Prior to the fire Massey Manor provided housing for 53 families and 5 homeless individuals. As a result of the devastating fire and water damage almost all the tenants lost most if not all of their possessions. The Province of Manitoba, the City Of Brandon, many businesses and churches and numerous individuals have donated cash, furniture and clothing to help the victims of this fire.   To further display our community’s altruistic support, Dufresne Furniture has made a most generous donation of 30 new mattresses and bed frames which will be given to the Massey Manor fire evacuees who had no household insurance. These beds will be delivered to our Building Re-Fit Store located at 23 - 12th Street on August 2, 2018 at 1pm and members of the media are invited to attend to see firsthand the generosity displayed by the people of our community.   “At Dufresne, we believe it is our responsibility to give back to the communities that have supported us over our 32 year history.  It is a privilege for us to support the communities where our teams, our guests and our families live, work and play.  A proper mattress is the foundation of a good night’s sleep and we’re honored to be providing mattresses to those in need in the Brandon community”, said Larry Millar, Senior Director of Marketing, Dufresne Furniture and Appliance.   The Building Re-Fit Store will provide free delivery of these beds to those uninsured fire evacuees who are still in need of proper beds.

In a hotly contested battle, Royal Lepage upended Remax / Vionell Holdings Partnership 11-7 to win the 2018 Jake Cup. The Jake Cup is named after the founder of VHP Vionell Bertineous (Jake) Jacobson.  VBJ (the original) Jake was an entrepreneur and a competitive guy, and the trophy is named in his honor.  The Jake Cup was created to reward summer students at VHP for their effort over the summer and bring a team bonding experience to VHP. The cup started in 2016 and was a friendly game between VHP staff and friends.  This year through collaboration between Tyler Plante and Jason Roblin the game evolved into a more competitive match between Remax/VHP and Royal Lepage Martin Liberty for the overall benefit of local charities. Fun was had by both teams and over $800 was generated for Career Connections and the YWCA.  Organizers hope next years game will be just as fun and raise the bar one more notch and plans are already underway to add to the experience.  

Source:Brandon Police Service Media Release Police have arrested and charged a 24 year old male with Break and Enter, Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, Possession of a controlled Substance.  The male had entered into a home in the 600blk of 16th street and confronted the homeowner with a large kitchen knife. The male was located in the area and has been arrested.  He will appear in court on September 27th.  

Career Connections Inc. is excited to announce a brand new Vocational Development Program that will be opening its doors in early August. The program which is funded through the Province of Manitoba’s Community Living disABILITY Services will provide hands on training to individuals in Brandon who live with an intellectual disability to help them gain the skills required to find employment in our community. The program is new to Manitoba and Tracy Williams, Career Connections Executive Director tells us that it is a program you have to see to fully understand. It covers areas such as business/marketing, computer technology, consumer/service, construction/industrial and processing/production. With this system we are able to give individuals hands on training. For example one exercise has them wrap plastic hamburgers in wrap just as they would at any fast food restaurant. Or in the construction area, they will learn how to make a book rack, right from measuring and cutting the wood, to the staining of the finished product. There are over 200 jobs that can be taught, step by step, to ensure that participants can acquire the skills required to find work, doing something they enjoy and are good at. Career Connections believes that everyone has the right to work in their community and hopes that by providing this much needed skill development that the employers here in Westman will utilize their services to help fill the labour shortages that many face. For more information please contact Tracy Williams, Executive Director at 204-728-9594 or twilliams@cciwestman.ca.

Source:  Brandon Police Service Media Release On July 24th, 2018 members from the Regina Provincial General Investigation Section and Brandon Police Service, arrested four suspects in Brandon, without incident, in relation to a kidnapping investigation that originated in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. At approximately 10:00 p.m., on June 13th, 2018 the Swift Current Municipal RCMP received a complaint of a kidnapping that occurred earlier in the day. The victim was reportedly forced into a vehicle by two adult males while in Swift Current and driven to Brandon. The victim, a 42-year-old Brandon man, was eventually able to escape from a residence in Brandon and made his way to Swift Current. The four suspects, three men from Brandon and one from Neepawa, appeared in Court in Brandon on Wednesday and are expected to be returned to Swift Current, SK to appear in court there. This investigation remains ongoing with assistance from Brandon Police Service and Swift Current Municipal RCMP.