SMART | city


A busy start for council in 2018 H


ello and welcome to this month’s issue of Smart Biz! It has been a busy start to 2018, and as


a Council we have been moving forward with several initiatives that will make Winnipeg an ever better place to live, work, and raise a family while working toward a City Hall that works better for Win- nipeggers. Last year, I promised


all of you that I’d work in partnership with the province to introduce ridesharing to Win- nipeg. At the beginning


State of the City Brian Bowman


of March, I was very pleased to see the much awaited start of ridesharing services in Winnipeg. Tis marks a historic first for Win-


nipeg and I’m happy to have been able to play a part in making it possible. Winnipeggers have been very vocal with me


over the last year in their desire to access ride- sharing services and it is great to finally be in a position where multiple rideshare companies are entering the Winnipeg market. We hope the increased competition will bring about much needed service improvements in the vehicle for hire industry in Winnipeg. Winnipeg simply could not remain an island


forever as jurisdictions around the world have found ways to adjust to a new reality within the vehicle for hire industry. Extensive stakeholder engagement involving


280 stakeholders from the taxi industry and or- ganizations has resulted in a made-in-Winnipeg solution based on models that exist across the country. Tis is just the beginning and I hope to see


many more companies enter Winnipeg’s mar- ket! Coming for Council’s consideration at the


end of the month is a by-law that would prohibit smoking on patios where food and beverages are being served. If passed by Council, an outdoor smoking ban


on patios would be in place for April 1, 2018. This comes as a result of extensive public


engagement where over 8000 people responded and the majority was found to be in support of a ban on smoking on patios. We do not expect to take a harsh enforcement


approach on this issue, rather one that is educa- tional – which is consistent with other jurisdic- tions as noted in the report approved by Council – recognizing that the intent of prohibitions is also for changing and evolving social norms related to smoking and second hand smoke. When the by-law is passed and in force, both


the business owner and the person smoking could be issued tickets. At the end of the day, smoking on patios


represents a health risk not only to smokers but to anyone within range of secondhand smoke. Winnipeggers have expressed strong support to prohibit smoking on patios and I look forward to making progress on this important issue. Finally, this past month, Council approved


a refreshed Code of Conduct which will help City Hall work better for Winnipeggers. It was presented by our new Integrity Commissioner and applies equally to elected members and their staff. It was a very collaborative process with all


members of Council being invited to make recommendations. Te Code of Conduct provides a set of prin-


ciples that members of Council will need to abide by, and members of the public can hold members of Council accountable for. We are a growing city. We are an increasingly


modern city, and at the heart of issues like these is an opportunity to innovate and contribute toward how visitors see our city, and in some ways, how we see ourselves. During my time as Mayor, I’ve been actively


trying to finding ways to help move us forward, to be innovative, and to rebuild pride in our- selves and our city. We’ve taken many steps forward and through continued collaboration in our community, we can take many more together.


4 Smart Biz


long-term enterprises have been those that saw an opportunity and seized it. Government needs to get out of the way. It


can help by removing barriers to investment or by adapting current regulations to meet current needs. In that regard, government must be nimble and responsive. It must be ready to act as a facilita- tor and partner, not as a convenient bank, which only promotes incompetence. Of course, there are times when you are in a bidding situation and the corporate welfare types come begging, but if we create a dynamic atmosphere geared to 21st cen- tury needs, that will occur less and less. Let’s take stock of what we have and do a little


stargazing. I am particularly interested in our vast and resource-rich north. For over a century, we have been struggling with


how to connect the south to the north via a feasible transportation system. Te reason we have failed is that, apart from wanting to maintain sovereignty over the northern coast, we don’t have a compelling reason to go there. Even the much-touted tourism industry represents only 3% of the northern GDP. How do we turn our present hydro lemon into lemonade and


in or from our northern environment that is in demand for domestic or external use? Something that makes people need to be there? We may have more going for us than we think. Lithium and Gigafactories


In addition to hydro electrical power, our mid-north is


home to several lithium deposits including the active lithium- caesium-tantalum Tanco mine at Cat Lake on the Winnipeg River where we produce 100% of Canada’s caesium, which is used in some batteries. Tere are several other known lithium deposits around Red Sucker Lake, Red Cross Lake, Gods Lake, Cross Lake and McLaughlin Lake, and deposits have been identified at Wekusko Lake. Of course we already know about our resources of nickel, cobalt, copper, silver, even graphite, all used in some way or another in the production of energy. Due to the demand for lithium for battery production right


now, there is renewed interest in Manitoba’s lithium. If we developed those resources, could our north someday be


the site of one of Elon Musk’s Gigafactories producing lithium- ion batteries? Te Gigafactory in Nevada is powered by a 70 megawatt solar farm. When Keeyask is completed, it will add 4,400 gigawatt hours to our current supply. We could easily provide the power to run a battery factory with the advantage of a nearby supply of lithium and other needed minerals. Musk expects the demand for batteries to grow not just to power cars, but to power homes and small businesses using his solar- charged battery packs. As these technologies prove themselves, look for demand to explode just as it did for mobile phones. Cryptocurencies like bitcoin


What about using our excess hydro power to lure cryptocur-


rency computer farms to the north? Each Bitcoin transaction requires the same amount of energy that it takes to power nine homes. Being able to locate computer farms in a cold climate as well as near the source of full strength hydro energy generation would be a real advantage. As a side benefit, the heat from the computers could be recycled to warm homes and heat green- houses at a fraction of the cost we are now charging northern consumers. It is not far-fetched to think about this. Manitoba and Quebec


Bold Ideas Dorothy Dobbie


Unleashing the power of Manitoba possibilities W


henever we have started out with the premise that government needs to lure industry to the province, we have ended up losing our shirts. Te successful and


are being looked at as potential centres for this activity right now due to our low energy costs and our cool climate. And a small bitcoin farm operated by Bruce Hardy in St. Francis Xavier is recycling its heat to warm water for his fish tank and to grow plants.


