Business in Winnipeg

[JayM]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

perhaps because of speculation on some tenit movement

High rent! Doesn't it make sense why else would they close McNally and keep Grant open? You telling me more people go to Grant Park to buy/read books then the Polo Park?

[1ajs]

makes sens i duno why companies over price shit and then wonder why theres no one renting or everyone leaves

[1ajs]

PricewaterhouseCoopers acquires subsidiary of MTS

1/12/2010

Consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has acquired a subsidiary of MTS Allstream.

The acquisition includes about 180 employees from MTS Allstream's IT consulting and security consulting groups, as well as client contracts.

The deal is effective February 1st.

[1ajs]

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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
U of W partners with telecom giant Cisco

By: Staff Writer
15/01/2010 10:25 AM | Comments: 5


WINNIPEG — The University of Winnipeg is growing again.
The downtown campus announced today it's partnered with telecom giant Cisco under a joint federal-provincial $7-million deal with Ottawa and the province.
The U of W is the first university in Canada to announce such a partnership.
It will create 34 research and teaching labs as part of the U of W's Commercialization Research and Education Alliance for Science, Technology and the Environment at the university's new science complex to open in the spring of 2011.
The deal will see the U of W the hub for a provincial network of Cisco TelePresence, a teleconference system that allows users at different points in the world to meet face-to-face without traveling.
In Manitoba it will be used for distance education and for researchers to collaborate more closely across Canada.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Manitoba leads country in job hikes

By: Aldo Santin
5/02/2010 8:09 AM




WINNIPEG — Manitoba led the country in January with the largest percentage increase in jobs from December.
That is part of the good news on the labour front from Statistics Canada this morning, which reported 43,000 more Canadians were working in January compared to December, resulting in a drop in the national unemployment rate to 8.3 per cent, from 8.4 per cent.
Manitoba's unemployment rate dropped from 5.8 per cent in December to 5.4 per cent in January, the second lowest in the country, surpassed only by Saskatchewan which reported 4.7 per cent.
Statistics Canada said the employment growth in January was driven largely by women and youth.
There were 8,400 new jobs in Manitoba in January.
Ontario created the most new jobs -- 30,000 -- but it's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.2 per cent.
Statistics Canada said the private sector was responsible for all of the job gain, with most of the new jobs being part-time.
Nationally, the number of employed full-time people had not changed.
It was a much different situation in Manitoba, where most of the new jobs created were full-time. The number of employed full-time people here increased 1.0 per cent from December, while the number of part-time employed increased 3.3 per cent.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by JayM

High rent! Doesn't it make sense why else would they close McNally and keep Grant open? You telling me more people go to Grant Park to buy/read books then the Polo Park?

The bookstore franchise has made many bad business decisions in the last few years. I used to goto the McNally Robinson in Calgary until it closed down in 2007. The location in Toronto is closing. I never really understood their decision to move the McNally Robinson from Portage Place to Polo Park. The good percentage of people who shop at Polo Park are from River Heights, Tuxedo, and Charleswood. This only hurt the Grant Park location.

[Jets4Life]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Manitoba leads country in job hikes

By: Aldo Santin
5/02/2010 8:09 AM




WINNIPEG — Manitoba led the country in January with the largest percentage increase in jobs from December.
That is part of the good news on the labour front from Statistics Canada this morning, which reported 43,000 more Canadians were working in January compared to December, resulting in a drop in the national unemployment rate to 8.3 per cent, from 8.4 per cent.
Manitoba's unemployment rate dropped from 5.8 per cent in December to 5.4 per cent in January, the second lowest in the country, surpassed only by Saskatchewan which reported 4.7 per cent.
Statistics Canada said the employment growth in January was driven largely by women and youth.
There were 8,400 new jobs in Manitoba in January.
Ontario created the most new jobs -- 30,000 -- but it's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.2 per cent.
Statistics Canada said the private sector was responsible for all of the job gain, with most of the new jobs being part-time.
Nationally, the number of employed full-time people had not changed.
It was a much different situation in Manitoba, where most of the new jobs created were full-time. The number of employed full-time people here increased 1.0 per cent from December, while the number of part-time employed increased 3.3 per cent.
aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

Great News!

