Manitoba premier Wab Kinew shuffled his cabinet yesterday shifting the responsibilities of several ministers including Brandon East MLA Glen Simard. He moves from heritage, sport, culture and tourism to municipal and northern relations. Simard remains minister for liquor and lotteries as well as for francophone affairs. The province is also creating a Department of Innovation and New Technology.
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Brandon’s ‘Take Back the Night’ march is being held today starting at 5:00 pm at Princess Park. The goal is to raise awareness about violence against women, men and minority individuals. And for the rest of November. the Brandon University Bobcats are wearing T-shirts with purple ribbons in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
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The Salvation Army’s annual Christmas Kettle Campaign kicks off this weekend in Manitoba. In Brandon, they’re calling for volunteers who can donate some time from this Friday until December 24th. During the holidays, the organization sends its iconic red kettles to shopping malls and stores to collect donations by cash – or by card.
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The ‘Santa Express’ returns this year to northern Manitoba. Santa Claus will visit 24 First Nations over five days including Shamattawa, Tadoule Lake, and Lac Brochet. He’ll bring gifts to about 12,000 kids.
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There’s a big project underway this week at Brandon’s Koch Fertilizer plant – crews are installing a replacement converter. The huge tower is 98 feet long, 11 feet around, and weighs over 390 tons. It’ll require two massive cranes to get it in place. The converter plays a key role in creating ammonia – a vital ingredient in fertilizers.
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Assiniboine College has received a $125,000 donation from Scotiabank. The money will go to support the college’s Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture – and research into crop development.
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Costco in the U-S has recalled almost 80,000 pounds of butter because a warning label was missing that butter ‘contains milk’. The allergy statement is required by law. The major food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
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Lost baggage might soon be less of a hassle. Air Canada says its teaming up with Apple on the tech company’s new ‘Share Item Location’ feature. It will allow passengers to share the location of their baggage containing AirTags directly with Air Canada’s baggage service team. Airline staff can then view a website that shows the location of the items on an interactive map.
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The change over to winter tires is underway – but many shops say the real rush hasn’t started yet, that typically happens when the snow starts falling and drivers start slipping and sliding. Meanwhile, a new survey found almost 4 in 5 Canadians will make the switch to winter tires this year – which is up 10% over the last 8 years.
