Is Winnipeg Soulless?

As usual Winnipeg is bogged down in controversy. Why do we need BRT? Why do we need a new stadium? Why do we need a Human Rights Museum? Why do we need a better zoo? Why do we need Bears on Broadway. Why do we need more high rise apartments in my neighborhood? Why do we need Ikea?

I don't want THAT in my back yard. Who needs art? Why should we spend money subsidizing education? Why should the city spend money on THAT development?

When did Winnipeg become such a negative place? We might well be the most unimaginative metropolis in Canada. We seem to be satisfied with the status quo.

Perhaps that is what we prefer: never-ending bitching about how bad off we are. But any time something new and creative comes our way we say absolutely not. It's ugly. It costs too much.

Previous generations of politicians at every level have spent our tax dollars like drunken sailors leaving us with a massive infrastructure deficit. Generations of piss poor civic planning in Winnipeg have left us with a real dog's breakfast of poorly maintained streets and traffic lights and sprawl. Add in a government that believes more bureaucracy is the only way to go.

Now we have to fix it. Unfortunately that fix is not inexpensive. We also have to keep living. Too many think that if we just stop spending everything will be better. Maybe, but not so much when we talk about cities. Winnipeg will not grow and prosper if we cannot provide balance. To me balance includes:
* generous social programs and training, taking care of the less privileged, helping them to become contributing citizens
* competent planning and quality infrastructure management and execution
* intelligent transit development
* then there are the intangibles that make a city warm and welcoming: trees and art and sport and culture and learning and food...

Nothing will get done properly in a vacuum. We need a real vision followed by a plan and excellent execution of the plan. That is not available in Winnipeg today. But if it were we don't seem to have the will to do it.

I have a dream of what I'd like Winnipeg to become. I have a passion for Winnipeg that allows me precious little patience for all the negativity, the naysayers and nimbiers that seem to dominate this fair burgh. We second and third guess absolutely everything.

Some will argue reality gets in the way of one's dream. True. But we do treat ourselves from time to time. Maybe splurge on a new jacket. Buy that car we've always wanted. Renovate the kitchen. Small things that are maybe a little more than we can afford but they form part of our fabric of life.

That is what museums and football stadiums and parks and art mean to a city. They also mean different things to different people. I believe we have to provide a myriad of treats for everyone to become a city that is more than mere bricks and mortar.

Or we can stop building anything that might not be necessary for the next 20-40 years while we balance the books and make our roads the envy of the country. But we might well end up a city without soul.

I don't want to live in that city.

The Coalition of The Devil — God Help Us

I just this moment heard an ad (from a coalition support group/union) supporting the coalition. The thing I find astounding is these groups ranting that the government has not got the job done. This government was just elected in October. Additionally they've not yet announced their 2009 budget (plan) and they are being labeled as "not getting the job done".

This ad in particular suggested the government has done nothing to protect jobs. Short of throwing tens of billions of dollars at "some industries" and "infrastructure" (which was done I understand) what more can be done?

• The Bank of Canada is independent no?
• The price of oil is beyond his circle of influence no?
• The housing market has been super-heated for so long now is there really any hope of extending that?
• Is there any guarantee that the Big Three will be any more solvent were Canada to throw billions there?
• Do Canadian banks need rescuing?

So what can be done? I say cooler and saner heads need to prevail to allow Canada to ride out the storm. A coalition propped up by the Bloc simply cannot "save" Canada.

Manitoba: Land of the Entitled

I was recently involved in a discussion on the woes of Manitobans. It started with a comment I heard yesterday on the Mercer Report of all places. In one of Mercer's commentaries he discussed the current state of all provinces and territories in Canada wherein he concluded Manitoba was a "never has and never will be province". Manitoba!

It continued this morning when I read Manitoba would never eliminate business taxes because "this province could never afford the poor". The notion Manitoba must afford the poor is mind-boggling.

I believe this impression we and others have of our province is hugely counter-productive to turning it around. I believe it begins and ends in this society of the entitled we've created in Manitoba.

We do have a society of entitlement here in Manitoba. The notion Manitoba is a province of the poor is absurd. It is the province of the chronically lazy. Our unemployment rate has been amoungst the lowest in Canada for a few years now. Business is SCREAMING for tradesmen yet we have Indian Chiefs crying unemployment amoung their people is epidemic.

We have some of the lowest secondary education fees in North America. Ton's of jobs. A relatively stable economy. Why aren't people working?

People argue eliminating our business taxes can't be done because we have too many poor. Stop funding these entitled people. The lowered business taxes (plus a business friendly government) will lead to more business leading to more jobs.

