The Manitoba government has appointed Patrick Sullivan as a provincial court judge to serve in Brandon, Justice Minister Cameron Friesen announced today. “I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Sullivan as a provincial court judge to serve in Brandon,” said Friesen. “Patrick has demonstrated exemplary service to the Westman community over the last 10 years as an attorney in a variety of capacities, and he is certainly well-suited to sit on the provincial court of Manitoba.” Born and raised in Brandon, Sullivan graduated from Brandon University before studying law at the University of Victoria. He was called to the bar in 2010. Since 2015, Sullivan has been a partner in Brandon's largest law firm, Meighen Haddad LLP. He maintains an active general practice and has had diverse experience in the areas of criminal, civil and family litigation, wills and estates and corporate commercial transactions. Sullivan has also volunteered in the Westman Immigrant Services legal clinic and served on the boards of the Brandon and Area Community Foundation, Marquis Project, YMCA and the Brandon Downtown Development Corporation. Sullivan was selected from a list of candidates recommended by the judicial appointment committee, chaired by Chief Judge Margaret Wiebe. This committee also included three community representatives, from the Law Society of Manitoba, the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Bar Association and a provincial court judge. The appointment is effective immediately. An official swearing-in ceremony will be scheduled for Sullivan in the near future. (Province of MB News Release)

After safely implementing modest changes to public health orders to slowly reopen the economy, Manitoba’s COVID-19 curve continues to bend in the right direction, Premier Brian Pallister and Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial health officer, announced today, noting the province is considering further loosening some restrictions, while continuing to prioritize the needs of the health- care system and protecting Manitobans from the risks of COVID-19 and new variants. “I want to thank Manitobans for their patience and their commitment to follow to the guidelines and public health orders as we cautiously begin to restart our economy and reopen our communities,” said Pallister. “While Manitoba’s COVID cases continue to trend in the right direction, we must not lose sight of the gains we have made and the risks associated with vaccine delays and new COVID variants. We must, and will, proceed with caution to ensure we continue to protect and safeguard Manitoba lives.” The province is considering the following changes for all of Manitoba is and asking Manitobans for their input on:• allowing food services, including restaurants and lounges, to reopen at 25 per cent capacity with closure time of 10 p.m., limited to patron groups of household members;• allowing personal services, including nail salons and tattoo parlours, to reopen at 25 per cent capacity with adequate physical distancing, enhanced personal protective equipment measures and requirements to collect information for contact tracing purposes.• allowing gyms to reopen at 25 per cent capacity for one-on-one and individual training sessions with adequate physical distancing, with no group classes;• allowing places of worship to reopen at a maximum of 10 per cent capacity or 50 people, whichever is lower;• allowing libraries to reopen at a maximum of 25 per cent capacity, limited to patron groups of household members;• allowing organized outdoor sports to resume for games or practices (no multi-team tournaments);• clarifying that addictions support and treatment groups can operate with adequate physical distancing measures in place;• allowing the film industry to resume work, with safety protocols in place;• opening public washroom facilities with 25 per cent capacity and enhanced signage;• increasing capacity for weddings to up to 10 people in addition to the officiant and photographer; and• allowing photographers to resume operations outdoors and with studio capacity limited to patron groups of household members only. “We’re in a stable place right now – our data is not showing evidence of a spike as a result of the reopening measures put in place Jan. 23. However, the next few weeks will be crucial to determine whether any COVID-19 variants have entered Manitoba and their impacts,” said Roussin. “Of course, the fundamentals – including physical distancing, frequent handwashing, mask wearing and staying home when sick – still apply, and are what will help us gradually reopen more activities and services when it is safe to do so.” The proposed plan brings the entire province under the same restrictions, enabling the northern region to observe restrictions the rest of the province will continue to have in place including household visitor restrictions of up to two designated people, visits of five people plus members of a household on an outdoor private property, retail stores open at 25 per cent capacity or 250 people maximum with adequate physical distancing and non-regulated health services, hair salons and barbershops open with 25 per cent capacity and adequate physical distancing. The province is asking for feedback from Manitobans on the proposed changes, which would come into effect next week to replace the current public health orders that expire at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 12. To provide input, visit https://engagemb.ca/. Manitobans provided feedback that helped form the orders beginning Jan. 23, which saw the safe, modest reopening of Manitoba’s economy, as well as the basis for the proposed changes above, the premier said. More than 73,000 responses were provided between Jan. 15 and 19 and indicated:• 85 per cent of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed it is important the province reopen gradually, preventing a yo-yo return to restrictions in future;• 61 per cent of respondents indicated the ability for children and young people to participate in organized sports and recreation is very important or important;• 62 per cent of respondents are very or somewhat comfortable going to restaurants; and• 49 per cent of respondents said that the ability to have more people attend a wedding than the current five-person limit is very important or important. Results of the survey will be posted on the EngageMB website once completed. For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.

