Manitoba’s intense wildfire season continues. The evacuation of Leaf Rapids is underway, and Thompson has now declared a state of emergency. The residents of Leaf Rapids join the roughly 6,600 Manitobans that remain evacuated from their communities. The province says the fire near Thompson is about 15-kilometres north of the city, and officials don’t expect the city to be in immediate danger for the next couple of days. So far this year, there have been 235 wildfires, exceeding the average of 187. Currently, there are 81 active fires across Manitoba.
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Ryan Ness of the Canadian Climate Institute is worried the country is not doing enough to prevent disasters like the deadly flash flooding in Texas. He says Canada needs to invest in flood mapping, infrastructure and early warning systems. Ness says climate change is making flash flooding worse – and many cities, provinces and territories don’t have laws in place to prevent development in dangerous areas.
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Brandon police are investigating a fire early Monday morning that destroyed a shed on Lorne Avenue East. The fire also damaged a home on the property and the side of a neighbouring house. The residents were evacuated
and no-one was hurt.
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Brandon police arrested a guy on Sunday who had reportedly turned a spray can into a flame-thrower. Police say he was allegedly igniting it and pointing the can towards people at the Shoppers Mall. A 26-year-old man faces charges.
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A 15-year-old boy died after the dirt bike he was riding collided with a deer just north of Dauphin last Saturday night. RCMP say officers found the bike lying on the road with a boy nearby in medical distress. He later died in hospital. Police say he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
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The ‘Global Champions Arabians Tour’ has cancelled its Brandon event. It was set to happen alongside Canada’s ‘National Arabian Horse Championship’ on August 8th and 9th at the Keystone Centre. The group cites unforeseen circumstances for the cancellation. The Arabian Championship will go ahead as scheduled.
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A 21-year-old woman from Brandon, who began dancing at the age of three, has been living her dream on a world-famous stage. Alexis Case won a job as a dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris last September, and made her debut this past April. Case says every day on the job is a dream come true.
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The Brandon Sportsplex rink should be ready to re-open sometime this fall. It’s been closed since the spring of 2023 because of safety concerns over its aging ice plant. That piece of equipment has been replaced, and work
is underway to finish the concrete surface and install the boards. The centre’s canteen is also set to reopen.
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One item they likely won’t be selling in the Sportsplex canteen is Jersey Milk chocolate bars. Mondelez Canada says consumers have shifted to buying other pure milk chocolate bars like Cadbury Dairy Milk. Jersey Milk dates back to 1924. The company says there will be no layoffs due to the halt in production.
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According to the Conference Board of Canada, wage hikes will pick up speed in the coming years. It says Ottawa’s move to cut immigration will slow growth in the labour force creating competition among employers for scarce workers – and more competition will drive up pay. In May, average hourly wages rose 3.4% year-over-year.
