Following a request for public feedback on a variety of proposed changes to the current public health orders, the Manitoba government is moving forward to reopen some activities and services while ensuring protecting Manitoba’s most vulnerable citizens and the health-care system remains the top priority, Premier Brian Pallister and Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial health officer, announced today. “I want to thank Manitobans for providing their feedback on the proposed plan we presented last week, which outlined a roadmap for the weeks ahead,” said Pallister. “While there is much hope in the window with vaccine advancements and Manitoba’s COVID case numbers, I must remind Manitobans that we are not out of the woods yet. We will continue to take a cautious and gradual approach to restarting our activities and services to ensure we continue to protect and safeguard Manitoba lives.” The following changes will go into effect March 5 at 12:01 a.m. and will expire on March 25:• households and gatherings:     - households can choose one of the following:              continue designating two visitors to their home; or              designating a second household so that two households can visit each other, as long as everyone in the house has authorized those designated individuals to visit.     - gathering limits at an outdoor public or private place to increase to 10 people including for outdoor non-organized sport or recreation activities; and     - places of worship to have increased capacity size of 25 per cent or 100 people, whichever is lower, with physical distancing measures in place and mask requirements.• business, retail and restaurants:     - any types of business to be able to operate with the exception of indoor theatres, indoor concert halls, casinos and bingo halls;     - retail stores, malls and personal services to have increased capacity limits of up to 50 per cent or 250 people, whichever is lower, with other public health measures still in effect;     - restaurants and licensed premises to have increased capacity limits of up to 50 per cent, with the requirement for tables to sit with only household members, and other public health measures still in effect;     - businesses other than casinos to resume operating video lottery terminals, with physical distancing measures and barriers in place; and     - professional theatre groups, dance companies, symphonies and operas to resume rehearsals that are not accessible to members of the public.• recreation and fitness:- day camps for children to operate at 25 per cent capacity with other public health measures in place;- indoor recreation and sporting facilities such as gyms, fitness centres, rinks, courts, fields, ranges, studios, clubs, pools and centres to open at 25 per cent total capacity, with public health measures in place including for spectators, common areas and locker rooms. The requirement to provide one-on-one instructions has been removed;          gym, fitness centre and pool users must continue to wear a mask while working out and in all other areas of the facility, with the exception of while in a swimming pool;          dance, theatre and music facilities to open for a total capacity of 25 per cent;     - indoor recreational facilities such as arcades, go-kart tracks and children’s facilities to open at 25 per cent capacity with physical distancing measures in place. “Manitoba’s COVID-19 cases continue to trend in the right direction, thanks to the dedication and hard work of Manitobans to follow the public health orders,” said Roussin. “With variants of concern identified here in Manitoba and in neighbouring jurisdictions, we must keep our guard up, and continue to follow the fundamentals that have allowed us to carefully and cautiously restart our services and activities. It is crucial that Manitobans continue to avoid the activities that are known to cause the greatest risk – close-contact setting, closed spaces, and crowded places.” Since Feb. 25, nearly 27,000 responses were provided on the proposed changes to the orders. Feedback indicated:• 95 per cent of Manitobans feel somewhat or very comfortable shopping at a stand-alone store;• 81 per cent of Manitobans feel somewhat or very comfortable shopping at a mall; and• 74 per cent of Manitobans feel somewhat or very comfortable going to restaurants. Feedback on specific changes showed:• households and gatherings:     - 56 per cent of Manitobans thought increasing outdoor gathering limits to 10 people was an appropriate next step; and     - 40 per cent of Manitobans thought allowing households the choice of continuing to designate two visitors to their home, or to designate a second household to visit each other was an appropriate next step.• business, retail and restaurants: enabling any type of business to operate with the exception of indoor theatres, indoor concert halls, casino and bingo halls was ranked as the highest priority, with a 50 per cent capacity limit for restaurants and licensed premises ranked second and 50 per cent capacity for retail stores, malls and personal services ranked third.• recreation and fitness: allowing indoor recreation and sporting facilities such as gyms, fitness centres, rinks, courts, etc. to open at 25 per cent capacity for group instruction was ranked as the highest priority, with day camps for children at 25 per cent capacity ranked second and group instructions or classes in gyms and fitness centres at 25 per cent capacity ranked third.• mask use: 35 per cent of the public agreed allowing users of gyms, fitness centres and pools to not wear a mask while taking part in a physical activity was an appropriate next step, while 39 per cent of Manitobans felt it was too fast. Results of public feedback gathered will be posted on the EngageMB website once completed. For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19. (Province of MB News Release)

