Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 11, 2007, Winnipeg, Manitoba B2 City Winnipeg free press tuesday december 11, 2007 Winnipeg repress. Com 200 Princess St. 942 1 177 watch shears rocking world tour saturdays at 3 p. M. On. Wow. . Com the amerique Diamond � new to the collection Platinum pave split Shank engagement ring from $ 13,500 Birks. Com 1.800.682.2622 by Geoff Kirbyson e very night is hockey night in East St. Paul. Kids of All Ages Are flocking to the backyard of Jason Braun and his wife Carmen Pankratz with their skates Slung Over their Sticks and visions of making the show deking through their Heads. Envisioning yourself playing in the National hockey league is a lot easier when you step on the ice of perhaps the Best looking hockey rink in Winnipeg this Side of the its Centre. Braun an investment executive at the local office of Scotia Mcleod has spent $ 2,000 and countless hours creating a 13.7 metre by 7.6 metre rink Complete with red Blue and goal lines a Glass like surface face off dots lights and rink Board advertisements. Braun built a smaller rink last year As a place for his son Simon 7, and Emma 5, to learn How to skate. This year i thought we should go a Little bigger he said in an interview. Simon said he skates on the rink virtually every Day with his friends. Ism excited to play on it because it looks like a real rink on to. Its great that my parents built it. I want Winter to stay forever. Braun researched other backyard rinks on the internet and took meticulous note of the characteristics of actual nil rinks right Down to the Hue of the yellow strip denoting where the boards meet the ice. I tried to build a mini nil rink where the kids could use their imaginations and pretend they re playing in a real nil rink he said. Braun does not have his own Zamboni yet but he is Able to flood the ice with a Little contraption called a rink Rake which Hooks up to a Hose. The logos of brands such As the Winnipeg free press hockey night in Canada Home depot Audi and red Bull Are authentic too except for the sponsorship Money that usually accompanies them Braun said. He downloaded High resolutions images from the . Com site and had decals printed off at a local printing company. Braun and his family christened the rink at opening night last saturday. Instead of the National Anthem the hockey night in Canada theme played Over loudspeakers prior to the opening face off. Hockey songs by the likes of stomping Tom Connors and old time Organ music were played throughout the evening too. It did not take Long for the other neighbourhood children to take note and Brauns backyard has quickly become the local hangout of Choice. Well be hosting a lot of hockey parties this season he said. Braun is Quick to note the rink is a Community Effort As numerous Neighbours have stepped up to lend a hand. One provided All the floodlights and wired them up so Braun repaid him by putting up a rink Board and for his company Schneider electric. Braun also solicited some much appreciated advice from Bob Gilkes a City of Winnipeg employee who has been working with outdoor rinks including the Susan Auch Speed skating Oval for the last three decades. Gilkes even has his own instructional video on How to build your own backyard rink. From All the rinks Ive seen Brauns is As Good As it gets he said in an interview. It blew me away its very professional and very Well done. He went All out. Gilkes said he Hopes Braun will enter his masterpiece in one of the competitions that rate the Best backyard rinks in the country each year. Head be in the running for sure he said. Braun said hers already planning to expand the rink by one third next year and add features such As a Winnipeg jets logo at Centre ice an old fashioned scoreboard where one moves pucks on a bar after a goal and possibly even a penalty Box. There Are a lot of infractions that Are going a penalized he said with a laugh. Geoff. Kirbyson free press. My. Ca its the show right in his backyard $ 2,000 Structure features goal lines even rink Board ads by Gabrielle Giro Day if you did not know the background of Nathan Starrs Gritty life in the North end you might have been surprised to see teenagers place bags of potato chips and a bottle of Pepsi on his White lacquered coffin or to hear a rap song originally dedicated to a musical Star shot to death 10 years ago. However the portrait painted of Starr As a crowd of about 100 mourners gathered at Selkirk avenues aboriginal funeral Chapel monday morning was not Only one of a youth who knew violence Well in his Short life but also that of a beloved member of a family devastated by his death. Starr 14, died after two people allegedly threw firebombs at a two and a half Storey Home on Mountain Avenue last week where he was spending the night with a Friend. He always said to me grandpa i dont fear nothing a said Larry Starr the boys maternal Grandfather in an emotional speech following a Short service. The distraught Man described weeping in the Early morning hours when he Learned of his grandsons death and the guilt he Felt after he made a mistake about the number of grandsons he had in an interview with a reporter shortly following