The Manitoba government is seeking feedback from Manitobans on its plan to move forward to safely restore services and activities, while balancing the needs of the health care system, Premier Brian Pallister and Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer announced today.“The current public health orders – which have been in place for over two months - were put in place to halt the spread of this deadly virus and save lives,” said Pallister. “These orders are working, thanks to the willingness of Manitobans to follow them.   At the advice of Dr. Roussin and our health care leaders, we are now in a position to consider reducing some restrictions and safely restoring our services and activities that so many Manitobans have sacrificed throughout this pandemic in order to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their community.”The province has launched a survey on EngageMB.ca and invites Manitobans to share feedback on their priorities for potential easing of the current COVID-19 restrictions. The survey asks questions about people’s perspectives on the risk of the virus, COVID-19 vaccines and their comfort levels with different activities.The survey also asks about priorities to safely restore services, including possible changes to gradually expand retail shopping, re-open barbershops and salons, gyms and fitness centres, non-regulated health professions, restaurants, faith-based and ceremonial gatherings and organized recreation and sport and possible increases to indoor, outdoor and household gathering sizes. For more details on each option and to provide your feedback, visit EngageMB.ca/restartmb-pandemic-response-system. This survey builds on prior steps taken to connect with Manitobans throughout the pandemic on public health orders, pandemic planning and more.“While our test positivity rates, case numbers and hospitalizations are starting to come down and Manitobans are starting to get vaccinated, it is crucial that Manitobans continue to follow the fundamentals so we do not lose sight of the gains we have made these past few months,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer. “While we consider ways to carefully re-open Manitoba, we must always consider the needs of our health care system and limit the activities which we know cause the greatest risk.”Since April 2020, more than 304,000 participants have engaged with the Manitoba government on COVID-19 issues through telephone town halls, online surveys, public opinion research and other engagement opportunities on EngageMB.  “From the very beginning of this pandemic, our government has endeavoured to reach out directly to Manitobans and ask for their input, ideas and feedback on a variety of measures designed to keep Manitobans safe, while balancing the needs of our health care system and economy,” Pallister added. “Our goal right now is to move forward, not backward. We want to create a sustainable path forward where our businesses and communities can reopen safely, and stay open. I look forward to hearing from Manitobans as we work together to build a heathier, safer, more prosperous future.”For more information on Manitoba’s current pandemic response, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID-19. (News Release - Manitoba)

As Brandon City Council prepares to deliberate the proposed 2021 municipal budget, the community is invited to provide feedback on the draft financial plan.   For an overview of the draft financial plan, please watch this video from Mayor Rick Chrest and Acting City Manager Dean Hammond.   Questions or comments can be sent by email to budget@brandon.ca, or by filling out the form on brandon.ca/budget/2021-budget​ (this form will be open for questions until Friday, January 22, 2021). Residents may also contact members of City Council at any time during the municipal budget process to share their thoughts on the proposed spending plan.   Prior to Council’s deliberations, the proposed 2021 budget is representative of a 3.15% municipal tax increase. All proposed budget documents can be viewed on the City of Brandon website at brandon.ca/budget/2021-budget. Brandon City Council will deliberate the 2021 proposed budget on Friday, January 29, 2021 and Saturday, January 30, 2021. Deliberations will be held in the City of Brandon Council Chamber* on the 2nd floor of Brandon City Hall and will be livestreamed for the public via the City of Brandon YouTube channel.    *The Council Chamber will be closed to the public because of COVID-19 restrictions.  (City of Brandon PSA)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release At approx. 1:45 AM today, officers were called to a disturbance on Cornell Bay, upon arrival child and a woman could be heard crying from within the apartment. Officers entered the apartment and located a 23-year-old Brandon male who was the cause of the disturbance. A check of the male revealed he is currently bound by a court order not to communicate with the female that resides there. While arresting the suspect the male became argumentative and spit in the face of one of the officers. He has been charged with failing to comply with a court order and assault peace officer. He will appear in court today.

BRANDON—Today, Heather Stefanson, Minister of Health and Seniors Care, and I had the opportunity to tour the province’s second super-site which has been set up to begin administering life-saving vaccines to Manitobans in the prairie mountain region next week. Located in the Keystone Centre, this super-site will open its doors on Monday, Jan. 18 and will be ready vaccinate 4,100 priority health-care workers in its first week of operations. It is designed with capacity to ramp up to meet the demands of the region as supply of the vaccine increases. This is a significant step in our commitment to establish super-sites in urban areas to reach as many Manitobans as possible with life-saving vaccines. In addition to the RBC Convention Centre site in Winnipeg, which launched on Jan 4, a third super-site is scheduled to open at the Thompson airport on Feb.1. Additional fixed vaccination sites are also planned throughout the province, as more vaccines arrive in Manitoba. The province’s 28-day campaign to immunize all eligible personal care home residents in the province is now also underway. Hillcrest Place in Brandon will be the first site in the region to be visited by a Focused Immunization Team, so that vulnerable residents can receive the vaccine in a familiar setting. In total, more than 1,150 personal care home residents will receive their first dose of a vaccine by end of this week. I want to thank the hardworking and dedicated members of Manitoba’s Vaccine Implementation Task Force and our regional health partners for their work on these critical elements of Manitoba’s vaccine rollout. (News Release - Manitoba)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On January 9 police received a report of a shoplifter from a retail outlet in the 900 block of Victoria Ave. The female suspect had stolen approx. $200 worth of cosmetics. The theft was recorded on the in-store video system, which allowed Police to identify her. On Tuesday evening, the 30-year-old Brandon female was located and arrested for theft. She has been released with a court date of April 1.