New Flyer Industries cut the ribbon on its new bus manufacturing facility in Wpg Tuesday. Our Premier says They plan to build buses from start to finish for Canadian distribution for the first time in more than a decade. About 20 bus shells are being built weekly, with 15 being shipped to U.S. customers, with 5-for Canadian customers. The City of Brandon purchased 4-new buses from “New Flyer”earlier this year.
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The B.C. chief coroner announced an inquest into the Tumbler Ridge tragedy The inquest will look at the circumstances around the 9-deaths in the small northern B.C. community. The role is to determine facts, not assign fault. The Feb. 10 tragedy was one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history.
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Israel and the U.S. launched a new wave of attacks on I-ran Tuesday. Turkey is the latest country to be drawn into the conflict, after NATO air and missile defence systems destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile on its way to Turkish airspace. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada has long supported efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, but called for a “rapid de-escalation of hostilities” to save civilian lives.
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The Brandon Teachers’ Association is urging Trustees to protect 5.4 additional full-time equivalent teaching positions. The B-T-A reminded the board that a request for 15 full time teachers in 2025; was denied. This as trustees move to finalize the 2026-27 budget next week; The board has recommended a 7.25 per cent education property tax increase. The final 2026-27 budget is due to the province by March 31st.
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Manitoba Hydro hosted an open house on it’s proposed natural gas transmission pipeline project; tied to a new combustion turbine facility near Brandon. Dozens of residents, landowners and municipal representatives turned out to offer feedback Tuesday night. The Brandon Sun says construction timelines on Hydro’s website states; that a licensing decision is expected in late 2027. Combustion turbine unit construction to begin, if approved, in early 2028, with a target in-service date of summer 2030.
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Health care, and deficit are expected to be focus of the
spring sitting of the Manitoba legislature. The NDP government plans to introduce 19 bills, including motions on staff-to-patient ratios, and ending mandatory overtime for nurses, banning machetes from parks and public places, and banning employers from requiring sick notes for short-term worker absences. The annual budget is March 24. The Government is promising to stop running deficits before the next election in 2027. The deficit for the current fiscal year, which ends March 31, is expected to reach $1.6 billion — more than double the $794 million originally planned in the budget.
