Winnipeg Construction

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by vid

But it's so beautifully stacked and lit. I just can't help myself.

[1ajs]

Red River College unveils fine-dining restaurant
Jane's set to open to public on Feb. 26
CBC News Posted: Feb 21, 2013 1:58 PM CST

Red River College has offered a preview of Jane's, the school's new fine-dining restaurant.

The Winnipeg-based college's culinary program, Paterson GlobalFoods Institute, showed off the 90-seat eatery to members of the media on Thursday.

Officials with the institute say they hope the new restaurant will help attract students from around the world to their culinary program.

Located on the college's downtown Winnipeg campus, inside the Union Bank Tower building, the new restaurant will open to the public on Feb. 26 with a menu of about 20 items.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/02/21/mb-janes-opens-rrc-winnipeg.html

[wags_in_the_peg]

Originally Posted by Shinook

I would have rather seen Roland Michener Arena get refurbished. The arenas at EE are only 20 years old and still in good condition. I don't think they need a third indoor rink.

i disagree, roland mitchener is not regulation size, also for economies of scale, 1 power plant and 1 zamboni for 3 rinks.

[fitzy0019]

Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg

i disagree, roland mitchener is not regulation size, also for economies of scale, 1 power plant and 1 zamboni for 3 rinks.

agreed. roland michener is almost beyond repair. essentially needs a gut and rebuild. boards, glass, stands, lighting, insulation, dressing rooms etc. i could name about 4 or 5 more in the same state. making additions to rinks in good shape makes sense financially

[steveosnyder]

Why does the City own hockey rinks at all? I never understood why the City would own and operate hockey arenas (or swimming pools, or parking structures, etc., etc.).

I think the City and Province funding CC's to do the operating is a step in the right direction, just like the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Fund groups that are less bureaucratic and smarter with their money.

Hockey, and all sports, should operate the same way. Private ownership of facilities and people pay to play. If a family can't afford to play, they apply for subsidies through Sport Manitoba.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by steveosnyder

Why does the City own hockey rinks at all? I never understood why the City would own and operate hockey arenas (or swimming pools, or parking structures, etc., etc.).

I think the City and Province funding CC's to do the operating is a step in the right direction, just like the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Fund groups that are less bureaucratic and smarter with their money.

Hockey, and all sports, should operate the same way. Private ownership of facilities and people pay to play. If a family can't afford to play, they apply for subsidies through Sport Manitoba.

Just a heads up, if you want to play hockey you pay A LOT of money. It's not free from the city if that's what you're getting at. 1 hour of indoor ice, depending where you go, is $150-$250. For one hour. Some rinks are privately owned. They usually have the highest prices per ice time.

[chrisallard5454]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Just a heads up, if you want to play hockey you pay A LOT of money. It's not free from the city if that's what you're getting at. 1 hour of indoor ice, depending where you go, is $150-$250. For one hour. Some rinks are privately owned. They usually have the highest prices per ice time.

My (Rec) league is $500.00 on the year, playing for the WJHL at the Iceplex. That is on the cheap side , I believe, in terms of ice time. My experience is limited to the region of Southwestern Ontario, where ice time cost up to 20.00 a person per game.

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Just a heads up, if you want to play hockey you pay A LOT of money. It's not free from the city if that's what you're getting at. 1 hour of indoor ice, depending where you go, is $150-$250. For one hour. Some rinks are privately owned. They usually have the highest prices per ice time.

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

My (Rec) league is $500.00 on the year, playing for the WJHL at the Iceplex. That is on the cheap side , I believe, in terms of ice time. My experience is limited to the region of Southwestern Ontario, where ice time cost up to 20.00 a person per game.

I think Chris's quote sums up what I was trying to say perfectly. There is an opportunity for private investment in arenas... why does the City own them? I don't like my City owning and operating something that a private company can own and operate for a profit.

Will it be more expensive? More than likely. But those who can't afford the expense can apply for subsidies through Sports MB. Those who can afford it should pay a fair market price for the service.

