In response to the September 2nd Public Health Act Orders released by the Province of Manitoba, public access to Brandon’s Community Sportsplex is restricted to the following: Persons who produce proof that they are fully immunized; Persons who produce proof from the government of Manitoba that there is a medical reason for the person not to receive a vaccine for COVID-19; or Persons under 18 years of age. Other updates at Brandon’s Community Sportsplex include the removal of capacity limits for participants in the arena and racquetball courts, and spectators in the facility. As a reminder, everyone entering the Sportsplex is still required to wear a mask. Spectators and people not actively participating in the sporting activity will be required to wear their mask. Active participants are not required to wear a mask during active play. Brandon Youth Centre Brandon Youth Centre welcomes all youth aged 8-17. Proof of vaccination is not required for any youth attending the Youth Centre. Registration forms are required to attend and be found at brandon.ca/youth-centre. Registered Recreation Programs  Parks & Recreation Services has several programs available for registration. Proof of vaccination requirements will differ for these programs. All registered individuals will be sent updates on requirements for their specific programs. For more information on programs, visit mycommunity.brandon.ca. Live Music In the Parks  Live Music In the Parks will take place as scheduled on Tuesday, September 7th at 7:00 p.m., weather dependent. This outdoor, non-ticketed event does not require proof of vaccination to attend. More details can be found online at brandon.ca/events/music-in-the-park . The City of Brandon is committed to protecting the health and safety of our residents and employees. Individuals visiting any civic facility are asked to respect the principles of social distancing, hand sanitizing, physical barriers, wearing masks and self-assessment criteria that have been put in place for the safety of all. Any member of the public that is feeling unwell or are exhibiting ANY COVID-19-related health symptoms (fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat) SHOULD NOT attend to any City of Brandon facility and should, instead, visit sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool or contact Health Links at 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257 for advice.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On August 31, 2021, police responded to a report of an assault of a Correctional Officer at BCC by a 33-year-old male inmate.  The officer received minor injuries that did not require medical attention.  The inmate was arrested and remains in custody at BCC.  He will appear in court today on the charge.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On August 30, 2021, police responded to a report of a break and enter to a construction site on Plateau Drive.  Suspects entered a trailer between August 27 and August 30 by forcing the door.  Stolen were a number of power tools estimated to be worth over $10,000.  Anyone with information regarding this B&E and Theft is encouraged to contact Brandon Police Service at 204-729-2345 or https://www.brandon.ca/police-contact/police-contact.

Assiniboine’s Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture is welcoming a $500,000 donation from a Westman-born agricultural staple, Mazergroup. "Mazergroup continues to have a long history of cooperation with the college for training our people, so this funding commitment just feels right,” said Bob Mazer, president and CEO of Mazergroup. “Assiniboine is a great school with great staff and facilities, and we are proud to be partners in working toward a better future in agriculture.” The Prairie Innovation Centre will enable more unique work-integrated learning opportunities, applied research projects and industry innovation. The Centre is Assiniboine’s vision for the future of agriculture in Manitoba, and will address industry and economic needs in this important sector. “Our college has a critical role in ensuring there are people trained and ready to step into careers in the growing agriculture sector. The Prairie Innovation Centre will answer the call, arming agriculture in Manitoba with a skilled labour force,” said Mark Frison, president of Assiniboine. "Industry support and partnership is key to advancing a project like this. Mazergroup is an important part of the agriculture industry and of the Westman community. I look forward to continuing to work with them toward common goals, and I thank them for this strong show of support." In Manitoba, it’s projected that one in five jobs in agriculture will go unfilled by 2025. For Mazergroup, the largest New Holland dealer group in North America, this is notable. The Prairie Innovation Centre is Assiniboine’s made-in-Manitoba solution. “Human resources are the most difficult piece, but also the backbone of a business like ours,” said Mazer, who is an honorary co-chair of the Prairie Innovation Centre campaign. "Most Mazergroup employees have some link to Assiniboine, and that’s a big reason why we decided to contribute to the Prairie Innovation Centre project. Dozens of our staff have made better lives for themselves and their families because of the training and education they received at Assiniboine." Mazer, a past chair of the college’s Board of Governors and recipient of an honorary diploma has a history of supporting college students and programs. Mazergroup provides an entrance award each year to students in both the Agriculture Equipment Technician and Heavy Duty Technician programs, and has loaned agricultural equipment to these programs for hands-on learning opportunities. “Agriculture is a crucial contributor to the Manitoba economy,” said Frison. "Working with local industry is key to ensuring this sector can reach its full potential." The Prairie Innovation Centre, which aims to expand seats in agriculture-related programming from 300 to more than 800, will be located at Assiniboine’s North Hill campus in Brandon. (ACC Media Release)

