Capital Chronicles

with Mia Rabson

• Paging Dr. Google

  The Canadian Institute for Health Information today released a new report looking at the changes in Canada’s health care system over the last decade.

  Among the talk of how much more we’re spending and where the money is going, there is an interesting little tidbit which caught my attention.

  View Full Post | 29/10/2009 2:28 PM | 0

• Look ma, no hands

  Ontario went hands-free today.

  No more talking on your cellphone while driving unless you’re using a wireless device like Bluetooth. No more texting or dialing, no more changing your Ipod setting or entering a new location into the GPS.

  View Full Post | 26/10/2009 1:43 PM | 0

• Transition time

  It’s always a little odd to watch someone move on in life.

  Whether it’s a friend who had a career in the arts suddenly jumping into an MBA program, a colleague who suddenly becomes your boss, whatever, it’s always a transition to wrap your head around the change.

  View Full Post | 22/10/2009 3:19 PM | 1

• Just whose money is it anyway?

  Is the Conservative Party of Canada now funding our stimulus package?
   
  I may not have 20-20 vision but I’m pretty sure I don’t see evidence anywhere on that cheque that the money for this funding for a community centre in the Maritimes is coming from taxpayers via the government of Canada, and not the Conservative Party of Canada and MP Gerald Keddy.
   
  www.chesterns.ca/uploaded_images/DSCF9544-709785.JPG

  View Full Post | 13/10/2009 4:59 PM | 7

• Just whose money is it anyway?

  

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  Is the Conservative Party of Canada now funding our stimulus package?

  I may not have 20-20 vision but I'm pretty sure I don't see evidence anywhere on that cheque that the money for this funding for a community centre in the Maritimes is coming from taxpayers via the government of Canada, and not the Conservative Party of Canada and MP Gerald Keddy.

  View Full Post | 13/10/2009 4:42 PM | 4

• Thankful for being above ground

  Have you ever noticed you don't tend to take advantage of the things your city has to offer in the way of culture and entertainment except when you either have kids or houseguests?

  Thanksgiving weekend brought my parents out for a visit, and my first really big family Thanksgiving dinner hosted at my own home. I'm thankful the Turkey was cooked well and on time and that we were able to spend the holiday with family.

  View Full Post | 13/10/2009 3:07 PM | 0

• Survivor: the Liberal edition

  So let me get this straight.

  In 1987, while head of the Liberal party's youth wing in Quebec, Denis Coderre publicly calls for then leader John Turner to resign.

  View Full Post | 5/10/2009 9:25 AM | 2

• Stodgy old courts?

  Stodgy old courts? Tweet that.

  It is often said governments and courts and the law do not and cannot keep up with developments in technology.

  View Full Post | 1/10/2009 12:27 PM | 0

• Sloganeering

  The Conservative Party of Canada has a new slogan.

  Moving Forward.

  View Full Post | 22/09/2009 5:23 PM | 3

• Miscellaneous head turners

  Two things grabbed my attention today.

  The first is a line from Michael Ignatieff's speech in Toronto where he pointed out that the unemployment rate in Windsor is akin to one-in-six people not having a job. That's a stunning number. It is one in 10 people in Toronto.

  View Full Post | 21/09/2009 4:15 PM | 6

• Gauntlet down. Nominations on.

  Michael Ignatieff threw down the gauntlet Monday.

  Which means we’re heading to the polls, unless Stephen Harper is so dead set against going back to the polls that he’s willing to deal with the NDP a la Paul Martin in 2005.

  View Full Post | 2/09/2009 4:23 PM | 0

• Diplomacy and access

  Many people in the last two days have thought about what they know of Gary Doer.

  I had many a conversation Friday with colleagues in the National Press Gallery almost all of whom have come into contact at least at some point with the Manitoba premier-turned-ambassador-designate.

  View Full Post | 29/08/2009 2:33 PM | 0

• A taxing reality

  Working on stories about the harmonized sales tax of late has led me to discover a number of interesting features of our tax system.

  What we charge sales taxes on and what we don’t could fill a book, and trying to sort out the differences between provincial sales taxes and federal sales taxes can make one’s mind go all gooey.

  View Full Post | 25/08/2009 3:02 PM | 1

• Our national treasure

  

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  .A woman points to a name on the memorial wall in Ottawa honouring those who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong during the Second World War. (DAVID KAWAI / CANWEST NEWS SERVICE)

  I am almost always a little emotional at events honouring veterans. Saturday’s unveiling of the memorial wall for the battle of Hong Kong was no different.

