Personal accountability took another hit over the weekend when an angry mob burned an RCMP truck, threw bottles, and menaced officers and emergency medical technicians in La Loche. Guess who's fault this is? Why, the police of course, despite the fact the incident began when a man got hurt crashing into a ditch while on an ATV attempting to speed around a police vehicle that was stopped with its emergency lights flashing. Yes, according to a local councillor, the police do a poor job of being community minded and reaching out to people. Therefore, officers are viewed as outsiders and despite the fact they tried to help the guy that passed out after crashing his ATV, it is partially their fault. Ridiculous. You would think people, especially local politicians, would treat RCMP officers a little better when you consider La Loche has been identified as an area that is short on resources such as policing. I see an incident like this and comments from an elected official laying part of the blame at the feet of police and I think there isn't enough tea in China that would make anyone in their right mind want to go up there to serve.
A report on the CTV News Monday night suggests building a 700 space parking lot for people who use hospital facilities will cost over $25-million dollars. $25-million for a parking lot! Didn't Horizon Credit Union Centre in Melville cost about $25-million? Something is not adding up. I don't usually sympathize with Air Canada, but I agree whole-heartedly with their decision to move their employees out of the downtown Winnipeg hotel on Portage Avenue to a newer one closer to the Winnipeg International Airport amongst concerns over safety. There was a story on CBC about Air Canada officials apologizing for this. There is no apology needed. You can't put people's lives at risk simply to preserve political correctness. If it's safer to be on Sargent Avenue than it is on Portage Avenue, then so be it. The City of Winnipeg should clean up its act downtown first and complain of safety decisions later. Raise your hand if you would rather stay in a hotel downtown (paid by your employer) as opposed to one by the airport? Keep them up so I can count them. I bet there are many!
Serial killer Clifford Olson died of cancer last week. Hold your applause. I read a story about how Olson, despite being in jail, was allowed to write letters to his victims' families. One of them, who started the Victims of Violence organization, received a letter from Olson detailing what he did to the man's son as he killed him. What a strange country we live in to allow that to take place. He cost taxpayers a lot of money over his 30 years of incarceration. In really extreme cases such as his, and Paul Bernardo, I don't understand why the death penalty isn't used. I was at the Yorkton Co-op Marketplace earlier this week and couldn't believe the stack of Saskatchewan Roughrider tissue boxes. Then again, after watching the last two weeks, this should be a real hot seller.
Die hard fans should be beyond the point of crying when it comes to the Roughriders. I'm thinking apathy at this point. Wouldn't it be nice to work at a job where you could continuously fail and not give two hoots and then have your boss tell you that it's no problem and not to worry there will not be any changes?
The National Hockey League season starts this week and my prediction for the Stanley Cup final is Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. I do have some concerns about team chemistry in Inglewood, though, as the Drew Doughty hold-out isn't likely to have a positive impact; especially when he was basing his demand on that of overpaid teammate Anze Kopitar. Six teams I have already determined that will not be Stanley Cup winners this year: Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Even with salary caps, five of the seven Canadian teams don't have a snowball's chance in Cuba of winning Lord Stanley. Winnipeg, since they are new, gets a free pass. Toronto, Ottawa, and Calgary don't appear to have any direction. The jury is out on the Oilers. The Canucks are on their way down. That leaves Montreal. I don't like them as a fan, but they are Canada's best hope for 2012.
Nice person mentions this week to Jason Osolinski, Chris Morson, Johnny Ronn, Lisa Kirkwood, and Ed & Adeline Smaluk.
