Source: BPS News Release On March 29, 2022, police responded to numerous witness reports of several individuals fighting in the 700 block of Rosser Ave at approximately 3:00 pm.  Witnesses reported the suspects were in possession of weapons.  Several individuals fled the area, but two were located and arrested nearby. A 25-year-old male suspect was found to be in possession of a knife and a machete, contrary to conditions he was to abide by from a previous release order.  He was lodged at Brandon Police Service and will appear in court today on charges of Possession of a Weapon X2 and Fail to Comply with Release Order. A 27-year-old female who was involved was also arrested; she was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant for Fail to Attend Court.  She was later released and will appear in court on May 9, 2022. None of the individuals involved required medical attention.

Reservations for Manitoba’s provincial park campgrounds, yurts, cabins and group-use areas will begin on April 4 with expanded staggered launch dates and technical improvements for easier site bookings, Environment, Climate and Parks Minister Jeff Wharton announced today. “Manitoba is home to 92 provincial parks, where every year Manitobans and visitors come to enjoy the spectacular beauty our province has to offer,” said Wharton. “Our government understands that having easily accessible operations of the parks reservation service is part of the experience and we have implemented short-term changes to help improve this year’s bookings. We want to thank visitors for their patience as we work diligently on implementing a new reservation system for future seasons.” While the province continues to implement a new system with the aim to have it in place by 2023, several technical improvements have been made to the existing parks reservation service to address challenges users have experienced in previous years. Improvements include: additional computing resources added to increase system performance; improvements to increase stability of the queue and reduce the likelihood of users losing their place in line; and immediate confirmations at time of booking provided by web page messaging with a confirmation email sent within 24 hours to help speed up performance of the service. In addition, the province has scheduled two additional launch days to help spread out the user load on the system. Instead of three launch days, initial bookings will be staggered across five days. The Manitoba parks reservation service will accept bookings in five phases: April 4 at 7 a.m. for all cabins, yurts and group-use areas; April 6 at 7 a.m. for campsite reservations at Birds Hill, Falcon Beach, Falcon Lakeshore and West Hawk Lake; April 8 at 7 a.m. for campsite reservations at all western and northern region parks (Asessippi, Bakers Narrows, Clearwater Lake, Duck Mountain, Manipogo, Paint Lake, Rainbow Beach, Rivers, Spruce Woods, Turtle Mountain, William Lake and Wekusko Falls); April 11 at 7 a.m. for campsite reservations at Grand Beach, Nopiming and all remaining Whiteshell campgrounds (Caddy Lake, Big Whiteshell, Brereton Lake, Nutimik Lake, Opapiskaw, Otter Falls, Betula Lake and White Lake); and April 13 at 7 a.m. for all remaining locations (Birch Point, Camp Morton, Hecla, Hnausa Beach, Lundar Beach, Moose Lake, St. Malo, Stephenfield, Watchorn and Winnipeg Beach). Policy changes have also been made to increase opportunities for yurt and cabin stays. A maximum stay in a cabin or yurt has been reduced to seven nights from 14. Cabins, yurts and group-use areas will be limited to two reservations per session on opening day, down from three. The number of campsite reservations remains at three per session on opening days. While short-term changes have been made to help improve this year’s opening day booking experience, users may continue to experience system delays or wait times. To accommodate the expected high demand on April 4, online and call centre services will begin at 7 a.m. at https://prspub.gov.mb.ca/, 204-948-3333 (in Winnipeg) and 1 888-482-2267 (toll free). Customers are advised to check the website for call centre hours on other days and those making online reservations should confirm their user IDs and passwords prior to April 1. While online or call centre reservations are preferred, walk-in reservations and in-person payment arrangements can be made at 200 Saulteaux Cres. in Winnipeg and will be available beginning April 4 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Manitoba government continues to focus on provincial parks as a priority for continued future investment in parks programming, services and infrastructure to modernize and enhance future park experiences for all Manitobans, the minister noted. Manitobans are reminded that 2022 annual park vehicle permits are now available to purchase and print online at www.manitobaelicensing.ca/licensing.page. A list of tips and technical advice is attached and online at www.manitobaparks.com to help improve the user experience on system launch days.

