New
Government? Big Flood? The NHL's Return
Our
Informed Predictions for 2011
By
Scott Taylor
Construction
on a new football stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and
the University of Manitoba Bisons will not only be underway
in 2011, but almost completed.
Regardless
of the outcome, it looks as if there will be a new government
over on Broadway and we just might find out which National
Hockey League franchise is coming to Winnipeg.
People
will continue to cry about high taxes and crumbling infrastructure
and complaining about (a) lousy roads and then (b) the gridlock
that is created when the city tries to repair those roads.
Oh yeah,
and think about investing in telecommunications technology
and popular social networks. They are going to grow at an
alarming rate this year.
These
are just a few of the predictions weve received here
at Senior Scope from prominent folks all over the province
of Manitoba.
There
is a lot going on right now in our province, especially in
Winnipeg, and there will certainly be much more happening
in 2011. Banks will be strong, the telecommunications industry
will be strong and all three levels of government will be
driving it.
So on
the eve of the New Year, lets takes a look at the comments
from some prominent aging Winnipeggers about what
we should expect in 2011.
Their
answers were candid and sometimes, quite surprising:
Sam
Katz, Mayor of Winnipeg and Owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes
Baseball Club:
Our 59-year-old
mayor is a happy guy these days. In 2010, he got the police
helicopter he was after, he won re-election in a landslide,
became engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Leah Pasuta, just
won a huge vote at City Council (by a 14-2 margin) to get
a new stadium built for the Winnipeg Football Club and got
his own professional team, baseballs Winnipeg Goldeyes,
into a bigger, better and stronger league.
However,
despite all of his good fortune in 2010, there are still a
few good things the Mayor expects to see happen in 2011.
Im
convinced right now that there will be a new indoor water
park in Winnipeg, for both Winnipeggers and visitors to our
city to enjoy, Katz said.
And
Im going to cover all my bases here and predict that
the Winnipeg Goldeyes will win an American Association championship
in 2011.
But
I think the most important thing for the city is that well
start getting a larger, more appropriate share of growth revenues
from the province. Growth revenues is a nice way to say, PST.
We spend
the most within the province and pay the largest chunk of
taxes and yet we dont get our share in return. I believe
we will start getting our share in 2011 and it will help make
Winnipeg a stronger city.
Despite
his optimism, there is one thing that does cause him concern
the rising Red River. It was high when the freeze came
this year and it is expected to be well above average in the
spring. Flooding could be a problem, even with the floodway
operating at full capacity.
Were
monitoring the river, Katz said. There is no cause
for alarm, but were always concerned when the river
is high in the fall.
Marty
Gold, Winnipeg Sun columnist and freelance broadcaster:
He is
outspoken and unafraid to say anything thats on his
mind. Hes also the newest columnist at the Winnipeg
Sun.
A guy
who has lived three or four lifetimes in his 50 years on the
planet, Marty Gold (AKA: Martin Boroditsky, Marty Goldstein),
has been a professional wrestler, a wrestling promoter, a
TV producer, cab driver, corporate whistleblower, radio host
and writer.
Hes
also been a defender of the little guy and an advocate for
the people who dont have a voice in our community.
Marty
has four specific predictions for civic and provincial politics
in 2011:
1) The
first stadium cost over-runs will be announced.
2) City
councilor John Orlikow will once again apologize for voting
for a walk-on item at City Council. He voted for traffic circles
when that item was walked on to a city council agenda in 2010
and he had to apologize for that. In 2011, he will eventually
apologize for voting for the stadium plan which was also walked-on
to council.
3) At
least three provincial cabinet ministers will not run for
re-election this fall. Im certain Theresa Oswald (Seine
River) is done, Diane McGifford (Lord Roberts) wont
run again, and at least one other, maybe two others, will
just head off into the sunset.
4) The
city of Winnipeg will be humiliated by the plaintiffs in the
Assiniboine Bike Lane lawsuit. Youre going to see the
city get spanked by the court for this one. Falling for the
Bike Lobbys shenanigans is going to get the city in
a load of heat in 2011.
Jim
Bell, President of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers:
If there
is one guy in Manitoba who agrees with David Aspers
assessment of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, its club president
Jim Bell.
In fact,
Bell is looking ahead to 2011 with more optimism than he did
the day in 2010 that he took over from Lyle Bauer as the president
and CEO of the Winnipeg Football Club.
When we
release our financial statements in April, I believe we will
have some good news, Bell said last week. Right
now, Im reviewing the books and I believe we will be
looking at some black ink not red ink this year.
Im starting to get a feel for where well be in
2011 and I think well be in good shape.
Despite
the fact the teams was 4-14 in 2010, Bell is convinced the
team is going in the right direction.
