What’s Not On Winnipeg

The Winnipeg Free Press is proudly trumpeting its newest web site – What’s On Winnipeg. Having perused it, I am having difficulty establishing what the site is attempting to achieve. The ads would suggest that this is the ‘Peg’s hottest new social calendar – one can quickly and conveniently find all of the city’s happenings and goings-on.

There is a disconnect between what the ads purport the site to be about and what content actually can be found online. For example, one would erroneously assume that the Food & Drink section is about the plethora of amazing restaurants that grace our city and outlying areas. The lead story in this section oddly features suggestions on how to fill out your spice rack. How this helps me come up with new restaurant ideas is beyond me.

What’s On also reads more like a newspaper than a website. The movies section does give you a list of the week’s top films but only if you go to the pains of scrolling down to find it. Forest Whitaker fans, however, will rejoice in the fact that his picture currently takes up almost the whole initial load screen. The lazier surfers among us will think they happened upon a pictorial gallery.

With all of the fanfare surrounding Winnipeg’s newest social website, I was expecting the second coming of My Winnipeg (before MTS meddling effectively killed its appeal). What we have instead is a newspaper’s version of the social calendar – long on content, short on convenience. What’s On is essentially the Winnipeg Free Press’ online site with prettier pictures and slower loading times.

While the folks at Where Winnipeg must have been a bit worried pre-launch, I can’t help but think they are breathing a little easier these days…



Motivational Tunes:
David Bowie – Look Back in Anger
Blue Man Group – Opening Mandelbrot
Nine Inch Nails – Ruiner (rejected trance mix)

An OllyOopps Straight Into the Lunatic Fringe

A political candidate has no better ally than single-issue voters. These people will cast their ballots not on the candidate’s overall platform but solely on one issue. The single issue voter tends to be a bit irrational – usually a right-winger voting on some moral question or some leftie voting on a societal problem. I guess we now can add OlyOpps voting on the Olywest project - OlyOpps has decided to throw their support behind Marianne Cerilli in the upcoming civic election.

While proponents on both sides have made their fair share of suboptimal choices (let’s not forget Olywest’s stacking the deck in the visitor’s gallery at City Hall), I can’t help but think that OlyOpps has taken the rabid rhetoric to dizzying new heights. As a fellow businessperson, I cannot even begin to comprehend their latest missive. OlyOpps is throwing their support behind a decidedly anti-business candidate instead of rationally pleading their case to the Clean Environment Commission.

Should Olywest simply get a red-carpet welcome prior to setting up shop in our fair city? Absolutely not – tough questions should be asked and answered to everyone’s satisfaction, although the tone of the discourse thus far suggests that perhaps addressing the majority’s concerns is the best we can hope for. Let’s make use of the appropriate channels for raising those tough questions. I’m sure the businesses flying the OlyOpps flag would conversely appreciate the courtesy of due process the next time THEY take on a contentious business endeavour.

When pondering OlyOpps latest antics, somehow a cliché about cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face readily comes to mind…

And Now for Something Completely Different

I feel sorry for today’s kids that are fans of the hard rock genre. The 60’s ushered in the likes of the Beatles, The Who and the Stones. The 70’s were heady days for Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Kiss and Black Sabbath. The 80’s saw the rise of Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Van Halen and Ozzy’s best solo work. The 90’s brought us Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails.

The decades-long continuity of formidable talent has been broken. If there was indeed a Y2K problem, it is that it brought about the likes of Good Charlotte. For the blessedly uninitiated, Good Charlotte are a bunch of “snot rockers” that are a dystopian mix of the look of Trent Reznor and the sound of Sesame Street’s Elmo. Not to be outdone, CanCon A&R folks jumped into the fray with Simple Plan. With an album title like “No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls”, their emasculated sound is a curious dichotomy when paired with their tough “punk guy” imagery. The lead guitarist’s last name of Stinco aptly manages to simultaneously describe both him and his band.

