Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon’s Community Services Department and the Brandon Environment Committee are joining forces and challenging businesses and residents of Brandon to “step up and tidy up!” Beginning May 15th, the City of Brandon and the Brandon Environment Committee will champion a 16-week community clean-up campaign called “Tidy Up Tuesdays”. The idea behind “Tidy Up Tuesdays” is a simple one – at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, workplaces, organizations and individual residents alike are encouraged to take 10 minutes and spruce up the City through simple tasks like sweeping the sidewalk, picking up litter, pulling weeds, or tidying up the alleyways and parking lots in their neighbourhood. All types of community groups are encouraged to register with the City of Brandon on or before May 15th, whether it be a school or church organization, a corporate business or workplace team of employees, or even a collection of like-minded residents in their own neighbourhood. “A clean community is a healthy community, and a clean community feels safe and welcoming to spend time in and makes you proud and want to live there,” notes City of Brandon Community Development Programmer Kevin Bertram.  “It makes visitors want to come to our City and it makes people want to do business here, so we encourage all businesses and residents of Brandon to take just a few minutes of their time each week and help bolster our collective community pride – many hands make light work!” A limited quantity of free “Tidy Up Tuesdays” kits sponsored by Home Hardware and Guardian Fencing are available for corporate groups who register with the City of Brandon, by calling the City of Brandon Community Development section at 204-729-2257. The kits include gloves, garbage bags, information on safe litter collection, and a window decal. Community groups and individuals can also register for the challenge and receive complementary “Tidy Up Tuesdays” supplies by contacting the Community Development section or by attending the campaign’s kick-off clean-up event set on Tuesday, May 15th, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Princess Park (818 Princess Avenue). The kick-off clean-up event is being presented by the Brandon Environment Committee and features a FREE BBQ for clean-up participants and a friendly City Councillor challenge to register the most ward participants. Registered groups are then encouraged to let the City know how they are contributing each week of the campaign via the “Tidy Up Tuesdays” social media challenge. Participants can post pictures or videos of their groups tidying up on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the tag, #TidyUpTuesdays. Each week, those that have participated in the social media challenge will be entered into a draw to win a “Fair Trade Coffee Break”, courtesy of the City of Brandon. More information about the “Tidy Up Tuesdays” campaign is available by calling the City of Brandon Community Development Section at 204-729-2257 or by visiting the Brandon Environment Committee website at www.brandonenvironment.ca.

Brandon Police Service Media Release As a result of continued investigation, Police arrested the 43-year-man involved in the Emergency Response incident that began on May 1st and carried over to May 2nd. The man barricaded himself in a residence in the 1500 Block of Louise Avenue while Police were investigating a complaint of Uttering Threats. The man threatened officers while holding a knife and also threatened to use a chainsaw. After lengthy negotiations, the uninjured man was taken into Police custody and transported to hospital. Upon release from hospital on Thursday afternoon, the man was arrested for Uttering Threats and Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose. He was lodged at the Brandon Correctional Center and is scheduled to appear in Court on Friday.

Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon is inviting the community to view conceptual designs for an active transportation/pedestrian corridor proposed to take the place of the former 8th Street vehicle bridge at a public open house later this month. Running parallel to the recent demolition process of Brandon’s age-expired 8th Street bridge structure has been work by the City of Brandon’s Development Services Division on the development of conceptual design options for an active transportation/pedestrian corridor to connect the City of Brandon’s north end and downtown across the busy CP Rail corridor. After careful consideration of the feedback garnered at community meetings held the spring of 2017, and with the expertise of Winnipeg-based Dillon Consulting, City administration has now finalized a conceptual design option that is felt best represents the safe, accessible, and attractive connection sought by the community. Members of the public are invited to attend a public open house on Thursday, May 17th at the North End Community Centre (1313 Stickney Avenue) to learn more about the proposed conceptual design options. Individuals can choose to attend either a 3 p.m. or a 5:30 p.m. open house and ask any questions they may have about the conceptual designs presented and the associated costs. “Last year’s public feedback process signaled the community’s desire for a simple, yet functional and visually-pleasing design that also allowed for an accessible, safe, and well-lit user experience,” says City of Brandon Director of Engineering Services Patrick Pulak. “In addition to these community needs, the location of the former 8th Street bridge has previously been identified as an essential pedestrian connection in both the City of Brandon’s Greenspace Master Plan and the Assiniboine River Corridor Master Plan. Taking all of these priorities into consideration, we’ve brought forward a conceptual design that we feel will serve the needs of the community well into the future.” Following this month’s final round of public feedback, a recommendation to proceed to preliminary design phase on the active transportation/pedestrian corridor project will be presented to Brandon City Council for approval later this summer. Pulak notes that funding for preliminary design has been provided for within the City of Brandon’s 2018 operating budget, but funding for detailed design or eventual construction have not. More information about Brandon’s active transportation/pedestrian corridor project, including 3D renderings of the proposed conceptual design, is available on the City of Brandon website at http://www.brandon.ca/what-is-happening-in-your-neighbourhood/active-projects/1263-bridge.

