Winnipeg Construction X

[OTA in Winnipeg]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Changing a company name is relatively easy and cheap. Biggest expense would be on your branding and if all you have is a non-descript building, super easy. You don't need to be an elite, billionaire, criminal to change your business name.

Now on the side of being buddies with the Mayor and being awarded a project that has had endless issues and potentially outright fraud. Ya that's BS.

I guess the RCMP investigation hasn't turned up anything conclusive? I haven't heard much of anything Re: Caspian issues.

I recall they found two sets of books, fears of witness intimidation...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...dden-1.3211549
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...case-1.4432644

[bomberjet]

$60 to change a business name.

[headhorse]

and how much to change all the bank accounts and insurance, re-branding, new signage, plus advertising and public engagement? like come on

and again, more than 50% of the country is living paycheque to paycheque. no savings and nothing for extras. your suggestion is out of touch with the reality. it is something those who are part of the ruling class and have connections can afford.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by headhorse

it is something those who are part of the ruling class and have connections can afford.

Ruling Class? Who talks like that? It is what people in business do.

[headhorse]

you’re telling on yourself (and them)

tell us, what is it people in business do?

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by headhorse

you’re telling on yourself (and them)

tell us, what is it people in business do?

Pursue their interests? Is this a trick question?

Also hard to tell what you mean by people in business. Most business owners run small companies. I presume you think that any and all personal enrichment constitutes a grave moral crime?

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by headhorse

and how much to change all the bank accounts and insurance, re-branding, new signage, plus advertising and public engagement? like come on

and again, more than 50% of the country is living paycheque to paycheque. no savings and nothing for extras. your suggestion is out of touch with the reality. it is something those who are part of the ruling class and have connections can afford.

You win man. What do you want? All I'm saying is that for a business such as Caspian, it doesn't cost very much at all to change their name. They don't have an extensive brand. They could change the sign on their building for a couple grand. Pay another few grand for marketing to create them some new letterheads and such.

Literally costs nothing to change names on forms.

I'm so out of touch with reality that I understand most people don't own businesses and can't afford to. That's not what I'm talking about.

Like come on.

I'm not really sure what your point is. If it's Caspian, Sammy, his buddies,. all getting away with fraud. Yes I'm pissed about it too and what them held accountable.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by headhorse

you’re telling on yourself (and them)

tell us, what is it people in business do?

.....take financial risk, work hard, try to offer something people need/want, provide a service, contribute to society, make money - hopefully, provide for their family, help the economy......you know make this a great place to live.

[headhorse]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

You win man. What do you want? All I'm saying is that for a business such as Caspian, it doesn't cost very much at all to change their name. They don't have an extensive brand. They could change the sign on their building for a couple grand. Pay another few grand for marketing to create them some new letterheads and such.

Literally costs nothing to change names on forms.

I'm so out of touch with reality that I understand most people don't own businesses and can't afford to. That's not what I'm talking about.

Like come on.

I'm not really sure what your point is. If it's Caspian, Sammy, his buddies,. all getting away with fraud. Yes I'm pissed about it too and what them held accountable.

i'm suggesting that this idea we have that anyone can be a business owner/move up is false, as even small changes like this when your capital is threatened would be out of reach unless you had a huge amount of reserve capital.

I also think most people we think of "business" people are getting away with fraud. I guess I just don't think just the people mentioned are the problem necessarily - it's the system that allows things like this to happen (because the economy is not based on democracy, it's based on profit)

[headhorse]

Originally Posted by Biff

.....take financial risk, work hard, try to offer something people need/want, provide a service, contribute to society, make money - hopefully, provide for their family, help the economy......you know make this a great place to live.

I think most business people do as I mentioned before - change laws, names, countries to escape punishment

I think all the things you're talking about are actually the result of labour.

who is at more risk? a billionaire/bank investing $50 million in a skyscraper or a labourer making $13 bucks an hour? if that project doesn't happen, who will suffer more?

I think farmers, construction workers, nurses, welders, receptionists, landscapers and teachers work at least as hard as any manager or stock holder. our economy has proven that it doesn't reward hard work, at least in direct monetary compensation... that's the most obvious thing.

I think we should ask people what they need/want, not have marketing companies and brand ambassadors trying to sell people things only designed to turn a profit

again, most service providers are people making low wages... I'm not sure what you mean by this one

I'm not sure how being born into wealth and then spending that wealth is any more of a contribution to society then some who works 40 years picking vegetables for people to eat.'

make money - and here is the root. the real reason this all exists. profit.

[Bdog]

Easy there Comrade headhorse. In your world, it seems like one can only either be a monocle and tophat wearing tycoon, or an overworked, starving coal miner. If the greedy bourgeoisie don't use their capital to build 100 metre tall monuments to capitalism, will there really be anything left to talk about on Skyscraperpage?

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by Bdog

Easy there Comrade headhorse. In your world, it seems like one can only either be a monocle and tophat wearing tycoon, or an overworked, starving coal miner. If the greedy bourgeoisie don't use their capital to build 100 metre tall monuments to capitalism, will there really be anything left to talk about on Skyscraperpage?

Well said.

[dmacc]

In Soviet Russia skyscraper builds you.

[pspeid]

The world is a messy place. IMO it's not a contradiction to suggest both Biff and headhorse are correct in certain circumstances. Many business people do work hard/take risks and supply a wanted product /service AND many corporations simply treat their people like disposable energy units and care not a whit for the community they live in. If the solution was easy, we'd have solved this by now.

[optimusREIM]

Mind you this will never be solved. The world cannot be perfect because of individual differences and the imperfections of human nature. That's ok though. Imagine how sterile and devoid of life everything would feel if we were all identical. Variety is the spice of life people, embrace the imperfect, its beautiful!

[StNorberter]

Are there several illogical tax loopholes and other benefits that business get to exploit for gain that aren't available to non business owners? Of course.

Does there need to be an attractive level of reward to offset significant risks when opening a business. Of course.

The trick is to balance the two and make sure that there are appropriate connections between them. Because the argument that startup risks means you should be able to split some of your income for tax purposes with your 15 yr old child or that pillow talk with the spouse has a monetary value if you own a business but none if you don't own a business is ridiculous.

[trueviking]

oof.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by trueviking

oof.

no wonder its a hard to do stuff here

[bomberjet]

Did Elliott Friedman come up with those acronyms? Sheesh. haha

[Winnipegger]

Originally Posted by trueviking

oof.

I know everyone seems to have their anecdotal opinions about "I know this one lazy person who worked in Water and Waste" or "My friend works in public works and never does anything" as if the statement applies to all 10,000 city employees, but MBNCanada and the City of Winnipeg itself provides so many statistics on just how "efficient" (i.e. under-funded or under-resourced) our city is compared to other cities across Canada, it's not just in the planning area. Decades of property tax freezes, decreases, and marginal increases (dedicated to roads) will do that to us.

It boggles my mind that the citizens of this city constantly whine about property taxes and fees one day and then complain about dirty and pothole-filled streets, decrepit community centres, closed wading pools, uncut grass, and ugly light fixtures the next.

Winnipeggers have asked to live in a cheap city and they are most certainly getting what they ask for.
Think your property tax is high? It's because the school divisions in this city have the highest tax rates in Canada, which has to do with the Province, not the City. The municipal tax portion of the taxpayer's property tax bill is among the lowest in Canada, hence our garbage infrastructure.

City council has done nothing to address the sorry state of our infrastructure (aside from reversing slashes to the roads budget by Katz), nor have they done a thing to make Winnipeg a more attractive place to live - but hey, having the lowest municipal property tax in the country will surely start attracting people... any day now, any day...