Given
our record on the field in 2010, the fact that we will turn
a small profit this year is a testament to out loyal following,
Bell continued. We want to win more games in 2011 and
I believe we will win a lot more games, but the important
thing this year is that despite all the changes we made to
the organization, our fans are telling us that were
going in the right direction. Theyre telling us to play
better, but they believe were doing the right things.
In
2011 well be a much better team on the field and we
will be marching toward a June 2012 opening for our brand
new stadium at the University of Manitoba.
Bell is
also convinced the Canadian Football League will have a strong
year in 2011.
I
dont think our leagues business model has ever
been better, he said. This year well hear
more about the Ottawa situation and well hear more about
expansion to places like Moncton, Quebec City and Halifax.
If there is one thing Im confident of heading into 2011,
its that our business is solid and our future is bright.
Hugh
McFadyen, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of
Manitoba:
Because
its an election year, McFadyen is going to be quite
busy in 2011, but while he was not prepared to predict the
outcome of the fall election, he was prepared to predict the
immediate future of his favorite football team.
You
will see the Bombers on the rebound in 2011, McFadyen
said. I wont say, theyll win a Grey Cup
but I will guarantee that a team that was 4-14 this past year
will make the playoffs next year.
While
hes pleased with the direction the Bombers are taking,
hes a little worried about the Red River Valley.
Spring
flooding will be out of our control. I just hope the floodway
is in full operational mode, he said. We have
four months to make sure its working at full capacity
and well need it at full capacity because as far as
I can see there are concerns throughout the Red River Valley.
We
went into the winter with not only saturated ground but with
standing water and then the snow came. Winter came with more
ground water than we had before the 1997 flood. The flood
experts Ive been speaking with are very worried that
if we get a quick thaw in the spring, we could be facing some
serious problems.
Shawn
Coates, Director of Marketing and Communications, U of W and
Owner of Shawn Coates Photography:
According
to Coates, downtown Winnipeg will never be the same. In fact,
Coates knows first-hand that there will be a number of announcements
that will change the look and feel of Winnipegs aging
downtown region.
The
first thing that will happen is an easy one for me,
he said. The University of Winnipeg will open the new
Richardson College for the Environment and Science Complex.
We will open the building at Portage and Furby in September
of 2011 and
it will Canadas most innovative and comprehensive science
complex.
Before
the building opens, just down the street and Portage and Memorial,
the old Greyhound Bus Depot will be no more and a new University
of Winnipeg complex will rise like a Phoenix. The revamped
bus depot will include a new quality bookstore, a new restaurant
and pub, a pharmacy and a walk-in clinic. The bookstore will
be the first quality bookstore in the downtown region since
McNally-Robinson pulled out of Portage Place in 2008.
And
then, there will be the new-look Hudson Bay across the street.
The Bay has already moved Zellers into its basement and it
has refurbished two more floors and will be announcing that
a number of retail businesses will be moving in. That old
building is going to get a new life.
It also
doesnt hurt that the university itself has become more
vibrant and more populated in the past five years. There are
now almost 10,000 students at the U of W, and according to
Coates, the Wesmen athletic program will be adding mens
and womens wrestling this year and one other sport,
that will be announced in January.
I
know were getting more sports, said Coates, because
the coaches are already out recruiting athletes. Our athletic
program is growing more rapidly than any other program in
Canada.
And as
the university and its athletic program grows, so too does
construction in downtown Winnipeg.
Marnie
Strath, Winnipeg Businesswoman and Event Planner and Manager:
Strath,
57, was the longtime marketing director of the Winnipeg Free
Press, before setting out on her own as an event planner and
manager. Her husband, Bob, owns an automobile dealership and
she spends most of her time around the citys movers
and shakers.
For Strath,
there will be two big events in Winnipeg in 2011.
I
believe Winnipeg will be told when were getting an NHL
franchise and what team it will be, she said. I
cant guarantee that a team will be playing in Winnipeg
in 2011, but Im certain well get a commitment
from the league that a team will be moving here.
And,
you know, despite everything that has gone on in Phoenix,
all the work the league has done to save that franchise, I
still think the Coyotes could wind up in Winnipeg. I just
cant believe that something wont go wrong with
that deal. I can tell you, Winnipeg came extremely close to
getting a franchise in 2010. Im convinced that in 2011,
well at least get word from the NHL that well
be getting a franchise.
I
also think well have a change in government on Broadway.
I believe the only reason the NDP hung on as long as they
did was the love affair this province had for (Gary) Doer.
Greg Selinger is a good guy, but if there is a fall election,
I think people will show that theyre ready for a change.
David
Asper, President, Creswin Properties and U of M law professor:
The 52-year-old
Winnipeg businessman, lawyer and law professor, has never
been short of energy or opinions. The man who freed David
Milgaard is also the man who made the original proposal to
build a new football stadium in Winnipeg.
