WFP Guest Columnist, Devryn Ross: BRANDON -- How do you lose a one-horse race?

It's a question many Brandonites are asking after learning Brandon's bid to host the 2017 Canada Games has been rejected -- this despite the fact Brandon was the only community that submitted a bid.

It's a blow to not only the Wheat City's ego, but to the local economy as well.

The Games would have provided an estimated $100 million in economic spinoffs for Brandon and would have elevated the city's national profile through dozens of hours of television visibility. They would have also covered much of the costs of much-needed upgrades to recreation facilities and infrastructure.

The Executive Director of Mennonite Heritage Village says they can live with the grant decision by Steinbach city council Tuesday. The city will give the museum a grant of $50,000.00 this year which is two-thirds of what it had requested. Barry Dyck says that's fine.

"We are very grateful for the $50,000.00 that was granted to us by city council. Yes we had applied for $75,000.00 because there had been a precedent for a number of years of receiving that amount. We all know in 2012 we already were scaled back to $50,000.00 so to be held at the 2012 level is actually a good thing. Obviously others were not as fortunate."

He's referring to the fact that eight of the 12 organizations that requested grants got nothing. Dyck adds finances are always a struggle for museums.

"Someone asked me recently if the museum was prospering. My response was that no museums prosper and we are not prospering financially. I think we are holding our own."

http://www.steinbachonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33022&Itemid=100413

The head of Winnipeg's museums board is hoping the local NHL team will pitch in money towards the city's museums, which face a funding shortfall.

The city's 2013 budget proposes a 10 per cent reduction in funding for city museums and heritage programs, resulting in a total shortfall of about $140,000.

The funding cuts have officials with some museums, including the Manitoba Children's Museum, fearing staff layoffs, program cuts and higher admission prices.

Bill Dowie, chair of the City of Winnipeg Museums Board, is proposing a museum stabilization fund that he hopes will get help from the Winnipeg Jets.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2013/01/16/mb-museum-funding-shortfall-jets-winnipeg.html

MONTREAL - The strong Canadian dollar, surging production costs and the worldwide economic downturn are all being blamed by the Cirque du soleil for its decision to lay off 400 employees. Most of the layoffs will be at the artistic giant's Montreal headquarters.

Company spokeswoman Renee-Claude Menard moved to dispel speculation the Cirque is flailing.

"The first thing to say is that the Circus is not in crisis," Menard told a news conference Wednesday. "Let's get that straight. "We had a record year in terms of tickets sold. We sold more than 14 million tickets this year. We had a record year for total revenue, with more than $1 billion."

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/cirque-du-soleil-announces-400-layoffs-most-at-its-montreal-headquarters-187176461.html

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - After more than four years sitting idle in a Dubai port, the storied passenger liner Queen Elizabeth 2 is bound again for the high seas as part of deal to convert the vessel into a luxury hotel in Asia, officials said Thursday.

The precise destination of the QE2 was not disclosed. But a map noted its planned voyage ending in China, raising speculation of seaports such as Shanghai or Hong Kong.

"We promise to take good care of her," said Daniel Chui, managing director of the Oceanic Group, a Singapore-based maritime firm leading the renovation of the vessel into a 500-room hotel.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/dubai-plans-asian-home-for-famed-qe2-liner-after-years-in-port-limbo-187251741.html

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The safety and reliability of the Boeing's new 787 came into question again Wednesday when battery problems led to an emergency landing of an All Nippon Airways flight. ANA and Japan Airlines, the biggest customers for the plane, temporarily grounded all 24 787s they own. Boeing shares fell more than 3 per cent.

Just a week, ago the battery on a Japan Airlines 787 ignited shortly after the plane landed at Boston's Logan International Airport, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to initiate a review of everything about the new airplane, including its entire design and manufacturing process.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/travel/why-boeings-dream-plane-is-under-review-questions-and-answers-about-the-problems-of-the-787-187192241.html

(Excerpts from an article published originally in the WFP, Jan. 17 '72)

OTTAWA (CP) — Air traffic controllers went on strike early today grounding

nearly all flights within Canada. The walkout went ahead as scheduled despite negotiations by representatives of the federal treasury board and the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association. Hoping to beat the strike deadline, the two sides met with a mediator almost to the last minute but were unable to reach a settlement of their three-month contract dispute. . J. R. (Dick) Campbell, president of the Canadian Air Traffic Controllers Association, said at 3:15 a.m.. EST: "We are going on strike because we have no contract." Mediator Noel Hall, saying that substantial progress had been made in three days of intensive bargaining, said contract talks will resume this afternoon. Mr. Campbell expressed concern that the government would recall Parliament to pass back to work legislation. Commercial air traffic is all but shut off by the strike. As the result of an agreement between the union and the government, however, controllers are to remain on the job. Emergency and northern supply flights are to continue and the union has agreed to handle mercy flights to remote locations. In return, the controllers are to be supplied with cargo manifests. The provisions apply specifically to airports at Edmonton, Winnipeg and Goose Bay, Labrador. Many air travellers attempted to beat the strike by advancing their reservations to Sunday from later in the week. Ottawa International Airport was crowded Sunday night by those hoping to obtain standby seating….           …Wages remain as the key unresolved issue in the dispute. T h e 1,600 controllers now earn a maximum of $14,600 a year, with-supervisors receiving up to $18,000. The union argues the rates are well below those for other workers with similar or even lighter responsibilities in the aviation industry. It originally demanded a 50-per-cent increase in a two-year contract and its representatives on a conciliation board recommended a 22-per-cent raise in a 27- month pact. For its part, the treasury board still has to accept publicly the majority recommendation of-the conciliation report for a 15.5-percent increase over 27 months.