Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On November 8, 2020, at approximately 12:30 am, police arrested a 33-year-old male during a traffic stop.  He was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for Fail to Appear.  He was found to be in possession of 33 grams of Marihuana packaged for sale and a handgun style pellet gun upon his arrest.  He will appear in court on January 14, 2021 on charges of Fail to Appear, Possess for the Purpose of Trafficking Marihuana, and Possess Weapon. Two 39-year-old males in the vehicle were also found to be in possession of 3 grams of Meth which was packaged for sale.  They will both appear in court on January 14, 2021 on charges of Possess for the Purpose of Trafficking Meth.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release A 29 year old Brandon man was arrested for Possession of a Weapon and Possession of Methamphetamine on Friday afternoon. He was in a vehicle stopped by police in the 2500 block of McDonald Ave and was in possession of a sword and a small quantity of Methamphetamine. He appeared in court on Friday afternoon.

Brandon, MB – Out of an abundance of caution, the City of Brandon would like to inform residents that a possible exposure to COVID-19 was reported to us via a member of the public. The individual was at Brandon’s Community Sportsplex in the Ice Arena during the following times: Tuesday, October 27 from 8:55 p.m. - 10:45 p.m. Thursday, October 29 from 1:05 p.m. - 2:25 p.m. Friday, October 30 from 6:35 p.m. - 7:55 p.m. Once notified of the possible exposure, additional sanitization of the facility took place. Residents who may have been at the Sportsplex Facility at the above noted times can find more information about how to self-monitor for symptoms or how to get tested for COVID-19 at https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/updates/testing.html. Brandon’s Community Sportsplex is currently only allowing one pre-registered user group at a time in the arena and racquetball areas with no crossover between user groups. Sanitization practices are being followed between each user group. As it has since the outset of its response to this global pandemic, the City of Brandon adheres to a high level of COVID-19 prevention protocols in its workplaces and public spaces, including, but not limited to: mandatory handwashing/sanitizing upon entrance to all civic facilities, the installation of Plexiglass barriers at all public service counters, the establishment of safe physical distancing protocols in its facilities, mandatory face coverings, and extra cleaning of commonly-touched surfaces. More information on the City of Brandon’s COVID-19 response can be found at https://www.brandon.ca/covid-19-updates. At this time, this is all the information the City of Brandon can release. If more information can be released in the future, we will do so. (City of Brandon PSA)

Manitoba public health officials advised École Secondaire Neelin High School on November 5, 2020 of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the school in Grade 11/12 on October 27, 2020 when the individual may have been infectious. The infection was not believed to be acquired at school. École Secondaire Neelin High School is working closely with public health officials and following their recommendations. Be assured that Public Health investigations to identify individuals who may have been exposed begin within 24 hours of a confirmed laboratory test. Based on the public health investigation, this exposure was assessed to be low risk. At this time, no close contacts have been identified at École Secondaire Neelin High School and no one is required to selfisolate from this exposure. Anyone who was in the same classes is recommended to self-monitor for symptoms until November 10, 2020 and seek testing if symptoms develop. A thorough deep cleaning and disinfecting is taking place this evening and the school will be ready for staff and students tomorrow morning. Please note: École Secondaire Neelin High School and Brandon School Division are not permitted to release the name or any identifying information about the confirmed case of COVID-19 to any member of the school, parent, community or media. The Brandon School Division along with all the schools in the Division will continue to follow the recommendations of Public Health during this pandemic.

The Manitoba government will invest $2.5 million and grant public health enforcement powers to over 275 additional personnel to help protect Manitobans as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Premier Brian Pallister announced today. “We know the vast majority of Manitobans are doing their best to protect their loved ones, neighbours and community by following public health guidelines. However, there are some individuals who just aren’t listening,” said Pallister. “Our government is taking additional steps to increase enforcement to help keep Manitobans safe in these challenging times.” Additional enforcement powers will be granted to provincial staff including motor carrier enforcement officers, fire safety inspectors and water resources officers. The province will also empower bylaw officers, including municipally contracted officers, to help enforce the public health orders. Over 275 additional personnel will be able to assist with enforcement of measures to protect the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. “At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we encouraged enforcement personnel to focus on educating the public. Now, we need to shift our efforts toward enforcement when necessary and start hitting the scofflaws where it hurts – in the wallet,” said the premier. In all, more than 3,200 personnel across various enforcement agencies will be empowered to enforce public health orders including those previously empowered such as the RCMP, municipal police agencies, the Health Protection Unit, Manitoba Conservation and Climate, Workplace Safety and Health, and the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority. Additional financial resources are being provided to assist municipalities where needed and to create training models for enforcement officials. The province has also created a partnership with Commissionaires Manitoba to create these training models to enhance the skills necessary to enforce the orders. The Manitoba government will also reimburse municipalities for the equivalent value of any tickets written by municipal bylaw enforcement staff. In addition to the increased enforcement personnel, the Manitoba government is enhancing its tip line for Manitobans to voice their concerns and share information about possible breaches of public health orders. 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. These enhanced enforcement efforts build on recent measures to increase fines for breaching or failing to comply with public health or emergency orders. The fines $1,296 for individuals, up from $486 and $5,000 for corporations, an increase from $2,542. Since April 9, there have been over 12,000 calls from citizens to report concerns. As of this week, approximately 160 tickets have been issued. Current orders restrict gatherings and limit group sizes, set out the distance individuals are required to observe from another and require businesses to ensure their customers are able to maintain the required separation. (Province of MB Release)