A Winnipeg nurse whose nose was broken by a patient, wants to see beefed up security in emergency rooms. Kandis Feener was punched December 1st, when an older patient got agitated at the triage desk. Feener says the violence is escalating to the point where it’s no longer safe to work.
Drivers will soon have to slow down when passing tow truck drivers at work, or get ready to pull out the wallet. The new requirement is part of amendments to traffic laws. As well, motorists on highways with more than one lane, will be required to move a lane further away from vehicles working on the roadside. The fine by the way for violating the laws will be 278 dollars.
Not want they wanted to hear before Xmas. A computer glitch is delaying government cheques for people on welfare and foster parents in the province. The province has made some contingency plans however. They’ll now be processing cheques at individual offices and have them either mailed out or made available for pickup by clients.
U.S. President Barrack Obama is in Norway this morning, where he’s meeting with members of committee who chose him as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner. He will also meet with the Norwegian Prime Minister, and then head to a formal ceremony where he’ll accept his prize. Obama was selected for his work on reshaping the way the U.S. deals with the world.
Some big changes coming out west and out east. The House of Commons has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a harmonized sales tax for Ontario and B.C. That means, starting July 1st of next year, the 2 provinces will combine their retail sales tax with the G.S.T. to form the new H.S.T.—or harmonized sales tax.
There’s been some good movies to see this year….and the numbers now prove it. Hollywood is setting a new box office record. For the first time ever, ticket sales in North America are topping 10 billion U.S. The previous record was 9.7 billion set in 2007. With 3 weeks left in the year and huge movies like “Avatar,” and “Sherlock Holmes” still to come, analysts say ticket sales could easily come close to 11 billion for 2009.
Fidel Castro is calling President Obama’s accepting of the Nobel Peace Prize….a “cynical act,” given that he’s sending thousands more troops to war. The 83 year old former Cuban leader initially applauded Obama’s selection as a winner…but has recently backed off that.
This story…..just a little scary. Police near Cleveland say a man dressed as Santa Claus tried to kidnap a 12 year old girl while she was walking to school. The girl fortunately was able to escape, and police did arrest the fake Santa a short time later.
Sounds like the country’s bankers are set to get bigger bonuses this year as their counterparts in other countries take heat for what critics say is lavish pay for poor performance. But a spokesperson for the Canadian banking association says the higher bonuses underscore the fact that our banks are some of the healthiest in the world. Of the big six banks in Canada, not a single one of them lost money this year.
