The J&G Homes Arena and WCHA are happy to welcome Chad Wallin and the Joe Beeverz team to be the operators of Kings Kitchen. We wish Chad and his team continued success and are excited for the experience they will bring to patrons of J&G Homes Arena. The restaurant is expected to re-open Friday October 4th in time for the U17AAA game. The restaurant will be open for all U18AAA, U17AAA and U15AAA games as well as the ACC Cougars games during the season following opening night on October 4th.

Local owners of the Brandon Wendy's location on 18Th Street and Park Ave. have their sights set on expansion. BDNMB.CA was told today that Wendy's Canada approached the Brandon owners to perhaps open up a new restaurant in Portage.   Wendy's did most of the research and felt this was a good move. The new location will be located on the parking lot in the west end by Tim Horton's and Rona. This has been in the works for almost three years and now it is becoming reality quoted Trotter. Right now the current plan is to start construction soon and be open in 2025. New location of Wendy's Portage ( west end of Portage by Rona and Tim Horton's )

In a joint news conference held today, MGEU and CUPE announced that formal strike notice has been served for more than 25,000 health care support workers across Manitoba. If a fair settlement cannot be reached, a strike will begin on October 8, 2024. A number of these often physically demanding jobs start at just above minimum wage ($17.07/hour for many). Far too often people in Manitoba communities are choosing other jobs on the way to something better. Even if these workers had accepted the employers’ last offer, they would still be the lowest paid health care support workers in Canada. “You can’t expect to fix health care if you have the lowest paid health workers in Canada. The employers’ last offer just doesn’t do enough to recruit and retain the workers needed to run our health care,” said MGEU President Kyle Ross. “Continuing to fill staffing gaps with private agency workers is costly and wasteful. Instead, Manitoba needs to grow its health care workforce to provide the care that patients and residents deserve.” “Every day the employer puts off addressing these issues means patient and resident care will continue to suffer,” Ross said. “Strike action is a last resort, but health care in Manitoba is in crisis and that crisis demands urgent action.” “If Manitoba is serious about fixing health care, it will need to resolve the health care staffing crisis, and that means paying fair and competitive wages for health care support workers,” said CUPE President Gina McKay. “Health care jobs that were once seen as highly desirable are just not competitive anymore. The result is increasing staff vacancy rates that are negatively affecting patients and residents.” Both leaders agreed, fixing health care and delivering quality health care takes a whole team. By serving strike notice today, CUPE and MGEU hope to persuade the employer to come back to the table ready to negotiate a fair deal that respects these workers as key members of the health care team. CUPE and MGEU bargaining committees are ready to return to negotiations as soon as possible to try and reach a settlement before October 8. In the interim, however, both unions are preparing for strike action, should it become necessary. In the event of a strike, agreements have been negotiated with the employer, in accordance with provincial legislation, to ensure essential health care services continue. These health care support staff members work at hospitals and personal care homes, and in the provincial home care program. The workers include health care aides, laundry workers, dietary aides, ward clerks, recreation coordinators, maintenance, housekeeping and other support staff.  MGEU represents 6,500 health care support workers in Prairie Mountain Health and Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority.

The Spirit Halloween store has returned to Brandon, Manitoba, for the 2024 Halloween season. This pop-up location is now open at 923 18th Street North, in the space formerly occupied by Ardene. Spirit Halloween will be available through early November, offering a wide range of costumes, decorations, animatronics, and accessories for all ages. It is the largest Halloween retailer in North America, known for providing a comprehensive Halloween shopping experience with themed aisles and interactive displays​. Spirit Halloween is open Monday to Saturday 10am-9pm and Sunday 11am-6pm.

Since forming in 2008, Sunrise Credit Union has prioritized supporting community groups, organizations, sports teams, and events. This commitment is a collective effort, with each of Sunrise Credit Union's 19 branches hosting at least one fundraising event annually. The money raised from these events is a testament to the unity and involvement of our community. It is donated to a worthwhile group, organization, or cause in their community. In the spring and summer of 2024, Sunrise Credit Union branches held 26 events. With the generous support of our community, $27,893.89 was raised. These funds were donated to community groups and organizations, a testament to the value we place on our community's support. "We are incredibly fortunate to be able to support local organizations that do so much for our communities," said Sunrise Credit Union president and CEO Tim Klassen, "We applaud the time and effort by our staff in our communities to hold these fundraising events and to the members of their various communities for supporting these initiatives." Sunrise Credit Union contributes more than $325,000 annually toward community donations, sponsorships and scholarships and looks forward to helping more community organizations through additional branch fundraising throughout the year. This collection of efforts shows what being part of our communities is all about. Below is a breakdown of funds raised and the organizations that benefited from our commitment to our communities. Organization Benefitting Branch Amount Minnedosa Museum & Heritage Village Minnedosa $252.00 Ste. Rose Fitness Center Ste. Rose $1,100.00 Parkland Humane Society Grandview $1,390.00 Canada Day Committee Minnedosa $300.00 Holland Elementary School Breakfast Program Holland $1,850.35 Baldur Care Home (BBQ & Raffle) Baldur $3,290.24 Cypress River Memorial Hall Renovations Cypress River $1,832.50 Deloraine Minor Ball Association Deloraine $1,800.00 Waskada Community Foods (BBQ) Waskada $1,200.00 Waskada Lions Club (Raffle) Waskada $1,730.00 Hartney Fair Grounds Hartney $2,000.00 Erickson & Area Food Bank Sandy Lake $393.80 Sandy Lake Swim Program Sandy Lake $465.00 Fun Fest Committee Minnedosa $283.00 Boissevain School Playground Project Boissevain* $914.00 Virden Costume Closet Virden $2,000.00 Treherne Aquatic Centre (Swim Day) Treherne $684.00 Strathclair Fire Department Strathclair $1,004.00 Melita Fire Department Melita $2,000.00 Oakburn Community Hall Shoal Lake $1,005.00 Minnedosa Youth Drop-In Centre Minnedosa $512.00 Pipestone Memorial Park (Meat Draw) Reston $377.60 Pipestone Fun Days (Meat Draw) Reston $377.60 Seniors Helping Hands (Meat Draw) Reston $377.60 Reston Willowview Palliative Care (Meat Draw) Reston $377.60 2025 Pipestone Homecoming (Meat Draw) Reston $377.60