Your hydro bill could've been lower, seriously.
Morning from the Automobile City — here's what's growing in Steinbach.
You know, sometimes you read a story and just have to shake your head. We all pay our Manitoba Hydro bills, right? And we all know they've been running a deficit. So when I read that Manitoba Hydro has been sitting on software it developed – software that other companies have offered "hundreds of millions of dollars" for – my first thought was, "Why didn't we know about this sooner?" That's a staggering amount of money, comparable to their recent deficit. Imagine what that could mean for rates, or for infrastructure projects that actually benefit our growing communities out here in the southeast.
### The Opportunity Cost
This isn't just about a missed revenue stream; it's about the potential impact on every household and business from Main Street to the new developments out past the Loewen Windows plant. We're talking about a Crown corporation, a public utility, that essentially developed a valuable tech asset and didn't fully capitalize on it.
* **Financial Impact:** Offers in the "hundreds of millions" could have significantly offset their deficit, potentially easing pressure on rate increases. * **Innovation Showcase:** Manitoba Hydro actually innovated something globally sought-after. That's a point of pride, even if the follow-through was lacking. * **Future Thinking:** What other hidden assets or innovations might be sitting dormant?
It makes you wonder what else is out there, doesn't it? If a utility company in Manitoba can create software worth that much, it really underlines the untapped potential right here in our province. For a city like Steinbach, which prides itself on smart growth and efficient business, seeing opportunities like this left on the table by a provincial entity is... well, it's frustrating. We're always looking for ways to innovate and drive our economy forward, and this just feels like a missed shot at a provincial level.
Lena Brandt, MiTL Sports Desk, Steinbach.
The crew on the Morning Wire dug into this one and had some sharp takes – catch their full breakdown live at mornings.live.