Brandon Police Service Media Release At approximately 11:00 p.m., Police responded to a report of an assault that just occurred outside a residence on Fotheringham Drive. An adult male victim advised that as he was taking out the garbage, he was assaulted by two male suspects for no reason. The assault consisted of the suspects repeatedly punching the victim in the head and face area causing cuts, bruises and swelling. The victim was transported to hospital for treatment. Police investigation led to a different residence on Fotheringham Drive. Two intoxicated male suspects were located in the residence and taken into Police custody.  A 19-year-old Brandon man and 18-year-old Brandon man were arrested for Assault. The 19-year-old man was also found to have outstanding Warrants for his arrest and in Breach of a Recognizance Order. He was lodged at the Correctional Center and is scheduled to appear in Court on Wednesday. The 18-year-old male suspect was released and is scheduled to appear in Court in July. When Police located the suspects, a 49-year-old female from the residence became extremely uncooperative and belligerent with officers. She was arrested for Breach of the Peace and lodged at the Correctional Center to be released on Wednesday morning.

Brandon Police Service Media Release On April 30th, Police entered into an investigation after receiving four different reports of a male acting suspiciously and approaching female children in the areas of Linden Lanes and Meadows. A Public Notification was issued and more complaints were received providing similar description and behavior of the suspect. One specific complaint of an 11-year-old female child disclosed being approached by the suspect near 25th Street and College Avenue on April 29th. The suspect asked to see the feet of the child and then reached out and touched the child in the chest area.  On May 3rd, Police were able to positively identify the suspect, a Warrant was executed at his residence however the suspect was not home, and efforts to locate him met with negative results. On Tuesday morning, Police received information that the suspect was in a restaurant on Victoria Avenue. Officers attended and arrested the 23-year-old man from Brandon on the Arrest Warrant for Sexual Assault and Sexual Interference. The male suspect was lodged at the Brandon Correctional Center and is scheduled to appear in Court on Wednesday.

Brandon Police Service Media Release At approximately 1:00 a.m., Police responded to a 911 call from an employee of a business in the 800 Block of 1st Street who reported being Robbed at knife point. The lone suspect fled the area prior to Police arrival and an attempt track by a k-9 unit met with negative results. Investigation revealed that the suspect selected $350 worth of merchandise and brought the items to the till. The suspect then pulled out a knife and demanded cash. The suspect did not receive any cash but fled the business with the merchandise. The male suspect is described as aboriginal in appearance, 25 -35 years of age and wearing a dark colored hooded sweater. Police investigation continues.

A 39-year-old female from Brandon was arrested for Sexual Assault, Sexual Interference and Assault on Monday as a result of an ongoing investigation from April 10th. It is alleged that the suspect inappropriately touched an 11-year-old boy who was sleeping over at her residence. The suspect was released from Police custody and is scheduled to appear in Court in June.

The Manitoba government will establish five rapid-access, front-line clinics across the province to treat individuals seeking help for substance-related addictions, including patients struggling with opiate, methamphetamine and alcohol addiction, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced today. “These clinics bring together addiction treatment with health services, enabling patients to move smoothly between addictions medicine specialists, primary care providers and community supports. This will allow those in need to access help sooner, closer to home and with necessary ongoing support,” said Goertzen. “Manitoba patients, their families and experts in addictions and mental health have identified these clinics as an important step toward addressing long waits for treatment and the need for increased availability of services in rural and northern areas of our province.” Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) clinics are modelled after a successful program in Ontario. They will provide assessment, counselling, the prescription of appropriate medication, and connect patients to community treatment programs and primary care physicians. The RAAM clinical team will provide ongoing support to primary care providers including mentoring, re-assessment and referral of patients. Arlene Last-Kolb began advocating for better care following her 24-year-old son Jessie's opiate-related death in 2014. She said RAAM clinics are a big step towards improving addictions treatment in Manitoba. "When those suffering from substance use disorder are reaching out for help, the health-care system needs to respond quickly while providing ongoing support,” said Last-Kolb. "The establishment of RAAM clinics throughout our province will give Manitobans suffering from addiction a safe place to seek help that can save their lives.” The clinic model is intended to treat any and all substance-related addictions and has been successful in relieving pressure on emergency departments in other jurisdictions by serving as a specialized source of support and treatment for patients who may relapse. “These clinics will work closely with hospitals, emergency departments, crisis services, and primary care centres to get patients linked quickly into the addictions system for assessment, services and treatment,” said Dr. Ginette Poulin, medical director of the Additions Foundation of Manitoba. “The clinics will reduce long waits and line-ups that often result in patients transitioning in and out of the health system. We look forward to these clinics having positive effects for Manitobans seeking help with addiction issues such as crystal meth and opioids.” The clinics will engage physicians with enhanced competency in addictions medicine and collaborate with regulatory bodies to ensure appropriate education, tools and ongoing support are provided to health-care professionals. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba is regularly offering education for physicians in areas such as opioid replacement therapy. The College is also in the process of developing more tools and educational materials to assist prescribers in tackling this difficult issue. “The integration of opioid replacement therapy into primary care will allow patients to be referred to a primary care physician or nurse practitioner once stable, for ongoing treatment and support in the community,” said Dr. Anna Ziomek, Registrar and CEO, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba. “This will also enable specialized clinics to focus on more complex cases.” Approximately $1.237 million in funding through Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living will support this new model in existing clinics in Winnipeg (two), Brandon, the Interlake and northern Manitoba. Work to identify specific locations is ongoing with engagement of clinical leadership from the regional health authorities, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba and other key stakeholders, said Goertzen. The clinics were highlighted as a successful model during extensive public and stakeholder consultations through the development of a soon-to-be-released provincial Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, commissioned in 2017. They will build upon other mental health and addictions services offered in Manitoba, including the Provincial Naloxone Distribution Program, which will receive an ongoing annual commitment of $100,000, Goertzen added. In addition, an electronic health record system with specific instruments for the continuum of child and adult crisis, inpatient and community mental health services is being initiated by the Northern Regional Health Authority, building upon the success of a provincial pilot project. These health records will provide standardized data collection, reporting tools and tracking to streamline coordination of services towards improving mental health outcomes for children, youth and adults. For more information on the Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, visit https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mha/strategy.html. For more information on addictions services, visit http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mh/addictions/index.html. For more information on mental health crisis and non-crisis regional services, visit http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mh/crisis.html.