Jesus H. Christ we've got 10,000 plus immigrants entering Manitoba annually and they all seem to be productive taxpaying citizens immediately.

Our own people must get off their asses and get to work. And now.

Manitoba Economy

According to the statistics, Manitoba is leading the country in the following economic performance indicators:

• Manufacturing capital investment is up 29.8 per cent, compared to 5.3 per cent nationally. In the last 12 months, the number of manufacturing jobs increased by 1.7 per cent compared to a loss of 5.4 per cent nationally.
• Construction work increased 13.7 per cent, compared to 4.7 per cent nationally.
• Total exports increased 9.9 per cent, compared to 2.5 per cent nationally.
• Capital investment is forecast to be up 11.3 per cent, compared to 4.6 per cent nationally.

Source: Province of Manitoba

Discuss this further on the Winnipeg Sandbox.

Building a Sandbox

About a year ago I discovered on line forums. More to the point I discovered on line forums about Winnipeg. I quickly became addicted. And I spent far too much time pounding the keyboards while participating in many varied discussions about the old home town.

When playing in those forums you "meet" many wildly different people that share in your passion for the topic at hand. Some will agree with you. Others not so much. Some will debate passionately but politely. Others not so much.

It is the not so much peeps that strike a raw nerve in my tolerating coping centre. It is those people that will more likely than not receive an admonition from this writer. More times than naught a polite admonition. Other times less so. Usually the point is made and I move on. Other times it requires more vigorous debate. Good times. Some time.

A couple of months ago the owner and moderators of a particular favourite forum went overboard (in my view) with their moderation of that site. I felt they were going too far and told them so. Long story short they temporarily suspended a particularly popular member of the forum over a rather innocuous comment. I thought the move to be heavy handed and "suspended" myself for the same period. As did other members. These members were the top posters on that site (by volume at least).

When everyone returned from suspension and self-exile the shite hit the fan resulting in many members being banned from the site. And other members banning themselves. I was one of the self-banned members.

That was the genesis of the sandbox. Jonsing over the absence of my most pernicious time consumer I created a new forum for the banned and self-exiled members. Not having any experience in building or running such places I started by creating a Goggle Groups forum. It served its purpose but was slow and clumsy and unattractive. Which led to discussions within the small but growing membership of finding something else.

One member found a free forums site that provided just the vehicle we were looking for. I tried to create our new site with that tool but was quickly frustrated. That led me to a search for similar sites. That is when I found Forumotion.com. And the rest is history.

In very short order "The Winnipeg Sandbox" was created. Let me remind you I had zero experience in such matters. But the tool was easy to use, somewhat intuitive and attractive. Other than the constant niggling a perfectionist brings to the table the sandbox has performed exceedingly well. Our membership after a month has reached almost 50 members, and growing. We are averaging 200 posts a day and have generally outperformed our competition.

And there is little to fear about the moderators and administraters becoming more than the members and their posts. We are mostly self-moderated. The members will tell those that choose to behave innapropriately how they feel. That alone is usually enough. Oh, only after creating the Winnipeg Sandbox was I banned from the other place. The reason? Advertising another forum.

If you are a fan of Winnipeg and wish to become involved in the many varied discussions about Winnipeg why not drop by. We'd love to have ya and you might well find it worthwhile. Tell them a grumpy old man sent ya.

The Winnipeg Sandbox. One month old. Drop by and wish us a happy birthday.

New Critter Welcomed

Since Gumby passed away last year the old homestead seemed to be missing something. This in spite of the fact there remained two cats and a dog to keep me company. Pokey, a 12 year old Calico. The Queen of the manse. Dahg, a 10 year old DSH, and Toba, a 2 year old Cockapoo. Daddy's girl.

Further, Pokey - acquired 10 years ago to keep Gumby company, has become more and more clingy. While this is both good and bad I believe Pokey increasingly misses Gumby and his company. Gumby and Pokey became fast friends upon meeting in 1999. They constantly played together and kept each other company. Then Toba was added in 2006. A dog!

Suffice to say Pokey's nose is seriously out of shape.

The new addition is an adorable 2 year old Tortoiseshell. Weighing only 6.5 pounds, she is tiny. After maybe 4 hours she has demonstrated zero concern over the dog, and slight disdain over Pokey and Dahg. Since Dahg doesn't like anybody (except Dad) I have high hopes Pokey and the young girl become friends and playmates.

That said I need a name for the newest addition. I don't like the traditional names (after all, I DO have a cat named Dahg!).

So, what shall I name her?
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For those following this thread I have named her Winn. Anyone care to guess what that is short for? ;>}