Post by Jari on Jan 3, 2005 21:31:00 GMT -5
Is it not funny how in 1996 everyone thought less of the city? well duh thats the year the Jets left. Read on.
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City basks in optimism
Strong economic signs give Winnipeggers positive feeling about future
Mon Jan 3 2005
By David O'Brien
BUOYED by rising housing prices, low interest rates, strong job growth and a sense that vibrancy is returning to the downtown, Winnipeggers are feeling upbeat and positive about the future.
In fact, optimism about the economic future of Winnipeg is at a record high, according to a poll commissioned by Jory Capital Inc. for the Winnipeg Free Press.
Jory Capital is a Winnipeg-based investment company specializing in corporate finance and investment counselling services.
More than eight in 10 Winnipeg adults (82 per cent) said they were very optimistic (25 per cent) or somewhat optimistic (57 per cent) about the economic future of Winnipeg, the highest level since polling on the subject began in 1996.
The optimism was most evident among university graduates (86 per cent), citizens over age 55 (84 per cent) and those residing in southeast Winnipeg (88 per cent).
The survey of 600 adults was conducted between Nov. 29 and Dec. 7 by Probe Research Inc. It's accurate to within four percentage points, 95 per cent of the time. Probe Research president Scott MacKay said the level of optimism was just 34 per cent in 1996 when his company conducted its first poll on the subject.
It hovered in the 60 to 70 per cent range until June 2002, when optimism was recorded at 80 per cent before dipping back into the 70s.
Patrick Cooney, Jory's president and CEO, said he believes a strong real estate market and low interest rates were major factors in explaining the heightened sense of optimism.
The opening of the MTS Centre downtown and other initiatives to improve life in the central business district have also contributed to a sense that the city is on a roll, Cooney said.
"There's been an endless stream of positive economic news," he said, noting the impact of optimism on a community can be significant if it is sustained.
For one thing, people who are feeling good about their future tend to spend more money, which generates even more economic activity, Cooney said. And the factors that generate optimism are often noticed by people in other places, he said.
"I know a lot of people who have moved back here," Cooney said. "The quality of life here is great and it's affordable."
"Five years ago, people were inclined to be negative. They thought nothing would ever happen here, but now there's an extra bounce in their step."
Ryan and Cecely Neufeld couldn't agree more.
The young couple recently bought a condo in the Exchange District and Cecely said she plans to open a clothing store on Corydon Avenue in the spring.
She said she could have opened a store in Toronto or Montreal, but "we feel strong about working in Winnipeg.
"We think things can only continue to grow and get better and better."
John McCallum, an economist at the University of Manitoba, said optimism is always based on how people feel about their lives in general.
"People tend to be personally optimistic about our economic prospects when their job is both secure and fulfilling in terms of pay and satisfaction," McCallum said. Manitoba's job growth for the past year was 2.3 per cent, higher than the Canadian average, he said.
"When there's job growth, you usually feel pretty good with the idea that you're safe."
McCallum said it could all change suddenly if the Canadian dollar, which is currently at 81 cents in relation to the American dollar, settled at 90 cents US and took a slice out of the export market.
"That's the single shock that could hurt us," he said, noting that 25 per cent of Manitoba's GDP is based on exports to the United States.
Lorne Weiss, chairman of the political action committee of the Manitoba Real Estate Association, said Winnipeggers can be whiners, so he was pleased to learn that a silent majority is actually optimistic about the city.
"We have good leadership, at the city and provincial levels, the economy's good, the city is growing," Weiss said.
"There's lots of things to be pleased about."
Weiss said the province could help sustain the optimism by eliminating education taxes from property.
Such a move would increase the value of homes and put more cash in the hands of property owners, he said. dave.o'brien@freepress.mb.ca
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City basks in optimism
Strong economic signs give Winnipeggers positive feeling about future
Mon Jan 3 2005
By David O'Brien
BUOYED by rising housing prices, low interest rates, strong job growth and a sense that vibrancy is returning to the downtown, Winnipeggers are feeling upbeat and positive about the future.
In fact, optimism about the economic future of Winnipeg is at a record high, according to a poll commissioned by Jory Capital Inc. for the Winnipeg Free Press.
Jory Capital is a Winnipeg-based investment company specializing in corporate finance and investment counselling services.
More than eight in 10 Winnipeg adults (82 per cent) said they were very optimistic (25 per cent) or somewhat optimistic (57 per cent) about the economic future of Winnipeg, the highest level since polling on the subject began in 1996.
The optimism was most evident among university graduates (86 per cent), citizens over age 55 (84 per cent) and those residing in southeast Winnipeg (88 per cent).
The survey of 600 adults was conducted between Nov. 29 and Dec. 7 by Probe Research Inc. It's accurate to within four percentage points, 95 per cent of the time. Probe Research president Scott MacKay said the level of optimism was just 34 per cent in 1996 when his company conducted its first poll on the subject.
It hovered in the 60 to 70 per cent range until June 2002, when optimism was recorded at 80 per cent before dipping back into the 70s.
Patrick Cooney, Jory's president and CEO, said he believes a strong real estate market and low interest rates were major factors in explaining the heightened sense of optimism.
The opening of the MTS Centre downtown and other initiatives to improve life in the central business district have also contributed to a sense that the city is on a roll, Cooney said.
"There's been an endless stream of positive economic news," he said, noting the impact of optimism on a community can be significant if it is sustained.
For one thing, people who are feeling good about their future tend to spend more money, which generates even more economic activity, Cooney said. And the factors that generate optimism are often noticed by people in other places, he said.
"I know a lot of people who have moved back here," Cooney said. "The quality of life here is great and it's affordable."
"Five years ago, people were inclined to be negative. They thought nothing would ever happen here, but now there's an extra bounce in their step."
Ryan and Cecely Neufeld couldn't agree more.
The young couple recently bought a condo in the Exchange District and Cecely said she plans to open a clothing store on Corydon Avenue in the spring.
She said she could have opened a store in Toronto or Montreal, but "we feel strong about working in Winnipeg.
"We think things can only continue to grow and get better and better."
John McCallum, an economist at the University of Manitoba, said optimism is always based on how people feel about their lives in general.
"People tend to be personally optimistic about our economic prospects when their job is both secure and fulfilling in terms of pay and satisfaction," McCallum said. Manitoba's job growth for the past year was 2.3 per cent, higher than the Canadian average, he said.
"When there's job growth, you usually feel pretty good with the idea that you're safe."
McCallum said it could all change suddenly if the Canadian dollar, which is currently at 81 cents in relation to the American dollar, settled at 90 cents US and took a slice out of the export market.
"That's the single shock that could hurt us," he said, noting that 25 per cent of Manitoba's GDP is based on exports to the United States.
Lorne Weiss, chairman of the political action committee of the Manitoba Real Estate Association, said Winnipeggers can be whiners, so he was pleased to learn that a silent majority is actually optimistic about the city.
"We have good leadership, at the city and provincial levels, the economy's good, the city is growing," Weiss said.
"There's lots of things to be pleased about."
Weiss said the province could help sustain the optimism by eliminating education taxes from property.
Such a move would increase the value of homes and put more cash in the hands of property owners, he said. dave.o'brien@freepress.mb.ca