain general Public accept it will have to be More than another generic dormitory with the usual Din ing room and banquet facilities All Clad in whatever is this seasons the hotel must be a uniquely proud and appropriate addition to the one that will stand the test of a hotel will also have to acknowledge that it is a late addition to the it will have to accept that noise and late night activity have become the Hallmarks of Winnipeg meeting no restrictions on those activities to accommodate a hotel can be parking garage might seem the least pressing of the Forks already boasts parking but As Long As land is dedicated to surface it cannot be used for Gree space or other while it is not the fact is a parking garage for 800 vehicles is necessary in order for other developments to go especially Green space which would appear to be the priority for most the garage also must be debated now because it figures in what clearly is a no priority for most Winni Eggers residential the Forks North Portage partnership proposes that some modest residential development fewer than 100 condominiums be made part of the garage which is proposed to be built next to the in rail proposing condominiums next to the tracks clearly is a More palatable idea than was the proposal a year ago to place 120 condominiums at the Centre of the Forks it still rom the fact that Small Condo projects will mean that the Forks could become Home to Only a tiny elite that is either fortunate or wealthy to obtain an address a bet ter plan for residential certainly one Worth might be a More ambitious plan to allow High Rise residential development above the parking High Rise development makes possible the creation of hundreds of residential enough that any one with a desire to live at the Forks would have a reasonable Chance of doing there Are other issues in the development plan worthy of but it is the discussions around a hotel and a parking garage that Are key to the future of what Winni Eggers agree is their 1 Macedonia Case events in the Balkans take Many strange in late fighting broke out Between armed albanian extremists and Macedonia Small the albanians come from Many of them former fighters in the struggle with bitter that Kosovo did not receive about on third of macedonians Are ethnic albanians Liv ing along the the ultimate goal appears to be to encourage them to join the struggle to achieve a Independent As the fighting nato foreign ministers suggested that ser driven out of Kosovo by nato military now be invited to rejoin the conflict nato itself having apparently lost the stomach for natos reluctance now to engage in confrontation in Kosovo has assisted the terrorists to set up bases in the Border mountains from which they can attack and infiltrate recently the fight ing has and become reminiscent of the beginning of so Many bloody Balkan the macedonian a Good Friend to nato during the Kosovo has issued a plea for nato has promised to attempt to Cut the guerrillas Supply lines and american soldiers finally have left their Barracks to patrol the the rules of engagement under which the Alliance troops operate Are so As to be they Are not permitted to engage the detain them or forcibly disarm them and Are forbidden to use their weapons except to return hostile the macedonian government wants under president Boris the country has enjoyed stability and the beginnings of concessions have been made to the albanian minor Ity in the Hope of making them feel More fully a part of the National his policies appeared to be All of this is at if the conflict continues to which it almost certainly will without both More Effort by the International Community in encouraging negotiations and More effective action by nato forces on the without the situation May soon reach the As it did in in in where Nei diplomacy nor police actions editorials Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights is p30k1e1 naming the real me Arthur dragon Slayer is a Man i purely the pegu is first nation who just whupped Albert the dragon Sosnowski to become the world boxing Council youth heavy weight Champion of the has got one Cool Nick sports Guys usually sugar Ray magic Joe shoeless Hurricane Boom Boom Jake raging Bull Lamot these Are the kind of names that would not be out of place on the sitting next to Paulie Wal nuts or Salvatore big Pussy you can go far with a great i wish i had right Ive got two conference registration forms sitting on my the first is an application to attend a columnists conference in san the second is an invitation to attend a Clown convention at Benedicts astute readers will suspect this is the same con Ference in different what the forms have in common is the line that asks for my the Clown form asks for my Clown name but there after the same they want to know the name i use when in letting Down my i always leave the nickname line it sits there in Lindor no fun it Lindor stick in the mud Lin Dor what kind of name is that youd never know i was a Madcap Bon vivant from the nickname line on my i sullenly pass it marking myself As the sort of woman who would demand a vegetarian drink Only bottled water and hasten to bed at 10 Oclock on week my forms Are pretty close to the in tempted to lie on these two to make up a nickname that walks a line Between Friendly and a sobriquet that will suggest in a lot More fun and mysterious than i really i want to be thought of As a great a Kne Slapper who knows How to blow smoke rings and can Tell a dirty joke without i want a nickname like babe or legs or even nicknames Are often based on a physical Char you might be tiny or slim or curly or Cue the options open for me include which is True and has a roguish ring Blue which should be reserved for Sinatra although that could come Back to bite me in a few years and Middle aged frowning which wont fit easily on a name although in almost six i Reserve the right to smack anyone who Calls me id accept a nickname that accurately reflects where i get my if we could make it sound sort of sexy and Lone Wolf Reynolds is Good computer solitaire Reynolds is scoop would be flattering Workaholic is yes to travellin1 no to spice rack something that reflects my obsession with the gym would be although ill have to draw the line at machine hog or sweat this is a Fine its been this Way All my Ive been mom and Mommy but never hot Ive handled Honey and Prairie Flower with blushing pleasure but secretly longed for something Raci i