The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Winnipeg - A former city bureaucrat credited with helping to bring the Pan Am Games to Winnipeg was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in jail for a string of armed robberies. Klaus Burlakow, 49, pleaded guilty last year to seven bank robberies between November 2002 and February 2003. Six of the robberies took place in Winnipeg while the other was in Vancouver where Burlakow was apparently living a double life. Burlakow stole about $33,000 using plastic BB guns and air pistols to threaten tellers. Ottawa - In what could be seen as a hint at increased gasoline taxes, Environment Minister David Anderson says motorists are not being charged enough given the pollution they cause. He also suggested in an interview that Canadian cities should consider the example of London, England, which charges motorists for driving in the downtown core. Anderson said he doesn't know whether Finance Minister Ralph Goodale will raise gasoline taxes but noted Canada has among the lowest gas taxes in the world. In this week's throne speech, the government reaffirmed its commitment to the Kyoto protocol, which will require reduced use of fossil fuels. It also promised to provide new revenues for cities. Environmentalists have long argued for a "carbon tax" on fossil fuels to encourage conservation.
