Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 19, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A7 Winnipeg Free Press Wednesday, February 19, 2014 A 7 POLL �� TODAY'S QUESTION Is the province issuing too many specialty licence plates? �� Vote online at winnipegfreepress. com �� PREVIOUS QUESTION How did you spend Louis Riel Day? TOTAL RESPONSES 6,822 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 VOL 142 NO 99 2014 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published seven days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204- 697- 7000 BOB COX / Publisher PAUL SAMYN / Editor WFP JULIE CARL / Deputy Editor SCAN TO VOTE ON TODAY'S QUESTION A HIGHLIGHT of a Winnipeg winter is underway with the famous Festival du Voyageur celebrating its 45th year. Thousands of Manitobans look forward to the annual event, including many local business owners who enjoy a boost in sales as we recognize our furtrading heritage. A 2011 study found Festival generates $ 12 million in grosseconomic activity over its 10- day run. The considerable economic impact of festivals has long been recognized. These exciting events frequently provide new markets of visitors who spend hundreds of dollars per day on items such as food, lodging and souvenirs. In rural areas in particular, a popular festival can diversify the economy, with vendors, crafts people, restaurateurs and hoteliers making a significant portion of their yearly income in just one week or weekend. These celebrations also generate significant social benefits, in large part because this is exactly what they are - celebrations. They publicly showcase or fete a particular aspect of the community with locals and guests. In so doing, they foster a sense of togetherness and pride. Yet, perhaps one of the most intriguing advantages of festivals is they frequently give new life to natural or historic spaces. Undoubtedly, many Winnipeggers feel an affinity for the fur trade thanks to their time spent at the historic Fort Gibraltar during Festival du Voyageur. Meanwhile, the biggest event at Birds Hill Provincial Park is the Winnipeg Folk Festival. And most Winnipeggers would likely agree the stately Exchange District National Historic Site truly comes to life during the two weeks of the enormously popular Winnipeg Fringe. This phenomenon is worthy of note, considering the fact the managing bodies of various historic sites across the country are struggling to remain relevant to Canadians in order to boost falling visitor numbers. Finding ways to blend music and cultural celebrations into their current slate of offerings could be just what is needed to convince younger citizens, especially, to explore what they have to offer. Interestingly, Parks Canada did exactly that last year when it partnered with CBCMusic to bring the " Quietest. Concert. Ever." to Banff National Park. The rock show, featuring the band Hedley, was set in the breathtaking Cascade Gardens. What made the production particularly noteworthy was the lack of a PA system; the only way the music could be heard was through headphones. This innovative approach delivered a unique and intimate musical experience, while helping fans explore one of the country's best national parks. Here in Manitoba, are there opportunities for greater collaboration between historic sites or parks and festivals? Perhaps the province's other major fur trade post, Lower Fort Garry, could welcome a major musical gathering in the summer. The national historic site is one of the most picturesque venues in Western Canada, with gorgeous stone buildings dating back to the 1830s. Already, the managers of the lower fort seem to recognize the appeal of hosting non- traditional events: Last October, they offered a very popular ghost walk, complete with a historic tavern serving Fort Garry ale and hot chocolate with Bailey's. Playing host to a music festival where participants spend a summer evening lounging on the lawn beside the Red River, enjoying Manitoba food and drink and listening to some great local talent, could similarly make for a cool attraction. This is just one example, but managers of historic or natural attractions across the province should consider something similar. By offering events boasting music, food, activities and local culture, historic sites could provide the authentic experiences festival- goers crave. Meanwhile, encouraging Manitobans to get out and explore their own province through appealing events could engender a connection to, and pride in, our history. Besides bringing in revenue, these events would give new meaning to special natural and historical places while strengthening communities' sense of self. With festival tourism remaining one of the fastest- growing sectors of the tourist industry, it would be realistic to think there is the potential for other sites to someday become as famous and beloved as Fort Gibraltar, thanks to their own major annual event. Benjamin Gillies is a political economy graduate from the University of Manitoba, where he focused on urban development and energy policy. He works as a consultant in Winnipeg. P ALM SPRINGS, Calif. - In the midst of a multi- year drought, California could use a few feet and more of that high drift of snow that now blocks your view as you approach an intersection. With a population of 38 million