So to all those young rockers, I feel for you. It’s no wonder nobody wants to buy CD’s when all they have is some dastardly fusion of heavy metal/punk and the boy band. Maybe that’s why rap is so popular nowadays…



Motivational Tunes:
Die Krupps – Who Made Who
Bruce Dickinson – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
W.A.S.P. – Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
Harvey Danger – Flagpole Sitta

Deconstructing Neville

Seeing as I have spent the past few posts on the offensive, I thought I would mix things up by raving about Allen Mills’ piece in yesterday’s Free Press. Mills brilliantly refutes some of William Neville’s fear-mongering (once again trotting out the tired anyone-who-respects-America-is-an-evil-Bush-puppet rhetoric) opinion piece on Michael Ignatieff. This includes:

‘Above all, Bill, what I see in particular in Ignatieff and what you overlook is someone who believes that the dilemmas confronting the world will not be resolved without the United States. The Americans were crucial to winning the war against fascism and the Cold War as well. This view is not about his "enthrallment" to the United States but is an important element in a multi-faceted approach to global affairs. It is at least a sensible deduction about Canada's and the West's strategic position at this moment in history.
So Ignatieff, rightly, refuses to align with the visceral anti-Americanism in Canada that masquerades as Canadian values and which, I think, now informs so much of your own worldview. As he puts it: "Anti-Americanism is the patriotism of fools."
He is correct in this.’

While the prospect of Ignatieff leading the Liberals no doubt would cause the federal Conservatives untold amounts of consternation, I think it would ameliorate the checks and balances in the current Parliament. Iggy’s “tell it like I see it” approach is refreshing reprieve from the banal banter of the Dions and Brisons, great stock tips aside.

I think the fervour with which some Canadians engage in the sport of America bashing reflects poorly on us all. The USA is our largest trading partner and we have enjoyed countless decades of good working relations. While we may not agree with every action of George Bush (I for one bemoan the protectionists that seem to have his ear), the more outspoken detractors best be reminded of Bush’s current approval ratings when decrying all things American.

To the Nevilles and all that espouse his brand of rabid anti-Americanism – what brand of jeans are you wearing, what TV station did you watch last night, what movie are you planning on seeing this weekend, which CD did you just buy, which operating software powers your computer, and which fast food outlet did you eat at in the past two weeks? Way to assert your Canadian identity by taking cheap shots at our neighbours!

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Although I think Stephen Harper has done a good job thus far, I couldn’t help but mention the following. As any reader of Krista’s blog knows, the P&UW household is one of those thieving beer and popcorn cheats that receives the Canada Child Tax Benefit. We just received a request to participate in a survey and we elected to do so. The only problem is the 1-800 number they give you should actually be a 1-866 number. It is also inordinately difficult to get information on the correct number – you get a Not In Service message from a 240 area code – i.e. NOT FROM CANADA – which forced us to try ALL of the permutations of the toll free numbers until we were successful. Mr. Harper – let’s lose the “Canada’s New Government” sloganeering and focus on getting the important things right in any correspondence to Canadians - like a proper phone number. You’ll be one step closer to a guaranteed majority that way…

Taking a ‘Principled’ Stance by Supporting All Sides of an Issue

Seeing as Andy Fletcher has been doing a bang-up job critiquing our current governing regime, I didn’t ante up a post commenting on the NDP’s handling of the smoking ban as it pertains to native reserves. Many pundits saw this as a pitiful attempt to appease all parties involved without seeking active resolution of the issue. Unfortunately, Mr. Doer is loathe to realize that being in government sometimes means you must, well, govern.

Judging from the Blackberry Addicts’ latest post, playing to everyone and taking a stance on nothing seems to be the new NDP norm in the runup to the forthcoming provincial election. You see, the BBA’s support the mission in Afghanistan but draw scary Harper-as-Bush-war-monger analogies at the same time. They are trying to portray themselves as moderates to the more Liberal minded Manitobans while simultaneously trying to save face with the more “grassroots” NDP crowd:

‘O'Connor's statement shows how much affinity the Conservatives may really have for wacko Republican agendas, like foreign policy.And besides the disgusting suggestion that anyone who questions our Afghan mission is enabling terrorism (or indeed, perhaps is some sort of closet terrorist), O'Connor should read the polls.’

Given that line of reasoning, the BBA folks must be aghast that our own beloved Rick Mercer, Canada’s master of moderation, has turned into a Republican of Rush Limbaugh proportions:

‘Speaking of the short bus I see that Jack Layton has distinguished himself on the international front by coming up with a solution for the Afghanistan situation. Jack is calling for peace talks with the Taliban. About time the NDP get back to their more loony roots. For a while there they were coming off all semi-sensible.’

In closing, the BBA’s sign off with this piece of advice for Gordon O’Connor:

‘Take care, sir.’

If the NDP are going to make a habit out of playing to everyone and appeasing no one, I suggest they heed their own words of wisdom. Even the most malleable of objects, including swing voters whose lack of political convictions allow them to change their votes with the efficacy of changing clothes, have their breaking point…


Motivational Tunes:
Alcatrazz – God Blessed Video
Ministry – Revenge
China Crisis – Working With Fire & Steel
(a decidedly 80’s vibe)

The Quest for Apolitical Political Journalism

Reading Paul Samyn’s blog increases my respect for…. Curtis Brown. While I get the sense that Curtis has Liberal leanings, he is always quick to point out the follies of any political party. He conversely has no qualms about congratulating the opposing team on a game well played.