I only see the economic forecast for Winnipeg and Manitoba getting better over the spring and summer, as the construction industry is really heating up.

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Futures brokerage comes to Winnipeg
By: Martin Cash

6/02/2010

R.J. O'Brien & Associates (RJO), the largest independent futures brokerage firm in the United States, has opened its first Canadian operation in Winnipeg.The 100-year-old Chicago-based firm, which specializes in sophisticated hedging strategies for agricultural producers and commercial agriculture-related customers, has about $2 billion in assets under management.

It intends to build a national presence in Canada from its Winnipeg base. The company has hired Robert Dzisiak as its Canadian president and CEO.

Dzisiak is the former president of Refco Canada and prior to that he was the CEO of Winnipeg-based CFG Financial Group Inc. futures trading company that had 60 brokers across Canada. It was acquired by Refco Canada in 2003. Dzisiak is a past chairman of the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange (WCE) where he was a director for about 10 years.

"RJO is going to focus on all agricultural commodities including canola futures (which trade on the former WCE, now called ICE Futures Canada)," Dzisiak said.

Since RJO is a futures commission merchant in the United States with a focus on risk management and trading agricultural commodities, Dzisiak said it made sense to start its Canadian operations in Western Canada.

"We intend to become a national firm with offices across the country over time," he said.

[1ajs]

Two Of Three Aspers Resign From Canwest Board
CJOB News Team reporting
2/10/2010

There are two less Aspers on the Canwest Global Communications board of directors this morning.

David and Gail Asper have resigned in an effort to help reduce the size of the board and to pursue other business commitments.

Leonard Asper remains at the helm as the Winnipeg-based media conglomerate continues its massive restructuring.

[1ajs]

Shaw moves for Canwest control

Last Updated: Friday, February 12, 2010 | 8:20 AM CT

CBC News


The company that owns Shaw Cable and the StarChoice satellite TV service has arranged to buy a controlling stake in Canwest Global Communications Corp.
The Winnipeg headquarters of Canwest Global Communications. Cable provider Shaw moved for control of Canwest Friday. (Canadian Press) Calgary-based Shaw Communications Corp. would own at least 20 per cent of Canwest's equity and 80 per cent of its voting stock if the transaction closes.
The sale agreement is contingent on the approval of the Ontario court overseeing Canwest's restructuring under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act.
"Financial terms of the agreements will be filed with the court on a confidential basis and will remain confidential until court approval is obtained," Shaw said.
Initially, Shaw's equity stake may exceed 20 per cent, depending on the number of creditors that opt for cash over shares in the new company, Shaw said Friday.
Creditor, CRTC approvals needed

"The investment was structured whereby Shaw has the flexibility to increase its ownership in a restructured Canwest in the future," Shaw said.
If the deal goes through, Canwest will continue to operate as an independent company, with a separate board of directors. Final approval from Canwest's creditors and the CRTC would also be required.
Winnipeg-based Canwest currently owns the Global television network, one of Canada's largest newspaper chains and several specialty cable channels.
However, Canwest owes billions of dollars to creditors and has been operating under court supervision since last year.
Canwest says the proposed deal with Shaw has the support of key creditors.