and a huge agricultural industry requiring massive amounts of water every year, the cycles of nature bring painful realization too slowly into the conscientiousness of the populace and its political leaders. Manitoba also experiences wide weather fluctuations. Some years bring floods, other years too little water. Climatologists say we should expect increased weather variability in the future, bringing both years of higher than normal temperatures and precipitation and others of too much cold and too little water. We need to act now to prepare for the next drought. My wife and I spend a few months each year in Palm Springs, where the sun shines warmly at least 350 days each year. The rain clouds are stopped by the mountains that ring the Coachella Valley. Rainy days are few and far between. With the southwestern drought now into its third year, changes aimed at reducing water usage are increasingly being discussed. Unfortunately, while the discussions are wide- ranging the changes have, at least so far, been far too modest. Our condo development is cutting back on grass in favour of rocks and sand, and is installing better in- ground sprinkler heads. Still, none of the units in our development have water meters, so much for affecting consumption through higher water bills. The summer and fall of 2013 brought wildfires and mudslides perilously close to Palm Springs, one fire came within a mile of our condo, the mudslide that followed went straight through the golf course beside our development. Mudslides occur after fires destroy the trees that hold soil in place. Palm Springs was once the playground of the Hollywood elite, and has hosted every American president back to Eisenhower. Now, while celebrities still come, their numbers are " drowned" out by the tens of thousands of snowbirds who descend upon the Coachella Valley each year. Ninety years ago, the members of an aboriginal tribe were the predominant residents. While they are still here, there are almost 400,000 others putting pressure on what was once an abundance of water. The cities of the valley host hundreds of golf courses and every hotel and condo development offers multiple swimming pools. The infrastructure of the water supply is largely paid for by state and federal grants, most of the rest by municipal property taxes. So far, consumers, residential and commercial, only pay for the treatment and distribution of water. An aquifer provides much of the valley's water, the subject of a recent court challenge by the Indian tribe which claims ownership - if the tribe wins, water wars of the financial kind will explode. The rest of the valley's water comes from the Colorado River, which is used by a number of upriver states. So much water is taken from the river that it doesn't make it to the ocean anymore. With the United States and Canada reliant on California's abundant produce industry, it is not only the farmers who want to keep the desert blooming. Now, with the industry at risk from the drought, the pressure is on California legislators. The Republicans want desalinization plants, such as you find in Israel, another parched land. The Democrats fret over the risk desalinization poses for plankton, and seek better water storage and aqueducts. There is too little talk about increasing water efficiency and driving up the bills to better represent the true cost of the water supply. But, these discussions will come. Manitoba's last drought occurred from late 2002 to the spring of 2004, cutting hydro- electric generation about 40 per cent. Hydro bought out export commitments, ran its coal and singlecycle gas plants and imported power to meet its power needs. The utility lost $ 436 million and PUB upped rates by 9.5 per cent to allow Hydro to recover. We are overdue for another drought. And, in our history there have been droughts much worse than 2002- 2004. Between 1928 and 1942, Manitoba experienced 12 years of drought. Can you imagine the implications for our economy, let alone our monopoly utility and its ratepayers if a long drought reoccurred? Hydro has shut down its coal plant and its single- cycle gas turbines are uneconomic. As for importing power, most of it would be expensive and comes from coal- fired generation. We, just like California, need to get ahead of the next drought. Unlike California, which does these things already, we need to implement much more aggressive energy efficiency measures. As well, we need diversity of supply. Betting on hydro- electric power alone simply makes no sense. Graham Lane is a retired chartered accountant. From 2002 to 2004, he was the chairman of the Public Utilities Board. A MID the medal counts, terror threats and suspect speedskating suits lies the notion the Olympics make the world a better place. The goal of " Olympism," says the Olympic Charter, is to " contribute to building a peaceful and better world." Who could argue? But what does ski jumping have to do with a better world? How is a fist- pumping, adulated athlete at the bottom of a snowy half pipe contributing to peace? How would " owning the podium" help the world? And is Olympism even a word? It is, and it's part of a long- standing effort to tap the Olympic brand into a quasi- transcendent sort of global feel- good- ism, the notion that at the heart of the games lies an inherent nobility of