Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 11, 2009, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page a4 a 4 Winnipeg free press sunday january 11, 2009 top news Winnipeg repress. Com 1001 Regent ave. Pm. 233 4000 banker will be on hand to approve deals at Low biweekly or monthly payments Mac. Remember we guarantee to beat any dealer Price in u. S or Canada. Liquidation exclusive to Canada one r. V. Canada one re has purchased a Large Quantity of new campers trailers 5ths, and motor Homes real cheap. Dealer repossessions Bank repossessions factory demos factory repossessions scratch & Dent we in fact purchased More than we should have and now we need to liquidate approximately 300 of these great deals. Canada one will put All of them into our heated showroom of 180,000 soft & liquidate liquidate liquidate. Terms of the liquidation first come first served no rain checks 1 weekend this weekend real real real real recreational vehicles Palomino campers from $ 3,999 or $ 39 by Mac Monaco Lite weights from $ 11,747 or $ 79 by Mac Springdale 5 the dbl Slid out $ 19,747 or $ 99 by Mac Cougar 26 a slide out $ 19,947 or manufacturers Sugg. Price $ 42,770 $ 99 by Mac four winds class c 28 $ 59,700 or $ 299 by Mac Park models $ 37,700 or $ 199 by Mac Montana luxury yes $ 47,000 or $ 250 by Mac toy haulers $ 47,700 or $ 250 by Mac  n Ples sird. Pandora ave. W. Chri Lindst. Bienvenue st. Bradley st. 1001 Regent ave. West l Ike most people i dont know much about architecture. But i know what i like. I love Art Deco influenced buildings such As the government of Canada Dominion building on the Corner of main Street and water Avenue. The Chicago style warehouses in the Exchange Are a no brainer. The Hudson is Bay store on Portage at memorial is monumental in its sheer elegance. But there Are also Small More modern buildings that catch my Eye. I absolutely love the Grey Block and Glass addition on the West Side of Isbister school on memorial blvd., now Home to the Winnipeg adult education Centre. In the same Way that red River colleges Princess Street Campus has married the old and new the Isbister school addition is a dramatic blending of sleek modernist and classic Queen Anne style architecture. And in the Humble opinion of the author it works. Of course i dont expect everyone to agree with me. That is the Beautiful thing about debating architecture and design. Beauty is very much in the Eye of the beholder. That said there Are times when a consensus builds on the value or Lack of value of certain structures. Such is the Case with a four Storey building on main Street that will eventually House offices for the Winnipeg regional health authority. The buildings design elicited few cheers when it was unveiled last year critics lamented the historic buildings demolished to make Way for it and bemoaned its benign nondescript style. However those criticisms were muted compared to the angry rants this week when it was revealed the design had been stripped of its few distinguishing features. Gone were pedestrian Friendly recesses and retail space on the main floor. The building As it is now conceived is Little More than a monolithic Blob. It is simply not appropriate for a Street that still boasts Many of this Cit yes greatest buildings. The Warha building debacle says a lot about the abject failure of this City to make aesthetics a condition for development approval. The City does have an Urban design advisory committee of engineers and architects to review building plans but it does not appear the committee is mandated to Deal with aesthetics. The Cit yes inability to demand More from its developers is not a new condition. A walking tour along Portage Avenue downtown will reveal homely Structure after homely Structure that was added to the inventory of buildings As historical properties fell into disrepair or were demolished. Some of these More modern additions to the once stately Portage Avenue Are so hideous they stand out like an angry pimple on a a abyss bum. Obvious and ugly. Many of those buildings were erected at a time when few new buildings were being added to Winnipeg Gas stagnant property tax base. It is not hard to envision that in those Days City planners were reluctant to impose too Many conditions on the developers lest they abandon their plans. It appears that the City continues to be for Many developers a cheap desperate Date. The original Warha building would not have added anything to the architectural character of Winnipeg. That was failure no. 1. But to allow the Developer to abandon those very few aesthetic qualities that might have made it less offensive is proof City Hall has surrendered any interest in what our City looks like. City Council does not have to allow this travesty to be repeated. Those councillors who spoke up and alerted the Community about the change in the design of the Warha building should encourage developers to think just As much about what their new buildings will look like As they do about the Square footage and the number of parking spaces. This is particularly important for areas of the City that Are the focus of revitalization efforts. The provincial government has created tax increment financing tif zones to help provide up front Money for developers willing to bring new life to Downtrodden neighbourhoods. The province would also be Well advised to ensure new tif financed developments meet a certain Standard of architectural integrity. The City and province should not be in the business of dictating style. But they can establish a list of minimum standards and features that must be included to qualify for approval. Winni Eggers will forever debate classic versus modernist architecture restoration versus raze and replace Brick versus stucco. There is no right or wrong answer in those debates. However like most City dwellers we know what we like and what we dont like. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that most Winni Eggers will not like the Warha building on main Street. The City and province should make sure a bait and switch like this never happens again. Dan. Lett free press. My. Ca Dan Lett monolithic Blob sign of City neglect Winnipeg regional health authority building Benedict Bubb spent the Early part of his life in the heat of st. Andrews Grenada. This week he stood on the Frozen red River in the pm of st. Andrews Manitoba ice fishing for the very first time. Bubb 49, braved the Prairie morning at the urging of three co workers at the Royal Canadian mint. Even though he decided to Surprise them by showing up he thought they seemed prepared for him. They had four holes and four lines in the Shack said Bubb who has lived in Winnipeg for 20 years. They said Here comes the Cook a because i told them ism a Good Cook. Bubbus co workers Christian Madsen Rolf Timmerman and Kelvin Stril had actually Only taken out three fishing licences which allow for two holes and four Walleye per person. After trying to persuade him to come along several times they did not believe that their Boss would show up until he drove onto the ice just North of Selkirk. I was totally shocked when i saw him drive up said Stril 41. He assumed were sitting outside in a blizzard freezing doing this. Bubb was afraid of More than just the cold when he ventured out onto the ice. I would never come i was scared i would fall in he said. My wife called me to Check for sure everything is Safe. Is there More than one vehicle More than one Shack a the ice was solid supporting a Small Village of shacks but Only a few vehicles and the quartets Shack provided plenty of heat to the Point that Bubb took off his boots while inside. Andrew Klassen who runs his own fishing guide service said that this Comfort is one of the main reasons that he has received an increasing number of Calls this year even though he does not offer Winter service. Now with All the toys like the tents and warm Winter clothing its becoming an advanced sport if you want to Call it that said Klassen 23, comparing the current state of the sport to the Chilly Low tech origins that Bubb originally feared. Klassen whose business just finished its third season of operation added that the fishing itself has been especially Good this Winter. Lots of big fish Are coming through the ice he said. Bubb and his friends Hadnot had that experience As they had Only caught two fish and none by the first timer. However they had already eaten a breakfast of Erogies and Kielbasa and were cooking up another Batch of Erogies for lunch. From the backup meal to the experience itself Bubbus friends were planning on capturing the elements of a Canadian scene on camera so that he could show his brother when he visits Home in March. His friends assured him that he would need photographic evidence to convince his brother of Winnipeg Gas wretched Winters. You Call Home and Tell your brother that its that cold but it does not Stop you from doing anything said Bubb. You carry on your social life you go to work. You just have to dress for the conditions. Timmerman 47, agreed that the concept of ice fishing sounds unbelievable to some people especially those from warmer climates like Grenada. Down there it would be perceived As totally insane he said. You know driving your vehicle out onto a Frozen Lake and trying to go fishing. While thursdays 24 c was far from the tropical temperatures of his youth Bubb admitted that with the proper clothing it was a Nice Day for ice fishing mainly because Manitoba ass famous wind had hibernate for the Day. Bubb said that he would enjoy going out on the River again and could do it later this year. The Shack will stay on the River until mid March. Dan. Falloon free press. My. Ca st. Andrews a Long Way from its namesake by Dan Falloon l of Angeles its not often an entertainment reporter is challenged to explain Why he lives in the City he does. But thatus what happened to this entertainment reporter on saturday morning while covering a press conference for the upcoming romantic comedy new in town. The challenger was Harry Connick or. Who joined cast mates Renee Zellweger and Siobhan Fallon Hogan on a podium at the w hotel in los Angeles to take reporters questions about the film shot a year ago during a typically Bone chilling Winnipeg Winter. Why do you live in that town Connick asked me. The people in that town. Are amazing but lets just be real its not human to live in a town like that you know what ism saying Connick said. Thatus just crazy cold. Connick was kidding around but he can be forgiven for suffering some climate Shock since he hails from the comparatively Balmy climes of Louisiana. New in Tow which was shot under the working title chilled in Miami stars the Oscar winning Zellweger As a Miami executive forced to relocate to the Minnesota town of new Ulm to restructure a food manufacturing Plant. Connick plays a Union rep who Falls for Zellweger. For her part Zellweger was More gracious about the occasional discomfort of shooting in Winnipeg. There were so Many things about that City that were just so charming she said. It was highly entertaining and very educational. That was a whole new experience and marvellous exercise in developing new survival skills and learning a whole new language for the biological things that happen she said. Nosti Clest being one Connick interjected referring to the ice deposits that can develop beneath the nose on super cold Days. Who knew pantyhose could be so very important three four pairs at a time Zellweger said. The pantyhose Laid out on the bed by wardrobe every morning they were essential she asserted. I would not be Here today if not for the pantyhose i Promise you. Siobhan Fallon Hogan a one time saturday night live cast member plays the role of Zell wegers assistant. Ism from Syracuse n. A so i did not think it would be much of a Challenge said Hogan. So when they gave me the package on How to prepare for Winnipeg i chucked it. I went out All the time i went to the Forks All the time. I met lots of people. Its a great City. The tenacity of the people its just so impressive said Zellweger. To me i look outside and say theress no visible roads i guess theress no driving today. But thatus not the Case everybody just gets up and gets on with it. Thatus just Normal thatus just commonplace. But again for the record its not Normal Connick said. New in town is scheduled to open in theatres across North America Jan. 30. Randall. King free press. My. Ca Winnipeg Winter a shocker for stars Connick Zellweger look Back on visit Randall King Mike Deal / Winnipeg free press Benedict Bubb from Grenada finally yielded to his co workers efforts to get him out ice fishing. Rebecca Sandulak / Lions Gate entertainment Harry Connick jr., Renee Zellweger in scene from Winnipeg made new in town. A _ 04_ Jan 11 09. Ind a4 1 / 11/ 09 12 41 10 am ;