Brandon is under a blowing snow advisory today and Winnipeg is being hit by a blizzard. The weather conditions have closed several highways including the Trans-Canada between Carberry and Winnipeg, Highway 16 between Portage and Minnedosa – and a number of highways in the Parkland region. Winds will ease this weekend, but expect a return to wind chills around minus-40. (Below: Manitoba 511 map – roads closed are in red)
Image – Map of southern MB road closures as of 10:35 am Jan 17 – Manitoba 511
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Brandon police arrested a 43-year-old man this week after a 67-year-old man was hit in the face with a baseball bat. Police say the attack happened Wednesday afternoon in the 100 block of 7th Street. They say the victim did not know the accused – nor was there any conflict that led to the assault.
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A pedestrian was taken to Brandon Hospital on Wednesday morning suffering from a brain bleed after a collision with a taxicab. Police say the pedestrian was struck while crossing 10th Street near Brandon Avenue. The investigation is on-going.
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‘God Save the King’ will be added to morning announcements in Mountain View School Division in the Dauphin area. The division, which oversees 16 schools, says the royal anthem must be included along with ‘O Canada’ and land acknowledgments. Critics say the musical salute to the British monarchy is not a step towards reconciliation.
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The province has stepped up to support two Palestinian children who need medical care they can’t get in Gaza due to the war. An 11-year-old boy has already arrived with his mother – and another child will arrive in a few weeks. Since the conflict began in 2023, children have been sent from Gaza to Qatar, various European countries – and the U-S for medical care.
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Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland has announced she’s running for leader of the federal Liberals and Prime Minister. In a social media post today, Freeland says she’s ‘running to fight for Canada’ and will officially
launch her campaign on Sunday. Yesterday, Mark Carney announced his campaign.
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A record number of consumer complaints were made last year about TV, internet and phone service. Canada’s telecom industry watchdog, the Canadian Telecommunications Association, received more than 20,000 complaints – up 38% from 2023. Bell got the most followed by Telus and Rogers.
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We’ve all heard about the weird calls that come into 9-1-1, but municipal bylaws officials also get their fair share. The Local Government Compliance and Enforcement Association of BC recently shared a few of them. For example: a caller was upset a neighbour bought a new yellow vehicle they believed went against ‘community standards’ – a resident complained about a neighbour’s cat that sits on a fence and stares at them – and another said their neighbour was ‘purposefully’ farting at them and wanted them arrested for harassment.
