I find it curious that the Winnipeg Free Press would allow Bartley Kives to write about the Jets and the prospect of the NHL returning to Winnipeg. To be clear: sports issues aren't exactly his corner of reporting and/or editorializing normally.

And why the timing now? He could have easily penned this in 2000 as no material examples from his article occur after the 99 Pan Am games.

But beyond that, clearly his main point is true: The NHL is an awesome "nice to have" but it doesn't hold our lives back without. But it would make an excellent Christmas gift regardless of the year (or the season)!!

I for one moved from Calgary back to Winnipeg in 2001. And I have to say that the feelings we share about Winnipeg have changed greatly since 1998 when we left for CowTown. More and more people are actually moving back to Manitoba, but unfortunately good news stories often go without reporting.

So what changed? Well obviously the grass wasn't greener in Calgary for us. They have biting bugs too! No kidding! The summer is more of an elongated spring and lengthened autumn, with less than 10 days a year where 30+ temperatures happen. And on those days, remember to bring a light jacket as the temperature dips to under 10 degrees once the sun hides behind the Rockies. In short, summers there are lousy compared to Sunny Winnipeg. There are very few lakes around Calgary and when the weekend comes around everyone crams into them. It's like the city traffic, only 3 hours away from home. A friend from Boston noted how warm and how long our summer evenings are.

My wife is a gardener and she can firsthand tell you how much more limited the growing season and options are there. Grass never gets green in Calgary any time of year, unless you water it like no tomorrow. My first year Calgary water bill can prove my lesson.

Yes, some taxes were less but the increased cost of living and paying provincial government health premiums wipe out any "Alberta Advantage" they can speak to Manitobans about. Disposable incomes are less in Calgary as many people are “house-poor". Not to mention commuting times are turning into Toronto-like marathons in the few years we were there. Visits confirm that traffic is much worse now!

But what really stood out was how Winnipeg is changing for the better. Seeing the MTSC go up after 20, no, probably closer to 40 years of arena debate, certainly excited me. Because it meant Winnipeg saw a need to move forward. Yes, I admit I thought at the time that a new rink couldn't be a bad thing for thoughts about the NHL's return. (This was in large part due to knowing that the old arena and Winnipeg Enterprises Corp. was much to blame for losing the Jets in the first place. But I digress.) Back in 2002 when MTSC plans were being made public, I thought it was great that finally a decent concert and entertainment stage would be available here. Just too bad the Jets never saw it when they were here.

In short, there is a new feeling of optimism in Manitoba. With one of the most stable and growing economies in all of North America, business is really starting to grow over the past 7 years that we can speak for. Check out the data and stats from Destination Winnipeg that we have included in our facts section of the website.

And for all of these reasons that Bartley missed mentioning in his article, I can agree with his main point. However, most Manitobans would agree, there's nothing like a first round playoff matchup against another Canadian team that brings out a pride in our province, Winnipeg, whiteout and all!

If I’m offside, let me know! But please visit Winnipeg during the summer before judging the city about our better-known winters. While Winterpeg may be true, Summerpeg is the under-reported secret that Manitobans enjoy.

Chris