Goldeyes owner not only one taking financial hits

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This article was published 07/04/2020 (1626 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He’s a longtime local businessman, a three-term former mayor of the city and the owner of a championship baseball team.

Yes, Sam Katz has worn many hats in his lifetime. Which is why his take on the COVID-19 pandemic — from government response to the short and long-term impact on citizens, communities and even sports clubs — carries plenty of weight.

“It’s going to be a very different world than we know it,” the architect of the Winnipeg Goldeyes predicts.

“I think when this is all over you’re going to see things in a completely different light, and people in a completely different light as well. One, if and when it peaks and things are at a safe level, don’t think for a moment the public isn’t still going to be leery of certain things. And two, people on different (financial aid) programs, they’re not going to have the income to do things as well.”

Many are already taking big hits, and Katz said that pain isn’t going to simply disappear once we eventually flatten the curve.

“I am very concerned about a lot of businesses and how long this goes and whether they’re still going to be there. There’s no question the impact is enormous. I know governments are coming up with plans, but whether or not that’s going to be enough to keep them going, is a whole different story. They can only do so much,” he said.

On that front, Katz has been impressed by what he’s seen from municipal, provincial and federal leaders who have been forced to make policy on the fly in an attempt to throw a rapid lifeline to struggling citizens.

“In Manitoba, the provincial government has been doing an excellent job of going out there and trying to get all the supplies that are required, and putting together programs that will help individuals and small businesses. The city, I think, made a wise decision when it came to deferring business tax and property tax,” said Katz, who served as mayor from 2004 until 2014.

“It’s also their biggest source of revenue, so I’m sure they’re hoping people will continue to pay because that will definitely have an impact on their cash flow. There are slush funds put away, but not to that extent to be very frank with you. They just don’t exist. That’s going to have a major hit, which is why we should all pray for a very healthy solution to take place in the very near future.”

Katz said all the crisis planning in the world doesn’t prepare you for something like this.

“Money is a replaceable asset, people aren’t,” he said. “I have no doubt in my mind they are putting people first, and rightfully so. I don’t think any government could do anything but that, at any level. You have to put people first. You can’t dwell on the financial sense of it.”

For now, Katz and his wife, Leah Pasuta, are parenting their three young children, aged 2, 4 and 7, while at their winter home in Arizona. They are exploring options to rent a vehicle and drive back to Winnipeg.“The world and the environment we’re in, it takes some getting used to. It’s just so different,” he said.

“I think this is a time where we as a society all realize how good we have it. I guess if they say every cloud, and this is a big cloud, has a silver lining, it’s that we’re getting some quality family time we never had before, and we’re being creative. But we’re all praying for the day for normal to come back so we can do all the things we love and cherish and I think have a new-found appreciation for.” 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg