The Canadian Comedy Festival comes to campus tonight, as Nikki Payne, Gibson Lubin and the comedy troupe Leave it to Cleavage perform at The Spoke.

Former Western student Ian Lynch will open the free event, which begins at 8 p.m.

“Usually, you’ll be paying $15 for this kind of show,” said University Students’ Council entertainment productions manager Mark Wellington, adding that both Payne and Lubin are “very well-known” comics.

The festival is in its sixth year, and is designed to recognize Canadian excellence in comedy. London will host daily events until Oct. 22.

More information can be found at www.canadiancomedyawards.ca.

—Dave Joyce

Senate and BOG Elections End Today

Today is the last chance for students to vote for Senate and Board of Governors representatives.

Voting began Tuesday at midnight, and continues today until 8 p.m.

“It’s a fairly important race because it’s an opportunity to elect people to represent you with regard to grading schemes, exam schedules, academics, and professor feedback,” said University Students’ Council legal affairs officer Dave Forestell.

BOG representatives deal with issues regarding tuition increases, tax size, and long-term planning for the university, Forestell added.

Everyone on main campus can vote for BOG, and every undergraduate student at Western can vote for Senate and BOG representatives, Forestell said.

Two candidates are running for the BOG, and 19 candidates are running for six Senator at-large positions. Candidate biographies are available online.

BOG representatives will serve students for two years, while the Senate is a one-year term.

Students can vote online at www.usc.uwo.ca/elections.

—Nancy Gray

Dingwall Vows to Make Amends

OTTAWA (CP) — David Dingwall says he’ll correct what he calls the misinformation and mischaracterization of his expense account as former president of the Royal Canadian Mint when he appears before a parliamentary committee.

The defeated Liberal cabinet minister says contrary to critics’ accusations, his expenses came from the operating revenue of the corporation, not taxpayer dollars.

He says in a statement that because he was able to make the mint profitable within a year of taking over, it no longer had to rely on taxpayers to cover its operating expenditures.

Dingwall resigned last month from his $277,000 a year appointment over questions about expenses and past lobbying.