Dry and windy conditions have led the province to cancel all burning permits in northwest Manitoba.
Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship yesterday cancelled all burning permits for the area north of Flin Flon and Sherridon south to Grand Rapids, west to the Saskatchewan border and east to Highway 6.
The province also says campfires are not allowed in Bakers Narrows, Wekusko Falls, Grass River, and Clearwater Lake provincial parks between 8am and 8pm.
114 wildfires have been reported in Manitoba this year, as of yesterday.
New Rural Recycling Depot To Open Soon
The Reeve of Gilbert Plains says a new recycling depot for rural residents is hardly costing the municipality a thing, and the only way it doesn't work is if people don't use it.
The depot was brought up at last night's council meeting in Gilbert.
Blake Price says it's kind of an experiment.
"We're gonna see if it works and start it up, and hopefully everybody will buy into it and we can increase the volume of recycling".
The recycling depot is at the old water treatment plant in town and is expected to open some time in June.
---
Flea Beetles Causing Major Damage
Pest insect activity is becoming a concern for producers in some parts of the Parkland area.
According to Manitoba's latest weekly crop report, flea beetles are causing severe damage in the Swan Valley area where feeding is occurring, and plants are still recovering from frost damage.
Stephanie Jersak - farm production advisor with Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Development - says farmers should take steps to watch for the pesky bugs, including cutworms.
The crop report advises some post-emergent control measures might be necessary in some cases to limit the insect activity.
---
Fire Destroys Churchill Metis Heritage Hall
A collection of artifacts was destroyed when the Metis Heritage Hall in Churchill burned to the ground.
The single-story hall was used for Cree language classes, public events and was especially busy during polar bear season.
Resident Joe Stover says the walls were full of memorabilia that had been collected by a local historian.
No injuries were reported.
---
Canadian Cancer Diagnosis Expected To Rise
The Canadian Cancer Society says the total number of Canadians who will receive a new cancer diagnosis will rise by 40 per cent over the next 15 years.
The group's executive, Robert Nuttall, says the sharp jump will be because of the country's growing and aging population.
He says most cancers are diagnosed in people over 50, and the large baby boom generation is squarely in that demographic now.
The overall risk for individuals isn't expected to change, and survival rates have been increasing since 1988.
---
WW2 Code Breaker Honored
An 88-year-old Calgary woman has been honored for her work as a code-breaker in the Second World War.
Marion Booth received the Bletchley Park Commemorative Badge yesterday in recognition of her ``vital, secret service'' as an employee of the British government's code and cypher school.
Booth joined the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service in 1944, and months later, began intercepting Japanese radio messages.
Work done by Bletchley Park code-breakers was the subject of last year's Oscar-nominated movie ``The Imitation Game,'' about the cracking of German codes.
Booth later worked for the Canadian government gathering information from the Soviet Union.
