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Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012

Off the Wire

The Return of Robot Chicken

The wait is finally over: fans can expect a fresh taste of twisted humour when new episodes of Robot Chicken's season five return to the "Fred at Night" lineup on Sunday, March 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.  www.robotchicken.com

Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012

Off the Wire

Healthy Marijuana

After almost ten years in the business of selling marijuana, Health Canada finally recognizes the expertise of those it had sought to exclude—medical marijuana growers and distributors operating outside the law and whose activities pre-date the existence of any legal medical marijuana framework.

Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012

Off the Wire

Top 10 Riskiest Canadian Cities Online

Norton teamed up with independent research firm Sperling's Best Places to uncover Canada's top 10 cities that have the highest number of cybercrime risk factors.
 
No. 1 - Burlington, ON
No. 2 - Port Coquitlam, BC
No. 3 - Vancouver, BC
No. 4 - Langley, BC
No. 5 - Calgary, AB
No. 6 - Fredericton, NB
No. 7 - Toronto, ON
No. 8 - New Westminster, BC
No. 9 - Edmonton, AB
No. 10 - Victoria, BC

Norton offers a free, cloud-enabled service that allows consumers to easily and securely store and synchronize logins, passwords, credit cards, and other Web form information across browsers and devices. ID Safe beta is available for free download from IdentitySafe-beta.norton.com

Tuesday, Feb 21, 2012

Off the Wire

Milking Memories

Dairy Farmers of Canada launched a new microsite for Milk Calendar fans called "Milk Calendar Moments" which lets Canadians take a walk down memory lane by seeing vintage recipes and calendar covers in the midst of memorable events and pop culture news from the past four decades. www.MyMilkCalendar.ca/Moments

Monday, Feb 20, 2012

Off the Wire

Sled Dog Protection Falls Short

The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) says the care standards for sled dogs, announced today by the B.C. government, have completely failed to address the dogs' welfare problems.

Under the standards sled dogs will still be tethered for long periods and can still be shot if they are unwanted and cannot be re-homed.  In addition, the standards provide no resources for on-site inspections or enforcement of the regulations. www.vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca

Monday, Feb 20, 2012

Off the Wire

Surviving Survivor With New App

Shaw Media is taking fans of Survivor: One World to the next level of television viewing by adding a live sync companion experience to the wildly popular Global Video App, available for iPad™, iPhone™ and iPod Touch™ users. To get this new companion feature visit the App Store on your personal devices and download the Global Video App. Survivor: One World airs Wednesdays - 8pm ET/PT on Global.

Monday, Feb 20, 2012

Off the Wire

Isotopes Without Reactors

This development allows hospitals and clinics with existing cyclotrons to make the isotope traditionally only available from nuclear reactors. Each year, tens of millions of medical procedures are conducted around the world with technetium-99m, an isotope used in radiopharmaceuticals for imaging disease in the heart, bones, and elsewhere in the body.  Two ageing nuclear reactors produce about three quarters of the global supply; one of them is the NRU reactor in Chalk River.  In the past few years, both reactors have suffered maintenance and repair outages, threatening the global supply of medical isotopes.  The conventional technology with reactors also involves the use of highly enriched uranium.  For more information, visit: www.triumf.ca

Monday, Feb 20, 2012

Off the Wire

Get Ready To RRRoll

Tim Hortons' hugely popular RRRoll Up The Rim contest kicks off today offering guests a one in six chance of instantly winning from more than $60 million in cash and prizes including 40 Grand Prizes of the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrids, 100 Panasonic 3D TV packages, 1000 Coleman Camping packages, 5000 Panasonic digital cameras, 25,000 $100 Tim Cards and more than 47 million food prizes. www.rolluptherimtowin.com  

Saturday, Feb 18, 2012

Off the Wire

BCAA Road Safety Launch New Website

WorkSafeBC has launched a new online safe driving website in partnership with the BCAA Road Safety Foundation. www.RoadSafetyAtWork.ca is aimed at employers whose workers are required to drive in the course of their work.

The website features a host of tips and materials to help employers and workers stay safe while on the road and guides employers through five simple steps to enhance road policies or create new ones:

Friday, Feb 17, 2012

Off the Wire

One Million Court Decisions Now Online in Free Database

There are now one million Canadian court and tribunal decisions freely available over the internet, courtesy of the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII). It has taken 12 years for this comprehensive online legal resource to reach the one million mark, a total that includes judgments from more than 200 legal sources. Access to the CanLII service is available at www.canlii.org, or through the web site of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada www.flsc.ca.