A prominent
member of Winnipegs influential and philanthropic Asper
Family, David knows one thing will definitely happen in 2011:
There will definitely be a football stadium under construction
in 2011 and the construction will be quite visible in 2011.
In
the meantime, the city is going to have to decide what it
wants to do with rapid transit. Thats going to be a
big one. It will be interesting to see what the city does.
A former
chairman of the Blue Bombers board of directors and a former
member of the board of Canwest Global Communications, Asper
has his finger on the pulse of Canadian business, media and
sports and he believes 2011 will be another year of uncertainty
in this country.
I
really believe that with a provincial election coming in October
and with a federal election getting more likely every day,
it just creates uncertainty in the business community,
Asper said.
I
think 2011 will be another year in which we arent sure
whether or not an economic recovery is on the way. So much
depends on government. In Manitoba especially, massive amounts
of money is being spent and massive projects are all being
driven by government. In fact, in Manitoba, just about everything
is being driven by government.
Despite
all the uncertainty, Asper does feel confident about a couple
of things.
Our
banks will continue to be strong and their strength will play
a major role in the overall stabilization of the country,
he said. If youre looking at places to invest
your money you cant go wrong with our banks and you
cant go wrong with the technology that the telecommunications
industry is creating. The telecommunications industry is exploding
all around us.
And
I do know the Bombers will be a better football team. If you
take out all the rookie stuff and bad luck that were a big
part of this season, and all that stuff will be eliminated
next year, and youll have a much better football team.
When we
ask this question again in 2011, well probably be asking
it from a different perspective. This might be a very different
city and province by the end of the coming year.
(Read
more in the Dec
20 - Jan 19/2011 issue of Senior Scope)
FOR
THE HEALTH OF IT:
How
Sweet It Is - might be making you very ill.
By Steven Denault
Many of
us believe that were not eating too much sugar.
The numbers
say otherwise; the average North American adult is eating
160 lbs of it per year or more. That is way up from around
8 lbs per year for our great grandparents.
So
how is it getting into your diet?
The fact
is, its in just about every processed food you have
ever eaten. It might be listed as sugar, fructose or any one
of about 40 to 50 other names, most of them you wont
recognize as a sugar. For instance did you know that barley
malt is a form of sugar? Included in this long list would
be many fake (synthetic) sugars. The fake sugars are hundreds
of times more sweet and proving to be much more damaging than
regular refined sugars.
So its
not just the sweets, desserts or the sugar in your coffee,
its in each and every processed food on the shelf. All
processed foods are usually high in carbohydrates and or sugar.
So
whats the big deal with sugar and carbohydrates?
When we
eat processed carbohydrates and sugars our pancreas produces
insulin (a hormone) in an attempt to balance your blood sugar
levels. Under normal circumstances that is its primary function;
to produce just enough insulin to balance your blood sugar
levels.
As you
will see normal is a pasted term in this situation.
We eat way more carbohydrates and sugars now and this causes
the pancreas to produce much more insulin than what our body
really needs.
In such
a situation, insulin will trigger fat (energy) storage and
when our bodies store fat it doesnt give it up easily.
In fact its unnatural for our bodies to use up that stored
energy.
The insulin
trigger is one of our basic survival tools. When humans were
hunters and gatherers, we didnt know when the next meal
was coming so our bodies stored any amount of fuel it could
with the intention of holding on to it until the next food
shortage.
Today
we rarely experience a food shortage so this over eating of
sugars and carbohydrates is causing fat storage at a fast
pace. As long as we continue to over eat sugars and processed
carbohydrates, we will continue to store fat.
Ironically
we would fare much better if we totally eliminated sugar and
drastically reduced our intake of processed carbs.
In case
you are wondering why didnt our great grand parents
have the same problem its because most, if not
all, of their foods were whole, natural and not synthetically
altered. Everyone had access to chemical-free produce (veggies),
our meats were raised without the use of hormone or drug injections
and all the grains they ate were 100% whole grains.
We on
the other hand are living primarily (2/3 of the plate) on
carbohydrates and most of those carbs are from processed foods.
Insulin is a master hormone which tells our body what to do
in many situations; if it is not in balance then the messages
and commands it sends will not be the right ones and THINGS
WILL GO WRONG.
Steven
Denault
River Heights Good and Natural
Weight Loss Clinic
1102 Corydon Ave., Wpg.
204-415-1308
steved@goodnnaturalweightloss.com
(Read
more in the Dec
20 - Jan 19/2011 issue of Senior Scope)
MADS
- Men Against Drunk Shopping
By
Willian J. Thomas
Humour Columnist
I really
enjoy watching infomercials on TV. Theyre like dramas
written by Stuie King, Stephens older brother who works
full-time driving a recycling truck.