character. " We want to use the power of our values and symbols to promote the positive, peaceful development of global society," said International Olympic Committee ( IOC) President Thomas Bach at the United Nations ( UN) last November. Bach spoke about the Olympic " ideal," " movement," and " spirit," in addition to the " sacred... Olympic truce," an apparently spiritual UN formality that invokes the ancient Greek tradition whereby the kings of three city states temporarily called off hostilities in favour of sport. Lofty stuff. I guess Don Cherry will never be an IOC spokesman. To be fair, the pageantry of nations gathered in a festive spirit creates good vibes in the global village. Humanity smiles. For a couple weeks, the world is aglow with goodwill. There is some value in this, but Olympism's quasi- spiritual model of global betterment and international togetherness lends itself better to spectacle than scrutiny. Any sense of togetherness or egalitarianism at the 2012 London Games, for instance, certainly did not apply to the podium. Only 85 of the 204 countries with Olympic committees won medals. Australia, with a population of 23 million, won more medals than Africa. Canada took home twice as much hardware as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria combined, countries home to over a quarter of humanity. The winter games are even more club- ish. Ninety percent of the medals went to nine percent of the world's nations at the 2010 Vancouver games. Only an eighth of the world's countries even showed up. If we look at what Olympism has yielded for some of the countries most in need of peace and goodwill, the picture is even less inclusive. Afghanistan has two bronze medals to its credit - ever. Sudan, one silver. Democratic Republic of Congo, zilch. Haiti has been shut out since 1928. What does Olympism mean for them? It's not the IOC's job to rectify that, but it is their job to be honest. Their hyped- up global goodwill brand betrays a reality that would be more accurately described as an elite recreational entertainment event with a golden dream sub- plot and advertising bonanza tacked on. This reality yields two Olympic narratives that are about as digestible as the global betterment theme. One is, " try hard, believe in your dreams, don't give up and your dreams will turn golden." This may be true for the infinitesimal fraction of human beings who end up on an Olympic podium. But by the very nature of the Olympics, it will not be true for the vast majority of us. Winners require losers. Our Olympic dreams will not come true. Sorry son. The reason the Haitian earthquake orphan will not make it to the Olympics is probably not because she doesn't believe staunchly enough in her dreams. A more accurate rendering of the Olympicdream narrative would be that a highly select number of people who demonstrate remarkable perseverance and dedicate a lot of time to sport- at the expense of family or causes greater than luge - were able to beat some other people who also tried very hard and sacrificed balanced lives. Neither version has much to do with global well being, though they can make for highly marketable vignettes. The coach who gave an opponent a replacement ski and the skater who gave his spot to a teammate both showed inspiring sportsmanship, but it's not like they devoted their lives to help Haitian earthquake victims. Another Olympic narrative is, " buy stuff." It's not hard to understand why Olympic promoters want to present the games as something more than just people hurtling down hills and rocks sliding on bumpy ice. As the Olympic website says, the games are " one of the most effective international marketing platforms in the world." That is due largely to an ingenious Olympic brand that is about much more than sport. Coca- Cola, McDonald's and General Electric spend big bucks to nuzzle their brands up to the Olympic one. Forget the fact General Electric is a major arms manufacturer - sacred truce? And the Big Mac hardly seems like a symbol of global well being;. The IOC considers these and other sponsors, " an intrinsic part of the Olympic family." That familial embrace is more than some of the most ravaged and populated countries receive. Like much of life, the Olympics are laden with contradiction. They are a symbol of togetherness and competitive elitism. In order to address these contradictions the IOC should either put values ahead of hype, or, more realistically, drop the pseudo- transcendent ideals and stop pretending that the Games are more than just that, games. I'm not against sport - I love watching and playing sports. I just don't believe in Olympism. Will Braun is a writer from Morden. A version of this article first appeared in Canadian Mennonite magazine. BENJAMIN GILLIES Festival: Let's spread the spirit around By Will Braun Olympism? Then call me an atheist When the heavens don't open GRAHAM LANE MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES The cracked- dry bed of the Almaden Reservoir is seen on Friday, Feb. 7 in San Jose, Calif. At Festival du Voyageur 4% Watching the Olympics 25% Cultural or arts activities 1% Outdoor winter activities 15% With loved ones 30% At work 12% Celebrating Louis Riel 3% Decrying Louis Riel 11% A_ 07_ Feb- 19- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A7 2/ 18/ 14 7: 07: 49 PM ;