Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 30, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS TUESDAY, JULY 30, 2024 VOL 153 NO 219 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2024 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published six days a week in print and always online at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 CEO / MIKE POWER Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please send them to: editorialconcerns@freepress.mb.ca. 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INSIDE Arts and Life C1 Business B5 Classifieds D8 Comics C5 Diversions C6-7 Horoscope C4 Miss Lonelyhearts C4 Obituaries D7 Opinion A6-7 Sports D1 Television C4 Weather B8 COLUMNISTS: Rochelle Squires A7 Allan Levine A7 Dan Lett B2 READER SERVICE ● GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 CIRCULATION INQUIRIES MISSING OR INCOMPLETE PAPER? Call or email before 10 a.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. Saturday City: 204-697-7001 Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 press 1 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.; 7 a.m. - noon Saturday; Closed Sunday TO SUBSCRIBE: 204-697-7001 Out of Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada “Our ability to lock arm and arm through the s—-t and be stronger for it. We have cried together and rallied for one another and continue to show up daily because we know together what this team are capable of.” It didn’t look good on Sunday when Canada fell behind early to host France, the No. 2 ranked team in the world in a game where only a win would keep them alive. A loss, or even a draw, wasn’t good enough. But then came a furious rally capped by the game-winning goal from Va- nessa Gilles of Quebec with only about 90 seconds left in injury time keeping the dream alive for at least one more game. “It shows our tenacity, our unbeliev- able grit and belief in one another,” said Scott. “This group has been through the worst, day in and day out, and to come out and perform like that — be a con- fident calm in the chaos amongst all the noise surrounding us is something every single Canadian watching should be proud of.” There have been plenty of clutch Canadian performances over the years by the women’s team, but Scott said this one ranks among the biggest ever. “It felt like we had won a knock-out stage game. Essentially it had that kind of pressure,” she said. “But regardless of our circumstanc- es, the game plan was always to go out and fight for the win. It meant so much to this group to go out and prove who we are as a team and Canadians.” Now the only thing standing in Canada’s way is a match with Colom- bia on Wednesday afternoon. Win and they advance to the quarter-final stage despite the fact they’d only have three points in their group. “The daily work to commit to who we are and where we want to go has been inspiring to witness and be a part of,” said Scott. “The journey continues and I couldn’t be any more proud of this squad.” The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer announced Monday they are appealing FIFA’s sanctions (the deduction of points, not the sus- pensions). The Court of Arbitration’s special Olympic court in Paris will hear the matter on Tuesday and is ex- pected to make a decision on Wednes- day, shortly before the crucial game. Scott is hoping for the best, but said the team isn’t counting on help from anyone. Her advice to teammates: focus on what you can control and keep doing your country proud on the pitch. “I am so grateful to be here amongst the group. With my experience, my love for this team and just a sheer desire to help them succeed no matter the role I am in. My voice will be heard, my support will be felt no mat- ter what,” said Scott. The midfielder did not play at all in 2023 due to lengthy rehab of a knee injury which included surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Finally healthy this year, limited playing time and competition from younger players on the national team and her club team, the National Women’s Soccer League’s Kansas City Current, meant taking a step back. However, Scott is more than happy to accept a supporting role, one that has taken on increased importance given the way these Olympics have played out. “It has definitely been challenging at times to adapt to the particular role for this tournament, but I remember I worked hard to be here amongst this group, I’m forever proud to be Cana- dian and represent our country at my fourth Olympics,” she said. “To get here after everything that has happened this year for me, I am just so grateful and relishing every moment.” mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca X: @mikemcintyrewpg MacKenzie thanked Winnipeg restaurant owners for getting on board with the rally, noting many businesses have been crushed by the ongoing retail crime wave. “It’s absolutely about empowering the community,” he said. The event will see motorcycle riders cruise a circuit of nine restaurants to raise money and awareness about the Crime Stoppers program. Participants will receive coupons and a chance to win prizes from participating restau- rants in exchange for donations. While Ramberran is not a member of the Crime Stoppers board, the orga- nization hosts its monthly meetings at the Four Crowns, his restaurant and hotel on McPhillips Street. He was inspired to organize the rally after conversations with his peers in Winnipeg’s hospitality sector, who frequently share advice on how to im- prove