Leons Headlines March 18: Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 2.25% Wednesday, but warned Canadians rising oil & natural gas prices caused by the war in Iran will push up inflation & households should prepare for steep price increases in the short term.
-Drivers in Westman see gas prices climb again this morning to 164.9 ¢/L as crude oil spikes & the seasonal switch to summer gasoline continues to put upward pressure on pump prices.
-Brandon City Council plans to borrow $6M over 10 years to build a new outdoor aquatic facility with 2 pools, a lazy river & waterslides, replacing the Kinsmen Pool, with 3 sites under consideration for a 2028 opening.
-Most of Brandon council support keeping the current ward system, but considering fewer councillors & higher pay, despite a proposal to shift to a smaller council.
-Assiniboine College will expand post-secondary education to military families & the CFB Shilo community with training potentially starting as early as this year.
-MB public health officials warn of a potential measles superspreader event at the Winter Fair as cases, already making up most of Canada’s total, continue to rise.
-Dauphin RCMP arrest a man in Gilbert Plains after a firearms complaint, prompting a precautionary school lockdown Tuesday.
-MB plans to ban “predatory pricing” that uses personal data to charge shoppers differently even though the practice hasn’t been seen locally yet.
-Canadian Taxpayers Federation urges governments to scrap carbon taxes & cut gas taxes, citing a heavy tax burden making high fuel prices unbearable.
-Ryan O’Reilly scores the shootout winner to lift Nashville to a 4-3 victory over the Jets.
-Wheat Kings visit Saskatoon tonight.
Camped out in Regina for IHOP at Applebee’s: Fans lined up early in Regina, proving pancakes are serious business! First 400 guests scored free pancakes for a year—now that’s breakfast dedication.
Tipping at restaurants must go? Seventy percent of people are saying “enough!” to tipping—finally, the restaurant bill could make sense! Imagine paying for your food without the mental math stress at the end.
Dynamic Pricing banned in Manitoba. Manitoba just made it illegal to charge people different prices based on income—sorry, algorithms, you’re out! Predatory pricing won’t be creeping into stores here anytime soon.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/bill-49-predatory-pricing-9.7131963
Cancun Confusion—23 passengers booted. Why did this happen? Twenty-three travelers got the surprise of a lifetime: kicked off a single flight to Cancun! Airport drama or just a vacation plot twist?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/passengers-booted-cancun-9.7132076
47-year-old gives birth an hour after finding out she’s pregnant. Talk about a plot twist—she found out she was pregnant and an hour later welcomed a baby! Definitely a record-breaking “fastest pregnancy reaction” moment.
U.S. airports could face closures during a government shutdown. Because essential federal workers like TSA screeners and air traffic controllers will continue to work without pay, limiting airport operations. The long lines are growing, delayed flights, or even temporary gate shutdowns are on the horizon if staffing drops below safe levels.
