Today we received some good news for the downtown. At our first Downtown Security Network (DSN) town hall of the year, we brought together members of the business community and the Honourable Andrew Swan, Minister of Justice, to engage in a dialogue about downtown safety and the great initiatives coming up.

With more people living, working and playing downtown, it just makes sense to have a visible police presence to increase the perceptions and the reality of safety in our city centre. This is something we have long advocated for.

Even as crime downtown continues to decrease, making up less than five per cent of all city crimes based on WPS Crimestats, working toward safety solutions remains a focus for the Downtown BIZ and should also be a priority of the community. Downtown safety issues are multifaceted and are perhaps better described as social issues: panhandling, intoxication and homelessness.

These issues were discussed at today's town hall and Andrew Swan took questions from the audience.

Swan applauded the work of the BIZ Outreach and Watch programs, in addition to the Change for the Better program that supports homeless employment programs and initiatives.

He also reinforced the Manitoba government's commitment of 50 dedicated police and 25 cadets downtown but a timeline for when this change would occur was not identified. The city, province and the WPS are in current negotiations with how this transition would pan out. WPS representative made note of a special announcement that will be made this week regarding the safety initiatives downtown.

Swan also applauded the work of the Downtown Security Network (DSN) and that this safety model has been looked upon by other Canadian cities. Now connecting about 300 downtown businesses, the Downtown Security Network (DSN) links business people and security teams in order to solve and prevent crimes. This year, over half of a dozen criminals were arrested by the WPS because of the information sharing which took place between our BIZ members under the DSN. Bimonthly meetings allow members to ask questions directly to police and hear about tips in preventing crimes.

A video clip of the town hall can be found here.

Visit any downtown in North America and you will quickly realize that one-of-a-kind restaurants and revitalization go hand in hand. People know that good food and great restaurants are catalysts to downtown renewal and are essential ingredients for a hip urban city centre.

With dozens of restaurants having recently opened up downtown, offering bagels to sushi to Mexican and Italian cuisine, now is the time for members of city hall and entrepreneurs to take note of this mouth-watering recipe for continued growth and success in the heart of our city.

Some entrepreneurs are recycling old restaurant space, while others are taking advantage of new space in buildings that consist of storefronts at the sidewalk level. The new Manitoba Hydro Building now houses 3 unique restaurants on its main floor: Green Leaf Healthy Café, Marcello's Market & Deli and Rudy's Eat & Drink. The University of Winnipeg Buhler Centre, an innovative hub for their business faculty and the arts (i.e. the Plug In Gallery), also houses Stella's Café & Bakery.

Each of these restaurants are designed with a modern aesthetic, with cool décor and large windows that are all lit and are welcoming. In addition to these essential design features, restaurants could very well benefit by adding patios, which would result in instant marketing, increased sales and a vibrant city centre.

An important client base for these restaurants are the thousands of residents, students and office workers who come downtown, and they all add to the line-ups on weekend mornings at places like Stella's. These restaurants are transforming our downtown and are making it a place to visit and hang out 7 days a week, at all times of the day.

Imagine not having these restaurants in spaces like the Buhler Centre and the Manitoba Hydro building. Well, you'd be surprised to know that current zoning policies make it quite easy for owners and developers to simply build blank walls and office space.

So given that our business community and the vast majority of Winnipeggers want a lively downtown and we know how to achieve it, why don't we encourage the development of new buildings that have commercial spaces for retail and restaurants? Why not implement a recruitment program that helps owners attract these types of tenants?

You see, when zoning aligns with our vision for a strong and more animated pedestrian-oriented downtown, our revitalization efforts are more successful and achievable.

For example, in and around the MTS Centre, where the proposed sports, hospitality, and entertainment district will be located, entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the significant office demographic and growing evening crowd and creating new business.

If there wasn't a market for this type of district, then the city wouldn't be committing to its plan. So, if we're hoping for this district to succeed, then we're going to need proper zoning for this area so that there is increased pedestrian activity and storefronts with shops and restaurants. Let's not leave this to chance.

