[YWG-RO]

Winnipeg is often mocked because of our reliance on agriculture and our abundance of relatively inexpensive land.

As the global population grows, now ~ 7 billion, agriculture becomes more and more critical. Just look at how expensive groceries are.

Availability of land: there simply isn't that much real estate in many urban centres. Climate change, whether human caused or natural cycle, may erode land along the coasts. The cost of real estate will continue to rise in the most desirable, mainly coastal cities. It becomes too expensive for many to live in these environs.

There is a lot to be said for a reasonably sized (1-2 million) city with availability of relatively inexpensive real estate.

I couldn't imagine living in Toronto or Vancouver, making the same or less salary, paying double or triple for housing, and spending double the time commuting.

I think all the prairie cities are poised for sustained growth. Calgary and Edmonton may lag because they have already experienced rapid growth, and oil will likely not reach $60 for another decade.

Winnipeg was crushed from 1950-90. Hopefully the progress of last 25 years will continue.