ESTONIAN CENTRE PROJECT UPDATE ESTONIAN LIFE
Kommentaarid on kirjutatud EWR lugejate poolt. Nende sisu ei pruugi ühtida EWR toimetuse seisukohtadega.
VanemadUuemad
Väino V. Keelmann15 Jul 2018 11:36
Is Mr. Prozes aware of the argument that the sale of Estonian House, to finance the Madison project, jeopardizes the continuity of participation by ordinary estonian speakers with their families in estonian society activities in Toronto?
The other side of the story...15 Jul 2018 19:38
Now, it's time to hear from those who oppose this development: Ingrid Tanner, Allan Meiusi, among others.
They're pouring plenty of energy into their opposition, but are they putting their money where their mouth is? If so, how much?
n/a15 Jul 2018 20:50
Can you say
"what pot can they collectively piss in?"
eestlane16 Jul 2018 22:58
To the other side of the story:

Ingrid Tanner, Allan Meiusi and many others are against selling Eesti Maja to fund the Madison project. The rift in Estonian diaspora has been caused by the Madison groups intent to fund their project with the sale of EM. We are against the sale of Estonian House to fund this project and not the project itself.
Ingrid Tanner17 Jul 2018 04:36
Well said

Build on the Madison site...

Allow the Current Estonian House to thrive... on it's own.

We can make it work... just give us a chance!
Who do they think they are?17 Jul 2018 16:15
Tanner, Meiusi and others don't believe that Eesti Maja's shareholders should be allowed to do what they want with their own money.
Prozes acquires Esto Centre17 Jul 2018 05:50
There's another dimension to a “business opportunity”: “'Superstar' tech companies to blame?”

"OECD Report Warns Of 'Unprecedented Wage Stagnation' In Developed Countries"

“It ...points to what it calls "superstar" tech companies, which develop with far fewer employees than traditional businesses. One famous example is the messaging app, WhatsApp, which had just 55 employees when it was bought by Facebook in 2014 for US$19 billion.
That trend is reducing the amount of money in the economy that flows into wages, while increasing the amount going to shareholders and business owners, the OECD noted.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/...

"This trend of wageless growth in the face of a rise in employment highlights the structural changes in our economies that the global crisis has deepened, and it underlines the urgent need for countries to help workers” ... OECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría said in a statement accompanying the wage report.”

What do we understand about the situation in Estonia? Who’s helping?

“[Prozes] has a range of contacts in Estonia and is travelling there this July where he will meet with Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and his economic advisors on a number of business opportunities.”
questions30 Jul 2018 11:43
What is private-equity, in which Prozes arguably has deep and strong roots:

"He is very active in the private equity investment community and works with many of the principal PE firms."?

This in the latest New Yorker: "The entire business model of private-equity firms is based on upward redistribution, by borrowing large sums of money to take over companies, then squeezing costs—particularly labor costs—so that the companies can be resold at a profit, generating huge gains for the partners of the firm."

https://www.newyorker.com/news...

A related question and example:
https://insights.som.yale.edu/...

"Today, there are so many private equity firms that if you are not the group that the stakeholders in the business think will give them the best future, you’re unlikely to be selected as the buyer because other firms will get to your price. In order to be able to make the best investments, managers, regulators, organized labor, all of the stakeholders in the situation have to view you as the preferred acquirer.

Blue Wolf’s approach is to go deep enough into each industry that we invest in that we have a perspective, a reputation, and a track record. That way, we’re offering something more than simple purchase price."
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: Prozes acquires Esto Centre (05:50)
rkomendant@studiok.ca17 Jul 2018 21:59
for “The other side of the story” and “ ... n/a”
YOU TWO could have used some more “vitts” as children.
Shame on you for your mouthyness.
Where is your collective memory?
Don’t you remember what happened to OUR TRIBE?
Were we not ALL exposed to the SAME SUFFERING AND T-R-A-D-E-G-Y as a people?????
This Madison “quest” does not deserve the monies extracted from a pure and symbolic idea know as the “Eesti Maja” = House of Estonians living in freedom and CARRYING THE TORCH for Estonia.
We are here, 2018, Estonia is FREE, who are we now? THAT is the question. ( = a bunch of money-grubbing opportunists??)

It is NOT about a decaying 40 year-old tower, a shrimpy museum, some courtyard as an ‘magnanimous gesture’ to A CITY who was lucky to have us hard working Northern Europeans arrive on their shores from Displaced Persons Camps and helped create this City to what it is now. (look up the statistics of immigrants with professional credentials!!! spell E-s-t-o-n-i-a-n-s, women especially)
And Veiko, thank you for your spirit and enthusiasm, but real-estate in the BIG LEAGUE$ is another ballgame.
fun with language30 Jul 2018 14:14
Careful! I think you mean "vits", as in switch. The one with two letter t's is an unflattering colloquial term for a female body part used as a swear word.

Thanks for the unintentional chuckle. We are all human, after all.
eestlane17 Jul 2018 22:45
to who do they think they are:

Tanner, Meiusi and many others, including me are all shareholders behind the current Eesti Maja. The large blocks, like the Estonian Credit Union (over 700 shares) and Estonian Foundation (over 200 shares), etc. are trying to sell EM to fund the Madison project. The voting difference was 10 meagre votes thanks to the blocks and the board did not allow a recount. We are not against the Madison project but do not want the sale of Eesti Maja to fund this project. We are Estonians and shareholders of Eesti Maja and believe it is a disservice to the Estonian diaspora to sell Eesti Maja to fund their project.
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: eestlane (22:58)
n/a18 Jul 2018 12:09
to eestlane:

I'm pretty sure the vote to sell had to be at LEAST 2/3 of the shares voting

so in this vote it was 2/3 of the shares +100 shares.

Or am I missing something?
Samalt IP numbrilt on siin varem kommenteerinud: n/a (20:50)
Two questions31 Jul 2018 10:27
As I understand things, the Estonian House shareholders will be eliminated with a stroke of a pen, and a chosen few will be picked to make decisions about the day to day and future of the Madison Estonian centre.

This raised a few questions for me.

1) From my observations, this type of elimination of the people's input in decision making takes place when a community is in decline and too small to be effective any more. Rule-by-a-few creeps in with little opposition. Which begs the question, who are we building an expensive world-class building for, especially when a significant segment of the community is not happy with its location and limitations?

2) If the same group of individuals running the present centre will be running the new centre, then my confidence is shaken by the fact that the present house is not being rented to maximum capacity, and hasn't for years. Would not those rental dollars help support the building of the new centre? This issue has come up time and again, and still no action has been taken in this regard. What does this say about the abilities of our community leaders to run a community building effectively and efficiently, be it old or new?
Kommentaarid sellele artiklile on suletud.