How much do you think the City makes on it's arenas? More than likely it loses money on them. Why should it (and by proxy, me) lose money when obviously a private company can come in and make money doing the same service?

[chrisallard5454]

Originally Posted by steveosnyder

I think Chris's quote sums up what I was trying to say perfectly. There is an opportunity for private investment in arenas... why does the City own them? I don't like my City owning and operating something that a private company can own and operate for a profit.

Will it be more expensive? More than likely. But those who can't afford the expense can apply for subsidies through Sports MB. Those who can afford it should pay a fair market price for the service.

How much do you think the City makes on it's arenas? More than likely it loses money on them. Why should it (and by proxy, me) lose money when obviously a private company can come in and make money doing the same service?

Because it seems that the city is more keen on making jobs for people than doing what they are supposed to.

This should probably be for the politics thread, but I will post it here. Despite my niavity, lack of knowledge, lack of "proper education" (as I have been to university and am currently still attending post-secondary), maturity, expertise, and general inability to succeed, I have let my passion allow me to believe that I should one day run for office, regardless of the likely failure.

Anyways, that being said, I have been slowly going over the city's budget in an attempt to create my own plan for how the city should be run. And what I have found astonishes me. I have made it through 1/8 of the city's released compensation disclosure form (which contains the salary for every civil servant, from the Janitor at your local CC to the Mayor himself) and I am, appalled at how much money is just thrown away.

To give you an idea of what I mean, there is a man who's title is "Manager of the decision making process" for the city clerks office. This man makes 114 000 dollars a year. Considering that the lowest salary in the clerks office -and by far the lowest considering it is a 10 000 jump to the next lowest- is 54 000 dollars, I would like to hope that they can all make their decisions on their own.

To conclude, 1/8th through the compensation sheet and I have managed to save 5.5 million dollars, without cutting a single job, or even touching current bloated policies that are in place (which I definitely intend to do, come the near future).

To stop this thread from derailing here are some bomber photos.

It's almost done...





Two of these beasts going up... One on either end zone.


Box suite.














They may not be the best, but they are up there in the top 3. And it is unfortunate for me to say that they have never won a Grey Cup in my lifetime. I was born the year following their last Grey Cup.




All photo's are from www.thebluebombers.com

[Bdog]

^I think the compensation disclosure report only lists employees making more than 50k, but I could be wrong...

[Authentic_City]

You are correct. Provincial legislation requires public reporting only of employees earning 50K+.

Originally Posted by Bdog

^I think the compensation disclosure report only lists employees making more than 50k, but I could be wrong...

[wags_in_the_peg]

I ass't coach both of my kids teams and we pay $186/hr for ice. fortunately we usually share the ice as they are young and only practice on 1/2. it adds up and it does cost lots to play regular hockey. if you get into competitive whent hey get older like AA or AAA or play spring hockey it adds up even more. it all comes down to balance and play what the kid wants to and you can afford. some of these facilities like Southdale or East End are run by a volunteer board. yes they have paid ice cleaners, janitors and usually a GM but these are non-unionized positions, thus savings 1000's. another of city rinks will be closing, Old Ex included. as more and more community clubs build 2-3 sheets of ice, the city will close down their aging facilities.

[DonaldSmith]

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

Because it seems that the city is more keen on making jobs for people than doing what they are supposed to.

This should probably be for the politics thread, but I will post it here. Despite my niavity, lack of knowledge, lack of "proper education" (as I have been to university and am currently still attending post-secondary), maturity, expertise, and general inability to succeed, I have let my passion allow me to believe that I should one day run for office, regardless of the likely failure.

Anyways, that being said, I have been slowly going over the city's budget in an attempt to create my own plan for how the city should be run. And what I have found astonishes me. I have made it through 1/8 of the city's released compensation disclosure form (which contains the salary for every civil servant, from the Janitor at your local CC to the Mayor himself) and I am, appalled at how much money is just thrown away.

