There is a tremendous amount of sadness and there is inconsolable grief around the death of Tina Fontaine. For all of us, Tina’s legacy should be that we think of her as our daughter and we act accordingly as we move forward together to resolve the issues that have plagued far too many young Indigenous Canadians. As a government, we will continue to pursue the goals of reconciliation and work alongside First Nations communities to build healthier communities, and a place where jobs and opportunities will flourish.  We will encourage and foster the ability of young Indigenous boys and girls, and men and women to pursue their goals in education and in the workplace. These real, positive partnerships are what we all need to pursue to prevent future tragedies.  Tina’s death should serve as a call to action for all of us.  In our sadness, we must be motivated to make a difference.

On Friday, February 16th, 2018, Brandon Police Service received a report that Ty Nelson BERARD, a resident of Brandon, had fled and his whereabouts were unknown. Ty is only 15 years of age. Ty was last seen when he was dropped off by a care provider in the 600 block 6th Street at approximately 2:00 PM on February 16th. The plan for him was to go visit a friend and then call for a ride at 10:00 PM. Since being dropped off, there has been no known contact with family members or care providers. Attempts to locate him have been unsuccessful and Police and care providers are very concerned for his well-being. Ty is a 15 year old male, with short, straight brown hair; brown eyes; 5’ 8” (173 cm); 90 pounds (41 kg); slender build; and a light/fair complexion. When last seen he was wearing a black Helly Hansen winter jacket, black sunglasses, black shoes, and was carrying a black backpack. Anyone who may have any information on the whereabouts of Ty Nelson BERARD is asked to call Brandon Police Service at 204-729-2345 or Crime Stoppers at 204-727-5477(TIPS), or their local RCMP Detachment. A recent picture of Ty is included with this release

Jon Gerrard – MLA River Heights and Manitoba Health Critic was in Brandon this evening hosting one of a series of public meetings to listen to Manitoban’s regarding their opinions of the health care system.  The meeting was attended by Westman residents, including Len Isleifson – MLA Brandon East. Gerrard presented a brief summary of the 2016-2017 health budget; which was set at $ 5,997 million, and went underspent by $115 million.  Expressing that a problem with this under spending was that funding fell short in critical areas such as mental health. The meeting then focused on open questions, concerns and discussion stemming from the following three questions:  What is working well? What is not working well? What needs investment to improve? There was broad concerns brought forward at the meeting.    A resident listed off the current and planned closures of 18 rural ambulance stations specifying the increased times that it would take a person in need of emergent care to be transported to centers that are open with professionals present. Another resident brought up that in urgent situations that it was not clear on which emergency room would be open between three, in opposite directions, when seeking care. Gerrard highlighted the viewpoint that in the concept of shared services within Regional Health Authorities that when funding for acute care and preventative are within the same sphere; that acute will always win. Residents highlighted the need for front-line staff needs, education, information and more face to face time with their health care providers. Gerrard offered that with a complex system like health care in Manitoba it is important to look at each of the pieces and the importance of being active in the areas of keeping people well.   He concluded the meeting with giving opportunity and making note of each attendee’s perspective on where primary focus should be directed in our provincial health care system.

Brandon University invites interested members of the community to a night of celebration for a research project on sustainable post-secondary education for Indigenous communities in remote locations. The project, “Mino Bimaadiziwin: Reconciliation in Action,” brings together researchers from BU and the University of Manitoba and was recently awarded a prestigious Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant in the amount of $2.5 million. This research project closely follows the call to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to “ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects” and also aligns with BU’s commitment to First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities. It will bring postsecondary education into communities that lack programming due to their remote location. First Nations students participating in the project will be able to attend entry-level certificate programs on sustainable housing design, Indigenous food systems and adult education in their communities. Rather than learn entirely from a classroom, students will directly address the systemic problems in their communities through supported projects-based learning, building 12 sustainable houses in Island Lake, Manitoba, over the six years, and introducing food security programs to alleviate the problem of unreliable food access in the region. For more information on the research project, see ecohealthcircle.com. Please join us at 7:30 p.m., in He Oyate Tawapi (Ceremony Room) in the Health Studies Building and meet community representatives from Wasagamack and Garden Lake, and Dr. Shirley Thompson, Project Leader, from the University of Manitoba, and Dr. Wilder Robles (Rural Development), Dr. Patricia Harms (History) and Dr. Serena Petrella (Sociology), Brandon University partners. The ceremony will be followed by a wine reception and refreshments.

If you happen to have been following the second-degree murder trial of Raymond Cormier, the man accused of killing 15-year-old Tina Fontaine, you’ll know that the trial came to an end yesterday afternoon. What you may not know is that local lawyer Andrew Synyshyn is co-counsel to Winnipeg lawyer Tony Kavanagh, a defence team that was brought together to the case through Legal Aid. The jury trial began on January 29 in Manitoba’s Court of Queen’s Bench and was expected to last for five weeks, but with defence closing arguments heard on Tuesday afternoon, the case wrapped up earlier than expected. Synyshyn graduated in 2010 from the University of Manitoba with a law degree. He’s been practicing for seven years (called to the bar in December 2011) and opened his own firm, AJS Law, just over one year ago in Brandon. “Our practice focuses on criminal defence and child protection law. One of the reasons why I started my own firm was to make sure that everyone who wanted or needed representation could get it,” said Synyshyn. This defence team has been working on the case for over a year and a half, but now it’s up to the 11-person jury to decide on whether Cormier is guilty or not. Synyshyn said that this is the highest profile case that he’s been involved with directly. When AJS Law opened in December 2016, the firm started with Synyshyn and office administrator Danielle Guenther. However, they’ve since grown; lawyers Melania Cannon and Jennifer Janssens, as well as legal assistant Kristen Thomas are now part of the team.