Travel Manitoba and the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association welcome Mariko Izumi as guest speaker to the MLOA banquet on December 10 at the Canad Inns Polo Park in Winnipeg. Mariko is the host of the World Fishing Network’s Hookin’ Up, where she takes viewers to fishing hot spots around the world. A meet and greet autograph session takes place 2-4 pm and at 6 pm during the keynote speech, Mariko will share her knowledge on using the internet, social media and other modern communication tools to connect with a new generation of clients and outdoor enthusiasts. All are welcome - get your tickets through the MLOA at 204-772-1912.

http://www.travelmanitoba.com/images_tr/pdf/mariko_mloa.pdf

Canad Inns hasn't discovered time travel, but its CEO thinks its latest venture will take you back to the heyday of vaudeville.

The freshly restored Metropolitan Theatre is about to open for business after a quarter-century hiatus.

"You're going to see it restored to its original incarnation as the Allen Theatre, which was part of the vaudeville circuit back in the 1920s," said Paul Robson. "It's reminiscent of a bygone era as a historical building in Winnipeg."

When the first visitors walk through the doors of the restored Metropolitan Theatre -- now to be known as the Met Entertainment Centre, it will be 25 years and four days since it was last operational. It closed on Nov. 26, 1987, after a final showing of Date With An Angel, a romantic comedy starring Emmanuelle Béart, Phoebe Cates and Michael E. Knight.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/dark-for-25-years-updated-met-theatre-debuts-tonight-181497471.html

Kelekis Restaurant is calling it quits.

The iconic family-run restaurant on Main Street near Redwood Avenue, will close on Jan. 30, 2013.

The announcement was made on the website for the restaurant, which has been in its current location for 81 years and has a wall of photographs featuring famous customers.

There is also a mural along one wall that depicts the history of the family and its business.

"So many friendships have been forged with customers that this is a very hard thing to contemplate. We will miss all the contacts and the conversations with all of you," states the announcement on the website.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/11/30/mb-kelekis-restaurant-closing-winnipeg.html

Complete: THE province will create a new fund to protect fish and wildlife habitat in Manitoba.

Conservation Minister Gord Mackintosh said Thursday the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund will support projects aimed at conserving fish and wildlife populations for hunters, anglers and trappers.

"We do anticipate that we certainly could create a fund over $1 million that will either go to fish or wildlife conservation efforts," Mackintosh said.

Under legislation introduced Thursday, fish and wildlife committees made up of representatives from fishing, hunting and trapping organizations would be created. These committees would review project proposals and make recommendations to the minister of conservation and water stewardship.

Financial support for the fund would come from a nominal levies added to hunting, trapping and fishing licences. Other funding sources, including bequests, could also support the fund. Licence levies would be determined in consultation with sport fishing and hunting organizations.

Similar legislation is in place in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/fund-to-protect--provinces-fish-wildlife-habitats-181497521.html

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is being criticized for its plan to focus on fewer atrocities and include more Canadian content when it opens in 2014.

Against the wishes of former employees, Winnipeg's first national museum has done away with a plan to feature more than 80 genocides in an atrocities gallery in favour of focusing on five officially recognized by the federal government. The museum has expanded its Canadian content to ensure visitors are more aware of domestic human-rights success stories and failures.

Museum officials describe the changes to the content as the result of several years of engagement with the public and human rights experts.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/atrocities-gallery-too-much-181497341.html

A new batch of warming huts, designed to keep ice skaters warm on the cold Assiniboine River trail, have been unveiled today at The Forks in downtown Winnipeg.

Officials with The Forks showed off the winners of the 2013 Warming Huts competition, in which architects and artists design shelters for winter enthusiasts skating, walking or skiing on the frozen river.

The contest attracted almost 100 submissions from around the world this year. A jury chose three winning designs:

• Hygge House, a joint effort between three Winnipeg design firms.
• The Smokehouse by aamodt/plumb architects in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• Woolhaus by Myungkweon Park, a landscape architect in New York.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2012/11/29/mb-warming-huts-2013-forks.html

Complete: MONTREAL - The president and CEO of Air Canada (TSX:AC.B) has been picked for a key post at Star Alliance, which represents more than two dozen airlines around the world.

Calin Rovinescu says he will use the two-year term as chairman of the alliance's executive board to strengthen the global network and maintain customer loyalty.

Rovinescu has been the top executive at Canada's largest airline since April 2009 and held key other executive positions with Air Canada since 2000.

Air Canada is one of 27 members of the Star Alliance, which also includes Air China and Shenzhen Airlines , Germany's Lufthansa, as well as United and US Airways of the United States.

At the Star Alliance, he succeeds Rob Fyfe, CEO Air New Zealand.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/air-canada-chief-executive-gets-key-role-at-star-alliance-group-of-airlines-181519531.html

OTTAWA - In the wake of an expense scandal that rocked the board of directors of the Old Port of Montreal last spring, the popular tourism attraction is being placed under new management.

Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose is putting the Old Port of Montreal under the stewardship of the Canada Lands Co., a Crown property management firm, and dismantling the current board.

"We believe it is imperative that Canadians have confidence in how Crown corporations operate and use their hard-earned money," she said in making the announcement.

Parc Downsview Park Inc., another Crown corporation that runs an urban park on the site of an old Toronto air base, is also being moved under the Canada Lands umbrella.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/canada-lands-to-oversee-old-port-of-montreal-after-expense-scandal-181419291.html

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA has vowed to help fill the gap in funding for Tourism Australia's marketing campaigns following Qantas's shock decision to sever financial ties with the tourism body.

The airline's willingness to boost its assistance is a blow to Qantas's attempts to flush out a group of high-profile investors who have been agitating for change at Australia's largest airline.

Virgin's chief executive, John Borghetti, said the airline had been in talks with Tourism Australia about doubling its funding to $12 million over three years. In May, the airline signed an agreement to provide $6 million over three years for marketing campaigns.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/snub-for-qantas-as-virgin-goes-to-tourism-bodys-aid-20121130-2amcw.html

(A complete article published originally in the WFP, Nov.  '73)

OTTAWA — Waving aloft a large newspaper advertisement in which Air Canada was promoting flights to Hawaii via Pan Am, a United States airline over the ocean Don Mazankowski (PC— Vegreville) registered a protest in the Commons transport committee Thursday. He wanted to know why the government air carrier was encouraging flights via a U.S. line to Hawaii and thereby taking business away from the other major Canadian carrier CP Air which flies direct to Hawaii. '. "It's startling to see that Air Canada is cuddling up to 'an American airline in a package deal like this," said the Alberta opposition member. He wanted to know details of the deal between Pan Am and Ur, Canada. .However –Yves Pratte, chairman of Air Canada, said he would prefer not to give such details to the committee as they would then be available to his competitor CP Air. Mr. Pratte said Air Canada ad initiated the deal with Pan Am. It was part of the company’s promotion to gain more passengers. He pointed out hat when CP Air entered into arrangements with other American airlines, it did not first consult Air Canada to see if it would be acceptable to the government owned airline. Mr. Mazankowski was critical of Air Canada sales and promotion. He said earlier he ad picked 10 airlines at random. Comparing them with Air Canada it appeared to him that the American airlines which were operating in a much more competitive situation, had lower costs. He said Air Canada is spending about $10.40 per passenger ticket on sales and promotion; Delta Airlines is spending $4.15; Northwest' Airlines is spending $7.60; American Airlines, $7.00 and Braniff, $2.20. He did not have figures for CP Air.