Friday, Feb 17, 2012

Off the Wire

Feeling Creative? Facebookers Can Win A Mazda

How do you challenge the everyday hum-drum? What is your creative expression that allows you to resist the status quo and do something great? On February 17^th, Mazda Canada wants to know how you defy convention by sharing personal works of creativity, achievement, or impact on society for your chance to win the all-new 2013 Mazda CX-5 with SKYACTIV Technology!

The Mazda "Defy Convention" Facebook contest facebook.com/mazdacanada encourages Canadians to share these special moments by uploading a video, photo, or story of your experience.

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012

Off the Wire

Buy A Walmart Bookmark – Feed A Kid

In classrooms across Canada there are future prime ministers, teachers and Stanley Cup champions. Everything is possible when children have breakfast – but 1 in 10 children are at risk of going to school on an empty stomach. For more information, visit: www.breakfastclubscanada.org

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012

Off the Wire

Calling All Polar Bears

In an effort to raise funds to combat pediatric cancer, the Sears Great Canadian Chill challenges everyone in the Lower Mainland to participate in an energizing and meaningful swim into cool waters on February 18, 2012. The first annual BC Chill aims to raise funds that will support research to help find a cure for pediatric cancer. Monies raised at this Polar Bear Swim will support pediatric cancer-focused research through the Sears Canada Charitable Foundation and will be directed to the BC Children's Hospital (BCCH). The dunking takes place at Second Beach in Stanley Park. For more information, visit: www.TheChill.ca

Thursday, Feb 16, 2012

Off the Wire

MV-1: Canada's Newest Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle

They took a ramp and built a car around it. Why convert a standard vehicle when you can buy one that is already done? "The MV-1 comes with more safety features, has a longer service life, is available for a significantly lower purchase price, is more cost-effective and environmentally efficient to operate, and offers a more comfortable ride than the converted vehicle alternatives." For more information, visit: www.mv1canada.com

Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012

Off the Wire

Check Your Charity

Canadians now have an easy way to get detailed information about the 85,000 registered charities in the country.

Charity Focus, a new bilingual web site developed by Imagine Canada, provides detailed financial information based on an organization's filings to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). But more importantly, charities now have the opportunity to start supplementing this information with details about their programs and accomplishments. Together, the information found in CharityFocus provides a balanced picture of Canada's charities - their work, their funding and their people. For more information, visit: www.charityfocus.ca

Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012

Off the Wire

Making An Impact For Kids With Cancer

Today, Childhood Cancer Canada (CCC), in collaboration with Brother Canada, launched its national awareness campaign "Words of Hope," to commemorate International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. Through its "Words of Hope" campaign, CCC is encouraging all Canadians to submit inspiring words online, until April 1^st, 2012, by visiting www.wordsofhope.ca

Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012

Our Inbox

Long-time Advocate For the Poor Terminally Ill

The family of former councillor & DTES advocate Jim Green is asking for privacy after Green was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is reportedly in the last stages and it is not known how long he has. Green began civic politics in 2002. Photo courtesy of cathedral.vancouver.bc.ca

Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012

Off The Wire

Call For Painting Entries

Are you artistic? RBC, with the support of the Canadian Art Foundation, today announced its call for entries for the 2012 RBC Canadian Painting Competition. With a total of $55,000 in prize money, it is one of the largest competitions of its kind in Canada.

Entries must be submitted by May 9, 2012 and winners will be announced in Toronto on November 29, 2012, with the national winner receiving $25,000 and two honourable mentions each receiving $15,000. For more information, go here.

Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012

Off The Wire

Target Chooses Starbucks

Target's Canadian guests will have the opportunity to enjoy the Starbucks experience while shopping as a result of a new agreement between Target Canada Co. and Starbucks Coffee Canada, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, the majority of the 125 - 135 Target locations across Canada will feature Starbucks licensed stores. Target opened its first Starbucks licensed store location in the United States in 1999.  There are now 1,097 Starbucks locations within Target stores in the U.S.

