The Manitoba government, in partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is investing $2 million to expand Manitoba’s Operational Communications Centre to strengthen law enforcement’s ability to respond to violent crime and critical incidents, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced today. “Providing law enforcement with the tools they need to keep Manitobans safe and to get tough on crime is a priority for our government,” said Wiebe. “This investment of $2 million will help ensure our officers have the resources they need to respond to emergencies in the moments when it matters most to Manitobans.” Manitoba’s Operational Communications Centre is the intake and dispatch command centre for all incoming calls for Manitobans to report an emergency to RCMP. The $2 million in additional funding will add six new RCMP officers and ten public servant dispatchers to expand the Operational Communications Centre and allow 24-7 risk management operational support for law enforcement, allowing the RCMP to better connect with Manitobans and ensure their safety quickly, noted Wiebe. “The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) welcomes the provincial government's investment to strengthen the RCMP's capacity and help ensure a more effective response to crime across Manitoba,” said Kathy Valentino, president, AMM. “With front-line officers dealing with repeat prolific offenders and expanded responsibilities that extend beyond traditional law enforcement, these additional resources are both timely and essential.” Adding the funding for six new sergeants will enable the Manitoba RCMP to create a 24-7 member operational support services (MOSS) unit. A member of the MOSS unit will be readily available to dispatchers and officers to provide expertise and guidance, and expanding the public servant dispatchers by ten new positions will ensure consistent support services can be provided to the public and officers, noted the minister. The expansion of the Operational Communications Centre builds on the government’s recent actions to address rural and northern crime in Manitoba including $3.3 million in funding for Manitoba's RCMP emergency response team to double its members, increasing the funding for the urban policing grant by 28 per cent, implementing a five-point plan to tackle repeat offenders and bail reform, creating a general investigate unit pilot project in Swan Valley, expanding the electronic monitoring program to rural Manitoba and building a new Centre for Justice in Dauphin.

On Mon, Apr. 7, City Council adopted By-Law No. 7397 to increase Development Charges (DC) for transportation and land drainage network infrastructure.  The updated DC rates will take effect on June 6, 2025. The City of Brandon has experienced exponential growth in recent years, thus making the requirement for additional municipal infrastructure necessary. DC contributions support essential infrastructure and equitably distribute development costs, aiding the city's growth over the next 20 years. Factors contributing to the increased rates include a transportation charge for road and intersection improvements in both emerging and established areas, higher capital costs, debt financing expenses, and costs associated with growth-related studies. The City of Brandon aims to balance growth, cost, and development, ensuring that Brandon remains one of the most livable cities in Canada. Other infrastructure supported by DC’s includes water and wastewater services. Adjustments to these rates are being implemented pursuant to By-Law No. 7406, which requires approval from the Public Utilities Board of Manitoba (PUB). At a future City Council Meeting, the City's Audit and Finance Committee will propose an amendment to By-Law No. 7406, recommending increased water and wastewater DC rates be phased in over a three-year period for high-density developments. If City Council approves the amended first reading of By-Law No. 7406, a new public hearing will be scheduled for late spring prior to it going to the PUB for approval An overview of all proposed and approved changes is available on brandon.ca/permits-applications/development-charges. Enquiries regarding DC rates can be sent to LandDevelopment@brandon.ca.

Photo: Brandon Police Service Between February 2025 and April 5th, 2025, BPS’ Organized Crime Section (OCS) conducted a drug trafficking investigation into Tia Vincent, a 45-year-old woman from Brandon, MB. On April 5th, OCS members arrested Vincent and located her with 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine. A subsequent search warrant at a residence in the 1300 block of 1st Street North in Brandon that Vincent was believed to be utilizing to store her illicit drugs, recovered approximately 500 grams of Cocaine, 42 grams of methamphetamine, drug packaging materials, multiple digitals scales and multiple cell phones. Angela Sellars, a 47-year-old woman from Brandon, was arrested at the 1st Street North location and along with Vincent, faces charges of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine and Methamphetamine. Both Vincent and Sellars appeared in court on April 7th, 2025. The approximate street value of the drugs seized during this investigation is $110,000.

Assault On April 6th at 2:46PM a 33-year-old male was approached by an unknown male out front of his home in the 600 block of 17th Street and was immediately assaulted. The homeowner was able to fend off the male. Police located the described male in the area. This is the second time that the same male has approached the homeowner. The 22-year-old male was arrested, held in BPS detention cells, and will attend court in the morning on April 7th, 2025. Assault On April 6th at 3:30PM police were called to a residence in the 700 block of 6th Street regarding an assault. A 29-year-old male was found to have scratch marks on his face stating his 24-year-old girlfriend attacked him. The female was arrested and transported to BPS. She was charged accordingly and released on an Undertaking with a court date of June 16th, 2025. CFS was notified as there were children in the residence.

3rd Suspect Charged in B&E On March 20th, a Break and Enter was reported to a residence in the 400 block of 8th St. Two suspects have already been charged in relation to this incident. On Saturday the third suspect was located, charged and released on an Undertaking with Court scheduled in June. Commercial Break and Enter At approximately 1:35am, Police received an alarm at a business located in the 800 block of 18th St. It was determined that entry had been made and that items from the store had been taken. This incident is still under investigation.