To give you an idea of what I mean, there is a man who's title is "Manager of the decision making process" for the city clerks office. This man makes 114 000 dollars a year. Considering that the lowest salary in the clerks office -and by far the lowest considering it is a 10 000 jump to the next lowest- is 54 000 dollars, I would like to hope that they can all make their decisions on their own.

To conclude, 1/8th through the compensation sheet and I have managed to save 5.5 million dollars, without cutting a single job, or even touching current bloated policies that are in place (which I definitely intend to do, come the near future).

First of all, there are multiple errors here.

1. This only has salaries greater than $50K.
2. Janitors at your local CC are not city employees and as a result will not be on here.

The position of "manager of the decision making process" is a rather important one. The decision making process is Council and their Committees. It is important that a qualified person runs these or the whole system falls apart.

This kind of reminds me of the ignorant Rob Ford perspective. People say that they want to eliminate the "gravy train" but don't really know the underlining purpose of the spending. When he was finally in the mayors office and the Core Service Review was completed by KPMG, they didn't find much they could cut.

I know the operations of the City very well. Everything is bare bones. There is no money for anything. After years of tax freezes there is not much left to cut. Except for Police, they basically have what ever they want regardless of cost due to the power of their association.

[wags_in_the_peg]

the problem with the aspiring politican of young Mr Allard is that he sees a high paid job with a funny job title and he says "cut it"! Sometimes 1 guy making $100k is a lot more worthwhile that 3 guys cleaning snow making $33k each. Perhaps a private company be hired for $50k instead of those 3 guys. bottom line, you can't draw conclusions on who you cna cut unless you understand exactly what they do.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by DonaldSmith

Except for Police, they basically have what ever they want regardless of cost due to the power of their association.

Fire is even worse.

[chrisallard5454]

Originally Posted by DonaldSmith

First of all, there are multiple errors here.

1. This only has salaries greater than $50K.
2. Janitors at your local CC are not city employees and as a result will not be on here.

The position of "manager of the decision making process" is a rather important one. The decision making process is Council and their Committees. It is important that a qualified person runs these or the whole system falls apart.

This kind of reminds me of the ignorant Rob Ford perspective. People say that they want to eliminate the "gravy train" but don't really know the underlining purpose of the spending. When he was finally in the mayors office and the Core Service Review was completed by KPMG, they didn't find much they could cut.

I know the operations of the City very well. Everything is bare bones. There is no money for anything. After years of tax freezes there is not much left to cut. Except for Police, they basically have what ever they want regardless of cost due to the power of their association.

You're right, I was wrong about Janitors. I never made the connection that employees below 50k weren't a part of the list. However. I have yet to cut anyone from the list (including the manager of decision making process), and I have still found a way to save money.

I already acknowledged that I am niave, and that any attempt at politics would almost definitely fail. However that doesn't change the fact that our city is currently run poorly, and change is needed. I would invite more people to have as much interest as myself, regardless of the education that is needed to enlighten them to understand fully.

More than anything this was a fun project of mine to see what could possibly be done to save money - however far fetched.

Both Fire and Police are extremely bloated and make up half of the city's budget. We saw evidence leading us to why in the free press today. One example is the fact that Police abuse overtime.

[vid]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Fire is even worse.

People here call them "firesleepers" and want the city to simply stop having a fire department since they "don't do anything".

Ontario only requires salaries to be published if they're over $100,000. $50,000 seems awfully low though, a single parent with two kids is barely middle class with that kind of income.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

I already acknowledged that I am niave, and that any attempt at politics would almost definitely fail.

You don't need to be quite so hard on yourself.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Fortress RDI now says expect an announcement about Winnipeg development in Q2.
https://twitter.com/FortressRDI/

Yes, they told me they have been meeting with the City over their plans. I asked if that was CentreVenture but didn't get a reply, or perhaps the tweet failed to send.

[vid]

Originally Posted by Andy6

You don't need to be quite so hard on yourself.

Yeah, especially because the reason he won't be his naïveté, but rather, his lack of connections to unions or the chamber of commerce. You can only get elected if you have a union or the chamber of commerce behind you.