Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget dropped yesterday. Highlights include: $141-billion in new spending to boost Canada’s economy, $81.8-million over 5 years for the military, 28,000 federal civil service job cuts – and a $78.3-billion deficit. For Manitoba, there was a promise to expand the Port of Churchill. Other items included plans to review ATM fees, funding the summer jobs program, and possibly funding a bid to join international song contest Eurovision.
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Canadian travel agents are celebrating Beijing’s decision to resume group tourism to Canada after a five-year halt. One B.C. tour operator says Chinese tourists would typically travel the country for six weeks spending more than $1,300 a day. The decision to restart group tours came after the Prime Minister met with China’s president in South Korea last week.
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The Manitoba government has agreed to support a Liberal bill on universal screening for learning disabilities in early grades. The province will now work with school divisions and other groups to determine what specific
screening tools will be used. Data from last year showed 45% of Grade 3 students were meeting literacy expectations.
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Four members of the Anishinabe of Riding Mountain Search and Rescue Team were honoured by the Brandon Police Service at City Hall on Tuesday. Marshall Laurence, Owen Burns, Aaron Campbell and Brennan Shorting received citizen recognition awards for their efforts in finding the body of 18-year-old Owen Bedford who went missing in June.
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The City of Brandon has had no success in filling a vacant snowplow operator position to maintain its three-person fleet, so they’re going with a third-party contractor. They’ll make $75,000 – $1,500 above what a city worker is typically paid. The decision will be reviewed at the end of the season.
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More than 375,000 Jeep plug-in hybrids are being recalled over a battery fire risk – including nearly 21,000 in Canada. The Canadian recall impacts Grand Cherokee models from 2022 to ’25 – and Wrangler hybrids from 2021 to ’25. The high-voltage battery could cause a fire, even while parked with the ignition off.
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Canadian auto sales in October were ‘healthy’ despite being down 1.8% compared to last year. DesRosiers Automotive Consultants says about 159,000 vehicles were sold last month. The group says it’s not going to get easier for the sector as the trade situation shows no signs of being resolved.
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The City of Richmond, B.C. will not be hosting a holiday staff party this year because last year’s bash cost taxpayers over $120-thousand dollars. Some of the costs: $80,000 for catering – $7,000 for liquor – and $10,000 for
minigolf and other games, including a photo booth and a professional photographer. Not only that, they also spent almost $2,000 on McDonald’s burgers as a late-night snack at the end of the party. In cancelling this year, the administration said the ‘Jingle’ event has grown in complexity – and has become ‘less feasible.’
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Now that the World Series is over, let the collecting begin. Major League Baseball is auctioning off several collectibles, from balls to base plates, locker tags and jerseys from the Blue Jays – Dodgers series. The most expensive item, listed at almost $112,000 as of Tuesday, was a ball used for L-A’s two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s first World Series strikeout. The next most expensive was first base from Game 7.
