A 17-year old male was recently clocked doing 152 km/h in 100 km/h zone, while travelling north on Hwy 5 towards Neepawa. RCMP say the teen had been driving his 2010 Chev Silverado 148 km/h, was continuing to accelerate, and was quickly gaining on the vehicle ahead of him. Unfortunately for the driver the vehicle in front of him turned out to be an unmarked RCMP Traffic services vehicle. Apparently the young driver was on his way to a hockey game and didn't realize the vehicle in front of him was a police vehicle. He was fined $731 and served a Serious Offence Notice. He now also has to report to MPI within 5 days to appear at a hearing to determine whether or not his license will be suspended.

Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon, Brandon University, and Assiniboine Community College have formalized their existing spirit of collaboration and have charted a course for strong partnerships in research and innovation with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the three parties today at Brandon City Hall. Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest was joined by Brandon University Interim President Steve Robinson and Assiniboine Community College President Mark Frison in signing the MOU, which places importance on collaborating on research and educational projects of mutual benefit. The three institutions have committed to regularly discuss challenges and opportunities within the City of Brandon, which may be addressed through applied research and educational projects. “Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College are extremely important assets in Brandon, as they support both the economic and the community growth within the municipality and across the western Manitoba region,” noted Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest. “Therefore, the City of Brandon has an interest in creating local opportunities for students to put into practice the skills and innovation being taught at Brandon University and at Assiniboine Community College, and also provide pathways for graduates to stay and work in the community following their studies.” This new MOU builds on the existing MOU that Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College signed in 2014, which has deepened collaboration between the institutions and has led to new projects including a joint ‘Welcome Students’ campaign each fall and a new joint program in Public History, unveiled this month. “Collaboration is truly at the heart of what academics do, and there are many exciting opportunities for Brandon University students, faculty, and staff to contribute in new ways to enhance our community,” said Brandon University Interim President Steve Robinson. “Signing this Memorandum of Understanding allows us to further develop the many ongoing partnerships that we are already eagerly pursuing.” “We look forward to building on the existing relationships our college has developed with both Brandon University and the City of Brandon to provide applied research projects and activities for our students,” added Assiniboine Community College President Mark Frison. “Collaborative projects that stem from this new initiative will provide benefits to both Assiniboine Community College and Brandon University, particularly for students who will have new opportunities for hands-on experience with real-world impact.” Under the new MOU, the three institutions will each name a representative who will collectively identify the most fruitful avenues for new research, drawing on the combined needs and strengths of the City of Brandon, of Brandon University, and of Assiniboine Community College

Dr. Linda Ross, Chair, Brandon School Division Board of Trustees today released a statement with regards to the results of the School Calendar Survey undertaken in December 2017. "Public feedback showed a strong preference for full-day vs. half-day professional development days.  The 2018-2019 school calendar is currently being prepared to reflect that preference.  This information will be brought to the Board for its approval at the Board meeting on Monday, February 12, 2018." Should you have any further questions or concerns, you are encouraged contact the BSD office by email:  info@bsd.ca

The Manitoba government has proclaimed The Efficiency Manitoba Act, allowing for the launch of a new stand-alone Crown corporation that will deliver demand-side management of electricity and natural gas programs and services, Crown Services Minister Cliff Cullen announced today. “Efficiency Manitoba will offer households and businesses expanded energy saving programs that will help minimize the impact of future rate increases,” said Cullen.  “It will also help to encourage reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, which is important to all Manitobans and a priority of our government.” In addition to helping Manitobans save on their energy bills and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, Cullen said the work of Efficiency Manitoba will help defer costly new electricity generation far off into the future while creating new jobs in the energy-efficiency sector. On a year-to-year basis, Efficiency Manitoba will be required to meet annual savings targets in both electrical energy and natural gas.  At a minimum, those savings will be equal to: 1.5 per cent of the consumption of electrical energy in the preceding year, amounting to a targeted cumulative reduction of 22.5 per cent over 15 years; .75 per cent of the consumption of natural gas in the preceding year, amounting to a targeted cumulative reduction of 11.25 per cent over the same time period. “Efficiency Manitoba is well-placed to help Manitoba households and businesses reduce their energy costs and greenhouse-gas emissions, while also improving economic and infrastructure resilience,” said Brent Gilmour, executive director of Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow (QUEST).  “On behalf of QUEST, we congratulate the Manitoba government on taking this important step.” During the transition period, Manitoba Hydro will continue to deliver energy-efficiency initiatives to ensure Manitoba maintains its momentum in demand-side management, the minister noted.

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, RBC and Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba to provide local employment training program for former youth in care Vulnerable youth in Western Manitoba, as young as 16, will now have a lifechanging opportunity to learn essential skills and access resources necessary to enter the workforce through Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s Youth Works Program. The program is supported by RBC Future Launch, a 10-year, $500 million commitment to help Canadian youth prepare for the jobs of tomorrow. Offered to young people in Western Manitoba through Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba, the program will provide youth in and from permanent care with relevant skills training, internships, job placements and career mentorship support. The goal of the program is to help young people from care make the successful transition from receiving an education to obtaining sustainable employment. A key component of RBC’s $1 million donation is the hiring of trauma-informed employment counselors to assist in making this happen in four regions across Canada. “Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba is pleased to be selected as one of the four sites from across Canada to be involved in this pertinent initiative assisting youth in and from care with their employment and support needs," says Dave McGregor, CEO, Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba. "We know that after high school, as young people transition into adulthood, it can be a very challenging period and even more so for youth from care who do not always have natural supports. This program will be vital in helping to fill that need." Each year approximately 2,300 youth, as young as 16, age out of Canada’s child welfare system, and are no longer eligible for the type of support they have been receiving while in care. As they enter adulthood, they lack many things their peers take for granted such as a family home to return to while they look for a job, help with groceries and bills when times are tough, or someone to help them prepare for a job interview. Without the necessary supports to become self-sufficient, youth in Western Manitoba face a multitude of barriers when transitioning from care and can often face a future of poverty and homelessness. “Youth transitioning out of care face so many obstacles. When they exit the child welfare system, they are on their own. They have no family to lean on or a support system to help them navigate the challenges they face as independent adults. Many couch surf or access shelters and food banks to help them get by,” says Valerie McMurtry, President and CEO, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. “That’s why providing employability supports, such as skills training, career mentorship and job placements is so critical to ensuring that youth from care can achieve their own vision of success and avoid poverty.” Through Youth Works supported by RBC Future Launch - in partnership with Children's Aid Foundation of Canada, young people will be able to access: a trauma-informed employment counsellor, sensitive to their needs, who can help them assess their strengths, develop employability skills, and navigate their transition into the job market internship, job placement opportunities and mentorship from an employment counselor employment training to help youth fill the gaps in their skill set so that they can move to the next step in their employment plan. “Our goal is to ensure Canadian youth are more confident, better prepared and equipped for the future of work,” says Glenn Crook, Vice President, Commercial Financial Services, RBC. “This program provides a unique opportunity for RBC to support some of the most vulnerable youth in Western Manitoba, and we thank our partners for their work to make a measurable difference in the lives of youth transitioning from care."