Nation in brief: Sept. 28, 2010

Carnival de corruption? Maclean’s comes under fire in Quebec

The latest issue of Maclean’s magazine has sparked anger among politicians in Quebec and organizers of the Quebec Winter Carnival whose mascot, Bonhomme Carnaval, was displayed on the cover holding a briefcase full of money along with the headline “The Most Corrupt Province in Canada.” The cover story uses examples like the federal sponsorship scandal and corruption in the construction industry to paint the picture of an extremely corrupt Quebec, something politicians in the province have since called “Quebec bashing.” The director of the Carnival has reportedly demanded an apology from Maclean’s, as have the province’s government officials. The magazine has thus far defended the article

Pencils? Check. Eraser? Check. iPad? …Check!

An elementary school in Nova Scotia has modified their teaching approach with the help of ten iPads, The Next Web Canada has reported. Cape Breton’s Mount Carmel Elementary School purchased ten of Apple’s newest creation to be shared among students as hi-tech teaching tools. The buy set them back a whopping $10, 000 but much of the cost was covered by fundraising and money from the school board. The importance of computer literacy in today’s society is reportedly one of the motivators for the purchase. Using apple products as teaching aids has seemingly become common place as of late, with schools in Australia and Nebraska making headlines for their use of iPads and iPods in the classroom.

Canadian television bureau bans assisted suicide ad

The Television Bureau of Canada may soon come under legal fire from an Australian organization after they banned a 45-second television advertisement for assisted suicide, according to CBC news. The Bureau reportedly refused to clear the ad because it promotes workshops that council people on assisted suicide, which is against the law in Canada. The Australian organization behind the ad, Exit International, will soon be giving Safe Exit Workshops in five North American cities, including Toronto and Vancouver. In the commercial, a man lists choices he made in his life like marriage and his children, but he says he didn’t choose to be terminally ill. Australian officials have also banned the ad.

Lotto-winning farmers nearly miss the boat

Three Ontario farmers are 23-million dollars richer after winning the Lotto Max jackpot, but came dangerously close to missing out on the win of their lives. The men, all friends and ginseng farmers in southwestern Ontario, had worked together for more than a decade, playing the lottery for a large part of that time. On the week of their win, farmer Bob Poetz forgot whose turn it was to buy the ticket so he, luckily, went to the store and bought one right before closing time. It turns out it was another one of the farmers, Don Colcuc, week to buy the ticket, but he had forgotten all about it, meaning Poetz’s confusion is the only reason the three men, who all plan on continuing the farm work, cashed in on the big pay day. The win also fell on the one-year anniversary of the Lotto Max game..

Related Posts