Brandon Police Service Media Release A 36-year old Brandon male has been arrested for Possession of Child Pornography and Accessing Child Pornography following a Police investigation to identify the suspect. Police say that in February of 2017, they received notification from the Child Exploitation Center of Canada indicating that an IP address in Brandon was linked to an image of child pornography. Several electronic devices were recovered during the execution of a search warrant, once the identity of the suspect had been determined. The man now has a June court appearance.  

Brandon University News Release BRANDON, Man. – One of Canada’s most accomplished hockey coaches will receive an honorary degree from Brandon University (BU) this month. Andy Murray will be conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) at Brandon University’s Spring Convocation on Friday, May 26 at the BU Healthy Living Centre. One of Canada’s most accomplished hockey coaches, Brandon University alumnus Andy Murray will receive an honorary degree at the 2017 Convocation. Currently the coach of the Western Michigan University (WMU) Broncos men’s hockey team, Murray previously coached in the National Hockey League (NHL. He was inducted into to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015. Also a member of the Brandon University Dick and Verda McDonald Sports Wall of Fame, Murray played for the BU hockey and football teams and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1972. He later coached the Bobcats hockey team for three years. Born in Gladstone and raised in Souris, Murray continues to return to his home province to share his experience and expertise with amateur coaches as Hockey Manitoba’s Honorary Mentor Coach. “Mr. Murray’s success throughout his impressive career reflects his ability to foster effective teamwork, a lesson that is applicable to us all whether in athletics, academics or in the community,” said Dr. Gervan Fearon, President and Vice-Chancellor of BU. “His influence extends beyond his on-ice triumphs with his willingness to offer guidance and inspiration to others helping to instill leadership, collaboration and other important skills in new generations. These are values Brandon University stands for as well.” Murray began coaching at age 25 with the Brandon Travelers senior hockey team before assuming the role of Bobcats head coach in 1978. He led the team to two league championships, including the 1980-81 season when the Bobcats were ranked No. 1 in Canada, before leaving for Europe to begin his professional coaching career. Murray earned his first NHL head coaching job with the Los Angeles Kings in 1999, setting a new franchise record with 215 victories over six seasons before joining the St. Louis Blues for four more years. Murray is the only head coach to guide Canada’s national men’s team to gold medals in three IIHF World Championships, and has won a record six titles in the Spengler Cup tournament in Switzerland. He was an associate coach for Canada’s 1998 Olympic hockey team. Murray joined WMU in 2011, leading the Broncos to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s conference championship in 2012. He won this season’s Herb Brooks Award as the Coach of the Year in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Brandon University bestows individuals with an honorary degree based on significant service to the university community or society; excellence in professional life or public service; or advancement of knowledge through research or teaching. Nominations from Brandon University and the Westman area are considered.

A 46-year old Brandon woman is accused of prank calling Brandon Police following a series of calls early Tuesday morning. Police say the woman contacted them at 4:19 am saying a robbery was in progress at a neighboring apartment, in the 600 block of 11th Street. The call was found to be false, as were additional calls the accused reportedly made throughout the night. In order to stop the calls she was detained at the Brandon Correctional Center, and arrested for Breach of the Peace.

