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The One Man Band Festival starts this Thursday, and what better way to launch the fest than to tune in to Champions of the Local Scene on Wednesday, May 22nd for an interview with one-woman drone and electronic artist Echo Beach! DJ Steph D. will also be flying solo to bring you new Echo Beach tracks and additional one-man band performances by artists from the 514. The show starts at 6 PM.

View from the Venue sat down with two members of The Creepshow for a quick Q&A session. The Reverend McGinty and new singer/guitarist Kenda talk tour injuries, their touring plans for 2013 and putting together a new album. They also talk about the entire band joining Montreal ska band The Fundamentals (shh, don't tell them, it's a surprise).

The Harper government has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars airing prime-time ads for a new federal Canada Jobs Grant for training workers—a program that doesn’t exist yet.

Prime-time ads began airing this week during NHL playoff games. According to CBC News, at $95,000 per 30-second spot—currently the priciest time slot for advertising—the government’s ad buy could easily cost in the millions of dollars. 

The newly announced program is no more than a concept at this point, one that has yet to be negotiated with provincial governments, and which requires buy-in from employers as well.

Peter Van Loan, Conservative government House leader, described the Canada Jobs Grant as a "proposal that needs to be fleshed out and developed fully,” adding that what has been announced is a concept of how the program could work.

Said concept requires that Ottawa, the province and the employer contribute up to $5,000 each toward the training of a worker. The program will require provincial agreement as well as business approval.

However, Parliament remains months away from even considering the legislation to create the federal training grant—a fact reflected by the fine print in the TV ads that the program is "subject to parliamentary approval.”

Flickr Photo by: SOMBILON ART, MEDIA and PHOTOGRAPHY

STORY WRITTEN BY: SPOON JUNG

Amid a senate expense scandal, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff has resigned.

The now ex-chief of staff, Nigel Wright, resigned Sunday after it was discovered that he wrote a 90 thousand dollar cheque for Senator Mike Duffy to repay improperly claimed housing expenses.

According to the CBC, Liberal MP Bob Rae told the media that Senator Duffy’s audit had been shortened because of the 90 thousand dollar payment he was able to make, thanks to Wright.

Wright said in his statement that he accepts sole responsibility, and did not advise the PM of the means of Senator Duffy’s repayment before or after the fact, and that his actions were only to secure the repayment of funds. 

He added that he regrets the impact that his actions have had on the government and his colleagues. 

In his own statement, Harper said he regrettably accepted Wrights resignation and accepts that Wright believed that he was acting in public interest. He then thanked Wright for his contribution to the government for the past 2 and a half years. 

Harper’s principal secretary, Ray Novak, will take over as chief of staff.

Flickr Photo by: Jezz

STORY WRITTEN BY: CATLIN SPENCER