Prairie Post

5 things you absolutely must know today

1. Royal Albert Arms Hotel bar closes yet again

The historic but troubled bar at the Royal Albert Arms Hotel in Winnipeg’s Exchange District will be closing after only three months back in operation. The hotel’s co-owner made a statement on their Facebook page explaining he’s turned in the MLCC liquor license and that the bar is taking up too much of his time, calling it a soap opera out of control. The hotel/bar/restaurant reopened in March after being closed since May 2011, after the basement in the 100-year-old building flooded from a broken water line. [Winnipeg Free Press]

2. State of emergency in Calgary and Canmore from expected flooding

City officials in Calgary have warned that flooding could be worse than in 2005 as heavy rain and high water have prompted state of emergency declarations in Calgary and Canmore. The weather has forced multiple closures of major highways in the area, as well as in Banff and Kananaskis. Evacuations in areas along the Elbow River will start today and tomorrow. Calgary has opened its Emergency Operations Centre which serves as the city’s command centre for large-scale emergencies. [CBC]

3. Saskatoon plans for core neighbourhoods

Saskatoon wants at least 70,000 more people to move into parts of the Riversdale, Pleasant Hill, and West Industrial neighbourhoods, where pedestrian traffic is higher than in other parts of the city. The manager of planning and development says the city wil encourage people to move into these areas as it plans for Saskatoon’s population to grow to 500,000 people within two decades. [CBC]

4. Disney Canada in cahoots with Calgary Stampede to promote release of The Lone Ranger film

As part of the studio’s first ever marketing event partnership in Canada, Walt Disney Studios Canada will incorporate the Calgary Stampede into the film’s media campaign in Calgary with custom advertising materials that tell audiences to “Kick Off Your Stampede” by seeing the film. The Calgary Stampede will have a western-style presence at advance screenings of The Lone Ranger throughout Canada with volunteers and cowboy hats for attendees, and a Calgary Stampede ad that will play before the film. The film is a remake of the ’50s-era TV western and is directed by Gore Verbinski and stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. It opens July 3 and the Stampede runs from July 5-14. [Calgary Herald]

 

Around Canada:

5. Explosion in Quebec fireworks factory kills at least two

Approximately 150 firefighters worked to extinguish a large blaze at B.E.M. Fireworks in Coteau-du-lac, Quebec after an explosion occurred just before 9 a.m. ET today that killed two people at the factory about 50 kilometres from Montreal. The town’s fire chief said there the building did not have any municipal water service no sprinklers had been installed in the warehouse, though negligence is not suspected to be a reason for the incident. [CTV]