On Friday, the Province of Manitoba announced two new programs to help young entrepreneurs: Skill Development for Young Entrepreneurs and Aboriginal Youth Mean Business!

The first program will provide a grant of up to $1,000 —$1,500 for northern residents — to supplement the cost of completing an accredited business-related training course (up to 50% of the cost).

The second programme will establish a provincewide coalition of business development service providers to assist Aboriginal youth entrepreneurs. Its objectives include facilitating networking and information exchanges, providing youth mentorship opportunities and supporting Aboriginal youth business awards or recognition events.

These programmes build on the already-existing Youth Business Support program that the province has. And I think the Aboriginal programme is in addition to the existing federal-level Aboriginal Youth Business Initiative which has been around since 1997.

I'll post more about these in the TIG opportunities sections once more information about the programmes becomes available.

I'm not sure whether to be more impressed or amused that MTV Canada now has created the position of science host - 25-year old Yona Sipos Randor.

The 2004 winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize, the world's largest environmental award, were announced a few days ago. Chosen from all continents this year's winners included:

* Margie Richard, USA - For more than 13 years, Richard led a community campaign demanding fair and just resettlement costs from Shell for her family and neighbors to move out of the heavily polluted Cancer Alley in Louisana.

* Rudolf N. Amenga-Etego, Ghana - public interest lawyer who gained international recognition for suspending a major water privatization project backed by the World Bank

* Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla, India - leaders in the international fight to hold Dow Chemical accountable for the infamous 1984 Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal, India that killed 20,000 and left more than 150,000 seriously injured.

* Libia R. Grueso Castelblanco, Colombia - worked on passing “Law 70,” historic legislation that officially grants Afro-Colombians territorial rights on lands they have populated for hundreds of years.

* Manana Kochladze, Georgia (note: youngest prize winner at age 32) - won critical concessions to protect local villagers and the environment from a multinational project to establish the largest oil pipeline in the world.

* Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho, East Timor - credited for spearheading the progressive inclusion of environmental justice tenets in East Timor’s constitution.

Grist is doing a series of interviews with each of the winners. Check it out to learn about what motivates them in their work and how they plan to use the prize.

I just watched the women's finish for the Boston Marathon whle I was eating lunch. It was amazing to watch Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) kick the last stretch to win it. Elfenesh Alemu (Ethiopia) came in second. Olivera Jevtic (Serbia and Montenegro) made it in third place a few minutes behind them.

Those of you interested in urban issues might want to check out the Quality of Life Reporting System developed by the Canadian Federation of Municipalities. They've been testing and revising it over the last 5 years to come up with a technically and conceptually valid set of indicators, as well as a user friendly reporting format. They still have a ways to go, but the 2004 QOL Report Highlights is pretty good.

I wish I could say the same about the the actual quality of life in Canadian cities... the report points to the current QOL being undermined by growing income gaps, housing affordability problems and changes to social programs. Arg.