Winnipeg - Of Interest

[Biff]

Maybe we can start posting issues relating to Winnipeg in here instead of filling up the construction threads with non construction news.

I will start it off with some good population news:

Manitoba News Release
............................................................

December 18, 2007


2007 A RECORD YEAR
FOR MANITOBA: RONDEAU
- - -
Province Shows Strongest Population Growth In Nearly A Quarter Century

Competitiveness, Training and Trade Minister Jim Rondeau welcomed Statistics Canada information released today showing strong population growth for Manitoba and reflected on the impressive year of economic, job and labour-force growth.

"Manitoba had a banner year in 2007 with record growth in many sectors of the economy," said Rondeau. "This is the largest population increase in nearly 25 years, the economy continues to flourish and there are outstanding employment opportunities for young people in the province."

Statistics Canada figures released today show:

- The population of Manitoba rose by nearly 11,471 people from October 2006 to October 2007. Not since 1983 has Manitoba observed such a strong year-over-year rise in population.

- The population increase of one per cent matches growth at the national level and is fourth best among the provinces.

- Net in-migration to Manitoba totalled 2,587 people in the third quarter and is the best showing in at least 35 years.

- The last 12-month period represented the best net inflow ever to Manitoba; 7,571 more individuals came to Manitoba than left. The previous net inflow record was 5,204 in 1982. With this information, Manitoba has now recorded five years of positive net migration out of the last six.

- Manitoba welcomed over 10,800 international immigrants over the last 12 months.


Net interprovincial migration levels have also improved, the minister noted. Manitoba recorded a net outflow of 65 people to other Canadian jurisdictions in the third quarter and had a positive net inflow of 153 people from Alberta, the minister said.

"The province's population growth continues to break records," said Rondeau. "Whether it's over the last quarter or the last 12 months, population growth in Manitoba continues to gain momentum."

Today's information is a further reflection of the healthy Manitoba economy in 2007, the minister added. Other recent economic results show:

- Manitoba's labour force increased by 2.5 per cent and ranked fourth highest in Canada;

- the unemployment rate was at 4.2 per cent, third highest in Canada;

- real GDP was at 2.9 per cent, ahead of Canada's 2.6 per cent growth;

- total exports increased by 12.9 per cent, second highest in the country;

- capital investment was up 11.3 per cent, ahead of Canada's 4.6 per cent;

- construction work increased by 13.7 per cent, well above Canada's 4.7 per cent;

- average weekly earnings increased four per cent, third highest in Canada; and

- labour productivity increased 2.2 per cent, the highest in the country.


Manitoba performance charts are available at www.gov.mb.ca/mbs/index.html.

[rgalston]

This thread is a good idea.

Here is a story that I found while thumbing through the latest issue of The Walrus, the "cities issue".

Just the Thing
Canada Noir: Weaselly... in Winnipeg!
by David Bergen

That spring I took boxing lessons at the Pan Am on McDermot from Trevor, a preacher’s son who had forearms like thick ropes. After an hour of sparring and skipping and all-out thuggery, we’d go over to the King’s Head for a beer and then back to my one-room apartment for sex. In a small planter on my windowsill, I was growing primroses, and Trevor liked to bend toward a flower and smell deeply. Sometimes, before we went out, he’d shave his legs, put on a red dress, a blond wig, and high heels, and then we’d crawl over to a club on Main. He had a stunning body, and it was difficult to keep my hands off his throat. Going home later, full of liquor and lust, I’d ask him to walk ahead of me.

During the heat wave in June, the city fell apart. A man was knifed in the parking lot next to the Bate, and in the morning there were the remains of a chalk outline and a pool of water where someone had washed away the blood. Cyclists were attacked by police. An arsonist burned down the central library; it went up in a huge ball of red, and the sky for miles was lit by pink smoke and fluttering half-burned pages. If it hadn’t been so sad, it would have been just the thing. I picked up a charred book from the gutter. It was by someone called Bolaño, and one sentence stuck with me: “Tomorrow we’ll leave, tomorrow we’ll go back to Mexico City, thinks B joyfully.” Unfortunately, the ending was missing.

One night Trevor was involved in a brawl with fourteen men. After, he made his way along the paths near Waterfront Drive, through the city’s smoky haze to my place. I bathed his bloody hands. I was tender with him that night, bandaging his cuts, washing gravel from his knee, working my way over his naked body. I told him the story of Gauguin, who left his family and ran off to Tahiti. The sunsets, the burnished skin, the ardour. I told him that I loved him and that I would be willing to pack up and go somewhere else. He sat there for a long time, holding a cigarette, looking out at the blue night. Sirens sounded. Someone cried out.

