Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 06, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A2 2014- 2015 Draft Budget A Parent Council/ Public meeting will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2014 from ^[VV fS \[VV RXUX ]T f_a dc_SSZ gSWQb e`Yca Board Room at 2574 Portage Avenue. The St. James Assiniboia School Division Draft Budget for 2014- 2015 will be reviewed. Input from the public will be welcome. Members of the public who are interested in attending the meeting are requested to register by February 21, 2014 by contacting Michele Morrissette, Executive Secretary, at 204- 888- 7951. Visit us at www. sjsd. net. St. James- Assiniboia School Division - Great Schools for Growing and Learning The Winnipeg Free Press will be publishing Valentines to your loved ones on Friday, February 14, 2014. For a minimum cost of just $ 21.26 you can tell your loved one howmuch you care. Additional lines, a photo or Valentine's logo are extra. Deadline to place your ad is 12: 00 noon on Monday, February 10. For more information or to place your ad, call us at 697- 7100 , or email your ad to wfpclass@ freepress. mb. ca Pres you 2014 21 26 Valentine Dear Register your school today at: www. winnipegharvest. org 204- 982- 3670 Over 44% of Winnipeg Harvest clients are children. Join Operation Donation Food Drive and collect non- perishable food items from March 3- 7. NEEDS YOU! OPERATION DONATION 2014 Operation Donation Enthusiasts Lord Nelson School CITY Urban reserves B1 SPORTS Grade Bombers brass D3 UPTOWN Ortega an outlaw artist C1 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6 Privacy policy and questions www. winnipegfreepress. com/ privacy. html CIRCULATION INQUIRIES NEED A REPLACEMENT PAPER? Call or email before 11 a. m. weekdays or noon Saturday City / 204- 697- 7001 Outside Winnipeg / 1- 800- 542- 8900 press 1 6 a. m.- 6 p. m. M- F. 6 a. m.- 12 p. m. 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HOW- TO VIDEO READER SERVICE / GENERAL INQUIRIES 204- 697- 7000 A 2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014 winnipegfreepress. com S OME grassroots members of Manitoba's governing New Democrats are pushing for a tax on junk food, but newly released documents show the party has long held off on the idea. Briefing notes and other material obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation reveal the government has been monitoring fat taxes overseas as well as studies on the issue, but has found problems. " Health- related food taxes continue to be discussed as a policy option for obesity prevention and for addressing other health goals, " reads a discussion paper from June 2012 prepared by Paul Fieldhouse, a policy analyst in the Department of Healthy Living. " A major problem confronting any food tax proposal is scientific uncertainty about the complex nature of relationships between diet and health." In the same year, a note from Fieldhouse points out Denmark was driven to repeal its tax on fatty foods because businesses complained it was an administrative nightmare and threatened jobs. And going as far back as 2008, Fieldhouse writes " there is only, at best, weak evidence that junk food taxes would be effective in achieving public health goals of influencing food choices." The taxpayers federation released the documents Wednesday because the issue is tentatively on the agenda for this weekend's annual NDP convention. One of the party's constituency associations is seeking a " healthy living levy" of an unspecified amount that would raise money for school nutrition programs and other initiatives. " It's disturbing that this idea keeps coming up because the government research... shows that these taxes don't work," federation spokesman Colin Craig said. " It seems to be about revenue and sort of micro- managing the lives of Manitobans." Finance Minister Jennifer Howard flatly rejected the idea Wednesday. " We will not be introducing any kind of tax on what is considered junk food," Howard said. " This is an interesting idea... and we certainly ask questions about it, but it's not something we're going to pursue." The idea of taxing sugar- sweetened beverages seems to have been under active discussion in the fall of 2012, when Fieldhouse wrote: " Just so folks know, Manitoba has been looking at this, but nothing I can share right now outside one- to- one private discussions." Again, Howard said, the idea is not going anywhere. " It's hard to implement and it's not something that actually achieves the goal of ensuring that people make healthier food choices." - The Canadian Press JOIN THE CONVERSATION Would a tax on junk food make you give up your Cheezies? Go to winnipegfreepress. com and add your comments to the conversation Fat tax in Manitoba? Fat chance NDP resists push to target junk food with levy By Steve Lambert Classified D 9 Comics C 13 Diversions C 11 Editorials A 10 Horoscope A 12 Jumble D 9 Letters to the Editor A 10 Miss Lonelyhearts C 2 Movies C 15 Sports D 1 TV B 4 Uptown C 1 Weather D 10 . OBITUARIES C 9 In the event of a discrepancy between this list and the official winning numbers, the latter shall prevail. PICK 3 Winning number Wednesday was 424. EXTRA Winning number Wednesday was 5301721. LOTTO 6/ 49 Winning numbers Wednesday for an estimated jackpot of $ 5,000,000 were 3, 16, 18, 21, 28, 47. Bonus number was 5. The guaranteed prize draw number was 56079446- 01. WESTERN 649 Winning numbers Wednesday were 13, 19, 22, 33, 35, 37. Bonus number was 45. INSIDE LOTTERIES DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES CITY hall has taken a step toward opening up a parcel of land west of the airport for residential development. The executive policy committee endorsed a planning department proposal Wednesday to redesignate approximately 105 hectares of land within the CentrePort area for housing. It's likely to be the first of two major newresidential developments in the area. The 105- hectare parcel is north of Saskatchewan Avenue and west of Sturgeon Road, across from the existing Heritage Park residential development. Coun. Grant Nordman said only a portion of the site would be designated for residential development but added the area could accommodate about 800 to 900 new homes. Nordman ( St. Charles) said the CentrePort development will extend sewer facilities to the area, making development possible. " That would be great for the school division, great for the merchants and businesses of the area, and people who want to live and work close to Centre- Port," he said. " That's the end game." Anadministrativereportsaysasecond site of about 133 hectares immediately to the west will also likely be developed for housing in the near future. Nordman said the two parcels could bring a combined 8,000 new residents to that end of the city. The redesignation must still be approved by council. Mayor Sam Katz said while the land is west of Richardson International Airport and not under a flight path, future residents need to be aware of the noise. An administrative report said most of the land is now being farmed and had been kept that way until it was known howthe CentrePort- area lands were going to be used. aldo. santin@ freepress. mb. ca Designation change clears hurdle By Aldo Santin A_ 04_ Feb- 06- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A2 2/ 5/ 14 9: 51: 56 PM ;