The City of Brandon wishes to inform the public that a municipal by-election for the City Council seat in Meadows-Waverly Ward #5 will be held on Wednesday, May 5th, 2021.  The by-election is being held to fill the Council position left vacant with the recent resignation of former Councillor John LoRegio. As per The Municipal Act, a municipality is required to hold a by-election when a municipal seat is vacated more than 12 months prior to the next general election. All candidates must adhere to the campaign finance rules in accordance with provisions of The Municipal Act and City of Brandon Campaign and Contributions By-law No. 6974.  These rules include the requirement for potential candidates to register with the Senior Election Official prior to beginning their campaign. The registration period begins on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021 and ends on Tuesday, March 30th, 2021 - by appointment only.  Appointments can be made by emailing brandonvotes@brandon.ca. “To be a considered an eligible candidate, a person must first meet a number of criteria,” explains Brandon’s Senior Elections Official Danniele Carriere.  “They must be a Canadian citizen and a resident of Manitoba, 18 years of age or older on the day of the by-election, and they must have either owned property in or have resided in the Brandon municipality for a minimum of six months before the by-election date. They must also submit, prior to the nomination deadline, their completed nomination papers.  Nomination papers must be signed by the candidate themselves and must also include the verified signatures of a minimum of 25 electors of the specific ward.” Nomination papers will be accepted starting March 24, 2021 and ending March 31, 2021 – by appointment only.  Appointments can be made by emailing brandonvotes@brandon.ca.  Potential candidates who do not meet the above requirements will be disallowed from running. A map of the current Meadows-Waverly Ward #5 boundary can be found on the City of Brandon’s website here: brandon.ca/council-information/wards/ward-map . An advance voting opportunity will be held on Thursday, April 29th, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the main foyer of Brandon City Hall at 410 – 9th Street. Locations of polling stations on by-election day will be announced as soon as they are finalized. For all by-election information, residents can visit brandon.ca/2021-by-election. (City of Brandon PSA)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release Aggravated Assault On February 28, 2021, police responded to a report of an assault, which occurred in a residence shortly after midnight.  Investigation revealed that a 20-year-old male suspect assaulted the victim, who later required medical treatment for several injuries, including fractures.  The male suspect turned himself in to police on the evening of February 28, 2021.  He was lodged at Brandon Police Service and will appear in court this morning on a charge of Aggravated Assault. Assault On February 13, 2021, police responded to a report of an assault, which occurred at a residence.  The victim received only minor injuries and did not require medical attention.  The suspect fled the residence and could not be located, so police obtained a warrant for his arrest.  On February 28, 2021, the 44-year-old suspect was located and arrested.  He was released to appear in court on May 10, 2021 on a charge of assault. Assault On February 28, 2021, police responded to a report of a fight which in a residence shortly before 7:00 pm.  Both individuals involved in the fight, a 20-year-old female, and a 50-year-old male were arrested.  Neither required medical treatment.  They were each released to appear in court on later dates on charges of assault.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release At 9:15 a.m. Saturday, complaints were received of an erratic driver in the Kirkaldy Drive area. The driver of the vehicle, a 40-year-old male from Steinbach, became involved in an accident with a skid steer just west of Knowlton Drive on Kirkaldy Drive. Brandon Fire and Emergency Service personnel checked the skid steer operator on scene, and that person was uninjured. The suspected impaired driver provided samples of his breath, which showed that the accused did exceed the legal limit of alcohol allowed when operating a motor vehicle. The accused was released from custody and will appear in Brandon Provincial Court at the end of April, charged with impaired driving and driving over 80 mg%.

Brandon City Council is announcing the conclusion of the competition for City Manager and has named Mr. Ron Bowles of Campbell River, B.C. as the successful candidate.  Council’s Personnel Committee started with an applicant pool of over 55 candidates from across Canada and beyond. The finalists were interviewed by the entire City Council.  Ron Bowles is currently a General Manager for the City of Campbell River, B.C. He has previous experience at the City of Terrace, B.C., with several BC First Nations, and in the private sector environmental engineering business.  Ron was born in Winnipeg and has family connections in Brandon and is quite familiar with this community and Manitoba.  He is expected to commence in the role of City Manager approximately April 26th, taking into account COVID-19 protocols including self-isolation after arriving in Manitoba.  Dean Hammond will continue in the role of Acting City Manager until Mr. Bowles’ arrival, at which time Dean will continue in his position of General Manager of Corporate Services and City Treasurer.  “We are very pleased to bring this process to a conclusion,” noted Mayor Rick Chrest on behalf of City Council. “After some earlier delays posed by COVID-19, it is very positive to provide some certainty and stability to our administrative team.  Council welcomes Ron Bowles to our organization, and we thank Dean Hammond for fulfilling the Acting role these past many months.”  (City of Brandon PSA)