Local News Briefs

Recession? Manitoba will soldier on

Premier Gary Doer told an assembly in Brandon recently that though the recession will obviously slow down running projects in the province, the government is working to ensure economic growth in Manitoba over the next fiscal year.

The Winnipeg Free Press reports the Government of Manitoba projects the province should see a modest growth over the coming year, making it one of the few provinces to not run a deficit. Only Saskatchewan is expected to fare better.

The government is expected to have next year’s budget ready on Mar. 25.

The death of Garbage Day

Winnipeg city councillors have proposed changing the name Garbage Day to the more environmentally-minded Recycling Day in an effort to encourage more Manitobans to recycle.

According to a recent Statistics Canada report, Manitobans have earned the not-so-respectable title of worst recyclers in the country, and the city is hoping the small name change could elicit big results.

Councillor Gord Steeves told CBC the power of suggestion might be enough to alter people’s mindsets.

And say “I love this town”...

Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) president David Chartrand has announced that he is putting together a team to clean up Winnipeg’s decaying neighbourhoods one street at a time, reports the Winnipeg Free Press.

The It’s My Community Too program which has been in the works for years, is now receiving support from city council.

A team of seven Metis or Inuit Manitobans are to receive training in maintenance and repair, and will be assigned to beautify the streets and back alleys of the city.

The MMF plans to start advertising for positions soon.

Here’s looking at you, kid

The federal government is planning to give tens of thousands of dollars for Winnipeg’s Rotary Career Symposium in order to encourage youth employment and educational opportunities in our province.

Shelley Glover, a Member of Parliament (St. Boniface), stated in a Government of Canada press release the feds are trying to ensure Manitoba’s workforce will be a force indeed in the future.

With this funding in place, the symposium should be able to offer hundreds of information and activity booths, as well as a long series of expert speakers from all walks of industry.

Pirates, ye be warned

The RCMP has made what it has called the country’s largest CD-ROM and DVD pirating bust in a decade.

Rajdeep Singh Ramgotra, 32, was arrested last March and charged with 52 offences under the federal Copyright Act after police seized over 200,000 CDs and DVDs from the Winnipeg-based website Audiomaxxx.com, reports the Globe and Mail.

The RCMP estimates the operation involved actors in the Caribbean, Central America and Europe.

Published in Volume 63, Number 23 of The Uniter (March 12, 2009)

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