Complete: City council is being asked to reconsider its decision to slash $50,000 from urban renewal funding in the 2013 budget.

Coun. Murray Blight (Victoria) gave notice at the end of Monday night’s meeting that he will bring forward a motion on Feb. 4 to reconsider the reduction in funding for Renaissance Brandon.

"When looking at this and seeing that we have an opportunity to have funding from the province … I think it’s straight-forward, a no-brainer that we should pursue in getting the funds that are available to us, in helping towards the downtown development," Blight said.

Since 2008, the city has provided $250,000 annually to Renaissance Brandon, the city’s downtown development corporation. Council recently voted to reduce the funding to $200,000 in the 2013 budget.

The full loss will be $100,000, as the province matches the dollars the city provides.

The decision was met with criticism last week from Renaissance Brandon board chair Shaun Cameron, who said the reduction in funding was a "major blow" to the organization.

"It’s going to have a direct effect on whether some of the projects or some of the hopes for the downtown will move forward," Cameron said in a previous interview with the Sun. "There definitely will be an effect that all the residents of Brandon will feel from it."

Coun. Corey Roberts (Rosser) also criticized the decision, saying it would have a "huge impact" on downtown projects and programs.

"With all the momentum that Renaissance Brandon has had in the past few years … it was short-sightedness that they went ahead and did this change to the budget," Roberts stated last week.

Blight said he will be discussing the issue with the city’s economic development director and will bring a report to council at the Feb. 4 meeting.

"At that time I’ll be able to provide the explanation of why I want to see it be brought back to the table for consideration," Blight said.

http://www.brandonsun.com/local/blight-wants-review-of-cut-in-funding-187859691.html?thx=y

Complete: If all goes well, the Keystone Centre’s aging roof could be repaired by this summer.

Brandon City Council put their support behind a recommendation to provide an additional $2 million for roof repairs, on the condition the Province of Manitoba matches the contribution.

“If we do get the commitment from the provincial government to match the funds, and we can start the project and get it done this summer, we will commit the $2 million as our half to get it done,” Coun. Shawn Berry (Linden Lanes) said.

The actual funds would not come out until the 2014 budget, through a debenture. Berry estimated the annual payments over roughly 10 years would be about $250,000.

Berry put forward the recommendation, encouraging his fellow councillors to support it.

“It is our largest … convention and multi-use facility, and provides a major economic impact for the city with all the events that it does host, right from conventions to hockey to the winter fair, the Provincial Ex,” Berry said, adding it’s in “dire need” of capital repairs.

Parts of the complex are 40 years old and in need of immediate work, Berry said.

“In order to attract and maintain events coming to the Keystone, the repairs to the roof must be done … very, very soon,” he said.

A three-way funding agreement between the federal, provincial and municipal governments of $3.3 million was not able to be used for the roof project, due to a March 31 deadline.

“We never … got the go-ahead until late fall on doing that work, which made it impossible to start doing the roof repairs at that time because a lot of the functions that are already booked,” Berry said.

The $3.3 million in funding was used for other capital repair projects at the Keystone Centre.

“It was actually used for quite a few projects … probably the most prominent … would be getting what we call the lecture theatre back into operation, it has been shut down for quite a while now,” he said.

Other projects include repairing stairs, washrooms and the foyer area.

The total estimated cost for the roof repair project is $4 million.

http://www.brandonsun.com/local/councillors-approve-2m-for-keystone-roof-repairs-187859731.html

THE health of Lake Winnipeg got a $600,000 boost Monday from the Selinger government.

Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh said eight projects will split the money for reducing the amount of algae-producing nutrients entering the lake from Manitoba sources and beyond. Mackintosh said the money and work by the recipients help dispel the belief of some that the lake is dying.

Recently, German-based environmental group Global Nature Fund said Lake Winnipeg was in the running for Threatened Lake of the Year 2013. The nomination was made by its affiliate, Living Lakes Canada. The Threatened Lake of the Year will be chosen Feb. 2 on World Wetland Day.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/lake-winnipeg-conservation-projects-get-600-k-boost-187845001.html

A Canada Day welcoming party for a new tenant in one of Winnipeg's highest-profile retail sites is likely off.

The former home of Papa George's restaurant in Osborne Village, which has been empty since the popular late-night eatery closed in October after 35 years, was close to having a new occupant, but negotiations have broken off between the real estate broker and a "large international restaurant chain" after five months.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/negotiations-break-off-with-chain-to-occupy-former-papa-georges-187844761.html

Complete: VANCOUVER - Whistler Blackcomb says it will replace one of the ski resort's most popular lifts as part of a major $18-million capital expansion project.

The Harmony high-speed quad on Whistler Mountain will be replaced by a lift that can carry six people on each chair, bumping up capacity by 50 per cent — from 2,400 skiers per hour to 3,600.

