BRANDON, Man. (Aug. 31, 2018)— Life for Elizabeth Mukwimba, a 62-year-old Tanzanian farmer, has become much easier, thanks to a graduate of Assiniboine Community College and the work he does with the international development community. In a video posted on YouTube, Mukwimba describes how a new cooking stove and access to solar energy have changed her life for the better. “Having an energy-efficient cookstove has made a huge impact. The difference with solar is also huge! We used to have to use kerosene for lighting. With the price of kerosene always going up, solar makes a huge difference for people like me. It means my grandchildren can see to study in the night,” Mukwimba said. Josh Sebastian, a 2009 graduate of the Land and Water Management program at Assiniboine Community College, has played a key role in bringing better cookstoves and solar energy to residents of rural Tanzania. In the process, he has helped to rewrite the rulebook for international development with new approaches that deliver cash and prizes to people who get with the program. Traditionally, “a lot of programs fixate on the people who are doing little and trying to get them to do something, not so much on the people who are maybe further advanced and are motivated to go further. It really comes down to a performance basis, where the more you do, the more you can get out of the program. Our program aims to set apart the walkers from the talkers.” The skills he learned at Assiniboine, especially project management, helped Sebastian “create my own job,” first as an intern and then as a paid employee of SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. The non-governmental organization has partnered in Energising Development, an energy access partnership currently financed by six donor countries: the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden. EnDev’s goal is to improve energy access and quality of life for rural Tanzanians – especially women. Developing a better cookstove was a top priority because access to energy for cooking “continues to be at a shocking level of need in Tanzania,” said Sebastian, who leads both the cookstove and solar energy programs. With more than 95 per cent of the national energy mix depending on firewood and charcoal, the country is losing its forests and suffering other negative environmental effects. The process is also labour-intensive, with Tanzanian women and girls spending eight to 10 hours a day collecting fuel, preparing the meal, starting the cookstove and cooking the food. Within the EnDev program, Sebastian worked with rural Tanzanian women to develop a new cookstove that could burn either charcoal or firewood and is 45 to 55 per cent more energy-efficient than the old ones. The new cookstoves, made by micro and small entrepreneurs throughout Tanzania, perform as well as those made by large factories, but at 10 per cent of the cost. In the past, stove programs would support subsidies and even free giveaways in reaching customers such as Mukwimba. But “the evidence on subsidies is they take hold and tend to cause more market distortion for local enterprise. If you’re not selling at a price that’s sustainable, what will happen is that as soon as that funding is gone, everything just collapses,” Sebastian said. Instead, when the cookstove entrepreneurs sell a stove to someone like Mukwimba, they are eligible to receive points, which can be redeemed for equipment to support the growth, production capacity and asset base of their business. “It’s like Air Miles for entrepreneurs,” Sebastian said in Brandon, where he has returned after eight years in Tanzania. The program won’t pay for personal items, such as water hookups or school fees, but will entertain requests for “anything, as long as it’s going to assist with production. They can get anything from water storage tanks for ceramics to metal cutters and power tools to bicycles.” Leading enterprises have gone so far as to combine their points with their own funds to invest in building full-scale production facilities and retailing centres. The incentives have worked, creating a cluster of 60 small enterprises, employing more than 100 people full-time and another 200 part-time, collectively producing more than 2,500 stoves a month as a new product line within their enterprises. Production of these specially-designed stove units has increased more than 2,000 per cent in five years, from 700 stoves in the latter half of 2013 to 15,000 stoves in the first six months of 2018. EnDev takes a similar approach to expanding solar energy in Tanzania, rewarding companies who go the extra mile to hook up farmers such as Mukwimba, who live far away from conventional power grids. “When we asked people what they wanted, there was a huge level of expressed demand for solar power in rural areas, in some places, exceeding 60 per cent of households. At the same time, we found only 3½ per cent had any type of solar product.” Sebastian developed a private sector fund to stimulate the spread of solar power in the rural Lake Zone region, using Results Based Financing (RBF.) Companies that meet the fund’s criteria can get direct financing – but only upon verified delivery of quality solar product sales to rural customers. “Once you’ve earned it, you’re free to do what you want with it. It’s not like a loan or a grant. If you did something, you’ll get something. If you didn’t, you’re not going to get anything. They can shift it to helping their imports, marketing, to hiring staff, to covering salaries. If they decide they don’t like the fund, they can go on holidays for all we care.” The only rule is that the company can’t use the money to provide a rebate or some other form of subsidy to the customer, as the financing available is temporary and the goal of the RBF is to ensure initial funding leads to a sustained business presence in these more challenging markets in the longer term. The fund has attracted 15 local and international companies, which have installed their 73,000 solar products via support of the RBF, ranging from cellphone chargers and desk lamps to 200-watt systems that can power TVs or home lighting. The RBF fund has further conditions that companies must engage local Tanzanians in sales and distribution of products to these markets, resulting in more than 1,000 persons being actively employed in solar businesses.  With these employees, firms have continued to sell products widely after their initial RBF funds, to at least an additional 50,000 households thus far. The change in approach results from a different philosophical perspective in the international development community. “When you come in, you can feel pity for the poor. But they don’t want that from you. People take a sense of pride and ownership in being able to acquire goods and services on their own as much as possible, or in a way that’s affordable and viable to them,” Sebastian said. His education at Assiniboine has made all the difference in finding employment in his chosen career, he said. “Colleagues I know who have specialized in international development programs have struggled (and often failed) to find meaningful employment of any kind. The skills from Assiniboine really set me apart from the pack, as I had practical and tangible abilities in agriculture, environment and project management,” he said

