A section of Brandon’s historic McKenzie Seeds building has been demolished by the city. The Brandon Sun reports a floor collapsed inside ‘building 30’ revealing critical structural failures. Owners, Brandon Fresh Farm, says without funding for their project there was no money for the demolition, so the city went ahead and will tack on costs to the property taxes.
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Brandon’s Sisson Auto is expanding. The company reportedly purchased a building on 17th Street North which includes Ronnie’s Car Wash and Auto Fashion. They plan to relaunch an updated car wash this spring.
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Some personal information was apparently accessed after a data breach last month at PowerSchool, a student information system provider. The company says some social security numbers and medical information was impacted. The breach affected 80% of Manitoba school divisions – including Brandon and Mountain View.
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Canada Post is raising the cost of stamps and its other mail products by 25% today – a move announced in September. Stamps purchased in a booklet, coil or sheet will now cost $1.24 each – up from $99-cents. Canadian stamp prices are some of the lowest in the world.
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A Quebec law firm has proposed a class-action lawsuit against Costco Canada alleging unfair pricing. They say the retailer charged more for items online than in-store, a practice known as ‘double ticketing’ – which is banned
under the Competition Act. It also alleges Costco provided false or misleading information about additional charges like shipping fees.
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Manitoba Crown attorneys are warning about dangerously heavy caseloads and vacancies which are putting the public at risk. Their association filed a grievance in 2023, but says the government must act now. Workloads have increased due to more evidence to review including body cam footage, and the vacancies have occurred as experienced lawyers leave Manitoba for more money elsewhere.
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Manitoba brought in 9,500 people through the provincial nominee program last year – and is asking for 12,000 this year. The labour minister says the province needs more immigrants to fill persistent labour shortages. Ottawa, which has reduced immigrant targets, is to inform Manitoba of its decision by late February.
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Nova Scotia’s Mike Jack and his wife Jamie are one hot couple. Mike has 18 Guinness World Records for eating incredibly spicy foods – which includes a record for the fastest time munching down 100 Carolina Reaper peppers. They also hold a couples record for the longest ‘habanero kiss’. They each ate a habanero pepper, and then put their mouths together for 15 minutes.
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As Los Angeles continues to battle one of the most destructive wildfires in its history – experts say the destruction signals a troubling trend fuelled by a larger climate crisis – a warmer world means more fire. Last year alone, nearly 6,000 wildfires scorched Canada, while early estimates of the damage from the current L-A blaze range up to $150 billion – and climbing.
