The Weather Network is out with its spring forecast. They say it’ll be slightly colder in the west and close to normal in the rest of the country, but prepare for ups and downs. Here on the Prairies winter is not over yet, despite the recent taste of spring-like weather. The rest of March and April is expected to be on cooler side.
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Mark Carney will be sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister on Friday, along with his cabinet. Once that’s completed, Carney has the option of calling a snap spring election – or take the risk of testing the confidence of his new government in the House of Commons later this month. The Liberals and Conservatives are virtually tied in the polls right now.
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Canadian officials are set to meet with the U-S commerce secretary in Washington today; the goal is to get a coherent sense of the Trump administration’s plans for tariffs. Trump expanded his global trade war on Wednesday
by hitting every country, including Canada, with 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum.
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A major foreign-policy summit is underway in Quebec today. The Liberals are welcoming foreign ministers from the U-S, Europe and Japan. The U-S/Canada trade war, and the possibility of a Ukraine/Russia ceasefire are expected to be among the issues discussed.
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The trade war as many Canadians worried about losing their jobs. Here in Manitoba, 39% of us are concerned about job security, with men the most worried. Experts say widespread fear of unemployment is bad for the economy because it leads people to delay purchases.
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The trade war with the United States has renewed our sense of national pride. A new poll suggests the number of people saying they’re proud to be Canadian has jumped from 80% last November – to 86% this month. National pride has spiked on the Prairies, BC, Ontario and Quebec – and is highest among those aged 55 and older.
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Assiniboine College and the Construction Association of Rural Manitoba are hosting their 3rd Annual Trades Summit in Brandon today. Roughly 350 students from nearly 20 high schools will attend the employer tradeshow at the college’s North Hill campus, and take part in hands-on “try-a-trade” sessions.
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Manitobans with communicable diseases that pose a risk to others will soon no longer have to fear being jailed. A new government bill would identify specific sites for detention such as hospitals and other health-care facilities.
Last year, a God’s Lake woman spent a month in custody after not consistently taking meds for tuberculosis.
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Nine people have been arrested and more than $700,000 in drugs were seized after a police investigation into an interprovincial crime ring. The group, based out of Toronto, trafficked drugs across the country, including in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Thompson, Sandy Bay First Nation and other First Nation communities.
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After a string of hospitalizations in the U.K. and Ireland, there’s a warning that kids under 8 should not drink slushy ice drinks containing glycerol. It’s used as a sweetener – and as an anti-freezing agent. Health experts say high levels, especially in children, can lead to glycerol intoxication that can cause shock, low blood sugar and loss of consciousness.
