The City of Brandon is excited to announce that the Kinsmen Pool will open tomorrow, July 23, 2025 at 11 a.m.! Located at 411 Park Street, the pool's opening was initially delayed due to mechanical issues. It has since undergone extensive testing, repairs, and cleaning, and has successfully passed an inspection by Manitoba Health. “We are thrilled to be able to officially open our outdoor pool for the season and invite everyone to enjoy it,” said Todd Burton, General Manager of Operations. “I want to thank our dedicated team who worked diligently to get this pool operational.” The outdoor Kinsmen Pool will offer a variety of scheduled activities including public, family, and lap swim times. A full schedule can be found at brandon.ca/parks-recreation/recreation-and-sports/swimming-and-pools. Children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult or guardian aged 13 years or older. The admission rates are as follows: Infants (Under 2 years): Free Children (2–12 years): $5 Youth/Seniors (13–17 years & 55+): $6 Adults (18–54 years): $7 Families (2 adults & up to 5 children): $18 Payments can be made on-site at the Kinsmen Pool using cash, debit card, or credit card. 10 swim punch cards are also available for purchase. Participants are encouraged to bring their own towels and any necessary amenities. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted, but glass bottles or containers are prohibited on the premises. Several spray parks are also open daily in various locations throughout the city. For more information on locations and hours, visit brandon.ca.

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is opening registration to its popular high school education program, Driver Z, on July 23, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Driver Z will be offered in communities throughout Manitoba, using a mix of eLessons, virtual, and in-person classes. One of the main components of the program is the in-car learning sessions that give students the time they need behind the wheel to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to drive safely and prevent collisions. The Driver Z Course Finder will be posted on the MPI website on Friday, July 18, so customers can plan ahead and determine which course offering works best for them. To start the process, parents and guardians are strongly encouraged to complete the first two steps of the registration process before registration day: Visit an MPI Service Centre or an Autopac broker with the new driver to set them up as a customer. A list of required documents that you must bring with you to verify their identity is available on MPI’s website. Purchase the Driver Z program, which can be done at the same time as the customer set up. With the first two steps completed beforehand, on the day of registration, parents and guardians can sign up their child for Driver Z in one of four ways: By visiting one of the 300 Autopac brokers across the province (check operational hours to ensure the location you plan to attend is open at or before the 8:00 a.m. registration start time). Through the MPI Contact Centre at 204-985-7000 or toll-free at 1-800-665-2410. At any MPI Service Centre – centres will be opening early on July 23 to help customers prepare ahead of registration at 8:00 a.m. By calling the MPI Driver Education phone line at 204-985-7199 or toll-free at 1-800-261-9928. “MPI recognizes the high demand for this program and that many customers are not always successful when trying to register their child for Driver Z,” said Satvir Jatana, President & CEO of MPI. “We have heard those parents and are committed to making changes so Driver Z is accessible to those who need it.” MPI has increased capacity for the Fall offering of Driver Z to nearly 4,700 seats, of which 2,126 are outside of Winnipeg. By comparison, in Fall of 2024, there were 4,200 total seats available. MPI is on track to have 10,000 seats available to new customers this year, which will return registration to pre-Covid registration levels. “In addition to more seats, our Contact Centre will be prioritizing Driver Z registrations on July 23 and our Driver Education phone line will also be opening earlier than normal, at 8:00 a.m.,” said Jatana. “We realize these are short-term solutions, but we are doing what we can in the interim as we continue to make inroads on sustainable long-term changes.”

The City of Brandon and Brandon Downtown BIZ are excited to announce the launch of a new outdoor art program in downtown Brandon. Funded by the City of Brandon and administered by the Brandon Downtown BIZ, this public art initiative will operate through an open granting process with the goal of enhancing the vibrancy and visual appeal of the city’s downtown core. Developed in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, the program has been in development for several months. It is being led by Amanda Dupuis, Housing and Wellness Programmer for the City of Brandon; Emmy Sanderson, Executive Director of the Brandon Downton BIZ; and Lucie Lederhendler, Artistic Director of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba. Applications for the task force will open next week through the Brandon Downtown BIZ website at brandondowntown.biz  and will be announced on their social media. Once the task force is in place and the program parameters are finalized, an open call for project applications will be launched by the Brandon Downtown BIZ. In the meantime, artists and property owners are encouraged to start brainstorming ideas so they’re ready to apply when the time comes. Many of Brandon’s beloved murals – such as those created under a 2019 initiative by the Brandon Neighborhood Renewal Corporation – have remained largely untouched by vandalism and continue to be a celebrated feature of the downtown landscape. “This outdoor art program is a direct reflection of City Council’s strategic direction to encourage the revitalization of downtown Brandon,” notes Mayor Jeff Fawcett. “Our partnership with the BIZ and the Art Gallery highlights the strength of our community and reinforces our commitment to building a stronger, more connected downtown.” “The BIZ is very enthusiastic and honoured to be working with the City of Brandon, and other community partners on such an exciting and impactful project for our downtown, and for the city as a whole,” said Sanderson. “Beautification of spaces is part of the BIZ mandate and in addition to creating beautiful spaces, projects like this have far reaching impacts on safety, community building, tourism, economics, and civic pride. We look forward to seeing community driven art come to life and are grateful to the city for entrusting us with this meaningful project.” Dupuis, a visual artist herself, notes that the inspiration for the program came out of the city’s graffiti removal program.  “Instead of focusing on erasing graffiti, I wanted to focus on building something—on creating a positive vision for what we want downtown to look like. This program is about lasting impact and building community.” “Outdoor art is powerful because it has the power to transform the way folks feel about their whole environment,” said Lederhendler. “This program is an exciting opportunity for our community's talented artists to show their stuff to a wide audience. We are happy to amplify the message that downtown Brandon - where we have been located for all of our 117 years - is a really artful place.” Interested participants can reach out to Emmy Sanderson at info@brandondowntown.biz or call 204-717-1380.

Details are few and far but a 48 unit Hotel / Motel will be built soon in Riding Mountain National Park. Owners and as well when construction will being will be announced soon. Roughly one block from the White House Bakery will be the location.

The Helping Hands Soup Kitchen faces a huge issue they need $225,000 to replace their roofs. So they are now in the process of a 50 - 50 draw to keep their doors open. Click below flyer for more details 5050 Flyer (4)