Regrets, I’ve had a few…

All this talk of Vic Toews retiring and/or receiving a judicial appointment begs a few questions:

1. If Vic goes, who becomes Manitoba’s senior federal minister? My uneducated guess would be Fletcher, but please Stephen, no Joy!

2. If Hugh McFadyen had stuck to his original political career plan, and won Winnipeg South for the federal Conservatives, would he not be the most likely candidate for this spot?

Who writes this crap?

As a follow-up to my last post, I thought I’d direct you to McFadyen’s op-ed piece from Tuesday’s Freep on the province’s proposed electoral reforms. Geez, I don’t think I’ve seen him this angry since that “grr…communists!” speech from a few years back.

Seriously, just take a look at the first paragraph:

The NDP has introduced a bill that should shock and outrage every Manitoban. It jeopardizes democracy, infringes on Charter rights and seeks only to keep the ruling party in power ad infinitum….The NDP has cynically disguised it as a positive move that simply sets fixed election dates. Within this Trojan horse, Bill 37 is actually an attempt to fix elections for the NDP.

He goes on to use other scary terms like “sinister”, “unconstitutional”, “fox in charge of the henhouse” and claims that “Gary Doer has been in power for so long he thinks he’s entitled to preside over our province like a king.”

Do the Tories really think this kind of over-the-top spin is going to connect with swing voters? If so, then they might want to use their new public funding to make the opposition benches a little more comfortable. After all, they’re going to be there a while.

Looking a gift horse in the mouth

Sorry Hugh, but using your party’s public funding to sue the Doer government so it can’t give you public funding any longer is too cute by half. If you really want to make a statement, then simply turn the money down, or at least donate it to charity.

As for your fear you’d be dooming the party to endless election losses by refusing the cash, well I’d suggest that’s something you should have thought about before launching this offensive.

I’m not really sure where the Tories are going with this issue in the first place. The general public doesn’t seem to care, and the media — with the notable exception of Brodbeck — appear somewhat favourable toward the election law changes. The only people who are going to get hot and bothered about it are already core Tory voters.

So instead of falsely huffing and puffing about how Doer is screwing you over, why not just accept the funding and use it instead to advance issues that actually matter to Joe or Jane Manitoban?

Over to you Kerri

CTV News, with Gord Leclerc, Marilee Caruso, and Kerri Irvin-Ross…

If Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross took a job as a news anchor she would actually be on TV less than she is now.

Seriously, there’s 18 cabinet ministers and another 18 NDP backbenchers, but it seems KIR is the designated spokesperson for every second announcement. In the last few weeks alone she’s been a part of news conferences on income supplements for low-income seniors, additional provincial campsites, funding for mental health services and bicycle helmets. I half expect her to deliver the provincial budget next spring.

I wonder if former go-to girl Theresa Oswald is hearing footsteps?

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Speaking of CTV News, check these hilarious short blooper clips from WpgRacing’s YouTube collection:

Biking does a body good (if you know what I mean)

The City has officially announced its first ever Bike To Work Day, scheduled for June 20th. I think it’s a great idea, although I wish some of our local politicos would commit to commuting by bike more frequently than once a year. In the UK, Conservative leader David Cameron has received a lot of positive press for being a regular bike commuter (and some negative press for breaking the rules of the road, but oh well).

In an effort to get more of you to embrace your inner cyclist, I present the following (it’s in Hungarian, but I think you’ll get the point):

The rough translation:

The lady asks the old man: would you like some tea? He answers: thank you, that would be lovely. As she is listening to the noises coming from the other room, she mutters under her breath: you should rather be biking, too, Rezso. And then at the end, the tag line is almost the same: You should rather be biking, too.

The very real issue of crown donations to the CMHR

Prairie Topiary posted recently in defence of the $1 million donations from Manitoba’s four big crown corporations (MLCC, MPI, MB Lotteries and MB Hydro) to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He makes some great points, and even has the Hack nodding his head in agreement (I always knew that guy was a closet NDP-sympathizer).

However, I respectfully disagree with PT’s opinion that this is a “non-issue” for a few reasons:

1. The government meddling. PT correctly points out that if the crowns were private corporations they probably would have been strong-armed into making a donation anyway. But they’re not private corporations. They’re arms-length operations of government, and that arm isn’t very long.

