Brandon emergency crews attended the scene of a rear-end collision in the 800 block of Victoria Ave on Tuesday afternoon. A small red car appeared to have crashed into the back of a half ton pickup truck. Air bags did deploy in one of the vehicles, as well as large amounts of fluids were leaking from the car. Firefighter/paramedics used sand to help soak up the liquids. Brandon Fire & Emergency Services, Brandon Police Service, and Accel Towing & Transport attended the scene, no one was injured.

A chef-inspired meal of the day that creates top-quality, nutritious dinners at an affordable price is back. The popular Everyone Eats Brandon initiative relaunches this week after a month off to tweak and improve the program following a successful pilot project over the summer. “We learned there is a need in the community for this type of program and we saw many people really relying on us,” said Nicholas Namespetra, Manager of Food Services at Brandon University, where the meals are prepared and available for curbside pickup. “Now that we’re back, there will be even more access to donated meals every day.” The program operates on a simple pay-what-you can model. Each meal is offered at a suggested cost of $10, which covers the $8 cost as well as a portion of someone else’s meal. No profit is made on the meals, and in fact the program relies on a number of sponsors to ensure at least 200 meals are available each evening. Those who can afford to pay more than $10 are encouraged to top up their total even more, further helping to cover costs for others. On the other hand, if money is tight, people are able to pay what they can for each meal — any amount, whether that’s less than $8 or even nothing. The meals are all the same, as is the pickup, meaning there is no stigma for those accessing the subsidized meals. During the pilot this summer, Everyone Eats Brandon served more than 3,800 meals. Of those, 765 were free. Even before the pandemic, food insecurity affected 14.4% of households in Manitoba and more than one in five children. Manitobans are also greatly affected by rising rates of diet-related disease, including diabetes. Everyone Eats is an initiative to help people meet their immediate nutritional needs while also providing people with the dignity of being able to contribute what they are able to pay for their meal.“Our goal is always to bring awareness of the rise of food insecurity in our region and to provide top quality, nutritionally balanced dinners to everyone,” Namespetra said. Meals are available three evenings a week, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with curbside pickup at Brandon University available from 4–6 p.m. A limited amount of volunteer delivery is available for those in self-isolation or who have limited mobility. The redesigned website is smoother and easier for ordering, Namespetra said, and can be accessed at EveryoneEatsBrandon.ca. Orders can also be made by phone at 204-571-8524, and should be made by 2 p.m. for pickup that day. This week’s menu: Wednesday, September 23 – Rotini Bolognese Thursday, September 24 – Chicken Stir-Fry with Rice and Vegetables Friday, September 25 – Herb Crusted Pork Chop with Roasted Baby Potatoes (Brandon University News)

Manitoba Public Health officials have advised Meadows School of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the school portable on Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, September 16, 2020. This case was not acquired at school. Meadows School is working closely with Public Health officials and following their recommendations. Upon learning of this information, the school immediately closed off areas used by the infected person. Thorough deep cleaning and disinfecting has occurred over the weekend and these areas will be ready for students and staff on Monday. Be assured that Public Health investigations begin within 24 hours of a confirmed laboratory test to identify individuals who may have been exposed. Anyone identified as a close contact will be contacted and provided instructions for self-isolation (quarantine). Testing may also be recommended. Public Health has recommended that all students and staff in the same room as the case be identified as close contacts and advised to self-isolate. This class will be transitioned to remote learning as of Monday, September 21. At the present time, Public Health anticipates that remote learning will continue until Thursday, October 1, but this may be lengthened or shortened as the investigation continues. Anyone who is in the class will be contacted directly by Public Health. The school will remain open to all other students and staff, who can continue to attend school in person. Please note: Meadows School and Brandon School Division is 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. (Brandon School Division Media Release)

Manitoba Finance reminds Manitobans the minimum wage will increase by 25 cents to $11.90 Oct. 1. The increase of 25 cents per hour will raise the current minimum wage to $11.90 from $11.65. This adjustment is based on Manitoba’s 2019 inflation rate of 2.2 per cent, rounding up to the nearest five cents. Budget 2019 implemented the reduction of the sales tax rate to seven per cent from eight per cent, effective July 1, 2019.  This broad-based tax cut benefits all Manitoba families and businesses, with an estimated total savings of $325 million in the first full year and growing in each subsequent year.  On July 1, 2020, Manitoba eliminated the sales tax on property insurance premiums, saving families and businesses an additional $75 million. Manitobans also continue to benefit from the indexation of the Basic Personal Amount and the provincial income tax brackets since 2017. Since indexation began, an estimated 7,720 Manitobans have been removed from the tax rolls and the cumulative maximum tax savings from the 2017 tax year to 2019 tax year is $253. Information on the minimum wage and other employment standards is available at www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards. (Province of MB Release)

Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon Emergency Response Control Group is finalizing plans to remove the earthen dike plug at the intersection of 18th Street North and Grand Valley Road (PR #459). The plug was installed in early July of this year as a means of protecting the community against any surge of water related to flash flooding upstream in the Assiniboine River Valley, particularly from an unforeseen failure of the Rivers Dam. Updated hydrological forecast data provided by the Province of Manitoba this week suggests that the volume of water within the Rivers Reservoir upstream of Brandon is now at a manageable level should there be any unforeseen failure of the Rivers Dam structure. Mobilization of equipment on-site at the dike is anticipated prior to the weekend, with the intersection expected to be re-opened to traffic early next week. The City of Brandon Emergency Response Control Group also advises that the Province of Manitoba has confirmed it will provide disaster financial assistance for the heavy rain events that occurred between June 28th to July 5th in western and southern Manitoba. The City of Brandon would encourage impacted property owners that have yet to do so to submit their own DFA application directly to the Manitoba Government by visiting https://forms.gov.mb.ca/DFA_Application/. Property owners may also phone the Province of Manitoba toll-free at 1-888-267-8298 and have an application form mailed to them. More information about the Province of Manitoba’s Disaster Financial Assistance process can be found at https://www.gov.mb.ca/emo/recover/home/dfa_home.htm (City of Brandon Media Release)