[1ajs]

Olympic guard dogs sport Winnipeg-made armour

Last Updated: Thursday, February 11, 2010 | 8:03 PM CT Comments8Recommend10

The Canadian Press


Man's best friend forms part of the security team for the Vancouver Winter Games, and he's being outfitted in some serious Canadian-made armour to protect his canine hide from everything from bullets to Molotov cocktails.
Guard dogs at the Vancouver Winter Olympics — police, RCMP and search-and-rescue canines — will all be sporting customized vests, made by Winnipeg's K9 Storm company.
On top of being able to repel bullets, knives and flames, the vests come equipped with harnesses allowing the dogs to be raised and lowered into wherever they need to be.
Jim Slater, who founded K9 Storm 12 years ago, said the vests allow their handlers to lower the dogs from helicopters and even use mountain chair lifts if they're needed on the slopes. They can also root out criminals wherever they take cover, he said.
"Bad guys tend to hide where they think they will not be caught," he said. "Sometimes, that is through a roof hatch or under a roof section or into tunnels, crawl spaces or confined areas. It's tough, when your tool is the dog, to get him into those areas."
Idea formed after jail riot

Slater, a former Winnipeg police officer with the K9 unit, came up with the idea in 1996 following a bloody riot at a provincial jail in Headingley, Man. While all the officers that stormed the facility were well-protected, Slater said his German shepherd, Olaf, was not.
At one point, the team had to get into a crawl space by climbing a 10-foot ladder — a feat that was difficult to achieve carrying a dog.
At the end of the day, Slater said dogs deserve the same protection as the officers they work for.
"Anything can injure a dog so that he's not workable," Slater said. "It could be something as simple as a screwdriver that's been ground down to become a weapon."
At the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, Slater said one dog's life was saved by his vest.
"One of the protesters threw a Molotov cocktail and it exploded underneath the dog. The dog was wearing K9 Storm armour and was absolutely protected from the flames," he said. "I think it's vital."


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/st...#ixzz0fLL6I0GJ

[hexrae]

Asper makes late bid to regain TV empire

By: Martin Cash

19/02/2010 11:31 AM

WINNIPEG — Leonard Asper was clearly not ready to throw in the towel.

Asper is party to an 11th-hour, $120 million offer disclosed this morning to acquire 32 per cent equity and voting control of the debt-ravaged broadcast company his father, Israel, founded in the mid-’70s.

Canwest Global Communications Corp. is in court-supervised creditor protection and its creditors are seeking a cash injection as part of a restructuring plan.

Asper is part of a group led by Catalyst Capital Group Inc. that also includes, Rael Merson, former president and CEO of Rogers Broadcasting Ltd., and John Tory, the politician and former president and CEO of Rogers Media.

Last week Shaw Communications of Calgary made an offer of at least $65 million for 20 per cent equity and voting control of Canwest.

At the time, Canwest chairman Derek Burney said, "We are very pleased with the firm investment commitment from Shaw."

Details of the Shaw bid were to be unsealed in court today.

The Asper/Catalyst bid has the support of Goldman Sachs, the New York merchant bank that has a complex partnership with Canwest in a group of lucrative specialty channels.

In its release this morning, Newton Glassman, Catalyst’s managing partner, said, "It is difficult to see how any proposed deal can be effected without Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. Indeed, Shaw’s own proposal is conditional on coming to terms with Goldman Sachs Capital Partners on a new shareholders agreement."

Shaw’s proposal would delist the shares and take the company private. The Catalyst bid would retain the stock listing.

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Catalyst is a "substantial owner" of Canwest bonds. It is also reporting that Asper will come up with $15 million in this bid and will serve as executive chairman.

His continued senior role in the corporation would mean a multi-million-dollar fee that comes with change of control of television licences would not be required.

The parties are in front of a judge in Toronto today arguing for the relative merits of each proposal.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

[newflyer]

New hope for north Portage buildings
Developers interested in sites
By: Murray McNeill

THE city's downtown development agency has taken a big step towards reviving one of the most high-profile dead zones on Portage Avenue with the acquisition of the former A & B Sound building.
CentreVenture Development Corp. CEO Ross McGowan confirmed Thursday the agency has acquired the vacant two-storey building across the street from the MTS Centre for an undisclosed sum.

He said CentureVenture and the North Portage Development Corp. are negotiating with several developers who are interested in redeveloping that and the adjacent Mitchell-Copp building as a single project. North Portage owns that property and has been trying for nearly three years to find a new use for it.

