Well the blizzard that blew through the province yesterday has made some people happy. People with the Festival du Voyageur say they were worried about not having enough snow for their famous sculptures. Now, there’s no problems. The storm yesterday dumped up to 30 cm of snow on some parts of the province….Winnipeg got a total of 20 cm.
Mounties have arrested 2 people wanted by U.S. authorities for their alleged role in an international crime syndicate. Police picked up the two, along with 7 relatives on a Manitoba highway as they tried to sneak into the country. All are residents of Guatemala with no legal status in North America.
Haiti’s president is asking for donations of hundreds of thousands of tents to help shelter earthquake survivors. An estimated one million people have been left homeless by the January 12th earthquake.
Actor John Travolta has arrived in Haiti, on his own jet. Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, carried about 4 thousand kilograms of ready to eat military rations and medical supplies for Haiti’s earthquake victims on their Boeing 7-0-7. The Travolta’s also brought with them doctors and Scientology ministers.
New report this morning says Vancouver was the world’s least affordable housing market last year. A group looked at nearly 300 metropolitan housing markets in this country, the U.S., Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Toronto by the way, was branded severely unaffordable, while Montreal and Calgary were classified as seriously unaffordable.
The Liberals and the NDP are joining forces to make sure the Prime Minister doesn’t shut down Parliament again. Yesterday, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff announced his party’s proposal for changing the parliamentary rules on proroguing. Harper recently shut down Parliament until March 3rd, a move the opposition says was made so he could avoid getting grilled in the House on various issues.
A new survey this morning suggests Canadians believe violent hits to the head are premeditated and avoidable in hockey. The poll found that sentiment is strongest in Quebec with 80 per cent of people their agreeing. Just a few days before the survey was conducted a Quebec junior hockey player elbowed an opposing player in the head, sending him into convulsions on the ice.
A new study this morning suggests its never to late to start pumping iron. University of B.C. researchers studied 155 elderly women, and they found that those assigned to a year of once or twice weekly weight training showed a sharp improvement in cognitive ability. The study also found lifting weights improved their strength and mobility.
Thanks to yesterday’s storm, there’s now some major plowing underway. The city will continue to clear snow on major streets as well as backlanes and sidewalks for the rest of the week. And, until further notice, there’s a major snowfall parking ban in place, city wide. That ban will stay in place until plowing is completed.
