GST holiday draws mixed reviews

The early hours of Dec. 14 were, for Clinton Skibitzky, a mad scramble.

He and staff raced to change their point-of-sale system, effectively removing the GST sales tax from certain items, before opening Across the Board Game Café to the public. More than a week later, he’s finding it hard to tell whether the tax break has made a difference to the Winnipeg business.

He’s not alone.

“Our sales are what they were,” said Skibitzky, Across the Board’s co-owner. “(The exemption) can’t hurt, but I don’t think there’s been a strong effect.”

Mayor 2 puts positive spin 3 on city’s less-than-edsfxpected share of federal housing fund

The city will receive $122 million in federal government housing money, falling about $70 million shy of the municipal government’s original request. However, Winnipeg’s mayor stressed the amount is substantial and should leverage millions of dollars of additional investment.

Schmidt right fit with Panthers 1st

2 FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Nate Schmidt was hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

The affable defenceman knew there had been some whispers about a potential contract buyout from the Winnipeg Jets and, with free agency just around the corner, Schmidt got a call from his agent that essentially had him standing at attention.

“You heard about it and this and that. You hear rumblings of it and your agent calls you and he says, ‘you never know what will happen, we have to be prepared for everything,’” Schmidt said during a conversation at the Florida Panthers rink.

“It happened at the last minute, right before free agency. It was such a (whirlwind).”

City sued over sewage plant deal 3

A four close 5 company hired to conduct repairs at Winnipeg’s north end sewage plant is suing the city, alleging poor administration g of the project resulted in the firm’s contract being cancelled and leaving it out of pocket.

The repairs, to power transformers at the site, are among a series of massive, complicated upgrades that continue to be delayed and balloon in cost.

The plant is the largest and oldest of the city’s three sewage facilities.

The wider upgrades, first called for in 2003 and initially expected to be completed early last decade, are meant to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous in the water released by the city’s sewage system to protect the health of Lake Winnipeg and are required under a provincial Environment Act licence.