Brandon Sun – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

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The front doors of the Brandon courthouse on 11th Street. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Dangerous driver handed 285 days in jail

Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:10 PM EST

A man who ran a red light near two schools in Brandon as he was fleeing police after stealing from Giant Tiger in July was sentenced to 285 days in jail.

“This conduct created the potential for catastrophic consequences,” provincial court Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said Thursday afternoon as she delivered her sentencing decision for 45-year-old William Beaulieu.

Last week, the accused pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle, theft under $5,000 and mischief under $5,000 for an incident that occurred on July 16. The Crown stayed charges for fleeing police and impaired driving.

Crown attorney Melania Cannon and defence lawyer Chian Jok jointly recommended a 60-day sentence for the dangerous driving charge, but it was rejected by Hewitt-Michta, who said it was “markedly disproportionate” to the gravity of the offence and would have been contrary to public interest.

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Local

Annelise Wilchowy-Hagman, Point-in-Time count co-ordinator with the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation, stands outside the BNRC offices on Rosser Avenue and Fifth Street in Brandon on Thursday. The annual count of Brandon’s homeless population takes place today from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. in downtown Brandon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Homeless count set for this morning

Rylee Gerrard 4 minute read Preview

Homeless count set for this morning

Rylee Gerrard 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:07 PM EST

One simple question — where did you sleep last night? — will help the city determine what it needs to support its most vulnerable residents.

Today from 6 to 8 a.m., roughly 30 volunteers will canvass the downtown area and ask every person they see where they had slept the previous night for the annual Point in Time (PiT) count.

The count provides a “snapshot of homelessness in the community,” said Annelise Wilchowy-Hagman, PiT count co-ordinator for the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation.

Wilchowy-Hagman — who started the role in June — said while the PiT count isn’t perfect, it helps the city advocate for provincial and federal funding to support unhoused people.

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Yesterday at 10:07 PM EST

Local

Ginette Lavack, member of Parliament for St. Boniface-St. Vital and the parliamentary secretary for Indigenous Services Canada Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, speaks to Brandonites during a press event highlighting the 2026 federal budget at Chez Angela Bakery and Café in Brandon on Thursday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Liberal MP touts budget’s affordability ‘boost’

Alex Lambert 4 minute read Preview

Liberal MP touts budget’s affordability ‘boost’

Alex Lambert 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:04 PM EST

Federal government officials were in Brandon on Thursday to highlight affordability measures contained in last week’s budget.

Liberal MP Ginette Lavack’s stop came after Westman’s two Conservative MPs criticized the budget last week for overspending.

“Budget 2026 is about building a stronger economy while making life more affordable for Canadians. It gives Canadians a boost today and a bridge to tomorrow, with immediate relief for families and long-term investments that address the underlying pressures driving up costs,” said Lavack, the MP for St. Boniface-St. Vital and parliamentary secretary for Indigenous Services Canada Minister Mandy Gull-Masty.

Lavack spoke to a handful of attendees in a corner of Chez Angela Bakery and Café, where about a dozen people listened on while patrons continued to eat their meals and talk with friends, and some students studied.

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Yesterday at 10:04 PM EST

Local

The emergency department entrance at the Brandon Regional Health Centre. Across all employment sectors, health care accounted for 42 per cent of all accepted time-loss injury claims involving violence in Manitoba last year, said a new report that examined Workers Compensation Board statistics and provincial enforcement records. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Violence in health care has reached ‘crisis level’: union report

Chris Kitching 5 minute read Preview

Violence in health care has reached ‘crisis level’: union report

Chris Kitching 5 minute read Yesterday at 10:00 PM EST

WINNIPEG — Two of Manitoba’s largest health-care unions are calling on the province to improve protections for workers and hold employers accountable after a 41 per cent increase in violence-related injury claims.

The Manitoba Nurses Union and the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals said positions with elevated rates of violence should be designated high risk — the same as some manufacturing or construction jobs — to trigger more frequent inspections and enforcement by the provincial workplace safety and health branch.

“Employers have an obligation under Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and Health Act to take violence prevention seriously,” MAHCP president Jason Linklater said Thursday, after the unions released an interim report and seven recommendations.

“When they don’t, the Manitoba government has an obligation to hold them to account. As you can see from (the) report, that is not happening.”

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Yesterday at 10:00 PM EST

Local

Police vehicles are shown outside the scene of a shooting at a home in Winnipeg in November 2023. (The Canadian Press files)

Man who killed 5 deserves lowest possible sentence: defence

Dean Pritchard 4 minute read Preview

Man who killed 5 deserves lowest possible sentence: defence

Dean Pritchard 4 minute read Updated: 8:50 AM EST

WINNIPEG — Lawyers for a man convicted of murdering five people in a Langside Street drug house have urged a judge to impose the most lenient sentence allowed by law, arguing he was manipulated into a homicidal rage by his father and brother.

“It was his family that provided him all the necessary ingredients for this atrocity,” Jamie Felix’s lawyer Ted Mariash told Court of King’s Bench Justice Alain Huberdeau at a sentencing hearing Thursday.

Felix, 35, was convicted after trial last winter of five counts of second-degree murder in the November 2023 killings. Melelek Lesikel, 29, Crystal Beardy, 34, her sister Stephanie Beardy, 33, and Dylan Lavallee, 41, all died at the scene or in hospital a short time later. All four had been shot in the head. Shawn Marko, 56, was shot three times and died in hospital from pneumonia, a result of complications from his gunshot wounds, 18 months later.