There has been a large police presence in and around Louise Avenue and 15th Street for the last several hours.  BFES was called in for standby as well.  At one point BPS could be heard  trying to make contact with someone inside a house.  No other details are known at this time.  We will update the information with the official Brandon Police Service media release once it has been made available.  Photos by Liam Pattison Photography. BPS Media Release May 2, 2018 At approximately 11:10 a.m., an employee of a Brandon business reported that a tenant of one of their properties came into the business office and threatened the staff. Investigators determined that the male suspect attempted to grab one employee and threatened to start another employee on fire. At approximately 3:35 p.m., Police attended the residence of the suspect in the 1500 Block of Louise Avenue in attempt to locate him and effect an arrest for Uttering Threats. As officers approached the residence, the suspect was observed holding a knife and began to threaten Police. The suspect stated he also had Molotov cocktails and a chainsaw and threatened Police with these. After some failed attempts at negotiating with the suspect to calm down and exit the residence, officers heard the man start up a chainsaw. Continued dialogue led Police to believe that the man may have been experiencing a Mental Health Crisis. Due to the volatile nature of this incident, the Emergency Response Team was activated just after 5:00 p.m. Negotiating efforts continued and at just after 1:00 a.m. the man exited the residence and was taken into Police custody. The 43-year-old man was not injured and was transported to the Brandon Regional Health Center for treatment. The man remains in hospital and Police investigation continues to determine if Criminal Charges will be laid.

BRANDON—The Manitoba government is moving forward with plans to enhance the province’s emergency medical services (EMS) system by providing funding for 60 new, full-time paramedic positions, Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced today. “The investment in 60 new full-time paramedic positions will ensure highly skilled professionals are available for emergency dispatch and response at all times of the day, any day of the week, reducing the reliance on on-call staff,” said Goertzen.  “Paramedics are a critical part of our health-care system, and the new positions are another step in our government’s commitment to ensuring Manitobans have access to consistent, reliable health care in their community.” First announced in this year’s budget, the 60 new full-time equivalent (FTE) positions will reduce EMS reliance on on-call staffing positions by hiring full-time positions instead.  Some positions will be filled by staff currently working in the system on an on-call basis.  Other positions are expected to be posted shortly, with paramedics hired to fill the vacancies and be on the roads later this year, the minister said. “Paramedics provide a high level of medical care from the moment they reach the patient,” said Helen Clark, chief operating officer of emergency medical services with Shared Health.  “Professionally trained paramedics today are able to perform many life-saving activities and patients in medical emergencies are encouraged to call 911 to receive the care they need.  Adding full-time positions ensures a rapid, effective response to emergency calls in rural areas.” The new positions will be strategically spread out across Prairie Mountain Health, Southern Health-Santé Sud and Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, ensuring staff are well-positioned to respond to calls throughout their respective regions, the minister noted.  The new hires represent a $2.4-million investment for the final two quarters of this year, increasing to $5 million next year, he added. The additional positions will be located at EMS stations in the following communities: Dauphin – 9.7 FTE (converting from on-call); Gilbert Plains – 4.85 FTE (new positions); Killarney – 4.85 FTE (converting from on-call); Gimli – 4.85 FTE (converting from on-call); Boundary Trails – 4.85 FTE (converting some on-call, as well as new); Virden – 4.85 FTE (converting some from on-call, as well as new); West St. Paul – 9.7 FTE (new positions); Altona – 4.85 FTE (converting from on-call); and Teulon – 4.85 FTE (converting from on-call). An additional 6.65 FTE within the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority will also be hired to support flexible deployment across the region, as well as provide sick leave or vacation coverage for crews. “This investment in new paramedic positions for priority areas within the region will contribute to a more consistent and responsive emergency medical services system,” said Penny Gilson, chief executive officer of Prairie Mountain Health.  “Based on recommendations from the 2013 Manitoba EMS System Review, enhancements are underway to increase the staff complement at strategic locations.  The goal is to continue to improve response times and ensure consistent, co-ordinated and reliable access to care.” In June 2017, the province announced the implementation of recommendations from the 2013 Manitoba EMS System Review.  In addition to increasing the number of full-time paramedics in rural Manitoba, changes being implemented include increasing training for paramedics, adding more ambulances and resources for inter-facility transports and restructuring station locations south of the 53rd parallel. “Ensuring ambulances in Manitoba are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week is necessary to ensure patients have access to emergency care and that the paramedics responding are properly rested.  This investment is an excellent step towards ending long on-call shifts and allows paramedics to deliver those services in a predictable, responsive and safe manner,” said Eric Glass, administrative director, Paramedic Association of Manitoba. Manitoba uses a globally recognized, flexible deployment model to shift EMS resources as they are required throughout a region, ensuring timely responses to emergency situations across rural Manitoba.  The Medical Transportation Coordination Centre (MTCC) in Brandon is responsible for the dispatch and positioning of the province’s emergency medical services outside of Winnipeg. In 2015-16, more than 98 per cent of EMS calls in rural and northern Manitoba were responded to within the provincial response time standard, with 62.14 per cent within nine minutes, 15.66 per cent within 15 minutes and 20.38 per cent within 30 minutes. “The addition of 60 new full-time paramedic positions is an important step in implementing recommendations from the review, allowing us to improve our emergency service complement based on advice from an expert task force,” said Goertzen.  “It will help us ensure 24-7 coverage in several communities.” For additional information on health system transformation in Manitoba, visit www.gov.mb.ca/rightcare/index.html.