Calgary’s route ahead, Edmonton park gets facelift, Winnipeg’s Mad Ship, and Saskatchewan phone company overcharges.
Calgary new transit plan Route Ahead
The future of Calgary transit is looking brighter with a report on the City of Calgary’s Route Ahead plan that was released on Friday. This plan includes changes that will happen in the near future such as providing Wi-Fi to C-Train stations as well as real-time updates on bus schedules.
Changes that will happen over a long-term period are more rapid transit routes and an LTR line that will travel from the far north end of Calgary to the south end near the community of Cranston. This plan is set to come to fruition over the next 30 years and comes with a price tag of $13 billion.
The Route Ahead report is a total of 230-pages. It will go before a council committee next week before being discussed in front of city council for final approval. Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the report brings attention to the fact that Calgary needs to up their game in the transit department with helping commuters move all across the city, instead of just to and from downtown. The mayor believes this report will help Calgary find the funding they need to drive forward with their route ahead.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/12/07/calgary-transit-route-ahead.html
Edmonton’s Queen Elizabeth Park gets facelift
Edmonton’s Queen Elizabeth Park will soon get the royal treatment with a new makeover. Proposals have been set in motion for a new toboggan hill, new mountain bike courses, expanded trails, and art to be added to the century-old park. The city released a draft of a master plan last month envisioning the park as a wonderful gathering place that is well connected to downtown, while offering a fantastic view of the Edmonton skyline.
On Wednesday, Rhonda Norman the director of river valley parks and facility development said, “With the location and proximity to downtown, we wanted to look at revitalizing it just needs work to bring the park up to a level where people can enjoy it.”
When the park opened in 1909 it was a hub of activity people were drawn to its features such as boardwalks, a pavilion stage for bands to play on and a fenced off area for moose and deer and Western Canada’s first outdoor municipal swimming pool.
Next Spring the plan will be taken to city council for final approval. Norman hopes to see work begin on the upper section of the park in late 2013, which will cost the city $1.2 million.
Source: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/Queen+Elizabeth+Park+rejuvenated/7673823/story.html
Manitoba-made film Mad Ship
The Winnipeg Film industry continues to be in shipshape. The Manitoba-made film Mad Ship, based on a true story, was originally supposed to be shot in Saskatchewan. After that pipe dream became a failed effort, Ontario-based co-writer and director partnered up with Winnipeg’s Buffalo Gal Pictures to make it a reality.
The story takes place during the Dust Bowl years, when the Prairies were in much despair. It follows one man’s utopian effort to build a ship and drag it across the Prairies to the Saskatchewan River in hopes to sail his family back to their homeland in Norway.
The film stars Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Norwegian actress Line Verndal and is currently playing at the Globe Cinema.
Mad Ship teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YthxPiCoSAk
SaskTel overcharges customers
SaskTel made a bad call when the phone company was installing new software and overcharged 9,000 of their customers. Some saw bills near $100,000.
A statement issued by the province’s communication provider SaskTel read: “As part of the 4G LTE network capacity enhancements, SaskTel was installing new network hardware and a recent systems upgrade caused a billing error.”
The company has taken all the appropriate steps through phone calls, text messages, and emails, informing customers not to panic and that they don not have to pay these outrageous November bills. SaskTel said the appropriate credit will applied on customer’s December bill.
SaskTel ensures those customers who were affected by this error and are on SaskTel’s pre-authorized payment plan will not see reoccurring withdrawals from their bank account.
Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/12/06/saskatchewan-customers-overcharged-up-to-100gs-on-phone-bills
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Chadd Cawson is an intern at Spectator Tribune. Follow him at: @ChaddCawson
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