Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release At 2:20 p.m. on Saturday, a male known to police whom officers wished to speak in relation to an unrelated incident a week earlier, was observed in the downtown area riding a bicycle. When police attempted to stop the male to speak to him, he dropped the bike and fled on foot. The officer remained with the bicycle, which was found to be stolen, but is registered with Brandon Police Service 529 Garage program. Approximately one and a half hours later, the male was observed on foot in the area of the 700 block of 7th Street. He again fled from officers, and was eventually located hiding in a yard in the 400 block of 4th Street. He was under the influence and held in BPS cells for release once sober. A 22 year old Brandon male faces charges of possession of stolen property, and mischief to property in relation to this investigation.  He appears in Brandon Provincial Court in June. 

Concentra Bank announced the winners for their 11 th Annual Empowering Your Community program as part of their Annual General Meeting on April 13, 2021. A Sunrise Credit Union community is the recipient of one of the 17 grants Concentra is awarding this year. The submission for the Valley Life Beginnings Inc. Child Care Centre in Minnedosa is being awarded $5,000 from Concentra for renovations to the centre to become operational for childcare. Sunrise Credit Union supported this initiative financially by providing a financial donation of $5,000 in 2020 and is also committed to future financial support. The initiative supports the community by offering quality, affordable childcare for families in Minnedosa and surrounding areas where there is a shortage. Sufficient childcare resources allow parents to stay, work and do business in the community enabling it to thrive and grow. The childcare centre will also provide essential jobs to those in the community. Congratulations to the Minnedosa branch for their successful submission and the Valley Life Beginnings Inc. Child Care Centre for being chosen as one of the recipients of a Concentra Empowering Your Community grant. This year marks Concentra’s 11th year of partnering with credit unions to build healthy, strong communities through the Empowering Your Community program. Since 2011, they have contributed $1.9 million to help Canadian credit unions support local projects. 2021 marks the seventh time a Sunrise Credit Union community has received a Concentra Empowering Your Community grant. 2020 – Cypress River Senior Centre2017 – Dr. Ajai Khandelwal Primary Care Centre (Minnedosa)2017 – Westlake Community Centre (Eddystone)2016 – Tiger Hills Medical Clinic Expansion (Treherne)2013 – Ste. Rose du Lac Splash Park2011 – Grandview Community School and Playground Project (article submitted)

The Manitoba government has announced an additional $2 million to expand the Dine-in Restaurant Relief Program, administered by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce in partnership with the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, Economic Development and Jobs Minister Ralph Eichler announced today. “Manitoba’s restaurant industry has made significant sacrifices to keep all Manitobans safe in our fight against COVID-19,” said Eichler. “This expansion of the Dine-in Restaurant Relief Program will support restaurants in rural Manitoba and the catering industry, and we will continue to work with our business community and partners to identify industry needs during this challenging time and help offset expenses created by the pandemic.” The Dine-in Restaurant Relief Program was designed to provide a rebate to dine-in restaurants that shifted to a delivery model due to public health restrictions. The program helps offset costs related to delivery services, whether a restaurant provides its own delivery service or uses a third-party delivery company. “This expanded program is intended to provide extended financial relief to dine-in restaurants that have been affected financially by the province moving to Critical (red) on the #RestartMB Pandemic Response System and resulting public health orders,” said Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce. The initial program launched in January, and to date, 513 applications have been approved. As of March 31, approximately $4 million in rebates have been allocated, primarily in Winnipeg.  Under this expanded program, restaurants in rural Manitoba and catering businesses that did not have established delivery models or that experienced significant revenue declines will be able to apply for a financial rebate based on their decline in revenue compared to pre-pandemic sales. “In a time when the food-service industry in Manitoba has experienced significant revenue losses due to the pandemic and code red restrictions, we are pleased to see our provincial government expanding this initiative to ensure funding reaches some of the rural restaurants and our catering industry who have faced significant challenges of operating during this unprecedented time,” said Shaun Jeffrey, executive director and CEO, Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association. For further information and to apply for the Dine-in Restaurant Relief Program, restaurants throughout Manitoba are encouraged to visit https://mbchamber.mb.ca/dine-in-restaurant-relief-program. (Province of MB News Release)

The Keystone Centre, and exclusive catering company Centerplate today announced the donation of their remaining food inventory to Brandon food banks and charities. The food donation, with a value of approximately $12,500 will support Helping Hands Centre Brandon, Everyone Eats Brandon, and the Samaritan House. “Despite the unfortunate circumstances that led to this extra inventory, making this donation with our partners at Centerplate was an easy decision,” says Jeff Schumacher, CEO and general manager of the Keystone Centre. “It’s no secret that the Keystone Centre has been affected by the lack of events due to COVID-19. With that said, so have local food banks, and when presented with an opportunity to give back to the community, we want to take advantage of that opportunity whenever possible. ”Since March 14, 2020, the Keystone Centre has only been able to host a small number of socially distanced gatherings, and has been largely unable to serve food, due to the COVID-19 health guidelines. In that time, the Keystone Centre and Centerplate have made several donations to Samaritan House, Helping Hands Centre Brandon, Brandon Bear Clan, and the United Way’s Fill the Trailer Project.(Keystone Centre News Release)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On April 14, 2021 at approximately 10:00 pm, police responded to a report of a disturbance in an apartment building on Cornell Bay.  Police were lead to the apartment where the individuals causing the disturbance were staying and observations made lead police to acquire a search warrant for the apartment.  Police located Xanax, Meth, Gabapentin and Marihuana as well as drug trafficking paraphernalia and cash. A 23-year-old female was arrested and lodged at Brandon Police Service as she was under the influence of drugs at the time of her arrest.  She will be released to appear in court on June 10, 2021 on charges of Possess for the Purpose of Trafficking Xanax, Meth, Gabapentin and Marihuana, and Possession of Proceeds of Crime.  Police continue to investigate.