Fulfilling recommendations made in the Brandon Food Charter and Community Food Assessment, the newly formed Brandon Food Council will monitor the local food system and provide direction for a forthcoming Brandon Food Strategy. The timing could not be better. In an address to the Frankfurt Congress on Food Councils last November, Olivier De Schutter, former UN special rapporteur on the right to food, and co-chair of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems applauded the successes of food policy councils in Canada and the US and their influence on similar movements in Europe and the UK. “It is [an] exercise in political imagination that food policy councils can perform, by building on the combined knowledge of all the actors of the local food system to build alternatives that can deliver on the different levels of what it means to be a sustainable food system,” Olivier De Schutter. A steering committee with support from Food Matters Manitoba and the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation selected the initial food council. The newly appointed members represent multiple sectors and demographics. They include experts in agriculture and land-based food, community-based food systems research, leadership in the non-profit sector, as well as people of colour, persons with disabilities, those with lived experience of food insecurity, youth and seniors. “It is in the community’s best interest to ensure that food security is recognized in policy, strategy and action as a basic human right and prioritized in responses to health, economy and the environment,” Nancy McPherson, Associate Professor at Brandon University Faculty of Health Studies and member of the Brandon Food Council Steering Committee. “We were impressed with the quality of candidates and breadth of experience, and look forward to this exciting work.” The Brandon Food Council will meet for the first time on Feb 27, 2019.

The Nearly New Shop at 601-9th Street is filling up with some spectacular stock for their Spring & Summer Grand Reopening on Thursday, February 28th. Their profits stay in Brandon & buy equipment for patient care at the hospital. They are closed for restocking now, but starting on Thursday they will be open from 10am-5pm every Monday through Saturday. Look around for something that you adore, get it at a bargain price, and know that you are really making a positive difference in our community.

The Population Health division of Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living reports an outbreak of syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection that can be shared between sexual partners, throughout the province. Syphilis is known as the ‘great imitator’ because of the wide range of symptoms that infected individuals may develop.  These symptoms can be confused with other conditions or diseases.   Pregnant women can pass on the infection to their unborn baby during pregnancy or childbirth.  This is called congenital syphilis and may lead to birth defects or stillbirth. The number of cases diagnosed in pregnant women continues to rise.  More than 10 infants have been treated for congenital syphilis in the last six months, and a lack of prenatal care and substance use have been identified as factors in these cases. The majority of congenital syphilis cases have been reported in the Northern Health region and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, but the risk is high across the province. Multiple Canadian provinces, including Alberta, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, have reported congenital syphilis cases in recent years.  The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States is reporting the highest rates of congenital syphilis cases in decades. There has been an ongoing syphilis outbreak in Manitoba since 2014.  Recently, syphilis infections have increasingly occurred between heterosexual partners.  This means that women who are infected with syphilis in pregnancy and are not adequately treated can pass the infection on to an unborn child. There are tests to determine if a person, including a pregnant woman or a newborn, has syphilis.  Syphilis and congenital syphilis can be prevented by practicing safe sex and proper prenatal testing.  Syphilis and congenital syphilis can be treated with antibiotics.  The earlier women are tested and treated during their pregnancy, the less likely an unborn child will be severely affected. The province urges all women to seek regular prenatal medical care and to receive at least one test for syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections.  If a pregnant woman or her partner engage in sexual practices such as having multiple sexual partners or sex without barrier protection, or use intravenous drugs, more frequent testing is recommended because the risk of syphilis and congenital syphilis is much higher. Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living is actively engaged in a provincewide response to the current outbreak of syphilis. More information is available at www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/diseases/syphilis.html. Any individuals concerned about a syphilis infection should seek testing from their health-care provider.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On February 24th, 2019 police attended to a complaint of a disturbance in a business in the 2600 blk of Willowdale Crescent where a 23 year old Brandon woman was causing trouble inside the business. In an effort to remove the woman from the premise, she assaulted the attending police officers by kicking them as well as spitting at one of them in the face. The woman was eventually taken to BCC and will appear in Brandon Court on February 25th, 2019 charged with assault Police Officer x 5 as well as Resist Arrest.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On Saturday evening, Police received a report that a vehicle was stolen from the 900 Block of Rosser Avenue. The 2006 Ford Mustang car with Manitoba licence plate GUP 147 was left running while the owner entered into a business. The vehicle has yet to be recovered and the Police investigation continues.