1 SUNRISE VS. SUNSET 5:57 and 7:59 — which means for the first time in 2016 we’ve got more than 14 hours of daylight. That’s all right, huh?
2 LOOKS LIKE A HOT WEEK CBC has decreed it to be so. In less cheerful climate news, the planet is burning alive.
3 ROUGH ROADS FOR WORKSITE SASKATCHEWAN Apparently the trades — viewed by some conservatives as the only legitimate career choice for people who aren’t lawyers, doctors or otherwise properly white-collared — are in trouble. Well, now that we’ve cleverly re-elected a hypercharged Saskatchewan Party majority government, I’m sure we’ll be back in boom times soon.
4 WHO’S TO BLAME? “Steve, the NDP ran a tone-deaf campaign. They got what they earned. If you’re bitter about the result, don’t blame Brad Wall.” Yes, the NDP ran a unsatisfying election campaign and the party’s now-former leader immolated himself in a ridiculous, shouty debate. So what? Hey! Maybe the Sask. Party can blame the NDP’s campaign for the looming downturn! Or there’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Brad Wall could blame him for anything that goes wrong here! Or hey! The Sask Party could blame the old film industry for being a greedy, grant-sucking, unsustainable mess. I’m not sure what responsibility our virtually non-existent film industry bears for our economy’s imminent face-plant but bashing the creative sector probably plays well in Swift Current and that’s what matters.
5 ON THE RECORD One of the women who got put on trial for accusing Jian Ghomeshi of assault wants her name known. A heroic decision.
6 ALSO, PEOPLE SURE ARE MEAN TO MONICA LEWINSKI Story here. Annoying. Lewinski’s got nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not like she’s some racist red state xenophobe. That would be something to be afraid of.
7 COULD THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD COME BACK? Who knows, but the L-P’s Bruce Johnstone wrote a decent column about the possibility. If nothing else, Johnstone’s column is a good reminder that the Harper Conservatives arguably broke a promise they’d made to farmers to consult them before WCB privatization. I write “arguably” because I personally think that government was a bunch of liars who bamboozled Saskatchewan’s unfortunate farmers.
8 QUEEN CITY IMPROVEMENT BUREAU Paul Dechene and Aidan Morgan have a weekly show on CJTR! They interview everyday Regina VIPs and talk about zoning bylaws and superhero movies. This week: roller derby, parking lots, Zog the time travelling caveman and loneliness in the sub-basement.
9 NHL DRAFT LOTTERY RESULTS In the lead-up to the April 30 NHL draft lottery — a.k.a. the only thing a Columbus Blue Jacket fan can look forward to at this point in the season — I’m running the NHL Draft Lottery Simulator every day. Will my lame, godforesaken team get the first overall pick so they can draft U.S. phenom Austin Matthews and maybe make the playoffs next year? Not today. Today they got leapfrogged by three teams with better records, and will drop to the 7th overall spot. That’s my team!