A public house open is being held today (4:30 pm to 6:30 pm) at Brandon City Hall with Budget 2025 the focus. You can ask city administrators specific questions about the proposed budget, which calls for an 11.7% property tax increase. Council holds another pre-budget meeting January 21st, before they settle in to work on the document next weekend.
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Brandon CrimeStoppers recognized a successful year in 2024 at a luncheon on Thursday. Acting on tips provided by the organization, Brandon police solved 120 cases last year, arrested 46 people and recovered over $182,000 in drugs and stolen property. Brandon CrimeStoppers marks its 40th anniversary in July. Since 1985, the organization has received 10,300 tips resulting in over 2,700 local cases solved – and more than $4.8-million in drugs and stolen property recovered. January is International CrimeStoppers month.
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Manitoba will soon have a Crown attorney specifically designated to prosecute hate crimes, which have been surging in the province. The new lead attorney will also co-ordinate efforts of a working group that provides guidance on prosecutions. Hate crime charges are among the few that require approval of a government official.
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You can now request a new plastic health card online at Province of Manitoba | Home Page to replace your existing paper card. Once you’ve applied, a new card featuring a northern lights design, will arrive in the coming months. Manitoba and Alberta are the last in Canada to still use paper health cards.
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Manitoba Education Minister Nello Altomare has died after a battle with cancer – he was 61. Premier Wab Kinew paid tribute to Altomare yesterday, praising his work to expand school nutrition programs across the province. He said the legislation will now be known as Nello’s Law.
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Health Canada says a synthetic dye – Red 3 – that’s been newly banned in the U-S, does not pose a health risk to Canadians. The agency says unless new information comes up, it’s sticking with a review by the U-N and World Health Organization in 2018 that found no safety concerns for the dye as a food additive.
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Applications are now open for Pattison Media’s journalism scholarships. The $2,500 equity scholarships will be awarded to under-represented groups in the industry including Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities,
members of visible minorities and women. If you’re enrolled in a qualified journalism program – you can apply at Scholarships | Pattison Media
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We’ve had it cold – now it’s warm – and this weekend it’ll be cold again – but, it’s not so weird. The weather office says dramatic temperature swings in the middle of winter are pretty normal for Manitoba. They say fluctuations occur because of waves in the polar jet stream – when a ridge covers us; its warm – while a trough brings the freeze. Looking ahead, above-normal temperatures are expected across Canada this year.
