No surprises

Living in a central neighborhood of Winnipeg, I have no use for the evening news. (My own theory is that together, the mainstream media make up a typical suburban family: The angry grandpa (CJOB); the "well isn't that neat" grandma (CKY); the "keep my taxes low" dad (Global); the paranoid (soccer) mom (Free Press); the annoying, overidealistic daughter (CBC); and, finally, the bratty son (Sun) obsessed with boobies and things that go vroom-vroom.) And so it isn't too often that I find myself tuning in at six o' clock. But tonight I did, to Global news, and in two back-to-back segments, Gord LeClerc told me a couple of things already known to anyone who has payed attention:
1) The Province and the City can't afford to build two interchanges where the extended Kenaston will meet Bison Drive. Instead, traffic lights will control an at-grade intersection. But even with this, the cost of the Kenaston project will be $38M; of which the City willpay $17M. A dozen or so rich developers are thrilled.
2) The planned Federal and Provincial contribution to Glen Murray's planned transit improvements (aka: BRT) on the University route did infact vanish, and will not be redirected to community centres, as Katz said they would in Autumn 2004. Turns out, the City only has an extra $10M (not the tri-level $43M) to spend on community centres. Of course, this only goes so far in an ever-thinning city, and (so far) four community centres are being closed, and two will amalgamate with others "nearby".

$17M (ironically what the City's contribution to phase one of the BRT plan would have been) for extending Kenaston into the south-western corner of the city. $10M for giving kids--who may not have the luxury of cottages and maternal chauffers--something to do besides stealing cars and use drugs. Like the smell of an overflowing dumpster on a hot summer's day, the old lies of a few greedy men are becoming more and more obvious and sinister.