Manitoba Sustainable Development reminds Manitobans that the holidays are the perfect time to have some outdoor winter fun, particularly by taking advantage of all the great outdoor opportunities available in provincial parks. Provincial parks offer trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, tobogganing, fat biking and snowmobiling, along with outdoor skating ponds, hockey rinks and toboggan hills. Park interpreters have planned several family fun experiences over the holiday break to encourage Manitobans to discover our natural resources and cultural history, such as: trek along with an authentic fur trader from the Northwest Company to exchange goods, furs and stories at Spruce Woods Provincial Park on Saturday, Dec. 29; meet fur traders at their winter camp and see them fire their muskets and cannons at the Spruce Woods Park Centre on Sunday, Dec. 30; snowshoe around the Nimowin Trail, followed by an outdoor fire with hot chocolate and marshmallows at Birds Hill Provincial Park on Thursday, Jan. 3; and snowshoe to the scenic Pine Point Rapids, howl for wolves and listen for their return calls with the park interpreter in Whiteshell Provincial Park on Friday, Jan. 4. Free interpretive programs are planned throughout the winter and are open to everyone.  Teachers can also book free guided winter experiences for their students with park interpreters.  For more information, visit www.manitobaparks.com or check the events tab on the Manitoba Parks Facebook page www.facebook.com/MBGovParks. Park staff are busy preparing trails for winter use but more snow may be required in some areas before trail grooming can begin.  Visitors are encouraged to check trail conditions and weather forecasts before visiting parks to properly plan their outdoor adventure.  Maps of winter trails and updated reports can be found at www.manitobaparks.com. While events may be free, park vehicle permits are required year round in provincial parks.  The 2018 provincial park vehicle permit remains valid until April 30, 2019. Next year’s pass is already available for purchase in Sustainable Development offices and Liquor Mart locations and will arrive in the usual retail outlets early in 2019. Manitobans can also stay up to date with provincial park news, activities and events by following the Facebook page www.facebook.com/MBGovParks or Twitter channel at www.twitter.com/MBGovParks.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release At 5:15 am, multiple calls were received from a residence in the 3500 block of Willowdale Cres requesting Police be sent to the address. Upon Police arrival, they located a 38 year old man from Sioux Valley that had warrants for Uttering Threats, Possessing a Firearm while Prohibited, Possessing a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose and Breach of Recognizance. He was lodged at BCC and held for court in the morning.

Source:  Brandon Police Service Media Release Three (3)  impaired drivers were arrested in the past 24 hours. The first impaired driver, a 68-year old Brandon woman was arrested just past 11:00 AM Friday morning after being stopped by police in the 3400 Block of Victoria Avenue. She displayed the usual signs of intoxication and provided breath samples of more than two (2) times the legal limit. She will appear in court on January 3rd to be charged with impaired driving. The second impaired driver, a 28-year old Brandon man was arrested just past 10:00 PM last night in the 500 Block of McDiarmid Drive. He displayed the usual signs of intoxication, however refused to provide breath samples. He will appear in court this morning charged with impaired driving. The third impaired driver, an 18-year old Minnedosa man was arrested just 4:30 AM this morning in the 1800 Block of Richmond Avenue. He displayed the usual signs of intoxication and provided breath samples of more than two (2) times the legal limit. He will appear in court on January 10th to be charged with impaired driving.

