News Briefs

Man survives three days alone in Manitoba wilderness

A Manitoba woodcutter survived three days after being hit by a falling tree, just north of Winnipeg, reported the Canadian Press.

The 51-year-old man was struck by a falling tree while chopping wood on his property near Meleb, Man. early last week, and wasn’t found until a friend came to pick him up Saturday.

“He was reportedly laying in the bush,” RCMP Const. Miles Hiebert said.
“RCMP members as well as local emergency services were able to locate him and load him onto a rescue toboggan.”

The man’s injuries did not appear to be life threatening.

A local firefighter, Adam Senga, who was at the scene, said the man was conscious when rescuers found him.

First “news café” in Canada being opened by Free Press

The Winnipeg Free Press will soon open Canada’s first-ever “news café” in an effort to get back in touch with the downtown community.

The new café will be located in the heart of the Exchange District at the corner of Arthur Street and McDermot Avenue.

Free Press online editor John White, who is leading the project, said the move will be the first time the paper has had a downtown presence since it’s office relocated from Carlton Street to Mountain Avenue.

“Most newspapers, in order to accommodate their presses, had to build new buildings in the middle of industrial parks and we were no exception. We kind of lost touch with people. Being downtown, it will be so much easier to meet people and host events,” White said in the Free Press.

In addition to giving locals an opportunity to interact with Free Press reporters, the café will host media workshops where the paper’s editors and reporters will teach the basics of journalism.

Katz calls on province for more funding

In his state of the city address, mayor Sam Katz called on the provincial government to address Winnipeg’s $7.4 billion infrastructure deficit by handing over a share of its gas tax, according to CBC News.

“There are a lot of exciting things going on in our city, but we continue to face budget challenges as we strive to meet the priorities of Winnipeggers and ensure Winnipeg is competitive,” Katz told the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce crowd.

He also lambasted the province’s Clean Environment Commission for requiring the city to spend $350 million on upgrades to waste-water treatment facilities.
The mayor also announced the new police helicopter is ready to go and said that the 2014 Grey Cup could be hosted by Winnipeg, though there has been no confirmation of this.