The Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina has launched a website featuring bird egg photographs for more than 300 species that nest in Canada.

Ryan Fisher, the museum's curator of vertebrate zoology, said the idea for the database came after staff found there was very little information on bird eggs in Canada.

"We kind of first started by taking a look at what was out there and there's a couple of amazing reference books that are available to help you identify bird eggs," he told CBC Radio's The Morning Edition host Stefani Langenegger.

"It's kind of hard to carry a book around with you when you're out looking for birds."

LISTEN | Royal Saskatchewan Museum puts all its eggs on one website:

Fisher said there weren't really any online resources, so they decided to fill that gap.

"One of the things that wasn't available previously is to really be able to compare across different birds, have those measurements there and really be able to get a good look at the coloration," he said.

The project started in 2021 by getting pictures of all the eggs in the collection at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, but Fisher said they realized they "weren't even close" to having all the breeding birds in the country.

The website shows the size and coloration of a Canadian goose egg. (birdeggsofcanada.ca)

Staff next went to the Royal Alberta Museum to photograph their collection, then the University of Saskatchewan, which also has "an amazing egg collection," Fisher said.

He said they are hoping to partner with other museums in Canada to add more bird eggs to the collection, and complete the database in the future.

This is more of a look-but-don't-touch approach to studying birds and their eggs.

"Almost all of the birds in Canada are protected by the Migratory Bird Act, which means that you're not allowed to possess nests; you're not allowed to harass nesting birds," said Fisher.

The website birdeggsofcanada.ca gives people the opportunity to safely learn more about the differences between bird eggs.

"The amount of diversity in bird eggs, size, and coloration is really amazing," said Fisher.

LISTEN | From ravens to warblers: keeping birds safe during spring migration:

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Alt-rock band Mother Mother is coming to Regina’s Brandt Centre on Feb. 24 as part of 11-date Canadian tour.

The Vancouver-based group is promoting its latest album, Grief Chapter, which was launched in February and has been called some of the band’s most dynamic work to date.

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“Our instinct was to make things hit hard and feel powerful,” lead singer/songwriter Ryan Guldemond said in a media release. “We don’t take this moment for granted — or this life. A life in music, doing what we love with whom we love.”

Prior to the upcoming cross-Canada trek, Mother Mother is touring North America this summer with 20-plus stops across the U.S., along with Vancouver and Toronto. The band has 16 more U.S. dates in the fall before heading to Mexico City, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Columbia, New Zealand and Australia.

Formed in 2005, Mother Mother has released nine studio albums. Its 2021 release, Inside, helped launch the group to a new level of popularity, highlighted by the platinum-certified single Hayloft II. Other top songs include Verbatim, Burning Pile, Hayloft, Arms Tonite, Wrecking Ball, Body, and Oh Ana.

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Mother Mother’s new album is described by Live Nation as “a dialed-up collection of songs that takes chances, swings big, goes as grandiose with the songwriting as it does granular. Grief Chapter dives lyrically deep on big picture concepts like life, death, mourning, and the freedom that comes with accepting the inevitable. And sonically, Grief Chapter’s 12 songs are some of Mother Mother’s most muscular offerings of all time, buoyed by legions of new fans and the bigger rooms and venues that have followed their recent years of continued, evolved success.”

The tour is supported by multi-platinum British singer Robbie Skinner (known professionally as Cavetown) along with indie-pop trio Cannons from Los Angeles.

Presales begin this Tuesday, followed by the general sale on May 3 (10 a.m.), via livenation.com.

Several western Canadian organizations representing producers have joined the fray in expressing their concerns over the proposed merger of Regina-based Viterra with the Swiss-founded company Bunge.

Sask. Wheat, Sask. Barley and Alberta Grains released a joint statement Monday saying the merger between the two global agricultural giants could give one company too much control of the market, passing higher costs down to smaller producers.

The trio of organizations highlighted a study conducted by University of Saskatchewan researchers Dr. Richard Gray, Dr. James Nolan and Dr. Peter Slade.

