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Scotsman
17-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Poll: Most Scots think the Scottish and UK governments should work better together on investment
The new poll comes ahead of a landmark financial summit in Edinburgh late this year. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Most Scots want to see the Scottish and UK governments working better together to bring more investment to Scotland, according to an exclusive new poll. A total of 69 per cent of Scots believe the two governments should be working more cooperatively to try and attract international investment into the Scottish economy. By comparison, just 8 per cent said the opposite. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Keir Starmer and John Swinney have demonstrated the same lack of backbone on the gender question (Picture: Andy Buchanan/WPA pool) |A further 77 per cent said attracting international investment to Scotland should be a top or important priority for both Holyrood and Westminster, while only 3 per cent said it should not be a priority at all. This Survation poll for Scottish Financial Enterprise comes ahead of a landmark summit of global investors which is coming to Edinburgh later this year. The summit will be jointly hosted by Scottish Financial Enterprise and the City of London Corporation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sandy Begbie, chief executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise, said: 'This poll confirms most Scots share our long-held view that attracting international investment into key sectors of the economy in Scotland should be a priority for both the Scottish and UK governments, and that they should be working more cooperatively to make it happen. Sandy Begbie is the chief executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE). Picture by Graham Flack | Contributed/Graham Flack 'With this in mind, I'm delighted that both governments are giving their support to the investment summit in October, which will be the first of its kind in Scotland. 'It will showcase the best Scotland has to offer while bringing together investors from around the world, industry leaders and policymakers, building the connections needed to ultimately unlock substantial new investment in the Scottish economy. 'Scotland has a captivating story to tell, from the worldwide interest in the nation's history to the innovation driving its future. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This summit will be the ideal place to write the next chapters.' He added: 'Recently we have seen a number of areas where both of Scotland's governments have improved cooperation but these poll findings show the vast majority of Scots want to see continued improvement.' A spokeswoman for the UK Government said: 'We have reset the relationship with the Scottish Government and are working collaboratively with them as part of our plan for change - to grow our economy and put more money in people's pockets. 'That includes our Brand Scotland programme, which is encouraging inward investment in Scotland and supporting Scottish businesses exporting overseas, and striking trade deals around the world, such as our recent deals with India and the USA.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes added: 'Scotland is a highly attractive destination for investors. 'The country has been the top performing UK location outside London for inward investment projects for nine consecutive years. 'We work closely with the UK Government to promote investment into Scotland.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Future of Pueblo City Park Bathhouse is uncertain
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — At a recent Pueblo City Council meeting, a Friends of City Park representative used public comment to express frustration with the City's decision not to award a management agreement for the City Park Bathhouse facility. 'Forget about the time we spent, countless hours of the city staff wasted preparing this, answering questions related to it, conducting multiple site visits, and ultimately evaluating,' George Koncilja, President of Friends of City Park, explained. 'All a complete waste if we were set up to be rejected all along.' The bathhouse, constructed during the Works Progress Administration (WPA) era around the time of the Great Depression, has suffered from significant structural issues related to groundwater infiltration and unstable soil conditions. These issues, combined with the need for modern amenities and ADA accessibility, led to the City's decision to seek updates to the bathhouse to serve future generations. After many failed funding attempts, the city created a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to find a partner who could take full responsibility for restoring and operating the bathhouse without additional burden to taxpayers. 'Ultimately, we were the only ones to respond,' Koncilja said. 'We exceeded what was asked of us. We were rejected, however, because of four specific points.' The proposal wanted historical designation for the facility, which the City Council had previously rejected. It also failed to meet restroom requirements, something Mayor Heather Graham explained on her podcast, 'The Mayor's Mixtape.' 'The city asked for a certain amount of restrooms to be provided based off capacity in the area with the tennis courts, with the state tournaments that come down,' Mayor Graham said. 'That was not met.' The President of Friends of City Park said he attended the most recent tennis tournament at the facility, where he claims there was never a line of people waiting for the restrooms. 'There's absolutely no need to have 15 toilet fixtures in that facility,' Koncilja explained. 'Our proposal would more than double what they currently have for fixture count to five men's and five women's. Far more than enough for the average day.' Pueblo Mayor responds to failed bath house funding City staff said that while grassroots efforts of the community are welcome and encouraged to preserve the bathhouse facility, adherence to the requirements of the RFP is essential for the responsible operation and ongoing maintenance of the building. After the latest funding attempt, where the Steel City goes from here is uncertain. 'It's really going to be up to the City Council if they want to dedicate general fund dollars,' Mayor Graham explained. While one Pueblo City Council Member said he is ready to move on entirely. 'I think there are many more productive things we could be focusing on, much more important issues in the City that we could be focusing on.' Brett Boston, Pueblo City Council, Representative at Large, said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Scotsman