When we see more retail, coffee shops, restaurants and pubs in the heart of our city, all clustered within a walkable and mixed-use dense district, we'll see our downtown truly come alive. And with the expansion of the Winnipeg Convention Centre, the imminent arrival of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and over 2000 new residential housing units being proposed, we'll see more people downtown and an increased demand for retail, hospitality and entertainment. Let's take this demand and mold it so we can achieve our vision.

Our downtown today is becoming a unique junction within the city and restaurants are indeed critical in this revitalization and give people a reason to come downtown. We are at a cross road; if we want a renewed downtown bustling with people and activity, then we're going to need to change our approach and follow best practice from the downtowns that have shown tremendous success.

Click here to see a complete listing of the restaurants downtown:

While Winnipeggers look forward to ringing in the New Year, the BIZ takes a moment to look back on the year that was and what has been accomplished in the heart of our city in 2011.

This list truly encapsulates the spirit of our downtown and where it is headed. With all of our achievements in 2011, our downtown in 2012 is looking bright. Today moving forward, we can confidently say that the tools for successful downtown revitalization are in place, now it's just a matter of putting these tools to work!

Here is the top 10 list, as compiled by the Downtown BIZ:

Top 10 Downtown Achievements in 2011 (in no particular order):

1. Thousands of people flocked downtown to Portage & Main, the MTS Centre and the Forks to celebrate the return of our beloved Winnipeg Jets! The Jets' return has helped fuel some much needed optimism and economic vitality to our downtown!

2. Plans for the Sports, Hospitality and Entertainment District (SHED) are underway and will be our city's central entertainment district. Supported by the City and Province and led by CentreVenture, the district comes to life in the fall of 2013 with a $75 million private sector investment across the MTS Centre – a 15-storey hotel, office and retail building anchored by a new public parkade. SHED hopes to create pedestrian-oriented streets, dense mixed-use developments and various public gathering spaces that will transform this area of our downtown into a world class destination!

3. After years of advocating, a downtown housing plan was recently released by the City of Winnipeg, giving our city the right tools needed to help stimulate the sustained development of more affordable housing in our downtown. The new Downtown Residential Development Grant (DRDG) Program has a total fund of approximately $40 million and hopes to address the financial challenges that developers face when developing housing in our city centre. Currently, CentreVenture has obtained applications for 28 projects totaling almost 1,400 new residential units.

4. The inaugural Change for the Better CEOs for Downtown Sleepout engaged over 40 CEOs and community leaders who helped raise over $100,000 to employ those less fortunate on our downtown streets. The morning after the sleepout, Tim Richter of the Calgary Homeless Foundation shared with our downtown business community how his city committed to a 10-year plan to end homelessness. Mr. Richter helped us raise significant public and media awareness about the importance of supportive housing in ending homelessness, improving the lives of people, and leading to a safer downtown and an improved image. The opening of the Bell Hotel, downtown's first supportive housing project is a step in the right direction.

5. The City of Winnipeg has finalized its Transportation Master Plan (TMP), which will see four rapid transit lines coming to and from our downtown, providing sustainable alternatives for people to come downtown. A letter was sent to Mayor Sam Katz, commending the work of the city, but also outlined the importance of continued follow-up in the implementation of the plan and a more critical discussion about the issue of funding.

6. The Avenue Building, once an empty building that sat vacant for years, has been converted into beautifully designed rental apartments, with support from both the City and Province. CentreVenture played a critical role in creating the right public/private partnership needed and developers Mark and Rick Hofer stepped up and brought this abandoned building to life, creating 60-plus suites located right in the heart of downtown on Portage Avenue.

7. Major downtown developments are underway and/or are ready to open! The Winnipeg Convention Centre expansion will add 250,000 additional square feet of space; the Metropolitan Theatre, RRC Union Tower, Manitoba Children's Museum, Upper Fort Garry, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and Richardson Centre Concourse renovations are underway; and the Centre for Youth Excellence facility on Main and Higgins is now open for outreach.

8. Leading up to the provincial election, three major political parties discussed their platforms on key downtown issues at a Provincial Downtown Forum hosted by the BIZ and other partners. The NDP committed to 50 dedicated police downtown and redevelopments to provincially-owned surface parking lots, both important in giving people a reason to come downtown to live, work, shop and play.

