From CP via therecord.com (Jan. 20):

There's been a shakeup at CBC News in Ottawa.

The public broadcaster says the bureau's managing editor, George Hoff, is no longer with the CBC.

It wasn't clear whether Hoff had left the CBC or been let go. 

The wording of the rest of the story suggested to me that Mr. Hoff's coat was handed to him.

So why now, after 29 years?

I have no idea.

As an aside, isn't Krista Erickson supposed to return to the Ottawa bureau?

From CP via globeandmail.com:

The Alberta government has ordered four oil sands giants to reduce the amount of water they use from the Athabasca River.

Alberta Environment says water flow levels in the river have dropped into the “yellow” warning zone and withdrawals may increase stress on the ecosystem.

The companies affected are Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Suncor Energy Inc., Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC's Albian Sands.

All of the projects are located downstream of Fort McMurray in northeastern Alberta.

The province says the low water levels are naturally occurring, but noted it's the first time the government has ordered the companies to reduce the amount of river water they use.

Environmental, conservation and aboriginal groups have been critical of the amount of water that oil sands projects use.

If you care to study a map, you'll see that the Athabasca River originates in the Rocky Mountains, its headwaters being the Columbia Icefields. It flows past Jasper, Hinton, Whitecourt, Athabasca and finally Fort McMurray before it empties into Lake Athabasca to the north.

Pop quiz: What phenomenon is causing glaciers the world over to do what?