McGowan said they hope to know by May or June if the project will go ahead, adding he's "cautiously optimistic." If they get a deal by then, construction would likely get underway in early 2011.

He admitted it's far from a done deal, noting CentreVenture thought it had a deal a couple of years ago to convert Portage Avenue's other high-profile dead zone -- the long-vacant Avenue building between Smith and Garry streets -- into a green office building. But it fell apart when the developer couldn't find an anchor tenant.

But even if none of these developers steps up to the plate, McGowan vowed these two properties and the Avenue building site will be redeveloped.

"It's essential to changing the reality and the perception of Portage Avenue. They... have to get done."

The two agencies would prefer to see a multi-storey, mixed-use development on the A&B/Mitchell-Copp site. McGowan said it should be one that "conforms with the notion of that area as an entertainment district."

He said that could mean a restaurant or some other kind of entertainment-oriented retail operation on the main floor, while the upper floors could be a combination of retail, office or residential space.

"Anything is possible. We're looking at various uses to see what is most viable and most appropriate for that location."

They're also keeping an open mind as to whether one or both of the existing buildings should be incorporated into the development, or demolished.

"I think the preservation of some of the historical elements (of the Mitchell-Copp building) would be appropriate," McGowan said, noting it's been designated as a historical building. "But it all depends on the economics and what will work economically."

CentreVenture's acquisition of the A&B Sound building was hailed as good news by the executive director of the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone.

"We've been pushing hard for several years for the development agencies to take a more aggressive approach," Stefano Grande said. "They can't sit back and wait for the private sector. They have to lead the way..."

He said BIZ officials would like to see a restaurant included in the new development because that's what people attending events at the MTS Centre have told them they want.

The owners of the other two properties on the north side of Portage between Hargrave and Donald streets -- the O'Calcutta building and the Dayton building -- said they're also hopeful the other two properties will finally be redeveloped.

"We just need to get rid of those dead spaces that are there," O'Calcutta owner Gurinder Nirula said.

A spokesman for the Dayton building's owner -- real estate developer Bernie Cheater -- said Cheater wants to make changes to the front of his building but will wait to see what happens down the street first.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca

To be developed

Here is some information on the A & B Sound and Mitchell-Copp buildings, which are targeted for redevelopment:


Mitchell-Copp building:

Three storeys, built in 1906.

Has had a variety of names over the years, including the Kennedy Block (Canadian Imperial bank of Commerce) and the Affleck Block.

Vacant since 1992 when the interior was gutted by fire, leaving only the walls and frame of the former vaulted ceiling.

Acquired by North Portage Development Corp. (NPDC) in late 2007, which has been trying since then to find a way to redevelop it.


A & B Sound building:

Two storeys, with 11,310 square feet on each floor.

Was a hotel for many years, operating under the names The Clarendon Hotel and later The Portage Village Inn.

Purchased by the city in 1999 for $430,000, and sold the following year to the owners of the B.C.-based A & B Sound record store chain for $150,000.

Operated as an A & B Sound store until 2005, when the chain ran into financial trouble and closed it down.

The building has sat vacant since then. Owners resisted earlier attempts by NPDC to acquire it and redevelop it in conjunction with the Mitchell-Copp Building, hoping instead to find a new tenant.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 19, 2010 B4

[newflyer]

Sports bar, Vegas style
New facility to add to nightlife around MTS Centre
By: Murray McNeill


Two local businessmen will be injecting some Las Vegas glam into the blossoming nightlife around the MTS Centre, with the opening next month of a new mega sports bar on Portage Avenue.

Jack Salvaggio and Bernie Cheater say their 4Play Sportsbar and Entertainment Zone will boast such Las Vegas-style features as a main-floor bar with a 24-foot projection screen and 100 theatre-style seats, and a second-floor games lounge with three giant golf/multi-sport simulators. They say the TV screen will be the biggest bar/lounge screen in Winnipeg and maybe even Western Canada.