I just don’t derive that same sense of apolitical insight out of Samyn’s musings. When reading his articles or blog, I envision a person that gets every bit as excited at the mere utterance of the word “Liberal” as my dog does when my wife or I mention the word “W-A-L-K” (even in print, I am loathe to string those letters too close together for fear of the havoc it may well create). When he occasionally concedes that Harper has the upper hand, it strikes me as more of a lament than an observation.

Perhaps my impression is tainted by the likes of comments from posters like IMHO who assert on The Paper Boy blog:
'1. Steven Harper once again proves he’s an idiot by stating “the gun registry would not prevent this kind of occurrence”.
Exactly WHAT would “prevent” this kind of occurence 100% of the time Mr. Harper? I’m sure everyone would like to know so we can stop all the murders in the world.
The fact that Bill Graham didn’t clue in and challenge Harper on this idiotic statement is almost as disappointing as having this embarrassment as PM.
Unfortunately we’re stuck with this Bush-puppet until the other viable party gets its act together and stops floundering around.'

As an agnostic social Liberal and fiscal Conservative, rest assured I do not see eye to eye with Harper on every issue. However, calling Harper a Bush-puppet and/or an idiot is a bit simplistic and extreme. I’m not suggesting that Samyn is frothing at the mouth like IMHO but it does give you some indication of the audience that is receptive to Samyn’s work and feels emboldened to debase the conversation after perusing his underlying article.

In his Free Press article today, Samyn states:
‘The Afghanistan question is a tricky one for the Liberals, who committed Canadians to the mission when they were in power and are now are in the midst of a leadership race that has revealed a deep divide within the party.
But interim Liberal leader Bill Graham left no doubt that the mission today is far different than the one he envisaged when he was defence minister.
"It is a much more challenging mission than originally thought," Graham said.’

If Graham is indeed truly surprised at the mission, then he must be oblivious and/or inept. Prior to Canada assuming the reigns of the Afghan mission, one of the members of Canada’s finest indicated to me that the upcoming months would lead to increased casualties and negative public perception. If this was the view at a grassroots level, were the top brass (with Graham at the apex) so oblivious as not to see what lower level soldiers knew prior to Harper getting the top spot? Samyn by transitivity either happily tows the Liberal party line or else blindingly accepts whatever Graham spoonfeeds him. Either option is unbecoming of a political reporter.

Reading Samyn leaves me less with an inkling of what’s going on Ottawa and more with the impression that Paul is counting down the days until the Liberal machinery is reinstated in its rightful place as stewards of our country. As Samyn is articulate and intelligent, I hold out hope that my opinions change as he continues down his path on the blogosphere. After all, he did eventually soften his stance on the PPG/Harper row….

Class Warfare – the Grocery Store Front?

Can anyone explain why the Sobey’s “School is Cool” program is available at grocery stores in the south end of the city but not in the north end?

One of the north end stores I visit used to have the program but it has unceremoniously disappeared…

Putting the ‘C’ Back Into the CBC

Today’s National Post article on the CBC raises some interesting questions that all Canadians should be asking and attempting to answer. In this digital age of information glut, what is the role of our venerated and simultaneously derided public broadcaster?

I for one would support a radical overhaul of the CBC. If the mandate of a public channel is to broadcast Canadian culture, the current lineup of American movies and syndicated TV shows is a poor way to go about it. The People’s Network costs each and every Canadian approximately $33.33 per year. This may be a small price to pay for Canadian content but this money could be better spent than by buying NBC, ABC, or CBS’s used programming. Putting Canadian tax revenues into American bank accounts strikes me as an intuitively flawed strategy vis-à-vis promulgating Canadian culture.

The current crop of American content should be scrapped in favour of Canadian movies, music videos and short films. I’m sure there are lots of Canadian artists that would give the network broadcast rights for the mere opportunity to showcase their wares.

Judging by the bidding war expected to surface for Hockey Night In Canada, the CBC should focus on grassroots level sports not given adequate coverage in other media. This could include university-level hockey, football, volleyball, etc. Local channels could broadcast high school sports championships. I am always amazed at how vociferously the Americans support their grassroots-level athletes as compared to their Canadian counterparts. One need only look at the attendance of a Notre Dame vs. University of Manitoba football game - population disparities alone do not explain the attendance differentials.

