Wideleft

Love the concept, but the ownership model for health space concerns me. Winnipeg’s Portage Place set for massive, $500m revitalization By Skylar Peters Global News Posted May 12, 2023 5:00 am Updated May 12, 2023 1:51 am Friday marks a new day in the history of Portage Place. The beleaguered mall in the heart of downtown Winnipeg – an crown jewel intended to anchor the city’s downtown, filled with ‘For Lease’ signs just a few decades later, is set to get a massive shot in the arm today. The Province of Manitoba, Shared Health, True North Sports and Entertainment will unveil ambitious plans for the property at a news conference Friday morning. Global News got an early look. A healthcare hub The east end of the property, adjacent to Carlton Street, will become home to two separate healthcare centres. You’ll be able to visit a walk-in clinic and primary care clinic on the ground floor, which government sources say is designed to take the stress off the nearby Health Sciences Centre and Misericordia hospitals. Dialysis patients will have a 26,000 sq. ft. facility for their treatment, and others will be able to go their physiotherapy appointments. The Downtown Winnipeg Health Centre for Excellence will also contain a future Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) clinic. Rising above it: a 15-storey tower containing the Pan Am Centre for Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine. It will contain nearly 50,000 sq. ft. of ambulatory and orthopedic surgery space, a concussion clinic, pain clinic, space for minor injury and sports medicine professionals and more. The healthcare centres come at a cost of more than $300 million. “Right in the downtown area: Where people are working, where people are living, where people are part of that community, they’ll be able to have access to those services,” Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson told 680 CJOB’s Richard Cloutier. Plans shown to Global News ahead of Friday’s announcement show Edmonton Street cutting through the property, allowing a space for patients to be dropped off at the centre. The two centres promise more than 220,000 sq. ft. of new healthcare space for the city, and province. A place to live, shop, eat, and connect The space to the west of the new Edmonton St. greenway will be re-worked to include community services like a dental office, optometry space, pharmacy and more. “This is really connecting the downtown area, and making it a very welcoming place to come to, and a place where they can get help,” Stefanson says. The ground floor features space for groups like Service Canada, Newcomer Services, and the Downtown Community Safety Partnership. The heart of the property will also have plenty of room for a food court and retail stores. Above it, the existing Prairie Theatre Exchange and YMCA will be joined by a community centre/drop in space complete with a basketball court, and an outdoor community garden overlooking Portage Ave. The westernmost portion of the property will see another large tower rise above the existing structure – this one full of homes. Details on how many residences, and the portion of homes designated as affordable housing, are unclear. And the building contains something the downtown area has been lacking for years. Adjacent to the lobby near the Portage Ave. entrance: a 20,000 sq. ft. grocery store. Plans, partners, and a start date True North’s real estate arm will purchase the mall from the Forks North Portage Partnership, which represents the city, province, and federal government. A report sent to city hall earlier this year gave True North a year to do due diligence on the property – and noted the minimum purchase price would be a little more than $34 million. The ambitious plan will result in 569,000 sq. ft. of floor space being added to the property – more than double the mall’s current amount. 1,000 existing underground parking stalls will be retained. A government source tells Global News the plans will run in the $500-600 million range. True North Sports and Entertainment will put up the money for the healthcare portion of the property – more than $300 million – and the province will lease the space. All three levels of government will be involved in the build, particularly the housing component, and the Richardson family is also a part of the group working to transform the mall. Premier Stefanson will be joined by True North CEO Mark Chipman, President of the group’s real estate arm, Jim Ludlow, and new Shared Health CEO Lanette Siragusa for a formal announcement at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Didn't the PC government campaign on transparency? Manitoba’s health minister won’t say if there’s been a net loss or gain in the effort to recruit health care providers or whether she thinks the public needs to know. It’s a decision that may erode voters’ trust in government, says one political expert. Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced last week that 900 health care providers had been hired since the Progressive Conservatives’ health human resources action plan, to address the staff shortage, was unveiled in November. Gordon hasn’t answered questions about whether those 900 hires represent a net gain or loss: if more workers have been hired than the number who have left. On Thursday after question period, the minister was asked to explain why she refuses to share that information, and if she sees any value in being transparent with Manitobans about actual health care staffing levels. “I believe that we are accountable to the public for the commitments we make as a government,” Gordon said. “Our commitment was to add… 2,000 more health professionals. We are providing the public with information on our achievements towards that goal, which is nearly 900 additional health professionals,” she said. “That is what I believe the public wants to know,” Gordon told reporters. An expert in politics and public administration said the public needs to know both sides of the ledger: how many people have been hired and how many have left. It’s especially important given an election will be held in the fall. “The public does certainly deserve all the information, so it can make an informed decision about the legitimacy of this government,” said University of Manitoba Prof. Karine Levasseur. “If only part of the information is being received and not the entirety of the information, are we getting a clear picture? Why is the minister refusing to answer a valid question from journalists?” she said. “Every time unwarranted secrecy happens, it erodes that legitimacy. We see pockets where trust is declining in government,” said Levasseur. While the minister won’t say whether there has been a net gain or loss of staff, allied health professionals say that information is readily available from the employer — and there’s a glaring net loss. The Manitoba Association of Allied Health Care Professionals tracked new hires and terminations every month from November 2021 to March 2023. It shows more terminations than hires in all but two months during that time. From the time the province announced its action plan in November, until March, turnover data provided by the employer shows 100 new hires and 151 terminations, for a net loss of 51 allied health professionals. For the same five-month period a year earlier, November 2021 to March 2022, there were new hires (116) and terminations (172), for a net loss of 56 allied health professionals. The NDP health critic said the public needs to know whether there is a net gain or loss in allied health care professionals, nurses and doctors and the fact Gordon refuses to share that information with the public is telling. “I think the the fact that minister is refusing to answer a very straightforward and important question is in and of itself the answer,” Uzoma Asagwara said after question period. “The fact is that we have lost health care professionals. (The governing PCs) are not doing enough to make sure we have the health care capacity in terms of human resources, and their failures are directly hurting Manitobans,” Asagwara said. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2023/05/11/manitoba-government-refuses-to-say-how-many-health-workers-have-quit And now the education file (I've highlighted an important point made by Kinew). Winnipeg divisions faced cuts under shelved education funding model The Stefanson government is defending its ongoing overhaul of how the province pays for public schools, after a leaked document revealed one rejected proposal would have cut millions from Winnipeg school boards’ budgets. Confidential government documents obtained by the Manitoba NDP compare the total funding allotments for all 37 public school boards in 2022-23 based on both the existing formula and a “new funding model.” The internal document, which the official Opposition released Thursday, was prepared for the education department’s funding review team in November 2022. The proposal suggests 14 boards — including all but one metro division, River East Transcona — would have received fewer dollars if the updated formula was implemented. Those include: Winnipeg; Pembina Trails; Louis Riel; Seven Oaks; St. James Assiniboia; Sunrise; Seine River; Lord Selkirk; Evergreen; Border Land; Red River Valley; Southwest Horizon; Interlake; and Flin Flon. Per the tables, Frontier would have received the largest raise, equivalent to a six per cent hike. Park West, Garden Valley, Beautiful Plains, Kelsey, Hanover, Mountain View, Portage la Prairie, and Prairie Spirit trailed behind, each with respective increases above three per cent. Whiteshell’s sum was identical in both columns. The NDP used the five-page snippet from a larger slide deck to repeatedly grill the Progressive Conservatives in question period Thursday. Opposition Leader Wab Kinew accused Premier Heather Stefanson of hiding plans to cut funding to some divisions. “This is the plan that the PCs developed behind closed doors to cut millions of dollars in funding every year from schools in Manitoba,” Kinew told the chamber. After the 40-minute proceeding in which NDP MLAs took each opportunity to decry the funding model, Finance Minister Cliff Cullen told reporters the proposal had been “completely rejected” by the government. “We are not proposing any reduction in school division funding,” Cullen told reporters. He said the proposal was brought forward by the education funding model review team late last year, prior to budget discussions, and was turned down at that time. Not long after, the province announced it was delaying the implementation of a new formula, previously anticipated to be intact for the coming school year, to undertake more consultations. The review team has not reconvened since that announcement was made five months ago. A source, who was not authorized to speak on the subject, indicated the province’s autumn