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Provincial Politics in Manitoba


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It was reported the other day that Tim Sale, NDP cabinet minister, will not be running next election.

A website dedidicated to giving the behind the scenes look to Winnipeg's media. The take task with the puff piece on Sale leaving office.

http://blackrod.blogspot.com/

He was a minister guilty of mismanagement, slander and cover-up. The Auditor-General exposed all of this.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The newsclip says there are three in the race already - do you know who's running against him? Will Al Golden give it another shot? :blink: Winnipeg likes to keep its mayors around for a couple of terms, so I don't think Sammy is in much danger of losing, unless he does something really around the bend.

Your first link, the Black Rod, seems pretty full of itself, and any time Charles Adler is given any kind of credibility I have to be skeptical. But I'll check it out again from time to time, just for curiosity's sake.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Nelson Mandela

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The newsclip says there are three in the race already - do you know who's running against him? Will Al Golden give it another shot? :blink: Winnipeg likes to keep its mayors around for a couple of terms, so I don't think Sammy is in much danger of losing, unless he does something really around the bend.

Your first link, the Black Rod, seems pretty full of itself, and any time Charles Adler is given any kind of credibility I have to be skeptical. But I'll check it out again from time to time, just for curiosity's sake.

The Black Rod gives some insight to what is happening in the media but it is definitely sure of itself.

There are two announced candidates. They are Kaj Hasselriis and Ron Pollock. Hasselriis is former CBC producer who has worked for both NDP and Progessive Conservative campaigns. Ron Pollock is the brother of perennial candidate Natalie Pollck.

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Neither one sounds like much of a contender at this point. It would take a real heavy hitter to knock Katz out, I think.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Nelson Mandela

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There are rumours of former NDP MLA Marianne Cerilli running.

Al Golden isn't allowed to run because he broke election laws in the last campaign.

"I think it's fun watching the waldick get all excited/knickers in a knot over something." -scribblet
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Neither one sounds like much of a contender at this point. It would take a real heavy hitter to knock Katz out, I think.

Pollock is under investigation by the Law Society. Don't know what that's all abiyt but he is a paralegal so think it might involve on infringing on what lawyers do.

Hasselriis is not well known but might take some of the opposition vote to Katz, especially in regards to the hob plant.

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There are rumours of former NDP MLA Marianne Cerilli running.

Al Golden isn't allowed to run because he broke election laws in the last campaign.

That's true that Cerilli might run. We'll have to see.

What is sad is that five council seats might not have any opposition.

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  • 4 months later...

The pig plant that the NDP supported to the tune of a $27 million promise has been all but scrapped. The reason: The province has capped hog barns in the province.

Whether that's true or whether the industry is having a tough time of it is up for debate. What's not up for debate is that this is one of several economic failures since the NDP have gotten into power.

Initially, they supported the call center business. Now, they don't and Winnipeg lost the Dell and RIM call centers to eastern Canada. Then they supported the international pharmaceutical industry. A combination of federal, U.S. and provincial pharmacists have chipped away at that. Next they supported the hog industry. Well, now they're not so sure.

Add to this Crocus and announcing Limestone dam maybe 20 to 30 years in the future and you find the NDP wheezing to the end of the year.

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Seems to me OlyWest (hog barns, for those of you not from Manitoba and even marginally interested in this thread, which probably is only of interest to jdobbin, Bubber and me) was scrapped because of the environmental activists rather than any need for a moratorium on hogs. This is an agricultural province, regardless of the constant attempts to be cosmopolitan - I don't understand why hog barns should be placed under moratorium; people eat pork, and there is a market to fill. Food production is what we do here, and there is much to be proud of in that. Environmental concerns could have been addressed without losing the entire project.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Nelson Mandela

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Jdobbin, I'm gonna take a guess your a provincial liberal???

Sorry, just starting to get a hang of politics around here as I've only lived in this province for three months.

I ran as a provincial Liberal in 1988 but have not been involved lately due to work commitments.

I don't believe the Liberals are anywhere near ready to even take over Official Opposition status. Nor have the Tories been shining lights in Opposition.