Mariash recommended Huberdeau sentence Felix to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years, the minimum period allowed by law. On Tuesday, Crown prosecutors called on Huberdeau to sentence Felix to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, the same sentence for first-degree murder.

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Updated: 8:50 AM EST

Local

Microsoft reports progress as it works to recover email and other services in a global outage

Chan Ho-him And Kelvin Chan The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Microsoft reports progress as it works to recover email and other services in a global outage

Chan Ho-him And Kelvin Chan The Associated Press 5 minute read 9:23 AM EST

Microsoft said progress is being made in bringing its popular workplace software back online as a global outage enters its second day, disrupting business communications, police emergency calls, court operations and AI tools.

The outage, which affected a wide range of Microsoft 365 services including Outlook, Teams and AI assistant Copilot, left many complaining they couldn’t access their emails.

Microsoft indicated that it was making some headway as it tried to restore services, in fresh updates posted Friday on social media.

“We’re seeing encouraging recovery progress, with service availability and email delivery performance improving across a growing portion of affected Microsoft 365 infrastructure,” the company said in its latest update, as some users started reporting that their emails were restored.

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9:23 AM EST

Local

A rendering of Place of Pride. Phase 2 of the project broke ground on Thursday. (Supplied)

Chipman family donates $500K to LGBTTQ+ project

Nicole Buffie 2 minute read Preview

Chipman family donates $500K to LGBTTQ+ project

Nicole Buffie 2 minute read Updated: 8:48 AM EST

WINNIPEG — Rainbow Resource Centre broke ground on Phase 2 of its LGBTTQ+ campus Thursday, with the help of a significant donation from the Chipman family.

The family contributed $500,000 to the $23-million project, called Place of Pride. Rainbow Resource Centre began the project in late 2022.

“We believe everyone deserves a place where they feel welcome, supported and accepted for who they are. Rainbow Centre is creating that kind of place for generations to come,” said Ruth Chipman, spokesperson for the family, in a news release announcing the donation.

“We are proud to support a project that will make such a meaningful difference in people’s lives and help build a stronger, more inclusive community.”

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Updated: 8:48 AM EST

Football

CFL Commissioner Stewart Johnston, centre, poses with the Grey Cup and Canadian Armed Forces reservists following a ceremony in Calgary, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CFL commissioner says Quebec City has emerged as leading contender for expansion

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

CFL commissioner says Quebec City has emerged as leading contender for expansion

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 4:27 PM EST

CALGARY - CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston took the cautious approach Friday regarding the league expanding into Quebec City.

Johnston admitted he's been to Quebec City, had discussions with a potential ownership group there and toured where a football team might play. But all he would say during his second state of the league address was that Quebec City had emerged as a leading candidate for an expansion franchise.

"We have been engaged with very productive conversations with a local ownership group in Quebec City," Johnston told reporters. "We are encouraged by those, and we can say that Quebec City has emerged as the leading contender for the 10th franchise in the CFL.

"There is still a lot of work to do, and when there's something more to report, we'll hand it over to you (media). I think we need to do our due diligence; this is a step-by-step process. I want to make sure the sequence of events is correct."

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Updated: 4:27 PM EST

Football

Work continues on water main replacement in Calgary, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Calgary water rules not expected to hamper Grey Cup, pubs promise plenty of beer

Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Calgary water rules not expected to hamper Grey Cup, pubs promise plenty of beer

Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 8:48 AM EST

CALGARY - Calgary residents and businesses are being asked to restrict their water use for the month, but local pubs are telling football fans not to worry.

There will be enough beer to go around for Grey Cup.

"We're trending so that we shouldn't be running out of our own product," said Geoff Allan, general manager and co-owner of Bottlescrew Bill's Pub.

"If we do, we do know lots of other guys here we can buy similar stuff from.

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Updated: 8:48 AM EST

Entertainment

This composite image shows the covers of the Giller Prize finalists:

Meet the five Canadian authors vying for the $100K Giller Prize

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Meet the five Canadian authors vying for the $100K Giller Prize

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 8:47 AM EST

TORONTO - Five Canadian writers are first-time finalists for the prestigious Giller Prize, which awards $100,000 to the author of the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English this year.

For the first time, the prize will be decided by a jury of nine independent booksellers from across Canada. The winner is scheduled to be announced at a glitzy gala hosted by Rick Mercer on Nov. 16 at the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto.

Here is a closer look at the authors and their books.

MICHELLE GOOD BALANCES TRUTH WITH FICTION IN ‘ELIZA SUNSHINE’“Eliza Sunshine” follows three generations of Cree women connected by their family’s tradition of storytelling. Good has said the novel is “very personal” as it’s based off her mother and great-grandmother’s life.

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Updated: 8:47 AM EST

Local

Rohingya refugee girls attend a class at their school in the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)

Carney heads to Southeast Asia summit as Rohingya refugee crisis grows worse

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Carney heads to Southeast Asia summit as Rohingya refugee crisis grows worse

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 9:25 AM EST

DUBLIN - Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to a major summit of southeast Asian leaders as the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis shows no sign of easing.

Randeep Sarai, Canada's secretary of state for international development, said the federal government is not abandoning the nearly one million Rohingya people expelled from Myanmar into Bangladesh.

"They know that Canada is there for them," said Sarai, who visited the world’s largest refugee camp in Bangladesh last month. He said he met Rohingya children there who were born in the camp nearly a decade ago.

"They’ve only seen one life, which is at a refugee camp."

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Updated: 9:25 AM EST