Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 30, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba SERVING MANITOBA SINCE 1872. FOREVER WITH YOUR SUPPORT. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2024 TODAY’S WEATHER SUNNY. HIGH 32 — LOW 21 CITY TREATMENT FOR WOMAN WITH ANOREXIA / B1 CHRISTINNE MUSCHI / THE CANADIAN PRESSNATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS GOLDEN MOMENTS Summer McIntosh (left), of Canada, waves to supporters after winning gold in the 400-metre individual medley swimming finals at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, in Nanterre, France. Canada’s Christa Deguchi (right) smiles as she shows her gold medal after her win in the women’s under-57 kg judo in Paris / D3 ‘This will bring in another source of revenue to keep rates low’, minister says Hydro revives global energy consulting arm T HE NDP government and its new Manitoba Hydro board are reviving the Crown corporation’s global consulting arm in an effort to boost revenues and lower electricity rates three years after it was un- plugged by the Progressive Conserv- atives. “This will bring in another source of revenue to keep rates low,” Finance Minister Adrien Sala, who is in charge of Hydro, said Monday. In 2021, when the PCs were in power, the utility announced it would wind down Manitoba Hydro International, a subsidiary providing global energy consulting and management services. The Crown corporation said it could then focus on its core operations rather than compete with international con- sulting firms. “They hiked hydro rates on Manito- bans and they got rid of MHI, resulting in a loss of revenue that used to help keep rates low,” Sala said Monday at Manitoba Hydro’s headquarters. “This will help lower costs for families, it will keep hydro public and it will result in our expertise being shared around the world.” Hydro potentially lost out on some 30 global contracts worth “tens of millions of dollars” since MHI was sidelined, said Ben Graham, the utili- ty’s board chair. “Every dollar earned from interna- tional clients is a dollar that goes di- rectly towards reliable and affordable energy for everyone in this province,” he said, adding the subsidiary deliv- ered net income of between $6 million and $8 million, on average, over a period of 20 years. Tapping back into that revenue stream “isn’t going to be an overnight thing” and positive returns aren’t ex- pected for four to five years, said the president and CEO of Manitoba Blue Cross. MHI is expected to be up and run- ning right away, he said. Close to half of the 150 MHI staff remained with Manitoba Hydro, Sala noted. Graham said he expects up to 20 more employees may be hired. The announcement drew a harsh reaction from Manitoba’s Tories. PC hydro critic Obby Khan called Monday’s news “smoke and mirrors” to distract from the NDP’s failed promise to cut hydro rates and improve afford- ability. CAROL SANDERS Crime-weary restaurateurs take steps to ID criminals TYLER SEARLE WINNIPEG restaurant owners fed up with theft and vandalism are taking matters into their own hands, partner- ing with a well-known organization to help identify and catch people commit- ting crimes. “We are kind of just fighting for our city,” said restaurateur Ravi Ramber- ran, who is calling on the public to step forward amid a rash of retail crimes. Ramberran — owner of Four Crowns Inn, Dreamland Diner, St. James Burg- er and the Stagger Inn — is organizing a motorcycle rally to generate support for Winnipeg Crime Stoppers. He hopes the Motorcycle Ride for Crime, set to take place in Septem- ber, will become an annual event that spreads awareness for the charity, which accepts anonymous tips from the public in exchange for cash re- wards. “The whole premise behind Crime Stoppers is generally people are good people but they just don’t want to get caught up in legal court cases or get caught up in bad people not liking them, so they tend not to say any- thing,” Ramberran said. “If your neighbour is selling drugs, you can definitely call Crime Stoppers and they will never know it came from you… If people knew they had this resource available, I think a lot more crimes — and not just petty crimes, but real crimes as well — would be solved.” Since its inception in 1984, Winnipeg Crime Stoppers has fielded more than 154,000 tips and helped resolve approx- imately 14,500 criminal investigations in the city. It is a registered charity that operates independently of police. As of April, the organization has crowd-sourced information from the public leading to 46 homicide arrests, more than 15,000 charges and the recovery of nearly $50 million worth of stolen property. “For every crime there is somebody out there who knows something about it,” said Robert MacKenzie, chairman of the Winnipeg Crime Stop- pers board. “The community (is) the eyes and ears and… tips are absolutely par- amount to providing direction and enabling investigations to proceed forward.” Scott a calming voice amid Paris soccer storm THEY are surrounded by scandal, fuelled by anger and determined to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds on the world’s biggest sporting stage. And in the middle of it all is Desiree Scott, the Winnipegger who only got her ticket to Paris at the last minute and now finds herself playing a key behind-the-scenes role with the Cana- dian women’s soccer team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. “I believe that things happen for a reason and in a sense I was meant to be here amongst the storm,” Scott told the Free Press on Monday from France. To say emotions are high right now would be an understatement. And that’s where the 36-year-old Scott — originally left off the roster but added as an alternate because of an injury to a teammate — is trying to provide an assist to plenty of younger players who have been riding a roller-coaster in recent days. “This had truly knocked us down but what’s beautiful about this group is our connection,” said Scott, who captured a gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 and bronze souvenirs from 2016 in Rio and 2012 in London. “There are so many leaders on this team, but I feel naturally I can bring a sense of calm and just familiarity to the group in a time of unknown as well as just a lightheartedness to what can seem really daunting.” First came the shock of learning that a Canadian team staffer was caught using a drone to spy on New Zealand team practices before the start of competition, which made headlines around the world and led to multiple investigations. Then came the revelation from TSN’s investigative reporter Rick Westhead that this illegal practice was not just a one-time affair but dates back several years and also extends to the men’s program, which did not qualify for the Olympics. Following a 2-1 victory over New Zealand in Saint-Étienne last Thurs - day, the hammer dropped when FIFA ruled six points would be deducted from Canada in the Olympic tourna- ment, and three coaches, including head coach Bev Priestman, would be sent home and banned from competi- tion for a year. This, despite the fact the players themselves insist they had no clue about the shady surveillance tactics which were intended to try and gain a tactical advantage from high above. “I do not agree with the consequenc- es at all,” said Scott. “I think it is severe punishment for players who had no control over the matter.” Many speculated this was a fatal wound for the Canadian squad, with the equivalent of two wins taken away. Considering they only play three round-robin games, with just two of the four teams in their pool advancing, the deck was quickly stacked against them. Scott said the group vowed to mute the outside noise as much as possible and use this as a rallying point. An “us against the world” type mentality, if you will. “Unfortunately, we have always had to fight or prove something as a soccer nation and team and we are no strang- er to adversity,” she said. MIKE MCINTYRE ● SCOTT, CONTINUED ON A2 ● CRIME, CONTINUED ON A2 ● HYDRO, CONTINUED ON A2 ● OLYMPIC COVERAGE ON D1, 3, 5 ;