Province of Manitoba News Release The province of Manitoba, in collaboration with the Public Schools Finance Board (PSFB), today released a competitive request for proposals (RFP) to develop a Public Private Partnership (P3) business case and financial advisory services for constructing four new schools with a total value of over $100 million, Premier Brian Pallister announced today as he was joined by Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart. “The P3 model has proved to be very successful across Canada and in Saskatchewan in particular for such projects.  We have studied these approaches carefully and believe a similar innovative procurement delivery model could mean cost savings and better value for Manitobans,” said Pallister.  “We owe it to taxpayers to consider how we can deliver high-quality services more cost-effectively.  Today’s RFP is the first step in this fully transparent, competitive process.” The RFP will determine whether the project is suitable for P3 procurement by conducting the appropriate analyses and developing a business case and value-for-money, the premier said.  The RFP also includes building Manitoba’s internal P3 capacity and processes, which will be important to undertaking further such procurement, he added.  Once a business case has been developed, a request can be issued to potential private-sector consortiums to bid on the project to undertake the design and financial plan. Manitoba Education and Training and the PSFB have identified four new schools (one kindergarten to Grade 5, two kindergarten to Grade 8 and one grades 9 to 12) in four individual school divisions, as priorities based on the greatest need given higher enrolment pressures in these neighbourhoods.  The projects identified in the RFP are as follows: School Program Location Student capacity With core expandable to: Space Requirement (sq. ft.) Kindergarten to Grade 5 French Immersion Seven Oaks – Precinct E 450 600 56,662 Kindergarten to Grade 8 Dual Track Winnipeg – Waterford Green 600 825 78,938 Kindergarten to Grade 8 English Southeast Brandon 450 675 69,684 Grades 9 to 12 English Pembina Trails – Waverly West 1,000 1,200 125,087 Wishart confirmed that these schools will be operated by their respective school boards and will deliver education services just like all other schools within the boards’ jurisdictions. “We are taking a pragmatic approach to the procurement of new schools in order to deliverquality infrastructure on time and on budget,” said Wishart. Wishart noted that each of the school facilities will be designed to accommodate a child-care centre with 20 infant spaces and 54 preschool spaces, in accordance with the PSFB policy to integratechild-care facilities in all newly constructed schools.  The schools will also be built to top energy efficiency standards to save electricity use with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard.  This builds upon the PSFB’s longstanding practice of constructing highly durable, energy efficient school buildings, the minister noted. “This new approach will not result in any delays for the construction of new schools and other capital projects,” said Wishart.  “Construction of new schools for Winkler and Niverville, our top priority projects based on high enrolment in these divisions, will be pursued through the traditional procurement model.” Manitoba has used the traditional procurement model (design-bid-build) to deliver infrastructure projects for government-supported and government-owned infrastructure.  Government has typically funded 100 per cent of facilities, either through capital grants or by making progress payments, and has also been responsible for virtually all of the project-related risks.  P3s, by comparison, are a performance-based approach to procuring public infrastructure where the private sector assumes a major share of the risks in terms of financing and construction, and ensuring effective performance of the infrastructure, from design and planning to long-term maintenance.  However, the public sector retains ownership of the infrastructure, operates it and remains accountable for the services provided to Manitobans. The PSFB is the provincial statutory agency established in 1967 with responsibility for financing major capital projects in Manitoba’s public schools.  The board will provide a co-ordinated point of access for the P3 business case analysis and for the collection, discussion and examination process similar to the current role the organization plays in liaising with school divisions on all aspects of school infrastructure needs. The deadline for submissions is June 15 with the contract to begin by Aug. 1.  The goal is for the four projects to break ground in the 2019 construction season, Wishart added.

Submitted: Vancouver Aquarium Brandon, Manitoba – As part of the celebrations for Canada’s 150th anniversary, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre’s AquaVan 150: Connecting Communities to Coastlines program will be visiting schools in the city from May 2 - May 5. AquaVan 150 is the first-ever cross-Canada road trip for the mobile education program in its 22-year history. Over seven months, this signature project will celebrate Canada’s milestone year at 150 stops.  It will deliver fully interactive and immersive programming to Canadians of all ages, focusing on the impacts humans are having on our rivers, lakes and oceans and the role Canadians can play to ensure they are healthy and abundant for future generations. The AquaVan will visit the following locations on this tour: May 2:  Waverly Park School and École Harrison May 3:  Meadows School and Linden Lanes School May 5: Riding Mountain National Park, including a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup The AquaVan features a 28-foot mobile aquarium, with resident creatures including sea stars, sea cucumbers, crabs and sea anemones, among other invertebrates from the Pacific Coast. These animals serve as ambassadors for aquatic life and help to bring the ocean to Canadians, regardless of where they live. In addition to getting hands-on at these touch tanks, programming will also cover topics such as local history and regional environmental issues. Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre and its AquaVan team is proud to be part of the Canada 150 celebrations and thanks the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Government of Canada for helping to fund the AquaVan 150: Connecting Communities to Coastlines tour. Regular updates on the tour will be posted on Vancouver Aquarium’s AquaBlog and Vancouver Aquarium’s Facebook page. You may support this signature journey through a donation here. Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is a non-profit society dedicated to the conservation of aquatic life. www.vanaqua.org