1. Ex-Bomber, Roughrider arrested on fraud and forgery charges in B.C.
Dave Pitcher, a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber and Saskatchewan Roughrider, has been arrested by RCMP in Vernon, B.C.
Pitcher, 46, was charged with 26 counts of fraud, theft and forgery in relation to an alleged scheme to build a hotel and recreational facility in Fort Whyte, MB. He was returned to Winnipeg where he remains in custody. [Winnipeg Free Press]
2. Saskatoon landfill-based energy project closer to reality
Next year, 1300 homes in Saskatoon will be powered by landfill gas. The city has finished building a gas collection system at a landfill that will then be piped to a generating station where it will be converted into power. Quoted by CBC, Kevin Hudson of Saskatoon Light and Power said the project will reduce the landfill’s greenhouse gas emissions by over 45,000 tonnes a year, the equivalent of removing 9,000 vehicles from the road. [CBC]
3. Winnipegger accuses Health Canada of privacy breach that exposed him as a medical marijuana user
A Winnipeg man is considering a lawsuit against the federal government over a letter from Health Canada labelled “Medical Marijuana Access Program” which he claims violated his privacy and put his family at risk. The man, who is licensed to use medical marijuana, said the labelling on the letter from Health Canada has identified him as a user of medical marijuana, something he has put great efforts into keeping private. [CBC]
4. Creighton, SK on short list for site of nuclear waste facility
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization has approved Creighton, SK for further study as the potential home to a multimillion-dollar nuclear waste facility. The town, located 500 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, will be subjected to more extensive surveys of its terrain and ground by the NWMO, who’ll also increase social engagement with the surrounding communities and First Nations. The decision won’t be made until 2020, according the NWMO. [The Star Phoenix]
5. Winnipeg school trustees oppose consultant’s reduced snow clearing proposal
School trustees from Winnipeg’s Pembina Trails district have written a plea to the city to not act on a consultant’s report that suggests decreased snow clearing on low-priority streets could save taxpayer’s up to $3 million per year. School board chairman David Johnson wrote that making some city streets passable, as opposed to clearing them from curb to curb, would jeopardize kids walking or cycling to school, slow down traffic and severely impede special-needs kids who board buses in residential areas. [Winnipeg Free Press]
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Palmer Fritschy tweets occasionally at @palmerfritschy