Mark Chipman Presser - Development Deal No Longer Certain

[The Unknown Poster]

cbc.ca

 

The head of True North Sports and Entertainment is firing back at claims by Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman that a deal to develop part of the city's downtown is secretive, and is now putting the proposal on hold as as result.

 

Mark Chipman, True North's executive chairman of the board, spoke to reporters on Wednesday about an option agreement his company has with CentreVenture Development Corp. to develop vacant lots at 220 and 225 Carlton St. that CentreVenture owns.

 

A visibly angry Chipman took offence to suggestions that the agreement was an "untoward" backroom deal, and he disputed claims Bowman has made about how little he knows about it.

 

Bowman insisted that neither he nor council has been able to see the details of the option agreement.

 

On Tuesday, the mayor told reporters that his chief of staff met with former CentreVenture CEO Ross McGowan in December and was shown a video about some sort of downtown development.

 

However, Bowman claimed that the video did not contain any information about the lot of Carlton Street, and the information provided was not clear.

 

On Wednesday, Chipman said he showed Bowman the video of the proposed development, called True North Square, during an "impromptu meeting" at a Winnipeg Jets hockey game at the MTS Centre on November 18,

 

Chipman noted that Bowman was at the game with Kevin Chief, Manitoba's minister responsible for the City of Winnipeg. There have been photos on Twitter of the pair together.

 

Chipman says there has been no further dialogue with the mayor since November.

 

CentreVenture claims that Bowman's chief of staff was sent an email in November, which contained some details about the proposed development and conditional offer.

 

CentreVenture board chair Kurt Vossen has also said Bowman has not sought out more information about the deal.

 

However, Bowman and members of the EPC had numerous questions of Vossen at a special meeting last week and the mayor and his cabinet have repeatedly said they haven't received all the answers they want.

 

Chipman, who was a board member at CentreVenture, said he immediately recused himself from any discussions on CentreVenture's involvement in the deal.

 

On Wednesday, Chipman said the project is "absolutely not a certainty," and he is putting the $400-million proposed development work on hold for now.

 

As well, he said he regrets publicly endorsing Bowman last fall's civic election campaign because he's concerned people may now see that endorsement as a way to curry favour with the mayor.

[The Unknown Poster]

What a mess.  I feel for Mark Chipman who has never seemed less than honest and forthright.  To me, he seems like a guy who loves this city and wants to invest in it and for that he is accused of "secret" dealings, conflicts of interest and illegal collusion.

 

He's clearly furious with Bowman and Im beginning to question the mayor.

 

Seems to me Bowman is so consumed with appearing to be the anti-Sammy that he's actually lying about the facts.  He claims he never knew of this deal.  He saw the video.  I didnt watch it but Chipman played it and reporters said it was very clear what it was and what it entailed.

 

It will be a real shame if True North reconsiders their development plan.  Ultimately, they proposed the plan because they think it will be profitable so I see no reason why they wouldnt move ahead.  I think they are firing a shot across the bow so to speak to get the city to back off.

[Atomic]

Must watch for anyone interested in this ongoing story.

 

Press conference link:

 

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/True-North-chairman-to-speak-to-media-today-290810601.html

[Goalie]

Chipman not being totally truthful here either. Talking about giving a financial donation to Bowmans campaign. He did more than that, he held a fundraiser for Bowman. So, Both are guilty here of probably not telling the entire truth. But in the end, this will get done for sure. 

[Atomic]

Chipman not being totally truthful here either. Talking about giving a financial donation to Bowmans campaign. He did more than that, he held a fundraiser for Bowman. So, Both are guilty here of probably not telling the entire truth. But in the end, this will get done for sure. 

 

That's the silliest thing I've ever heard.  Chipman's support of Bowman is no secret.  You're attacking him based on semantics.

[Atomic]

A $400 million project that may be scrapped because Bowman is too inexperienced to get all the facts on the situation before spouting off in the media.  Unbelievable.

[The Unknown Poster]

I'm on Chipman's side here. I remember that fundraiser too. He did not publicly endorse Bowman at the time of that fundraiser. And as he said today he was uncomfortable doing so and now regrets it for this very reason.