News reporting is the cornerstone of the CBC. I would accordingly adopt a zero tolerance policy on the antics of such ‘reporters’ as Christina Lawand. Although some bias may be the inevitable consequence of human involvement in the journalistic field, every attempt should be made to be as politically impartial as possible. Whatever Rick Mercer’s leanings may be, he is always adept at blasting all parties of all political stripes. The National would be well advised to learn from his talent.

Funding for the CBC should be split between government funding and pledge drives. The latter would make the network accountable to viewers for the quality of their programming.

When I look back on the decades of memories provided to me via the CBC, it is the shows like Mr. Dressup, Wayne & Shuster, Hockey Night In Canada, This Hour Has 22 Minutes (during their Mercer heyday), Just for Laughs and Kids in the Hall that come to mind. Let’s not make Hollywood movies and American reruns our cultural gift to our children in helping them to assert their Canadian identities…



Motivational Tunes:
KMFDM – Megalomaniac
The Panic Channel – Teahouse of the Spirits
Sloan – Money City Maniacs

Winnipeg Through the Eyes of a Tourist

The ability to view the world with a fresh perspective is the rarest of opportunities. Over the past few days, a visit from an out of town friend has given me a glimpse into a newcomer’s view of our fair city.

Here are some of the impressions of the Proud and Unapologetic Non-Winnipegger:

1) Winnipeg has a veritable treasure trove of turn of the century buildings. These buildings capture a nostalgic moment in time not readily found in other Canadian cities. Notable locations include the Paris Building, the Legislature, and many other downtown locales.

2) The Canad Inns Stadium is a fun place to be, especially during the Banjo Bowl. Given the countless decades of Blue Bomber history lingering from every yellow rafter, why the rush for a new stadium?

3) Winnipeg is a big city that doesn’t have the harried big city feel. The city’s abundant green spaces further instill the sense of serenity one feels while visiting here.

4) There are a lot of traffic lights on Winnipeg’s streets. Street lights aren’t bad things but not having them timed to allow for the efficient flow of traffic is.

Today being the fifth anniversary of 9/11, one can’t help but reflect on this solemn occasion. Visiting the World Trade Center in 1998 was like a pilgrimage for me. After all it was the financial nerve centre of North America, if not the world. If you would have told me, a starry-eyed recent business school grad that thousands of people would later die on the very spot I was standing, I would have called you a lunatic. Along with those who lost family, friends or colleagues in the attack, those of us idealistic enough to hope global commerce is the key to the eradication of worldwide poverty were dealt a body blow five years ago today. While Americans may have suffered more than any other nation, in this era of globalization, we all felt a profound sense of loss.

I hope all who attempt to usurp the global village suffer the same fate as those who attempted to thwart the power of the written word by destroying Gutenberg’s printing presses. May progress continue to empower, enrich and free people with the advance of time, and may those who attempt to impede it toil away in vain.

Tread Carefully Trudy

My previous post on land taxation brought on interesting dialogue in the comments section. While I concede that the anonymous poster may have valid points when it comes to economic disincentives to putting up a deck or fence, this logic does not apply in a commercial context where taxation is predicated on the earning power of the asset in question.

Using the anonymous poster’s comparison of a 40 storey building ‘unfairly’ shouldering a greater tax burden than a vacant land parcel, I asked (to no current reply just yet) whether it would be fair to redistribute the tax burden using the following scenario – if the office tower was paying $3 million in taxes and the vacant land parcel paid $100,000, would the equitable pecuniary outcome be assessing BOTH parties a tax bill of $1.55 million?

As we are mulling this over, I would like to raise a few points:

1) At the risk of belabouring this point to death – why is vacant downtown land not a problem in New York, London, or Hong Kong? Should we not be striving to foster similar economic prosperity instead of expending our intellectual resources on taxation shell games?

2) A land value tax would INCREASE the risk profile of any new construction developments. Instead of waiting for development conditions to be right prior to development, developers would now also have to bear in mind that carrying any new land acquisitions could theoretically increase bankruptcy risk via prohibitive carrying costs. I ask readers to don their finest banker’s hats and ask themselves if they would be more or less willing to finance a project under this scenario.

3) Barriers to entry will increase. Many smaller (and LOCAL) investors are able, with a bit of stretching, to carry a property based on a lower tax burden for unimproved land. Increase the tax burden and the effect will be to increase Big Business’ presence in the market. Deep pockets are not the norm for small investors. So Mary Agnes, suburban soccer moms are not the only one who may experience a downside – surely your political leanings wouldn’t include encouraging and abetting the proliferation of multinationals into the Winnipeg real estate market.