The study examined the impact of the merger at the Port of Vancouver, the canola crushing sector and competition at primary elevators and “found worrisome levels of market concentration in all three scenarios.”

According to the study, 40 per cent of the export capacity at the Port of Vancouver would be controlled by one firm.

“In this market, the proposed merger will generate an estimated $570 million in annual costs to Canadian grain producers, who will bear the brunt of the increased monopsony power,” the study read.

The concentration of market shares in the canola crushing sector would see margins increase by 10 per cent.

“The increase in export basis and canola crush margins would reduce producer income by approximately $770 million per year,” the study outlined.

Additionally, the study identified that the merger may also reduce incentives for Viterra to build its proposed canola crushing facility in Regina from $143 million per year to $78 million.

The analysis of primary elevator competition revealed concerns over market power in many areas in Western Canada, which will only get worse if the industry continues to consolidate.

“We find the [Bunge-Viterra] merger will have significant negative consequences for the Western Canadian grain export sector,” the study continued.

The study follows the release of a report by the Canadian Competition Bureau, which identified substantial anti-competitive effects and a significant loss of rivalry in select markets across the country related to the deal.

Bunge’s 25 per cent ownership stake in Viterra competitor G3 was highlighted.

The bureau identified Nipawin, Sask. and Altona, Man. as two areas of concern, where the combined market share of the two companies exceeds 45 per cent and 60 per cent.

The bureau also forecasted anti-competitive effects for the sale of canola oil in eastern Canada to customers who cannot receive oil by rail.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) released its own statement following the Competition Bureau report — believing the merger would lead to more one-sided, take-it-or-leave-it grain contracts, fewer delivery options and lower prices as grain companies are able to hold more of the cards with less competition.

Bunge and Viterra have dismissed producer and industry concerns over the proposed merger, calling them “misplaced.”

Bunge Ltd. is a global agribusiness and food company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Originally incorporated in Switzerland, the company boasts 23,000 employees across 300 facilities in 40 countries.

Viterra is an international agribusiness that was formed in 2007 when the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool merged with Agricore United. Headquartered in Regina, the company of 16,000 workers handles and markets grain, along with other agricultural products across 37 countries.

WestJet has just announced new nonstop flight routes between Saskatchewan, Canada, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as Edmonton (YEG) and Atlanta (ATL).

Here’s what you need to know about the new routes and how to book them!

New WestJet Routes

For starters, WestJet will offer year-round daily service between Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) and Regina International Airport (YQR) in Saskatchewan. The new route will allow passengers to access over 70 connections through WestJet’s codeshare with Delta Air Lines.

WestJet says the route is resuming after an 8-year hiatus and is the only airline offering transborder flights from YQR this summer.

Here’s a look at the schedule:

Additionally, the airline will also begin daily service between Edmonton and Atlanta. Here’s a look at that route:

“WestJet is pleased to connect Regina and Minneapolis with new year-round daily service, unlocking key tourism and economic development opportunities for the City of Regina and the surrounding area,” said Andrew Gibbons, Vice President of External Affairs at WestJet.

If you aren’t familiar, WestJet is 1 of Canada’s largest airlines, headquartered in Calgary. The airline was founded in 1996 to give Canadians low-cost flights. Today, WestJet flies to more than 100 destinations throughout North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.

These include some new routes for the airline, like Calgary (YYC) and Seoul (subject to government approval).

Bottom Line:

WestJet will fly the De Havilland Dash8 Q400 turboprop plane on the MSP-YQR route, and the Boeing 737 or 737 MAX 8 on the ATL-YEG route.

How To Book

Flights are live and now available at WestJet.com. Tickets on the MSP-YQR route are cheapest later in the summer, starting around $90 one-way in economy. However, you’ll pay considerably more if you book a business class seat, as tickets cost $470 each way.

Either way, make sure to book your flights with a travel rewards credit card. Here are some of our favorites:

Final Thoughts

The news of 2 exciting routes between Canada and the U.S. is pretty big news from WestJet. Given the airline’s partnership with Delta, travelers will have even more connections to international destinations!

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