The Manitoba government has introduced amendments to The Highway Traffic Act that would adopt more serious sanctions for drunk drivers while keeping more police on Manitoba’s roads, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen announced today. “There are still too many people who haven’t gotten the message about drunk driving and they are taking the lives of too many Manitobans,” said Cullen.  “Our government is sending a message to all Manitobans with our immediate roadside prohibition legislation – if you drink and drive, you will lose your licence, you will lose your vehicle and you will lose a lot of money.” Under the proposed new law, drivers under the influence of alcohol who register a ‘warn’ on an approved screening device, suggesting a blood alcohol content (BAC) of between .05 and .08 would face a new monetary penalty of at least $200 for a first offence, escalating to at least $400 for a third or subsequent offence, to be established by regulation.  They would also face a vehicle impoundment of between three days for a first offence and 30 days for a third or subsequent offence.  Those drivers caught a third or subsequent time would also be required to drive with an ignition interlock for a year.  These new sanctions would be on top of existing licence suspensions and other sanctions for ‘warn’ range drivers. For first time drunk drivers that register a ‘fail’ on an approved screening device, which indicates a BAC over .08, who cause no bodily injury or death, police would have the discretion to impose a new monetary penalty of at least $500 as well as a mandatory ignition interlock of one year rather than proceeding with a criminal charge.  The new sanctions would be comparable to those applied post-conviction and would be applied on top of the existing pre-conviction 90-day licence suspension, 30-day vehicle impoundment and mandatory Addictions Foundation of Manitoba assessment or remedial program required for all first-time drunk drivers with a BAC over .08 on a breathalyzer test. Adding up all the administrative sanctions and penalties, the minimum cost for a ‘warn’ range driver would be $2,600 for a first offence to about $3,200 for a third or subsequent offence.  The minimum cost for a ‘fail’ would be over $3,300.  All monetary penalties would be established by regulation. Under the new approach, testing could take as little as six minutes, which is significantly less than the time required to administer a breathalyzer and process a drunk driver criminally, which is often up to four hours.  As a result, police officers would get back on the road sooner, allowing them to catch more drunk drivers. Once proclaimed, the legislation would be accompanied by a provincewide public education campaign by Manitoba Public Insurance, further emphasizing the new costs and consequences of driving drunk. In 2017, 73 people were killed and 442 were seriously injured in traffic collisions in Manitoba.  Drunk driving accounted for 32 per cent of those killed and six per cent of those injured.  Already this year, 28 people have lost their lives because of a drunk driver. This new Immediate Roadside Prohibition approach to drunk driving was implemented in British Columbia in 2010.  Since then, alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities have decreased by 50 per cent and injuries have decreased by nearly 25 per cent.  The British Columbia model is strongly supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada.

West End Community Centre volunteers were seen early this morning working hard to clear the snow off of the two ice surfaces at the centre after a weather system dropped about 10 centimetres of snow on the city.   The volunteers have spent many hours flooding the rinks to get them ready for the season and they are pleased to announce that the West End surfaces will officially open and be ready for public use tomorrow!   This is great news for Brandon School Division students as there is no school on Friday. The West End Community Centre is located at 247-23rd Street. They have two ice surfaces, one for hockey and one for exclusive to skating without sticks and pucks. So gear up, take advantage of the great forecast and enjoy your first outdoor skate of the year!   If you’re not into skating, but find the winters to be long and boring why not consider volunteering at your local community centre? Many of the centres rely on local volunteers (as well as donations) to keep the doors open and as we all know, many hands make light work.   For details and contact information on Brandon’s community centres, visit: http://www.brandon.ca/community-centres/centre-information.  

Wednesday afternoon, a two-vehicle collision occurred at the intersection of 18th St and Rosser Ave in Brandon, involving a 4-door sedan and a police SUV. The crash sent the 4-door sedan up onto the north-east curb of the intersection, coming into close proximity to the "Discover Downtown" barrier that runs along that sidewalk. It is unknown if the police SUV was responding to an emergency at the time of the incident. Thankfully nobody appeared to be injured in the collision, and Accel Towing & Transport was called in to clean up the wreck.  Photo by Liam Pattison Photography.

BRANDON – Strong international enrolment has driven Brandon University’s student population to new heights with a sixth straight year of growth. Brandon University is home to 3,662 students this year, an increase of 3.0 per cent from 3,554 last year, and an overall rise of more than 25 per cent since 2012. Total credit hours, based on the number and length of courses that students are taking, stand at nearly 70,000 across the five faculties at BU, also up slightly from last year. International headcount rose by 82 students, but other enrolment figures and first-time registrations have remained relatively steady this year in a sign that BU’s strong string of recent growth may be tapering off. “Our substantial growth in international enrolment is evidence that word is getting out around the world about the quality of education that we offer at Brandon University, and these international students in turn bring tremendous diversity and vibrancy to our community,” said Dr. Steve Robinson, BU’s Interim President and Vice-Chancellor. “We must continue to work to demonstrate to all students the value of a BU education, and to provide the supports and services that will attract students and allow them to be successful in their educational pursuits.” Official statistics at BU are recorded based on November numbers, to best account for late registrations and most of the course changes that naturally happen in the early parts of the academic year.

As the Manitoba government works toward fixing the provinces finances, Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation and Manitoba Public Insurance have reduced overall management positions and management salaries by more than 15 per cent, Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer announced today. “Our government continues to make progress toward balancing the budget and the management and salary reductions are strong steps forward,” said Mayer.  “All three Crown corporations met or exceeded the 15 per cent reduction requirement and are helping us move the province in the right direction.” The three Crown corporations were directed to examine and reduce management staff starting May 1, 2016, concluding March 31, 2018.  MNP LLP conducted an audit of each Crown’s compliance.  The audit included an examination of processes to ensure that reductions were permanent and that eliminated positions were not filled by contractors or held as vacant positions.  MNP confirmed no eliminated positions were filled via secondment or an arm’s length agency.   Staffing and Salary Reductions Totals Total number of management positions as of May 1, 2016 553 Total number of management positions eliminated (149) Total number of management positions added that did not exist prior to May 1, 2016 19 Total number of management positions as of March 31, 2018 423 Average percentage reduction May 1, 2016, to March 31, 2018 -23.4 per cent Total salary cost savings from eliminated positions $3.8 million   Total salaries eliminated amounted to $3.8 million and 149 management positions were eliminated.  Of those positions, 138 were filled at the time.