Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Easter Seals Canada is also set to celebrate its fourth annual Red Shirt Day, a national day of action for “AccessAbility” and inclusion of Canadians with disabilities. Manitoba Possible, the provincial arm of Easter Seals Canada, is excited to invite Manitobans to participate. Across the country on Red Shirt Day, Canadians everywhere join together and wear red in schools, workplaces, and community spaces. This visible show of support is a way for Canadians to acknowledge the achievements of people with disabilities and to pledge their commitment to helping create a fully accessible and inclusive society that honours and values the contributions of people of all abilities in all aspects of life. Red Shirt Day has quickly gained momentum, with more and more individuals and organizations sharing photos of themselves wearing red on their social media accounts each year. Established by Easter Seals in 2019 as a national initiative to increase awareness of the contributions that people with disabilities can and do make to Canadian society, Held each year on the Wednesday during National AccessAbility Week (NAAW) and Manitoba Access Awareness Week (MAAW), Red Shirt Day 2022 will take place on Wednesday, June 1st. National AccessAbility Week runs from Sunday, May 29th to Saturday, June 4th this year, while Manitoba Access Awareness Week runs May 30th through June 5th Easter Seals Manitoba / Manitoba Possible CEO, Dana Erickson (he/him), notes, “This Red Shirt Day, we recognize the more than 175,000 Manitobans with disabilities for their resilience, particularly in light of the pandemic. This year we also acknowledge that we still have much work to do in advocating for greater accessibility, inclusion, and equity in our communities for Manitobans with disabilities.” “We encourage all Manitobans to join in Red Shirt Day, demonstrating support for and celebrating achievements of peoples with disabilities,” says Erickson, noting that there are several ways to get involved: On Wednesday, June 1st, 2022, post a selfie or a group photo with friends, classmates or colleagues – all wearing red – on social media, using the hashtags: #RedShirtDay, #RedForAccessAbility, #RedShirtESMB, #MakeItPossible • Take and share your personal Red Shirt Day Pledge on social media. • Join the Red Shirt Day mailing list to receive updates on Red Shirt Day and free resources to help youmark National AccessAbility Week and Red Shirt Day. For more information and ideas, visit manitobapossible.ca/redshirtday or redshirtday.ca .

The Manitoba government has introduced legislation to extend the ability to sell liquor with takeout and delivery food orders and make it easier for service models such as wine bars, seasonal and pop-up businesses to obtain licenses, Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced today. “The existing framework for service licences, such as those for restaurants and bars, is complex and has many requirements unrelated to the safe and responsible service of liquor,” said Goertzen. “These amendments will allow us to reduce the number of licence categories and remove barriers to entry. Current licensed business will all remain licensed in a new framework, but more flexibility will expand eligibility for new service models, such as wine bars, seasonal or pop-up businesses, and local bars that don’t have to make costly investments in commercial kitchens or entertainment.” Manitoba’s regulatory framework for liquor has remained largely unchanged since the lifting of prohibition and this complicated framework creates challenges for the hospitality industry in meeting the evolving preferences of modern consumers, noted Goertzen. “Levelling the playing field creates a tremendous opportunity for the foodservice industry to recover and grow,” said Scot McTaggart, owner, Fusion Grill and Manitoba director, Restaurants Canada. “Restaurants Canada applauds the government for modernizing the licensing framework focusing on the safe service of alcohol and creating a market where the entrepreneurial spirit can thrive.” Bill 38 builds on previous legislative reform introduced to allow all liquor service licensees to sell liquor with takeout and delivery food orders, a service option that has been available to dining room licensees since 2020. This change, supported by industry and driven by changing consumer demand, became especially significant as the COVID-19 pandemic changed how Manitoba’s hospitality industry operates, noted the minister. (province of MB News Release)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On Thursday May 19, 2022, members of the Organized Crime Section and Crime Suppression Section conducted a search warrant on a residence in the 700 block of 6th street shortly after 7:00 pm. Following the search police seized approximately 176 grams of Cocaine (Approx. street value of $17,000), cash, and numerous drug trafficking paraphernalia. Also seized during the search were firearms including a 12 gauge Lakefield Mossberg shotgun, a .222 caliber Remington Model 7888 bolt-action rifle, and ammunition. Three individuals were arrested and face numerous charges. A 19-year-old male was lodged at Brandon Police Service and will appear in court today on charges of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine, Possess Proceeds of Crime, Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm X2, Unsafe Storage of Firearm X2 and Fail to Comply with Undertaking. A 52-year-old male was lodged at Brandon Police Service and will appear in court today on charges of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Cocaine, Possess Proceeds of Crime, Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm X2, Unsafe Storage of Firearm X2. A 23-year-old male was arrested and later released to appear in court on July 14, 2022 on a charge of Possession of Proceeds of Crime. A fourth individual who was found leaving the residence was also arrested on an outstanding charge of Fail to Attend Court.  The 16-year-old female was later released and will appear in court on June 14, 2022.

Source: BPS News Release At 12:55 a.m. today, passersby located a male waving down vehicles in the area of 18th Street and Rosser Avenue, and asking for help as he had been shot. The adult male from Brandon was confirmed on police arrival to be suffering from a wound to his leg caused by a firearm. Officers applied a tourniquet to the victim’s leg to prevent blood loss and turned him over to the care of BFES upon their arrival, who then transported the victim to hospital. Police searched the immediate area but were unable to locate a firearm or any evidence that the male had been shot near that intersection. He was transported to BRHC by BFES to receive medical care for his non-life threatening injuries. This matter remains under active investigation and no further details will be released at this time. It is believed that there is no danger to the public given the victim’s prior involvement with police and deep entrenchment with the criminal subculture. The victim was uncooperative with police and refused to provide any information to investigators.

Source: BPS News Release In January 2022, police received a report of a fraud.  Investigation revealed that a 44-year-old male took a debit card from a family member who had been admitted to the hospital.  Over several weeks, he made numerus ATM withdrawals totaling over $8000 before other family noticed and took the card away. On May 19, 2022, the suspect was arrested and later released to appear in court on July 7, 2022 on a charge of Fraud Over $5000.