Just because Sammy had a corrupt relationship with shindico doesn't mean true north is corrupt. Seems like things were above board where they are concerned.

The mayor needs to get his head into the game here. Trying to push TN around just so it appears he's tough is the wrong thing to do.

Hopefully TN goes ahead with the development plan.

[Goalie]

I'm not attacking anyone but i'm not pretending that Chipman is some sort of god that's for sure. Seems that Chipman can get away with anything really. Who really knows who is being truthful here completely. I bet both are being a little pig headed actually. I'm not attacking Chipman but i do think it's a little naive to think he's telling the whole truth also. 

[Atomic]

I'm not attacking anyone but i'm not pretending that Chipman is some sort of god that's for sure. Seems that Chipman can get away with anything really. Who really knows who is being truthful here completely. I bet both are being a little pig headed actually. I'm not attacking Chipman but i do think it's a little naive to think he's telling the whole truth also. 

 

He can get away with anything?  What exactly has he "got away with"???  Can you explain what you mean by that with a single concrete example?

 

The fact is that Chipman has incredibly deep pockets and is willing to spend his money on improving this city, in particular downtown (which needs as much private money as it can get).  Of course True North will also benefit... that's how business works.  Chipman's not running a charity.  Guys like that don't just come along every day.  You don't just piss off and alienate a guy like Chipman and expect another guy like him to pop up in his place.  He has worked hard for this city for a long time now and I agree with him when he says he should have built up some trust along the way.

 

If Bowman did a full investigation and found wrongdoing on the part of True North, that is one thing.  But to suggest wrongdoing simply because he is "confused" by the project... that is downright irresponsible.

[New_Earth_Mud]

 

I'm not attacking anyone but i'm not pretending that Chipman is some sort of god that's for sure. Seems that Chipman can get away with anything really. Who really knows who is being truthful here completely. I bet both are being a little pig headed actually. I'm not attacking Chipman but i do think it's a little naive to think he's telling the whole truth also. 

 

He can get away with anything?  What exactly has he "got away with"???  Can you explain what you mean by that with a single concrete example?

 

The fact is that Chipman has incredibly deep pockets and is willing to spend his money on improving this city, in particular downtown (which needs as much private money as it can get).  Of course True North will also benefit... that's how business works.  Chipman's not running a charity.  Guys like that don't just come along every day.  You don't just piss off and alienate a guy like Chipman and expect another guy like him to pop up in his place.  He has worked hard for this city for a long time now and I agree with him when he says he should have built up some trust along the way.

 

If Bowman did a full investigation and found wrongdoing on the part of True North, that is one thing.  But to suggest wrongdoing simply because he is "confused" by the project... that is downright irresponsible.

 

 

 

I gotta agree.

 

Bowman is picking the wrong fight.

[Goalie]

Well, that's a great video and looks fantastic, the plans look quite amazing actually and reading what Chief has said on Twitter or is possibly saying right now on twitter, does appear that the Mayor is bs'ing people here about not knowing about the plans. Not sure why he would do that. This is quite the innovative little concept True North has come up with, True North Square gets a huge thumbs up from me. 

[JuranBoldenRules]

Bowman needs to be careful about setting the same precedent of hiding information from council that his predecessor and his CAO operated with.  I'd rather miss out on one good development than hand a scummy CAO carte blanche to the municipal public purse and end up having tens of millions of uncontrollable cost overruns like we've had on pretty much every major development in this city of late.  All the details of these deals need to hit the floor of council when they are proposed so that the people representing us can decide.

 

Chipman should respect this process too.  I don't believe he did anything wrong, but he's gotta know that logically CentreVenture can't be making major land deals above the city council.

[New_Earth_Mud]

From what ive seen and can make an opinion on .. Bowman is wrong.

[Mr Dee]

Does this mean that the Bowman-Chipman "connection" is a thing of the past?

And did I hear Chipman expressly address gbill2004 with this statement?

 

This is no time for Bowman to be doing any posturing for the sake of politics.

Isn't there anybody around this situation with any common sense?

[JuranBoldenRules]

From what ive seen and can make an opinion on .. Bowman is wrong.