9. This November, the BIZ held three forums highlighting key downtown issues concerning transportation and rapid transit; increasing downtown's residential population via the City of Winnipeg's Downtown Housing Plan; and downtown safety. The forums promoted dialogue and were an opportunity to educate, listen, learn and advocate for our downtown's continued renewal efforts.

10. City Councillors joined the BIZ for a tour of our downtown this June, followed by a presentation and discussion about what needs to happen to keep the momentum going downtown. The tour was successful in bringing downtown issues to the table, celebrating mutual successes and helped start an in-depth discussion about the road ahead and how to work together.

It's been an incredibly busy and exciting year for our downtown! This year, we engaged with the downtown community, listened to their thoughts and ideas and sparked much needed dialogue and discussion about downtown issues. Public engagement is critical in moving our urban renewal efforts forward. The BIZ looks forward to another great year in 2012!

To read about other downtown achievements this year, visit downtownwinnipegbiz.com to view a copy of the BIZ's 2011 Annual Report.

I had an opportunity to speak to members of the Chamber of Commerce at a recent We Believe Breakfast to talk about our downtown, where it's been and where it's going. Here's the PowerPoint

In summary, I entitled the session "Mission Accomplished: Now Lets Get Going" as a play on words. For those that have been following the revitalization efforts of our city, we all know that the rebirth of our downtown is happening, step by step and the job is never done. Forty years of decline will take at least that same amount of time to rebound.

But perhaps for the first time, in a long time, the pieces of the puzzle are stating to align and much quicker than ever before.

The right focus, the right tools and resources and a more accepted language among our community is critical for our continued success and are perhaps more in perspective today than before.

These are the pieces I touched on:

- Creating the Traffic Generators

- Increasing Downtown Housing, of all types

- Commitment and sustained funding (TIF)

- Urbanism, building and renewing our districts

- Renewing and creating new park spaces

- New World Class Events

- Addressing the Social Issues – Supportive Housing

- Downtown Safety

And they are starting to come together.

The last decade has seen the downtown rebound like never before. There are more people living, working and visiting downtown than ever before. There are few remaining boarded up/vacant buildings and the once 23+ empty storefronts on Portage Avenue are almost non-existent. And the physical and social development initiatives in the pipe will transform our downtown in the next decade to come.

It's an exciting time for our downtown. There is only one direction to reclaiming our downtown and creating that vibrancy that place people will want to be to just hang out. Now let's get going!

As a city, we have discussed Rapid Transit (RT) for decades but its implementation has been held up due to political disconnect. And a recent action of the city to increase transit costs by 25 cents to fund the first leg of RT is a step in the wrong direction.

Implementing RT has an incredible potential to positively impact our future and the downtown and its time we move things forward under a different paradigm of thinking.

User fees seldom solely fund RT as there are many other benefactors to RT other than existing users, from developers and businesses to future residents and transit users.

Many cities use RT to transform how neighbourhoods and cities are built, using a powerful property tax generator, Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Cities also partially fund RT through an innovative taxation tool, Tax Increment Financing (TIF). With TIFs, incremental taxes generated by the corresponding development are reinvested into building RT.

TOD is usually found along transit corridors, in and around the downtown, in the city's older neighbourhoods, and in places where there are infill development opportunities. For example, Graham Mall, Main, Henderson, Pembina, and McPhillips and even around the University of Manitoba are some areas in which the alignment of RT could lead to more vibrant neighbourhoods. TOD favours a mixture of land uses, close proximity to transit terminals and developments that include office/residential/retail and civic uses. Dense and high quality developments will lead to increased transit ridership and RT development, and more and more people abandoning their cars.

And with rising gas prices and congestion as a growing concern, these neighbourhoods will appeal to young people and empty nesters out of economic necessity and convenience, in addition to a rising desire for quality urban and walkable lifestyles.

There is good economic sense for integrating future development patterns of our city to where rapid transit lines will be laid and leaning less towards developing the fringe of our city. Firstly, utilizing a TOD approach, municipal governments can more readily afford to deliver essential services, more cost effectively to the taxpayer by simply utilizing existing infrastructure as opposed to building new. As a result, our city gains a more environmentally sustainable and more dense and vibrant pedestrian-oriented community, which fits perfectly with OurWinnipeg, the City of Winnipeg's new vision for our city.