You got
your villain, the star of the infomercial whose role it is
to sell you something you dont need or want. And the
secondary characters in the audience oooh and ahhh like their
hometown boy just won an Olympic medal or the homecoming queen
successfully bought back and destroyed her sex tape. They
gasp when the pie comes out of the oven. They actually applaud
when Swivel Sweeper cuts a clear swath through the carpets
dirt and grime. Whenever I see an infomercial audience give
a standing ovation to an ultra-absorbent tea towel,
I think somewhere theres a theme park in Florida missing
its seal trainer.
But the
infomercial drama could never work and the ads themselves
would die a quick death if it was not for the dumb schlep
on the couch at home, the victim of the drama.
The typical
purchaser of these too-good-to-be-true products is not very
bright, lonely, naïve
What? Okay, so I bought
a damn Slap Chop while watching the infomercial on TV. Sue
me!
It was
Boxing Day and I was in the den at a family gathering having
a glass of wine by myself in order to avoid children. And
this guy Vince comes on and hes chopping carrots and
slicing tomatoes
Wham! Bam!
Slap Chop style.
Vince is having way too much fun than a man is supposed to
have in the kitchen by himself.
Slap,
slap, slap your troubles away. Set to some really cool
music, Vince is hammering this little round, plastic guillotine.
One slap and potatoes become home fries, fruit becomes salad
and when Vince whacked the mushroom, the green onion and ham
three times, there was an omelet awaiting only the eggs.
I didnt
love his nuts as much as Vince said I would, but everything
else from the strawberries that topped the ice cream to the
onion that shed its own skin made one wonder where Slap Chop
had been all my life. Oh yeah, Vince could sell Bibles to
Al Qaeda.
If youve
ever watched an infomercial on TV youre going to be
amazed that the Slap Chop, for all its wondrous applications
was not $59.99, not $49.99, not $39.99. No, basically Vince
gave it to me for the cost of shipping and
and I got
Graty the gourmet cheese grater at no extra charge.
Graty not only grates cheese, it
no, thats pretty
much it, cheese.
But like
the Slap Chop, Graty comes apart in seconds for easy cleaning.
Not that thats a big deal for me because I already own
Streak-Free, the next generations cleaning cloth
as well as Didi Seven, the worlds greatest stain
remover in a tube.
In fact,
I sometimes use Grill Daddy to clean my George Foreman Grill
which I purchased late one night after I jotted the toll-free
number down at the Belmont Hotel. Did you know you can also
cook salmon fillets in the George Foreman Grill?
Once I
made a mistake and used Spotless Paw to clean my Compact Showtime
Rotisserie & BBQ Oven which came with a free recipe booklet
and stainless steel pick for only $59.99 plus shipping. Set
it and forget it this thing could roast a pig
if I could find one small enough.
I bought
the easy-to-assemble rotisserie oven after a Robbie Burns
single malt tasting I hosted a few years ago and
is
there like a pattern developing here, or what?!?
Now theres
a ton of complaints on the internet that the Slap Chop is
a piece of junk that you have to cut stuff with a knife to
make it small enough for Slap Chap to cut it, blah, blah,
blah.
I know
nothing about this because the fact is I have never taken
Slap Chop or Graty out of their respective boxes. After the
holidays I realized that chopping vegetables on a cutting
board while watching the six oclock news is a mindless
pleasure at the end of my day. Plus its a good idea
to have a big knife in your hand when whackos like Bill OReilly
and Laura Ingram come into your kitchen at night.
So the
Slap Chop has triggered calls for the screening of products
sold on TV and performance inspections and I could care less
about any of that stuff. You know that breathalyzer device
the police are pitching, the one that would not allow you
to start your car if your blood alcohol is over the legal
limit? Yeah, well I want one of those things adapted to my
telephone.
If Ive
had more than one glass off wine, my Bell Breathalyzer feature
would not allow me to dial any toll-free number in North America.
If somehow I was able to trick it, any conversation that included
the words As seen on TV would be automatically
terminated.
Looking
back, I think I got off easy buying just the Slap Chop and
Graty. If there had been a CD with the theme song Slap
Chop Rap or a video of Vince making America skinny,
one slap at a time, Id have bought them too.
For the
record, no, I have not purchased Shoe Dini, the shoehorn on
a stick that helps old people put their shoes on. And the
Pocket Fisherman has been temporarily out of stock for months.
The Bell Breathalyzer. I hope to star in the infomercial.
For
comments, ideas and copies of The True Story
of Wainfleet, go to www.williamthomas.ca
(Read
more in the Dec
20 - Jan 19/2011 issue of Senior Scope)
|