Tuesday, Feb 14, 2012

Off The Wire

Nexus Pass Now A Go At Airports

Starting February 15, NEXUS members flying to the United States will be able to use NEXUS cards in designated security lines for pre-board screening at airports for faster service. NEXUS is a bi-national Canada-United States program for pre-approved, low-risk travelers entering Canada and the United States at designated air, land and marine ports of entry. When travelling by air, NEXUS speeds up border clearance by offering members expedited passage by using self-serve kiosks.  For more information, visit: www.nexus.gc.ca

Tuesday, Feb 14, 2012

Off The Wire

To Victoria, With Love

Students from several campuses will deliver Valentine's Day messages to the legislature today in hopes of encouraging the government to take action on funding for colleges and universities. The event draws attention to the record high costs of public post-secondary education in BC, and the pressing need for government action. Go here for more information. 

Monday, Feb 13, 2012

Off The Wire

New CBC Music App

CBC Music gives you instant access to the best in emerging and established music. With over a dozen distinct genres and 40 unique web radio stations that you won’t find anywhere else, CBC Music satisfies even the most demanding music fan.

Features:

• Choose from 13 distinct musical genres

• Instant access to 40 unique music streams

• Download on iTunes (where available)

Find all of your favourites, explore a wide variety of genres, and make exciting new music discoveries with CBC Music. Download the free application here.

Monday, Feb 13, 2012

Off The Wire

Giving Yourself As A Gift

In a six week campaign, beginning 13th February, MTV will reach youth audiences ahead of the event, calling on its millions of viewers from 40 countries across the EMEA region, encouraging them to do something good, be it large or small, for the benefit of others. Viewers are asked to share images, text and videos of their own good deeds - or that of someone they know - via a dedicated website, www.gooddeedsday-mtv.com. MTV and Arison will select the two most creative and inspiring uploads, who will each win a VIP trip for two to an international MTV event.

Monday, Feb 13, 2012

Off The Net

Graffiti or Godsend?

Some Americans are cashing in on home advertising, whereby some big companies like Twitter and Facebook are paying people's home mortgages for a year, and in exchange, the companies get advertising. Read the full story here.

Friday, Feb 10, 2012

Off The Wire

BC Property Tax Assessment Appeals Drop 25% Over 2012

British Columbian property owner satisfaction is up significantly in 2012 as BC Assessment announced today a 25 per cent decrease over last year's property assessment appeal rates. BC Assessment values over 1.9 million properties in nine separate property classes. The value of all real estate on the annual provincial assessment roll is $1,106,710,671,771 for 2012, an increase of over 6 per cent from 2011. Read more at: www.bcassessment.ca

Friday, Feb 10, 2012

Off The Net

Sometimes Media Takes Too Many Liberties

The editor of the Osoyos Times laid into an RCMP officer, raking him over hot coals in an editorial, for being abusive while making him perform a roadside sobriety test. Cry us a river. The accusations later turned out to be false after review of the audio. Read the RCMP's response to this guy's lame editorial here.

Thursday, Feb 9, 2012

Off The Wire

Get In On The Action

MyClassAction announced the official launch of the largest national class action website available at www.myclassaction.ca. The website provides a bilingual database with over 1,300 class actions and a powerful and easy-to-use search engine. It becomes an essential tool for class action research in Canada, both for the legal community and the general public.

Thursday, Feb 9, 2012

Off The Wire

Who's Cheating Whom

CheaterVille, Inc. www.cheaterville.com, an online social media company that provides information about alleged cheaters has already added more than 300,000 new subscribers to their social networking website and has the largest database of ousted cheaters in the world. 81% of Alleged Cheaters posted on Cheaterville are women. Out of the 81% of women cheaters posted, 42% of those postings were submitted by other women. In other words, women are ousting other women.

Thursday, Feb 9, 2012

Off The Wire

Just The Good News

Wednesday, Feb 8, 2012

Off The Wire

Health Canada Approves Handheld Skin Cancer Imaging System

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Off The Wire

Mint Rolls Out New Whale Of A Coin

Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012

Off The Wire

Juno's Nominations Announced For April 1 Show

Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012

Off The Wire

Madonna Coming to Vancouver Sept 29

Today Madonna announced a new world tour right on the heels of strong Super Bowl halftime performance. Last week also saw the release of Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin" from her highly anticipated new album MDNA. She will be doing a show at Rogers Arena Septmber 29. Buy your tickets here.