proposal — only several pages of which were shared by the NDP — had “a concerning forecast.” The exact details of the proposed formula remain unclear. Cullen said the Tories’ intention for education funding is accurately represented in the latest budget, which included an overall 6.1 per cent increase in spending. Asked if he would guarantee no school boards will see their funding decrease under a new formula, Cullen said: “It has never been our intent to reduce funding to school boards” and there is no expectation it will happen. The government has extended a contract with consulting firm Deloitte Ltd. to lead discussions with school boards and other stakeholders to gather opinions on a new funding model within the next few weeks, Cullen said. He noted the review team developed multiple funding models, but additional consultation time was required. Cullen would not commit to releasing a proposed funding model for public review before voters head to the polls Oct. 3. “I would hope that we could get something public prior to the election, but again we want to be respectful of our stakeholders.” Divisions currently receive funding based on student population, transportation requirements and building expenses, among numerous line items and grants. Education leaders and partners have long raised concerns about the existing model and a problematic equalization formula that has, since its implementation in 2002-03, perpetuated inequities in classrooms. “We’re disappointed that the government hasn’t completed that work,” said Nathan Martindale, president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society. “We did have a (representative) on that review team, but we haven’t heard anything in terms of when that team will meet again or what they’re going to look at.” Contrary to Cullen’s assurances the model was rejected, Kinew insisted the Tories would cut funding to some school divisions, as outlined in the documents. He said an NDP government would end the work that produced the rejected funding model. “We have to stop the PCs from doing to education what they’ve already done to health care,” Kinew said after question period. “And the fact that the PCs can’t show you another version of the education funding model confirms that this is what’s being considered as their future plan for education.” The Fort Rouge MLA explained he did not have the full document when asked why only five pages were made public. “(It’s) five more pages than the government has released of its education funding plan,” Kinew said. “We’re sharing with the people of Manitoba what the PC government would not.” The Manitoba School Boards Association did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Too important a problem to not elaborate on. Who are the Dominionists backing conservative candidates? A growing number of religious congregations espouse an ideology called Dominionism that calls for Christians to control or be the primary influence in American government. Who are the Dominionists and what do they mean for the future of democracy? Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, an assistant professor of religion and anthropology at Northeastern, and Massachusetts writer and researcher Frederick Clarkson said the once-obscure movement has been gaining political power in the past decades and is a player in local and national elections across the United States. Dominionism is an umbrella term for certain groups of Protestants and some Catholics who interpret Genesis 1:28 in the Bible, which refers to people having dominion over life on earth, as meaning that Christians should exercise control over most aspects of modern life, Riccardi-Swartz says. “It’s a utopian end times eschatology,” she says. “Most Dominionists, but not all, emphasize that the Christian church will mature and flourish and gain dominance in society before Christ returns.” That teaching stands in opposition to standard Christian doctrine, also called premillennialism, “which suggests Christ has to return first before a Christian kingdom is established on earth,” Riccardi-Swartz says. “So (the Dominionists’) endgame is creating a Christian kingdom on earth while we’re still alive.” Ending abortion, gay marriage and secular education are cornerstones of the movement, says Clarkson, a senior research analyst with Somerville-based Political Research Associates. “It’s their idea of righteousness and what God requires of them,” he says. “The only legitimate education is through the lens of the Bible as they understand it.” ‘They talk about getting rid of demons’ “They talk about Christianizing the public space. They talk about getting rid of demons,” Riccardi-Swartz says. “It’s really about spiritual warfare,” she says. “They see themselves as warriors fighting not just demonic forces but people. Because they see people as demonically possessed by the spirit of whatever is in opposition to them.” “Really, what they’re talking about is cleansing the public sphere of people who are not like them,” Riccardi-Swartz says. When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rephrased a Bible passage and told students at a private Christian college to “put on the full armor of God. Stand firm against the left’s schemes,” he was speaking to a political base of believers, she says. “I think it’s fair to call Dominion theology part of the tool kit of political radicalism.” There are different groups of people who believe in Dominionist-type