Please be advised of the following 2018/2019 Christmas and New Year’s Holiday Hours of Operation for the City of Brandon: Brandon City Hall (410-9th St.), the A.R. McDiarmid Civic Complex (638 Princess Avenue), the Civic Services Complex (900 Richmond Avenue East), the Parks Complex (2020 McGregor Avenue) and Cemetery Office, and Brandon’s Community Sportsplex (30 Knowlton Drive) will all be closed on Tuesday, December 25th and Wednesday, December 26th to mark Christmas Day and Boxing Day. All of these facilities will re-open for regular business hours on Thursday, December 27th. Brandon City Hall, the A.R. McDiarmid Civic Complex, the Civic Services Complex, the Parks Complex and Cemetery Office, and Brandon’s Community Sportsplex will also all be closed on Tuesday, January 1st, in recognition of New Year’s Day, and will re-open for regular business hours on Wednesday, January 2nd.   BRANDON TRANSIT: On Monday, December 24th, Brandon Transit will operate from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Regular Brandon Transit Routes will NOT be running on Tuesday, December 25th; HOWEVER, Brandon Transit is pleased to offer a fixed route for those attending the Westman Traditional Christmas Dinner. Bus service will be available on two fixed routes to and from the Victoria Inn (3550 Victoria Avenue) from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Day. A map of the routes can be found on the Brandon Transit website here: http://www.brandontransit.ca/events. Handi Transit is also available to transport individuals to and from the Westman Traditional Christmas Dinner through the regular booking process. Brandon Transit services will then run on statutory holiday hours (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) on Wednesday, December 26th. The Brandon Transit Info Centre will be CLOSED on December 25th, December 26th and January 1st. Brandon Transit routes can be found here: http://www.brandontransit.ca/routes-schedules/regular-routes-schedules. A reminder to all that FREE New Year's Eve bus service will being offered from 6 p.m. on Dec.31st to 3 a.m. on January 1st! Regular Brandon Transit Routes will NOT be running on Tuesday, January 1, 2019. Visit the above link for more details.   SANITATION: Refuse and recycling collection will be slightly modified to observe that Christmas Day & New Year’s Day both fall on a Tuesday this year. Collection that would have occurred on Tuesday, December 25th will take place on Saturday, December 29th; while collection that would have occurred on Tuesday, January 1st will take place on Saturday, January 5th. NO other regular collection days will be impacted, and regular Tuesday collection will resume on January 8th, 2019. Regular winter hours of operation (Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m) will be in effect at the Eastview Landfill Site and Material Recovery Facility during the Christmas holiday, EXCEPT for the following days: Tuesday, December 25th – CLOSED Wednesday, December 26th – CLOSED Tuesday, January 1st – CLOSED For all after-hours Public Works emergencies, residents are encouraged to call 204-729-2285. HAVE A VERY SAFE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Manitoba government has added 79 drugs to the provincial drug formulary to ensure patients have access to these medications through the Manitoba Pharmacare Program, announced Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen today. “Medications are important treatments for many different illnesses and diseases,” said Friesen.  “Manitoba’s universal prescription drug benefit program is one of the most comprehensive in the country and these new additions will help families across the province access drug coverage through the program.” Some of the new drugs added to the formulary include: •    Actikerall for the treatment of a skin disorder called hyperkeratotic actinic keratosis; •    Dysport Therapeutic for the treatment of lower limb spasticity; •    Kyleena for conception control; •    Lancora for the treatment of heart failure; •    Revestive for the treatment of short bowel syndrome (SBS); and •    Spinraza for Type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Of the 79 drugs added, 73 are generic medications at different strengths.  The minister said the additions reduce the amount that would have otherwise been spent on higher-cost equivalent drugs by $350,000 annually, allowing that money to be reallocated to coverage for new drugs. Coverage for the new drugs will be effective on Jan. 24, 2019. The minister noted the addition of Actikerall, Dysport Therapeutic, Kyleena, Lancora, Revestive and Spinraza are a direct result of Manitoba’s participation in the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA).  By capitalizing on the combined negotiating power of drug plans across multiple provinces and territories, the pCPA objectives are to: •    increase access to clinically effective and cost-effective drug treatment options; •    achieve consistent and lower drug costs for participating jurisdictions; •    reduce duplication of effort and improve use of resources; and •    improve consistency of decisions among participating jurisdictions. The Manitoba Drug Benefits and Interchangeability Formulary lists therapeutically effective drugs of proven high quality that have been approved as eligible benefits under the pharmacare drug benefit program.  Manitoba pharmacare is based on family income and covers 100 per cent of eligible drug costs once the income-based deductible is reached, regardless of medical condition or age. For more information on the Manitoba Pharmacare Program, visit www.gov.mb.ca/health/pharmacare.