Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon’s much-anticipated Rural & Northern Immigration Pilot has officially been launched on www.economicdevelopmentbrandon.com/BrandonRNIP with the aim of connecting skilled professionals from across the globe or those already in Canada on temporary status with hard-to-fill vacancies in Brandon’s labour market. Brandon is one of 11 Canadian municipalities selected by the federal government to participate in the three-year pilot, which aims to match area employers with a proven need for skilled professionals with such individuals from other nations or those who are already in Canada on temporary status such as students or temporary workers.  This unique and exciting pilot places two critical immigration decision factors under the authority of the community, that being the determination of genuine labour need and determination of the intent for an applicant to remain in Brandon & area. Brandon’s pilot has been developed to appeal to two distinct, yet interconnected user groups: 1) Area employers who wish to advertise chronic job vacancies across all sectors (with the exception of those in entry level wholesale or retail trade, accommodation and food services, or sales and service occupations) and 2) Foreign Nationals or temporary residents, who can create a user profile and apply for such jobs directly on the Economic Development website. By coordinating these two aspects on the same website, the Economic Development Brandon office will act as a matchmaker of sorts, screening applicants for mandatory requirements before forwarding eligible candidate applications along to participating employers. Once a Foreign National or temporary resident receives a qualifying full-time, permanent job offer they go through additional screening to receive a “Community Recommendation” from the Economic Development Office, after which they can then begin their journey through the federal immigration process to become a permanent resident in Canada. City of Brandon Director of Economic Development Sandy Trudel says the pilot’s greatest strength lies in the fact that it has been tailored to the community’s true labour needs and provides those from other countries and their families a quicker, more focused path for obtaining permanent residency in Canada. “While we always desire to fill vacancies in the local labour market from within Canada, there are often gaps due to factors beyond our control such as an aging population or the unwillingness of skilled professionals to move to a smaller centre,” Trudel notes. “By offering a path to permanent residency through the supported network we’ve created, our pilot program positions Brandon to be able to better connect with skilled professionals who display the motivation and willingness to settle in Brandon and make our community their long-term home.” Trudel says if each milestone of the pilot’s process runs smoothly, a successful applicant could be in their new job in Brandon inside of seven months - but that timeline is highly dependent on the timeliness of that applicant’s required actions. Trudel adds that while Brandon has the opportunity to approve a maximum of 100 community recommendations in the pilot’s first year, the pilot’s Recommendation Committee is placing its focus squarely on ensuring successful applicants have a positive experience and ultimately stay in Brandon. “For us, our measure of success won’t simply be ‘pushing through’ 100 community recommendations in the first year of this three-year pilot, but rather, it will be finding the right skilled professionals who are the right fit for our small Prairie Canadian city. However, we firmly believe that by creating the program’s framework as a personalized, welcoming one that includes settlement supports, we will realize success by keeping these permanent residents and their families in our community for the long-term,” Trudel concludes. Enquiries regarding Brandon’s Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot can be directed to immigration@brandon.ca or through the Economic Development Brandon website at www.economicdevelopmentbrandon.com/BrandonRNIP. (City of Brandon Public Notice)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release At 8:05pm, police responded to a disturbance at a residence in the 900’ block of Queens Ave. Upon arrival, the first responding officer could hear screaming from within the residence. When he entered, he was confronted by a 25 year old female suspect who brandished a hypodermic needle loaded with an unknown substance. The suspect attacked the officer and stabbed him in the head with the needle. Throughout the struggle, the suspect stated she wanted to kill the officer and encouraged others inside the residence to kill the officer. The officer was able to control the suspect until more officers could arrive and take her into custody. She was lodged for court in the morning. The officer was treated at BRHC and released to continue treatment for exposure to potentially hazardous fluids.

Manitoba’s stronger and more timely sanctions for impaired drivers come into effect on Dec. 16, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen announced today, reminding all motorists to make safe, responsible decisions to prevent collisions, injuries and other serious consequences. “Immediate roadside prohibition means we will be able to take more impaired drivers off the road sooner,” said Cullen.  “The strong sanctions in place are yet another good reason to make the right choice and never drive while impaired.  Manitoba continues to be a leader in dealing with impaired drivers, and together we are saving lives.” The Manitoba government highlighted additional details about immediate roadside prohibition earlier this fall in partnership with law enforcement agencies from across the province.  This approach increases sanctions for drivers who register a ‘warn’ level on an approved screening device and provides an alternative to the more time consuming criminal court process for those who ‘fail’ or refuse a test.  The testing device used for immediate roadside prohibitions provides a faster alternative to the breathalyzer, as testing a suspected impaired driver can take as little as six minutes. The new sanctions include monetary penalties and expanded use of vehicle impoundments and mandatory ignition interlocks.  Adding up all the administrative sanctions and monetary penalties, the minimum cost for a ‘warn’ will range from $700 for a first violation to $3,420 for a third or subsequent violation.  The minimum cost for a ‘fail’ will be $3,520, while the minimum cost for refusal of the approved screening device will be $3,970. The minister noted law enforcement will continue to have the option to proceed with criminal charges rather than the immediate roadside prohibition approach when they feel it is warranted. More information about current sanctions and penalties related to impaired driving is available online at www.gov.mb.ca/justice/commsafe/impaired.html. This website will be updated with information when the new law takes effect. (Province of Manitoba News Release)

No one should be alone at Christmas, however feeding 2000 + people each Christmas with another 1500 home deliveries to those that can't make it in, takes time, people, food and money! Now in it's 35th year of operation, the Westman and Area Traditional Christmas Dinner requires volunteers for a variety of jobs including food preparation, kitchen help, assembling take-out meals and more. This year’s meal will be served between 12:00pm and 6:00pm at the Victoria Inn's Grand Salon. For volunteer opportunities, please call their office at 204-728-7987 and leave a message. Their office hours are Monday to Friday from 10am – 2pm.

The City of Brandon will be hosting a couple of events this weekend that are open to the public. A Free public swim/skate is scheduled to take place at the Sportsplex on Saturday, December 14. Public swimming runs from 1-6pm while public skating is scheduled for 2:15-4:15pm. They will be collecting non-perishable food items in support of Samaritan House.  Then on Sunday, the annual holiday concert and sing-along takes place at City Hall. The event features music by the Brandon Community Orchestra and begins at 1:30pm. Doors open 12:30 pm. Fort additional information, please visit the City’s Facebook page here.