Couple of interetsing items in the news today.
We have the Conference Board of Canada releasing their report on the ability of the Winnipeg and Quebec City markets to support an NHL team.
I’m not the biggest hockey fan in the world. However, I do support the Jets coming back to Winnipeg, or some other NHL Team. To state the obvious, there are enough people who would be estatic to have an NHL team back in Winnipeg to make it, bascially, “a good thing”.
Anyway, the importance of this study is that shows just how far Winnipeg, and Manitoba, have come since the 1990s when the Jets left.
The Jets left about the same we bought a 3,000 square foot house on Grosvenor Avenue, for $96,000.
A couple of years back, not many, that same house sold for over $250,000 and I imagine that it would fetch over $300,000 today.
Back in the 1990s, thanks to the economic policies of the Filmon government, Manitoba’s economy was in the shitter.
Back then, we couldn’t, as a community afford to support an NHL team.
Well, after many years of hard work and good economic stewardship, we are in a position, where we can again, as a community, afford a hockey team.
Another item of note is the profits being reported by our old phone system, MTS.
As we all know, in the 1995 election, the Filmon Team swore up and down that they were not going to sell MTS. However, even before the election, and all throughout the time when the Conservatives were swearing they wouldn’t sell MTS – they had consultants working on the sale. They outright lied. And, of course, right after the election, they sold MTS.
After the Conservatives were shown the door in the 99 election, not only did Bonnie Staples and several other old Tory hacks park their asses at, and draw paycheques from MTS – Gary Filmon got himself a seat on the Bord of Directors.
So. Today, tomorrow, or next week when you pay your phone bill, Internet Bill, and/or IP TV Bill that amounts to over $100 a month. Just think of Gary Filmon sitting on the Board of Directors and the 58% increase in first quarter profit ($43.4 Million) that he and other Tory hacks from that era are enjoying.
And remember the lesson when Hugh McFadyen says that he won’t sell Manitoba Hydro.
Just look around at twhat the other Conservatives are up to. Not only has Sam Katz privatized a good portion of our water control, now he’s looking to sell off our golf courses. Though Harper is on one news channel saying that he won’t do anything radical, on the next, Harper is killing the Wheat Board.
They’re only getting started.