Environment Canada is warning of smoky conditions and poor air quality across Manitoba today. A Special Air Quality Statement is in place for over 100 communities including Brandon. The advice is to limit your time outdoors, keep windows and doors shut, and protect your indoor air from wildfire smoke with a good quality air filter in your ventilation system.
———-
Due to the high forest fire danger right now, the Province is bringing in more restrictions. All motorized backcountry travel is banned in several areas including Spruce Woods Provincial Park east of Brandon. There’s also a ban on any fires from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. All 62 wildfires this season have been human-caused.
———-
Work is underway to build two new Habitat for Humanity homes on Stickney Avenue in Brandon. It’s hoped the 900 square foot buildings can be finished by next spring. Habitat, which works to provide affordable home ownership, also plans to develop 31 nearby properties.
———-
A 30-year-old Brandon man has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for animal cruelty. Jess Nichols pleaded guilty to multiple counts after he killed 25 animals during a five-month period three years ago. In sentencing Nichols, the judge reportedly said the level of violence and brutality involved was ‘stunning’.
———-
40 educational assistant positions are being cut at Swan Valley School Division north of Brandon – the layoffs will take effect at the end of June. The division recently learned $2.2-million in federal funding to support First Nations children will not be renewed. 4 in 10 students in the division self-identify as Indigenous.
———-
Canadian Blood Services has announced a plan to recruit a million new donors over the next five years because of an anticipated rise in demand. It involves opening new collection centres, expanding hours, and working to attract younger donors.
———-
WestJet has now officially suspended some flights from Winnipeg to the U-S because of reduced demand. Starting June 1st, service to L-A will be suspended for the summer, Las Vegas flights will pause in July and August –
and Atlanta service will be cut from five to two flights a week. It’s also pausing flights from Winnipeg to Orlando.
———-
Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago-born missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru, has been selected as the Catholic Church’s new Pope. The 69-year-old, the first American born Pontiff, took the name Leo XIV. He emphasized a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization in his first words as the successor to Pope Francis.
