Manitoba Growth, Enterprise and Trade advises that under federal law, employers must observe Monday, July 2 as a general holiday because Canada Day falls on a Sunday this year.  This affects holiday and retail business opening rules. Regular general holiday rules apply on Monday, July 2.  Most retail businesses must be closed on this day, although retail businesses that regularly operate with four or less people, including the owner, can be open. On July 2 this year, all employees will be entitled to general holiday pay of five per cent of the gross wages earned in the 28 days prior to July 2.  In addition, employers must pay employees time-and-a-half for any hours worked that day. Other retail businesses that can open on July 2 include: restaurants; pharmacies; laundromats; boat and motor vehicle rental, repair and service shops and gasoline and related goods for motor vehicles; places with educational, recreational or amusement purposes; tourism and recreational facilities including summer resorts; and retailers who only sell nursery stock, flowers, garden supplies and accessories as well as those selling only fresh fruit and vegetables. Under federal legislation, Sunday, July 1 is not considered a holiday.  Retailers in municipalities with a Sunday shopping bylaw can be open the same as any other Sunday. More information on wages for a general holiday, as well as on Sunday shopping restrictions, is available at www.gov.mb.ca/labour/standards/factsheet.html.

Source: Brandon Area Community Foundation The Brandon Area Community Foundation (BACF) have received a second gift of $1 million of personal shares in Cando Rail Services from Gord and Diane Peters for granting throughout Westman. The shares will not become an endowed fund. The Peters want the money to be spent within the next 15 to 20 years to see the projects they are able to support now. Half the funds will be granted by BACF through their formal granting process and half the funds will be donor advised by the Peters.

Source:  Brandon Police Service Media Release On June 16th, Police received a complaint from a female victim stating that her ex had sent intimate images of her, without her consent, to other people. Through the course of the investigation a second female victim was identified as it was discovered that this same male suspect had shared intimate images of this 2nd female without her consent. As a result a 40-year-old Brandon man was arrested for Distribute Intimate Images without Consent x2, later released and is scheduled to appear in Court in August

The new 65,660 square kindergarten to Grade 8 school in southeast Brandon will be called Maryland Park School.  The name was selected at Monday night's School Board meeting.  More than thirty suggested names were submitted for consideration.  The new school will be constructed for 450 students with ability to expand to a capacity of 675 students.  The facility will also include a child care centre for 20 infants, 54 pre-school children, and an additional 40 nursery school spaces.  Construction is expected to be completed for the beginning of the school year in September 2020.

At around 7:00 Tuesday night, fire and police crews were called to the area just south of 26th St and Victoria Ave in the median for a pickup truck vs a tree. It appears as though a pickup truck left the roadway and struck a tree in the median, and got hung up on the stump of the torn off tree. Nobody was injured during the crash, and crews cleared within half an hour.  Photos by Liam Pattison Photography.