Border agents at the Emerson crossing were back on the job Friday after a one-day work stoppage. Some workers with Canada Border Services did not report for work because of a new policy that required them to wear tags indicating their first and last names.

The union representing border agents had said the tags were potentially dangerous because they made identities of workers public. But a ruling late Thursday by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) stated wearing name tags does not constitute a danger to agents.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/emerson-border-agents-end-walkout-183614141.html

The Manitoba Lotteries Corp. is in the midst of a mini building boom, with a new 900-stall parkade and a new concert bowl already under construction, and a previously announced highrise hotel project slated to get underway in 2013.

The three-level parkade and the 17-storey hotel, which was first announced in July 2011, will be built on either side of the MLC's McPhillips Station Casino on McPhillips Street. The 1,400-seat concert bowl is under construction in the corporation's other Winnipeg gambling palace -- Club Regent on Regent Avenue.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/casino-building-boom-183614191.html

Complete: For a long time it was one of Westman’s best kept secrets, largely because the campers who used Victoria Park in Souris tried their best to keep it that way.

But when the community built a state-of-the-art water park several years ago, a whole new audience was introduced to the beauty and tranquility of the park.

“I think people are very proud of the park,” chair of the Victoria Park Committee Phil Dorian said, “and it shows by the dedication of the people that dedicate their time and come to help to do the work down there.”

That workload, however, has grown exponentially since the park was devastated by the 2011 flood. Perched along the Souris River, the park banks were no match for the flood as high water destroyed playground equipment, the bird sanctuary, and the park workshop.

“It was a total disaster,” Dorian said. “The park is important to our town and every year so many things go on down there and you don’t really realized it until the flood hit. The flood destroyed half of the park and you realize that it has a huge effect on the community and businesses and when you realize it, then you got to go to work (to fix it.)”

The damage wasn’t just relegated to the man-made structures either as much of the lush grass and massive trees, that acted as umbrellas sheltering the area, also took a beating.

And like the trees and the grass, which began to bounce back this year, so too did the resolve of the community to ensure the park remains a favorite destination for decades to come. Public consultations regarding the future of the park recently came to a close and Dorian said he was impressed by the number of people who contributed to the process.

“There were a lot of ideas that came out of the consultations,” Dorian said. “We wanted to hear what people want to see in the park and how they want the park to look.”

Today, the park committee has a plan, essentially breaking the park into quadrants.

In the first quadrant, there is an emphasis on green space. The quadrant features the famous “Green Bowl,” picnic areas, a promenade boardwalk, a beach area, pathways, and bird sanctuary complete with a movie screen on the back of the building.

The second quadrant focuses on the water park and existing campground. The quadrant features the park, tennis courts, splash pad and campground.

The third quadrant features natural vegetation overlooking the bird sanctuary. It also has several trails, a beach volleyball court, nature-based playground and Yurts that campers could use in the summer and snowmobilers could use in the winter.

And the final quadrant is the plateau which is a forested areas with trails, interpretive signage on wildlife and the history of the park. It also features a RV park that could be built on neighbouring agricultural land.

While Dorian said it is important to recognize that the plan is just that, a plan, he said the committee will now start to prioritize what aspects the park can begin to incorporate into the area.

“The plan isn’t set in stone,” Dorian said. “It’s some of the stuff that people would like to see and now we have to sit down and decide what direction we want to go and what part we want to do in the short-term (plan) and what items we will do in the long-term (plan).”

The next question to be answered is how the park will pay for the upgrades?

“They could all be short-term if you had the money,” Dorian said.

The park, which is largely funded by campground fees according to Dorian, also gets some contributions from the Town of Souris and RM of Glenwood.

Dorian said the committee will keep an eye on government programs that can help fund some of the cost of the plan, but he admitted at this point, the funding is still very much up in the air.

http://www.brandonsun.com/local/park-plans-not-set-in-stone-183605281.html

In the lead up to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the marketing of Canada as a tourist destination around the world, and in particular in the U.S., was firing on all cylinders.

