Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 13, 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba Thursday d december 13, 2007 b1 grape growing once struggling Chain now expanding City business business b9 City editor Paul Samyn 697-7292 i bearing witness to a stunning humbling act of Charity City faces historic decision upper fort Garry Fate in committees hands by Bartley Kives t he future of upper fort Garry will be decided behind closed doors today when a City Council committee votes on a reduced Sale Price for land Southwest of Winnipeg a Birthplace. In May councils downtown development committee approved the Sale of 24,400 Square feet of land at the Corner of Assiniboine Avenue and fort Street to Crystal developers which wants to build a 20-Storey apartment building at the intersection. But when an archaeological dig in october found the remains of upper fort Garry further West than expected the land available to sell to Crystal developers shrunk by 3,000 Square feet. That forced architect Friesen Tokar to scale Down the apartment plan from 180 to 120 units reducing the scale of the development by one third. As a result the downtown development committee will meet behind closed doors this afternoon to approve a reduction in the Sale Price from $1.8 million to $1.2 million. According to documents obtained by the free press the smaller sum still makes the Crystal plan More attractive to the City than rejected bids to build a 35-Storey skyscraper at the site or turn the wedge of land into an historic Park that also would have covered the former forts footprint to the East. The current proposal at $1.2 million still provides the City with the highest sales Revenue and most balanced redevelopment of the site relative to All other submissions reads a report authored by City planners. Continued please see development b2 i t was a Story he needed to share with someone. With everyone actually. Which is How he came to email me. This Christ Mas season the Long time free press Reader began i witnessed an act of kindness that humbled me beyond the writer a Man named Garry went on to describe himself As a businessman in his 60s who works downtown. Which is where the Story begins. Last week Garry saw a Man push through the doors of Winnipeg Square and onto Graham Avenue. What made Garry notice him on this frigid december Day was what he was wearing. He was wearing nothing but Blue jeans and a Short sleeved t even if he had to been frighteningly underdressed the mans frightening appearance would have been enough to catch Garry a Eye. To Garry the Man appeared to be what he would later Call a Tough look ing Hombre. He was stumbling disoriented and incoherent and of course one would assume he had been All the passersby including myself gave him a wide berth not wanting to get involved in a possible the twelve of Christmas away in a Manger away in a Manger no crib for his bed the Little lord Jesus Laid Down his Sweet head the stars in the Bright sky looked Down where he Lay the Little lord Jesus asleep on the Hay the cattle Are lowing the poor baby wakes but Little lord Jesus no crying he makes i love thee lord Jesus look Down from the sky and stay by my Side til morning is nigh be near me lord Jesus i ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me i Pray bless All the dear children in thy tender care and take us to heaven to live with thee there our gift of Christmas song for you by Kevin Rollason Christmas just would to be Christmas without carols and the Winnipeg free press wants to help its readers get into the spirit of the season through music. And just like one of the most famous carols you la have 12 Days to get into the Christmas spirit before the Day itself. Starting today and on a daily basis until dec. 24, a special twelve songs of Christmas feature will appear in both the pages of the free press and on the newspapers website at . Each Day there will be a photograph of a Garry watched warily As the Man lurched his Way toward and then across Portage Avenue. Heading for main Street. It was somewhere along that path that someone else caught Garry a Eye. A Young woman in her 20s. He noticed her not because of what she was wearing ? a ski jacket and Hoodie jeans and sneakers ? but because she seemed to be in a hurry As she past him. And he was concerned for her. She was heading in the direction of the Tough Hombre in the to shirt. Garry stopped and turned to make sure she would be of. Then in disbelieve he watched As the Young woman went up to the scary looking Man in the t shirt. Stopped him. School choir in the newspaper. But As an additional feature if you go to our website you will not Only see the same choir you la be Able to hear them sing a Carol. Each Day there will be a different school featured and on Christmas Day itself All 12 will be on the website. We Are pleased to present these 12 Winnipeg school choirs and their festive carols and seasonal songs using the full multimedia capabilities of our website As a special Christmas gift to our readers said free press online editor Paul Pihi Chyn. The children at St. Ignatius school Are kick ing off our feature today by singing away in a Manger while 12 Days later on Christmas removed her ski jacket. Gave him her Hoodie and slipped her jacket Back on. And then Garry wrote went on her Way As if this was nothing out of the Garry stood there Frozen on the spot by the remarkable warmth of what he had witnessed. Watching the Young woman in the ski jacket ? and the Man in her Hoodie ? disappearing Down the Street. After All the stories about Young peo ple in gangs and reports of stabbings and shootings downtown Garry Felt Well. It choked me up a bit he would confess later. What he had Learned was its easy to stay at a distance and give at Christ Mas or any other time of year. Eve students at Springs Christian Academy will sing finding the Christmas Star. City editor Paul Samyn said what better Way to Mark the 12 Days leading up to Christ Mas than by hearing 12 carols Sung by school children whose eyes and voices Are filled by the magic of the the other school classroom choirs to be Fea tured Are from lord Roberts school Mulvey school St. Johns High school St. Charles Catholic school Gle Lawn collegiate wind Sor school . Bruns collegiate Arthur e. Wright school . Morrison school and Ecol Tach school. to simply write a Cheque As it were. But this Young woman had literally Given the shirt off her Back to a stranger who if judged Only by his appearance was someone to be avoided. As he admitted Garry was humbled by the experience. He concluded his email this Way there was no confrontation. Any one of us could have offered Assis Tance Lead him Back inside or called someone for help. But none of us did. Just a Young girl who did not think twice about it. The Man May Wake up tomorrow and not even remember where he got the jacket. But i will.?. ;