October 29, Brandon, MB – The 41st Manitoba AG EX is wrapping up and organizers are very pleased with the results. With close to 200 cattle exhibitors, almost 700 cattle and approximately 150 horse exhibitors, the final number of livestock involved in this year’s event is close to 1300. Co-Chair of Manitoba AG EX, Dallas Johnson, reported that this was a fantastic week for the cattle industry with record cattle registration numbers and the entire committee is thrilled with the big turnout for the rodeo events. “Attendance was really good over the four days.” Said Ron Kristjansson, general manager at the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba. “We can’t really say whether it’s an increase over past years because this is a brand new event for Brandon. We can say that all of the groups involved are as happy as we are with the end result and planning for next year has already started. “ “We had 27 two -year old horses entered this year for the Manitoba Super Horse futurity and we handed out over $40,000 in cash and prizes.” Said Julie Bridgeman, head organizer for Manitoba Superhorse. Alistair Hagan reported standing room only at their Hagan Performance and Ranch sale and Shawn Parsons reported that approximately 100 teams competed in the two days of the Fall Classic Ranch Sorting competition. Tickets for the Manitoba Finals Rodeo were still on sale at the time of this release, but early reports from Ron Kristjansson estimated close to 6000 spectators attended the rodeo over the three nights of competition. Dan Tober, president of the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association was busy volunteering his time at the championship rodeo performance and unavailable for comment but did report that MRCA was very pleased with the partnership and impressed with the way the event turned out this year. Results for the Cattle shows and rodeo events will be made available at www.manitobaagex.com once they have been confirmed.  

Three people have been charged with a variety of crimes following a traffic stop on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Carberry. RCMP say that on March the 2nd, at around 1:00 pm, they stopped a 2017 Dodge Durrango that was travelling 150 km/h in a posted 100 km/h zone. A search of the Durrango netted a small amount of marijuana and more than $200,000 in cash. Darren Gurniak, 50, from Port Coquitlam, B.C., and Justin Poitras, 28, and Lea Murrell, 30, both from Winnipeg, face a number of drug related charges including Possession of Proceeds of Crime over $5,000 contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.  The investigation is on-going. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Photo: Royal Canadian Mounted Police In Manitoba

This storm has affected travel in and around Westman by road and by air. Manitoba511.ca has a current list of highways closed in the area, including the Transcanada #1, east and west of Brandon, #10 both north and south. Effectively leaving the region at a temporary standstill. Westjet has cancelled the 6AM flight (WS3257) scheduled for Tuesday March 7th departure from the Brandon airport and will provide updates as to the status of the March 7th, 1:20pm flight (WS3243) which is still scheduled. Westjet and Brandon City officials, urge travelers to stay tuned to updates and NOT travel to the Brandon Airport at present, as it is closed. What can you do in the case of a cancelled or delayed flight? Use your technology and stay tuned to official websites for accurate information. Westjet.com has an advisory section and they will post notices which could potentially affect travel. In many cases, these notices will also effectively waive cancellation and change fees if you are confirmed passenger. So, to pursue changes, you call your booking agent. If you booked with Westjet directly, call them at 1-888-WESTJET (1-888-937-8538) to speak with an agent.  If you used a local travel agent, call them. If you used Expedia.ca, call them. It will be up to your sales provider to help you make changes. Cancellation and change fees can vary from $50 to $200, or a percentage of your fare paid, depending on the airline. It's good to know this ahead of time. (However, you could get lucky (like this present situation with Westjet) and have the airline waive fees due to highway and local closures.) Should you choose an alternate flight, which is at a higher price than you paid, you will be asked to pay the difference in fare. Before you pick up the phone to make any changes, you need 3 things: 1) Confirmation numbers, ticket numbers etc. 2) Know your options. (Is there a flight time later in the day, or next day, that still works for you?) What would your ideal solution be? Refund? Different flight? 3) Patience. Understand that weather is out of anyone's control, and repeating "but it's my son's birthday and I just HAVE to get there" over and over, is pointless and frustrating. Do your best to let the customer service agent use their expertise to guide you quickly and efficiently. The airline, hotel, and travel agent have no more control over the weather than you do. They are also under no obligation to refund your money (you are most likely to receive 'future travel credits' from your airline.) or offer you any compensation. The exception to the above is comprehensive travel insurance, that INCLUDES weather related incidents. Properly documented, you should be inline to receive money back rather than credits.    

The Brandon Police Service have now made public the results of a 2016 survey, seeking feedback from the residents of Brandon, regarding their perceptions of crime and the services provided by the police service. In total 518 residents elected to respond to the survey titled “the Community Engagement Survey”. Twenty-one questions were asked in total. When asked how safe people feel for either themselves or family in Brandon, over 75% of those who responded said they felt safe, or very safe. Based on feedback, many people felt downtown to be the most unsafe area of the city. Reasons provided included gang activity, poor lighting at night, and being approached by intoxicated persons and panhandlers.   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});   The survey also highlighted how about 40% of those surveyed feel less safety for their property than they did five years ago. According to the report “property safety was a concern in all areas of the city.” A vast majority (93%) reported being satisfied/very satisfied with the Brandon Police Service overall. As a result of the survey the “results have highlighted a need for BPS to continue its efforts to promote safety in the downtown area in partnership with other City of Brandon departments. People have also asked for the BPS expand on their crime prevention efforts and to find a way to make this information to the public. The entire survey can be found here.

Three people were arrested, and detained, overnight following an incident in Brandon on Saturday evening. Police say that a traffic stop was underway, in the 600 block of 34th Street, when a 29-year old passenger decided to vacate the vehicle and start a confrontation with a member of the Brandon Police service. Assistance was requested. A 29-year-old male passenger, and a 28-year-old female passenger, engaged themselves in the confrontation as other Police Members arrived. All three were intoxicated at the time of their arrests, and open liquor was discovered in the vehicle. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});