theology, and they are not always in sync with each other, Riccardi-Swartz says. Christian nationalists who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection can be considered “co-travelers” with Dominionists since “they have the same end goal,” she says. But “most Dominionists aren’t as violent or as inclined to violence as we see among Christian nationalists, especially white Christian nationalists,” Riccardi-Swartz says. There are a confusing number of groups associated with the theological movement, with names such as New Apostolic Reformation, Latter Rain, Joel’s Army and Seven Mountains. The latter calls for Christians to have control over the so-called seven mountains of society: family, arts and entertainment, media, education, government, religion and business. The Oak Initiative, which is associated with evangelistic prophet and election denier Rick Joyner, calls for raising up effective leaders in the seven areas as part of a “spiritual awakening that lays a foundation for course correction in the future of America.” When Republican candidate for Arizona governor, Kari Lake, recently promised reporters she would be their “worst fricking nightmare,” she also vowed that “we will reform the media as well.” Lake, who denies the legitimacy of President Biden’s election, has been compared to a prophet in a charismatic Christian publication. “There’s a media mountain and they’ve got to conquer it,” Clarkson says. Some Dominionist groups definitely want a theocratic form of government, others want to transform democracy but not do away with it all together, Riccardi-Swartz says. At the more extreme end, “there would be no more public schools,” she says. “The family would educate their children. There would be no social welfare endeavors because the church would take care of all the needs of the poor.” It doesn’t speak for all religious conservatives Riccardi-Swartz says having a conservative Christian viewpoint does not mean that a person is a Christian nationalist or even a Dominionist. Bart Barber, the new leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, denounced Christian nationalism on “60 Minutes” several weeks ago, saying that it stands in opposition to “everything I believe about religious liberty. … I object to it because Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’” Riccardi-Swartz says the Christian radical right “has been slowly rising” over the past few decades. “The easy scapegoat of course is Trump. But these ideas were there long before Trump,” she says. Social media and digital technology have allowed Dominionist-type groups to network and partner more efficiently “than they were 30 years, even 10 years ago.” “It’s always been there simmering. Now it’s at a full boil,” Riccardi-Swartz says. How dominionists impacted the election Republican right wing Christian gubernatorial candidate Douglas Mastriano lost the Pennsylvania race to Democrat Josh Shapiro. But in many ways it was not really a defeat, Clarkson says. With more than 40% of the vote, Mastriano “had an enormous sleeping victory that was unprecedented in the United States.” “We’ve never had another candidate like this in American history, running for a major office,” Clarkson says. “We have an openly theocratic candidate who said he is the voice of God,” Clarkson says. “The people around him believe the same.” Toward the end of a Facebook video of a March 15 campaign event, Mastriano says, “God’s spoken through a donkey. He’s speaking through Doug Mastriano right now.” “He remains a sitting state senator and leads a group of people who meet every week in the state Capitol to plan strategy,” Clarkson says. “The movement will continue.” Mastriano’s campaign coordinators came out of New Apostolic Reformation churches and spent little money on advertising, relying instead on social media networks such as Facebook, Clarkson says. That Mastriano’s campaign achieved as much as it did “is an astounding thing,” he says. It’s not just white men, Clarkson says, adding that women and people of color also play increasingly large roles in the NAR movement. “If we see seats being filled with people who are actively in support of the so-called election fraud, who are proponents of Christian nationalism, who are conspiratorially minded, we don’t know what will happen,” Riccardi-Swartz says. “What will happen to public schools? What will happen to gay marriage? There’s a whole list of things on the agenda that will tell us a lot about the temperature of democracy in the United States.” Educate yourself, and vote Riccardi-Swartz says education and information are key defenses against anti-democratic ideas. “Be well read. Read widely,” Riccardi-Swartz says. Don’t read just one newspaper or listen to one radio station, she says. “If you hear people in your community proclaiming conspiratorial ideas, call them out on that. Say, ‘I don’t think that’s actually accurate. Can we do some research and find out? Can we have a conversation about why you believe this?’” Clarkson says it’s important to register to vote and then get out and cast a ballot. Lake, Mastriano and other election deniers were defeated in the midterm elections. “The Christian right is one of if not the most powerful factions in American politics,” Clarkson says. But a majority of Americans still believe in separation of church and state, he says. “And that matters in a democracy.” For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.