The two bar-and-restaurant-industry veterans want to grab a bigger share of the area's nightlife, which has roared back to life since the MTS Centre opened five years ago. They're spending upwards of half a million dollars to convert their former Blush Ultraclub nightclub at Portage and Hargrave into a 19,000-square-foot, two-storey sports bar/restaurant/entertainment centre. Unlike Blush, which was only open on Friday and Saturday nights, 4Play will be open seven days a week from noon to 1 a.m.

"We're not trying to put anybody else out of business," Salvaggio said in an interview Wednesday, adding there's more than enough business to go around on the roughly 180 nights of the year when there's a hockey game, concert or entertainment event going on at the MTS Centre. Other downtown bar and restaurant operators agree.

"I think everybody downtown is busy before an (MTS) event," said Denis Paulhus, general manager of the Boston Pizza restaurant and sports bar at cityplace. "If you're not downtown before 5:30 (p.m.) and have a seat, you're not going to get one. At least not here."

It's a similar story at the Elephant & Castle pub and restaurant in the Delta Winnipeg Hotel.

"Any concert night, we're full," general manager Dana Dandeneau said of the 180-seat venue. "There was a bit of concern when Boston Pizza opened, because it was right across the street. But it hasn't hurt us at all."

Dandeneau said 4Play's opening shouldn't hurt them either. And that's Paulhus's attitude, as well.

"If it brings more sports fans downtown, great!" he said.

Stefano Grande, executive director of the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone, said another restaurant/bar is exactly what the area needs. He said a survey four years ago showed more downtown restaurants topped the wish list for most MTS Centre patrons. Salvaggio, who has been in the bar and restaurant business for more than 30 years, and Cheater, a real estate agent who used to be a part-owner of the former Chi-Chi's restaurant next door to the old Winnipeg Arena, said they got some of their ideas for their new concept on a visit last year to Las Vegas.

"We looked at all the best sports bars and brought the best back here," Salvaggio said.

He said their full-service restaurant should appeal to both the lunch-hour and after-work crowds. And offering things like sporting events and interactive sports and video games -- 4Play will also have two 15-foot projection screens and 30 50-inch plasma TVs -- should appeal to both youth and adult customers.

Grande said that's the approach downtown bars and restaurants need to take because crowds in the area are still thin on non-event nights. "(They) can't rely just on MTS Centre events. You also have to have a concept that appeals to downtown office workers and downtown residents."

Twenty-eight-year-old real estate agent Steven Paulus is all of those things rolled up into one. Not only does he work downtown, he also lives there and attends lots of events at the MTS Centre. He said he's looking forward to 4Play's opening.

"It's always nice to have more options," he said, adding there's still plenty of room for more bars and restaurants within easy walking distance of the MTS Centre.

Grande said what's needed now is additional government incentives that will make it economically feasible for developers to redevelop some of the vacant buildings and surface parking lots near the arena.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca


Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 18, 2010 B5

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by newflyer

Mitchell-Copp building:

Three storeys, built in 1906.

Has had a variety of names over the years, including the Kennedy Block (Canadian Imperial bank of Commerce) and the Affleck Block.

It and the O Calcutta building are actually one building (the Affleck Block). The upper floors on the west side were removed many years ago after a fire.

[1ajs]

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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Moving downtown a Clear choice

IT biz likes being where action is

By: Murray McNeill
1/03/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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[IMG]http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/648*385/1928218.jpg[/IMG] Enlarge Image
From bottom right, clockwise: Clear Concepts co-founders Scott McKenzie and Shane Hartje with staff members John Schaab, Andy Whicher, Christopher Shand and Darryl Heppner. Relocating the business downtown made sense since they wanted to be in the thick of things.