Gary Doer appoints the board members of these companies, and he picks the chairperson. And it was Gary Doer that encouraged each of them to make a “donation” to the CMHR. Do you really think they had a choice?

I don’t object to government funding for the Museum (although I would like to know when it will end, and just what we’re getting for it), but if Doer wants to boost his contribution then it should come directly from the provincial government.

2. The secrecy. Every other major donation to this museum has been trumpeted in news releases and celebrated at cheque-signing ceremonies. But there was no word about these donations until the media uncovered them. Even now that the story is out, there’s still no mention on the websites of the four crowns.

And what was the explanation from MLCC Chair Carmen Neufeld for the lack of publicity?

We’re not looking for huge recognition for the cheque we’re cutting. We’re looking at this as something we should be doing because it’s good for the province. We’re not looking for a big splashy thank you. It’s the right thing to do.

Yeah, sure. Then you have MPI scrambling to explain which line of business their donation is coming from, like it really makes a difference.

It’s clear these companies were hoping the donations would slip by unnoticed. And to return to PT’s earlier point, I guarantee that if the crowns actually were private corporations they wouldn’t just let $1 million donations go unannounced.

An outright ban on charitable contributions and sponsorships from crown corporations just isn’t feasible in our province. These companies make up a huge portion of the business sector, and are near the top of the prospect list of every non-profit in town. However, the crowns should all have clearly defined and publicly available donation policies to guide these decisions in the future.

Related:

• The Black Rod - Gail Asper’s Incredibly Shrinking Museum for Human Rights

Whatever happened to…

I just burned the better part of an hour on one of my new favourite YouTube channels: Jim Jaworski’s collection of late-eighties/early-nineties clips from Winnipeg news broadcasts.

Some of you may know Jim as a regular commenter on this blog, as a co-author on the TRUWinnipeg site, or as curator of Unofficial Winnipeg Transit Online. But I really think this YouTube collection is his greatest gift to the Internet.

It comes across like a rogues’ gallery of reporters and mega-projects of the past. And as I watched, one question kept running through my head: Whatever happened to…

• That new arena proposal from 1989?
• Phase 2 of the TD Centre (now Canwest Place) project?
• The water park and condos at the Forks?
• The traffic disaster that Councillor Bill Clement claimed would be caused by the Charleswood Parkway, 15 years before he started acting like he designed and built the thing by hand?
• Mike McCourt, possibly the most pompous news anchor in Winnipeg history? (This interview just cracks me up)

And finally, perhaps the biggest question of all, whatever happened to all those shoppers that were expected at Portage Place? It was billed as “the salvation of downtown Winnipeg” on opening day, but as this 1988 CBC report shows, it was clear within a few months that things weren’t going well.

Some advice for the Freep blog squad

It seems the Freep’s experiment with blogging and video isn’t going so well. In a recent survey of the Free Press Insiders panel, only 25% of respondents said they watch a Free Press video at least once a week, and only 27% read a Free Press blog at least once a week. The paper says it’s “going back to the drawing board on how we’re delivering and promoting these website features.”

In the interest of keeping the Free Press bloggers alive — well Dan, Mary Agnes and Nick anyway — I’d like to offer the following unsolicited advice:

Be patient, and promote more. In my observation, Manitobans have been very slow to adopt to many forms of new/social media, with the exception of Facebook. Many of my friends/colleagues don’t read blogs regularly, almost none use RSS to subscribe to blog feeds.

Concentrate on local content. I can read a thousand blogs about TV, technology, travel, family life or growing old, I don’t need to come to the Free Press site for that. It’s no surprise that your most popular bloggers are Lindor Reynolds, Mike McIntyre and Milt Stegall, as they’re all delivering local content.

Add a blog about civic politics. This is a gaping hole in your blog roster. If Bart and/or Aldo don’t want to do it, then offer a spot to a current or former member of Council. Or recruit a former political staffer or senior bureaucrat (lord knows there’s plenty of those around) who knows the people and issues.

Recruit Curtis. The guy already writes regular opinion pieces for your paper, so why not throw a few extra shillings his way and make Curtis Brown’s Endless Spin Cycle part of the Freep empire? It’s already one of the best written and researched local blogs, and it comes with a built-in audience of dozens of political nerds like me.

