The Memorial Cup hockey tournament opens tonight with the host Saskatoon Blades taking on the O-H-L champion London Knights. The W-H-L champion Portland Winterhawks and the Q-M-J-H-L champion Halifax Mooseheads play their first game tomorrow.

Brant County Provincial Police sent in their specialists when they thought they were dealing with a “confinement” incident early this morning (Fri) in the village of St. George. Police received a call at around twelve-twenty this morning about a person who was supposedly being held against his will. The Tactical Rescue Unit was called in... So was the Emergency Response Team, a Canine Unit, Crisis Negotiators and the Criminal Investigation Unit. The intersection of Main and Beverly Streets was sealed off for four hours as police investigated the report, which turned out to be false. Police report no one was being held against their will and they have arrested a 15 year old youth.

By Brian Donlevy, Woodstock Mayor Pat Sobeski is asking for an investigation to determine whether Oxford County Council violated the provincial Municipal Act by holding a closed door meeting around an agreement reached with Oxford Gardens that cost the county $160,000. Under the Municipal Act, municipal governments are limited to the reasons they can go behind closed doors. The reasons include discussions of items subject to client solicitor privilege and matters that are or could be subject to litigation. Councils must provide a basic outline as to why they are going into closed session, for example they will say they are going into closes session to deal with a matter that concerns an indentifiable individual. Sobeski wants a meeting investigator to look at whether proper reasons were given for going into closed session and whether the timing of the release of information was appropriate. Oxford Gardens had sought relief from the County for development fees, a request that was denied. The County then struck a deal with Oxford Gardens reimbursing them for problems that emerged around the sale. The meeting investigator is independent of council and will report back to them. Sobeski was not available for comment because he is currently on a tour of Japan with three other local mayors.

The Ontario Nurses Association is calling for a moratorium on cuts to registered nursing positions in the province. The union says Ontario has the second-lowest RN-to-population ratio in the country: 668 RNs per 100,000 residents, compared to an average of 785 RNs to 100,000 residents in other provinces and territories. It says the Ontario health system employed 844 fewer RNs in 2012 than it did in 2011. The ONA says cuts in RNs are happening in Ontario even though the Liberals promised to fix the problem when they took office 2003. A statement from the union says nurses are the professionals who provide most of the front-line care to patients in Ontario, and that scientific research studies have demonstrated there are fewer deaths and complications when more RNs are providing direct patient care. Last week, the union released new research that shows understaffing is causing more work-related injuries and illness. The union says the researh shows RNs are the most injured workers in Ontario - facing more dangerous workplace conditions than even several groups of construction and manufacturing workers.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa says Paul Godfrey is out as chairman of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. Godfrey got the news at a meeting with the minister yesterday afternoon. Sousa gave no reason for Godfrey's dismissal, and Godfrey says he was only told the government was going in another direction. Godfrey has been chairman of O-L-G since February 2010. (The Canadian Press)

Just in time for the long holiday weekend, a strike has been averted at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. The L-C-B-O and the union representing its 67-hundred employees reached a tentative deal just hours before a midnight deadline. No details will be released until after a ratification vote by the workers. The union had complained during talks that too many employees are restricted to part-time work, with some getting only two-hours a day. Warren (Smokey) Thomas, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, says neither side got all they wanted during what he terms tough negotiations. But Thomas said the bargaining team is satisfied with the tentative contract. The prospect of a walkout led to uncertainty on whether Ontarians would be able to buy alcoholic beverages for the Victoria Day long weekend. L-C-B-O spokeswoman Heather McGregor says sales leading up to the strike deadline were brisk.

Today, A mix of sun and cloud. High 20. UV index 8 or very high. Tonight, Partly cloudy. Low 10. Saturday, Mainly sunny. Wind east 20 km/h becoming light early in the evening. High 23. Sunday, A mix of sun and cloud. Low 12. High 24. Monday, Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Low 15. High 24. Tuesday,Showers. Low 16. High 19. Wednesday, Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Low 13. High 17. Thursday, Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Low 11. High 17.

NHL Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals Boston 3 New York Rangers 2 (OT) (Boston leads series 1-0) Western Conference Semifinals Los Angeles 4 San Jose 3 (Los Angeles leads series 2-0) -- World Hockey Championships Quarter-finals At Stockholm, Sweden Sweden 3 Canada 2 (SO) Switzerland 2 Czech Republic 1 At Helsinki, Finland U.S. 8 Russia 3 Finland 4 Slovakia 3 Baseball American League Seattle 3 N.Y. Yankees 2 Boston 4 Tampa Bay 3 Texas 10 Detroit 4 Chicago White Sox 5 L.A. Angels 4 -- National League N.Y. Mets 5 St. Louis 2 Pittsburgh 7 Milwaukee 1 Cincinnati 5 Miami 3 (10 innings) San Francisco 8 Colorado 6 Washington 6 San Diego 2 Intercounty Baseball League: Barrie 14 Burlington 3 Kitchener 9 Toronto 8 Southwestern Senior Baseball League: Ilderton Red Army 13 Tillsonburg Red Sox 1 -- NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinal New York 85 Indiana 75 (Indiana leads series 3-2) Western Conference Semifinal San Antonio 94 Golden State 82 (San Antonio wins series 4-2)