Source: BPS Media Release On Saturday, members of the Patrol section executed a Public Safety warrant at a residence in the 200 block 11st St E.  The warrant resulted from information regarding the unlawful possession of several firearms by the resident.  Inside the home, police seized four rifles that were secured in a locked safe. A fifth firearm with ammunition was located under a bed in the residence.  The 40 year old male resident was arrested later in the day on charges of Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm x 5, Possess Firearm Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized, Unsafe Storage of a Firearm,  Fail to Comply with a  Release Order. He appeared in court on Sunday morning and was remanded into custody.

“CRIME STOPPERS WANTED” for: March 25th, 2022 The Brandon Police Service is seeking the public’s assistance in locating this person who is: “WANTED BY POLICE” Craig David FINLEY (52 yrs) FOR  Possession of Methamphetamine for the Purpose of Trafficking On October 28th, 2021, the accused, Craig FINLEY was arrested and charged for possession of meth for the purpose of trafficking.  On February 10th, 2022, Craig FINLEY failed to attend court in relation to the charge.  Due to the fact his whereabouts is unknown a warrant of arrest has been issued for Craig FINLEY. ***************** If you have any information as to the whereabouts of this person or anyone else “Wanted by Police” you are asked to contact Brandon Crime Stoppers @ 204-727-TIPS (8477), www.brandoncrimestoppers.com or by texting BCSTIP+your message to CRIMES (274637).  Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to Call Display.  Your call is not recorded and your identity will remain anonymous.  Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2000.00 cash for information that leads to the solution of a crime. ****************************************************************** CRIME OF THE WEEK for March 25, 2022 The Brandon Police Service is seeking the public’s assistance in solving a; Theft of Bicycles On March 20th, 2022, at approximately 10am, two male suspects entered an apartment building in the 400’ block of 5th Street.  Once inside they stole two bicycles from a storage area.  The first bike was a Giant Cypress, grey in colour.  The second bike was a Mud Dog, blue in colour.  The suspects were captured on video surveillance, a copy of which is being circulated with this bulletin. ************** If you have information about this or any other crime you are asked to contact Brandon Crime Stoppers @ 204-727-TIPS (8477), www.brandoncrimestoppers.com or by texting BCSTIP+your message to CRIMES (274637).  Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to Call Display.  Your call is not recorded and your identity will remain anonymous.  Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2000.00 cash for information that leads to the solution of a crime.

After two years of virtual ceremonies, Brandon University graduates will once again be able to walk across the Convocation stage and receive their degree parchment in person this year. “As the culmination of your academic journey, Convocation is a special and meaningful moment for every student — and my personal favourite university day,” said BU President David Docherty. “I am delighted that, thanks to public health successes like vaccines, we will once again be donning caps and gowns, presenting degree parchments in person, and congratulating each of our grads in person… only this year we’ll still be cautious about hugs and handshakes.” Convocation 2022 is scheduled for May 26 and 27 this year and has been expanded to four ceremonies. Grads from the Classes of 2020 and 2021, whose ceremonies were held virtually, are also invited back to share in the celebration, and must RSVP as soon as possible. “We always promised our grads that they would be included in a special way the very next time we were able to host them in person again,” said BU Registrar Andrea McDaniel, whose office helps lead Convocation planning. “Our virtual Convocation ceremonies were meaningful commemorations of unusual years, and we learned some new lessons from them that we’re going to continue to apply to future Convocations.” One example is the commissioned original artwork, originally produced for Class of 2020 grads as a reminder of the year’s interruption. A second original piece was commissioned for Class of 2021 grads due to the ongoing pandemic and it may now become an annual tradition. Convocation will be held at the BU Healthy Living Centre, following all public health orders. It is one of the best-ventilated spaces on campus and physical distancing will be followed as much as practical for all participants. Masks will be fully supported and, while capacity is not currently limited in the HLC, the university is asking graduates to limit their guest list to those who are truly closest to them. “Convocation is an important and special occasion, and it is essential that we host it as safely as possible,” McDaniel said. “We are taking precautions to avoid the dense crowds and intense mingling of previous years by encouraging everyone to take advantage of larger spaces, including outdoors on our lovely campus.” All graduating students from the Class of 2022 should now have submitted their application to graduate. More information about the ceremonies is being regularly posted online at BrandonU.ca/Convocation. Grads from the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 must RSVP online to confirm their intent to attend no later than 4:30 p.m. on April 29, 2022. Details are being sent to the email addresses that BU has on file for them, or they can go to BrandonU.ca/Convocation/Previous-Grad.