Brandon, MB – The process of re-establishing public access to City of Brandon civic facilities has begun, with Brandon City Hall (410-9th Street) re-opening to the general public as of today (Tuesday, May 19th, 2020). While its response to the global COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, the City of Brandon’s Emergency Response Control Group recognizes the importance of re-establishing vital, in-person services for its residents as laid out in the Province of Manitoba’s “Restoring Safe Services” Roadmap for Recovery. Services provided by offices on the main floor of City Hall (Finance/Purchasing, Economic Development, Information Management/Privacy, Licensing/By-law Compliance) are, once again, available for walk-in customers, while services on the 2nd Floor of City Hall (Human Resources, Legislative Services, Executive Offices of the Mayor and City Manager) are available BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. To ensure all services can be delivered in a way that is both safe for City Hall staff and customers, a number of protocols have been developed for safe interactions, including: Ø  Limiting all entrance to City Hall via the north door located along Louise Avenue ONLY and limiting all exit from City Hall to the southwest doors located along 9th Street ONLY, other than when accessibility needs are a factor; Ø  The presence of a Public Access Coordinator at the north door entrance to monitor public needs; Ø  Mandatory handwashing or appropriate application of hand sanitizer BEFORE proceeding to service counters; Ø  Adherence to the established system of arrows, safe physical distancing markers and stanchions installed in the foyer of City Hall, with a maximum capacity of 33 persons in the foyer space at any one time; Ø  The presence of Plexiglas shields at all public service counters; Ø  Extra cleaning of commonly-touched surfaces; Ø  ‘Health Check’ verbal questionnaire for any visitor proceeding past established front counters. The City of Brandon’s Emergency Response Control Group wishes to stress to all members of the public that if they are feeling unwell or are exhibiting ANY COVID-19-related health symptoms (fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat), they SHOULD NOT attend to City Hall and, instead, should visit www.sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/ or contact Health Links at 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257 for advice. City Hall staff will also be expected to adhere to these Shared Health guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. A timeline for re-establishing public access to other civic office facilities, including the A.R. McDiarmid Civic Complex (638 Princess Avenue) and the Civic Services Complex (900 Richmond Avenue East) will be communicated in the coming days. Information on the City of Brandon’s COVID-19 pandemic response can be found at http://www.brandon.ca/covid-19-updates. General enquiries relating to municipal services can be directed to the City of Brandon Enquiry Line at 204-729-2186 during regular business hours or can be submitted online at http://www.brandon.ca/contact-us. (City of Brandon PSA)

Brandon Firefighter/Paramedics battled a well-involved house fire early this morning. Fire and police responded to Cornwallis Crescent in Brandon's southend to a report of a house fire. Crews arrived to find a bi-level house with heavy fire showing from multiple different points in the home, including the roof. Downed power lines were arcing in the backyard which prevented firefighter/paramedics from entering the backyard. BFES's ladder truck was set up to help knock down fire in the roof area. Manitoba Hydro responded to help shut off power and gas. Thankfully there were no reports of injuries. The home appears heavily damaged, if not a total loss.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On May 16, 2020, shortly before 11:00 pm, police conducted a traffic stop in the 1000 block of Richmond Ave. An investigation led police to discover that the occupants were found to be in possession of 37 grams of Meth and over $800 in cash. A 40-year-old male and a 28-year-old female were arrested and will appear in court at a later date on charges of Possess for the Purpose.

Just after midnight on Saturday Whitehead Fire Department, Brandon EMS and Blue Hills RCMP responded to reports of a two vehicle crash on Highway 1A west of Brandon. Two vehicles collided approximately 5 miles west of Brandon on Highway 1A, which sent one of the vehicles rolling into the ditch and landing on its roof. The driver of the rolled vehicle was trapped and needed to be extricated by Whitehead Fire Department. Highway 1A was shut down to all traffic while emergency crews worked on scene. Large pieces of debris, like a wheel and axle, were spread across the highway. Two ambulances left the scene with patients from either vehicle.

“The staff and board of Brandon Riverbank Inc. made the difficult decision to close on March 18th, 2020 due to the COVID19 Pandemic. We could have opened on May 4th, but made the decision to take extra safety precautions for the safety of our visitors and staff. The Riverbank Discovery Centre will be open on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 from 12-5 pm for the public. At this time our open hours for the public will be Sunday until Saturday 12-5 pm. Please continue to social distance, and do your part to stop the spread. We are looking forward to seeing you at the grounds soon.”