Manitoba Finance’s Taxation Special Investigations Unit (SIU) seized 10,412 contraband cigarettes, 19,024 grams of sheesha product containing illegal tobacco, $10,689 in cash and impounded a Manitoba registered vehicle following a recent enforcement blitz. A total of 11 individuals and four businesses were found selling, or in possession of, illegal tobacco products that were not marked for Manitoba tax purposes.  They now face charges under The Manitoba Tobacco Tax Act and The Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act. Manitoba stood to lose more than $8,300 in tax revenue if these products had been sold.  If convicted, the individuals face fines between $1,000 and $10,000 and/or up to six months imprisonment.  In addition, they may face a triple tax penalty. The province urges anyone who has information on contraband tobacco to contact their local police department, call the Manitoba Finance Special Investigations Unit at 204-945-1137, email smuggling_manitoba@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers (toll-free) at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

On Monday and Tuesday, October 22nd and 23rd, the traffic signals on Victoria Avenue at 8th , 9th, and 10th Street intersections will be undergoing upgrades performed by Manitoba Transportation and Government Services. During the upgrades, the traffic signals will be shut down completely and Police will be on scene to direct traffic. On Monday October 22nd, the intersection of 8th Street and Victoria Avenue will be shut down between 11:00am – 12:00pm for approximately four hours. On Tuesday October 23rd, the intersection of 9th Street and Victoria Avenue will be shut down at 9:00am for approximately four hours. Once the intersection of 9th Street and Victoria Avenue is back up and running, the intersection of 10th Street and Victoria Avenue will be shut down. With the intersections being shut down for approximately four hours, the upgrades may be completed more quickly or require more time to complete. Brandon Police Service are asking, if possible, motorists take an alternate route to avoid these areas. We appreciate everyone’s anticipated cooperation and patience during this process.

Brandon, MB – Brandon Riverbank Inc. recently hired James Montgomery as our new General Manager. The board of directors and staff would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome James to the Brandon Riverbank team!   “I am absolutely elated to be the new General Manager of Brandon Riverbank Inc.,” said James Montgomery. “I look forward to ensuring that the Master Plan continues to be implemented. I am eager to embark on this new chapter of my career, one which I’m sure will be a lengthy and fulfilling journey.”   James joins Brandon Riverbank Inc. after a short term position as the Director of Staff & Client Care at Daughter On Call. Prior to that James was the Sponsorship Coordinator for the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba for five years, where he packaged, promoted, sold and delivered corporate sponsorship commitments for the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, Manitoba Summer Fair, Manitoba AGEX and The President’s Dinner. Prior to that James was the Constituency Office Manager for Merv Tweed in the Brandon-Souris Federal Riding. James and his wife have been Brandon residents for nearly ten years and consider Brandon their permanent home. “On behalf of the board of directors and staff I would like to welcome James to Brandon Riverbank Inc. We are thrilled to have James as part of the Brandon Riverbank team and we are confident he is the right person for the job,” said Bernie Chrisp, President of Brandon Riverbank Inc.   Among James’ many responsibilities will be to work with the board and staff to develop, refine and implement the organization’s mission and vision, ensure the promotion and implementation of the ‘Back to the River’ Master Plan, including capital development, construction and continued fundraising. James will also oversee the operation of the Riverbank Discovery Centre which is open 360 days per year as well as the completion of Festival Park.   James comes to us with a wealth of experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. He is well connected in the community and region, has abundant fundraising and management experience, and comes to us with a lot of enthusiasm.

Just before 5:00 Thursday evening, Brandon Fire and Emergency Services and Brandon Police Service attended the intersection of 17th St and McTavish Ave for a two-vehicle crash. Two SUV's were involved in the crash, which sent both vehicles towards the curb. The front end of the white SUV appeared to be partially ripped off and heavily damaged, while the front-left side of the darker coloured SUV appeared to be damaged as well. Firefighter/paramedics deployed sand to help soak up some fluids that were leaking. Thankfully nobody was injured during the crash. Photos by Liam Pattison Photography.

Source:  Brandon University News Release Brandon University continues to be ranked as a national leader in providing undergraduate students with faculty facetime and educational supports. This year’s Maclean’s magazine rankings of Canadian universities again placed BU near the top in faculty per student, class sizes and budget for student services, as well as for library support. The rankings were released last week. Overall, BU moved slightly down to land at 18 in the list of primarily undergraduate institutions. Last year, BU had ranked 16th overall in that category, which was up a spot from the year previous. The Maclean’s rankings continue to favour institutions with restrictive admission policies over open admissions policies like BU’s. Open admission allows more students to benefit from access to post-secondary education and helps address Manitoba’s low rate of post-secondary attainment. While rankings like these provide a regular opportunity to identify national trends and assess overall BU performance through a particular lens, Brandon University remains focused on its current priorities of student success, student and faculty research, and community engagement, such as through our successful BU50 Homecoming this past weekend.