16-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Labour right to talk Britain up after some good news on the economy
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Good news about the economy has been in short supply in recent times, so it is perhaps worth taking a moment to feel good about the 0.7 per cent growth in the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) over the first three months of this year. It is hardly a whopping rise, more a return to the sort of growth that we used to regard as normal, but even that would be something. The figures, which are expected to mean Britain has the highest growth in the G7 group of advanced economies, showed 'the strength and potential of the UK economy" which is 'beginning to turn a corner', proclaimed Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However it's fair to say that under-pressure Chancellors have form in spotting the 'green shoots' of growth a touch early, so we should not get too carried away. And the corner the UK is about to turn may not necessarily lead us in the right direction. The UK's GDP figures for April to June should shed more light on whether Labour's policies are the right ones for the economy (Picture: Peter Cziborra/WPA pool) | Getty Images Taxes, tariffs and bills Labour's decision to increase employers' National Insurance contributions did not come into effect until April, so the GDP figure does not reflect this policy's impact on the economy as a whole. Donald Trump's unwarranted 10 per cent tariff on most UK goods is another recent imposition – and one that will have a strongly negative effect. Furthermore, perhaps since the 2008 financial crash, there has been a marked disconnect between GDP growth and how people feel. Even in the relatively good times, many found themselves becoming poorer, struggling to afford the nicer things to which they had become accustomed or simply to pay the bills. How people feel about their standard of living has always been a major factor in how they vote, and rightly so. While decent GDP growth is an encouraging sign – providing Labour with a welcome opportunity to talk Britain up, not down – the success or failure of Starmer's government will depend more on whether they can persuade people that the cost-of-living crisis is well and truly over.
Scotsman
16-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Labour right to talk Britain up after some good news on the economy
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Good news about the economy has been in short supply in recent times, so it is perhaps worth taking a moment to feel good about the 0.7 per cent growth in the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) over the first three months of this year. It is hardly a whopping rise, more a return to the sort of growth that we used to regard as normal, but even that would be something. The figures, which are expected to mean Britain has the highest growth in the G7 group of advanced economies, showed 'the strength and potential of the UK economy" which is 'beginning to turn a corner', proclaimed Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However it's fair to say that under-pressure Chancellors have form in spotting the 'green shoots' of growth a touch early, so we should not get too carried away. And the corner the UK is about to turn may not necessarily lead us in the right direction. The UK's GDP figures for April to June should shed more light on whether Labour's policies are the right ones for the economy (Picture: Peter Cziborra/WPA pool) | Getty Images Taxes, tariffs and bills Labour's decision to increase employers' National Insurance contributions did not come into effect until April, so the GDP figure does not reflect this policy's impact on the economy as a whole. Donald Trump's unwarranted 10 per cent tariff on most UK goods is another recent imposition – and one that will have a strongly negative effect. Furthermore, perhaps since the 2008 financial crash, there has been a marked disconnect between GDP growth and how people feel. Even in the relatively good times, many found themselves becoming poorer, struggling to afford the nicer things to which they had become accustomed or simply to pay the bills. How people feel about their standard of living has always been a major factor in how they vote, and rightly so. While decent GDP growth is an encouraging sign – providing Labour with a welcome opportunity to talk Britain up, not down – the success or failure of Starmer's government will depend more on whether they can persuade people that the cost-of-living crisis is well and truly over.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Violence against Winnipeg police officers rises for third consecutive year
The number of reported assaults against police and other peace officers in Winnipeg has climbed three years in a row to a recent high, mirroring spikes throughout Manitoba and Canada. The union representing Winnipeg police officers and civilian staff said the trend reflects what it is hearing from members on the front lines. 'Sadly, we are consistently hearing of the increased violence that they are facing daily,' Winnipeg Police Association president Cory Wiles wrote in an email. 'Between the aggression towards our officers and the increased presence of edged weapons and firearms, risks to our members have dramatically increased.' He said the safety of WPA members and issues, such as preserving the two-officer patrol car model, are of 'paramount concern.' Police board chair Coun. Markus Chambers echoed concerns about violence against officers. 'For the board, it's about making sure that the service, the officers have the tools that they need to deal these issues once they arise,' he said. 