Spring is in the air (finally)
Good afternoon!: Happy St. Patrick’s Day, which is a great excuse to enjoy some lovely Irish beer and sing sad Irish songs, which matches the mood of the spring-like weather we’re experiencing. Lots of political stories as we finish up the week, with a followup on the story about the National Research Council, criticism against the federal government on their foreign aid approach, discussions about leadership races, along with coverage at city hall and a longer read for Saturday on budget strategies.
Federal politics
JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSRepresentatives from Manitoba’s aerospace industry and advanced manufacturing sectors with Premier Brian Pallister speak on the construction of the Factory of the Future last November.
Followup: A provincial official said the National Research Council halted work to select a site for the new Factory of the Future facility in February and the province was told it was done on the orders of the Prime Minister’s Office. Our parliamentary bureau chief Mia Rabson is following up this story in Ottawa.
Bromance over: Irish rock star Bono may be a self-declared fan of Justin Trudeau’s feminist foreign aid approach, but now his international organization says it is disappointed by the absence of new money to fund it. READ MORE
Can you hear me now?
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILESThe MTS Building at 333 Main Street.
Ring the bell: The company formerly known as MTS is now, officially, Bell MTS. The $3.9-billion transaction officially closed at 12:01 this morning. READ MORE
City cells: The decision of a council committee to approve a cellphone management system is being questioned by a national citizens advocacy group. Our city hall reporter will be phoning that story in later today.
Leadership race
CODIE McLACHLAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILESMaxime Bernier speaks during the Conservative leadership debate at the Maclab Theatre in Edmonton, Alta., on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017.
Keeping it classy: Federal Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier has called his rival Kevin O’Leary a loser and O’Leary is complaining about vote-rigging. READ MORE
We’re keeping an eye on them: All four federal NDP leadership candidates are here in Winnipeg tonight as provincial NDP meet to talk about their leadership contest. We’ll be at the three-day convention, bringing you updates. Here’s what we know so far. READ MORE
Alberta picks: Alberta’s Progressive Conservatives gather in Calgary on Saturday to pick a new leader, capping a potentially watershed campaign defined by the existential question of whether the party should even exist. READ MORE
Longer read
JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESSManitoba Premier Brian Pallister
Tale of two budgets: There are different strategies for dealing with deficits. Mia Rabson will provide you with the pros and cons of the approaches under consideration by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Brian Pallister. That’s in our Saturday paper.
Today in history
Female Mounties: On this date in 1974, the first female recruits started training for the RCMP.
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