The popular ‘Everyone Eats’ program is headed for a new home. Originally launched at Brandon University’s Harvest Hall, the program will continue to support food security in the community. “With our very unique pay what you can format and the fact that we were starting from scratch we needed a facility that was willing to roll with us as we developed,” said Ross Robinson, Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Brandon. “We found that at BU.” Everyone Eats’ new home kitchen at Prairie Oasis is a better size to sustain it over the long term. Harvest Hall will return its main focus to campus food services, like residence meals, Covid-friendly boxed lunches and prepared takeaway food, as well as on city-wide catering services, and pantry staples like jams and preserves. “Everyone Eats has been a great partnership, really unique and filling a genuine need in the community,” said Nicholas Namespetra, Manager of Food Services at Brandon University. “We were honoured to help get this program up and running and will always be there to step up to support our community.” He said that providing three unique hot and nutritious meals at an affordable price point every week was a fun and engaging challenge, but he is especially proud of the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. “The pandemic made everything tougher, but it was a particular blow to holiday dinners,” he said. “Not only were families asked to avoid their traditional gatherings, but community suppers were also on hiatus.” At Christmas, Harvest Hall was able to create more than 1,500 turkey dinners, with all the trimmings, for delivery through Everyone Eats. “Our dedicated clients are proof to us that the meals BU created were very much in line with the home-cooked product we were looking for,” Robinson said. “Week after week Everyone Eats consistently provided hot nutritious and tasty meals, which was the mission The John Howard Society of Brandon had at the start of COVID.” However, on a typical weekly basis, the massive BU kitchen was more than Everyone Eats needed. “We always knew the partnership wouldn’t be permanent. The time is right, and we’re happy to see them move to a new home and run the program on their own,” Namespetra said. “This move will help Everyone Eats continue to do the most important thing — support food security in our community.” Before Everyone Eats makes the official move at the end of the month, Namespetra promises four weeks of great meals for their final stint at BU. “We’re going to go out with a bang, and give them the best possible push for continued success!”(Brandon University News)

On Tuesday evening, Brandon Fire and Emergency Services and Brandon Police Service responded to the intersection of 9th Street and Louise Avenue for a two-vehicle crash. A car and an SUV collided in the intersection, which caused the SUV to run up onto a sidewalk and sheer off a fire hydrant. There was significant damage to both vehicles. The occupants of the SUV were injured and needed to be extricated by firefighter/paramedics.  Fire crews used cutter and spreader extrication tools to remove the driver's side door and to get the driver out onto a stretcher. It did not appear that anyone in the car was injured. The intersection was closed for a period of time to allow for the extrication, and tow crews responded to clean up the wrecked vehicles.  Photo: Liam Pattison Photo: Liam Pattison Photo: Liam Pattison

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On February 2, 2021, police responded to a report of an assault, which occurred at a residence shortly after 9:00 am.  Following the assault, the 27-year-old male suspect slashed two of the tires on a vehicle belonging to one of the residents. Police located and arrested the suspect a short distance away from the residence.  He was also to abide by release conditions not to possess any weapons.  He appeared in court that same day on charges of Assault, Mischief to Property and Fail to Comply with Release Order. The victim sustained minor injuries that did not require any medical attention.