Carney tries to be slick but pipeline games won’t end well

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently agreed to a deal committing their governments to work towards building an oil pipeline to the northwest coast of British Columbia “in the national interest.”

There are some other interesting environmental parts of the agreement — such as a commitment to have the project meet the goals of the Pathways Alliance carbon capture project and Alberta committing to an industrial carbon price — but this memorandum of understanding signals a transformational change in the relationship between Alberta and Canada (not to mention a collective break from the era of former prime minister Justin Trudeau).

And that’s just about where the understanding ends for nearly everyone else.

“We will use every tool in our toolbox to ensure that this pipeline does not go ahead,” Marilyn Slett, Heiltsuk Nation Chief and president of the Coastal First Nations, said in a statement.

You don’t really need to get matching sweaters

There’s a scene in the holiday classic A Charlie Brown Christmas in which Snoopy is frantically decorating his doghouse so he can enter the “spectacular super-colossal neighbourhood Christmas lights and display contest.”

“Find the true meaning of Christmas. Win money, money, money!” reads the copy on the flyer Snoopy shoves into Charlie Brown’s hands.

“Oh no,” Charlie Brown despairs. “My own dog, gone commercial. I can’t stand it.”

This year marks the 60th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas and, honestly, the special’s central concerns – commercialization and rampant consumerism — are still relevant today, especially as people have turned the holidays into a competitive sport on social media.

Brewery artisan markets a chiller way to gift shop

If the thought of frenzied shoppers clambering for hot Black Friday deals at the mall sends shivers up your spine, fret not — you can avoid the throng while finding charming gifts (for others or for yourself) by hitting up local breweries hosting artisans, makers and other local sellers this weekend.

Barn Hammer Brewing Co. (595 Wall St.) is hosting the Cask Blast Makers Market today from 2 to 6 p.m. In addition to a quartet of local makers, the brewery will be pouring small-batch cask beers and offering mulled wine and holiday mocktails. Come later and take in the local music from 8-10 p.m.

Over at Little Brown Jug (336 William Ave.), the Sip n’ Shop Vintage Market runs today from 5-11 p.m. Order up a pint (or other beverage) and peruse the vintage threads being sold by four different vendors.

Kilter Brewing Co. (450 Rue Deschambault) is hosting a holiday artisan market this Sunday and next from noon-5 p.m., with eight different local vendors each of the days. Purchase a pint or a sandwich, and the brewery will set you up with “all you need to start wrapping your gifts,” while 10 per cent of all draft and to-go sales sales will go to the Christmas Cheer Board. For a list of all the vendors, check out the brewery’s social media pages.

Cure for those sick of sick notes

For many Manitoba employers, sick notes for short-term absences have simply been part of the landscape. They were written into policies years ago, and became the standard way to verify an absence.

For a long time, few questioned the practice because it was familiar and felt like a reasonable safeguard. Most employers were not trying to make life difficult for workers or doctors; they were trying to manage attendance in a responsible way.

What has become clear recently, however, is this old approach has created a surprising amount of strain on the very system we rely on to keep people healthy.

Doctors Manitoba has shone a bright light on the impact of sick notes for short-term absences — and it has been eye-opening for many employers.

Philanthropic legacy

Manitobans are a generous lot, with Statistics Canada data showing, per resident, the province has the highest level of donations.

Certainly, the holiday season has many making donations to charities close to their heart. Besides helping others, another benefit for donors is the federal and provincial tax credits that can be as high as 50.4 per cent, depending on taxable income.

For individuals with taxable windfalls this year — a large bonus from work or the sale of non-registered investments or a business — the credit can be claimed up to 75 per cent of net income in a given year, with excess amounts allowed to be carried forward for five years to use against future taxable income.

Some families have so much to give they set up foundations, which allows them to provide grants to charities on an ongoing basis. But another option exists for families with substantial sums to donate. They may not have the millions to support a private foundation or maybe they do not want to deal with the administrative requirements of running one.

NDP promise to ‘end hallway medicine’ rings hollow for neglected senior’s grieving family

The death of 82-year-old Genevieve Price after waiting more than 30 hours in a Winnipeg emergency room is heartbreaking and unacceptable.

But it was also entirely predictable.

We can all express outrage, offer condolences and demand answers. But let’s not pretend this tragedy came out of nowhere.

Manitoba’s ER wait times have been spiralling to historic highs for months, even as the NDP government has surpassed the midpoint of its mandate — a mandate built on solemn promises to shorten those very waits.

Kinew’s early election feelers hint at Ottawa aspirations

Premier Wab Kinew’s musing about an early election call probably has more to do with his own personal agenda than it does about political strategy for the NDP.

Winnipeg’s police behind the times when it comes to body-worn cameras

If there were any doubt about the effectiveness of body-worn cameras for police officers, the tragic fatal shooting last week on Sagkeeng First Nation should put that debate to rest.