Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 10, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba A4 Winnipeg free press saturday july 10, 2004 Ontario teachers pension it was fair. Ment group. Holle also plan Board which also owns neglected to submit the offi Polo Park shopping Centre. Everyone Cial offer to Purchase Docu the pension plan owns $75.7 ment and no one from his billion Worth of assets across knew the firm signed for the proposal the country including Cana that was submitted. Process up Das largest mall the Eaton Holle refused to accept any Centre in downtown Toronto. Responsibility for missing out front the City administrations on the Deal. Instead he confidential report stated blamed a murky process at ? coun. Mike that Rontrea had to submitted City Hall which he claimed Pagtakhan chairman any development plans for was rigged in favour of the of the committee with qualified credit you can take delivery today. Simply by paying the $59 Down payment All vehicles will have payments clearly marked on the Windshield pick a vehicle ? pick a payment credit problems no problem All applications processed ? be prepared to take immediate delivery. ? lenders will be on site with $4 million in credit. ? additional internal financial buyers will be on hand to assist you with your Purchase and special finance needs. Stately Homes destroyed by fire t Gara at about 10 20 . It then spread to Orange Halo Over one of the houses said spectacular Blaze houses on either Side according to the Caitlin Gordon. Spokesman. You Don to expect to see fires like this rages in River Heights we were downtown and we could see Here said Gordon who lives in the the flames said Netanis do Gall who neighbourhood. To stately old Homes in River drove to the scene with her Friend about 20 fire trucks and emergency Heights were destroyed in a spec Stephanie Nault to find out what was vehicles blocked up the neighbourhood tabular Blaze that lit up the night going on. And the intense Battle to put out the sky last night. Such a shame such a shame to see blazes and prevent their spread exhaust a third House was also damaged on such Nice houses destroyed do Gall de several firefighters some of whom Niagara Street Between Wellington cres said. Took a break by sitting Down on the cent and Academy Road. She said she saw a firefighter carry a Street to recover their strength. At least a spokesman for the Winnipeg fire cat out of one of the burning houses. One was taken away by ambulance. Paramedic service said there were no thank god for that at least she said. The spokesman said the alarm was injuries last night but firefighters were hundreds of bystanders came and sounded by a panic alarm in the Home still battling the fires Early this morning. Went last night to observe the inferno. That caught fire. It is believed that All of the Blaze started in a House at 70 Nia when i got Here there was a big the occupants escaped harm. Raise what they be promised to raise been put on hold she said. Copps Copps explained. To Date the province and City have continued from Page a1 the question of funding for operating each pledged $20 million for the Muse funds was being discussed when the us while a private fundraising Cam he confirmed what we be been say political landscape in Ottawa changed pain was to produce $60 million for ing All along Asper said. An under suddenly following the departure of capital costs. Standing absolutely Chr Tien and his replacement by Paul Alcock Manitoba a senior government she said Chr Tien had agreed to match Martin Asper said. My said the Aspers May be weakening Money raised by the Aspers up to a Max meanwhile sen. Sharon Carstairs said support in Ottawa for the project by pub mum of $100 million under a strategic she fears the proposed human rights Lily criticizing the Federal government. Infrastructure program designed to museum could be threatened by liberals Alcock said funding for some Chr Tien lever private investment in significant Bent on scuttling Chr Tien a legacy. Legacy projects such As the human projects. Rights museum and a museum of poli frustrated at least it shows we re not crazy she tics planned for Ottawa has been Carstairs formerly the governments said. Delayed because Martin has asked for Leader in the Senate and a member of Treasury Board minister Reg Alcock at least $500-million in spending reduce Cabinet said she is frustrated by Sug has said he can to find any evidence an tons by government. Gest ions Ottawa May not commit All the agreement existed and that he was while this May make an up front com Money promised by Chr Tien. Unaware of a verbal agreement Between fitment of additional Money for the one of the key Manitoba Cabinet rep Chr Tien and Israel Asper. Museum difficult it does not mean there resent Tives involved in striking a Deal Copps said while documents exist that in to More Federal Cash to support the for the museum Carstairs said she was show the museum was being supported project Alcock said. Never told there was a hard and fast under a Federal infrastructure program Asper said the architectural design for agreement in place to provide the whole there was no formal agreement in writ the