I visited the CBC HQ in Toronto a few times. There, within this 13-storey magnificence of white, red and glass, and under the gaze of an enormous portrait of Barbara Frum, I would wonder why all this money had been spent on erecting such a structure that would obviously turn CBC inward. It seemed an odd way to get Canada’s national broadcaster to become better at understanding the concerns of Canadians. Why jam the MotherCorp together, when its strength should come from being spread across the country and across the beige sprawl of Toronto?
I fear the same inward-turning when I hear about the on-again, off-again plans for building some sort of “centre of excellence” for the grain industry in Winnipeg, pushing together the grains, oilseeds, pulses, regulatory and science people working for farmers in the city, which is the centre of our nation’s grain trade. What sort of problem are we trying to solve? What can’t we do now?
It seems the plans are on-again, with Cereals Canada – the successor to the old Cereals Canada and the Canadian International Grains Institute – planning a press conference to (probably – I’m guessing here) announce that it is intending for forge forward with a new complex to house Cereals Canada, the Canola Council of Canada, Pulse Canada, the Canadian Grain Commission, and a bunch of other aggie stuff.
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This idea has been around here since I arrived in 2001 in this wonderful creation of the Selkirk settlers – I salute you rugged and dirt-poor Scotsfolk of times yore – and it’s still there. It’s now become a “Winnipeg thing,” at least for grainy types.
It once seemed like a good idea to me. CIGI had problems with an unsuitable building. Ditto the CGC. Ag buildings and facilities were spread all over the city. Why not bring them all together and get everybody working together? That was a good idea at the time. Is it a good idea now?
That’s where my questions come from. Are we still going with concrete, glass and steel? Don’t research, promotional and regulatory centres already exist? Especially post-pandemic, don’t we now believe that the virtual world can eliminate the need to pour money into new facilities that can now be brought together through Zoom, MS Teams and other digifications? If, and I don’t know this but it’s a rumour – there is a $100 million price tag, where is that money coming from?
I’m hoping to hear more about the following questions at the planned presser next week.
Here are some basic questions from me that I hope to ask:
Why is this needed?
What will it cost?
Is that farmers’ money? (Including government money farmers see as dedicated for them.)
Have farmers, FARMERS – not just their organizations – agreed to this?
Is Canada’s grain industry on-side with this?
Why not spend that money on improving existing facilities and centres?
Who wants this to happen?
Maybe it’s a great idea. I have no firm opinion yet. I hope to pick up a better sense of the project if there’s a presser. But I worry that in 2024, the idea of a glass-and-steel project occurring at a time in which even basic agronomic research is being cut back might not go over well with farmers, and might not be the best idea for what to do with scarce farmer dollars.