It didn't take much to persuade one suburban IT firm to go downtown.
Not only did Clear Concepts co-founders Shane Hartje and Scott McKenzie like all the trappings of being downtown -- the nine-year-old firm spent its first two years in leased space above the Chocolate Shop restaurant on Portage Avenue -- but being there also made sense from a business perspective.
They said they moved Clear Concepts out of the downtown seven years ago because the firm had outgrown its space and they couldn't find another suitable location in the area. So they moved to Sherbrook Street, and then to Border Street in St. James. But the intention was always to move back downtown because a number of their major customers were located there, and the central location makes it easier to service clients in other areas of the city.
The groundwork for the company's recent return to its roots -- it moved 10 days ago to a three-storey office building at 325 Garry St. -- was laid about two years ago when Winnipeg businessman Christian Korell bought Clear Concepts. About a year earlier, he had purchased the vacant building at 325 Garry. And because it didn't have an elevator, and therefore limited wheelchair access, he was having trouble finding tenants.
He realized the solution to his tenant problem was right in front of his nose. And the move would be as good for Clear Concepts as it would be for him.
"In the downtown there is a ton of (computer network) users," Korell said. "There are just more business, more people, more action, more everything. And they can just walk out their door and walk two blocks to service a client (at Portage and Main). They don't need to get in a car and drive there, or worry about finding parking."
So last summer he pitched the idea to Hartje and McKenzie, who still oversee the company's day-to-day operations, and they were all for it.
Hartje said they scouted out a number of other potential downtown sites while waiting for the lease on Border Street to expire, "but it (325 Garry St.) had a lot of the things we were looking for, so it wasn't a tough decision for us...."
He said the increased exposure from being two blocks from Portage and Main and across the street from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce office was also a factor in the decision.
"We want to get more involved with other businesses down here."
Whatever the reasons for moving, the executive director of the Exchange District Business Improvement Zone said he's glad they did. Mal Anderson said there are other computer-related businesses in the Exchange, including a number of web-design and graphic-design firms. However, only one or two offer the broad range of services that Clear Concepts offers.
"I look at all the services they provide... and I think they could be really good for a lot of our businesses that require computer support."
While a lot of network maintenance work can be done remotely, Anderson said there are still occasions when technicians need to be on site. "So it's nice to have them so available."
Korell also owns Barnes & Duncan Land Surveying and Geomatics, as well as the office building its located in at 298 Fort St. He said he bought 325 Garry because its a similar-sized building, and it's only a couple of blocks from the hub of business -- Portage and Main.
He also liked the fact it was a newer building in an area with a lot of older buildings.
"It shouldn't have a lot of (maintenance) issues because its newer, and it's also got a bit of character," he said, citing the brick exterior, copper awnings, and arched windows on the third floor.
He said they plan to set up a computer-training centre on the third floor, and they're putting a gym for their employees in the basement.

Know of any news in the office, retail, or industrial real estate sectors? Let
Murray McNeill know at the email
address below, or at 697-7254.
murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca


About 325 Garry St.:
"ö Built in the late 1980s
"ö Brick and concrete construction
"ö Three storeys with developed basement
"ö 6,500 square feet of usable space
"ö Two stairwells (front and back), but no elevator
"ö Owned by Winnipeg businessman Christian Korell, who also owns the tenant that just moved in -- Clear Concepts -- as well as Barnes & Duncan Land Surveying and Geomatics and the office building it's located in (298 Fort St.)

About Clear Concepts:
"ö An information-technology firm specializing in the design, development and maintenance of computer networks
"ö Also offers network security audits, disaster recovery and prevention, data recovery and website design and development services
"ö Founded in 2001 by Winnipeggers Shane Hartje and Scott McKenzie, and purchased in 2008 by Korell
"ö 12 employees and about 300 customers, most in Winnipeg. Also has customers in rural Manitoba, and as far away as British Columbia and New York
"ö Spent its first two years in the downtown, then moved to Sherbrook Street for two years and to Border Street for five years. Moved back downtown on Feb. 19
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 1, 2010 B6

[1ajs]

^^ glad to see the dudes back downtown remembers helping them fix up the space above the chocolate shop fun times.

