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.
Manitoba Transport Minister and Thompson MLA Steve Ashton is tangled up in controversy following a Winnipeg Free Press report. The newspaper reports that Ashton's wife, Hari Dimitrakopoulou-Ashton, is under investigation as a potential threat to air safety after being detained by police at the Winnipeg airport on March 17. This followed what the Free Press called a 'run-in' with staff from Calm Air, the airline that delayed Dimitrakopoulou-Ashton's morning flight to Thompson due to the weather. 'After police allowed her to call her husband, the cabinet minister (Steve Ashton) rushed to the airport and then reportedly began throwing his weight around after gaining access to the airport's emergency operations centre,' the paper reported over the weekend. Dimitrakopoulou-Ashton was not charged. She was released to her husband, who told the Free Press he did not use his position of authority in dealing with the situation. Ashton said his wife was asked to leave but the situation was 'resolved' and that she was told Calm Air would be offering an apology. Premier Greg Selinger, reached by the Free Press at the federal NDP leadership convention over the weekend, said he would investigate what happened. Ashton and Dimitrakopoulou-Ashton are the parents of Churchill MP Niki Ashton.
