DEC-01

Grand Opening of US Consulate - Winnipeg, MB, CDA

by Helen Fallding

U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci highlighted the potential of Manitoba’s untapped hydro power to help fuel American industry as he visited Winnipeg yesterday to open a new consulate.

“It’s very clear in the wake of Sept. 11 that we need reliable sources of energy here in North America,” he told a crowd of about 100 at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce luncheon.  “We recognize that you probably have only up to half of your hydro capacity here, so we look forward to working with your premier…to make sure that we can develop this capacity.”

Premier Gary Doer promoted Manitoba’s hydroelectricity when the two men, spent time together during last week’s trade mission to Texas and California.

Tory finance critic John Loewen was encouraged to hear the ambassador talk about expanding energy trade, but said Manitoba Hydro will have to be careful to get long-term contracts so that debt costs for new dams are manageable.

Cellucci officially opened a modest new consulate in the TD Centre where Consul Eugene Tadie and two Canadian staff will work overlooking the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street.

Smaller than the full-service consulates in six other Canadian cities, the Winnipeg office will focus on enhancing trade, resolving international disputes and promoting the American perspective on current issues like the war in Afghanistan, Tadie said.  Passport and visa applications will continue to be handled by the Calgary consulate.

Tadie, whose last posting was to Israel, said the former U.S. ambassador worked for years to re-establish an office in Winnipeg because he “saw a substantial gap between Calgary and Ottawa.”

Winnipeg has not had a consulate since 1986, when it was closed as a cost-cutting measure.

Wally Hill, chairman of the Winnipeg Chamber, said it was a hassle for smaller businesses to travel to another city to resolve trade problems.  Some Winnipeg software companies, for example, need more flexible rules for allowing Canadian technicians to install software they sell in the U.S., he said.

In an exclusive interview with the Free Press yesterday, Cellucci said Canadian media ridiculously blew out of proportion the announcement this week of National Guard reinforcements at U.S. border crossings.

“It’s a law enforcement role; it’s not a military role.”

The former Massachusetts governor said Canada and the U.S. have the most extraordinary partnership in the world, which is growing even closer as the two countries cooperate on border controls to stop terrorists while speeding trade and tourism.

“We need a smart border,” he said.  “We cannot allow it to become an impediment.”