[1ajs]

Leonard Asper steps down as Canwest president and CEO

By: Andrew Flynn, THE CANADIAN PRESS
4/03/2010 10:48 AM | Comments: 0

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[IMG]http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/240*359/Canwest_20100304.jpg[/IMG] Enlarge Image
CEO Leonard Asper resigned Thursday. (ADRIAN WYLD / CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)


WINNIPEG - After a long battle to remain at the helm of Canwest Global Communications, Leonard Asper announced Thursday he has resigned as president and CEO of the crumbling newspaper and broadcast empire founded by his father.
The move, widely expected after Calgary cable giant Shaw Communications (TSX:SJR.B) won bankruptcy court approval to take control of Canwest's broadcasting assets, nearly severs the last Asper family tie to the Winnipeg company. Leonard's brother and sister, David and Gail Asper, resigned from the Canwest board last month, though technically the family still holds a controlling block of multiple-vote shares in Canwest.
In a brief note to Canwest staff, Leonard Asper - the son of Canwest founder Israel (Izzy) Asper who died in 2006 - expressed little emotion as he announced his departure as a "natural time for me to move on."
"This decision did not come without a lot of careful consideration," wrote Asper, whose own last-minute bid to retain some control over the company failed when Shaw's offer won approval.
"Taking this action now will also allow me to pursue other business opportunities and avoid any conflict of interest that I may have."
"As I embark on a new path, I will be taking with me many fond memories from my years as CEO, most of which centre on the inspiring and talented people with whom I was fortunate enough to work," Asper wrote.
Canwest (TSXV:CGS) owns the Global TV network and a number of major Canadian daily newspapers including the National Post, the Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Montreal Gazette and the Ottawa Citizen. The company has been operating under protection from creditors since last year after it ran into trouble paying down a massive $4-billion debt racked up when Izzy Asper was at the company's helm.
Leonard Asper's exit was almost assured after he was involved in a failed bid last month for Canwest's broadcasting assets, which was led by his financial partner Catalyst Capital Group.
Shaw emerged from that process as the winner, and struck a deal to take control of Canwest's TV and broadcasting businesses. A number of suitors have come forward to bid separately for the newspapers.
Even before Asper lost that bid, he showed a determination to stick with the company. For months, he staved off filing for creditor protection by helping to secure numerous payment extensions with its lenders as it sold assets and streamlined operations to reduce costs and pay down some of the debt.
Eventually, his efforts proved insufficient to overcome the company's debt problems, which began a decade ago with Canwest's $3.2-billion purchase of 13 major Canadian newspapers, 126 community newspapers, Internet properties, and half of the National Post from now-disgraced newspaper magnate Conrad Black.
The company also expanded its debt when it struck a deal to acquire the Alliance Atlantis specialty TV channels three years ago in a $2.3 billion deal financed mainly by Wall Street partner Goldman Sachs.
When Canwest filed for creditor protection last fall, Asper pledged to commit up to $15 million in the restructured company as part of an agreement with lenders intended to save the company.
That was before the company was forced to start searching for buyers of its broadcast and newspaper assets.
Asper will continue on as a consultant to Canwest until the restructuring process has been completed.

[Jeff]

the news in the free press about cabella's taking over 350,000 sqf for their new canadian hq. and distribution centre in transcona is exceptional news from today too! along with 250 jobs and growing..

[1ajs]

