Complete: Expanded retail Sunday shopping hours are getting mixed reviews in Brandon.

Stan’s IGA is one store that took advantage of the extended Sunday shopping hours that were changed by the province nearly three months ago.

"It’s more convenient for the customers," produce manager Jeremy Brown said. "We’ve seen customers coming through and the sales have gone up."

Brown said the store is happy to offer the consumer more options to get groceries on the weekends.

"It’s great for people that are getting away on Sunday," he said. "They can stop in early and get what they need."

However, it’s a different tale at one retail business located at Shoppers Mall.

"Because I belong to a church, I don’t appreciate being open on Sunday morning," said one employee who wished to remain anonymous.

"It means that I have to miss church. It means I have to miss family time."

While the extended hours may provide convenience for some shoppers who have weekend afternoons and evenings packed with sporting events or family get-togethers, the hours have an adverse effect for employees.

"It really cuts into any time we can spend with our family," she said.

Most stores in the mall require a minimum of two people on staff at all times and based on the foot traffic she has seen, the employee doubts many stores turn a profit before noon.

"Our boss loses money on a regular basis on Sunday, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the management (of the mall)," she said.

While all malls provide tangible benefits to the businesses located inside them, such as an indoor storefront and built-in traffic, it often means playing by the mall’s rules. And it’s no secret that during standard hours of mall operation, management prefers all businesses are open so the customer can reap the rewards.

However, the employee doesn’t feel that mall management is 100 per cent transparent with its traffic numbers. According to the employee, a staff worker entering the mall is counted in the foot traffic report and the same employee is recounted if they return to their vehicle to get something or go outside for a cigarette and come back in.

"There are a lot of numbers that they have used to support (extended hours), but I don’t know how reliable it is because it’s not pure customer base," she said.

She also believes that the notion that the extended hours will create jobs is a myth, as most businesses will just spread employees thinner to make up for the increase in hours instead of hiring new people, meaning the quality of service will decline, she said.

And another employee isn’t buying that the extended hours are a way to combat Canadian shoppers heading south in search of bargains.

"We keep hearing that the reason people go shopping in the (United) States is because the hours are restricted here, but it’s not the case," she said. "It’s the prices and it’s the selection. People can get it cheaper in the States. It has nothing to do with how many hours we are open."

http://www.brandonsun.com/breaking-news/extended-hours-garner-mixed-reviews-176240891.html

When I was a kid, I had an infinite curiosity for ghost stories. I remember staying up way past bedtime to watch scary movies on TV or reading Grimm's Ghost Stories by flashlight under the covers. They gave me goosebumps, yet I never felt afraid.

Then I became an adult.

These days, for whatever reason, I tend to avoid all things spooky. Horror films in the theatre? No way. Paranormal shows on television? Forget about it. Frightening fiction? Not a chance.

So I surprised myself recently by going on a haunted excursion. Muddy Waters Tours offers year-round outings that include three different "dark tourism" trips. Deciding it would be fun to be a tourist in my own city, I chose the Haunted Winnipeg Investigates bus tour -- a three-hour adventure for the "spirited" personality. Time to get my ghostbuster on.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/our-spooky-city-176144421.html

A well known travel expert was speaking about bed and breakfasts in Steinbach Saturday.

Pamela Lanier, along with Bed and Breakfast of Manitoba, was hosting a conference at Mennonite Heritage Village.  Lanier says there was some great discussion generated from some of her advice.

"Focus on your strengths and go with your passions.  We had a break-out session that included eight different topics that small lodgings could focus on, such as family-friendly accommodations and activities, culinary and agriculture tourism, and of course romance, which is the backbone of the bed and breakfast industry."

She notes around 100 people attended, and everyone, including herself, learned quite a bit.

http://www.steinbachonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31779&Itemid=100413

OTTAWA - Canada's passports are being updated to include chip technology and watermark images designed to prevent fraud, but are also going to cost a lot more.

The new passports will have computer chips embedded — technology that's already used in almost 100 other countries, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Friday.

Each blank page of the document will also contain watermarks depicting iconic images from Canadian history....         ...The new passports will be renewable for either five- or 10-year periods, but they'll come with a price: $120 for five years, up from the current $87, and $160 for the 10-year option.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/baird-introduces-new-passports-with-computer-chips-historical-watermarks-175963011.html

CALGARY — It looks a lot like winter in Banff National Park, but officials say summer tourism numbers are pointing to an industry rebounding from a recent economic downturn.

