In Episode 32: Exclusive details of how a third BIZ group in Winnipeg was in the dark about bike lane plans – but mounted a successful campaign to force City Hall to scrap the Regent and Day intersection re-do in downtown Transcona.
Only the TGCTS podcast exposes the unfair and slanted tricks used by the City to screw over residents, small businesses and employees in character business districts coveted by the ‘active transportation’ experts.
One of those procedural tricks is ‘divide and conquer’ – let as few people/businesses/property owners as possible know in advance of plans to cram bike lanes into commercial districts.
The system doesn’t give a critical mass of potential critics a chance to develop, compare notes and evaluate common concerns. By the time the area enterprises and general public realize what’s being built and how it will affect their quality of life or income, it’s too late.
Members of both the Provencher and Marion business groups claim they were never given key details or opportunities for input by the consulting companies. Just like the Exchange District before them.
But in downtown Transcona, those deceptive “public consultation” tactics backfired.
With “only 12” parking spots at risk, only a select few operators nearby were notified. But the people who got the exclusive invite talked to their neighbours who also rely on those spaces for vehicles bringing customers, supplies, patients, clients and guests to the area.
On March 1, the Transcona BIZ- representing over 180 businesses- showed up at the Open House to have a frank discussion with City planners and high-paid consultants.
Listen as Marty Gold reads the post-session memo sent around by the Transcona BIZ to members, describing what went down – even the number of parking spots in question was wrong, you won’t believe why.
Will the approach the Transcona organization took to defend their community be the model for the Provencher BIZ? Or, for Norwood Grove BIZ members losing 99 spots for the Moving on Marion plan?
The Transcona Biz proved that bike lanes are not always “done deals.”
You can, indeed fight City Hall- which now has to explain why 3 different BIZ organizations were somehow skipped over in bike lane planning.
Corporate media newsrooms won’t utter a peep about the fix being in against small businesses and neighborhood residents, so we will keep blowing the whistle, asking City Hall questions and keeping taxpayers informed about their dollars being wasted.
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17:15 – Listen to our new and improved Commercial Break!
Part 2 – Marty looks forward to the Canada Day weekend, hosting CWE Friday night wrestling in Vita and then on Saturday at the Veteran’s Hall in Elie, Manitoba!
Then, our series airing concerns about St. Boniface bike lanes were circulating online – and it drew a former City Hall insider onto the record.
An online St. Boniface community group discussion was startled by claims from Ryan Palmquist, now a school trustee:
“Marion/Goulet bike lanes will be one of the most positive and transformative addtitions to the community in decades.”
The former assistant to St. B. Councilor Matt Allard – who insists he isn’t “anti-car” – insisted that seniors could cycle to circumvent constricting the St. Boniface Hospital district. You’ll hear what Palmquist posted, the pushback he got, and the direct questions we asked that he still hasn’t answered.
A cascade of evidence challenging him followed, most often from working class women in families with seniors to care for. Marty does the math on how many patients can be affected.
A Provencher business chimed in describing how the proposed bike lane set-up can put them out of business. Other characters tried to smear critics from the Provencher BIZ, to no avail.
The City undervalues and snubs our economic investors, employees and customers using local business storefronts. We Are Their Voice.