Post by Jari on Sept 11, 2005 4:44:22 GMT -5
It's time for Winnipeg's extreme makeover
By Dave Angus
Some of the more popular television shows currently involve people undergoing extreme makeovers in an effort to change their appearance or home renovation shows that involve houses undergoing surprise facelifts.
There is no question that the City of Winnipeg is currently undergoing a makeover of sorts. New buildings like the MTS Centre, Red River College, Waterfront Drive and the soon-to-be constructed Manitoba Hydro building are replacing derelict, boarded-up eyesores.
But while the appearance might be more appealing, are we really doing all we can to improve the impression people have of the City of Winnipeg?
Five years ago, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce commissioned a nation-wide poll that asked respondents to describe the City of Winnipeg. The No. 1 word that people used was "cold," followed by "flat," "boring," "mosquitoes" and, finally, "friendly."
Not exactly selling points to attract new business or people to Winnipeg.
But things are slowly improving. According to the Chamber/Meyers Norris Penny Manitoba Business Leaders Index poll released last fall there is a growing optimism among business leaders that our image is improving.
In 2004, 42% of business leaders indicated that the city's image was improving as compared with only 26% a year earlier.
The chamber believes there is momentum building in the city but there still doesn't seem to be a real commitment to determine what the real priorities are and how we can achieve them.
If we want to be a world-class city we need to start talking about the great things going on, like the aerospace industry, the biotechnology sector, the research and development taking place at our universities.
We need to brag about the world-class events we regularly host and the dynamic cultural community that exists here.
Instead we tend to concentrate on the negatives, like mosquitoes, potholes and crime statistics, all things that could be solved if officials at city hall determined that these were priorities.
For instance, if we want to eliminate the image of Winnipeg being the mosquito capital of Canada, let's make it a priority and allocate additional resources at the expense of a lower priority to deal with the problem.
The chamber has pushed hard for civic government to find savings so that we can properly invest in areas that will give us the biggest return on investment. Eliminating our real barriers to growth will provide huge returns and create an environment that people around the world will envy.
While the new buildings help to improve the impression visitors have of the city, if we want to really grow and be a place that will attract business and people, we need community leaders and politicians to play a leadership role. They must provide the direction that will ensure the makeover of the city is not just a change in appearance but a change in attitude.
Now that would be extreme.
www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2005/09/11/1211663-sun.html
By Dave Angus
Some of the more popular television shows currently involve people undergoing extreme makeovers in an effort to change their appearance or home renovation shows that involve houses undergoing surprise facelifts.
There is no question that the City of Winnipeg is currently undergoing a makeover of sorts. New buildings like the MTS Centre, Red River College, Waterfront Drive and the soon-to-be constructed Manitoba Hydro building are replacing derelict, boarded-up eyesores.
But while the appearance might be more appealing, are we really doing all we can to improve the impression people have of the City of Winnipeg?
Five years ago, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce commissioned a nation-wide poll that asked respondents to describe the City of Winnipeg. The No. 1 word that people used was "cold," followed by "flat," "boring," "mosquitoes" and, finally, "friendly."
Not exactly selling points to attract new business or people to Winnipeg.
But things are slowly improving. According to the Chamber/Meyers Norris Penny Manitoba Business Leaders Index poll released last fall there is a growing optimism among business leaders that our image is improving.
In 2004, 42% of business leaders indicated that the city's image was improving as compared with only 26% a year earlier.
The chamber believes there is momentum building in the city but there still doesn't seem to be a real commitment to determine what the real priorities are and how we can achieve them.
If we want to be a world-class city we need to start talking about the great things going on, like the aerospace industry, the biotechnology sector, the research and development taking place at our universities.
We need to brag about the world-class events we regularly host and the dynamic cultural community that exists here.
Instead we tend to concentrate on the negatives, like mosquitoes, potholes and crime statistics, all things that could be solved if officials at city hall determined that these were priorities.
For instance, if we want to eliminate the image of Winnipeg being the mosquito capital of Canada, let's make it a priority and allocate additional resources at the expense of a lower priority to deal with the problem.
The chamber has pushed hard for civic government to find savings so that we can properly invest in areas that will give us the biggest return on investment. Eliminating our real barriers to growth will provide huge returns and create an environment that people around the world will envy.
While the new buildings help to improve the impression visitors have of the city, if we want to really grow and be a place that will attract business and people, we need community leaders and politicians to play a leadership role. They must provide the direction that will ensure the makeover of the city is not just a change in appearance but a change in attitude.
Now that would be extreme.
www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2005/09/11/1211663-sun.html