Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 27, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B2 B 2 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012 CITY winnipegfreepress. com THE ULTIMATE UPGRADE EVENT. HELD OVER IN HONOUR OF WEEKEND GETAWAYS. Agility + elegance = joy to the power of X. This is the formula on which the BMW X1 is based. At first glance it is a compact BMW X model. The second glance comes with the challenge to explore something new. For example, an efficient SUV with BMW driving dynamics. The powerful yet efficient four- cylinder engine works alongside BMW EfficientDynamics, a package of intelligent measures such as Brake Energy Regeneration, TwinPower Turbo technology, and an 8- speed automatic transmission, to guarantee outstanding efficiency. The maximum five stars awarded in the Euro NCAP crash test unite a clear conscience with a reliable safety. Offer ends June 30th, 2012. The Ultimate Driving Experience. BMW X1 28i Birchwood BMW Birchwood BMW Pointe West AutoPark 45- 3965 Portage Avenue Tel: ( 204) 452- 7799 birchwoodbmw. ca $ 416 PER MONTH LEASE FOR 48 MONTHS AT 1.9% APR WITH $ 2,500 DOWN $ 1,500 OPTION CREDIT LIMITED TIME * All offers including $ 16 drive away are available on approved credit. See Birchwood BMW for full details B RAD Mastervick can hardly wait until the city knocks down his house. He owns one of three that could be in the way of the $ 77- million project to widen Plessis Road and build a new rail bridge and underpass to eliminate traffic jams caused by passing trains. " Even though I might lose my house, it makes sense to take me out," Mastervick said. " For seven years I've watched the traffic come to a stop when a train comes." The Transcona resident was on hand Tuesday to listen to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, Manitoba's senior MP, say the Plessis Road underpass is now being considered as a priority for funding under the Building Canada Fund. Should the project get federal approval - Toews said that shouldn't be a problem - shovels should be in the ground sometime next year. Under the deal, Ottawa is to cover up to one- third of the project, up to a maximum of $ 25 million. The province will also contribute up to $ 25 million, with the city paying $ 27 million. The work will see a two- lane stretch of Plessis Road, between Pandora Avenue and Dugald Road, widened to four lanes. The underpass will be built on Plessis at the CN Redditt rail crossing. Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt said the challenge will be keeping both traffic and trains moving during the two years of construction. " We have to build a detour not only for vehicles, we have to build a detour for the trains," Wyatt said. " There's actually a temporary train bridge that has to be built while the construction is going on." bruce. owen@ freepress. mb. ca Plessis underpass looks for federal nod By Bruce Owen Weaving your way in and out of traffic on the way to work does nothing to prepare you for driving a race car on a slick track of mud. In fact, hurtling toward a banked turn when you're not sure of your tires' grip and there's a gully on the other side feels a lot like hitting a patch of black ice in January as you speed toward Portage and Main - if Winnipeg's most famous intersection was located on a cliff. Members of the media discovered these and other racing truisms at 80 kilometres per hour Tuesday during a by- invite- only event at Red River Co- op Speedway. Located about 12 kilometres south of the city on Highway 75, the speedway hosts racing on Monday and Thursday nights. Six different categories of racers would make us media pretenders look like our tires were spinning in the mud as they rip around the track at 160 km/ h. With crowds of more than 3,000 on many nights, the speedway hosts the third- most- popular sporting events in Winnipeg during the summer, trailing only the Blue Bombers and the Goldeyes. It's not just for professional racers, either. Most media in Winnipeg sponsor a vehicle at the speedway and often raffle off the chance to participate in one race every Thursday. Two more things: First, there are no rear- view mirrors. So, if you're going into a corner and you suspect somebody is on your tail, you'll have to channel your inner Jedi and trust The Force. Second, if you do get passed, remember you also don't have a front windshield so if your helmet visor isn't down, you'll not only be driving on greasy mud, you'll be eating it, too. geoff. kirbyson@ freepress. mb. ca Them's the brakes... a crash course in race car driving OTTAWA - Canadian news media are not overly negative or preoccupied with political games, but could be a little bit more informative about issues. Those are the conclusions drawn by a unique study by Samara Canada looking at how mainstream media covered Parliament and the Occupy movement in the fall of 2011. Samara Canada is a charitable organization founded to improve civic engagement in Canada. The study's authors analyzed 4,647 newspaper stories and 177 television stories on the Occupy movement between Sept. 17 and Nov. 30, 2011. A further 2,603 newspaper stories and 167 television stories about three bills debated in the House of Commons during that time were examined. The bills were an omnibus crime bill, legislation to eliminate the long- gun registry and legislation to eliminate the monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board. The study concluded newspapers and television often cover the same story differently. Newspapers were generally neutral on the Occupy movement but far more negative when it came to covering Parliament. Television stories were generally negative in covering the Occupy movement, but positive when covering legislation. The tone of the stories was determined using a search for positive or negative words. Samara also found the mainstream media are not as preoccupied with political process and games as is generally believed. Almost half of newspaper stories on the three pieces of legislation were about the issues, while the rest were split almost equally between stories about political games ( 26 per cent) and process ( 28 per cent). A little more than one- third of television stories focused on the issues, while a similar amount focused on political games. About one- quarter of television news stories focused on process. However, the media could do a better job informing the public about the issues they cover. Only one- quarter of stories about government legislation were considered " very informative" by Samara, meaning they contained a lot of facts, analysis or context about the issues. Only about one- third of stories about the Occupy movement were very informative. Samara Canada plans to use the study and feedback to it from journalists and the public to design the media portion of the Samara Democracy Index. The index will be released in 2013 and will measure the democratic performance in Canada between elections. mia. rabson@ freepress. mb. ca Canadian news gets mixed reviews By Mia Rabson By Geoff Kirbyson �� VIDEO: Reporter learns to drive a race car winnipegfreepress. com WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mayor Sam Katz with ( from left) Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Steve Ashton, MLA Bidhu Jha and Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews. MELISSA TAIT / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Free Press reporter Geoff Kirbyson is strapped into a four- cylinder race car at the Red River Co- op Speedway Tuesday. B_ 02_ Jun- 27- 12_ FP_ 01. indd B2 6/ 26/ 12 9: 02: 56 PM ;