The City of Brandon lost a garbage truck last week. The truck was punctured by a metal bar, 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 – and money was also raised for CancerCare Manitoba. 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 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.
