-The City of Brandon wants to hear your thoughts on the proposed Municipal Budget for 2026. Join the Mayor and Council and City administration in the City Hall Foyer, January 26th from 6 to 6:45pm, to give your comments and feedback on the budget. The proposed budget includes major infrastructure projects and service enhancements, requiring an extra $6.3 million dollars. That would mean a 10.6 per cent increase of your municipal taxes from last year.
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-McDonalds has banned a local man for shouting racist remarks and striking an employee in the face, while going through the drive-thru last summer. The Brandon Sun says 35-year-old Jordan Morris is banned from all 4 Brandon McDonalds locations for a year. In Court Thursday, Morris pleaded guilty to 2 counts of assault and a 1-year supervised probation and a $500 fine. In sentencing, The Judge says “Alcoholism does not equal racism”.
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-Will hospital nursing shifts go unfilled in Manitoba? Manitoba Nurses say they are worried that the reduction of nursing agencies, from nearly 80 to 4, could make staffing shortages worse. The union says they need 700-800 nurses to help with the transition, but only have 555. Right now, some hospitals that rely on agency nurses, have many shifts unfilled, in rural areas like Dauphin and Pine Falls.
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-Manitoba will not be participating in the federal gun buyback program. Ottawa is budgeting $785 million dollars for the program, and has only collected 25 weapons, after a test run of the program in Cape Breton. Manitoba’s Justice Minister says they are concerned about the programs cost, the effort required to do it, adding resources are better directed at front-line policing.
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-Canada’s Prime Minister has cut a landmark tariff-quota deal with China on EV’s and Canola. The new deal will allow thousands of Chinese electric vehicles into the country for lower canola duties, to boost the economy, while at the same time, Mark Carney is expecting, Beijing to lower canola seed duties to 15 per cent by March, with canola meal, lobsters, crabs and peas, tariff free, from March to at least the end of the year. In exchange, Canada is allowing 49 thousand Chinese EV’s here, at a 6.1 per cent tariff rate.
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