Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 06, 2008, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page 10 a piece of the Puzzle i n the late 1960s, Winnipeg was still Canadas fourth largest City full of Confidence and new ideas even though the decline rot some would Call it had already set in. Among the original ideas discussed at that time was the concept of a convention Centre a place where groups could hold Large meetings and Trade shows. A business plan some land and a pot of Money about $ 22 million were cobbled together and in 1975, the Winnipeg convention Centre opened to great fanfare. There was nothing else like it in the country but in its first year of operation it hosted seven Large conventions and 79 events. Today however most major cities have much larger facilities and Large events have been forced to pass us by. The 1,100 member Western retail lumber association for example is headquartered in Winnipeg but it holds its annual Trade shows elsewhere including places like Saskatoon because the Cit yes facility just does not Cut it. There was a plan to expand the convention Centre in 1995 for $ 60 million but by that time the City was in the dumps. The nil had quit Winnipeg because we were too Small for the big leagues. Confidence was at an All time Low and there was no Energy or Money for big ideas. Thirteen years later its premature to say Winnipeg has turned the Corner but the Confidence and big ideas like the new downtown Arena and the Canadian museum for human rights have returned. That positive attitude was evident last week when plans were unveiled for a $ 210 million expansion of the convention Centre which would put Winnipeg Back in the big leagues in its ability to attract Large gatherings. The plan requires $ 130 million in support from the Federal and provincial governments but there Are Many reasons to believe it will fall into place. The project would earn Ottawa and Manitoba $ 45 million in taxes during the construction phase alone plus millions More in economic spinoffs. As Well the Federal government now regards convention centres As part of the vital infrastructure of cities and it has funded them in other major centres setting a precedent that will be hard to ignore when Winnipeg comes knocking after the oct. 14 election. Premier Gary doer is playing hard to get but thatus the Way the funding game is played. An expanded convention Centre with a new hotel that would eventually arise atop it Are necessary for the obvious economic and social reasons. It will bring More Trade More visitors and More spending and tax Revenue to the City boosting the Community yes National profile in the process. They Are also necessary however to provide meeting and hotel space for the flood of people from around the world who will visit the Canadian museum for human rights when it opens in a few years. Winnipeg has Learned that there Are no magic bullets but nothing is possible without optimism Good ideas and Faith in the possibilities of growth. An expanded convention Centre is an important missing piece in the Puzzle called Winnipeg. Filling it will bring us one step closer to completing the portrait of a dynamic and thriving Metropolis. Editorials Winnipeg free press monday october 6, 2008 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights a 10 comment editor Gerald flood 697 7269 Gerald. Flood free press. My. Ca Winnipeg repress. Com have your say the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697 7412. E mail letters free press. My. Ca letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg free press or its staff. Poll vote online at wow. Winnipeg repress. Com Hooray for Ray Simard re hoping for lightning to strike again sept. 29. I was shocked not by lightning but by Dan Letts comparison of st. Boniface Liberal my Ray Simard to former Liberal my Reg Alcock who lost his Winnipeg South seat to conservative Rod Bruinooge in 2006. Alcock was overconfident and instead of spending time knocking on doors in his own Riding he spent time jetting across Canada and working for the Treasury Board in Ottawa. He believes he could have won the 2006 selection if he had spent a few Days knocking on doors in his Riding. Rather than voting for the politician who knocks on the most doors i will vote for the politician who answers his door when someone knocks on it asking for help. This year a member of my family from Winnipeg was trapped in a very dangerous situation in a foreign country. Our family members from Ottawa to Kelowna contacted our local maps for help. Simard was the first one to answer his door and help. He worked for months and would not give up until he got Back my Brothers life. I cant vote for Simard but i Hope that st. Boniface voters will be enlightened enough to elect him because the Canadian government needs More maps like him. Sue Kennedy Ottawa Burden of accountability Lesley Hughes is stepping in it further. Her political ambitions and reputation were not thwarted by the inability to speak freely but rather by the Burden of accountability. The supermarket checkout line is full of publications where journalists with a Low threshold for this responsibility can speak freely and make a living. William Rothman Winnipeg politicians behaving badly this election is becoming very hard. How does one explain this election to a 10 year old How does one answer the question As to Why every election commercial they see on to is so mean to each candidate my daughter asks Why the candidates cant make a positive commercial telling Why we should vote for them and not Why we vote for the other Guy. If a child sees the wrong in this Why do adults not see the wrong in this As seen through the eyes of a child the eyes of the future its time for a positive change in the Way our candidates conduct themselves. Its hard to raise our children to not be bullies when All they see around them Are adults bullying each other. Keri Gereta Winnipeg nip candidate a Good bet it is a refreshing change to see Young people running As candidates in the current Federal election. It demonstrates to me that youth Are not politically apathetic and actually want to make a difference. Why is it then that when a Young person makes this Effort we Are judged and condemned for attempting to make a difference i was shocked and appalled to hear from friends living in st. Boniface that Liberal candidate Raymond Sim Ards door knocking volunteers have been telling them that nip candidate Matt Schaubroeck does not deserve their vote because he is in their words too Young and inexperienced. Considering How much he has accomplished so far his age serves As an indicator