-Brandon Hospital’s Emergency Room was covered by a single physician for 185 hours over the December holidays. This from a Prairie Mountain Health memorandum by the Brandon Sun. The memorandum says the ER “continues to experience significant physician shortages, and will likely continue for the foreseeable future.”
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-A former Sobeys grocery store on 18th Street in South Brandon will remain vacant, despite the Provinces’ attempt to increase competition. According to a CBC report, the building is leased through 2028, and is unaffected by provincial legislation from last summer to prevent grocery stores sitting on leases. The store has been empty since 2017.
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-Brandon RCMP say they have recovered over $150,000 in stolen equipment from a property 40 minutes North-East of Brandon. Police began investigating after a report of stolen construction equipment November 1st. Two people face 11 charges of possession of property obtained by crime over $5000. RCMP are trying to get the stolen property back to its rightful owners.
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-US border patrol officers shot and wounded 2 people in Portland, Oregon yesterday, during an immigration operation. The man and woman shot were taken to hospital, with their conditions currently unknown. The Oregon shooting came as protests continue over Wednesday’s ICE agent shooting of a woman driver in Minneapolis.
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-All Manitoba school divisions have submitted safety plans to the province following multiple incidents at schools last year. Brandon School Division’s superintendent says steps have already been taken to improve student safety, with all Brandon schools already having, or soon to have, remote controlled doors. A sword attack at Brandon’s Neelin High last June, and a student being grabbed in a washroom by a convicted sex offender at Winnipeg’s Darwin school, led to the safety plan requirements.
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-Manitoba PC’s are asking Health Canada to reject an application for a new drug consumption site in Winnipeg. At a press conference on Thursday, The Opposition Leader says there is an “absence of baseline data” to support the choosing of 366 Henry Avenue as its location. While Health Canada faces criticism from the PC’s and residents and businesses in the area, The Addictions Minister said the site was chosen, as it is located where people need the services.
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-The Klar So Snow Pavilion on the shores of Clear Lake, is expected to open up this weekend. Clear Lake aims to boost winter-time tourism, and reinforce that the park is open year-round. The Snow Pavilion, made from ice blocks from Clear Lake, will include winter activities, performances and culinary events, and will be featured in the Frost and Fire Festival in March.
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-Statistics Canada says unemployment rose in the country last month even though Canada added thousands of jobs. According to their latest report, we saw 8200 new jobs nationwide, but unemployment climbed to 6.8 percent. The report says it was part time employment that saw the biggest drop, falling by 42,000 jobs.
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-Former Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland’s resignation has become official today. She announced she will take up a new post as an advisor to Ukraine on economic development. The long-serving MP informed the speaker she would vacate her seat in order to take this new post on Wednesday.