Secondly, it is understood that this approach leads to more taxes being generated for the city per acre. For example, a one acre development site comprised of low rise multiple family homes, single family homes and box-store development, typically found in the suburbs, generates 10 times (or more) less taxes as opposed to a one acre development site comprised of high rise multiple family and mixed-use buildings found in dense TOD areas like our downtown.

Lastly, an important driver for this is market demand. There is a growing trend of more people renting (home ownership costs are increasing, more single people) and more families downsizing (empty nesters). As a result, there are more multifamily buildings being built in our city today than ever before and this trend will continue. With an expected growth of 240,000 people and 88,000 jobs in Winnipeg's capital region by 2031, the need for our city to maximize tax revenues and minimize city expenditures is critical.

New TOD neighbourhoods will only happen if land development aligns with the rapid transit line. This intersection, if planned and facilitated, will attract the right private sector development.

Combined with TIF, we'll see extra taxes generated by a subtle shift in redirecting the marketplace and if borrowed upfront, a 30+ year mortgage could cover the costs of building RT.

Theory and fluff? There is an extensive and growing body of published research providing evidence that well-designed TOD can achieve these goals. A visit to the cities where this has proven to be the case paints an even clearer picture of the potential of our city.

It's a matter of clear vision and business acumen, and of course all levels of government working together to transform our city and our downtown.

•Fruitvale Station (Oakland, CA) – a 24 acre redevelopment of a declining commercial strip. TOD is being promoted around a new rapid transit station as a catalyst for community revitalization. Plans include the provision of low income housing, retail, employment and social development opportunities for the community.

•Orenco Station (Hillsboro, OR) – a new residential mixed-use community developing on a greenfield site around a suburban LRT station. A mixed-use town centre near the station is the urban focus. It has been developed with a variety of loft apartment, townhouse and live/work units. Lands beyond the town centre are predominantly low density, single detached housing with large, high tech industry on the periphery.

•Mountain View, CA – developed an award winning TOD vision and detailed "Precise Plans" to promote development around its four commuter rail stations. TOD projects include residential redevelopment on an aging retail mall site, a medium density residential subdivision on a former industrial site, and housing intensification at its downtown stations.

•Mockingbird Station (Dallas, Texas) – a privately planned and financed 10 acre redevelopment project located between a suburban LRT station and university campus. Features include a public plaza, 250,000 SF office component, 211 loft apartments, retail, entertainment centre, etc.

•Portland Pearls District – Over the past decade, Portland's Pearl District neighbourhood, located in the River District Urban Renewal Area, has experienced some of the city's highest growth in residential density. The Pearl District is a mixed-use, twenty-four-hour urban residential neighbourhood full of new residences, offices, regional attractions, retailers, parks and open spaces around a centralized streetcar system.

Source: Calgary TOD Guidebook

We heard some good news this week from the Winnipeg Police, who are adding eight downtown foot patrols to the downtown beat, and officially released the beginning of the downtown Safety Plan. This is another positive step forward, adding to the WPS resources we have see come on-line over the last year. And based on our meetings with WPS, we know there is more to come. There is no doubt in our minds that WPS is committed to our downtown and our City. And with the recent Provincial commitment of 54-foot patrols and 25 more Cadets, we know the Province gets it too.

These steps and actions have been in play for well over a year now.

See BIZ Advocacy efforts, here: http://www.dsnwinnipeg.com/lobbying.cfm

Given the tens of thousands of people who come downtown on a daily basis, and the hundreds of millions of dollars being invested into our city centre, safety is a priority for the BIZ and our stakeholders.

We all know that the downtown social challenges combined with crime are issues that need to be managed, and eventually comprehensively addressed. While overall crime seems to continue decline this year, see here, http://www.dsnwinnipeg.com/documents/CSspecificsOCT.pdf

....there is some blips to take note off. And as we have witnessed this summer, a series of serious crimes can easily shake the public's confidence. Sexual assaults for example have doubled over last year, from 17 to 34. While only 34 out of 195 sexual assaults reported Citywide this year occurred downtown, this is of obvious concern.

