"Great Things Happen In Manitoba Schools"
Province Denies Budget Report Request
Manitoba's finance ministry has refused a request by The Canadian Press to release any documents forecasting deficits or surpluses beyond 2017 for the so-called summary budget.
The summary budget is an overall plan that includes Crown corporations and is used to determine whether the government is abiding by the province's balanced-budget law.
The department says the forecasts were prepared for the NDP cabinet.
It says that means they must be kept secret under the freedom-of-information law that shields virtually any cabinet document from public release.
---
FCC Makes Major Donation To STARS
The STARS air ambulance system has received a $500,000 boost from Farm Credit Canada.
The contribution will be spread evenly over STARS operations in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta over the next five years.
It will be used to help cover costs associated with medical and communication equipment, helicopter upgrades and training.
STARS president and CEO Andrea Robertson says the ambulance service is something many who work for FCC in rural Saskatchewan have at their disposal if it is needed.
---
Truth And Reconciliation Report Released Tomorrow
Just over 130 years after the first Indian residential schools were established by the Canadian government, the commission examining the dark legacy of the schools is set to release its summary report tomorrow.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has spent five years examining the now-dismantled system that was designed to ``take the Indian out of the child.''
Survivors say the crowded institutions were rife with physical and sexual abuse, unsanitary conditions and -- according to commission chief Justice Murray Sinclair -- were responsible for perhaps six-thousand deaths.
Himself a survivor, Manitoba's Aboriginal Affairs Minister Eric Robinson says the number of kids who died at residential schools is just one of the areas that needs more exploration.
---
Canada Failing At Protecting Ocean Ecosystems
A newly released report says Canada is doing a poor job of protecting its ocean ecosystems from industrial development.
The study by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society says only 0.11 per cent of Canada's ocean territory is fully closed to what it calls extractive activities such as fishing and oil and gas development.
It notes in the US and the UK, such ``fully closed'' areas represent closer to 10 per cent.
The report expresses particular concern over the Laurentian Channel off Newfoundland and Labrador.
Ottawa is considering protecting the area, but its proposal would still allow oil and gas drilling and seismic testing within the protected zone.
---
Female Mounties Trying To Certify Lawsuit
Several female Mounties from across Canada will be in BC Supreme Court today, hoping to certify a class action lawsuit against the police force.
About 360 current and former RCMP members are alleging gender discrimination, bullying and harassment within the force.
Joanne Mayer worked for the RCMP in the late 1980s before quitting because of alleged sexist treatment.
She says she felt compelled to come forward with her story after hearing about the experiences of RCMP veteran Janet Merlo, who launched the suit three years ago.
