Brandon is to receive $175,000 as part of the NDP government’s plan to reduce chronic homelessness in the province. The money will be used to buy and lease some apartment buildings in the city that’ll also provide addictions recovery treatment.
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You’ll get a chance to hear about what’s happening in downtown Brandon at a public event tonight. A couple of presentations will be made at a State of the Downtown event at City Hall. One will be dedicated to economic development – and the other to safety and community development. It all starts at 6:00.
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Brandon councillors got a look at Part Two of the city’s 2025 Capital Plan in a pre-budget session this week. Six key municipal projects were highlighted – improvements to Brandon’s Airport, Transit, Fleet Services, Facilities, Solid Waste – and Parks and Rec. To help pay for it all, the city is proposing an 11.7% property tax hike this year.
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So how are businesses doing after one month of Ottawa’s ‘GST holiday’? A new report says sales are up. Restaurants say sales have increased between 7% and 9% – and small and medium-sized businesses are reporting a 5% boost. The tax break ends February 14th.
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The year’s first carbon rebates are going out today. The tax-free rebates return 90% of the revenue collected by Ottawa from federal carbon prices. Individuals in Manitoba can expect an average of $150 – a family of four:
around $300.
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The majority of EV owners in Canada are happy with their electric vehicles. CAA found 70% say they’ve saving money on gas and the cost of maintenance, however they say there’s just not enough fast and reliable public charging available. On long trips in extreme cold – they’d rather drive a gas vehicle.
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A group of global experts is proposing a new way to define and diagnose obesity. They want to reduce the emphasis on the controversial ‘body mass index’. They suggest BMI – a calculation of height and weight – should be combined with other measurements, such as waist circumference, plus evidence of health problems tied to extra pounds.