Starrs death. He took his friends out with him. Id put his Bike in my Van drop him off at his friends Starr said. He said his grandson was Small in stature but boisterous. Ive done my grieving. Ive done my crying. Ive driven around by myself for the last four Days. I lost a grandson he said breaking Down into tears. Hell be in my memories when ism driving in the North end. Monday the baby faced teens body was on display in an open casket heavy makeup covering dark patches visible on his forehead and Cheeks. He wore a White baseball Cap and a Small dish decorated by an unknown child was placed on his Chest. A Reading certificate awarded to Starr was set up on a front table leading into the Chapel where an All night Wake had been held to honour the boy. An obituary prepared by Starrs family members for the free press said the youth was completing Grade 8 at St. Johns High school when he died. Starr was a member of a Street gang that friends said head joined after being stabbed numerous times in a separate incident last March. These details Are a far cry from a trip his Grandfather recalled to West Edmonton mall where the youth bounced around on Waves that Are part of an amusement Park ride. As friends and family some clutching White roses milled outside the Chapel Starrs coffin was wheeled out Over the sounds of sobbing and ill be missing Youa 1997 song dedicated to the gang related death of the notorious b. I. G. Riel Mitchell 27, and a 16 year old youth have been charged with second degree murder in connection to Starrs death. Gabrielle. Giro Day free press. My. Ca funeral honours firebomb victim by Mia Rabson former Manitoba Cabinet minister Harold Gilleshammer defended himself monday against allegations his recent appointment As a citizen court judge is evidence of tory patronage. Gilleshammer a Cabinet minister during former Premier Gary film ones tenure was one of three new citizenship judges named by Federal immigration minister Diane Finley Friday. The three were among 11 appointments made by the Federal government that Day. Seven of the appointees have conservative party connections which had the governments critics accusing it of paying Back its own with Plum jobs. Gilleshammer was a tory la in Manitoba for 15 years and a Cabinet minister for nine years. Until late last week he was an assistant to Manitoba tory my Merv Tweed. Gilleshammer said All governments get accused of patronage if someone with party connections is appointed. But he said if you look deeper than that Yourd find it Isnit the Case for him. I feel i have the qualifications and i can preside Over the courts with dignity and fairness Gilleshammer said. Over the weekend Winnipeg nip my Judy was lycia leis said there was nothing in Gilles hammers political career to indicate he took any interest in citizenship issues. But Gilleshammer was Manitoba ass minister of culture family and citizenship from 1993 until 1997, responsible for Manitoba ass immigration programs. He was the minister when Manitoba signed its first provincial nominee program agreement with Ottawa in 1998. That program allows the province to seek out a specific number of immigrants each year to fill specific needs within the province. The nominee program has been hailed nationally for its Success in helping boost immigration to Manitoba to Over 10,000 people last year three times what it was in 1998. In an e mailed statement a spokesman for Finley said the appointments were All made based on Merit. Gilleshammer said he expressed interest in a citizenship judge position some time ago and was informed last week he had been selected following the departments internal selection process. The Job will require him to preside Over citizenship courts where new immigrants Are sworn in As canadians. The Job pays $ 82,800 to $ 97,400 per year. Mia. Rabson free press. My. Ca former tory la denies patronage Gilleshammer says he is qualified for Job Gilleshammer have qualifications Ken Gigliotti / Winnipeg free press a casket containing the body of Nathan Starr is carried out of the aboriginal funeral Home. Winnipeg should spend More Money on Bike trails make rapid transit a priority and reconsider Public private partnerships environmental groups and left of Centre activists told mayor Sam katzes Cabinet on monday. During a special meeting of councils executive policy committee about the 2008 capital budget Katz and councillors Mike Oshaughnessy Brenda Leipsic Justin Swan Del and Gord Steeves listened to two hours of delegations about the health and environmental benefits of Bike trails and bus rapid transit As Well As arguments against private financing for capital projects. The Winnipeg chapter of the Sierra club of Canada argued the City is not investing enough in transit to encourage More people to get out of their cars while the Winnipeg trails association and cycling advocates Bike to the future and one Green City encouraged katzes Cabinet to increase funding for Trail creation next year. Katz said he was very impressed by a non confrontational presentation by one Green City coordinator Anders Swanson but he made no commitment toward More funding for trails. Groups push Bike trails rapid transit ;