He was joined by VIA Chairman Paul G. Smith; VIA President Marc Laliberté; Winnipeg Deputy Mayor Justin Swandel; and BOMA Manitoba President Tom Skraba.

“These impressive upgrades to Winnipeg’s historic station are a shining example of the positive results to emerge from Canada’s Economic Action Plan,” said Minister Fletcher. “Our Government is proud to invest in projects like this that not only improve passenger rail service but create jobs right here in Winnipeg.”

Union Station’s renovations included major repairs to the station roof and train shed, including upgrades to make the over 100 year old station more energy efficient, while carefully maintaining the distinctive features of the heritage building’s Beaux-Arts design. As a result of these upgrades, Union Station was awarded the BESt level 2 certification for energy efficiency by the Building Owners and Managers Association of Manitoba (BOMA). Funding for this $3 million project came from the Government of Canada’s $923 million investment in VIA Rail for improvements to its facilities, equipment and infrastructure. This includes $407 million through Canada’s Economic Action Plan.

”Hundreds of thousands of people have travelled and still travel through Union Station today – on business, connecting with family, tourists getting their first glimpse of the West – people whose lives and memories have been touched by this landmark in downtown Winnipeg,” said Chairman Paul Smith.“As this centennial year begins, we are not just celebrating the history of a station, but the role that rail has played in this community – and will continue to play in the future.“

City.Mobi

Also in Canada today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Montreal.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Montreal.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.