What is the definition Christian dominionism? Dominionism is an umbrella term for certain groups of Protestants and some Catholics who interpret Genesis 1:28 in the Bible, which refers to people having dominion over life on earth, as meaning that Christians should exercise control over most aspects of modern life, Riccardi-Swartz says.

The North Shore Leader in Long Island exposed him before the election. No one listened because I guess you can't trust the media? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/george-santos-grant-lally-long-island-b2267628.html The gay part is true.

I'm going to withhold my comment about this until after May 29 (Alberta Provincial election).

Rep. George Santos, the freshman Republican congressman whose myriad falsehoods became both a scandal and a national punchline, was charged with a host of financial crimes in court papers unsealed Wednesday. Santos, 34, surrendered to federal authorities in the morning and is expected to appear in a federal courthouse in Central Islip, on Long Island, later Wednesday. Officials said he has been charged with fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and false statements. The congressman and his lawyer did not respond to earlier messages seeking comment. Santos, federal authorities said, lied to his own donors, the House of Representatives, state unemployment officials, and others, resulting in seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of lying to the House of Representatives on financial forms. Santos has been the subject of multiple investigations. Prosecutors and federal agents have been scrutinizing his campaign finance reports and a host of related questions about his personal income and spending. Of particular interest to authorities is how Santos’s income seemed to fluctuate significantly, as well as a loan he made to his campaign of more than $700,000, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it. The congressman also came under fire for allegedly pocketing $3,000 from a GoFundMe page he purportedly set up for a homeless veteran to help pay for surgery for the man’s dying service dog. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission has interviewed people about Santos’s role in Harbor City Capital, an investment firm that was forced to shut down in 2021 after the SEC accused it of operating a “classic Ponzi scheme.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/10/george-santos-charges/

As long as Citizens United is a thing, we're all at risk.

I'm not going to go back through this thread, but I do believe I stated this in 2015-2016. He's already stated that he still doesn't know who she is!

A jury has found that Trump sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll, and awarded $5 million in damages. Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her during a chance encounter at a Manhattan department store. He has denied her allegations, calling her a liar. Carroll sued him last year for battery and defamation. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/05/09/e-jean-carroll-trump-trial-verdict/

Take Back Alberta isn't fringe - they've completed half their takeover of the UCP. Terrifying.

If bringing Jr. into training camp makes Coach like the organization even a little bit more, I'm all for it. By all accounts, the players have the utmost respect for Coach, so I think there will be as many people excited for his son (and him) as there will be players grousing about it.

I'd need to shower after watching that fiasco. Might have to order a second hot water tank, too.

I remember the good old days when someone would be forced to resign over saying something like this.

If you're being paid $4+K a month, you're not a volunteer - you're a mercenary.

Obama nailed it when he said "Perfect is the enemy of good". All the BernieBros abandoning Clinton because she wasn't "progressive enough" gave us Trump and I really don't know how the world is going to recover.

They're letting him try in training camp. He has to earn a role. That's pro football.

No one said he shouldn't be challenged for a job. They just said that he shouldn't be cut on November 21, 2022.

Nobody said that Legs shouldn't be challenged for a job. A more accurate take would be that we shouldn't immediately throw him in the dumpster and instead allow him a chance to earn a role. I'm all for giving him a fair chance to earn a kicking role and I am certainly no expert on kicking (or football for that matter) - but the thing that scares me most about Legs is my eyes don't like his place-kicking mechanics. I don't know if it's his build or something else - he just doesn't look smooth ever. His form is closer to a Tim Horton's kick for a million contestant than a pro (to my eyes). Again, I remind you I have no idea what I'm talking about here in any technical sense. I do like him as a punter, though.

Haven't seen it, but worth noting that the Federal Cons opened their campaign calls with "Did you know Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh are going to raise your taxes?" during the last election. I personally received one and called the woman on her lie. She was left speechless when I asked her to provide proof that was in either campaign (she couldn't) and I told her she should be ashamed of herself for spreading such lies. It's all part of the right-wing election playbook.

I've put him on ignore as of this morning. The reality is that I hate the disinformation for what it has done to society and feel a strong need to inform when required. He's not a complete bad faith actor like a Zontar or Atomic who I just stopped replying to altogether, but as we have often seen, a lie left uncorrected will eventually become the truth.

You best take a timeout before someone gives you one.