necessarily want it on a name tag but id still like the secret theres just something about me or my Given name that defies All my desires to have a sporty kind of in thinking about trying out a nickname at the Clown something fun that wont stand bubbles is a thought or maybe if it works ill try it at the columnists con chances Are Good ill attract some new they May think in a but once i make a few balloon animals under Bush plan for tax Cut wont fight recession by William Gale parties slim picking its a Little Early to make predictions but it appears at the moment that every one of Canadas major political parties will go into the next election Campaign behind a new it is always of that Jean Chretien will hang on for a fourth term As Leader of the Liber Al party but even the prime ministers lust for office must eventually cer he cant be having much fun in the Job these nonstop allegations about questionable Loans in his Home town take the Shine off those Brief moments he gets to bask in the glow of the worlds great and even against All the Chretien did take a fancy to another his party would surely Rule Stockwell Days assuming he still has one four years from might Well take the same the Canadian Alliance Leader is doing his Best to put his Early blunders behind him and to establish a presence in parliament but it appears that powerful elements in his party have already written him Joe Clark might once have been written off by powerful elements in his assuming that there Are any his performance in parliament and his Success in stealing the limelight from the other opposition party leaders have changed All he would be welcomed by Many in his party either As the tory Leader or As the Leader of yet another moderate conservative the trouble is that even though he loves life in politics every bit As much As Jean Chretien is Likely to decide that he owes it to his family to return to private the new democratic party Alexa Mcdonough has not yet said she will be stepping Down but everybody seems to assume that she will and some in the party Are already scouting out possible Suc that leaves Gilles Dueppe of the bloc Quebe who can be counted on to do what his Boss in Quebec wants him to with All those potential vacancies at the it might seem that there is a shining new Opportunity for renewal in Canadas mainstream political Par the trouble is that the potential new leaders seem anything but casting about for Possi ble successors just emphasizes just How Little depth the parties can the of have Paul but the fiscal skills which saw him through his terms As finance minister could leave him exposed if the Economy continues its Allan Rock and John Manley Are smart enough but both Lack the common Brian Tobin has the common touch but May not be smart Jean Chretien May just cling to office Long enough to doom them if Joe Clark Sticks to his Promise to his family and quits it is not going to be easy to find a it might be difficult to find the which could disintegrate without Clark to hold it some May Pine for Ralph Klein but he looks perfectly Happy where he who will Lead the Canadian or its Suc Cessor if Stockwell Day gets the is anybody the new or the coalition or whatever emerges in the next few will be looking for someone More accept Able in but finding someone who is acceptable in Ontario and in the West As Well is not going to be As for the new they May Well find themselves dipping into their dwindling Batch of veterans and plucking out a lome Nystrom or a Svend the next election is a few years Down the Road who in that time a Bright new Leader May Bubble to the fail ing the prospects do not with the Stock Market tumbling and consumer Confidence the Bush administration is trying to use the weak ening Economy to justify its tax Cut pro this is a classic Baitman switch the fact is although the Economy May Well be weak the presidents tax proposal is poorly designed to fight a monetary policy and different tax poli cies would be much More although it is not Clear that the econ omy is headed into a the Pace of economic activity is clearly tax cuts in general Are not thought to be the Best Way to fight it takes tune to pass and implement such whereas monetary policy can be changed Bush top economic Larry made precisely these Points in a 1999 but even if there is a recession and even if some form of tax policy can effectively fight a current it is crucial to emphasize that Bush plan is not the right package to do this should not be since Bush plan was designed in when there was no recession in but it is Worth emphasizing that three aspects of Bush plan make it particularly unsuitable for fighting a the plan is in the Origi Nal there was no tax Cut in 2001 and Only billion per person in it is hard to see How the proposal can stimulate the Economy if it does not put Money in Peoples the tax Bill passed recently by the House of representatives accelerated the tax but even revenues would Only fall by billion in in a trillion these changes Are although it is the tax Cut would ultimately be the administration wants to keep the tax Cut itself to trillion Over 10 but its coupled with the Bill passed by the would reduce taxes by add to that billion of interest costs that arise because tax cuts raise Federal and the plan would Cost Well Over this would eat seriously into the non social Security in order to stimulate the econ the tax cuts should go to Lowland Middle income these families Are More Likely to spend the and they Are also More Likely to be the people who lose their jobs in a in every reasonable analysis shows that the vast part of the benefits from the presidents proposal would go to the highest income who Are More Likely to Hoard the for All of these a tax Cut that was aimed at fighting a recession would provide More benefits would have a lower Overall and would be aimed More clearly at lower and mid dle income besides being More effective at stimulating the econ omy in the Short such a plan would be fairer and More fiscally and leave resources available for other policy William Gale is a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Winnipeg free press Winnipeg press est 1872 Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 v vol 129 n0103 2001 Winnipeg free a division of newspapers division of Thomson Canada limited published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Manitoba r2x pm 6977000 a member Manitoba press Council Rudy email Nicholas Patrick ;