Monday, Feb 6, 2012

Off The Wire

Hearty Pizza

On Valentine's Day Boston Pizza will be once again making heart-shaped pizzas with $1 from each one sold going toward their charity fund for groups like Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, Kids Help Phone and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. To find a location near you, visit: www.bostonpizza.com

Monday, Feb 6, 2012

Off The Net

Talking About Superbowl Commercials

Do you get a kick out of watching the commercials during the game? Click the photo above for Clint's commercial and see the one's getting the most comments posted on Mashable here. 

Saturday, Feb 4, 2012

Off The Net

A Solar Powered Chair Lift For Skiers

Even though as the crow flies, the postage-stamp town of Tenna, Switzerland, isn't far from historic resorts like St. Moritz and Davos, Tenna is a one-horse town, one-shop, one-school, and one t-bar town. And that t-bar, the only ski lift in the whole valley, was on its last legs. But rather than let it die, locals raised enough money to update it and then went a step further: They built the world's first solar-powered ski lift. Read the entire story here.

Friday, Feb 3, 2012

Off The Wire

Name the Polar Bear Contest

The Toronto Zoo has a new resident.  The contest is presented by Coca Cola. Starting today and over the next six weeks, names can be submitted to the Toronto Zoo's Facebook page;  facebook.com/TheTorontoZoo and on the Zoo's website at: torontozoo.com . Voting on a short-list will start mid-March and the selected name will be announced on March 31, 2012. Good luck!

Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012

Our Inbox

MLA Jagrup Brar Wraps Up the Welfare Experiment

Brar shed 16 pounds while living on a welfare diet in one month. Now try 10-years of abject poverty, or 20-years. The healthiest and the best food for people are always higher priced. People living below the poverty level can't afford to eat healthy food so mortality rates are higher and earlier in life. The system needs to change so that healthy food is cheaper and unhealthy food is more expensive. To learn more about Brar's month-long challenge, visit: www.raisetherates.com and www.mlaonwelfare.com

Monday, Jan 30, 2012

Off the Wire

"Free" Understanding Radiation On-line Course

The Radiation Safety Institute of Canada announced today that it is making available to people everywhere a free on-line course on radiation and its health effects.

Called "Understanding Radiation," the 20 minute on-line course is available on the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada website here.

Sunday, Jan 29, 2012

Off the Net

Irish Man's Home Cost Billions — In Shredded Money

A Young man takes a hammer to a brick of mulched paper, scattering shreds helter-skelter across the floor with each strike.

“That’s €50,000 you just smashed,” says Dublin artist Frank Buckley, who doesn’t seem to mind. Read about this here

Saturday, Jan 28, 2012

Off the Wire

Group Buying Aids Charities

Move over Groupon, there's a new kid on the coupon block called GetttingGives. The newly launched site is harnessing the power of group buying, offering daily deals from popular sites like Groupon and Living Social in one location. When people buy a deal, they get to make a donation to a charity of their choice at no extra cost. Visit www.gettinggives.com

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012

Off the Wire

The Fed Wants You To Have Your Say in Pre-budget Consultations

The Dept of Finance is still taking comments online to a series of questions. "In order to ensure that all Canadians can participate in this process, the Government of Canada has also launched online pre-budgetconsultations."

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012

Off the Wire

Real Jobs For Dumpster Divers In Chilliwack? Waste Management (WM) today announced that it will establish the most technologically advanced facility in Toronto dedicated to processing waste materials from building construction and demolition (C&D) sites.

Scheduled to be in operation this Fall, the plant which was acquired in late 2011 will undergo extensive upgrades. The total investment is expected to be $16 million, and 20 new full-time jobs will be created at the facility.

The FVRD could follow suit. Jobs created would be easy to fill. It would take some stress off of the Cache Creek Landfill. It would also go a long ways toward helping in the zero waste plan. As an aside, in Japan, residents must use clear bags so contents can be seen and there's no cheating.

Thursday, Jan 26, 2012

Off the Net

RCMP Crash Vancouver to Kelowna Bus Party Business

It's advertised as a party on wheels — a 1970's school bus converted into a mobile nightclub, where the seats have been replaced by benches and a bright pink stripper pole adorns the interior.  "Dancing on a bus is ill advised, but open alcohol in any motor vehicle is illegal," Cst. Kris Clark with Kelowna RCMP told the news network. See the Castanet video here.

