More than 17,000 Manitobans have been evacuated as wildfires continue ravage the province. It’s the largest mass evacuation since 25,000 people fled 1997’s Flood of the Century. In an effort to help the Canadian Red Cross deliver support and services, radio stations across the province including 94.7 Star FM and Q Country 91.5 here in Brandon, are asking you to donate today to the 2025 Manitoba Wildfires Appeal. You can text the word RADIO to 20222 to donate $10-dollars, or donate online at Helping To Strengthen Resiliency – Canadian Red Cross The federal government also says it’ll match donations up to $30-million, while the Manitoba government will match up to $15-million.
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Another group of Brandon firefighters have headed to the Lynn Lake fire zone. They’ll be protecting key infrastructure like Lynn Lake’s hospital and water treatment plant. Chief Terry Parlow says they’ve been sending teams of five on a rotating basis and they’ll go up for six days at a time.
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Brandon police and other provincial police forces have teamed up to create a pamphlet aimed to help protect wildfire evacuees. They say evacuees can become targets for criminals – and scams can range from tricking the elderly into giving them money – to human traffickers offering gifts or money to youth as grooming tactics. The pamphlets are available at all evacuation centres across the province.
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The Manitoba government has launched a campaign in the U-S to recruit American doctors. It’s targeting health-care workers in Michigan, Minnesota, North and South Dakota saying Manitoba offers a system that puts patients first, with no insurance battles and no profit-driven mandates – just real medicine.
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There’s been a possible measles exposure at a southern Manitoba hospital. It happened on May 22nd at Winkler’s Boundary Trails Health Centre E-R. People who visited the department that day are being asked to watch for symptoms. As of May 28th, 72 cases of measles have been reported in the province.
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The Manitoba Progressive Conservatives and Liberals have picked their candidates for a byelection in Spruce Woods. The PC’s have chosen Souris resident Colleen Robbins, the party’s former regional director – and Stephen Reid is the Liberals’ choice. The NDP has yet to pick a candidate. The byelection, which must be called by September 24th, is needed to fill the seat vacated by Grant Jackson who won federally after running in Brandon-Souris.
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Canada’s Jobs Minister is calling on Canada Post and its union to return to the bargaining table to work out terms for binding arbitration. Patty Hajdu says if the two sides can’t find common ground the stage would be set
for an imposed settlement. Workers have been in a legal strike position since May 23rd.
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Canadian steel companies and union workers are meeting with members of Parliament today – they want Ottawa to punch back at U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hike. He doubled duties on imports of steel and aluminum products into the U-S to 50%.
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The first Canadian to go into space, Marc Garneau, has died at the age of 76. He passed away Wednesday after a brief illness. Garneau also flew on three space shuttle missions, was president of Canada’s space agency, and was elected to the House of Commons in 2008.
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A pair of gloves worn by Wayne Gretzky during his last Stanley Cup run with the Edmonton Oilers is up for auction. Sotheby’s says bidding will close June 16th on the game-worn gloves from 1988 – and they’re estimated to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000. The Oilers won their fourth Stanley Cup in five years in ’88, sweeping the Boston Bruins.