But if you dig down on all the crime stats (only by walking the streets and keeping close contact with our police), there is a greater concern.

The greater concern is knowing where and to who a majority of these incidents are happening against, and it's primarily the most vulnerable in our community.

Typically fuelled by alcohol and other substances, sexual assaults and violent crimes are unfortunately more common among the less fortunate people who struggle with poverty and live and hang out on our streets.

Our Watch at times intercept and prevent such incidents, by simply being present, asking the alleged perpetrator to leave and offering assistance to the at times intoxicated victim (who asks for our help in getting out of the situation).

For example, there have been times when a street person is being beaten and/or robbed by another street person, and we are there to intervene and stop a crime, as best as we can. At times the two individuals don't know each other, but more often they do. It's a tough role for the Watch to play, helping one less fortunate person, while asking another to move on.

We'd prefer the Cadets or the WPS to do this, but we walk the streets daily and we see what's happening. This is why we have been continually advocating for more police presence, and this is why the BIZ added another 10 Watch to our compliment this year.

The magnitude of social issues, which at times turns to more serious crimes, is difficult for many to understand and comprehend unless you're on the streets every day, like our staff members are. And the public perceptions are indeed real.

This is one of the main reasons (aside from it simply being the "right" thing to do) why the BIZ has been more vocal about government stepping up and creating supportive housing for those less fortunate. It's to help them off the street, and into a better environment. To help them maintain housing. And by doing so, returning their personal dignity, reducing crime and panhandling, and improving the image of our city in doing so.

While some media are quick to point the fact that violent crime is on the rise, and that the downtown is unsafe, it's unfortunate they don't delve deeper into the numbers and reasons and long-term solutions.

And rather than instilling fear in the general public from the suburbs, who have the least to fear, they could provide a voice to those that have none, and those who are more likely to be victimized in our downtown.

Brian Kelcey wrote an editorial in the Free Press claiming the Downtown BIZ is making contradictory statements about downtown safety. My message has always been that downtown Winnipeg is in reality safer than many people think - which is supported by the stats, and even publicly reiterated by the WPS Police Chief himself,and on many occasions. Looking at the police's Crimestats website, you can see that there are less incidents in the area that most people think of as 'downtown'. Does that mean that there are no safety issues downtown? By no means. There are crime issues downtown, as there are throughout the city. But Perhaps these are better labelled as social issues: panhandling, homelessness, intoxication, and not crime. As downtown is the face of our city, attracting thousands of people every day--and with some people's existing perceptions that downtown is unsafe--it makes sense that there would be a special attention given to the heart of our city when it comes to safety.

Kelcey, you are dead wrong if you are implying that the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ isn't about fixing Winnipeg's downtown safety problems, but rather, just spends its time as a "spin doctor." I invite you to read about the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ's safety focus on our website www.downtownwinnipegbiz.com and the many, many programs that we have initiated and supported to address the issues that plague our great downtown. Consider the fact that over $1.2 million is spent by the business community to enhance downtown safety, dozens of editorials championing for the need for continued progress and change, and much time and energy poured into addressing issues in a variety of ways.

And Kelcey, it's not a matter of Watch over Police or Cadets. It's a matter of both, more, and working together. Would he do away with resident patrols as well, as the Cadets increase their presence throughout the City? However, Kelcey is right that the safety issues downtown are largely related to social issues and not just crime. Panhandling, public intoxication, aggressive panhandling, urinating, loitering, gangs of kids hanging out - all are an issue. But these issues are not crimes. And lumping and confusing these issues as crimes is just plain wrong and misleading the public about crime downtown.

The BIZ has always advocated that current Crimestats, specific to the downtown, be used by media when reporting on downtown safety and crime. And public survey after survey, including surveys undertaken by some media outlets, indicate that the media have played a role in creating negative perceptions about downtown safety. Some media continue to sensationalize crime, and this is hurting our downtown. The BIZ will continue to champion these issues, but please don't conveniently confuse this challenge by citing the BIZ is spinning the message in order to deflect the issue.

