Winnipeg Internet Pundits take civic-mindedness online

A developer announces plans for a vibrant mixed-use structure, and then puts up a bland office building. A transit strategy is announced, and then nothing happens. A roadway gets rebuilt, and then torn apart a year later.

How do these decisions get made anyway?

Since last January, a quartet of young Winnipeggers have been pursuing those answers by combining new and old media for a weekly roundup of urban affairs called Winnipeg Internet Pundits (WIP).

The radio show/podcast/blog is the brainchild of host Tessa Vanderhart, who noticed a gap in coverage of civic issues on local airwaves.

“One of the things that blogs in the city are good at is taking a step back and looking at the big picture and seeing things that were missed in the daily reporting cycle,” she says. “I thought it would be neat to bring that conversation to the air.”

She’s joined each week by a regular panel of local bloggers — James Howard of Slurpees and Murder, Christian Cassidy of West End Dumplings and Walter Krawec of the One Man Committee — along with special guests from the local blogging community.

“Traditional radio coverage of civic and provincial matters is almost entirely limited to traffic, weather, and stabbings,” says Howard. “Even when they do mention something major — a policy decision, an annual budget, a strategic initiative — there’s little discussion or insight into what it means. It’s five seconds of ‘city hall passed the annual capital budget today,’ a 10-second clip of the mayor, and then two hours of Randy Bachman’s favourite classic-rock hits.”

In contrast, recent WIP episodes have featured in-depth discussions on transit fares, the city’s violent-crime problem, downtown parking and how post-secondary education could spark economic development.

“One of the big issues that gets us the most worked up is city planning,” Vanderhart says. “Plans for a new development are announced, it sounds like things are going to be great, but we know those plans rarely match up with reality.”

With a passion for their community, an interest in improving neighbourhoods and a healthy dose of skepticism, these young WIPs should be required listening for the decision makers in this city.

Winnipeg Internet Pundits airs Wednesdays at 5 p.m. on 101.5 UMFM. For more information about the show, links to local blogs or to listen to podcasts of previous episodes, visit winnipeginternetpundits.tumblr.com.