Manitoba is expanding the vaccine passport benefit for fully immunized individuals that will enable businesses, services and events to be available without capacity limits or public health restrictions as of Sept. 3, Health and Seniors Care Minister Audrey Gordon announced today. “The emergence of the delta variant has changed things significantly. Now, public health officials tell us the pandemic is one of the unimmunized and we must take these extra steps to protect the nearly 230,000 children who are not yet eligible for immunization,” said Gordon. “Manitoba’s vaccine passport benefit will help encourage greater vaccine uptake, which is necessary to protect our health-care system from the COVID-19 fourth wave.” Gordon also announced the new public health order requiring mask use in all indoor public spaces across the province will come into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 28. The province has developed new requirements for people to be fully immunized to participate in certain events and activities. These requirements will come into effect by public health order on Sept. 3 for all health regions and will include: • indoor and outdoor ticketed sporting events and concerts; • indoor theatre/dance/symphony events; • restaurants (indoor and patio dining); • nightclubs and all other licensed premises; • casinos, bingo halls and VLT lounges; • movie theatres; • fitness centres, gyms and indoor sporting and recreational facilities (excluding youth recreational sport); and • organized indoor group recreational classes and activities, and indoor recreational businesses. Children 11 and under who are not eligible to be immunized will be able to attend events and activities with a fully immunized adult. “Unless immediate and strong measures are taken, the fourth COVID-19 wave would likely lead to another round of business restrictions or closures. Such a scenario would be absolutely devastating to business and our community. The Winnipeg Chamber supports today’s actions to avert the human and economic turmoil being seen in other provinces,” said Loren Remillard, president and chief executive officer, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. “We will continue to work with our members to ensure they have the tools they need to support the province's public health orders.” The minister noted these new public health orders complement the mandatory vaccination steps taken earlier this week requiring all designated provincial public service workers who have ongoing contact with vulnerable populations, especially children, to be fully immunized. These individuals will need to receive their first dose by Sept. 7 and their second dose by Oct. 17 to be fully immunized by Oct. 31. Designated employees who are not fully immunized or cannot provide proof of vaccination will need to undergo regular COVID-19 testing, up to three times a week for full-time employees, and provide proof of a negative test result before they can resume working. “As the restaurant industry continues to put the health and safety of Manitobans as their top priority, we recognize the latest changes as a short-term measure that models a proactive approach to eliminate the requirement for more permanent restrictions that would cause further detriment to an industry that has faced monumental challenges over the last 16 months,” said Shaun Jeffrey, executive director and chief executive officer, Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association. Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, said these public health orders will reduce the need for more stringent public health restrictions and lockdowns that would otherwise be necessary to combat the COVID-19 fourth wave and protect the province’s hospital and critical care capacities. “Ensuring that people are fully immunized before attending higher-risk events, activities and services will help reduce community spread of the virus,” said Roussin. “Already, we are seeing more of the newly identified cases are in people who have not yet been immunized, and we need to take these steps to protect them, others in their communities and the health-care system from the effects of the delta variant.” Manitoba released new COVID-19 case numbers today that show unvaccinated individuals are accounting for a significant proportion of all new cases. Of the 31 new cases identified today, 26 were in individuals who were unvaccinated. In the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region, 13 of the 14 cases identified today were in individuals who were unvaccinated. As of today, 76.2 per cent of Manitobans age 12 and up have received two doses of vaccine, and 81.7 per cent have received at least one dose. Roussin again noted that public health officials recommend that private businesses and organizations follow the province’s lead and consider mandating COVID-19 vaccination for their employees to protect their customers and staff, and to reduce the chance of an outbreak at their workplaces. For more information on how to book a vaccine appointment, visit www.protectmb.ca/. (Province of MB News Release)