The search for Brandon teenager, Owen Bedford, will resume today. The 18-year-old went missing on Sunday. Yesterday, family members, friends and volunteers scoured various parts of the city, police were using drones and search dogs, and the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Response Team searched the Assiniboine River. Volunteers are also asking people with doorbell cameras to check footage.
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A 16-year-old boy. accused of attempted murder in a sword attack on another teen at Brandon’s Neelin High School, has been court-ordered to undergo a mental health assessment. The 15-year-old victim continues to recover. Members of Brandon’s Nigerian community say they’re deeply troubled by the attack, and want to see proactive measures taken to ensure students are safe in schools.
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Manitoba doctors have launched their campaign to end sick notes saying the move would reduce unnecessary medical visits, and free-up care for those in need. They say those visits cost taxpayers about $8 million a year.
The ‘Sick of Sick Notes’ campaign includes guidance for employers, a new website, and a social media video.
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More measles cases have been confirmed in Manitoba in Manitou, Winkler and Steinbach. So far this year, there have been 98 confirmed cases in the province. Health officials are to release another update today.
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Bissett is the latest Manitoba community to lift its mandatory wildfire evacuation order, and about 80 residents have started returning home. Officials are reminding those heading back that while the immediate risk has decreased, fires are still burning in the region. Crews continue to battle 20 active wildfires across the province.
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Gambler First Nation held a sod-turning ceremony yesterday at the site of a future 130-room hotel. The building is to be located behind the First Nation’s gas station on 18th Street North, and will feature three
giant teepees out front…the largest functioning teepees in the world. Two will be 60-feet tall, serving as a restaurant and conference room, and a third 80-foot teepee will contain the lobby. Work is to begin next month.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading home to Ottawa today after hosting the G7 summit in Alberta. He says the summit helped broker an impending trade deal with the U-S, co-launch a stockpile for critical minerals and boost co-ordination in fighting wildfires.
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Are you spending less in-person time with your friends? Stats-Can reports only 19% of Canadians saw friends on an average day, down from 48% in 1986. The sharpest drop was for people aged 25 to 64. The survey was conducted in 2022, but one of the big reasons for the decline is likely still relevant today – we feel ‘pressed for time’.