Rip off (or partner with) Freshdaily. The Freshdaily network of blogs — blogTO, Midnight Poutine and Beyond Robson — offer some of the best local content in Canada IMHO. Assemble some young staffers and freelancers to produce a similar group site that covers arts, entertainment, shopping, dining, clubbing, architecture, politics and local gossip. Done correctly, this could become the replacement local newspaper for 15 to 30-year olds.

Add a blog about media. There’s really no coverage of the media in the local media, other than the odd report on TV/radio ratings or newspaper circulation. But many viewers, listeners and readers are interested in learning more about the local and national media scene — the business dealings, critical analysis of coverage, deeper examination of ratings, and the comings and goings of media personalities. Heck, I still get hits from people trying to figure out why Natalee Taylor disappeared from Q94.

Redesign your blog pages. They all look the same, and are practically identical to the rest of the Freep site. It could be that some people are actually reading blogs but not realizing it. Give each blog some personality, or at least a custom header.

Change the comments system. Having to register for an account just so I can make a comment is a pain in the ass. The relative lack of comments on Freep blogs suggests that I’m not alone in that opinion.

Post your videos on YouTube. Right now your videos are trapped within the Freep website. Adding them to YouTube and similar video-sharing sites will increase exposure and allow bloggers like me to easily embed them within my own posts, ultimately driving more interest in your video efforts.

Try podcasting. I suppose Paul Samyn’s weekly video review of the stories of the week is a podcast of sorts, but there’s lots of opportunity here for other shows. A weekly reporters roundtable might be a good place to start, or maybe that civic politics blog becomes a podcast instead. Take a look at the tremendous success of the Guardian’s podcasts for inspiration.

CJOB hates the planet

CJOB launched a new feature on Monday called the “Gas Gauge.” I’ll let traffic hound Brian Barkley explain it in his own words:

It’s called the Gas Gauge, and we’re getting traffic watchers give us the lowest gas price they see or the lowest gas price they pay…It will be interesting if we can drive prices down by getting people to drive to these various areas to go to these lower priced stations. It couldn’t hurt. So I hope retailers are listening because we want to drive business your way.

First, if these guys think they’re going to have any impact on gas prices then they’re fools. This idea barely ranks above those ridiculous “let’s all boycott Esso on this one day” emails that go around every now and then. It simply won’t work, other than getting the odd station that wants to hear its name on the radio.

Second, yes Brian, it could hurt. For starters, you could actually make traffic worse by creating line-ups at the pumps. But more importantly, you’re encouraging people to drive unnecessary extra miles, and spew extra emissions, to potentially save a few cents at best. Way to think green guys!

Then again, CJOB’s commitment to the environment is probably best demonstrated by the fact they have Brian driving hundreds of km per day alone in an SUV while there’s also a god damn helicopter flying around doing the exact same job!

Contrast this with the more logical and sustainable approach of CBC Radio, which has installed a city-wide network of cameras in areas with high-volume traffic. They complement this system with phone tips from listeners, and manage to provide essentially the same service as CJOB without burning a single litre of gasoline or aviation fuel.

Doer and Schwarzenegger: not “Twins” after all?

So, tell me if this sounds familiar: regional political leader who is acclaimed for his efforts to fight global warming faces tough decision — and potential criticism from environmentalists — over where to build a major new transmission line carrying sustainable power.

Manitoba? No, it’s California, where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is supporting a proposal from a San Diego utility company to build a high-voltage transmission line through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

You might recall that Schwarzenegger and Manitoba Premier Gary Doer have become fast friends in recent years, with Doer flying down to California for a photo-op to sign an environmental cooperation agreement, and Schwarzenegger making several appearances in news releases from the provincial government.

However, unlike his pal Gary, Arnie isn’t afraid of a scrap with environmental activists if it means building the transmission line in the most logical location. Schwarzenegger even declined to renew appointments to the state parks commission for two potential opponents of the project — his brother-in-law Patrick Shriver and Clint Eastwood.

In review, Gary Doer is scared that members of the Kennedy/Shriver family will lead protests if he tries to build Manitoba Hydro’s new transmission line along the east side of Lake Winnipeg. On the other hand, Arnold Schwarzenegger — who is MARRIED to a Shriver — is neither afraid of his in-laws nor Dirty Harry.

Also, Doer has never defeated a super-cool robot killer from the future. I’m just sayin’.