Wednesday, Jan 25, 2012

Off the Wire

So You Want To Be An Artist

The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) is once again inviting youth aged 16 to 19 from across the country to express their creative side through the visual arts, and submit their artworks. The 12 entries that get the most votes on Facebook will make it to the semi-finals and will be shown at the Gallery for a month, before being judged by a jury made up of journalists, artists, and curators. The creators of the three winning entries will receive outstanding prizes, and the grand prize winner will enjoy a behind-the-scenes visit with NGC experts. For more information on how to enter the contest visit: makeart.gallery.ca

Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012

Local News

Spider Bites More Common With Weather Changes

The Voice learned today that FVRD Electoral Area B Director Dennis Adamson was bitten by a brown recluse spider three times. Initially, he thought it was a mosquito but as time wore on the bites became huge and sore. He ended up in the hospital on IV drugs. He said the spiders can bite repeatedly. So knowing this, it's a good idea to exterminate any spiders that you see around the house as they move inside to the warmth. Their bites, if left untreated will cause a type of necrotizing fasciitis or flesh-eating disease. Learn how to spot them in this short 2 minute clip here.

Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012

Inbox Crasher

Chilliwack By-Election Soon

Sources told the Voice today that campaigning will begin Sunday.

Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012

Off the Wire

$100 Hot Dog Hits Vancouver

DougieDog Hot Dogs, a popular Vancouver eatery renowned for its creative all-natural hot dogs, has just added the Dragon Dog to its menu -- with a price tag of $100. The hot dog features a foot-long bratwurst infused with hundred-year-old Louis XIII cognac, which costs over $2000 a bottle. Also on the dog, Kobe beef seared in olive and truffle oil and fresh lobster. A picante sauce (ingredients undisclosed) ties the flavors together for 12 inches of absolute culinary decadence. www.dougiedog.com

Monday, Jan 23, 2012

Off the Net

Huge Solar Storm To Hit Earth Today

A powerful solar eruption is expected to blast a stream of charged particles toward Earth today, as the strongest radiation storm since 2005 rages on the sun. A barrage of charged particles triggered by this morning's solar flare is expected to hit Earth tomorrow at around 9 a.m. EST. Read more on this here.

Monday, Jan 23, 2012

Off the Net

How Good Is Bad?

The US National Anthem like you've never heard it. Check out this video clip of Stars and Stripes from rocker Steven Tyler here.

Sunday, Jan 22, 2012

Off the Net

Swap-O-Matic Vending Machine Gaining Momentum

It's a vending machine that won't take your spare change.

Saturday, Jan 21, 2012

Off the Net

The Claims Remain the Same

In November, the number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits totaled 539,000, virtually unchanged from the previous month.

The number of EI beneficiaries fell in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. In British Columbia and Quebec, the number of people receiving benefits rose slightly. For more on this go here.

Saturday, Jan 21, 2012

Our Inbox

City Alerts Drivers to Poor Road Conditions & UFV Classes Cancelled

Freezing rain overnight has made many snow covered streets difficult to navigate. Please avoid travel if possible.

• Gore Ave closed from Charles to Williams due to tree down on wires.

• No drainage or flooding problems to report.

• Snow removal from streets in the downtown is continuing.

• Staff report a mixture of rain and freezing rain, varying in intensity, throughout the night.

For continual updates visit the City's website at: www.chilliwack.com They post them as they receive them from Public Works.

UFV: Due to continuing severe weather conditions (freezing rain and frozen roads), UFV is remaining closed on Sat, Jan 21. All classes and events at both campuses have been cancelled.

Friday, Jan 20, 2012

AP News

New Plastic Bill Design Flawed

Charles Shepard of Brandon contends the high-tech bills, if they're cracked, have less strength than toilet paper. Shepard was spurred to test the bills after getting some at his bank. Read more here. Visit the Bank of Canada website to learn more about the new bills at: www.bankofcanada.ca

Friday, Jan 20, 2012

Off the Wire

Power of Love Vegas Gala Celebrates Ali's 70th

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) will celebrate the life and legacy of "The Greatest™," Muhammad Ali at the 16th annual Power of Love Gala on Saturday, Feb. 18, while raising funds in support of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali Center. Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime celebrity-filled fundraising event are on sale now. ABC will also televise the event nationally on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. PST. Lenny Kravitz will be hosting the show.