'Just making sure, from a de-escalation standpoint, that they have the training necessary to de-escalate situation to the extent possible.' As per the Criminal Code's definition, peace officers include correctional officers, sheriff's officers, Canada Border Services Agency officers and certain members of the Canadian Armed Forces. A new Winnipeg Police Service statistical report said 421 assaults against peace officers were recorded in 2024, up from 388 in 2023. The 2024 total was higher than immediate pre-pandemic totals previously reported by WPS. Declines were observed in the first two years of the pandemic. A WPS spokesperson on Monday deferred to comments last week from Deputy Chief Art Stannard, who was alarmed by an increase in assaults on city police officers. 'We have to protect our members out there,' he said at a news conference Wednesday. 'We will, through tools and through equipment, but we need the justice system, as well, to have consequences for people that assault peace officers.' Manitoba's police agencies reported 937 assaults against peace officers in 2023, according to Statistics Canada data. It was the fourth consecutive year with an increase. About 88 per cent of the assaults in 2023 were 'cleared' by a criminal charge. Nationally, the number of reported assaults against peace officers has increased every year for almost a decade. Manitoba's rate of 64 incidents per 100,000 people was higher than a national rate of 34. In November, a Winnipeg police officer was stabbed in the throat by a man who was then fatally shot by police. Earlier this month, a Brandon Correctional Centre officer was stabbed twice in the back by an inmate. 'Sadly, we are consistently hearing of the increased violence that they are facing daily.'–Cory Wiles Frank Cormier, a criminologist and University of Manitoba professor, said there is no precise explanation for the increases. He said the use of alcohol or drugs, such as methamphetamine, could be one of the contributing factors. 'If we have more people intoxicated by various things, we will see more assaults on police simply because police are the people who get called when somebody is highly intoxicated and acting in some sort of way,' Cormier said. The uptick in assaults has coincided with an increase in addictions or mental-health issues, Chambers noted. Chief Gene Bowers has said WPS will work with partners to implement 'community-based solutions' in which the response to some mental-health calls is led by clinicians. An existing program sends a plainclothes officer and mental-health clinician to assist general patrol officers on certain calls. The province is hiring more clinicians. 'Hopefully, with the pairing with a clinician, whether it's a social worker, mental-health worker or crisis worker, we can de-escalate these situations where violence against in officer is not experienced,' said Chambers. He said he believes bail-reform measures, which would make it harder for repeat violent offenders to gain release when charged with a new crime, could also help. The overall call volume to WPS has climbed to more than 2,000 per day in recent years. Well-being checks, domestic incidents and family trouble are among the most common types of calls. Chambers said police often encounter people who are in 'vulnerable' moments or are experiencing a range of emotions or circumstances. Cormier said changes in people's social behaviour since the pandemic could be a factor. 'It feels as if some of the natural social controls that normally tend to curb these kinds of things have been sort of loosened in more recent years,' he said. 'We will see more assaults on police simply because police are the people who get called when somebody is highly intoxicated.'–Frank Cormier The pandemic and high-profile incidents, such as the May 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, stirred negative sentiment toward authorities and law enforcement in North America. 'I don't think there's any question at all that the degree of respect that is felt toward police — and not just police, but a number of public institutions or public officials — has diminished,' Cormier said. Police officers are commonly assaulted during an arrest. Cormier said de-escalation techniques can influence data. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. If police do not have to take physical control of a person during an arrest, the odds of an assault on an officer will drop, he said. A conviction for assaulting a peace officer carries a maximum sentence in the Criminal Code of five years. Additional charges with tougher penalties can be laid depending on the circumstances. Crowns who handle these cases regularly remind the court that sentences should recognize the important role that police play in the justice system, said Christian Vanderhooft, a prosecutor and president of the Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys. 'The (association) certainly appreciates the increased violence police officers face, and our members follow internal policy on these cases, recognizing the special role officers play in public safety,' he said in a statement. 'Police officers do a difficult job. The last thing they should worry about is being assaulted.' The Winnipeg Police Board is seeking input from residents while it develops a five-year strategic plan for the city's police service. The board wants people to weigh in on areas where policing is effective or where it could be done differently, and what they recommend to bring 'transformational change' to policing and public safety in Manitoba's capital, a news release said. Community input will help guide the priorities and objectives for the Winnipeg Police Service in the 2026-30 strategy plan, the board said. Discussions will be held with some organizations, community groups and leaders in the city. Open public forums will also be held, with details still to come. People who live, work or visit Winnipeg can provide input through an online survey and submission form. The plan will be published later this year. Chris KitchingReporter Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris. Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
