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Seven Oaks General Hospital has partnered with a Chinese medical fitness centre to open the country’s first such facility.
The Wellness Institute led the development with the hospital in Rizhao City, Shandong Province, which was formerly used as the reception centre for water sports events at the 2008 Olympics.
The multi-year agreement has the Winnipeg-based institute licensed to commercialize its expertise and brand in China.
By Tyler Sutherland
Human rights lawyer David Matas will address the reality of organ harvesting in China during a talk at the University of Manitoba on Friday.
Although the Chinese government promised last year to phase out its reliance on prisoners for transplant organs, Matas says that’s not good enough.
“You don’t slowly phase out a crime against humanity. The international community needs to demand that this practice stops right now,” he insists.
Matas will discuss his new book, “State Organs,” along with medical experts, who will update the public on new developments in forced organ harvesting.
Matas, who is also a law processor at the U of M, will speak at 100 Fletcher Argue Building, 15 Chancellors Circle, from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Winnipeg escape artist Dean Gunnarson is tempting fate yet again by re-attempting to escape from a speeding bullet coaster train.
Gunnarson is currently in China, where on Wednesday he’ll try to leap out of the way of the 135 km/h-train as it approaches him on the tracks. Gunnarson will be handcuffed, chained, and padlocked around his arms and neck, and then chained to the tracks.
The last time he tried this very stunt, Gunnarson was badly injured after breaking his foot and receiving internal bleeding.
“If I told I wasn’t nervous while being chained down to those roller coaster tracks I would be lying,” Gunnarson said in an e-mail. “It is absolutely terrifying how fast this coaster launches off. It is like a fighter jet taking off from an aircraft carrier and I am in its path!”
If Gunnarson is successful, he will receive the award of “Best Escape Artist 2012” from the International Magicians Society.
By Sarah Klein
Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee and Premier Greg Selinger laid wreaths to honour Manitobans who fought to defend the British Colony of Hong Kong during the Second World War on Thursday. While in Hong Kong, the two took part in a ceremony at Sai Wan War Cemetery.
“Despite being sent to the other side of the world unprepared for what they would encounter, the Winnipeg Grenadiers fought valiantly in defence of the freedoms all Canadians enjoy today,” Selinger said in a statement.
“Standing on the ground where so many brave Manitobans made the ultimate sacrifice is a truly humbling experience. To all the Hong Kong war veterans who are still with us today, and to the families of all those who fought and died, thank you on behalf of all Manitobans. We will never forget.”
Lt.-Gov. Lee was born in Hong Kong in May 1944, shortly before the end of the war.
By Tyler Sutherland
Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger departed on a ten-day trade mission to China on Sunday, where they will be joined by Manitoba business leaders and premiers from eight other provinces and territories.
“Manitoba’s exports to China have grown elevenfold in the last decade, from $79 million a decade ago to nearly a billion dollars today,” Selinger said in a release.
The mission will include stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and representation at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin.
Manitoba’s business delegation includes representatives from CanEquip Consulting, the Composites Innovation Centre, HyLife, the Keystone Potato Producers Association, Myers Norris Penny, OmniTRAX Canada and the Churchill Gateway Development Corporation, Palliser Furniture, Parker Hannifin and Risun Connexions. Also represented on the mission will be CentrePort Canada, the country’s first foreign trade zone.
A 10th anniversary celebration of Manitoba Great Wall Performing Arts will make up part of “China Culture Day” on Friday.
The first of three events will take place with a Taste of China tomorrow night at Kum Koon Garden on King Street. The 10-course Chinese cuisine will be served at 7 p.m. while guests are entertainment with a variety of culture activities. Tickets are $35 each.
“Winnipeg is a city of many cultures of which the Chinese community is proud to be part of, and (China) Cultural Day is a small way of our community giving to Winnipeg a taste of our heritage and culture in celebration,” said Gary Liu, president of Manitoba Great Wall Performing Arts.
Other events include China Culture Day in the Park at Assiniboine Park’s Lyric Theatre on Saturday, September 1 from noon to 9 p.m. Admission is free.
A one-day cultural workshop will follow on Sunday, September 2 at the Great Wall Dance Academy, 3-1455 Waverley Street, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tickets to any of these events can be purchased by calling (204) 504-4574.
By Sarah Klein
Two giant panda bears from China will thrill visitors to the Toronto and Calgary zoos over the next 10 years.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced over the weekend while in Chongqing, China that the bears Er Shun and Ji Li will be splitting their time between the two Canadian zoos as part of an agreement with Chinese agencies.
“The pandas, which will delight Canadian children and adults alike, and be a boon to tourism in Toronto and Calgary, will be an enduring reminder of the deep friendship and goodwill that exists between our countries,” Harper said.
Each zoo will invest $1 million annually in research and conservation of the species as part of the agreement.
Canadians haven’t had the unique pandas on home soil for more than 20 years. The bears are expected to arrive in Toronto early next year before being transferred to Calgary in 2018.
Winnipeg escape artist Dean Gunnarson is at it again — defying death by performing a risky stunt in China.
Gunnarson will attempt to escape from a tomb of ice on a frozen lake high in the mountains this week, before a bus loaded with explosives drops on top of him. Gunnarson will be locked and chained inside the tomb, with the bus dangling above him from a crane. He will only have 100 seconds to perform the escape before he is crushed.
“I have been here for a few days training for this escape but the air being so thin has caused me to get altitude sickness,” Gunnarson said in a release Wednesday. “The lack of air and trying to do even small things just leaves me grasping for breath. This is like nothing I have ever encountered before.”
The escape will take place about 100 kilometers west of the provincial capital of Xining at 3,205 metres (10,515 feet) above sea level in a depression of the Tibetan Plateau. Chinese TV will air the escape during a one-hour TV special on Saturday.
The third annual Chinatown Festival was held over the weekend, put on by the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre.
Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee and several dignitaries from the city and province made remarks in front of the hundreds of people that gathered in the city’s downtown.
The two-day festival opened with a traditional lion dance. Other entertainment this year included the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Aboriginal School of Dance and Brazilian dancers.
Besides the entertainment, artisans showcased their wares, along with cultural offerings during the street market that lined the area surrounding Alexander Avenue and King Street.