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Forty Winnipeg CEOs and community leaders spent a night at Portage & Main to raise awareness for homelessness and together raised $107,000 to employ homeless people. It was all part of Winnipeg's first CEOs for Downtown Sleep out event in support of the Downtown BIZ's Change for the Better program.

But Our CEO's for the Downtown Change for the Better Sleep-out, was more then just sleeping our and raising money for employing those less fortunate not able to find employment. It was about starting a dialogue to end homelessness.

Subsequently the BIZ invited Mr. Tim Richter from the Calgary Homeless Foundation, as part of our CEO's for Downtown Change for the Better, Sleep Out initiative.

Our goal in inviting Tim to speak at our event was to demonstrate how cities could address homelessness issues through a "housing first" approach.

In the morning Tim spoke to a room of CEO's and stakeholders, and in the afternoon we held a closed door session with major stakeholders to ask questions and learn more.

Tim made a clear and statistical link between reducing homelessness / panhandling and public intoxication by creating supportive housing (housing 1st approach) to help those less fortunate off the street, permanently and in a comprehensive manner.

Tim Richter Presentation

Some of the key points heard from Calgary:

- A housing first approach has led to a significant re-education, almost elimination of panhandling and public intoxication, making their downtown safer. Image has improved.

- An end to homelessness is possible. The model is proven to work in Canada and the US.

- It has saved governments substantial operating dollars (services in general that help this community):

o Calgary: $134,000/person/year for chronically homeless vs. housing & support $10,000 to $25,000/person/year.

o 2007: More than $320 million is spent every year in Calgary on homelessness. If nothing was done, the cumulative economic cost of homelessness could be more than $9 BILLION in the next decade.

- Province of Alberta was not leading to address this issue. Calgary's Mayor, at the urging of the corporate community, decided to appoint someone to develop a 10 year plan to end homelessness. Corporations got involved and lended their leadership.

- The concerns of other cities and towns were collectively mobilized under this one strategy, and the community was involved in the process of creating the plan.

- The province was "forced" to respond and the dollars flowed.

- 3000 supportive housing units have been created in the last 4-6 years. 85% average housing retention rate. Homelessness across Alberta is dropping: Edmonton: 21% decrease from 2008 to 2010; Fort McMurray: 42% decrease 2008 to 2010; Lethbridge: 53% street homeless decrease from 2008 to 2010.

After our closed door meeting, there was a general conclusion of those in attendance that our City/Province requires a coordinated approach, and our own strategy to end homelessness, as is being done in Calgary. There is a clear need for coordination of plans and resources.

There seemed to be willingness for the group of stakeholders in attendance to meet again to determine how we can collectively coordinate the efforts of all the players, at all levels, to create a long-term strategy, and identify the required resources.

Lets see where this goes...

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As submitted to the Winnipeg Sun - October 3rd. 2012

Tom Brodbeck would have us believe downtown Winnipeg is a "bloody cesspool" when it comes to crime. Regardless of Air Canada's recent decision, the reality is, downtown is the second lowest area of the city with respect to crimes against persons, according to 2009 police stats. Tom Brodbeck says violent crime downtown has jumped 25% from 2007 to 2009, but in 2009 additional criminal offences were added to the "crimes against persons" stat, thus naturally inflating the numbers. The police stated, "caution should be exercised in interpreting the comparison data for 2009 with other years." Clearly, Mr. Brodbeck did not exercise caution.

Notwithstanding this, the Downtown BIZ knows there are real and perceived safety issues downtown--as there are citywide. Many of these are perhaps better classified as social issues: panhandling, homelessness, intoxication. Half our budget goes toward safety programs: the Downtown Watch's 23 foot patrols and about 200 volunteers. Ten Outreach patrols who move intoxicated people into safer places. Funding for homeless employment programs to help move people permanently off the streets. The Downtown Security Network, connecting nearly 300 downtown businesses to share incidents, leads and ideas. And the arrival of the City Cadets is already proving positive.

The BIZ, along with many other partners, continues to advocate for the need for a Homelessness Strategy to address the social issues through a supportive housing approach. But it is also important for the Sun to recognize that downtown is truly undergoing a re-birth, with more residents, students and office workers now downtown than ever before, with a record amount of investment.

