During the month of December 2020, YWCA Brandon’s 5th Annual Keeping Spirits Bright campaign presented by Fusion Credit Union was held to raise funds and awareness to support women and their families who experience domestic violence and homelessness over the holiday season and throughout the year. It is with great appreciation that the YWCA Brandon can announce that through the support of the communities of Manitoba, the campaign not only met the goal of $15,000.00, it was exceed and $17,170.00 was raised! It is with special acknowledgement that included in this amount, the Erickson Elementary School community raised $1,410.00. Students walked and ran 1,696 kilometres collectively from December 1st to December 18th. This means, Erickson Elementary School will be receiving $782.00 on January 14th, 2021. This amount is comprised of a $500.00 prize for the winning school with most kilometres and 20% of their total fundraising. “It is important for the YWCA Brandon to reach the youth of our communities. We want young people to know what we do and how they can help. Developing young philanthropists is something the YWCA Brandon advocates for” responds Heather Symbalisty, Executive Director of the YWCA Brandon. Further, she explains, “the funds raised through the Keeping Spirits Bright campaign will support the individuals including youth who are staying at the Westman’s Women’s Shelter and Meredith Place while under code red restrictions. These unprecedented times have introduced new challenges and expenses and the funds raised over the month of December will help individuals who need it”. It is also with pleasure to announce the winners for each category as follows: Patti Couchuyt, winner of the 10km run,Leanne Swayze, winner of the 5km run,Mark Dabbs, winner of the 2 km run, andMarnie Wallis, winner of the most KM’s. Additionally, it is with gratitude to thank the support from local businesses in Westman and throughout the Province. Thank you, Fusion Credit Union who supported the campaign through their title sponsorship, TD Bank, Trend Collection & Bailiff Services, Western Financial Group as bronze sponsors, and Compass Credit Union and Heritage Co-op as sustaining sponsors. Further thank you to A&L Cycle, The Green Spot, YMCA Brandon, and Brandon University for their donations. YWCA Brandon looks forward to continuing the success and growth of this event in December 2021. Please follow @YWCABrandon on Facebook and Instagram or ywcabrandon.ca for updates and announcements on how you can get involved.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release At 10:30 am on Saturday morning, officers responded to a two vehicle collision at 11th St and Van Horne Ave. A vehicle struck a parked car that was occupied at the time causing extensive damage to both vehicles. The driver of the vehicle showed obvious signs of intoxication and was arrested. He provided breath samples well over the legal limit. The driver, a 25 year old Brandon resident, was held until sober and later released to appear in court in March on charges of Impaired Driving and Drive Over 80 Mg/%. No one was injured in the collision.

“Public Heath officials advise a COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the Samaritan House Ministries Safe and Warm Shelter in Brandon. The site has been moved to Critical (red) on the #RestartMB Pandemic Response System” With the Covid-19 outbreak being declared by Public Health at the Safe and Warm Shelter site located at 820 Pacific Ave in Brandon, the shelter is now closed until it can safely be reopened. There will be staff available at the location this evening from 6:30-8:00 pm to provide information and support for our clients who require it. We have been working under the advice of public health officials and in partnership with local agencies and services to ensure staff, client and public safety. Our Food Bank has also been impacted by this outbreak and are operating at a limited capacity until it is safe to fully reopen. We wish to thank our public officials and our amazing community for the tremendous support we have received. We will be providing regular updates regarding operations on our social media pages. Thank you (Samaritan House Ministries Release)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On Friday evening, a vehicle was observed by an officer driving erratically near the 400 block of 10th St. The vehicle was stopped and when the officer spoke with the driver, he observed a can of bear spray and a bat on the seat. The driver was arrested for possession of a weapon and for breaching a release order condition that he not possess weapons. A 27 year old Brandon man will appear in court in March on those charges.

The Manitoba government has extended public health orders from Jan. 8 until Jan. 22, to continue to protect Manitobans and reduce case numbers, test positivity rates and hospitalizations, Premier Brian Pallister and Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, announced today. “While we are starting to bend our COVID curve in the right direction, now is not the time to let up,” said Pallister. “These public health orders are necessary to halt the spread of this deadly virus and protect our most vulnerable Manitobans. While we recognize these restrictions are difficult, they require the co-operation and commitment by all Manitobans to make them work. I continue to urge all Manitobans to follow the fundamentals, stay safe at home and limit your close contacts as much as possible.” The existing Critical (red) level restrictions have been extended by public health order with a minor modification to allow exemptions for professional hockey. Current orders permit Winnipeg-based teams to train in Manitoba, and allow athletes and affiliated officials an exemption to the self-isolation rules. The updated orders will extend current exemptions to all professional hockey teams and to allow games as well as training. Clarifications have been made to ensure all elements of game play (administrative officials, broadcasters, scouts, etc.) are covered in the order. The teams will be required to follow strict protocols to ensure the safety of league members as well as limit the risk to the public. These changes will be in effect for two weeks while officials monitor possible increases to case numbers as a result of the holidays. Beginning next week, the Manitoba government will be consulting with Manitobans for feedback on potential future changes to the orders, should case numbers allow. “Already, public health officials have seen more than 355 cases and nearly 1,900 contacts linked to holiday gatherings, and we expect to see higher numbers in the coming days,” said Roussin. “That is why we’re extending the public health orders with a minor adjustment. We need to continue to protect our families and friends by staying home as much as possible.” The updated orders are posted on the province’s Pandemic Response System website at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/restartmb/prs/orders/index.html#current.   Manitoba has announced the Safe at Home Manitoba program to provide support to Manitobans staying home during this critical time. Organizations, businesses and artists can visit www.safeathomemb.ca for more information. Manitobans can report compliance and enforcement issues by visiting www.manitoba.ca/COVID19  and completing the reporting form, or by calling 204-945-3744 or 1-866-626-4862 (toll-free) and pressing option three on the call menu. For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19. (Province of MB Release)