BRANDON – Nearly 600 students will receive degrees on Friday as Brandon University’s (BU’s) largest graduating class in six years takes part in the Spring 2018 Convocation. Two ceremonies at BU’s Healthy Living Centre (HLC) will confer degrees on 583 graduates. The morning ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., with students from the Faculties of Science and Health Studies receiving their degrees. During the afternoon ceremony, which begins at 2:30 p.m., students from the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education and School of Music will take their turn. “It is extremely gratifying and uplifting to welcome each student to the stage, to congratulate them and to see their smiles as they realize the culmination of this remarkable journey,” said Dr. Steven Robinson, BU’s Interim President and Vice-Chancellor. “To have such a large class this year amplifies the joy of the occasion and is a tremendous credit to the graduates for their hard work over the years and to our staff and faculty for the guidance and the support they’ve given our students.” This year’s graduating class is 12 per cent larger than last year, when degrees were conferred on 520 BU students. The last class larger than this year’s group was in 2013. Two valedictorians will speak to their graduating classmates as part of the ceremonies. Rebecca Storey, the morning valedictorian, was raised in Brandon and has completed a three-year Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Mathematics and a minor in French. She plans to continue her studies at BU in the Faculty of Education with the goal of becoming a French immersion teacher. Afternoon valedictorian Abby Ziprick will receive a Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Education concurrent degree on Friday and hopes to return to her home city of Winnipeg to teach music or drama. “One of the great things about working at Brandon University is how well we get to know the students during their time here,” said Katie Gross, BU’s Dean of Students. “We’ve seen them put a great deal of time and effort in their education and the pursuit of their dreams. It’s wonderful to share the feeling of accomplishment with them and I’m excited to see what great successes await them in the future.” The afternoon ceremony will include the conferral of an honorary Doctor of Literature degree on Dr. Linda Hutcheon, in recognition of her exceptional career as a writer, a critic and an educator. Several other honours will be presented during the day, including Brandon University Senate and Alumni Association awards that will recognize outstanding teaching and research at BU, Lifetime Achievement Awards, and the Distinguished Teacher Awards that are presented annually to teachers from elementary and high school programs. For those who aren’t able to attend the ceremonies, a livestream will be available at BrandonU.ca/Convocation. The celebration will continue the day after Convocation with the All Nations Pow Wow taking place on Saturday at the HLC. The Pow Wow will begin with a pipe ceremony at 10 a.m. outside the HLC. The event will include grand entries at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. as well as a ceremony to honour graduates at 3 p.m. More details are available at Events.BrandonU.ca.

Brandon Police Service Media Release On May 8th an inmate at Brandon Correctional Centre reported that he had been the victim of a serious sexual assault that had occurred the previous night. The assault had reportedly occurred in the cell shared by the victim and the suspect. On Wednesday, the suspect was charged with one count of sexual assault. The 25 year-old accused was returned to BCC and will appear in court today on the charge.

Regulations bringing the registered nursing profession under The Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) are now in effect, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced today. “The RHPA sets out consistent rules and processes for governance, registration, complaints and discipline, and regulation and bylaw making authority,” said Goertzen.  “The College of Registered Nurses has done a great deal of work to make this possible and I congratulate them for their commitment to this process and their hard work in making this possible.” The RHPA sets out a new way of regulating who does what in the provision of health services by designating ‘reserved acts’, which are specific health procedures that pose a significant or potential risk to the public if they are not performed by competent and trained professionals.  These include activities such as ordering screening and diagnostic tests, diagnosis, and prescribing and administering drugs.  Registered nurses will be authorized to perform 14 of 21 categories of reserved acts.  All reserved acts are subject to limits and conditions set out in the regulations. “We are excited about the work we have accomplished together with Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living to come under the RHPA.  This new legislation optimizes registered nurse scope of practice and allows RNs to continue to work in collaborative practice to support sustainable health-care delivery for Manitobans,” said Marie Edwards, president, College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba.  “The RHPA supports our regulatory mandate to serve and protect the public interest.” The regulations also create a new designation of registered nursing – the registered nurse authorized prescriber. These nurses will be able to independently order diagnostic tests and prescribe medications for patients that require registered nursing care related to travel health, reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections, blood-borne pathogens and diabetes. For more information on the RHPA, visit www.gov.mb.ca/health/rhpa. For more information on the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, visit www.crnm.mb.ca/.

Brandon Police Service Media Release At approximately 11:00 a.m., Police responded to a park in the 1500 Block of Princess Avenue after receiving a report that a male approached a female and some children. The male exposed himself while conducting an indecent act in front of the female and children. The 17-year-old male youth from Brandon was located a short distance away and found to be highly intoxicated. The youth was arrested for Indecent Act and lodged at the Brandon Correctional Center. He is scheduled to be released from custody when sober with a Court date in June.

Recent rain and improving weather conditions have allowed the province to lift travel restrictions in the eastern, central and western regions of the province with the exception of the Duck Mountains.  Motorized backcountry travel is not allowed between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., and campfires are only allowed between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. in the Duck Mountains.  Provincial resources including Manitoba Sustainable Development, Emergency Measures Organization and the Office of the Fire Commissioner continue to work on a number of fires around the province.  Ontario has provided 120 firefighters and Quebec has sent four water bombers. Fire crews continue to work on the fire between the Little Grand Rapids First Nation and the Pauingassi First Nation, which covers over25,000 hectares andis about four kilometres from Pauingassi.  Some light rain has fallen on the area, which has helped the efforts but the fire is still not under control.  Crews have now completed the work of setting up sprinklers to protect homes at both the Little Grand Rapids First Nation and the Pauingassi First Nation.  Power remains out to the area and the evacuation order remains in effect for both communities. The fires near the community of Ashern are considered under control, with crews remaining in the area to monitor and address a few hot spots. Recent rain and high humidity assisted suppression efforts on fires near the community of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation but the community remains evacuated. One new fire started yesterday and the total number of fires in Manitoba to date is 186, well above the 20-year average of 114 for this date. A list of parks with campfire restrictions can be found at www.manitobaparks.com.  Visitors to provincial parks should check with park staff for the most up-to-date information. A map of the areas affected and a detailed description of the provincial fire and travel restrictions can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/sd/fire/Restrictions/index.html.  Local municipalities may also implement burning bans or fire restrictions.  Check with local municipal offices or visit www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire/burn_conditions.html for more information. For further general information on fire status, maps, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire/or follow the Twitter account at www.twitter.com/mbgovnews. For additional information on these restrictions, contact the nearest Manitoba Sustainable Development office.  To report a wildfire, call 911 or the T.I.P. line (toll-free) at 1-800-782-0076.