of How qualified he is to represent the people of st. Boniface. Hers running on ideas policies and an eagerness to work for the people of st. Boniface rather than tearing Down his Competition. Looks like Simard could learn a thing or two from Schaub Roecks leadership. Emily Clark Winnipeg Dion finally understandable Stephane Dion got a major boost from the French language television debates because his translator spoke English so much better than him. Therefore the Liberal Leader could finally be understood by English speaking audiences. Don Marks Winnipeg chiefs pay disturbing re pegu is chief pockets pay packet he panned oct. 2. My letter is in regard to the article about the amount of Money the chief at pegu is first nation earns. I am a native and my concern is for the people. If he can make More Money than the mayor or the Premier and still say that they do not receive enough funds to run the reserves something is terribly wrong with the Way the Money is handed out. Start being accountable to your people. Rhonda Monchamp Winnipeg system already exists in his letter of oct. 1, Mike Melanson suggests Ridings exclusively representing aboriginal people represent a move that would promote prejudice and bigotry. How dare one race or group of people form a political party to increase the visibilities of the problems faced and perceived oppression heaped on this group this newly formed group would surely reinforce stereotypes and Manifest a larger Gap Between those involved and the rest of us who believe in Western liberalism. Louis Riel was hanged for his actions that were deemed treasonous yet at this very moment the bloc Qutb Cois represents Many of the people of Quebec sits in the House of commons collects my salaries paid for by the taxpayers of Canada with the expressed interest of removing the province of Quebec from the country of Canada. Not to mention the Leader of this divisive party took part in the National leaders debate even though the by has candidates in Only one of our provinces. To suggest an aboriginal political party or constituencies is troublesome and flies in the face of to Days political landscape in Canada. Or. Melanson i believe the Type of system you fear already exists. Greg Mackling Winnipeg a wart on Highway 75 As a frequent traveller to the u. S., i have been Happy to see the Progress made on Highway 75 South. That is with the exception of one area that reminds me of a wart on an otherwise healthy complexion. That wart is the Highway As it passes directly through Morris. There is nowhere else in Manitoba that a major Highway is literally choked by having to pass through a one Light disaster of a town with a main Street devoid of life and a Road surface that surely jiggles the bellies of the truckers and their loads of pigs As they pass through. Not Only is the Highway structurally bad it is environmentally unsound to Force All traffic to slow or Stop thereby wasting fuel. With the diversity of loads passing through Morris Are we not rolling the Dice on a possible disaster from some toxic Load that could be broadside by a Combine i suggest that a bypass be a priority on Gary doers infrastructure list because the rapids that Are Morriss main Street will surely Block our Inland port. Bill Lopuck Winnipeg Winnipeg free press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 vol 136 no 325 2008 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian newspapers limited partnership published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697 7000 a member of the Manitoba press Council Bob Cox / publisher Margo Goodhand / editor to Days question do you think the War in Afghanistan can be won previous question Are you confident the u. Bailout will prevent a depression yes 13% no 67% unsure 20% total 1,929 letter of the Day put muzzle on mufflers would the free press consider writing a Story about noise pollution from custom mufflers on cars especially on the Small imports you hear these loud mufflers All Day and All night disturbing our peaceful neighbourhood. Also some people work shift work and would like to get a restful sleep before going Back to work. These cars race Down Side streets and Back lanes and produce a lot of noise. Robert eng Winnipeg but for a loan there Are serious flaws in proposed provincial legislation that would allow property and education taxes to be diverted from municipalities and school boards to support private sector development projects. The nip government tabled the Community revitalization tax increment financing act earlier this year to wide acclaim but the Small print needs further scrutiny. The concept of tax increment financing Tif is sound. It involves identifying a dilapidated area of a City often the downtown that requires rehabilitation but which the private sector is not prepared to do on its own. The area is declared a Tif zone and the higher tax revenues generated by the improvements Are diverted into a separate provincial account which is then used to support the development either in the form of direct Grants new infrastructure or some other activity that contributes to the Success of the Overall development. Eventually in 10 or 20 years the Tif is removed and the higher taxes flow to their rightful owners. The idea is that school divisions and municipalities Are not losing any tax Revenue because the development would not have occurred but for the incentive of tax increment financing. The key words Here Are but for. Normally Tif status is not granted to projects that could or will occur even without Long term support from the taxpayer. The legislation tabled by the nip government however has several loopholes that could be used to abuse the concept. The Bill does not appear to preclude the government from using Money raised in one Tif zone to support work in another zone in a different part of the City. More importantly it does not restrict Tif status to areas or projects that would not occur but for support from realty taxes. That Means the province could use the Tif tool to raise Money from municipalities and school divisions rather than using its own Treasury to fund its pet projects. The province for example wants to use Tif Money to support the development of an Inland port near the Airport and possibly to support development along a rapid transit route in South Winnipeg. Municipalities and school divisions Are already struggling to raise Cash and the inappropriate use of Tif financing will Only make their task More difficult. The province should tighten up the legislation to prevent abuse and ensure that tips follow the but for Rule. A 10_ oct 06 08_ Grey. Ind a10 10/ 5/ 08 10 33 27 pm ;