  I love meeting veterans, hearing their stories, feeling their courage and resolve, evident in their faces and their words -- even more than 60 years after their battles.

  View Full Post | 20/08/2009 11:19 AM | 0

• Duffy Objection

  

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  A screen grab of a cached version of the Mars Hill Group website, which notes: 'The Conservative Party of Canada recently engaged us to deliver their message to supporters nation-wide. Using our unique messaging platform, VideoBridge, we'll help them communicate their message to thousands of Canadians through custom, personalized videos. The first round of these messages, starring CTV veteran and long-time party supporter, Mike Duffy should be hitting in-boxes early this fall.' (DAVID KAWAI / CANWEST NEWS SERVICE)

  On Monday I wrote in my column about the Winnipeg-based Mars Hill Group landing a contract with the federal Conservatives to make personalized videos.

  I found the information when I stumbled onto the Mars Hill Group’s website last week doing research for another totally unrelated story.
  There in the middle of the page, to my surprise, was the following:

  View Full Post | 18/08/2009 4:14 PM | 4

• Election aromas

  There are a number of noteworthy nominations from the federal political parties to mention.

  First, in Winnipeg South Centre, the Conservative nomination played out Thursday and the win goes to Air Canada pilot Raymond Hall.

  View Full Post | 11/07/2009 3:38 PM | 2

• When in Rome

  Prime Minister Stephen Harper's trip to Italy on Friday included a meet and greet with 80 Canadian high school students studying in Italy this summer.

  The kids are there with the Centro Scuola e Cultura Italians, which allows Canadian kids of Italian descent the chance to study in Italy each summer.

  View Full Post | 10/07/2009 2:25 PM | 0

• Patiently Patriotic

  In honour of Canada Day I thought I’d share a fun fact I just learned about our flag: Canadians can actually get a free Canadian flag that has been flown on Parliament Hill.

  Just don’t expect to be able to show it off on Canada Day next year. Or the year after that for that matter.

  View Full Post | 2/07/2009 2:00 PM | 0

• Talking heads

  After the last minute deal between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, Parliament rose today for its summer break.

  I expect the Ottawa airport will be a who's who of MPs this afternoon and tonight with politicians heading back home to their constituencies.

  View Full Post | 19/06/2009 3:03 PM | 0

• Glover in goal

  I may get into some trouble from other Manitobans who I didn’t notice on the field but just thought a quick shout out should go to Saint Boniface MP Shelly Glover for holding her own in a soccer match on the lawn of Parliament Hill Monday night.

  MPs and Parliament Hill staffers took on the press gallery. The media proved too much for Parliamentarians, however, and the National Press Gallery won 6 – 2.

  View Full Post | 16/06/2009 10:29 AM | 0

• Polls polls everywhere

  Apparently I missed the memo that this was supposed to be poll week.

  There are at least three different polls out today or in the last two days about Canada’s federal political feelings.

  View Full Post | 1/06/2009 2:25 PM | 2

• Co-operation is underrated

  As I’ve written about here before, if you’re not a cabinet minister, your chances of successfully getting a new law introduced and passed are pretty low.

  Occasionally, though, a good private members’ bill becomes good government policy.

  View Full Post | 26/05/2009 5:03 PM | 4

• Cops on the hill

  Saint Boniface MP Shelly Glover is going to chair a new Conservative Law Enforcement Officers’ Caucus.

  Glover is on leave from the Winnipeg Police Service and is the first female police officer ever elected to parliament. She was elected last October for the first time.

  View Full Post | 25/05/2009 2:59 PM | 7

• Please Mr. Harper. We want to hear.

  

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  Prime Minister Stephen Harper (centre) tours Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory with Dr. Frank Plummer (right), scientific director general, and Dr. Yan Li, chief of the lab's influenza and respiratory viruses section, which is doing research on the H1N1 flu virus. (WAYNE.GLOWACKI@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

  Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to Winnipeg yesterday.

  But unless you work at the virology lab or bought a ticket to attend a private dinner for the Frontier Centre, you would have had absolutely no chance to hear from him.

  View Full Post | 20/05/2009 2:42 PM | 6

• A few more minutes on the museum

  A couple of additional notes about the Canadian Museum for Human Rights article that appeared in the paper on Saturday.

  
  *The museum’s board has looked at the idea of scaling back the design plans for the building but decided that wouldn’t actually end up saving any money because it would cost money to do another design, and the delay in construction would add money to the price due to inflation.

  View Full Post | 19/05/2009 11:28 AM | 7

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