Seventy years ago almost to the day, Winnipeg fell to the Nazis.

Selkirk fell first and by 6 a.m. on Feb. 19, 1942, Nazi forces were converging on the Manitoba capital. The sirens sounded and troops were stationed in a line five miles from city hall. The Nazis arrived at the first line of defence by 7 a.m. and opened fire, according to The Manitoba Historical Society.

After more than two hours of fighting and retreating, there was nothing left for Winnipeg to do other than surrender. Brandon and Flin Flon had also fallen by this time and Manitoba was considered a German province.

"At that point the Nazi soldiers rode around the city harassing Winnipeggers and harassed people who were on buses and in some cases they took people away to be interned," said Rhonda Hinther, Ph.D. with the Canadian Museum of Civilization in the If Day Documentary.

If you are wondering why you don't remember learning about these events in history class it is because it was all an act. According to the

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 McGill support staff walked out Thursday morning, on the first day of class for many students.

Montreal has been rated the best student city in Canada, but it falls well behind Paris according to a new international survey.

Paris was followed by London and Boston with Montreal landing 10th, Toronto coming in 26th and Vancouver coming in 31st.

British firm QS, which usually ranks individual universities, examined 50 cities around the world, looking at student mix, quality of living, employer activity and affordability to devise the list.

Helping Montreal finish in 10th was that QS ranked McGill as the 17th best university in the world.

"Montreal has been dubbed the cultural capital of Canada, and one of the world's most liveable cities," reads the description of the city on the QS ranking website. "Montreal has one of the highest scores for quality of living, alongside a favourable student mix and rankings score, largely courtesy of the world-class status of McGill."

QS also says Montreal is the best-value destination in the top 10 behind Boston and Berlin and while tuition fees

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Valentine's Day may not be one of the biggest holidays, but it's the second most popular day for sending cards and Canadians and Americans alike shell out big bucks pleasing loved ones.

Here are some interesting facts about the holiday in both countries.

The following list is compiled by Statistics Canada.

52 per cent - Number of Canadians who are single (includes non-married couples).
146,242 - Number of couple who tied the knot in 2004.
18 per cent - Proportion of weddings that took place in July.
4 per cent - Proportion of weddings that took place in February.
$2.2 billion — The total value of cosmetics and fragrances sold at retailers in Canada in 2009.
$2.8 billion — The total value of jewellery and watches sold at retailers in Canada in 2009.
$1.6 billion — The total value of women's lingerie, sleepwear and intimates sold at retailers in 2009.
$580 million — The total value of men's underwear, sleepwear and hosiery sold at retailers in 2009.
$5.7 billion — The value of wines sold by

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The results are in for the 2011 census and Canada's population has grown quite a bit.

For the first time, more Canadians live west of Ontario than east of it and Canada's population is growing faster than any other G8 country. Every province saw population growth except one and the one with the fastest growth over the last five years may surprise you.

Full coverage of the 2011 census

To find out more about the census and test your knowledge of which provinces and cities are increasing and decreasing in population, take the quiz below!

(CP photo)

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Canadians are usually known for all things winter and Team Canada - Quebec certainly proved this by winning the 22nd annual International Snow Sculpture Championships in Colorado.

They designed and built a complex and detailed piece that depicts ice houses once used to preserve meat, poultry and fish in central Quebec called "Great Expectations".

The Quebec team beat out 15 other teams from 12 countries to take the top prize at the competition, which took place in Breckenridge.

(Photos of the sculptures)

"Team Canada - Quebec created a sculpture that demonstrates all virtues of carving snow: clean execution, anatomically correct figures and animals, texture, balance and more," said Jenn Cram, judge coordinator and Arts District administrator for the Town of Breckenridge, to the Summit Country Voice.

Team Germany won second place with a piece called "Dancing Screens" and Team Baltic captured third with a spherical creation called "Discover the Edge of the World".

Team Canada - Quebec

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Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who has been criticized in the past for not being a friend of the arts, now has his own opera or at least one about him. However, he didn't even show up for the world premiere.

Rob Ford: The Opera hit the stage at University of Toronto's MacMillan Theatre Sunday for its first and possibly only performance.

Michael Patrick Albano, of the U of T's Faculty of Music came up with the idea and wrote the opera which is "loosely based upon the personality of Toronto's current and much discussed mayor."

He came up with the idea while sitting in a Starbucks on Bloor Street and working on a modern adaptation of five scenes from Antigone by Sophocles, a tragedy written before 442 BC. "Everybody in the whole place...was talking about Rob Ford," He told the Torontoist at the beginning of January. "And I thought, 'Maybe I'm missing the boat here.'

Ford is far from the first political figure to be used as a base for a satirical opera. Faculty of Music Dean Don McLean told

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A school district on Prince Edward Island plans to continue passing out Bibles to students despite the complaint of a parent, who wanted the program to be scrapped.

"I'll be held responsible for my child's belief system, not the schools," said parent Michael Arsenault to CBC. He is not against religion and claims to have religious books at home, but doesn't like the school getting involved.

Arsenault's daughter attends the public L.M. Montgomery Elementary School in Charlottetown. It is one of many Island schools which have been passing out Bibles given by the Gideons, a non-denominational Christian organization, for 46 years. If parents don't want their children to receive the book they must submit an opt out form.

Arsenault may not like the idea, but Eastern School Board Superintendent Ricky Hood said the program will continue.

"We don't see it as an educational issue because we don't spend any time in class," said Hood to The Guardian. Just because one parent complains about

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The sun is literally and figuratively setting on a landmark Caribbean restaurant in Toronto after the The Real Jerk closes at its current location of Queen and Broadview at the end of January.

The restaurant, which spent two decades at their current location, is easily seen with the large smiling sun on its outer wall and has fed locals and stars alike, including Michael Jackson, Wesley Snipes, LL Cool J, Serena Williams and Jack Layton.

They are closing their doors after a new owner purchased the building.

"We would have hoped to stay longer, long enough for us to secure a new location but this will not be feasible," said Edward Pottinger, who co-owns the restaurant, to CBC News. "While we fight the unfair order we sadly must prepare for the real possibility that our days are numbered at the corner of Queen and Broadview."

It is a reality that the building's new owner said they should have known to prepare for.

"My motive wasn't to be hard on the Jerk," said Bill Mandelbaum, president

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