From April to September, Parks Canada statistics show a 2.3 per cent increase in the number of visitors through the park gates over the same time last year.

“We’re feeling really good,” said Kara Sherrard, visitor experience manager for Banff National Park.

More than 3.2 million visitors went through the gates in 2011 and Sherrard said this year’s statistics already suggest it could meet or exceed those numbers — particularly with the earliest ski and snowboard season in recent history.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Banff+summer+tourism+shows+uptick/7461542/story.html

Prince Edward Island is already considered an attractive tourist destination with its spectacular scenery, sandy beaches, challenging golf courses and friendly people. But tourism operators on "the gentle island" are also making an effort to get the message out that P.E.I. is gay-friendly.

"What we're trying to do is let travellers know that Prince Edward Island is gay welcoming and we have a lot of the things that the research indicates that gay travellers are seeking," said Bill Kendrick, chairman of the P.E.I. Gay Tourism Association.

He said gay travellers are looking for the same features in a destination as anyone else, plus a bit more.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/efforts-being-made-to-make-prince-edward-island-tourism-more-gay-friendly-176221421.html

Even though the bookings for this time of year tend to be concentrated on sun destinations, the questions this week relate to the much broader issues.

QUESTION: I keep hearing about new airlines relating to both Air Canada and WestJet Airlines. What is happening?

ANSWER: In separate announcements a couple of weeks ago, both airlines said they are changing their corporate structure.

Just as Air Canada once promoted Jazz as its regional carrier, WestJet has decided it wants to compete for some of that regional business.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/sorting-out-air-canada-westjet-moves-175050071.html

Complete: TORONTO -- Royal Agricultural Winter Fair organizers say they're disappointed after Toronto officials refused to approve a bull run in the financial district to promote the fair's 90th anniversary.

The plan was for six 900-kilogram bulls to run down Bay Street between Wellington and King streets on Tuesday. The event would have served as a precursor to the fair's Nov. 2 opening day at Exhibition Place.

Elizabeth Glibbery, the city's manager of animal services, says the event violated bylaws.

"Under the bylaw, there is a provision for exceptions, under educational and for film production; however, the purpose and intent of this event is for promotional purposes and, therefore, does not meet the exception," Glibbery said in an email. "This would have been a significant and dangerous precedent in respect to prohibited animal use in the city."

The decision did not sit well with the organizers, who said proper precautions had been taken.

"I can say that it's disappointing," said the fair's director of marketing, Rachel Woodman. "We worked for many months closely with the city, with police services and animal services to plan this."

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/toronto-denies-fairs-plans-and-thats-no-bull-176212401.html

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Big cities from Washington to Boston braced Sunday for the onslaught of a superstorm that could menace 50-million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the U.S., with forecasters warning New York could be in particular peril.

Federal Emergency Management administrator Craig Fugate warned that the "time for preparing and talking is about over," as hurricane Sandy made its way up the Atlantic on a collision course with two other weather systems that could turn it into one of the most fearsome storms on record in the U.S....          ...Forecasters warned the megastorm could wreak havoc over 1,300 kilometres from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. States of emergency were declared from North Carolina to Connecticut.

Airlines cancelled more than 7,600 flights and Amtrak began suspending passenger train service across the Northeast. New York and Philadelphia moved to shut down their subways, buses and commuter trains Sunday night and announced that schools would be closed Monday.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/emergencies-declared-amid-northeast-forecast-of-superstorm-coastal-residents-warned-get-out-176105961.html

(A complete article published originally in the WFP, Oct.  '57)

Bert Fraser, director of the bureau of travel and publicity for the past 6 years is resigning his position to become managing director of the Manitoba Hotel Association. The announcement was made by J.G. Belleghem, president of the association. Mr. Eraser's appointment, becomes effective Nov. 15.  when he succeeds Charles A. Tanner, who is retiring after more than 30 years of directing the affairs of hotelmen in Manitoba.  Mr. Van Belleghem slated that he and his associates are facing a new era in the hotel industry, and believe that Mr. Fraser`s background of organization work and promotional activity in building the province`s tourist industry to a $20,000,000 market annually will be of great help. Mr. Fraser was raised and educated in Manitoba, graduating from college in 1936 in political economy. He served in the Second World War with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, rising from private to captain.