As well, a new high-speed quad chairlift on Blackcomb Mountain, in an area currently served by a triple chair, will boost capacity by 65 per cent, the company said in a news release.

Construction of the lifts, each about 1.7 kilometres long, will begin in the spring with an expected opening at the start of the 2013-2014 winter season.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/whistler-blackcomb-to-replace-popular-lift-as-part-of-18-million-project--187790731.html

Windsor city council on Monday approved a pilot project for sidewalk patios being open year-round.

John Ansell, who owns the Squirrel Cage on Maiden Lane in the heart of downtown Windsor, thinks it's a great idea.

He moved to Windsor from Toronto and said several "major cities across North America have outdoor patios all year round."

Ansell can remember sitting on a patio in Toronto's Distillery District enjoying wine in front of an roaring outdoor fire on a patio.

"We should embrace the winter and enjoy it," he said. "Why not do it on a patio while sipping on a coffee or a glass of wine?"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/story/2013/01/22/wdr-winter-patios-windsor.html

Complete: DENVER - Colorado ski resorts are reporting a dip in early-season skier visits, after a dry autumn prompted some resorts to delay their seasons.

More snow did fall in time for the traditionally busy December holiday period though.

The trade group Colorado Ski Country USA said Friday that skier visits at its 21 member resorts through Dec. 31 were down 11.5 per cent compared with the same period last season.

That figure doesn't include the four Colorado resorts run by Vail Resorts Inc., which has said skier visits at its seven resorts in Colorado and the Lake Tahoe area through Jan. 13 were up 2 per cent from a comparable period last season. It didn't break down results for just its Colorado resorts, which haven't had as much snow.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/early-season-skier-visits-down-at-colorado-resorts-following-a-dry-autumn-187746131.html

PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korea is loosening some restrictions on foreign cellphones by allowing visitors to bring their own phones into the country. However, security regulations still prohibit mobile phone calls between foreigners and locals.

For years, North Korea required visitors to relinquish foreign cellphones at the border until their departure, leaving many tourists without an easy way to communicate with the outside world.

The ritual of handing over phones was part of an exhaustive security check that most visitors face at immigration in North Korea. Many foreigners — including Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, who travelled to North Korea earlier this month — choose to leave their phones behind in Beijing before flying to Pyongyang.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/loosening-restrictions-north-korea-will-allow-visitors-to-bring-own-cellphones-into-country-187823281.html

BRUSSELS - Pilot and cabin crew organizations are calling for better protection against in-flight fatigue in planned European Union legislation.

Pilots and crew members on Tuesday staged demonstrations in several European airports and handed over petitions to authorities, saying that proposals to harmonize EU legislation would force them to fly excessive hours and threaten the safety of passengers.

They say that pilots could be asked to fly for over 12 hours when scientists claim safety is significantly endangered because of fatigue after 10 hours.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/pilots-cabin-crew-call-for-better-fatigue-protection-in-upcoming-eu-legislation-187853771.html

(A complete article published originally in the WFP, Jan.  '49)

THE PAS, Man., Jan. 22 '(Special) — Edwin Lambert, a Metis muskrat trapper from this district, became king .of Canada's dog mushers Friday when, he drove his tired seven-dog team over the finish line of the grueling 140-mile, two-day speed dog race. More than. 2,000 persons, attending the second annual Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival here crowded cheering onto the ice of the Saskatchewan River to greet the winner. Lambert, who comes from Pine Bluff, 60 miles from here, and is the father of a large family, was swamped by the wild crowd when his husky team flopped exhausted over the line. Police tried in vain to keep the shoving crowd back - and the river ice cracked ominously as they pushed in to congratulate the winner. A wreath of roses was placed on the neck of Lambert's lead dog by Miss Edwardine Poitras, of Churchill, Man., the fur queen of the north. Later in the evening, he was presented with the $1,000 first prize by Henry Fishman, festival committee chairman. From a representative of the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company, Lambert received a huge silver cup and replica. The ceremony took place at a special programme in the Lido theatre. Second man to cross the finish line was Jack Heard, of Nelson House, Man., game guardian, who was 17 "minutes and 30 seconds behind the winner. Lambert's elapsed time for the race from The Pas to Cranberry Portage and back was 17 hours, five minutes and 15 seconds. Several dogs from some of the teams were brought in by a bombardier which followed along the last lap of the course. The losers were reported to be taking it easy after they heard they did not have a chance to place. The race started Thursday night, with two taking the wrong trail and one dropping out. One of the 14, Peter Merasty, did not start, but loaded his dogs and sled on the train and went home to Flin Flon. Afternoon events on the third day of the festival included such northern competitions as snow shoe racing, an ice fishing contest pack races and a trap-setting contest. ~A display of fur coats worth thousands of dollars was modeled at the Lido theatre in the evening Queen Poitras and her court were presented to the crowd and prize were awarded to winners of the freight dog race.