Crime is a citywide issue and no one is arguing it needs to be addressed – it's been one of the top issues of the provincial election. But to slam the downtown alone is irresponsible and simply faulty reporting. And what makes it worse for the image of our city is sensationalized coverage.

Tom may have "gotten the story" first, but the rest of the media truly showed how to report properly. Stefano Grande, Downtown BIZ Executive Director

Why is our downtown important to Manitobans? Every election, the same key issues come to the forefront: health, lower taxes, safer neighbourhoods, good jobs, affordable housing and a sustainable city. And it's no wonder, since Manitobans hold these priorities near and dear to their hearts.

But this election, we have not heard a lot about downtown Winnipeg. Is it even relevant in a provincial election to make downtown a priority?

I believe there is a strong link between our downtown and these core priorities so important to Manitobans. I believe absolutely that downtown Winnipeg is a relevant provincial election issue.

These core priorities, which lead to a better quality of life for all Manitobans, can be achieved with the continued renewal of our downtown.

When you have travelled to other cities around the world, what is the first place you are drawn to? I bet it's more often than not the city's downtown. You may even have stayed right in the downtown, conveniently located to much of the city's attractions and readily accessible from the airport or train station.

What was your first impression? Were the historical buildings preserved and refreshed, intermixed with new structures? How many people were walking around the sidewalks at different times of the day? Did you get a sense of the city's history and culture--perhaps even felt the essence of the life and breath of that city? Were there social issues evident on the street; did you feel safe? Were there cool public places to hang out, interesting restaurants and outdoor patios, and ample retailing at shops you have never seen before? Or were there empty storefront and pawnshops? Was there an active nightlife or a festive spirit to the downtown, or was is just plain dead? When you left that city, what lingering feelings and thoughts did you take with you about the health of that city, the spirit of its people and the politics of that community? Did you come back home telling people of a great experience or a bad one, and would you go back? Our downtown is the front door to the world. If our downtown is vibrant, it means our province is dynamic and worthy of investment, worthy of people moving to our city and starting businesses. If it's exciting, it's also the most important magnet to retaining youth and families, for the same reasons.

But how does a vibrant, fully developed downtown neighbourhood achieve our goals when it comes to health, lower taxes, safer neighbourhoods, good jobs, affordable housing and a sustainable city?

With a focus on downtown development--both residential and commercial--taxpayers do not have to build new infrastructure, roads and bridges costing them hundreds of millions more and annually millions more to operate new city services. There are ample surface parking lots to build dense places for people to live.

And when obsolete downtown buildings are reused, the environment benefits as waste is diverted from expensive and dangerous landfill sites, and less natural resources are consumed.

People living downtown naturally walk more, leading to healthier lifestyles, and they tend to drive less, reducing carbon emissions and taking cars off the roads. When people of all ages and incomes live downtown, in the density which you see downtown, and are walking about, relying less on their vehicles, there can be more social interaction and less isolation (which might be at odds with sociologists' ideas of big city living, but I believe especially in Winnipeg, it's true). It creates a more diverse, tolerant and connected neighbourhood.

More people living in dense places leads to more restaurants and more shops and services, and as a result a safer neighbourhood. And with the largest concentration of businesses in the city, a more vibrant downtown also serves as the incubator for new businesses and job growth. If new and creative businesses are going to be fostered creating high paying jobs for young people, a vibrant and exciting downtown is where this is going to happen. Some would even go further to say that a more sustainable and healthier suburb can only be achieved when downtown is running on all cylinders; suburbs often subsidize the declining taxes of a failing downtown. Our downtown is the birthplace of our city and served as the first place for Manitobans to work, live, learn, play. It's historically been the hub for trade and commerce. And the interrelationship between the future of our province and the health of downtown is clear to many. Don't think so? Think back to those cities and provinces or states you have visited. Would you go back?

Find out more about the provincial parties' positions at the Downtown Forum Provincial Party Debate, Monday, September 19, 5pm to 7pm, in Portage Place Edmonton Court. Participants: Hugh McFadyen, PC; Jon Gerrard, Liberals; and Gord Mackintosh, NDP. Moderators: Richard Cloutier, CJOB and Dan Lett, Winnipeg Free Press.

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