Good morning!
Your forecast: It’s January, folks, so there are no real surprises as far as the weather is concerned. Take today, for example. The light snow that fell overnight will end this morning, followed by a mix of sun and cloud, winds up to 15 km/h and a daytime high of -15 C. Tonight, we could get more snow, a low of -21 C and a wind chill of -28. Rather predictably, Thursday features the possibility of snow, a daytime high of -15 C and a wind chill of -28, while Friday looks to be sunny with a high of -21 C. Meh, it’s winter.
In case you missed it
Photo by James MoloneyHelicopter pilot David Wood was working in Antarctica with the Australian Antarctic program at Davis station when he fell into a crevasse and died.
Manitoba pilot dies: A helicopter pilot with roots in Manitoba died Monday from injuries he suffered after falling into 20 metres into a crevasse while working in the Antarctica. David Wood, 62, lived in Winnipeg and had a cottage near Winnipeg Beach. Bruno Meili, his boss at Fireweed Helicopters in Whitehorse, expressed shock and sadness at Wood’s death. “I still can’t get my head around it,” he said. “In our line of work, you expect some different things to happen, for things to go sideways sometimes. But you never imagine anything like this.” READ MORE
Protection from layoffs: Critics say a no-layoff clause in a new tentative five-year contract between Manitoba and its 14,000 civil servants provides job security to government workers hired on or before April 1, 2015 and gives the province no flexibility in controlling expenditures. The contract is subject to a ratification vote later this month. READ MORE
Child care plan generally unveiled: The province’s NDP government announced Tuesday that it plans to create 12,000 new daycare spaces, double the number of training spots for child care workers, pay them more and reduce parent fees over the next five to seven years. Part of a flurry of pre-election announcements, no real details were available and it was not clear how much the plan will cost or when it will happen. The NDP would need two more election victories to carry out the plan. READ MORE
Up next
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The Bloodvein River in Manitoba’s boreal forest, the largest intact forest on Earth.
Conserving boreal forest: One of Manitoba’s natural wonders, its boreal forest, is the topic of a one-day conference today. Northern First Nations chiefs will meet in Thompson with the International Boreal Conservation Campaign to discuss the tricky balance between conservation and sustainable development.
Drive-thru Boot Drive: You don’t have to leave your vehicle to donate winter boots to people who need them in the current cold snap. Donations of new and gently used boots will be accepted through vehicle windows until 9:30 a.m. today at United Way, 580 Main St. The unusual method of accepting donations is a project of Koats for Kids.
Around the water cooler
Trevor Hagan / THE CANADIAN PRESSSan Jose Sharks’ Mike Brown (18) hits Winnipeg Jets’ Joel Armia (40) into the boards during second period NHL hockey action in Winnipeg, Tuesday.
Bad call or bad penalty: Down 2-1 and killing off a five-minute major penalty Tuesday night at the MTS Centre, the Winnipeg Jets looked to have tied the contest when forward Blake Wheeler raced around falling San Jose goalie Alex Stalock and wrapped the puck into the net. But Wheeler was slapped with a controversial tripping penalty, the goal was erased and the Jets gave up another goal on the ensuing 5-on-3 shorthanded situation and eventually lost 4-1. “I got penalized for their goalie making a horse—- play,” Wheeler said afterward. READ MORE
Urban reserve gets OK’d: The Peguis First Nation and the Manitoba Jockey Club received approval Tuesday from the city’s Assiniboia community committee to turn Assiniboia Downs into the city’s largest urban reserve. The approval was a critical first step for a multimillion-dollar expansion of the racetrack. The plan can now be registered with the city’s land titles office. READ MORE
Trending now
#PresidentialMovies: It’s the fun new game for the whole family. Take any U.S. president’s name and meld it with a film title. Here’s a few making the rounds on Twitter today: The Harry S. Truman Show; Barack to the Future; The Girl with the Reagan Tattoo; Agnew What You Did Last Summer; and, Garfield of Dreams.
#Galchenyuk: The girlfriend of Montreal Canadiens’ forward Alex Galchenyuk has apparently been arrested in a case of an alleged domestic at Galchenyuk’s downtown home early Sunday morning. The woman was released and the file sent to Crown for its opinion on whether charges should be laid.
On this date
On Jan. 13, 1911: The Manitoba Free Press reported that Mr. and Mrs. Wasyl Hutsoluk of Winnipeg were left childless after a cottage fire. Their three children were alone at home at the Carter Avenue residence in Elmwood while Mrs. Hutsoluk was grocery shopping and Mr. Hutsoluk, who did section work for the C.P.R. was at work in St. Boniface. A neighbour noticed the smoke and tried to get into the cottage, to no avail; when the neighbour found Mrs. Hutsoluk returning from the store, both women attempted to get the back door open but the room within was “a mass of flames.” The children had been 4 years old, 2 years old, and 4 weeks old. Members of the fire brigade who succeeded in entering the home discovered the bodies “beyond all human aid.”
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