Late Wednesday afternoon, Brandon Fire and Emergency Services and Brandon Police Services responded to a two-vehicle crash that happened on 18th St, in front of Home Hardware. A city transit bus and a pickup truck collided. Front driver's side damage was visible on the bus, and back passenger side damage was visible on the pickup truck. Nobody was taken to hospital. Photos by Liam Pattison Photography.

Source:Brandon Police Service Media Release An ongoing investigation into the Fraudulent Use of Credit Card and Debit Card at two businesses led police to the arrest of the suspect. On October 1, 2019, the 60-year-old male suspect contacted police himself shortly before 7:00 pm to report suspicious activity that he was witnessing, separate from the invesigation into the use of credit cards. He was located and arrested for his involvement in the frauds. He will appear in court on November 25, 2019.

Brandon University has secured four more years of labour stability through the ratification of a comprehensive new collective agreement with the Brandon University Faculty Association. The agreement, which was approved by the BU Board of Governors on Saturday, covers April 1, 2019 through March 31, 2023. “I am very pleased with the new collective agreement, which is good for faculty, good for the University, and good for our students as well,” said BU President Dr. David Docherty. “I look forward to the next four years, and I am especially happy with our increased ability to support and engage our faculty in research.” The agreement abides by Manitoba’s Public Services Sustainability Act, and provides for general annual salary increases of 0%, 0%, 0.75%, and 1%. (Source: Brandon University News)

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release A traffic stop in the 3600 block of Rosser Ave shortly before 3:00 am on October 1, 2019, led police to discover a small bag containing approximately 6 grams of cocaine. The driver and the passenger were arrested and the vehicle searched, leading to the discovery of three bullets. The driver was found to be the subject of a separate investigation involving the theft of identification which was reported on September 19, 2019. The investigation revealed that the male used stolen ID to attempt to open a bank account in the victim’s name. As the male didn’t match the description of the victim, employees at the financial institution confronted him on the inconsistencies and obtained the stolen ID, before contacting police when the male left the financial institution. The 40-year-old male passenger will appear in court on a charge of Possess Cocaine on November 14, 2019. The 45-year-old male driver will appear in court on a charge of Possess Cocaine on November 14, 2019. He will appear in court on December 2, 2019 on charges of Careless storage of Ammunition, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, Identity Theft, and Identity Fraud.

The province reminds Manitobans the minimum wage will increase by 30 cents to $11.65 on Oct. 1, Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen said today. “We continue to provide predictable and sustainable increases to Manitoba’s minimum wage, which achieves the right balance benefitting both employees and employers,” said Pedersen.  “Regular minimum wage increases improve wages for working Manitobans and provide predictability for small and medium-sized businesses that is consistent with Manitoba’s Consumer Price Index.” Pedersen confirmed the increase of 30 cents per hour will raise the current minimum wage to $11.65 from $11.35 and ensure that Manitoba remains competitive with other provinces.  This adjustment is based on Manitoba’s 2018 inflation rate of 2.5 per cent, rounding up to the nearest five cents. The minister noted the government continues to take action to make life more affordable for Manitobans, including the reduction of the PST to seven per cent from eight percent, effective July 1.  This broad-based tax cut benefits all Manitoba households and businesses, with an estimated total savings of $325 million in the first full year and growing in each subsequent year, he added. Manitobans also continue to benefit from the indexation of the basic personal amount and the provincial income tax brackets.  Since indexation began in 2017, almost 8,000 lower income Manitobans have been removed from the tax rolls and the cumulative maximum tax savings from the 2017 tax year to the 2019 tax year is $253. “We will build on the success we have achieved in our first term of office and continue to move Manitoba forward on a path toward a better, brighter, more affordable future for all Manitobans,” said Pedersen. The province plans to introduce legislation this year to begin implementation of the 2020 Tax Rollback Guarantee, which will save an average Manitoba taxpayer $2,020 once the measures are implemented, the minister said.