Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 30, 2008, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page b5 Winnipeg repress. Com business Winnipeg free press thursday october 30, 2008 b 5                                                                                                                                                "                                                                                    #   $          #                                                                                                                                                                          "     #                                                                                                                              "                                 #   $        %   &            %                                                                         #                                      "          "                                 .                                                                       #          /   .       /     "    /        0                                                            "                                         1   2      1                          3         for your Chance to win go to wow. Winnipeg repress. Com contests thursday november 13th, 7 00pm @ Silver City Polo Park win movie passes to opens in theatres november 14th no Purchase necessary. Deadline for entries is noon monday november 10, 2008. Winners will be published in paper on wednesday november 12, 2008 and must pick up their passes by noon on november 13, 2008. T his May not be the Best time to consider a dramatic increase in the number of taxicabs working the pot holed streets of Winnipeg but it looks like thatus whats shaping up. The Manitoba taxicab Board has a report on the Supply and demand of taxicabs and Limos in Winnipeg from a u. S. Group who Are experts in the Field. It has made recommendations on whether the City needs More cabs. So far the taxicab Board is remaining quiet about the contents of the report. The Board is to review it thoroughly on Friday but that does not mean it will be made Public any time soon. In the meantime there seems to have been an almost spontaneous determination made by Many would be taxi owners that the taxicab Board will Issue new licences. Right now the Board is in receipt of applications for no fewer than 740 new taxicabs of various descriptions. Before the study was commissioned from the Tennessee transportation & logistics foundation Tol there were applications for 250 new vehicles. Since then the Board has received an additional 490. Dates have been set in november to hear the plans from the 19 applicants. Joan Wilson general Manger of uni City taxi said uni City and Duff yes taxi will oppose any new applications just As they opposed applications earlier this year for a total of 250 plates from Spring taxi and a proposed worker Coop called Winnipeg taxi Coop. Unconfirmed speculation is that the tolf report will recommend More vehicles on the streets. One Industry player said the taxicab Board would not be holding hearings and forcing uni City and Duff yes to endure further Legal expenses in opposing the applications were it not considering increasing the number of cars on the Road. Terri Prouxl one of the organizers of the Coop said she believes the Board has received notice that there is need for More cabs. However Unic itys Wilson said the intelligence Sheds gathered about the contents of the tolf report is that it will recommend Only the addition of temporary seasonal cars. Jerry Kozubal Secretary of the taxicab Board would not give any indication As to which Way the Board is leaning. The Board is going to review and discuss the draft and look at the recommendations from the consultant based on his assessment which is based on information they obtained Kozubal said. The Board will decide How to proceed. He noted there is nothing binding about the report. The Board can choose to adopt recommendations or not. We got what we asked for an objective assessment of the Industry he said. Now have a lot of work ahead of us that will definitely keep the Board Busy for the next few months. Baldev Gill a Veteran Winnipeg cabbie is part of a group that has applied for a total of 404 vehicles that would be dispatched by a newly formed company called yellow taxi dispatch Ltd. There is definitely a need for More taxicabs and not just in the Winter and not just during Rush hour Gill said. I have been in the business in Winnipeg since the late 70s and the City is bigger and busier but there has not been an increase in the number of cabs for Many years. Gill figures his company May have an Edge Over some of the Competition for the proposed new licences. Among other things he says he has a dispatch system lined up including meters for All of the cars. But perhaps most importantly he has cars lined up about 100 Toyota Prius hybrids from Woodhaven Toyota. We have been told that it will Only take Between one and five months to Supply the vehicles said Gill. There Are three or four other companies applying for plates that would own various numbers of additional cars that would All be dispatched by yellow. But All the plans might be academic if the Market proves unable to Bear More cars amidst an Economy that seems to be slowing Down around the world and in Winnipeg too. Wilson said uni City cars Are already feeling the effects. Every Day we see it a Little More she said. These Are Uncertain times for everyone. Martin. Cash free press. My. Ca average weekly earnings in Manitoba increased at one of the fastest rates in the country in August according to new statistics Canada figures released wednesday. The Federal Agency said earnings jumped by 1.8 per cent to $ 727.33 in August from $ 714.54 in july. That was the second biggest month Over month gain among the provinces British Columbia had growth of two per cent and far exceeded the National increase of 0.2 per cent. The Strong August performance was a continuation of a trend that has seen Manitoba emerge As one of the country is leaders in payroll employment and earnings growth in 2008. Thatus a Welcome change from previous five years when it often lagged most other provinces in both categories. The Sta scan figures show Manitoba was tied with new Brunswick for the fourth highest earnings growth after the first eight months of this year at 3.3 per cent. It also had the third highest increase in payroll employment at 1.4 per cent. That was despite posting a decline of 0.1 per cent from july to August when the number of payroll employees dipped to 544,900 from 544,900. Payroll employees Are workers who work for someone else As opposed to those who Are self employed. Higher average weekly earnings make it easier for Manitoba firms to attract and retain workers. Despite being one of the leaders in earnings growth this year Manitoba still had the third lowest average weekly earnings in the country in August. Murray. Mcneill free press. My. Ca Martin Cash More taxis for City streets Board has report on Supply demand average weekly earnings rising quickly in Manitoba by Murray Mcneill a 05_ oct 30 08. Ind b5 1 0/ 29/ 08 7 21 51 pm ;