museum will be unveiled later this $100 million. Ing. Month. Even so Carstairs said she has grown such agreements she said Are nor we re still moving Forward to get concerned that the museum which was Mally not put in writing until the Money this built she said. One of Chr Tien a key legacy projects is ready to be paid out. May fall prey to supporters of Martin. Otherwise wed be writing thousands. I a concerned that like All of the. of agreements for everyone who has a pieces of or. Chr Tien a legacy this has project and wants Money but fails to. All vehicles Are in excellent condition Many with factory warranties must be sold immediately Arena continued from Page a1 i heard that we won said Sandy Shindleman president of local develop ment firm Shin Dico which represents the Polo Park ownership group. I expect the City will Tell us officially some time next coun. Harvey Smith was critical of the secrecy that surrounded the process. I think the people of Winnipeg should know who is bidding and what they bid Smith said. Former nip la Marianne Cerilli also criticized the process adding that a handful of City councillors had been treating Winnipeg Arena As their personal property. Cerilli said the Public should have been consulted on the Arenas Fate and a decision on it should to have been made behind closed doors. The civic committee approved the Sale of the land to Rontrea inc., a development company owned by the the site stating Only that it would build either a series of single Storey or Multi Storey commercial build Ings of the same Quality As the Polo Park mall with a total construction value of $12 million. Rontrea stated it was also in the process of acquiring the sky Tele vision studio building which lies Between the Arena and the mall. As part of the Deal the City has agreed to first demolish the Arena at its own expense then Transfer the five acres of cleared land to the mall owners. The demolition wont occur until the new downtown Arena the its Centre opens. The City had stated that the ear Liest possible Possession Date for a vacant Winnipeg Arena site would be june 2006 and possibly As late As Jan. 31, 2007. The City and Winnipeg enterprises corp. Put the Arena and its land up for Sale at the end of last year. The deadline for bids closed March 26. City officials would not disclose How Many bids were received but sources in the development Community said As Many As six propos als were submitted for the property. The confidential City administration report stated that Only two bids were considered acceptable. The other bid was from United equities a local firm whose holdings include the first com Mercial building on waterfront drive. Warren Greenspoon a principal with United equities said his company bid less than the Polo Park groups $3.6 Mil lion so he want surprised the mall owners won the Competition. The administration report stated that United equities had bid $3.04 million. The report said United equities planned to build mixed use office and Commer Cial buildings including a three Storey office building and three restaurants. The Polo Park owners Are the biggest buyer and could afford to pay More than anyone else Greenspoon said. It was More valuable to them than anyone but the Toronto area Developer that proposed the water Park said his offer was actually Worth More to the City. Sieg Holle president of Holl Crest & associates said he offered the City $2.5 million for the Arena and land ? saving the demolition Cost ? and would have paid the City an additional $3.5 million if plans for two High Rise towers and an underground Parade were eventually approved. City officials dismissed the Holl Crest proposal because it failed to include Sev eral key components including a Manda tory 15 per cent Deposit and a detailed list of members of the invest winning bid. Coun. Mike Pagtakhan chairman of the committee rejected that suggestion. It was fair. Everyone knew the process up front he said. Its not about who you although the committee met privately it allowed to Tran the Norwood Man who circulated a petition that garnered 16,000 signatures in favour of the water Park to briefly speak about the project. Tran emerged from the closed meet ing to a crush of reporters where he broke Down in tears. All i asked was that they listen to the people said Tran. Its just a lot of Tran said he believed the process was weighted against the Holl Crest bid in favour of Rontrea. Former mayoral candidate Peter Kaufmann whose commercial real estate firm was working with Holl Crest also addressed the committee. He said the City had 101 Days to ask Holl Crest to fix its proposal but did not. Kaufmann said the Holl Crest bid however flawed was a better financial Deal for the City so City staff had a duty to make sure it did to die an Early death. Should they be punishing Holl Crest and the citizens of Winnipeg by accept ing $3 million or $4 million less asked Kaufmann who wanted the bids thrown out and the process restarted. The committee did to consider that option said Pagtakhan because reason Able bids had been received. . with approved credit $59 plus All applicable tax ownership & fees. 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