| Marriage appeal
The federal government plans to appeal a recent Ontario court ruling giving marriage rights to gay men and women.
Federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon says the appeal will be based on the government's desire for more clarification into the issue.
Gay rights activists say the government should just accept the ruling and change the country's marriage laws to allow same-sex unions.
The Alberta government maintains its desire to outlaw gay marriage, and says it will use the notwithstanding clause to bypass any law that is made based on the court ruling.
Heritage losses
The recent dives in the stock market have also hit Alberta's Heritage Fund – to the tune of more than $100 million in the past four months, according to Alberta Liberal estimates.
The Liberals say 10 stock holdings of the Heritage Fund in companies like Nortel, Telus and WorldCom, lost $123-million between March 31 and July 22.
The Liberals say the government should do more to ensure the stability of the fund.
The provincial government is examining the role of the fund in the future.
Film production increase
Canada's film, television and audio-visual producers set a record for earnings in 1999-2000, according to a new Statistics Canada survey.
Revenue from the country's 732 producers during the year topped $2.1 billion – an increase of more than 15 per cent over the previous year, and more than three times the number a decade previous.
Much of that increase is attributed to surging sales of television productions and exports.Despite the increase, the profits of producers fell to a four-year low.
Playwright winner
Edmonton playwright Scott Sharplin has won this year's Alberta Playwrighting Competition, one of the largest cash prizes for such contests in Canada.
Sharplin, a journalist, director and playwright, took home the $3,500 prize for his play Purity Test.
Recent University of Calgary graduate James Popoff won the Discovery Category prize in the competition with his play Inheritance – his first full-length play.
Canmore film fest
Submissions for an independent short film festival in Canmore are being accepted for competition in September.
Entry into the Seven Minute Film Festival is free, provided the film is under seven minutes long.
Organizers say the festival is meant to provide an opportunity for free film and video experimentation.
Festival prize money totals $4,000. Entry forms are available at www.SevenMinuteFilmFestival.org, or by calling 403-678-5608 or 403-678-2912. |