Friday, Jan 20, 2012

Off the Wire 

Fed To Spend Millions On Weather Monitoring Upgrade

Today, the Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of the Environment, announced that the Harper Government is investing $78.7 million over the next five years to strengthen weather monitoring infrastructure, ensuring Canadians continued access to world-class weather, water and climate monitoring data. Learn more here www.ec.gc.ca

Friday, Jan 20, 2012

Seattle Times

Over 250,000 Homes Still Without Power in Washington After Ice Storm

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a state of emergency, giving her the authority to activate the National Guard and suspend rules that were threatening the delivery of vital produce and other goods.

Hundreds of thousands of Puget Sound residents were expected to begin a second day in the cold and dark Friday, victims of an icy storm that lingered over Western Washington, killing an Issaquah man and leaving a spaghetti of downed power lines that repair crews will be restringing into next week.  Read more here.

Thurs, Jan 19, 2012

Our Inbox

Freezing Rain Advisory for Chilliwack

Seattle was hit hard overnight Wednesday with freezing rain and has many power outages. Friday may be Chilliwack's turn for a share in that weather. It's a great idea to be prepared. The following was issued by city hall at 4:30 pm on Thursday.

City Garbage Pick-up Cancelled

Due to continuing severe winter conditions Emterra is cancelling all collections for Thursday January 19 / 2012.

3 PM UPDATE: Side streets and alleys far too unsafe to travel upon. Bailey landfill is now open. The city hall provides updates periodically throughout the day. For more info go here.

Thurs, Jan 19, 2012

Off the Wire

Kevin Falcon Wins Golden Scissors Award

Honourable Kevin Falcon, B.C. Minister of Finance wins for cutting red tape for small business by more than 40% and entrenching systemic and unprecedented reforms through the Regulatory Reporting Act. More details about the red tape cutting achievements of the winner and the honourable mentions, as well as photos of the award/certificate presentations, can be found at www.cfib.ca 

Thurs, Jan 19, 2012

Off the Wire

Feds To Announce Funds For Weather Monitoring

First they cut back staff at Environment Canada, now they are putting money into the system for technological upgrades. Check here tomorrow for updates.

Thurs, Jan 19, 2012

Off the Wire

One Site For All Your Health Questions

TELUS is making access to reliable, verified Canadian healthcare information online a snap with a new health reference internet portal, is designed to help Canadians find the relevant information and tools they need to take better care of their health. Go here.

Thurs, Jan 19, 2012

Off the Wire

Money For Food Programs

Breakfast for Learning’s Nutrition Program Grants provide funds directly to communities who want to start or improve the quality of a nutrition program. Grants are provided to partially fund food, equipment or staffing. Apply for a grant here if your group provides food to school kids.

Thurs, Jan 19, 2012

Off the Wire

Which One Was Your Crush?

Who sets more hearts aflutter: He-Man or Pepé Le Pew? Smurfette or Lois Lane? As Valentine's Day approaches, TELETOON Retro is asking viewers to vote for the most captivating cartoon characters in the TELETOON Retro Hall of Fame Top 5 Crushes campaign. www.teletoonretro.com

Thurs, Jan 19, 2012

Off the Wire

Canada's Top Scientists Coming to Vancouver

From Feb 16-22 leading scientists are coming to Vancouver to discuss issues like; Are we swimming in sick seas? Are there new approaches to controlling the death march of HIV/AIDS in developing countries? Why might quantum technologies revolutionize communications? What is the planet's energy future? For more info www.aaas.org

Thurs, Jan 19, 2012

Off the Wire

Students Verb Charities Contest

Post-secondary students are being challenged to create campaigns that speak about the collective contribution of charities. First prize $50,000! Go here for contest details.

Wed, Jan 18, 2012

Our Inbox

Obama Nixes Keystone

US Pres. Obama has announced today that the Keystone XL pipeline will not be approved. This marks an important victory for the broad
coalition opposed to the project which would have greatly expanded the amount of crude carried from the Alberta tar sands to heavy oil refineries in Texas. For more info visit the Wilderness Committee's website here.

