HIRING intentions among Manitoba small businesses are at their highest level since 2009, even though optimism among the province's business owners is lower than in most other provinces, according to a new survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

In its latest monthly Business Barometer report, released Thursday, the CFIB said more than a quarter (27 per cent) of Manitoba small businesses surveyed last month indicated they intend to hire more full-time workers in the second quarter this year.

"That level of hiring has not been seen since 2009," said Janine Carmichael, the federation's Manitoba director. It's five per cent higher than in January, despite the fact the small business optimism index in the province is the third-lowest in the country.

The federation said Manitoba's index remained unchanged in February at 63.4, well below the national average of 66.2 and nearly eight points below Alberta's country-leading 71.0 rate.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/manitobas-small-firms-hot-to-hire-survey-finds-194136501.html

Complete: Visitors can expect the Keystone Centre to remain a busy place this spring — and not only with the sights and sounds of fairs and agricultural events but also hammers and saws.

At the most recent Keystone Centre board meeting, directors discussed the ongoing repairs and renovations to existing facilities.

“We’re optimistic that most of the work will be completed by the end of March,” Keystone Centre general manager Neil Thomson said.

Work includes new lighting in Westman Place, a new folding partition wall in the Convention Hall, new tile and bathrooms in the concourse, a new digital sign, upgrades to the washrooms in Westman Place, a new compressor for one of the ice plants and dehumidifiers to eliminate moisture from the building.

“It’s a combination of little things that we needed to address, but it adds up to a lot,” Thomson said.

Some of the items were projects the management group had hoped to complete in the lead up to the Memorial Cup, but were put on the back burner after funds were diverted to projects that took priority.

Although the work will be ongoing, Thomson said it shouldn’t affect the day-to-day business of the centre.

“We’re trying to work around it and it’s been a challenge for our staff and the contractors,” Thomson said.

Another discussion centred on the potential for a new building that could double as a facility for agricultural and athletic groups, Thomson said, and would be built onto the existing centre in the northeast corner.

“It would be an indoor field house that is multi-purpose and can be changed into a barn as well.”

Thomson said he expects the new campground, which had sewer and water plumbing put in prior to frost setting in the ground last year but is waiting on electrical, to be operational by the Manitoba Summer Fair.

“It’s a resource to help attract other ag events and provide a service for our existing events,” Thomson said.

http://www.brandonsun.com/local/most-keystone-centre-repairs-renos-will-be-completed-this-month-194174821.html

While no one's popping champagne corks for a stadium completed a year behind schedule, Investors Group Field is entering what the Winnipeg Football Club describes as the final stage of construction.

The $200-million, 33,500-seat stadium on the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus will unofficially open Sunday, May 26, when about 15,000 members of various Winnipeg church congregations have been invited to take part in an outdoor service that will function as a soft launch for the new sports facility.

The first paid event scheduled at the stadium is the Saturday, June 22 Taylor Swift concert. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are expected to open their home schedule on Thursday, June 27, according to a draft of the Canadian Football League's 2013 schedule.

Winnipeg Football Club president and CEO Garth Buchko said he has been given "every assurance" that general contractor Stuart Olson Dominion will have the stadium ready in time for those events.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/stadium-on-schedule-buchko-194136011.html

So long, triple cheese nip. Esplanade Riel is about to welcome an entirely different high-calorie concoction: The tartiflette, a casserole of pan-fried potatoes, onions, bacon and ham, smothered in a cream sauce and topped with bubbling, made-in-Manitoba Trappist cheese.

The tartiflette, which has origins in eastern France, is the signature dish at Chez Sophie, a St. Boniface pizza parlour and bistro selected by the City of Winnipeg to take over the pedestrian-bridge restaurant space occupied by the Salisbury House chain since 2005.

On Monday, city council's downtown, heritage and riverbank committee will consider a five-year deal that would see Chez Sophie become a tenant on Esplanade Riel, effectively fulfilling the original vision of the bridge restaurant as a higher-end destination.

Chez Sophie, which has operated on Avenue de la Cathedrale since 2005, is not a luxury restaurant. Operated by Stephane and Sophie Wild, a pair of immigrants from France's Alsace region, the homey spot has a menu featuring pastas, pizza and a few old-school French dishes such steak au poivre and beef bourguignon.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/theres-a-new-chef-on-esplanade-riel-194136421.html

TOKYO - The International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission arrived in Tokyo on Friday ahead of a four-day inspection of the city's plans to host the 2020 Olympics.

IOC vice-president Craig Reedie will lead the March 4-7 inspection.

Later this month, the evaluation commission will visit Madrid and Istanbul, the two other cities bidding to host the games. The IOC will select the host city by secret ballot at is session in Buenos Aires on Sept. 7.

Tokyo, which hosted the 1964 Olympics, is bidding for a second straight time after finishing third in the IOC vote for the 2016 Games, which went to Rio de Janeiro.

"For the next week, we will go all out to demonstrate our winning formula for hosting the games in 2020," Tokyo 2020 president Tsunekazu Takeda said.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/olympics/ioc-evaluation-commission-arrives-in-tokyo-to-inspect-plans-to-host-2020-olympics-194129861.html

(A complete article published originally in the WFP, Mar.  '60)

The Manitoba Federation of Game and Fish Associations Tuesday stuck to its guns for confiscation of the equipment of lawbreaking hunters and fishermen.

The association described as "unworkable" as alternative proposals for suspension of hunting and fishing licences after convictions for breaches of the Game and Fish Act.

H. D. Whellams, federation president, first appeared before the legislature’s law and amendments which would remove provisions for confiscation of equipment from the Game and Fish Act.  He was asked by the committee to get further views from his members and to study the proposal for licence suspension.

Tuesday, he was back before the committee with his views unchanged.  A poll of branch presidents, he said had shown that 32 of them, or 57 per cent, were in favour of retaining confiscation at the discretion of a judge or magistrate, while 26, or 43 per cent, were in favor of abandoning it.

Also in favour of retaining confiscation, he said, were five federation committee members, which left 77 per cent of the opinion polled in favour of confiscation.

Many of the branch presidents, he said had incomplete knowledge of the background of the Game and Fish Act.  He said that even if the provincial amendments were approved, confiscations would still be provided for offenses against federal fish and game laws.

The provincial legislation would remove confiscation for offences involving upland game birds only and this would produce "a very confusing situation".

Mr. Whellams repeated his contention that "we fail to see why any decent law-abiding sportsman has anything to fear from confiscation. "

Forty-eight of the members polled felt that the suggestion for licence suspensions would be unworkable, he said.  If it were workable "it would have strength but we do not see how it could be made airtight."

There were probably more than 800 licence vendors in the province, he noted.  "Would a hardware dealer be very careful about refusing a licence to a person who might buy considerable merchandise? " he asked.

The committees took no action on the amendments.

The committee also began clause-by-clause study of a 77-page bill of amendments to the Highway Traffic Act.  The main portion of the bill is aimed at standardizing the rules of the road in all provinces across Canada.  No one spoke in opposition to the amendments.