The Canadian Tourism Commission built huge interactive Twitter walls in Chicago, Los Angeles and in New York’s Times Square, where passersby could post images and write about their favourite parts of Canada and post them on a huge, digital screen. In fact, the maple leaf was splashed across all kinds of media — TV, print, magazine and online — and the marketing push was getting tremendous traction, including articles in everything from Conde Nast Traveller and Bon Appétit to the Los Angeles Times.

The tourism commission even arranged for a Canadian-themed cartoon caption contest on the back page of a Canadian-themed issue of The New Yorker.

The campaign was aided by millions of dollars in federal subsidies, ranging from nearly $43-million between 2009 and 2010 from the federal stimulus package and another $14.5-million that was set aside to market the Olympics abroad. In all, the CTC was running with its largest budget in the past decade, or roughly $106-million.

But while millions of taxpayers’ money was spent, the returns were well worth it, said Greg Klassen, CTC senior vice-president of Marketing Strategy.

The CTC estimates that for every $1 it spent on marketing Canada abroad, on average about $40 was returned in tourist spending in Canada.

http://business.financialpost.com/2012/12/17/canada-slips-as-global-destination-as-ottawa-cuts-tourism-funding/

An expansion of the ski hill at Canada Olympic Park has been halted by a stop-work order from the City of Calgary.

Although tonnes of dirt have been dumped at the site, city officials discovered that Winsport does not have a permit for the expansion. The discovery was made after the city wrapped up an investigation based on a complaint from the public.

Ian Cope with the city's planning department says Winsport has been directed to apply for a permit before work can resume.

“At that point in time, we did issue a stop-order, ensuring no further work occurred within that area,” Cope explained. “They have applied for the development permit — it is under review as we speak and we are working with COP to make sure that it gets taken care of in as quick and efficient manner as possible.”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/12/16/calgary-cop-problems.html

FREDERICTON - New Brunswick's deputy premier says he remains hopeful there will be revisions to contentious changes to employment insurance even though Ottawa has said it is forging ahead with them in three weeks. Paul Robichaud said Friday he believes modifications could still be made even after the EI changes take effect Jan. 6.

"With my experience in politics, sometimes changes could happen after the bill has been adopted," he said. The EI changes to be brought in will mean that recipients of the program will face stricter, more complex rules for keeping their benefits.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/new-brunswick-government-still-hopeful-of-changes-to-new-rules-for-ei-183519041.html

United Airlines pilots have agreed to a new joint union contract, bringing the airline closer to finalizing its merger with Continental.

The new four-year contract, which includes raises averaging 43 per cent and bigger retirement contributions, covers those who came from United as well as pilots who flew for Continental before the carriers merged in 2010 into United Continental Holdings Inc. Pilots now only fly under the United name.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/united-continental-merger-takes-a-step-forward-with-new-joint-contract-for-its-pilots-183674791.html

(A complete article published originally in the MFP, Dec.  '26)

Members of the Hunting and Fishing section of the Manitoba Tourist and Convention bureau met with representatives of the Manitoba Game Protective association last evening in the legislative building. Horace Chevrier was in the chair, with T.J. Porte acting as secretary. Game bags, fishing waters, facilities to nimrods and hunters, game preserves and enforcement of the game laws were among the number of subjects brought up during the meeting. The extinction of vermin and the stocking of lakes and rivers with fish was also discussed. Those present at the meeting were; Horace Chevrier, T. J. Porte, W. R. Milton. T. Harland, L. K. Curtis, J,. Maltland, W. E. Hawkins. A. H, Allardyce, all of the Tourist and Convention  bureau; Osborne Scott, David McQuade, C. A. Weagant, H. J. Merkely. H. G. Moncrieff and Philip Locke, of the Manitoba Game Protection association. Several of the sub committees will meet during the next few weeks, and a general meeting will be called early in January.