The City of Brandon is chipping in another $200,000 on top of $1.2-million to redevelop the downtown Park Community Centre. The province, which is already contributing $6-million, made the request for the additional funds. The new community centre will include a 62-space licensed daycare.
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Also at Brandon City Hall this week, councillors voted to give Brandon Riverbank next year’s $250,000 grant early. The money will be used to cover the balance of costs for the Peter Sawatzky Sculpture Garden, the Discovery
Gardens and solar panels on the roof the Riverbank Discovery Centre. The city grant is usually awarded in January.
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Organizers are cautioning everyone taking part in Paddlefest on the Assiniboine River this weekend to make sure not to spread zebra mussels. The event at Brandon Riverbank is expected to bring out more than a 100 canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. Zebra mussel larvae were found in the river late last year at the Brandon Generating Station.
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A Brandon-based online career college has been sold to an Alberta corporation. K & H Education Services purchased the majority of shares in LINKS Institute, and says it’ll maintain its existing programs. LINKS was founded by John Jackson, a former director at Samaritan House Ministries, who says he saw an opportunity to offer more training for workers in social services.
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Three new streets in southwest Brandon have been named. Manitou Drive, Foxtail Drive and Sage Drive will all be located near a new K to 8 school that’ll be built in the area. The neighbourhood’s developer says another 7 to 8 roads are still to be named, and they’ll also follow the nature theme. The new school is to open in 2027.
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Manitoba’s measles count is now over 200 this year. There have been 204 confirmed cases and 16 probable cases – 6 of those in the last week. Manitoba had no reported measles cases last year. There is no cure for measles, but there’s a vaccine available to prevent it.
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Here’s a doctor’s order you won’t mind getting filled – a prescription for time in nature. Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park has teamed with an organization called ‘PaRx’. You can take that prescription for some time outdoors to the park and get money off access to attractions, and also take advantage of its green spaces, gardens and trails. Experts say spending time in nature has a lot of physical, emotional and mental health benefits.
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There really is a competition for everything. The 8th annual International Grave Digging Championship was held earlier this month in Hungary. A local team won for the second year in-a-row. They had to dig a 2 metre long,
1.6 metre deep grave and fill it back in to create a neat mound in under two hours. They did it in an hour-and-a-half and won a gold-plated shovel trophy and 30-thousand rubles – about $500 dollars.
