Opinion


Smart decisions start with accurate information W


elcome to this month’s issue of Manitoba Post! Earlier this spring, I delivered my fourth State of the City Address.


Hosted by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, it’s a great chance to discuss the many different challenges and opportu- nities facing Winnipeg. Winnipeg is a city that’s grow-


ing. Our population is projected to grow steadily and strongly well into the future. We are currently a city of 750,000 strong, and are on the path to reach one million people over the next 25 years or so. With the level of growth cur-


State of the City Brian Bowman


rently projected for Winnipeg, we need to remain focused on planning for this future growth, bui lding strong government, protecting Winnipeg’s competi- tiveness, and ensuring Winnipeg continues to be an inclusive, safe city for all families.


In my State of the City Address, I outlined how strong


and steady population growth poses both challenges and opportunities for our city. A growing population puts increased pressure on exist-


ing city infrastructure, and also creates demand for new infrastructure. We need to be smart about how we plan for this growth and address these demands. Tis means mak- ing infrastructure investment decisions based on value for money and a business case rather than partisan politics. Te City of Winnipeg recently compiled an update on


the state of its infrastructure and for the first time ever has prepared an asset management plan that applies a consist- ent approach to how data is collected and analyzed across the entire portfolio of city-owned assets. Smart decision making starts with strong, accurate in-


formation. Te City of Winnipeg’s updated asset manage- ment plan and infrastructure reports will help depoliticize decision making at City Hall and lead to smarter investment choices. We also need to continue building strong government,


strengthening accountability and improving the quality of city services. I was pleased in my State of the City Address to commit to the introduction of electronic tracking of how each elected member of Council votes at community com- mittees, standing policy committees, and Council meetings, and a complete overhaul of 311’s existing online service to improve the quality of information available to residents. As Winnipeg’s population grows, it is important that


the city maintains its competitiveness by supporting local businesses.


City hall is buzzing with an election coming up this fall. Winnipeg’s business tax has been reduced every single


year over the last four years. But Winnipeg remains one of the last Canadian cities


with a business tax. I think the best support we can give to businesses fueling our economy is to clearly commit to ending it once and for all, which I was pleased to do in my State of the City Address. As Winnipeg grows, the safety of Winnipeg’s residents


must remain paramount. Everyone deserves a chance to thrive and grow, and


they need a community that celebrates all those who choose Winnipeg as their home. Most importantly, all Winnipeggers need to feel safe. Tis spring, the Winnipeg Police Service will be es-


tablishing a formal Illicit Drug Strategy relying on Smart Policing principles to target the challenging issue of


meth and other illegal drugs. Work is underway in developing a downtown safety strat-


egy to enhance outreach services, expand foot patrols, and lighting to make our downtown safer. And later this year, I will be leading discussions with


frontline agencies including police, city planners, social and health professionals to find a way to reduce aggressive panhandling in the city. I do feel Winnipeg’s strongest days are here, and the


days of feeling like you have to whisper about your pride in Winnipeg are over. We need to maintain our city’s strong momentum and


our positive energy. We are a city that’s growing, collabo- rative, and compassionate, and we need to continue our focus on building our city for families, for business, and for the future.


Canada needs a gov. that believes in patriotism A


s long as our ‘leaders’ put their ‘global citizenship’ ahead of the best interests of Canadians, our country will keep heading down the wrong path.


As everybody with common-sense knows, a ‘post-


national state’ is not a real state at all. A country without a sense of


identity and unity is just a place on a map. Patriotism is essential to the strength and success of a nation. Unfortunately, Canada’s cur-


rent leadership doesn’t believe in patriotism, and we can see the growing consequences all around us. Consider the fact that despite


Spencer Fernando


our immense amount of oi l, much of eastern Canada im- ports oil from foreign countries. Meanwhile, protesters funded by foreign governments and foreign pressure groups work against our Canadian energy industry, while never protesting the oil industry


in nations like Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, or Venezuela. Despite the fact that our nation has a neutral carbon foot-


print, our leaders signed us up for the Paris Climate Accord and are imposing job killing carbon taxes and regulatory restrictions that make Canadians poorer – all while other countries are able to keep increasing their emissions. Our military is severely underfunded, while the govern-


ment spends our tax dollars on things like building a road for the Jordanian army. Canadian Veterans get told they’re asking for too much,


while the government rolls out the red carpet for illegal border crossers. And, Patriotic Canadians who stand up for our country


regularly get demonized by the government as ‘bigots,’ ‘racists,’ and more. Te link between all of these things is that we have a


government that doesn’t believe in Patriotism. Te Trudeau government believes that it’s wrong to focus


on Canada’s interests first and foremost. Tey believe Ca- nadian taxpayers should be serving the interests of global institutions and other countries, rather than having our tax dollars actually used for our own country.


4 Manitoba Post What's wrong with being patriotic? Yet, because of how narrow the political debate in this


country has become, many people don’t realize how crazy the ‘post-national’ ideology really is. It should be a total no-brainer that the government


of Canada serves the Canadian people, yet the Trudeau government doesn’t see it that way. Tey listen to what the global elites think, instead of listening to Canadians. We need a government that believes in Patriotism Canada needs a government that treats Patriotic Cana-


dians with respect, not contempt. We need a government that stops trying to win global popularity contests, and does everything possible to strengthen our wealth and prosperity. And we need a government that defends our


www.manitobapost.com


country and looks after our own citizens, instead of serving the interests of foreign nations. To help make that happen, we need to restore a spirit of


Patriotism to our country, and contrast that with the dan- gerous ‘post-national state’ ideology. We will also need to hold all parties accountable. While the Conservatives are much more likely to reverse the damage Trudeau has done, they will need to be pressured as well, and no party should be able to take support for granted once they are in office. We will need a stronger, and tougher attitude. We should


never apologize or back down when we are defending the interests of Canada, and we have the right to expect and de- mand that same Patriotic strength from our elected leaders.


June 2018


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16