Consultant makes intervener pitch

Also asks PUB for help dealing with civil case

By: Mary Agnes Welch
13/03/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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The Manitoba Hydro whistleblower asked the Public Utilities Board Friday to make a civil court case against her disappear -- or at least help cover her legal costs.
And, because her whistleblower complaint has dragged on for 15 months, she needs time -- and $50,000 -- to refresh her memory of the technical details of her allegations prior to the start of a huge regulatory hearing later this year.
"I am not able, for commercial reasons, to just stop what I am doing and just donate free pro-bono time," said the New York-based risk consultant. "If I am going to be under the firing squad and facing some very hard questions, I want to be completely back up to speed."
The whistleblower's identity is protected by a publication ban and she was allowed to speak to the PUB Friday without revealing her name or her company's name.
During Friday's unusual PUB hearing, the whistleblower asked for intervener status in the upcoming mega-hearing on power rates. Intervener status would allow the New York consultant to walk the PUB through her allegations, submit evidence, make arguments and call witnesses -- including Manitoba Hydro staff.
But the PUB's process is tangled up in a related court case involving many of the same secret risk reports that suggest Hydro lost $1.1 billion in the last five years and could face bankruptcy and rolling blackouts.
Hydro has sued the whistleblower in the Court of Queen's Bench to force her to allow a detailed public airing of her findings. Hydro has hired another consultant, KPMG, to scrutinize her reports, and Hydro wants to be allowed to release the KPMG report to outside investigators, the PUB and the public. The whistleblower has insisted her reports remain secret because they contain confidential information that could damage her business interests.
During Friday's hearing, the whistleblower appeared via telephone and said she can't devote her time to both the PUB hearing and the court case, which she said is only an attempt to exhaust her resources and damage her credibility.
She asked the PUB to find a way to end the lawsuit -- something Public Utilities Board members quickly said they do not have the power to do.
The whistleblower is also asking the PUB for financial aid worth between $300,000 and $800,000 to help defray the cost of participating in the hearing. The money would not go to her directly, but cover lawyers' expenses.
Lawyers for Manitoba Hydro said it's "unheard of" to ask the PUB to cover legal fees for an outside court case.
Hydro also objected to granting the whistleblower intervener status at the upcoming rate hearing, saying the PUB shouldn't get enmeshed in a "he-said-she-said'' battle between Hydro and the whistleblower over things that simply aren't relevant to the rate application.
Surprisingly, most of the other regular interveners agreed. Lawyers representing seniors groups, consumer advocates, environmentalists and large power users all said the whistleblower doesn't represent a cross-section of ratepayers whose views ought to be heard.
Byron Williams, the lawyer representing seniors and consumer advocates, said he feared the meaty issue of Hydro's risk levels could get hijacked by attempts to redeem or undermine professional credibility.
"The clearing of one's professional name is not sufficient to establish one as an intervener," he said.
Nor did the PUB appear overly sympathetic to the whistleblower's request for intervener status, suggesting instead that the PUB send two of its own independent risk experts to New York to interview her and study her reports instead of asking her to testify and call evidence.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca

Whistleblower replies
Late last month, as part of a civil court case, Manitoba Hydro tabled a damning affidavit from one of its senior executives that detailed Hydro's relationship with the New York consultant.
In it, power sales and operations manager David Cormie painted her as an unprofessional lone wolf who was in over her head, had a deeply flawed understanding of Hydro's operations, overstepped the scope of her contract and kept trying to sell Hydro her proprietary software. Emails she sent to Hydro staff joked about wishing the company's current risk manager would commit suicide.
In response, the whistleblower circulated a 36-page letter earlier this week that will likely form the crux of her formal response in court. Here are some excerpts:
"It was Hydro's employees who in many cases invoked such jovial comments and it was meant to be a humorous attempt to make light of a very stressful situation... It was nothing more than idle banter and tomfoolery in the office between friends... I do want to reassert that no ill will was intended in any form."
"Both the CFO and the CEO at numerous times provided validation and agreement on the issues I had raised... My work was well regarded, well respected and highly praised by my line manager and the CFO. This was also indicated by the many contract renewals...
"I was receiving direct communications from Hydro employees that the risk issues I was raising (such as blackouts, reliability failures, computer problems and financial forecast errors, losses in the millions due to the negligence by Cormie) were not being reviewed properly by Hydro and that (Hydro president and CEO Bob Brennan) himself was sweeping them under the rug."
"I believe Hydro has run a campaign of intimidation and ridicule to prevent employees who have and can testify to the accuracy of my work."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 13, 2010 A3