He began to avoid me. He stopped coming to the boxing club. I’d call him and he’d say that he was occupied, as if he were a toilet on an airplane. I saw him with a large girl, both of them swinging down Main. He was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, she had her big head on his shoulder, and he appeared to be very fond of her breasts. I followed them down Bannatyne to the river, and then they disappeared into a fog that never ever occurs in Winnipeg, but it did that night.

Time passed. I spent evenings at the boxing club, building my repertoire, and then ascended to the streets where I picked fights with lawyers, recovered alcoholics, and groups of brutish young men who were overwhelmed by my rage. I never lost. I was honing myself for some future battle.

One Saturday evening, wandering down Smith Street, I passed by the Meeting Place, a church frequented by those with big emotions. Trevor stepped out with a blond. She had cleavage and she had legs. She was tanned, too tanned, almost leathery. I said Trevor’s name and he turned, showing no surprise. I motioned at the girl.

“Say hi to Trish,” he said.

“My name’s not Trish,” she said.

“You friends with Jesus again?” I asked, reaching for Trevor’s arm, that great cord of muscle.

Trevor wasn’t interested. I could see his nostrils, two little dark holes like targets. I didn’t stand a chance and, knowing this, I wanted him. I had this grand notion that in humiliating me, he would also pity me.I stood eye to eye with him, aware of his long neck.

“Aww,” he said, and swung. I leaned back, and his fist blew past me in a rush of air.

Someone cried out, “Please. Please. Will you please stop this.”

Trevor showed me his beautiful teeth. I jabbed at them, missed, and caught his right ear. He looked surprised and in pain, as if he’d suddenly realized that I could hate him.

“In my room. I’d like to show you,” I said. “I’ve got this flower.”

Tomorrow we’ll leave, tomorrow we’ll go somewhere else, I thought joyfully.

And then the fight began.

[1ajs]

a lybrary burnt to the ground this summer?

[newflyer]

I guess using Sask formers logic Manitoba is the greatest place on earth.

With the economy humming along.. and taxes declining I am happy to see things picking up. Confidence is Manitoba is gaining steam... and Winnipeg gains from Manitoba's growth.

While Manitoba gains from Winnipeg's growing economy... its all good.

[trueviking]

with a provincial population growth of almost 12 000 this year, you have to figure that winnipeg will grow by 8 or 9 thousand.

that means we are back over the 700 000 mark after losing 15 000 in the 2006 census....should be enough to keep us ahead of hamilton who were 4000 behind us and also catch up a bit on quebec who were 18 000 ahead...both grow between 5 and 6 000 per year.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by trueviking

with a provincial population growth of almost 12 000 this year, you have to figure that winnipeg will grow by 8 or 9 thousand.

that means we are back over the 700 000 mark after losing 15 000 in the 2006 census....should be enough to keep us ahead of hamilton who were 4000 behind us and also catch up a bit on quebec who were 18 000 ahead...both grow between 5 and 6 000 per year.

I thought i read that Winnipeg grew by approx 7,900 (Oct 06 to Oct 07). I will try to find this stat somewhere. It was connected to the new Stats Can data.

[Biff]

Manitoba's population increase largest in years
Thu Dec 20 2007

By Marie-Jo Proulx

FEWER people are deserting Manitoba, according to a Statistics Canada report released Wednesday.

In the last year, a total of 7,571 more people were added to Manitoba's population, the largest increase since 1982.

Wilf Falk, of the Manitoba Bureau of Statistics, credited the trend to the high cost of living in Alberta, still the first destination for those who do leave Manitoba.

Falk pointed to the strong economy in Manitoba as a reason many workers may decide to stay or to return. Housing, manufacturing and exports are all up from last year and the province's workforce is growing. Manitoba has improved its labour productivity by 2.2 per cent, or double the national average increase.

Bob Dolyniuk, general manager of the Manitoba Trucking Association, said he would not be surprised to see an influx of workers from Ontario. "With the downturn in the auto industry, I think there's a likelihood people will come back."

The trend may have already started, as 184 people came to Manitoba from Ontario in the last year.

Retired theatre manager Gord Jackson is one of them. Having lived and worked in Hamilton most of his life, he moved to Winnipeg in the fall to enjoy his retirement. "I love the winter here," he said, noting he also appreciates the lower levels of air pollution.

