Manitoba Infrastructure advises provincial snow removal crews are equipped and prepared to clear Manitoba’s highways in response to the upcoming snowfall forecasted for parts of the province starting Monday evening. The province is currently monitoring and inspecting highway conditions in preparation to deploy its heavy equipment fleet that includes approximately 340 truck plows, de-icing equipment and motor graders. The province maintains the 19,000-kilometre highway system to provide safe and timely travel throughout the province during the winter season. Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning and is predicting 10 to 15 centimetres of snow in the Winnipeg region and parts of southern Manitoba, and more than 20 cm of snowfall in the Parkland region. Manitoba Infrastructure cautions travellers should always check Manitoba 511 for current road conditions prior to making the decision to travel. While 511 is updated regularly by the provincial road patrol, conditions can change in a matter of minutes.

Manitoba Ag Days may be postponed, but Agriculture in the Classroom-Manitoba is able to push ahead with its Ag Days programming due to a new virtual program for Grade 7 students. The program, which was slated to launch with the start of Manitoba Ag Days 2022 (postponed due to COVID restrictions), is now available to Manitoba teachers. "Thanks to funding from Manitoba Ag Days, Viterra, and the Canadian Agriculture Partnership, we have created a fully blended program that can happen in class or at home, anywhere in the province," said Sue Clayton, AITC-M's Executive Director. "Nothing can replace the value of the hands-on, in-person programming we normally do at Ag Days, but we consider this a fabulous opportunity to develop something we can use year after year and reach even more students province-wide who wouldn’t normally get a chance to go to Brandon for the in-person program." The new program, which currently has 925 students registered, includes: Think Global – Agriculture & Our World - a gamified learning experience that teaches students about food security, population and land distribution, Canada’s connection to the world through agricultural trade, and more Act Local  - Agriculture & Manitoba - a video that introduces students to the depth of the agriculture industry in Manitoba by focusing on the diversity of agriculture careers available to your students no matter what their skills or interests Plus, other classroom resources to help teachers deliver the virtual experience in class or with students learning from home. AITC-M's usual MB Ag Days Adventure is a program designed to help grade 7 and 8 students think globally and act locally about agriculture, food security and agriculture careers. Students learn about global food production and Canada's import/export of agricultural goods. They then move on to a scavenger hunt at the Keystone Centre in Brandon to explore agricultural careers and the importance of the local industry. "At the end of the day, the most important thing is that we get to teach students about agriculture,” said Clayton, “We are optimistic that we will be back in Brandon next year for Ag Days. And the real benefit is that now students across the province are able to participate in the MB Ag Days program year-after-year thanks to the development of this virtual offering.” Teachers can visit the AITC-M website to register throughout the school year.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On January 13, 2022, members of the Organized Crime Section and the Operational Support and Crime Suppression Unit conducted a search warrant to a residence in the 800 block of Louise Ave E.  Investigators seized over 8 ounces of Crystal Meth and $13,000 in cash.  Police also located property believed to be stolen. The maximum street value of the seized drugs is approximately $22,000. A 38-year-old male was arrested and later released to appear in court on March 10, 2022 on charges of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possession of Proceeds Obtained by Crime and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime.

The Manitoba government is taking steps to develop a new provincial parks reservation service with new software while also making short-term changes to the system to improve users’ experiences when booking campsites this spring, Conservation and Climate Minister Sarah Guillemard announced today. “The technical and policy adjustments to our parks reservation service are being made in response to public feedback,” said Guillemard. “The improvements will help manage the load on the opening day for reservations, ease the booking process for campers and provide more opportunities to book camping facilities in high demand and limited inventory, such as cabins and yurts.” The Department of Conservation and Climate is exploring options for major changes, including a completely new software application. While the province works to scope out, acquire and implement a new system with an aim to have it in place in 2023, work is also underway on short-term fixes and policy changes to improve the reservation experience this year. The immediate focus for this spring is on addressing the major challenges users experienced in booking campsites, cabins and yurts at provincial parks on the opening days for reservations in 2021. Any improvements will be tested against the department’s best estimates of user traffic loads. Though the short-term fixes will not address all of the current issues in the reservation system, Guillemard noted they are designed to improve performance this year while the province works on the longer-term changes. Changes planned for the parks reservation service for this coming booking season include: server upgrades to improve system performance and other technology-based enhancements; an addition of two opening days to five from three; a limit to the number of reservations that can be booked in one session for cabins and yurts to two from three; and a reduction in the maximum length of stays at cabins or yurts to seven nights from 14 nights to give more people opportunities to acquire these facilities. A tendering process will soon be underway to develop and implement a replacement system for future seasons, the minister said. Prospective policy adjustments were presented recently to the public through the Improving the Parks Reservation Service online survey on EngageMB. Other suggestions made through the survey will be considered in future years, the minister noted. “We appreciate the feedback we received through EngageMB and thank everyone who took the time to share their opinions to help us provide a quality reservation service for Manitobans and visitors,” said Guillemard. “Our government is committed to making it easier for Manitobans to reserve campsites with this short-term and long-term approach.” The What We Heard report is available at: https://gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/proactive/20212022/engagemb-parks-prs.pdf.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release Following an investigation into drug trafficking, members of the Organized Crime Section and the Operational Support and Crime Suppression Unit executed a search warrant to a residence in the 200 block of 26 street on January 11, 2022.  Police seized 50 grams of Methamphetamine, 20 grams of Fentanyl, $1800 cash and a .22 caliber rifle with ammunition.  Four individuals were arrested and face charges. A 35-year-old female was arrested and later released to appear in court on March 10, 2022 on charges of Possess Meth for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possess Proceeds of Crime, and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime. A 45-year-old male was arrested and later release to appear in court on March 3, 2022 on a charge of Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm. A 48-year-old male was arrested and later released to appear in court on March 3, 2022 on charges of Unauthorized Possession of a firearm and Possess Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order. A 42-year-old male was arrested and lodged at Brandon Police Service and appeared in court yesterday on charges of Possess Meth for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possess Fentanyl for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possess Proceeds of Crime, and Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm.