Census seeks workers, encourages student participation

Statistics Canada plans to hire 35,000 field staff to work from March to mid-August on the 2011 Census. In particular, Statistics Canada is seeking students who live in rural areas outside of Winnipeg during the summer, as there are fewer applicants for those positions. The government agency also wants students to know they will receive a census questionnaire to fill in if they live in a school residence, as all dwellings must be enumerated. Every person, no matter where they live, must be included in the census. Full information about the census including job opportunities can be found at www.census2011.gc.ca.

Community centres get improvements

Nineteen more community centres will get funding to improve their facilities thanks to a $10-million initiative. The money will fund changes ranging from improving splash pads, basketball courts, playgrounds and streetscaping, which mayor Sam Katz and local government minister Ron Lemieux said are needed to increase community confidence and opportunities for children and youth. As the Winnipeg Free Press reported, the 19 sites will receive between $100,000 and $500,000 as the second part of a plan announced last summer by the city and province. The projects are part of the Building Communities Initiative.

Bombers stock up two draft picks, trade Inglis

Blue Bomber long snapper Taylor Inglis was traded to the Edmonton Eskimos for two selections as part of the upcoming football draft, the Canadian Press reported. In the deal, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers got a fifth – and sixth-round selection – two draft picks that the Blue Bomber general manager called “key.” Inglis, who hails from Edmonton, played 88 regular-season games with the Edmonton Eskimos from 2005 to 2009, and the Eskimos general manager said they are “very pleased” to have him back.

Dairy Queen store sign highlights drunk driver’s damage

The Dairy Queen at St. Anne’s Road boasts a unique sign: “Closed temporarily due to drunk driver.” A man drove into the store Wednesday morning and has been charged with impaired driving. The store owner told the CBC that surveillance footage shows two people standing right where the car hit just prior to the crash, which could have killed them had it been moments sooner. The owner said people must realize the impact of impaired driving. He also said people have been taking pictures and parents have been bringing their kids to the scene to show them what happened. The sign will remain up until the store reopens, but repairs could take six weeks.

City budget ad campaign goes wrong

Winnipeg councillors Jenny Gerbasi, Russ Wyatt, John Orlikow, Mike Pagtakhan, Harvey Smith and Ross Eadie launched an ad campaign to encourage people to call mayor Sam Katz to protest the proposed $847-million city operating budget – but they got the phone number wrong. The No Way, Sam radio and Facebook campaign, which ran from Mar. 16 to 19, gave out a number one digit off from Katz’s. The proposed budget includes a continued property tax freeze, an increase in city recreation user fees, a hike in homeowner’s frontage levies, but an elimination of municipal business taxes for the city’s smallest businesses, according to the CBC. Katz’s communications director told the CBC that the calls they have received have been balanced, with some people disagreeing with the six councillors.

Published in Volume 65, Number 24 of The Uniter (March 24, 2011)