In line with historical trends, Quebec continues to contribute more residents to Manitoba than it welcomes. A total of 230 made that trip west last year.

Isaac Gelin and Diergeline Desjardins left their French-speaking province in search of a place where they could make daily use of their native tongue. They moved to Winnipeg in September.

"The city is not very modern, and it's quite smaller," Gelin said, "but people are a lot friendlier than in Montreal."

He and his wife hope to remain here after they finish their studies. Gelin is in medical school at the University of Manitoba. Desjardins, who was a nurse in Montreal, is now completing equivalencies at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface so she can work as a nurse here.

marie-jo.proulx@freepress.mb.ca


The breakdown


Manitoba population and economic figures for the last year:


* Total population increase: 11,471

* Net inter-provincial inflow: 7,571

* Last net inter-provincial inflow: 1,378 (1983)

* Labour productivity increase: 2.2 per cent (first in Canada)

* Total exports: 12.9 per cent increase (second in Canada)

* Unemployment rate: 4.2 per cent

* Corporate bankruptcies: 33 per cent decrease

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by trueviking

with a provincial population growth of almost 12 000 this year, you have to figure that winnipeg will grow by 8 or 9 thousand.

that means we are back over the 700 000 mark after losing 15 000 in the 2006 census....should be enough to keep us ahead of hamilton who were 4000 behind us and also catch up a bit on quebec who were 18 000 ahead...both grow between 5 and 6 000 per year.

Q2 (as of June) Stats Canada lists Winnipeg(CMA) at 706,700.

Winnipeg Capital Region is over 750,000.

I am not as fluient with the other cities you mention, but I am feeling pretty good about Winnipeg's growth these days.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by newflyer

Q2 (as of June) Stats Canada lists Winnipeg(CMA) at 706,700.

wow...that means winnipeg grew by 11 000 in one year....considering we grew by only 18 000 in the 5 years previous combined, that could be considered substantial.

spiritedenergy (ironic handle)...you and lee haber are like twin brother cranky pants....

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by newflyer

I guess using Sask formers logic Manitoba is the greatest place on earth.

With the economy humming along.. and taxes declining I am happy to see things picking up. Confidence is Manitoba is gaining steam... and Winnipeg gains from Manitoba's growth.

While Manitoba gains from Winnipeg's growing economy... its all good.

Maybe the Gouge & Screw Tax is going down a percentage come Jan. 1, 2008, but my CPP Premium and the Minimum Wage will take what savings I had.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

a lybrary burnt to the ground this summer?

ironyc

[1ajs]

lol

[wags_in_the_peg]

East-side power line supported in new report
Province risks international uproar over boreal forest
Thu Dec 20 2007

By Mary Agnes Welch

THERE are good reasons to build a massive new power line down the east side of Manitoba instead of the west side but the province risks turning the boreal forest into an international "cause celebre" if it does, according to a new report released Wednesday night.

The NDP government and the Tory opposition faced off again yesterday evening at a Crown corporations committee meeting -- normally mundane gatherings that have taken on new life thanks to the power-line debate.

On the table between the cabinet ministers, opposition critics and MLAs was a new study done by CMC Consultants that recapped many of the east-versus-west arguments that have dominated the legislature for the last several months.

The NDP government has decreed that a third power line connecting northern dams to southern customers should be built down the west side of Lake Manitoba rather than the east side of Lake Winnipeg. That's despite the fact that the west-side route is "the longest, most expensive and least useful in an emergency operation," according to the consultants.

The NDP favours the western route because it wants to preserve the boreal forest on the east side. The government is making a bid to turn that forest into a UNESCO world heritage site.

The consultants' report, which makes no firm recommendations, said building a power line down the east side wouldn't necessarily kill the province's bid for a UNESCO site. And it highlighted some similar environmental issues on the west side that no one has studied properly yet, like a forest reserve near the Saskatchewan River.

It also noted that First Nations opposition to a line down the east side may be wavering -- something the Tories have been arguing for months.

Premier Gary Doer has said repeatedly that his 2004 consultations with the dozen-or-so bands on the east side revealed deep opposition to the line. But the consultants said that view is far from unanimous and they noted that some First Nations appear willing to discuss a line if it comes with economic opportunities.

Also at issue is the lobbying heft of international environmental groups and whether they would make the preservation of the forest the focus of a well-funded global campaign. That's Doer's fear, and the consultants said it's a genuine possibility, especially if First Nations are unanimous and are allied with environmental groups.

But Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen said he's not convinced a global outcry is a foregone conclusion, especially if the pros and cons on each option are laid out clearly for the public. And he said he listens more to people who live in the boreal forest, like aboriginal groups, than he does to Cape Cod environmentalists, a shot at activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has demanded the forest's preservation.

maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca

[1ajs]

aqua books is moving to garry st




Aqua Books Announces New Location for Expanded Store and Bistro


The wait is over.
As the Winnipeg Free Press reported on December 5, 2007, Aqua Books has a new location.
And here it is:
After a search of many months, we are pleased to announce that Aqua Books has a deal finalized on our new location. Beginning in March 2008, Aqua Books will be located at 274 Garry Street between Portage and Graham, just a few blocks from our current space. (We will be open here until then.) This 8400 square foot, two-storey building is an undeclared gem in the heart of downtown, currently occupied by Kam Kong Restaurant (which has been in abatement for some time). Aqua Books will be joined by (what will certainly be) Downtown Winnipeg's hottest new eatery, (the aptly named) EAT! bistro. Chef Candace Hughes will use her varied experience from Fusion Grill, Bergmann's on Lombard, and De Luca's Cooking School to create some of the most inspired food in town. (More details on EAT! in the coming weeks. I can't spill everything at once, can I?)
In addition to the addition of EAT! bistro, Aqua Books will be doubling its shelf space to accommodate up to 40,000 books (more than McNally has in their lame-duck Portage Place store, and more than the 25,000 that Morley Walker stated in the Freep). The bookstore and the bistro will be located on the exciting (and of course, wheelchair-accessible) main floor. What's on the second floor Kelly? Glad you asked. The 4200 square foot second floor will contain a 1200 square foot events room (almost the size of our entire store on Princess). ideaExchange, Free Your Mind, and the Stone Soup Storytellers will be joined by several new series, including the Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry Reading Series. (Say that five times fast. Make it rhyme too and you're a slam poet.) We have already hired an events coordinator to organize all the exciting events that will be happening at this happening venue. (The use for the rest of the second floor will be announced later.)
274 Garry Street is within 300 metres of MTS Centre, the Radisson, the Post Office, the Millennium Library, CityPlace, Winnipeg Square, the Walker Theatre, the Fairmont Hotel, and Winnipeg's Financial Core, Portage and Main. (Don't dismay that we've moved a little closer to the Financial Core. In order to keep your books affordable, we're going to have to put the screws to some Suits for their lunch money.) We're just outside of The Exchange, but still only four blocks from Old Market Square.
Indeed, there is something for everyone here. Location is central, and surrounding surface parking is abundant. For people that can't figure out downtown parking, we have five parking spots. For people that hate cars, there will be a proper bike rack. For people that hate books, there will be food. For people that hate food, there will be coffee. For people that hate me....well, they can bloody well stay home.
The People wanted us to stay downtown, and we, as always, listened to The People. With McNally Robinson's retreat from the downtown happening at the beginning of April, Aqua/EAT! will be uniquely situated to fill that void (and then some, if I may say so). The last time we moved, the bill was about $10,000. This time, the price tag will be pushing half a million dollars after renos. This time, I decided to put my (bank's) money where my mouth is. My goal is to turn Aqua Books into Winnipeg's Cultural City Hall. (And I'm Mayor McCheese.) Or think of us as the P-trap for the Brain Drain.
So, stay tuned to AquaBooks.ca and This Week at Aqua Books for further developments, including the menu for EAT!, our new hours, details on our Writer-in-Residence program, and the Renovation Vidlog. (The Renovation Vidlog will be weekly video of me yelling at contractors, tearing out walls, buying drywall screws at Pollock Hardware, and nearly being crushed by Civic Bureaucracy, only to rise triumphant in the end. Gripping stuff.)

[j.online]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

aqua books is moving to garry st

Congrats to Aqua! This'll be great for downtown. Plus, how can anyone hate a project that takes a shot at Nygard like Kelly did in the rendering

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by j.online

Congrats to Aqua! This'll be great for downtown. Plus, how can anyone hate a project that takes a shot at Nygard like Kelly did in the rendering

lol they are moving from princess st btw

[spiritedenergy]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

aqua books is moving to garry st




Aqua Books Announces New Location for Expanded Store and Bistro


The wait is over.
As the Winnipeg Free Press reported on December 5, 2007, Aqua Books has a new location.
And here it is:
After a search of many months, we are pleased to announce that Aqua Books has a deal finalized on our new location. Beginning in March 2008, Aqua Books will be located at 274 Garry Street between Portage and Graham, just a few blocks from our current space. (We will be open here until then.) This 8400 square foot, two-storey building is an undeclared gem in the heart of downtown, currently occupied by Kam Kong Restaurant (which has been in abatement for some time). Aqua Books will be joined by (what will certainly be) Downtown Winnipeg's hottest new eatery, (the aptly named) EAT! bistro. Chef Candace Hughes will use her varied experience from Fusion Grill, Bergmann's on Lombard, and De Luca's Cooking School to create some of the most inspired food in town. (More details on EAT! in the coming weeks. I can't spill everything at once, can I?)
In addition to the addition of EAT! bistro, Aqua Books will be doubling its shelf space to accommodate up to 40,000 books (more than McNally has in their lame-duck Portage Place store, and more than the 25,000 that Morley Walker stated in the Freep). The bookstore and the bistro will be located on the exciting (and of course, wheelchair-accessible) main floor. What's on the second floor Kelly? Glad you asked. The 4200 square foot second floor will contain a 1200 square foot events room (almost the size of our entire store on Princess). ideaExchange, Free Your Mind, and the Stone Soup Storytellers will be joined by several new series, including the Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry Reading Series. (Say that five times fast. Make it rhyme too and you're a slam poet.) We have already hired an events coordinator to organize all the exciting events that will be happening at this happening venue. (The use for the rest of the second floor will be announced later.)
274 Garry Street is within 300 metres of MTS Centre, the Radisson, the Post Office, the Millennium Library, CityPlace, Winnipeg Square, the Walker Theatre, the Fairmont Hotel, and Winnipeg's Financial Core, Portage and Main. (Don't dismay that we've moved a little closer to the Financial Core. In order to keep your books affordable, we're going to have to put the screws to some Suits for their lunch money.) We're just outside of The Exchange, but still only four blocks from Old Market Square.
Indeed, there is something for everyone here. Location is central, and surrounding surface parking is abundant. For people that can't figure out downtown parking, we have five parking spots. For people that hate cars, there will be a proper bike rack. For people that hate books, there will be food. For people that hate food, there will be coffee. For people that hate me....well, they can bloody well stay home.
The People wanted us to stay downtown, and we, as always, listened to The People. With McNally Robinson's retreat from the downtown happening at the beginning of April, Aqua/EAT! will be uniquely situated to fill that void (and then some, if I may say so). The last time we moved, the bill was about $10,000. This time, the price tag will be pushing half a million dollars after renos. This time, I decided to put my (bank's) money where my mouth is. My goal is to turn Aqua Books into Winnipeg's Cultural City Hall. (And I'm Mayor McCheese.) Or think of us as the P-trap for the Brain Drain.
So, stay tuned to AquaBooks.ca and This Week at Aqua Books for further developments, including the menu for EAT!, our new hours, details on our Writer-in-Residence program, and the Renovation Vidlog. (The Renovation Vidlog will be weekly video of me yelling at contractors, tearing out walls, buying drywall screws at Pollock Hardware, and nearly being crushed by Civic Bureaucracy, only to rise triumphant in the end. Gripping stuff.)

hahahha funny guy. The building is not a gem btw, it's an eyesore IMHO.

[dennis]

I disagree with you that it is an eyesore. It isn't a gem in my opinion, but just the brick, the simple limestone work, large windows and the building footing the sidewalk give a little added beauty to the area. This store will only add to an already bleak area. At least that is what I see.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by spiritedenergy

hahahha funny guy. The building is not a gem btw, it's an eyesore IMHO.

not an eye sore anymore since its going to be ocupided

[LilZebra]

I started transcribing a couple of the 'Detailed Area Plans' from the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg. They date from the late 1960s to the early 1970 (post amalgamation).

Not complete yet, but mostly done, is the Plan for St. Vital. I noticed that even back in 1968 they had planned space for St. Vital Centre, which opened 10 yrs. later.

Anyways, I plan on finishing the text and making the maps as separate PDFs. Each plan will have a separate blog page. I was advised to create a new blog to keep it separate from my other non-city planning posts.

Author: Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg
Publ.: December 1968
Size: 903.2 K (PDF)

St. Vital Detailed Area Plan

NOTE: All of the data tables are complete in this report. Some, though not all of the maps have been scanned