 

Which at this point is basically nothing.  Just a shiny video.  City already loses money on the proposed hotel deal if it were to go through, although that seems inevitable no matter who develops that site given how CentreVenture has mismanaged this whole situation.  Who knows how much public money/subsidy would be required as part of the proposed $400 million development?  Council doesn't know.  That's why Bowman can't just be a rubber stamp, nor should he be.  Next step should be the dismantling of CentreVenture.  

[max power]

Can't even build a bloody hotel in this town without all the government agencies making a mess of it. Ah good old "capitalism".

How many Chipmans do we have that are willing to actually spend their own money and not just take it all from the taxpayer?

[The Unknown Poster]

Can't even build a bloody hotel in this town without all the government agencies making a mess of it. Ah good old "capitalism".

How many Chipmans do we have that are willing to actually spend their own money and not just take it all from the taxpayer?

Are you suggesting the Chipmans havent spent their own money in this town?  People get wrapped up in the nonsense media spinning.  This is what I meant by the unfortunate anti-Chipman sentiment growing.

 

From everything we know, the construction firm had no success in luring a hotel development and asked to be released from its obligation to do so.  Chipman's already had an option on 225 and thought maybe we can combine the two.  Mark resigned from CV board because he would now be doing business with them.  There were no other expressions of interest on the property and SOD had been actively looking.  CV was facing a very dire scenario and along came True North with a proposal.  Win/Win.

 

The issue here is, why would Bowman lie about this especially when it would have been seen as a win for his council to develop two properties into a very impressive multi-use development, plus his relationship with Chipman.  It really makes no sense and you got that from Mark who, when asked why Bowman would pretend he didnt know about it, was incredulous in saying I dont know, I dont know.

 

Even Bowmans COS seems to be backing up Chipman.  Mayor will be in full damage control mode now to save this deal.

[New_Earth_Mud]

 

From what ive seen and can make an opinion on .. Bowman is wrong.

 

Which at this point is basically nothing.  Just a shiny video.  City already loses money on the proposed hotel deal if it were to go through, although that seems inevitable no matter who develops that site given how CentreVenture has mismanaged this whole situation.  Who knows how much public money/subsidy would be required as part of the proposed $400 million development?  Council doesn't know.  That's why Bowman can't just be a rubber stamp, nor should he be.  Next step should be the dismantling of CentreVenture.  

 

 

We also know Bowman lied about seeing the vid.

[The Unknown Poster]

Which is the part that makes no sense.  Since Chief seemed to walk that back and confirm Chipman's position, one can assume Bowman is doing damage control right now.

 

The development itself looks great and would be wonderful in that area of downtown.  I love the synergy between the two lots and the "crossing over" of the street to tie the two together.

 

I realise some people get bent out of shape because of the amount of development that Chipman family seemed to be involved in.  But so be it.  There was a time when no one would near downtown Winnipeg either as a visitor or developer.

[sweep the leg]

 

Can't even build a bloody hotel in this town without all the government agencies making a mess of it. Ah good old "capitalism".

How many Chipmans do we have that are willing to actually spend their own money and not just take it all from the taxpayer?

Are you suggesting the Chipmans havent spent their own money in this town?  People get wrapped up in the nonsense media spinning.  This is what I meant by the unfortunate anti-Chipman sentiment growing.

 

I'm pretty sure you've misinterpreted what he said. I think he means Chipman is one of the only guys in this city who is willing to spend his own money to get things done.

[The Unknown Poster]

 

 

Can't even build a bloody hotel in this town without all the government agencies making a mess of it. Ah good old "capitalism".

How many Chipmans do we have that are willing to actually spend their own money and not just take it all from the taxpayer?

Are you suggesting the Chipmans havent spent their own money in this town?  People get wrapped up in the nonsense media spinning.  This is what I meant by the unfortunate anti-Chipman sentiment growing.

 

I'm pretty sure you've misinterpreted what he said. I think he means Chipman is one of the only guys in this city who is willing to spend his own money to get things done.

 

In that case I agree.  Im overly sensitive about the Anti-Chipman rhetoric.  I lived here in the 90's when downtown was a ghost town and everyone my age was racing to get out of here.