However, the NDP, aside from Gary Doer's personal charisma, have not had an economic plan for quite some time. His cabinet is fairly weak, there is no one in cabinet who seems ready to lead, few bright stars and they have several government or business collapses that they have a hand in including Crocus Investments, two different housing agencies and the gutting of Hydro's coffers.

The NDP has dropped in the polls considerably because of infrastructure spending. They are pouring money into it now but it might be too little, too late to convince people. The amount needed to replace deteriorating roads and bridges is quite a sum.

While the economy hasn't been a total waste, we are not in a good position for even a small recession.

In short, the NDP has run out of ideas. Either it renews itself with fresh faces, ideas and attitude or they will defeat themselves despite the weak Conservatives.

This is what happened to the PCs a few years ago. People just got tired of the scandals, the mismanagement and despite an economy back then that was not horrible, it wasn't enough to rel-elect the Tories.

This latest thing on Olywest just had people infuriated on both sides. And the NDP thought they could play both supporter and opposition on it. Support the plant with dollars, shut down expansion of hog farms. Mixed message from the NDP all the way. And it isn't the first time I has happened. There are developments all over the city where NDP are divided. Waverley West housing comes to mind. The NDP government supports it, NDP members try and block it.

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Just like that rig manufacturing plant back home where the NDP wouldn't cough up the cash to help build it, our town could have almost doubled in size, sigh.

"Stop the Madness!!!" - Kevin O'Leary

"Money is the ultimate scorecard of life!". - Kevin O'Leary

Economic Left/Right: 4.00

Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.77

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Seems to me OlyWest (hog barns, for those of you not from Manitoba and even marginally interested in this thread, which probably is only of interest to jdobbin, Bubber and me) was scrapped because of the environmental activists rather than any need for a moratorium on hogs. This is an agricultural province, regardless of the constant attempts to be cosmopolitan - I don't understand why hog barns should be placed under moratorium; people eat pork, and there is a market to fill. Food production is what we do here, and there is much to be proud of in that. Environmental concerns could have been addressed without losing the entire project.

I think the project ran into trouble on many fronts. I think there was an urban prejudice against the plant despite the fact that several meat packing plants already exist in the city on industrial land.

I think the NDP fought amongst themselves to support and defeat it. In the end, with the hog barn moratorium which hasn't been adequately explained, the project went off the rails.

Gary Doer has tried to initiate a number of economic developments for Manitoba. Most of them have been disappointing, others just ended up costing tax money and hurt Manitoba investors.

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Is OlyWest the hog processing deal in Brandon stolen from Edmonton a decade ago?

That was Mapleleaf.

And it hasn't been the boon that Brandon thought. They have had to bring in Mexican workers because they have basically gone through everyone in Brandon.

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I'll bet it wasn't much of a boon either because Brandon and Manitoba gave away the farm (sic) to get the plant there.

Poor socialists, tough to play a game when you don't understand the rules.

You must really be lost when it comes to who put the money into Maple Leaf. It was Gary Filmon and the Conservatives, not the NDP.

Poor right wing: duped again.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sort of federal and provincial issue.

Manitoba has been so short of long haul truck drivers that they are bringing people in on temporary work visas.

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2006/12/18/temp-workers.html

What is interesting is that it is private companies that want to make them permanent residents.

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Sort of federal and provincial issue.

Manitoba has been so short of long haul truck drivers that they are bringing people in on temporary work visas.

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2006/12/18/temp-workers.html

What is interesting is that it is private companies that want to make them permanent residents.

We wouldn't be short of them if they could pay wages comparable to a water truck driver on the patch.

"Stop the Madness!!!" - Kevin O'Leary

"Money is the ultimate scorecard of life!". - Kevin O'Leary

Economic Left/Right: 4.00

Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.77

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And it hasn't been the boon that Brandon thought. They have had to bring in Mexican workers because they have basically gone through everyone in Brandon.
I heard the plan was to provide the local unemployed native population with jobs, however, they could not find enough that were willing to give up welfare for work in a hog barn.

To fly a plane, you need both a left wing and a right wing.

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