Compiled by Erin Debooy

The Mercedes-Benz of awards

Red River College and Mercedes-Benz have partnered to launch an annual award for automotive technician diploma students.

The award will be at least $1,000 a year, and students who show promise based on academic performance, leadership skills, teamwork and work experience at a dealership are eligible. Students will be able to use the money to pay for tuition or their tools.

Mercedes-Benz contributed $15,000 and the Manitoba Scholarship and Bursary Initiative matched the donation, bringing the grand total to $30,000 for RRC students in the future.

The award was created to help fill the need for trained and qualified people in the automotive servicing industry in Canada.

Show your ‘Shoalidarity’

A Winnipeg Water Walk is being held on Saturday, Sept. 12 in support of the Honour the Source campaign to raise awareness and stand in solidarity with Shoal Lake 40 First Nation. Winnipeg receives its water from Shoal Lake, but the community itself has been under a boil-water advisory for 18 years. The walk is open to the public and will start at the Manitoba Legislative Building at noon. Participants are asked to wear blue, carry Shoal Lake water on the walk, and bring something that shows how they use Shoal Lake water in their daily life, such as a showerhead or a sprinkler. For more information on the Winnipeg Water Walk or Honour the Source, check out honourthesource.ca.

Debate for Downtown

The Downtown Winnipeg Biz and Downtowns Canada will be holding a public debate between federal candidates on Sept. 16 at Portage Place Shopping Centre. Candidates Don Woodstock (Green Party), Pat Martin (New Democratic Party) and Robert-Falcon Ouellette (Liberal Party) will discuss their platforms on downtown issues like long-term funding programs, downtown employment, infrastructure and transit development and ending homelessness. The debate will run from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.