Wed, Jan 18, 2012

BC Gov't News

Chilliwack Groups Get Mental Health and Substance Abuse Funds

Chawathil, Ann Davis Transition Society and the PCRS are the local beneficiaries of the Community Action Initiative, a province-wide program that supports mental health and substance use projects and innovation in B.C. The program is awarding almost $2 million to 10 grassroots mental health and substance use groups throughout the province. For more info go here. UPDATE: The Ann Davis Foundation tells us that they were only short-listed and in fact won't be receiving any CAI funds.

Wed, Jan 18, 2012

Our Inbox

Free Popcorn at Cineplex Thursday

Cineplex is celebrating 100 years. The yearlong celebration begins on January 19, 2012 – National Popcorn Day. Guests who visit any Cineplex theatre on January 19th will receive a free small popcorn with the purchase of any size drink. The popcorn will be served in a special retro-style red and white souvenir popcorn box. To see what's playing at Galaxy, go here.

Wed, Jan 18, 2012

Off the Wire

2012 Economic Outlook Shaky

All record levels of household debt, a pull-back in public sector spending and slower growth in business investment will contribute to a weaker outlook for Canada’s economy in 2012. 

www.conferenceboard.ca

Tues, Jan 17, 2012

Local

Another Snow Day

All public schools in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Mission closed today due to the snow, as are all campuses of the University of the Fraser Valley. RCMP say stay off the roads if possible from Langley east.
 

Tues, Jan 17, 2012

Off the Wire

Meet M&M's Ms. Brown

Today, Mars Canada Inc.'s Chocolate Division is thrilled to announce that the sixth M&M's® character, Ms. Brown, will be revealing herself to Canadians in a few short weeks. Canadian M&M fans will finally have the chance to meet this one-and-only Ms. Brown as she makes her way to Canada! www.mms.com

Tues, Jan 17, 2012

Off the Wire

RBC & Shoppers Drug Mart Allegiance

RBC and Shoppers Drug Mart today announced that the launch of a nation-wide program that makes it easier for Canadians to bank and earn rewards. Starting March 17, 2012, it will feature a co-branded RBC Shoppers Optimum banking account and debit card with enhanced Shoppers Optimum rewards. Other benefits include unlimited debit transactions in the account, access to Canada's largest combined network of ATM's and branches and the ability to convert RBC Rewards points to Shoppers Optimum points. www.rbc.com

Tues, Jan 17, 2012

Off the Wire

Blackberry Safety Siren

The YWCA wants to encourage Canadians to take action on violence against women and girls. As part of its suite of anti-violence tools and programming for young women, the Safety Siren is a unique violence prevention and intervention tool, turning your BlackBerry smartphone into a multi-functional safety device. Download the free app here.

Tues, Jan 17, 2012

Off the Wire

Wikipedia To Go Black

The blackout is a protest against proposed legislation in the United States—the Stop Online Piracy Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate—that, if passed, would seriously damage the free and open Internet, including Wikipedia. For more info go here.

Mon, Jan 16, 2012

Off the Wire

New Jumbo Timmy's Cup

Get ready to wrap your face around an even bigger to-go cup from Tim Horton's. They're calling it the "extra large".

Mon, Jan 16, 2012

Off the Wire

New 2012 Dollar Coin No Loonie

The Royal Canadian Mint will unveil the 2012 Proof Silver Dollar coin Tuesday. The new coin commemorates the bicentennial of the War of 1812, at the Canadian War Museum. www.mint.ca

Mon, Jan 16, 2012

Off the Wire

Real Estate Sales Up Across Canada

Statistics released today by the Canadian Real Estate Assoc. show a 1.8% increase from November to December 2011. The national average home price was up just 0.9 per cent on a year-over-year basis in December, marking the smallest increase since October 2010.

www.crea.ca

Mon, Jan 16, 2012

Off the Wire

Driving and Dementias

Brainscreen may be on it's way in. A University of Toronto Psychology Professor believes a test to measure a driver's cognitive ability would go a long way in making Canada's roads safer. Half a million Canadians have Alzheimer's or a related dementia. In other words, 71,000 Canadians under the age of 65, and 1 in 11 Canadians over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's disease. By 2040, that number is expected to more than double. www.hcmh.ca

Fri, Jan 13, 2012

Off the Wire

New Wood Buffalo 25¢ Coin

The first of three 25-cent coins, announced last October as part of a series of 2011-dated commemorative circulation coins celebrating Canada's legendary nature, will circulate nation-wide on January 16.