Manitoba will delay the return to school for students following the winter break to Jan. 10, 2022, to give public health officials additional time to assess the risk of the omicron variant in Manitoba and what changes might be needed on the return to school in early January, Education Minister Cliff Cullen announced today. “As we begin the holiday break across Manitoba schools, the Manitoba government would like to thank students, teachers, school staff, school leaders, school divisions, parents and caregivers for ensuring schools have been safe and open for in-class learning since September,” said Cullen. “But right now, things are changing rapidly and public health has recommended a slight delay to the return to school. This will give them more time to better assess the risk and look at options for the new year.” Most students were scheduled to return to school on Jan. 6. The change means school staff will return on Jan. 6 for professional learning and to prepare for the continuation of learning, and students will return on Jan. 10. Many childcare centres will remain open for children under the age of 12 to ensure families can continue to access needed childcare services. The minister noted the delayed return to school would also provide more time for the distribution of rapid tests to schools provincewide. In addition to vaccination, staying home when one is sick, using masks and reducing contacts, the minister noted rapid tests are another tool that can be used to help screen for cases and provide peace of mind to parents and caregivers. “We appreciate your understanding and will share any additional information about the return to school as we learn more about the variant and what this means for schools,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer. “We have recommended this delay to a return to school in addition to the restrictions under the public health orders and I want to remind Manitobans of the importance of keeping gathering sizes small to allow a safer return to school in the new year.” Roussin noted those eligible to receive a booster vaccine for COVID-19 are encouraged to make appointments or visit a walk-in clinic during the break to better protect themselves and others. “Again, we extend our thanks to everyone for their efforts over the last several months,” said Cullen. “I encourage everyone to do their part to keep schools safe as students head back to class in January by getting vaccinated, minimizing contacts over the holiday break, monitoring for symptoms and, of course, getting tested and staying home when sick.” Manitobans showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19 should use the online COVID-19 screening tool at https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/ and visit a provincial testing site. For a list of provincial testing locations, visit www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/testing/locations.html#map.

Effective Tuesday, January 4, 2022, the City of Brandon will be reducing the speed limit on Durum Drive between 26th Street and Aberdeen Avenue from 50 to 40 Kilometers per hour. This speed limit reduction will be in place for a one-year pilot project. Durum Drive is the first street in the city to have a speed reduction under the authority of the City of Brandon. Previously, any speed reductions on city streets needed to be approved by the Province of Manitoba. Speeding through residential neighborhoods has been a consistent concern that the City has heard from residents. By implementing this pilot project, the City can effectively study the results of lowering the speed limit in a neighborhood. During this pilot project, a variety of techniques will be used to collect data in order to understand: Driver behaviour Speed Number of vehicles Trip selection by motorists when speed signs and/or radar is used The goal of this pilot project will be to determine if the City should consider further reductions of speed limits in residential neighbourhoods as a way of reducing collisions that could result in serious injury or fatality. Many other cities and municipalities are field testing similar pilot projects, such as Calgary and Toronto, which have already made larger scale changes to speed limits based on their findings. Over the coming year, the City’s Engineering Department will use the collected data to make recommendations to City Council about strategically expanding this pilot to other areas of the city to ensure a well-rounded approach. Through the course of this pilot project, there will be opportunities for residents to share their feedback on this initiative. In the meantime, residents can contact the Engineering Department by emailing engineering@brandon.ca or calling 204-729-2214. (City of Brandon PSA)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On December 20, 2021, at approximately 8:30 pm, police responded with members of BFES to a structure fire in the 100 block of 6th street.  The fire was extinguished by 9:23 pm, and there were no reported injuries. The building is currently vacant with no tenants.  The building appears to have been recently used by unauthorized individuals seeking shelter.  Investigators believe the fire may have started by someone who was attempting to stay warm. Anyone with information regarding this structure fire is encouraged to contact Brandon Police Service at 204-729-2345 or https://www.brandon.ca/police-contact/police-contact.

In response to the December 20th Public Health Act Orders released by the Province of Manitoba, the following COVID-19 vaccine requirements will be in effect at Brandon’s Community Sportsplex and the Youth Centre as of Tuesday, December 21st, 2021.    class="m_-3214598158837105542normaltextrun">   Updates At Brandon’s Community Sportsplex   Spectator capacity is restricted to 50% capacity   Tournaments are not permitted   COVID-19 vaccine requirements for ages 12+ remain in effect, except for any medical exemptions as found at gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/eligibility-criteria.html#exemptions   Brandon’s Community Sportsplex Return to Play document can be found here.    Updates At Brandon Youth Centre   Capacity is restricted to 25 participants on a first come, first served basis   Hours of operation and the schedule of events can be found here   Updates For Registered Recreation Services Programs   Registered Recreation Services programs will continue to follow Public Health Orders, with information for each individual program available at the time of registration   Registered individuals will be contacted should restrictions for their program change   The City of Brandon is committed to protecting the health and safety of our residents and employees. Individuals visiting any civic facility are asked to respect the principles of social distancing, hand sanitizing, physical barriers, wearing masks and self-assessment criteria that have been put in place for the safety of all.     Any member of the public that is feeling unwell or are exhibiting ANY COVID-19-related health symptoms (fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat) SHOULD NOT attend any City of Brandon facility and should, instead, visit sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool or contact Health Links at 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257 for advice.     (City of Brandon PSA)

Brandon University is asking the Senate to approve a week’s delay to the start of the Winter Term 2022 and will return to primarily online learning until the end of January, 2022. “Once again, we are faced with a fast-moving situation that calls upon us to make swift decisions to keep our campus as safe as possible,” said BU President David Docherty in an email to campus today. “All of us at Brandon University are watching the spread of the Omicron variant, and we want to make sure that the campus is as prepared as possible.” A meeting of the BU Senate, which has responsibility for the academic calendar, is being convened as soon as possible. Senate will be asked to approve a week’s delay to the start of Winter Term 2022. This means that the University will re-open after the holiday break as scheduled on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, but that the first day of classes would not be until the following week. Details will be shared immediately after the Senate decision. The University will also shift to primarily online instruction until the end of January. We will continue to monitor the situation and are optimistic that we will know more in mid-January to make a determination about February. A delayed start to Winter Term will help faculty best make this shift. Some in-person instruction (for example critical labs or studios) will be permitted, just as they were last January. These decisions will be made by Deans in each faculty and communicated directly to students. The University is also continuing the following precautions as well: In-person gatherings will continue to require masks and physical distancing of 2 metres or more. Enhanced ventilation, cleaning and sanitation protocols will continue. Entrances will continue to be locked, and key card access will continue to be required. You are strongly encouraged to receive your third vaccine dose or booster as soon as you are eligible. While no individual measure is perfect, when they are taken together and applied consistently, these strict precautions have helped BU deliver a safe Fall Term, and they will be continued into the coming Winter Term. (BU News Release)