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Winnipeg implements ignition interlocks, investing in Calgary, the end for Edmonton Event Centre, and Saskatchewan offers new liquor laws.

 Winnipeg puts ignition interlock plan into effect

Drinking and driving is against the law, and those who think they can continue to get away with it shouldn’t hold their breath. The City of Winnipeg is implementing an ignition interlock campaign, requiring those convicted of drunk driving to install the Breathalyzer-like device in their vehicle for a year. If the motorist blows over the legal limit, the vehicle will fail to start. The province announced on Monday that they hope to have this in effect for the holiday season.

MADD Winnipeg members said drivers would be forced to pay $1500 a year to install and maintain the device. Ward Keith the register for Manitoba Public Insurance recognizes that separating drinking from driving is a sure fire way to save lives. Drunk driving-related collisions have killed 100 so far this year.

Source: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/11/20/ignition-interlocks-on-way-for-drunk-drivers

 

New website encourages Calgarians to invest in their community

Calgary, now known for their great culture, is making it easy for you to micro-invest. Calgary 2012 announced the launch of their InvestYYC campaign on Tuesday. InvestYYC is a crowd-funding website in the same vein as Indiegogo and Kickstarter. Its goal is to allow individual donors to support local art groups, cultures, artists, and heritages in raising money for a variety of projects.

Karen Ball, executive director of Calgary 2012, says, “It’s not just about finding great projects and assembling a portfolio, it’s about giving where you live, feeling like you’re part of a community of investors that are supporting projects — being able to go to those projects and seeing those artists to form networks with them. That’s InvestYYC. It’s specific to our community.”

Calgary 2012 will match the first $100,00 in donations dollar for dollar. The site was activated a month ago and has 20 different groups and artists currently on the site. They have already raised an accrued amount of $40,000. These groups were chosen out of 1,000 applications Calgary 2012 received.

Ball has already seen a lot of great projects that are sure to leave an impact. To find out more about this initiative go to www.investyyc.com.

Source:http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/Calgary+2012+launches+crowd+funding+website/7585110/story.html

 Edmonton Event Centre to shut down

For six years the Edmonton Event Centre (EEC) situated in the West Edmonton Mall has rocked the house, with a number of bands, artists, and DJ’s gracing their stage. The location’s curtain call will be one last New Year’s Eve party at the end of December. According to Troy Dezwart, a spokesman for the centre, an even larger room at a new location will open up sometime in mid-2013.

“The ownership group has been planning a new venue for the last couple of years,” he says. “We’ve enjoyed our time at EEC but we realized we maximized its potential. So we’re creating a new venue that will allow us to grow and continue to improve the experience of music fans of all genres. Quite simply, we’ve outgrown the venue.”

EEC was the only room of it’s kind for mid size acts, housing up to 1,500 people, and while it always drew a crowd, people loved to point out its flaws, such as bad acoustics and a pillar in the middle of the dance floor. Viet Nguyen of Boodang Music Canada, says until the new venue opens Edmonton will probably see fewer shows, especially on Friday and Saturday nights which is known as a cash cow for DJs.  The mall will be leasing out the space to a retail tenant.

Source:http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/blogs/Edmonton+Event+Centre+shut+December/7585372/story.html

 

Saskatchewan reveals new liquor laws 

Old Saskatchewan liquor laws are being stripped away, when the province announced 70 new ones on Tuesday, including the move to allow alcohol to be served at wet-clothing contests and stripteases. Full frontal nudity and booze however, is a cocktail still to be barred.

“Prohibition against full nudity is still going to be enforced in Saskatchewan, but we will allow some stripping, exotic dancing-type without full nudity in the province,” said Donna Harpauer, minister responsible the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority.

Saskatchewan has been known to be a pretty conservative province and the only one with the rule that there should be no stripping where alcohol is served. Men and women will still have to cover the goods but under the new rule, pasties are acceptable. The province doesn’t expect to see a big boom in their stripping industry in light of these changes.

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/saskatchewan-offers-new-liquor-regulations-for-strip-clubs-movie-theatres/article5482761/

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Chadd Cawson is an intern at Spectator Tribune. Follow him at: @ChaddCawson

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