Category Archives: Prairies/BC
Report says optimistic forecasts, lack of oversight led to big debt at Manitoba Hydro
WINNIPEG — Billions of dollars in cost overruns and spiralling debt at Crown-owned Manitoba Hydro were caused in part by a lack of government oversight and overly optimistic sales predictions, says a report released Friday. A review by former Saskatche...
Manitoba government seeks feedback on further relaxation of COVID-19 rules
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is looking at easing many of its COVID-19 restrictions as the province's pandemic indicators continue to improve. A set of proposed changes released Thursday includes doubling capacity limits in stores and restaurants...
Minimum wage, pipelines, nicer election ads up for debate at Manitoba NDP convention
WINNIPEG — Manitoba New Democrats will meet this weekend and may debate everything from hiking the minimum wage to stopping pipelines to running nicer election ads. The official Opposition party is to hear from delegates online at a policy convention S...
New, extended programs offered to Yukon businesses as COVID-19 cases return to zero
WHITEHORSE — Yukon is beginning to look toward revising its pandemic restrictions as the number of active cases of COVID-19 returns to zero. Speaking at the weekly COVID-19 update in Whitehorse, deputy premier Ranj Pillai says Yukon is "putting resour...
Supreme Court won’t hear appeal of Saskatchewan school funding case
REGINA — A legal battle that a judge once called one of the most important in Saskatchewan's history is over, after the country's highest court decided against hearing the case about funding non-Catholic students who attend separate schools. The Supre...
Expert says Saskatchewan faces risk of COVID resurgence; province pushes rapid tests
REGINA — Saskatchewan's top doctor says the presence of more contagious variants makes testing even more important to stem the spread of COVID-19. Dr. Saqib Shahab says the province needs to keep its daily cases low and people must follow public-health...
Union says TransLink has been slow to reveal details about ransomware attack
VANCOUVER — The union representing thousands of transit operators in Metro Vancouver says TransLink has not been transparent about a major data breach that affected workers. Unifor says in a news release Wednesday that the transit authority has been sl...
Older Manitobans now eligibile for COVID-19 vaccines, younger age groups to follow
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is starting to offer COVID-19 vaccines to the general public, beginning with older people. It's a milestone for the vaccination plan, which has so far focused on specific groups such as health-care workers and nursing...
Alberta eyes recall legislation, focuses on COVID-19 aid in spring sitting
EDMONTON — Alberta politicians return to the legislature Thursday for a sitting that includes a new budget and a politician recall bill. “Our primary focus as a government in the legislature for the next several weeks will be to get that
Vaccinating essential workers before seniors in B.C. could save lives: experts
VANCOUVER — British Columbia should change its COVID-19 vaccine rollout plans to prioritize essential workers who can't avoid contact with others, suggests research from mathematical modelling experts at Simon Fraser University. In a paper out Wednesda...
