-The city of Brandon received more than $250 million dollars in capital investment this year; that’s over $27-million dollars more than last year. The Brandon sun says some key projects include: facilities built by Nissan, BMO, Farmers Business Network, United Rentals, Cascadia Metals, Canada Packers and Koch Fertilizer, among others, as well as multiple light-industrial buildings on First Street, 17th Street East and Granite Road. Newcomers helped grow our labor market growth and bump-up Brandon’s population by about 8 per cent between 2022 and 2024.
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-Two people are facing multiple charges after a traffic stop in Dauphin last Friday. Police found 22 grams of Meth, and an undisclosed amount of cash and various other drugs during a routine traffic stop. A 31-year-old female driver from Camperville tested positive for cocaine. A 44-year-old male passenger from Dauphin was also arrested for trafficking and possession of crime-obtained property.
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-Premier Wab Kinew is optimistic for the proposed $200 million dollar carbon-captured CO2 facility in Southwestern Manitoba; but he wants the community on his side-first. Kinew says Deep Sky needs to listen to those opposing the company; they held open houses in Pipestone, in October in fierce opposition from residents.
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-Meantime Our Premier is looking to make groceries more affordable for Manitobans. They want to crack down on so-called “differential pricing” on groceries; And further implementing controls on milk. Kinew didn’t provide local examples. But, Manitoba’s inflation rate was the highest among the provinces in November, driven partly by transportation costs and property taxes.
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-Prime Minister Mark Carney has been named The Canadian Press Newsmaker of the year. He received 72 out of 95 votes from an annual survey of other leaders and newsroom editors. Other nominees included Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Striking Workers, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
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-The Salvation Army is closer to reaching its Kettle-campaign goal in Westman. Jamie Rand says over $95,000 has been raised so far; and with 2-days to go, Rand believes the community will help them reach its $110,000 goal.
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-Trucking companies in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are hoping to ease interprovincial trade barriers. They say they often have to duplicate administrative tasks to navigate safety, regulatory and tax differences in the two provinces. They’re also calling for a national database of performance records to manage and regulate the trucking sector. In response, the Manitoba Government says they are developing a memorandum of understanding on interprovincial trucking, aiming to cut costs and harmonize the processes.
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-Many Manitoba campers will be paying more in 2026, as the provincial government is raising fees for yurts, cabins and some other types of campsites. The NDP cabinet approved the changes set to take effect Jan. 1. but has not made any formal announcement. A cabinet order says the nightly fee for a yurt is set to rise to $65. It is currently listed at $56 on the Environment department’s website.
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-An Alberta Mall Santa is on the naughty list for slapping a little boys hand after he pulled his beard at a mall near Edmonton. The Sherwood Park Mall says Santa will not be returning and has since been replaced. The Mall has apologized to the young boy and his family.
