Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 12, 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba Dow 13,432.77 294.26 a p tax 13,723.71 216.65 Nash a 2,652.35 66.60. Dollar 98.58 � u. S. 0.83 � u. S. Oil 90.09 barrel 2.40 barrel. Gold 811.40 Troy of 3.70 Troy of b business wednesday december 12, 2007 editor Steve Pona 697 7264 business free press. My. Ca i Market details b7 i Winnipeg repress. Com i b 5 by Murray Mcneill n Ever mind the new buildings springing up around the City and the above average economic growth in the last few years Winnipeg is one of the ugly ducklings when it comes to attracting new people according to a new report released today. The conference Board of Canadas first Ever metropolitan benchmarking report gauges How Well Canadas 27 largest cities Are doing in attracting new people. It ranked Winnipeg 9th last 19th Overall among the 27, and gave it a report card style Grade of c. The Manitoba capital even had the dubious distinction of being the largest census metropolitan area Cha to receive a c ranking. It also finished behind much smaller Canadian cities such As Halifax 7th overal Kitchener 9thsherbrooke 12thsaskatoon 13th and Regina 17th. The Board ranked Calgary As the most attractive City in Canada followed by Toronto Vancouver Edmonton Victoria and Ottawa Gatineau. Calgary also scored High compared with 27 major cities in the United states. Thanks to its red hot Economy robust employment growth and Young labour Force Calgary ranks just behind first place Washington and second place Austin Texas As the Only Overall a cities the report said. While Winnipeg Gas comparatively Low ranking could be seen As a blow to the Cit yes ego the Board stressed theress More than Pride at stake Here. Cities without the ability to act As magnets and attract new people will struggle to stay prosperous it states in the report which was released to the Media tuesday. Labour shortages Are already beginning to affect some Canadian cities added Mario Lefebvre director of the boards new Centre for municipal studies. Attracting highly skilled workers and the business investment they encourage is crucial to Canadas economic competitiveness in the decades ahead Lefebvre said. Continued please see report card b 7 by Martin Cash an award winning International air ambulance company has been grounded by transport Canada for problems in its Quality control systems. Winnipeg based Canadian global air ambulance had its air operators certificate suspended Midnight dec. 1 because of non compliance with Canadian aviation regulations. According to a transport Canada spokeswoman the suspension dates Back to deficiencies first identified in March of this year related to documentation ensuring regular and required maintenance on the company is Fleet of five Lear 35 jets. At the beginning of this year the company moved its primary maintenance facility from Vancouver to Toronto and ceo Jeff Mcintosh said the company May have underestimated the magnitude of that move. We Are working hard to rectify the shortcomings towards the termination of that suspension Mcintosh said. The move comes on the heels of the company is second consecutive award As the International travel insurance journals award for Best marketing Campaign. Earlier this year Mcintosh was named Ernst & Youngs emerging entrepreneur of the year in the Prairie regional entrepreneur of the year program. The company filed a corrective action Campaign earlier in the Spring but the transport Canada official said it was found to be deficient. She said the company can regain its operating certificate after it files another corrective action plan that is deemed to be effective. Jim Swartz a Board member of the Virginia based association of air medical services who owns a regional air ambulance business out of the Dallas fort Worth Region said it is a very challenging business requiring intense capital costs and compliance with two highly regulated industries aviation and health care. He said once a company regains its operating certificate it be too much trouble winning customers Back. As far As the insurance companies Are concerned the air ambulance company is either certified or its not he said. Mcintosh stressed the planes themselves were not determined to be unsafe and that the company prides itself on its excellent record of International service. Canadian global air ambulance does most of its work around the world. Its clients include about 50 International health insurance companies who contract with the Winnipeg Carrier to bring their respective clients from one country Back to their Home country for health care. The company is planes have flown to destinations All Over the Globe taking them around the world eight times Over the past 18 months. Manitoba health officials say the company is used locally Only on rare occasions. The company was formed in 2003 when Mcintosh and his partners acquired the air ambulance business formerly run by Keewatin air. Martin. Cash free press. My. Ca by Larry Kusch Prairie Farmers Are being courted by High prices for a variety of crops As they firm up their 2008 planting plans this Winter a Winnipeg based Market analyst says. Certainly within the next three months the Market has a Little bit More work to do in order to sort out which crops Are going to get allocated to the acres that we have Brenda Tjaden Lepp said tuesday after a presentation to the Manitoba agronomists conference at the u of m. Tjaden Lepp predicted mountains of wheat will be grown around the world next year As Low world supplies have caused futures prices to Spike to record Levels in recent months. This Market continues to blow everybody yes socks off she told the agronomists tuesday. While futures prices for wheat and Corn have soared Cash prices for lesser crops such As sunflowers and flax have risen in step because if they dont nobody is going to bother to grow them she said. Hard to predict Tjaden Lepp said while its difficult to predict Market prices Over the next 12 to 18 months they Are unlikely to hit the lows of a few years ago As Strong world demand for food is joining the insatiable Bio fuels Industry to prop up prices. China the worlds most populous country has been buying enormous quantities of soybeans and paying triple what its used to shelling out for canola she said. She said the Price of Corn soared last year As the Industry bid up the Price to ensure it had sufficient supplies. The same will Likely happen with soybeans this year she added. Tjaden Lepp co owner of far link marketing solutions which offers consulting services to Farmers said that in the past few years Sheds observed both the extreme Market lows and highs. Its really hard to sit Down with a Man who kind of reminds you of your dad and Tell him that he just lost a Quarter of a million dollars., she said of her experience a few years ago. Contrast that with 2007, when she crunched the numbers for a southwestern Saskatchewan Grain Farmer who made $ 1.8 million growing durum wheat. The two Day agronomist conference concludes wednesday. Larry. Kusch free press. My. Ca How cities rank for attractiveness rankings of census metropolitan areas and Overall grades 1 Calgary a 2 Toronto a 3 Vancouver a 4 Edmonton a 5 Victoria a 6 Ottawa Gatineau a 7 Halifax b 8 Oshawa b 9 Kitchener b 10 Abbotsford b 11 Quebec City b 12 Sherbrooke b 13 Saskatoon b 14 Montreal b 15 Hamilton b 16 St. Johns b 17 Regina b 18 London c 19 Winnipeg c 20 Kingston c 21 greater Sudbury c 22 trois-Rivi�res c 23 Windsor c 24 St. Catharines Niagara c 25 Saguenay d 26 Saint John d 27 Thunder Bay d source conference Board of Canada Winnipeg gets its report card Here is How Winnipeg stacked up in the seven key domains with its ranking among 27 cities and Overall Grade in brackets Domain ranking Grade Economy 19th c health 17th c society 18th c housing 23rd c environment 6th b innovation 20th d education 15th c source conference Board of Canada High crop prices courting Farmers City an ugly duckling ranked 9th last in attracting new residents Roy Antal / Regina Leader Post archives Winnipeg finished behind much smaller cities including gasp Regina. Mikael Kjellstrom / Calgary Herald archives Calgary was ranked the most attractive City in Canada thanks to red hot Economy Young labour Force. Paul Hourigan / the Canadian press archives Winnipeg beat smoggy Hamiton on environment. Jeff Mcintosh rectifying problem transport Canada grounds Winnipeg based air ambulance ;