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perspective". Kives noted that
Riverside Park was then leasing four parcels of land from the City of Winnipeg (covering the stadium and surrounding parking lots), which it then sublet to the Goldeyes. Riverside Park also made regular payments to the Goldeyes, which Kives indicated were "presumably to pay back part of the construction debt". Riverside Park reduced its debt to the Goldeyes by $ 1.3 million between 2000 and 2005, while the Goldeyes increased their annual rent payments to Riverside Park from $ 75,000 to over $ 1 million in the same period. Kives further noted that the
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Riverside Park became involved in a local controversy after appealing a steep 2006 property tax reassessment for a parking lot next to the arena. Two years after the appeal was launched, Winnipeg's property department asked city council to renegotiate the lease on terms favourable to the company.
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baseball team. Katz himself served as the company's first president, and took part in negotiations with different levels of government concerning the stadium's construction. Riverside Park later leased the stadium grounds and surrounding lots from the city for $ 1 per year plus payments equal to
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Shortly after city council voted to eliminate
Riverside Park's back taxes, the City of Winnipeg took over the parking lot that was the source of the controversy. Katz has repeatedly argued that there was nothing improper about his activities, and has accused the media of sensationalizing the
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raised further concerns about
Riverside's financial arrangements with the Goldeyes. In an article entitled "Fair ball?", Bartley Kives wrote that "egal, accounting, ethics and non-profit governance experts" suggested that the relationship between the two entities was "unusual from a business
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The city's executive policy committee (i.e. the municipal cabinet) heard evidence that the reassessment occurred because of confusion between two city departments, after
Riverside Park was informed that there would be no significant increase.
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in 2004, and remained president of
Riverside Park until April 2008. He has said that he ended his involvement with the day-to-day management of the company after his election. His successor as president is Jason McRae-King.
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After a rancorous and divisive debate, city council voted 8-6 to revise the lease and retroactively eliminate $ 233,000 from
Riverside Park's back taxes in late 2008. Katz recused himself from both the vote and debate.
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property taxes, and sublet the land to the
Goldeyes. CanWest Park, now known as Shaw Park opened in 1999. In July 2004, the Goldeyes and Riverside Park had the same directors.
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was unable to draw any conclusions regarding the accelerated rent payments, as
Riverside Park refused to turn over its books for investigation. A corporate lawyer hired by the
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over this situation, as he was both Mayor of
Winnipeg and president of Riverside Park from August 2005 to April 2008, while the two sides were engaged in a financial dispute.
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journalist
Bartley Kives argued that the conflict was clear, although he added that there was nothing to suggest the mayor misused his position for personal benefit.
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said the city should have leased the land directly to the for-profit company without going through Riverside Park.
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Bartley Kives, "Rancorous 8-6 vote ends Riverside spat - Katz's former outfit the beneficiary",
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said that he had never seen such an arrangement, while the Manitoba director of the
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Bartley Kives, "'Bumbling,' 'incompetence' revealed at EPC meeting",
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Bartley Kives, "Conflict of interest clear to all except the mayor",
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Bartley Kives, "Conflict of interest clear to all except the mayor",
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Bartley Kives and Geoff Kirbyson, "How Riverside Park plays ball",
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Other concerns were later raised about Riverside Park. Councillor
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Some journalists and councilors argued that Katz was involved in a
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that manages real estate properties including and surrounding
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Bartley Kives, "'There can't be an issue,' says Katz",
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Bartley Kives, "'There can't be an issue,' says Katz",
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The organization was founded by Winnipeg businessman
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in 1997 to create a leasehold stake in the proposed
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140:stadium that eventually housed his
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236:Winnipeg Enterprises Corporation
157:Conflict-of-interest controversy
460:Organizations based in Winnipeg
17:Riverside Park Management Inc.
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413:Bartley Kives, "Fair Ball?",
210:Canadian Taxpayers Federation
75:Jason McRae-King, President
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98:Riverside Park Management
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167:conflict-of-interest
148:Katz was elected as
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402:Winnipeg Free Press
389:Winnipeg Free Press
376:Winnipeg Free Press
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337:Winnipeg Free Press
324:Winnipeg Free Press
311:Winnipeg Free Press
298:Winnipeg Free Press
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285:Winnipeg Free Press
272:Manitoba Government
259:Winnipeg Free Press
196:Winnipeg Free Press
172:Winnipeg Free Press
34:property management
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51:1 Portage Ave East
465:Winnipeg Goldeyes
150:Mayor of Winnipeg
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122:Winnipeg Goldeyes
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48:Headquarters
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454:Categories
242:References
206:Free Press
202:Free Press
184:Russ Wyatt
180:Dan Vandal
80:(Chairman)
71:Key people
25:Non-profit
231:Shaw Park
118:Shaw Park
89:Shaw Park
226:Sam Katz
220:See also
134:Sam Katz
110:Manitoba
106:Winnipeg
85:Products
78:Sam Katz
58:Manitoba
54:Winnipeg
30:Industry
128:History
65:R3B 3N3
40:Founded
114:Canada
62:Canada
100:is a
43:1997
104:in
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