security at their businesses and communicate about crimes committed on their premises, he said. “We need to keep bringing this more and more to politicians (and ask them) to do something,” he said. Last month, the provincial govern- ment pledged an additional $1 million to extend an ongoing retail-theft crackdown led by the Winnipeg Police Service. The program, which focuses on crime hot spots in the Exchange District, Osborne Village and the West End, led to nearly 205 arrests between June 8 and July 5, WPS said previously. Arieh Kravets — owner of Second Cup Café in Bridgwater and the Ile Des Chenes Hotel south of Winnipeg — praised the efforts of police and said business owners want to pitch in. “This all has to do with helping out with the crime rate in the city and around the city and we’d love to see that go down. “As restaurant owners, unfortunate- ly, we do encounter it sometimes. It’s something that hurts our business and hurts people around us and makes places that should be fun not so much fun,” he said. Kravets said his hotel has been targeted by both arsonists and thieves in recent years, including an incident in which someone attached a chain to the ATM inside and dragged it outside using a minivan. When Ramberran approached Kravets last month and asked him to take part in the rally, he said it was a no-brainer. “We are there to support any kind of promotion of the good guys.” Riders will depart from the Four Crowns parking lot at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 14. Registration opens an hour earlier. The motorcyclists will stop at five restaurants on Portage Avenue before heading to Grant Avenue and then on to Second Cup on North Town Road in Bridgewater. The next leg of the circuit will take riders to the hotel in Ile Des Chenes, before they return to Four Crowns for a wind-up party and prizes. Registration costs $40 in advance, or $50 for riders who sign up on the day of the event. Participants who raise $100 in charitable donations will ride free, Ramberran said. All of the proceeds will be dedicated to Crime Stoppers, which will use the funds primarily to cover reward pay- ments for tips that lead to arrests or resolutions of crimes, MacKenzie said. tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca “The mandate of Manitoba Hydro is to supply power to meet the needs of Manitobans,” Khan (Fort Whyte) told the Free Press. “This announcement is not doing that.” He said the province is facing a huge demand for energy that’s expected to outstrip supply by 2029. “This NDP has no plan to address that,” he said. “Manitobans need to know where their energy is coming from, that it’s clean, affordable and sustainable.” Khan said MHI’s revenues and prof- its were in decline when the decision was made to shut it down three years ago. In 2020, former Manitoba Hydro CEO Jay Grewal said the subsidiary’s revenue declined by 22 per cent since 2017, with profitability declining by 40 per cent over the same period. Safety and security risks of oper- ating in developing and emerging markets, where MHI conducted a lot of its operations, increased significantly, Grewal said at the time. “They cannot compete in a market that’s so crowded and solely dedicated to this type of service,” Khan said Monday. “Sure they missed out on bidding on dozens of jobs, but bidding on dozens of jobs doesn’t mean you’re going to get dozens of jobs.” An academic who studies Canada’s Crown corporations said reviving MHI is “a great idea” for a public utility swimming in red ink with a $24.6-bil- lion debt, growing demand and aging infrastructure in need of massive upgrades. “Hydro is in a real jam here,” Uni- versity of Winnipeg political science professor Malcolm Bird said. “We need to be leveraging our skills.” Manitoba Hydro needs all the rev- enue it can get and should be taking advantage of its wealth of expertise and sharing it with the world, includ- ing the lessons it has learned the hard way from Indigenous people, Bird said. “We talk a lot about the green tran- sition and being green and blah, blah, blah but we don’t do a lot to help other developing nations get there and we have a lot to contribute. “Large-scale hydro is, hands down, the most effective way to produce electricity.” The latest chapter in the MHI story shows how successive provincial governments in Manitoba meddle with Crown corporations, which Bird said should be run as corporations by ex- perts not driven by political ideology. “When the governments change, the boards get booted and new boards get appointed,” Bird said. “That doesn’t happen in other prov- inces or at the federal government, it’s quite unique to Manitoba. “And I would say, overall, it is prob- lematic and both (parties) do it.” — with files from Erik Pindera carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca CRIME ● FROM A2 HYDRO ● FROM A2 SCOTT ● FROM A2 RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Hydro potentially lost out on some 30 global contracts worth ‘tens of millions of dollars’ since Manitoba Hydro International was sidelined, says Ben Graham (right), the utility’s board chair. Listening to him speak Monday was Finance Minister Adrien Sala (left). MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Ravi Ramberran — owner of Four Crowns Inn, Dreamland Diner, St. James Burger and the Stagger Inn — is organizing a motorcycle rally to generate support for Winnipeg Crime Stoppers. KANSAS CITY CURRENT Desiree Scott: ‘The journey continues and I couldn’t be any more proud of this squad.’ ;