Okay Winnipeggers, here is an easy question - what happens when government focuses on its traditional role of meeting infrastructure needs and gets out of the way of the private sector Answer: REAL DEVELOPMENT. That is exactly what is happening in our fair city thanks to a handful of private developers whose request for proposals were accepted by CentreVenture to build over $45 million worth of condos on Waterfront Drive. Once an area of Winnipeg that was thought of as a not so desirable place to do business will be transformed into our very own version of Vancouver's Gastown, a trendy place to shop, eat and live.

Partially due to the former mayor's obsession with downtown revitalization and governments at all levels giddy about the idea of playing central planner, five private development companies are now taking advantage of wide open spaces and will accomplish something that government couldn't possibly do - get people to live downtown. A few years ago through the Manitoba/Canada Infrastructure Works Program, all three levels of government spent over $9 million to build roads, sewers and pipes into what is now known as Waterfront Drive. Unlike most government projects, there was a long-term goal for future development of this area which is now coming to fruition.

The inevitable question now of course is will people live there After all, it isn't the safest area of the city and population growth has been slow. That being said, it is difficult to imagine any of the developers willing to risk a great deal of capital without doing a cost-benefit analysis and weighing the risks for a return on their investment.

For the anti-profit, anti-private sector, anti-economic development other- than-government-doing-it crowd, this is good for them too since there will be an additional $1 million in tax revenue generated. As long as government keeps their mitts off of this project and simply reaps the rewards, Waterfront Drive has the potential to be a boon for our city.

So what could an extra million dollars in tax revenue do for a city like Winnipeg It could pay for a reduction in the business tax, make an incremental dent in reducing property tax, or even fix a lot of potholes. But perhaps most importantly, it could pay down some debt.

Kudos to CentreVenture for facilitating this deal and living up to their mandate to "provide leadership in creating and sustaining business opportunities and economic growth in downtown Winnipeg." But a big round of applause must go to the private developers in this deal who have shown leadership by investing in our community in spite of high taxes and over -regulation by government.