Hydrogen Manitoba also has a vast saltwater shoreline in


a cold climate with ample hydro power generation nearby. It’s not hard to imagine hydrogen produc- tion occurring near our hydroelectric resources, perhaps combining those with the new nano- technology that efficiently pulls hydrogen from salt water. We could build the compressors needed to reduce the gas to liquid there, and send the con- densed product to the world via ship or overland on a new network of roads and rail. Hydrogen production is not a new idea in


Manitoba – it goes back to the Schreyer days. A committee that examined the feasibility and re- ported on it in 2003 came to the conclusion that if all the potential hydroelectric power of Manitoba was converted to hydrogen we would be able to produce about 2 per cent more power than North


America could use to fuel all its automobiles if they all ran on hydrogen fuel cells. Fifteen years on and the excitement about using hydrogen


go beyond paying down hydro’s debt to something that would power our whole economy? Are there opportunities based on energy to create something


power has not materialized. Nor has the auto industry cottoned on to the idea, but hydrogen is still used as rocket fuel. New technologies


Forbes predicts that battery powered electric cars will win the


power struggle over fuel cells because battery powered cars are faster, cheaper, quieter, simpler and easier, if not faster, to power up because the foundation of needed infrastructure is in place. Te one advantage hydrogen fuel cells have over batteries


is the time it takes to re-power the car, but even that is chang- ing. While right now, battery recharging at the most powerful chargers takes about half an hour; new technologies will carve that time to minutes. A company called Store Dot in Israel is working on a nano-


technology using organic materials to make a battery that will recharge in five minutes and produce 300 miles worth of power. Toshiba has introduced a charger that can deliver 200 miles in 6 minutes. Te re-charging issue will be resolved, and we need to be looking at where this is going and how to take advantage of the new technologies. We need to be thinking about the power grid required to supply electric transportation power. Other ideas


In the short term, we still need to sell our power to other


markets if we can. Te way power is being transmitted is being readdressed. We


are looking for more efficient less intrusive methods of mov- ing current. Could we use rail lines to provide a pathway from Manitoba to eastern or western markets within Canada? why not? We have to look at every avenue. It has been shown that the demand traditional electric energy


will decline in future, as new technologies come into play. We need to think ahead and try to position ourselves to meet what demand there is, particularly with regard to finding ways to meet the mobile energy needs that will continue to grow. Why shouldn’t we be developing charging technologies or


delivery methods and sell the power needed to animate those technologies? To conclude, I know that the current habit of thought is to get


government money invested in building infrastructure and lur- ing companies to our province – incentivizing, I think it’s called. On the other hand, fair tax policies, reasonable regulations, and the removal of systemic barriers to business are better answers. Unleashing the power of creative thinking and personal energy are really the only long term solutions.


What the banks don’t want you to know G


Second opinion for your mortgage could save you thousands


ood day everyone! It has been quite some time since I last spoke about mortgages. Tis month I


would like to let you in on a little secret that a lot of banks do not want you to know. Ready? Here it is…. So


you have an accepted offer to purchase on a home and your bank has given the ap- proval letter to you or your real estate agent. You think it’s a done deal right? Guess what? That’s not the case, or at least it doesn’t have to be. If you haven’t signed the Mortgage Commitment you still have time to look for a better option. Let’s say you have two months until the possession date and your current bank has given you a rate of 3.39% and you’re wondering if you can get a lot lower rate somewhere else? Your current bank will most likely tell you that you can’t.


Finance Michael Cabral


Well, of course they don’t want you to because then you would save money and they wouldn’t make as much. I am here to tell you that you always have options and should get a second opinion on your mortgage. Now let’s say you talk to a friend and they tell you they just saw a mortgage broker and they got 3.19% for a fixed rate on their new purchase of $350,000. The good news is you could po- tentially get this rate too if you haven’t signed anything with your bank or lawyer yet. Let’s talk about how much you would be losing if you didn’t look at your options. A $350,000 mortgage prin- cipal at 3.39% for a 5-year


mortgage term at 25-year amortization carries a payment of $,1796.27 a month. With an interest rate of 3.19% for the same mortgage term and amortization, the payment would be $1,758.30 a month.


www.smartbizwpg.com


So, that is $37.97 a month in savings. Over the course of a 5-year mortgage term, you would save $2,278.20. Doesn’t it make more sense for that money to be in your pocket rather than paid in unnecessary interest? Does it pay you to get a second opinion? Of COURSE, it does. All I ask is I hope the next time you walk into your bank and obtain a mortgage approval, please get a second opinion…..it only makes financial sense. As a mortgage professional that deals with many lend- ers, I have many options with respect to mortgage type, term and of course rate. I want to save you thousands of dollars in unnecessary interest and fees! Like my Facebook page at Mike Cabral Mortgages and on Instagram at #mikecabralthe- broker. Should you need any help with a


mortgage or have any questions please message me or call because my advice is FREE! Follow me on Instagram at #mike- cabralthebroker or on Facebook at Mike Cabral Mortgages for more tips. Talk to you next month.


April 2018


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