Portage Place was dealt a major blow when Landmark Cinemas announced the closure of the Globe Cinema. Having previously lost McNally Robinson as well as the Imax theatre and a few higher-end retailers, this will further the perception the mall …
What We Can Learn About Infrastructure from the Katz Years
Mayor Katz’s tenure has been notable for significant infrastructure successes and failures. On the one hand, we have the fire hall land swap deal and the new police headquarters. On the other hand, we have the immensely successful Chief Peguis …
Providing Mobility in Communities That Can’t Fill a Bus
Many small communities struggle to provide adequate transportation to people with limited mobility and those who cannot afford to drive. Unlike major cities, public transit use in small communities outside the heart of metropolitan areas is rarely a lifestyle choice. …
Road Tolls Could Fund Winnipeg’s Roadway Improvements
Winnipeg’s roads are in bad shape, to put it mildly, and the City’s coffers aren’t exactly overflowing. That makes it tough to scratch together funds for roadway maintenance, let alone improvements. Even projects as crucial as the Inner Ring Road …
Craft Beer: A Tool for Urban Revitalization?
Most people don’t think of breweries as tools for economic development. In fact, the default assumption among politicians seems to be that alcohol is an unavoidable evil. However, the growth of the craft brewing industry has been a major boon …
Selfish Reasons to (Sometimes) Buy Local
“Buy local” has become an increasingly popular mantra in North America. It is often both a social statement and a matter of preference for goods that happen to be locally produced. This has often spilled over into advocacy against large …
A Harm Reduction Agenda for Distracted Driving
All Canadian provinces have introduced legislation to punish people for using cellphones while driving. But, the legislation doesn’t appear to be working. The number of distracted driving tickets suggests that people just aren’t listening. Rather than ratcheting up fines, provincial …
Cities Can Improve Services by Freeing Employees to Compete
How should municipal services be delivered to citizens? The political right argues that outsourcing services is usually most efficient, while the left argues that “privatization” of services such as waste management or wastewater treatment would lead to lower quality services. …
Transfer Money to Individuals, Not Governments
Canadians benefit from a quality of life that few in human history could even conceive of. Unfortunately, many Canadians at the lower end of the income spectrum haven’t shared in those gains. A recent Statistics Canada report shows that while …