Classroom learning will resume on Sept. 8 for all students in kindergarten through Grade 12 at schools across Manitoba following last spring’s suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced today. “The province is welcoming students back to classrooms for the new school year, while working closely with school divisions and Public Health,” said Goertzen. “The best place for students is in class, giving them the full benefits of the tremendous work of Manitoba teachers and providing parents and caregivers with certainty that their children are receiving the best education possible.” The Welcoming Our Students Back: Restoring Safe Schools guidelines have been developed in collaboration with the province’s kindergarten to Grade 12 COVID-19 response planning team, as well as with school divisions and public health officials. Manitoba school divisions and schools will follow these provincial guidelines to finalize and post division plans by mid-August. Accessible and transparent information is important as students, staff and families will have questions about COVID-19 and returning to in-class learning. Learning in classrooms will be full-time for students in kindergarten through Grade 8 and for special-needs students in all grades, with five days of instruction per week. Some remote learning may be required for students in grades 9 to 12, based on the ability of high schools to implement necessary public health measures including physical distancing and the use of cohorts (designated groups of students) to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and to support contact tracing. Three response levels have been developed to ensure that school divisions and schools are prepared to roll back from in-class learning based on public health advice. Divisions must ensure that all students learning remotely have access to technology. “Manitoba Education and Public Health are working with divisions and individual schools to ensure that as many students as possible return to classroom learning full-time,” said Goertzen. “Divisions have been working diligently this summer on their individual plans for September, and are refining details for communication, screening, hand hygiene, physical distancing, the use of cohorts and outbreak management to be followed at every one of their schools.” A total of $48 million in savings is available to ensure that schools are COVID-ready in September, the minister noted, adding the province is monitoring resource implications closely as part of its planning to ensure the safe return to classroom instruction in the upcoming school year. “The need for child care is top of mind. The departments of Education and Families are working with school divisions and the child-care sector to ensure that families can continue to access child care within schools,” said Goertzen. “Both departments are working together to develop learning guidelines for children with special needs, as well as students at risk.” Welcoming Our Students Back: Restoring Safe Schools is based on feedback provided by parents, caregivers, students and education stakeholders through an EngageMB survey that began in June. The minister noted tens of thousands of Manitobans have completed the survey, and the government will continue to collect and use this information in adapting plans while the public health situation evolves. Manitobans can visit https://engagemb.ca to share thoughts or ask questions. In a joint statement, the Manitoba School Boards Association, the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools, Manitoba Association of School Business Officials and the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents said, “We believe that collaborative planning is in the best interests of students, parents, and school staff. The goal is to have as many students as possible learning in classrooms this fall and throughout the coming school year. Maintaining a strong focus on the health, safety and well-being of students, staff, families and communities, we all agree the emphasis needs to be on getting students the in-person teaching and learning they need while making sure that safety is the top priority for everyone.” For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19. Source: Province of MB News Feed

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release Break and Enter At approx. 8:25 AM Tuesday, a City of Brandon employee reported a break in to the pool complex, located in the 400 block of Park St.  Entry was gained by cutting the locks on the gate.  The matter is still under investigation. Break and Enter At approx. 8:30 AM Tuesday, police received a report of a break in to a business in the 200 block of College Ave. The staff member reporting the incident stated that they had an alarm sound on July 25 and originally thought it to be false, however upon further investigation they have confirmed that someone had gained entry to the building, through a window.  The incident is still under investigation

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release Shortly after 5:00 pm on Saturday, officers responded to a request for assistance from security at the Town Centre. A male was asked to leave due to disruptive behavior. He refused to do so and started to fight with security. During the struggle he assaulted two staff members by biting them. He also had a large hunting knife hidden in his clothing. The man was arrested and will appear in court on Sunday on charges of Assault, Assault Causing Bodily Harm and Carrying a Concealed Weapon.

Source:Brandon Police Service Media Release A 22 year old man from Sioux Valley was arrested for Possession of Cocaine for the purpose of Trafficking on Saturday morning. After a vehicle was stopped in the 1800 block of Louise Ave, the driver had open liquor in the vehicle. He was searched and had 10 grams of individually packaged cocaine hidden on his person. He will appear in court in October.

BRANDON—The Manitoba government will support the development of a long-term sustainability action plan for the Keystone Agricultural and Recreational Centre to help the Westman entertainment hub grow into the future, Municipal Relations Minister Rochelle Squires announced here today. “The Keystone Centre is vital to Westman and Manitoba’s tourism industry, and our government is committed to working with the Keystone Centre to help build a vibrant and sustainable future,” Squires said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the entire Manitoba economy and our tourism industry has been hit particularly hard.  We want to work with all of our partners, including the City of Brandon and the Keystone Centre, to maximize the potential of this major Westman venue.” The province will work with the Keystone Centre and its partners to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to hire a consultant to help work with the Keystone Centre on a long-term sustainability action plan to assist in determining its future capital funding requirements. The province has earmarked $150,000 to invest in this project. “The City of Brandon has long been a proud partner with the Province of Manitoba and the Provincial Exhibition in the creation and ongoing operation of Brandon’s Keystone Centre. I’m pleased to see this investment by the province, which will help guide our collective efforts in ensuring the Keystone Centre remains vibrant and successful long into the future,” said Mayor Rick Chrest, City of Brandon. “As one of only a precious-few signature event centres in Manitoba, this initiative highlights the Keystone Centre’s importance to Brandon, to Westman and to Manitoba as a whole.” “I believe this is a necessary step forward in order to demonstrate the significant capital funding needs of the Keystone Centre,” said Matt Bolley, board chair, Keystone Centre. “I hope and expect that this study will be the first step toward getting long-term sustainable capital funding from our partners to ensure the Keystone Centre remains a world-class event venue and recreation complex for Westman and the entire province.” The Manitoba government will continue to support the Keystone Centre with $375,000 in operational funding this year and will work with the centre and its partners in reviewing this year’s capital requirements, the minister noted. The Manitoba government recently launched an $8-million #RestartMB Event Attraction Strategy that aims to maximize Manitoba’s potential to host large-scale meetings, conventions and events while carefully balancing public health considerations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic with the ongoing efforts to restart the Manitoba economy. The province successfully won its first bid under the #RestartMB Event Attraction Strategy and will host the Canadian Football League (CFL) should the league proceed with a shortened 2020 season. “We are excited to work with Travel Manitoba and key economic stakeholders to develop our #RestartMB Event Attraction Strategy that will benefit the entire Manitoba economy, especiallyhard-hit sectors like tourism,” said Economic Development and Training Minister Ralph Eichler. “This strategy will consider opportunities across our beautiful province. Our goal is to attract events to Manitoba, including Brandon, which could benefit the Keystone Centre – a facility with a storied history of hosting world-class events including the Tim Hortons Brier in 2019.” Squires noted the #RestartMB Event Attraction Strategy builds on Manitoba’s long and proud history of hosting major world-class events such as the Pan American Games, the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, FIFA Women's World Cup, the Canada Summer Games, the Juno Awards and several CFL Grey Cup championships. (Source: Province of Manitoba News Release)