Women’s World Cup in Winnipeg?

Could we host the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup? The Canadian Soccer Association included Winnipeg in its bid submission to FIFA, which will ultimately decide the official host city. The Manitoba Soccer Association said they would work hard with their partners to ensure Winnipeg is a serious contender. The Winnipeg Free Press reported Premier Greg Selinger was “delighted” and Mayor Sam Katz “excited” that Winnipeg could play host. Canada will also host the FIFA under-20 Women’s World Cup in 2014 as a test for the 2015 event. Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Moncton are the other potential host cities. Currently, the Canadian women’s team ranks ninth in the world.

City workers’ union requests mediation

The union that represents 49 per cent of the city’s workforce asked the province to step in to mediate the contract dispute between itself and the city. CUPE Local 500 said in a release they feel mediation is “the most effective way to reach an agreement ... while protecting the city services Winnipeggers rely on,” the Winnipeg Free Press reported. The union’s workers include city call-centre operators, water and waste workers, health inspectors, library clerks and other public works employees. The city spokesman said an essential services agreement is in the works in case CUPE 500 does strike.

Another Dewar case under review

The Manitoba Court of Appeal is reviewing a 2010 sexual assault case over which Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Robert Dewar presided. An accused sex predator was cleared of all charges after he allegedly sexually abused a girl a number of times while she was between 11 and 12 years old. Dewar said in his decision to acquit the man that he had doubt from inconsistencies in the girl’s story and a lack of evidence presented by the Crown, leading him to be “not prepared to convict on unreliable evidence,” the CBC reported. Dewar recently came under fire after giving a conditional sentence to a convicted rapist and making comments that “sex was in the air” resulting from the girl’s attire the night she was assaulted.

No more Westwood on morning show

Former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Troy Westwood no longer forms part of country station QX-104’s morning show, the Winnipeg Free Press reported. Parent company Astral Radio called Westwood a “consummate pro and a wonderful human,” noting Westwood was let go following restructuring. Though Westwood’s departure leaves morning show DJs Caroline Hunter and Mike Alan alone, his media presence will still be felt through his album Vigilance – nominated for the aboriginal album of the year Juno – and his appearance on the Canadian version of the game show Wipeout. Westwood continues to work full-time with a social services agency that reunites families in Winnipeg.

Provincial prosecutor hiring policy under review

The policy Manitoba Justice uses to hire independent lawyers to bring police officers and other workers with direct criminal justice system connections to trial will be re-examined, Justice Minister Andrew Swan told CBC News. Swan said they would rework the current policies if they find them not “strong enough.” The current policy states hiring can occur by selecting a Manitoba Crown attorney from a different office, hiring a private Manitoban lawyer, bringing in a Crown attorney from another province or hiring a private lawyer from outside Manitoba. Swan’s announcement occurred within days of the acquittal of a Winnipeg police constable for sexual assault charges and of two other Winnipeg officers for perjury charges. A Winnipeg lawyer was hired for both cases, and the province has previously hired Crown attorneys from both British Columbia and Edmonton.

Published in Volume 65, Number 22 of The Uniter (March 10, 2011)