 

Gee, so True North gets $7 million or whatever per year in kick backs from revenue that wouldnt exist without them.  Big deal.  If someone came to me and said "if you give me $1, I will give you $10", I'd take that deal.

[The Unknown Poster]

CJOB reporting the President of the Chamber of Commerce has said Bowman must make a public apology to save the True North development.

 

I can sort of see Mark Chipman being the type of guy who would let this development teeter on the brink over calling his integrity into question.  Bowman apologizing probably sees TN move ahead with the project.

 

A lot of egos at play here.  Realistically, Bowman is going to have to admit he saw the video and was wrong when he said he didnt.  I wonder if he maybe there was some reason he didnt remember seeing it *cough* drunk *cough*

[max power]

 

 

 

Can't even build a bloody hotel in this town without all the government agencies making a mess of it. Ah good old "capitalism".

How many Chipmans do we have that are willing to actually spend their own money and not just take it all from the taxpayer?

Are you suggesting the Chipmans havent spent their own money in this town?  People get wrapped up in the nonsense media spinning.  This is what I meant by the unfortunate anti-Chipman sentiment growing.

 

I'm pretty sure you've misinterpreted what he said. I think he means Chipman is one of the only guys in this city who is willing to spend his own money to get things done.

 

[JuranBoldenRules]

 

 

From what ive seen and can make an opinion on .. Bowman is wrong.

 

Which at this point is basically nothing.  Just a shiny video.  City already loses money on the proposed hotel deal if it were to go through, although that seems inevitable no matter who develops that site given how CentreVenture has mismanaged this whole situation.  Who knows how much public money/subsidy would be required as part of the proposed $400 million development?  Council doesn't know.  That's why Bowman can't just be a rubber stamp, nor should he be.  Next step should be the dismantling of CentreVenture.  

 

 

We also know Bowman lied about seeing the vid.

 

 

Lied is a strong word.  He said he'd heard rumours and rumblings but the details of the development had not be presented to himself or council.  That's still where we are at.  Bowman has nothing to apologize for except for Chipman's overreaction to anything Chipman views as potentially questioning his reputation.  Anything that requires millions of dollars of public money or a change in an already approved plan that will cost the city millions should hit the floor of council.  Why is this seen as acting against Chipman?  If this development is such a great thing and makes good financial sense for the city, he should have nothing to worry about.

[Mr Dee]

Lied is a strong word.  He said he'd heard rumours and rumblings but the details of the development had not be presented to himself or council.  That's still where we are at. 

 

How about misrepresented?  

 

Chipman also said a copy of the option agreement for the project was sent to City Hall and that Bowman and other city councillors had access to it, despite claims made by Bowman the information contained in the agreement hasn’t been handed over. “It was delivered to the city solicitor on December first under conditions that clearly allow it to be used by the city, its administration and the mayor himself for the collective assessment and due diligence on our project.”

 

 

Bowman has nothing to apologize for except for Chipman's overreaction to anything Chipman views as potentially questioning his reputation.  Anything that requires millions of dollars of public money or a change in an already approved plan that will cost the city millions should hit the floor of council.  Why is this seen as acting against Chipman?  If this development is such a great thing and makes good financial sense for the city, he should have nothing to worry about.

 

 

Chipman's overreaction? 

Interesting that you should choose to present Chipman in that light. 

He states that he wanted to present the facts and because of how things were handled..at City Hall, they want to reevaluate what they do going forward.

That seems pretty clear and pretty fair.

It is in no way Chipman's fault how the matter was handled by CentreVenture, nor should the spotlight be shone on True North when they have presented a viable alternative.

Bowman could have easily handled this whole affair in a much better fashion, but rushed into statements that don't present the entire story.

His bad.

Chipman has a proven record in Winnipeg and his objection to the characterization of True North and this proposed deal is understandable.

 

Bowman doesn't have to rubber stamp anything…but he certainly shouldn't have called True North's intentions into question.

 

Here's Chipman's media address and it is powerful and interesting:

 

https://soundcloud.com/680cjob/mark-chipman-full