These musings by no means indicate my support for property taxes. I still maintain that a municipal sales tax would be a far better revenue source for cities. However, if we are to be saddled with property taxes, I would much rather see them based on the current earning power of an asset than on a non-income/earning based measure such as land value. I do agree that the downtown vacant land issue must be addressed. The focus should be on making development of said lots an economically viable option.

On the residential side, I think property taxes should be based solely on the purchase price of the property plus any improvements. In order to appease our anonymous poster, I would even allow for improvements in the name of upkeep to be undertaken without additional taxes being assessed. If you bought a house 30 years ago and are now on a fixed income, you should not be subjugated to the vagaries of market movements just because everyone else is embroiled in a feeding frenzy.

Many years ago, a Turner by the name of John hitched his wagon to an anti free-trade campaign. Now even NDP stalwarts like Gary Doer recognize the boon free trade is to the Canadian economy. I question one of the platforms another Turner by the name of Trudy is hitching to her wagon. As she apparently has the support of the mayor’s office, I hope the Sam Katz I have come to ardently defend and support is not complicit in Trudy Turner’s unabashed support of a land value tax…

Motivational Tunes:

Seal – Heavenly (Good Feeling)

The Cure – Just Like Heaven

Nine Inch Nails – Heresy

(whoa – I just noticed a common theological theme here – purely accidental!)

Architeconometrics

When they are at their best, consultants can be indispensable purveyors of great advice. Their narrow range of expertise far exceeds that of any generalist businessperson. But some consulting professionals fall victim to the false assumption that their wealth of knowledge in said narrow area makes them experts in issues beyond their field of training.

This segue brings me to Steve Cohlmeyer’s editorial in Sunday’s Free Press. His fundamental premise is that the glut of downtown parking lots are the reason for the downtown’s moribund state. Methinks the celebrated local architect has erroneously attributed the effect as the cause. That’s what happens when you mistake your architectural prowess for strategic business thinking.

My. Cohlmeyer laments the fact that in Winnipeg:

“Landowners are able to operate surface parking lots at a reasonable level of profit, and pay taxes based on low use of their lands. The framework is ideal for sitting still until some far-off day when real profits can be made.”

This is a primary example of the ‘limousine liberal’s’ fundamental misunderstanding of the businessperson. If a rational person has the choice between making a larger profit now or a future profit that may or may not materialize, what do you think the choice would be? If it was possible, I’m sure these landowners would have already built skyscrapers that make First Canadian Place on Bay & King look like 359 McDermot Avenue.

His solution to the problem is higher taxes on vacant land:

“In a land-tax system, building owners must still pay significant taxes. The difference is that vacant-land owners must pay taxes based on the real value of their lands, and they quickly find that "sitting" on vacant land is not such an attractive proposition. They are forced to sell their lands to those who are prepared to build and truly use their lands, or they are forced to build and become real participants in the economic life of downtown.”

Does he honestly believe that if the same vacant downtown land was available in Hong Kong, New York or even Toronto, that there would be nothing more than a parking lot on the site? In order to discourage the “sitting” our learned friend mentions, I would suggest that fostering the economic conditions conducive to downtown development is far more important than draconian taxation measures levied in the name of economic incentives or disincentives.

I propose an alternate solution. I hereby decree that all Winnipeg architects donate 50% of their billable time to helping the parking lot owners come up with alternate uses for their sites. This policy should be in effect until such time that the downtown is developed to a reasonable degree. There Mr. Cohlmeyer – it’s not so fun when a third party so charitably spends your money and time on your behalf, is it? If you have all the answers, why not take some of your OWN equity, sign some personal guarantees inextricably linking you to your lenders should things go awry, buy some vacant property and show the downtown landowners how it’s done? I didn’t think so…

10 Things I Love About Winnipeg & Manitoba

10) There is an active Over the Counter market for coupons.

9) We all have at least one embarrassing story to tell about the time we imbibed too much at a Canad Inns watering hole.

8) We think the Right to Bear Arms is the ability to finally wear a t-shirt after a long winter.

7) Everyone knows who Dancing Gabe is.

6) Two words: Garlic Sausage.

5) The guy driving the 15 year old Volvo station wagon next to you is richer than 75% of the finance whizzes toiling away on Bay and/or Wall Street. Unless you are his banker or accountant, you will never know.

4) We understand the sheer genius of The Phantom of the Paradise.

3) We get to our cabins and campsites in the same time it takes a Torontonian to get to the 401.

2) Your high school reunion is always just one social away.

1) No matter how drunk you are, you can always order a pizza provided that you have the motor skills required to a) pick up a phone and b) press the same button 7 times.