Sask. tech institute working to avoid strikes
Around 1,300 instructors and 700 support staff at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology were preparing to strike as of last Friday night in response to a stalemate in negotiations for a new collective agreement. The employees, who are members of the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union, have been without a contract since the summer of 2009. The SIAST agreed on Friday to use a mediator to hopefully aid the bargaining process, but it’s not clear as to whether the strikes will still occur. The SIAST has four campuses in the province and serves over 14,000 post-secondary students.
Doors are for pansies: deer
Remembrance Day ceremonies at a Winnipeg school were interrupted last Wednesday by what is undoubtedly a contender for the toughest deer in Canada. The wild buck burst through a pane of glass near the school’s front door, narrowly avoiding children as young as kindergarten age who were entering the building shortly before classes were to begin. Staff managed to herd the animal into a classroom, where he apparently remained stationary behind the teacher’s desk, clearly showing everyone who was in charge. A provincial conservation officer eventually guided the deer out of the room and into the hall, where it apparently bolted out the door before being treated for minor glass wounds. I would not buck with that deer.
Bull injures four at Edmonton rodeo
It’s pretty common at rodeos to see a cowboy hop into the stands to avoid an angry bull. It is less common to see the bull itself hop into the crowd, but that is exactly what happened at an Edmonton rodeo last weekend. The 1,600 pound bull quickly tossed off its rider before making a beeline for the fence and jumping clear over it. It landed on members of the audience, injuring four of them. Three of the injuries were minor, but one woman needed to be taken to hospital for treatment after experiencing back pain and leg numbness. As a result, the bull has been removed from the competition. The rodeo took place at Edmonton’s Rexall Place on Friday night. Northlands, the event’s organizers, released a statment saying this is the first time in the rodeo’s history that a bull has jumped out of the ring.
Starbucks clients nab poppy fund thief
Two late night coffee-drinkers became local heroes after they stopped a thief who was stealing poppy funds from a local café. The two men were on a break from work at around 11 p.m. when they entered a Starbucks in Victoria, B.C., the QMI agency reported. When they walked outside the coffee shop the two men waited for a few minutes, during which time they reportedly witnessed another customer grabbing a Legion Poppy Fund box and running. The two men reacted quickly and grabbed the suspect as he exited the shop and held him on the ground until police arrived. The box contained approximately $50.