A fourth suspect, in the officer related shooting near Onanole, is now in custody after a standoff with RCMP at a residence in Neepawa Thursday afternoon.  The city was not under lock-down at the time however RCMP had closed-off the area of Mountain Ave to 4th Ave between Mill St and Boundary St in Neepawa.   Police believe that all suspects involved in last night’s shooting are in custody and the investigation will continue.   The incident started when RCMP officers from the Yellowhead RCMP Detachment area were responding to a report of a break and enter at a residence in the Municipality of Harrison Park, Manitoba on Wednesday, August the 29th.  Police say that shots were fired in their direction when they arrived on scene and exited the vehicle.  Three suspects had earlier  been taken into custody and the search continued for an additional suspect.

RCMP in Manitoba are reporting this morning "3 suspects in custody in relation to #rcmpmb officer shooting in Onanole last night. Investigation continuing to determine if any suspects outstanding". Via their Twitter account they also confirmed that a male officer was shot & sustained serious injuries and remained in hospital. There was a heavy police presence throughout the region overnight as RCMP searched the area for 2-3 suspects they considered to be armed & dangerous, following a serious incident.  A press conference is planned at RCMP Manitoba Headquarters at 10:00 this morning regarding the incident in Onanole.

This upcoming October during Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) Brandon University will host "Movies for Mental Health," a workshop conducted in partnership with Student Services and North American organization Art With Impact. The event will take place on campus on October 2 from 4:30 – 6:30pm in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall. This two-hour workshop is one of many taking place on college and university campuses this academic year, and the first time to be offered at Brandon U. “Movies for Mental Health is a program tat makes a difference through facilitating meaningful conversations about mental health and highlighting path wards to supports and services. The program provides an alternate and effective model for destigmatizing sensitive topics associated with addiction and mental health in support of creating a flourishing campus community.” – Marsha Harris, personal counsellor at Brandon University. Movies for Mental Health is a free workshop and dinner will be provided for attendees. The workshop consists of a facilitated discussion, viewing of three short films from the OLIVE Film Collection on the topic of mental health, and a community and campus resource panel connecting attendees with accessible mental health resources in the region. This event is open to students, staff, and faculty of the university as well as to community members. It is generally supported by the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation and the Healthy Together Now fund from Prairie Mountain Health. Quick Facts (customize to region if needed) 75% of all mental health concerns have their onset during childhood or adolescence. Half of all lifetime cases begin by age 14, three-quarters by age 24, yet only one in five young people get the mental health help they need. Young people aged 15 to 24 are more likely to experience mental illness and/or substance use disorders than any other age group. Manitoba has higher suicide attempt rates than Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia (CBC) About Art With Impact Art With Impact is a charitable organization that promotes mental wellness by creating safe spaces for young people to learn and connect through film, reducing stigma and connecting students to accessible mental health resources. To learn more, please visit www.artwithimpact.org or follow along at @artwithimpact / #Movies4MentalHealth.

BRANDON—The Manitoba government is investing more than $76,500 to outfit front-line Brandon Police Service (BPS) officers with tactical equipment to help keep them safe in high-risk situations, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen announced here today. “Police officers in Brandon and throughout Manitoba put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” said Cullen.  “It’s important for officers to have the necessary gear to ensure they are as protected as possible.  We are proud to make this important investment in officer safety from Manitoba’s Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund.” Funding will be used to purchase ballistic vests and helmets for members of the BPS tactical unit, ensuring they are better protected when responding to serious incidents.  A supply of tourniquets will also be purchased and carried by all BPS officers so they can provide immediate and potentially life-saving first aid to themselves or others. “Since 2016, the Brandon Police Service has received over $450,000 from Manitoba’s Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund.  This money has been used to purchase equipment which may not have been a reality otherwise,” said Deputy Chief Randy Lewis, BPS.  “This equipment has greatly added to the efficiency and the safety of Brandon Police Service officers in their never-ending efforts to protect the citizens of Brandon.” BPS will also receive an additional $32,500 for other specialized tools including holsters with lights, portable lights and a generator for investigations, and surveillance equipment.  In total, BPS funding from the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund is more than $109,000 this year, Cullen added. The minister noted more than $1.4 million will be distributed this year through the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund to police agencies across Manitoba.  Since its inception, more than $19 million in assets has been successfully forfeited to Manitoba through criminal property forfeitures.  For more information about criminal property forfeiture, visit www.gov.mb.ca/justice/safe/cpf/index.html.