-This extreme cold weather is putting the city’s homeless, in a “life or death situation”. In Brandon, 821 people were homeless in 2025, a rise of 20 per cent. Right now, Samaritan House is the only facility that allows the home-less to stay overnight and sleep at its 41-bed Safe and Warm Shelter at 820 Pacific Ave. Environment Canada says dangerous wind chills are expected today and the weekend, dropping temperatures to -45.
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-We have a winner; and it was a record breaking year for Mb Ag Days 50-50! The jackpot announced this morning was $193,910. Congratulations to Gary Kanning, who took home half the winnings with $96,955. Last year, $92,685 was won! That means $96,955 goes to support community grants and Ag Education through The Ag Days Gives Back Fund. The 3 day event at the Keystone wrapped up Thursday.
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-A 3 story six-plex will be built in Brandon, following a long city council debate on Monday. City Council approved the rezoning of 2202 Rosser avenue, in ward 4. The six units would have three bedrooms each, helping alleviate Brandon’s housing shortage. The Brandon Sun says residents were concerned about the height and some sight lines.
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-The City of Brandon is expanding its needle disposal program, in a few weeks. City Council reports that 4 new sharps containers are being installed, targeting new areas like the Willowdale Crescent and Cornell Park neighbourhoods, that don’t currently have the containers. This pilot project won’t cost any extra money for equipment as the containers were already purchased in 2025.
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-A 19-year-old Brandon Man is sentenced to one year in jail after a machete attack near Kirkcaldy Heights School, that caused a lockdown, last fall. The Brandon Sun says Hoksida Blacksmith pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon for striking a man on September 10th, 2025. In sentencing, the judge says the psychological impact of this incident, outweighs any type of physical injury.
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-Minnedosa town council passed a short-term rental bylaw in December, regulating AirBnB type rentals in the community. The Mayor says the bylaw is a proactive measure against nuisance rentals, with concerns of properties used “to party and cause grief to all the neighbours.” The bylaw introduces licensing, guest limits, and noise rules to protect Minnedosa residents.
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-Manitoba’s Dialysis services aren’t being managed efficiently. This, from a report released yesterday by Manitoba’s Auditor General. The report says Shared Health has no clear operational plan or defined responsibilities, as the demand for dialysis increases in Manitoba. The Auditor general warns Manitoba does not know if its delivering the best outcome for patients or the best value for taxpayers.
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-The Manitoba Government is looking for an executive director of AI and data, to oversee artificial intelligence use across the public sector. The Innovation Minister says the role is needed to “build our own in-house expertise”, and use AI to build “better services, faster delivery and a smarter government.” He emphasizes that humans are still making the decisions, and AI is helping to shorten wait times, rather than replace jobs.
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-The Manitoba Government is launching limited internal review of its response to Covid 19, at a cost of $500 thousand dollars. The Health Minister says the focus will be on lessons learned and future preparedness, rather than revisiting old debates. Manitoba had the 2nd highest death rate for Covid among the provinces, behind Quebec, sending 57 patients out of province, as health-care facilities were full. The review will finished by the end of the year.
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-Prime Minister Mark Carney is meet with his cabinet for the second day, discussing Canada’s Sovereignty, trade, and security. These meetings follow Carney’s response to U-S President Donald Trump, after saying “Canada lives, thanks to the United States.” Carney responded, saying Canada must be a “beacon”, and “show that another way is possible.”, as tensions continue to rise.
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-TikTok’s Chinese parent company has finalized a deal that would see the video-sharing app become majority American-owned. The new milestone deal will keep it from being banned in the U.S. In 2020, the U.S. President tried to unsuccessfully ban it. Meantime; in 2024, The Federal government ordered TikTok to close its Canadian operations, following a review, citing unspecified “national security risks.”
