Shawna Mozdzen is Brandon School Divsion’s newest trustee. She easily won yesterday’s byelection with 2,229 votes – over 1,700 more than second-place finisher Henry Sieklicki. Mozdzen, a school support and educational assistant, ran on a platform of ensuring students and families feel supported, included and safe in the city’s schools.
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Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, west of Brandon, will hold an election for chief and five councillors next month. Two people are running for chief – incumbent Vince Tacan and former chief Jennifer Bone – and 14 people are in the running for the five council positions. The vote will be held November 13th.
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The three levels of government have pledged a total of $575,000 for ‘Grow Brandon’ – an initiative aimed at creating jobs and attracting business investment to the region. The announcement was made yesterday at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural economic summit. Grow Brandon was first established in 2023.
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A fire that burned down a garage and destroyed a vehicle on 16th Street in Brandon this week was caused by a pail of ashes. Police say the homeowner dumped the ashes against the garage thinking they had cooled, but they reignited. The fire also damaged a nearby fence.
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It’ll take a little while longer to finish watermain repairs on Rosser Avenue in downtown Brandon. The city says five valves needs replacing, and the work will continue – on and off – until the end of October. A company has been hired to do repairs with the water on to avoid shutting it off for 6 to 10 blocks. In the meantime, a lane closure will stay in place between 9th and 10th Streets.
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Police in Winkler are warning about a scam involving smoke detectors. They say a company installed detectors in a couple’s home for a ‘large fee’. The couple gave them a deposit cheque – and a void cheque – but learned a loan was started in their names the next day. The couple quickly cancelled the cheques, changed bank accounts and managed not to lose any money.
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Next week, the federal Liberals plan to bring forward a new bail reform bill aimed at cracking down on violent and repeat offenders. Prime Minister Mark Carney says the November 4th budget will also include $1.8 billion over four years to boost federal policing nationwide.
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While losses at Manitoba Public Insurance in the last fiscal year, around $60-million in total, is an improvement from 2023 – the corporation says it’s still facing rising claims costs, inflationary pressures, and the impact of tariffs. MPI is currently asking the Public Utilities Board for a 2% hike in auto rates. If approved, that’s about $21.00 more a year on average.
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We’ve overtaken the Americans in terms of visa-free access to the world. The Canadian passport now ranks 9th for how many countries we can visit without having to apply for a visa – the U-S passport is in 12th place. Singapore tops the list followed by South Korea and Japan.
