The City of Brandon lost a garbage truck last week. The truck was punctured by a metal bar, that was dumped in with household trash, and the bar ripped off some hydraulic lines. Two other vehicles were already out for servicing, so expect slower than usual pick-up this week.
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The province and Ottawa are investing a total of $38.4-million to help New Flyer in Winnipeg expand production of zero-emission buses. The expansion will create 250 direct and hundreds of indirect jobs. Construction is to begin soon and is expected to be finished sometime next year.
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Thousands turned out for the final weekend of Brandon’s ‘Big One’ Arts & Craft Sale at the Keystone Centre. A rotating selection of 175 vendors, over two weekends this month, showcased local artisans. Money was also raised for CancerCare Manitoba, and organizers were hoping to hit $100,000 in total donations this year.
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If you’ve applied for a home security rebate, getting a cheque from the Manitoba government is reportedly a long process. Of the $2-million the province is distributing – only $300,000 has been handed out. The government says it’s put more people on the job, and rebates will go out ‘as soon as possible’.
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Canada’s reliance on food banks has soared to a grim new milestone. Food Banks Canada says there were more than 2-million visits in March – up 6% from last year, and nearly double from 5 years ago. Rapid inflation, housing costs, and insufficient social supports are driving poverty and food insecurity.
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It’s election day in Saskatchewan. Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party is seeking a fifth-straight majority after 17 years in office – while Carla Beck’s NDP is looking to take back government for the first time since 2007.
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According to a new poll, 70% of people living in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are interested in next week’s U-S election, and if they could vote – 64% said they’d mark a ballot for Kamala Harris, while 21% would vote for Donald Trump. The majority also believes a Harris win would be better for Canada.
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Just in time for Halloween – a bat beauty contest. The U-S Bureau of Land Management has hosted the online competition since 2019 to raise awareness about the importance of bats. A Townsend’s big-eared bat named ‘Sir Flaps-A-Lot’ from Utah is up against a hoary bat named ‘Hoary Potter’. Last year’s ‘Cutest Bat’ winner was “William ShakespEAR,” a female Townsend’s big-eared bat from southern Oregon.
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Remember the white blobs that have been washing up on the shores of Newfoundland? An ecologist has weighed in calling them ‘failed bread dough’, and a biologist sort of agrees saying a container of Bisquick instant biscuit mix may have fallen off a ship and broke up in the water. He’s now testing some Biquick to see if it’ll make the blobs.
