Brandon Sun – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

A black bear forages along Highway 10 in Riding Mountain National Park on Monday. Black bears are omnivores, eating a combination of plants, insects and meat, with plants as their main dietary source, providing up to 85 per cent of their intake, the park website says. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Park regular

Advertise With Us

Weather

WEATHER ALERT May. 27, 6 PM: 25°c Windy May. 28, 12 AM: 16°c Cloudy with wind

Brandon MB

23°C, Cloudy with wind

Full Forecast

Highland Park murder trial delayed until fall 2027

By Skye Anderson 3 minute read Preview

Highland Park murder trial delayed until fall 2027

By Skye Anderson 3 minute read Yesterday at 9:33 PM CDT

A trial for a man accused of killing a Brandon woman in 2023 has been pushed back by more than a year.

Stephen Teetaert, 45, was slated to begin his five-day trial for second-degree murder on Tuesday in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench.

However, defence lawyer Tony Kavanagh requested a three-to-four-month adjournment and said there’s a “new expert that I’m communicating with.”

Teetaert is charged in the death of 63-year-old Cheryl Mansoff, whose body was found inside a home in Highland Park Mobile Home Estates on Sept. 2, 2023.

Read

Yesterday at 9:33 PM CDT

Westman braces for early heat wave

By Alex Lambert 4 minute read Preview

Westman braces for early heat wave

By Alex Lambert 4 minute read Yesterday at 9:31 PM CDT

People should drink plenty of water, wear light clothing and change the time of their activities to cooler hours, Brandon’s emergency co-ordinator said as the region prepares for an early heat wave this week.

Tobin Praznik said people also need to keep an eye on their children and pets, especially in vehicles, which can heat up quickly.

Temperatures are expected to hit 36 C in Brandon on Thursday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Highs of 30 C and above are expected to start today and last into next week.

“Continue to stay informed. How hot are the temperatures going to be? How high is the humidex going to be?” Praznik said. “If you are at risk of heat and you’re not comfortable in that type of environment, maybe change your activities to the cooler time during the day rather than in the middle of the day when it’s extremely hot.”

Read

Yesterday at 9:31 PM CDT

Local

Riley and Juliana Bernier are launching Hermanos South American Steakhouse in the Brandon Firehall on Princess Avenue, with a planned opening for mid-June. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Hermanos drops cigar lounge from Firehall plans

By Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Preview

Hermanos drops cigar lounge from Firehall plans

By Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Yesterday at 9:36 PM CDT

Hermanos South American Steakhouse has dropped its cigar lounge plan at the historic Brandon Firehall to shift focus toward a family-friendly dining experience.

The cancellation was announced on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the restaurant’s upcoming Brandon opening next month.

Co-owner Riley Bernier said the decision to remove the cigar concept was driven by a refined vision for the space rather than any issue with the building itself.

“The cigar lounge was always my dad’s project, and as we’ve been building up in Brandon, it became clear it wasn’t part of our vision for the firehouse,” Bernier told the Sun.

Read

Yesterday at 9:36 PM CDT

Local

Brothers Carter and Andre Hotel visit with Vinny, a certified therapy dog, and PATDogs certified therapy dog handler Emmy Elliot, during a doctor's appointment at Brandon Clinic on Tuesday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Therapy dogs help take away the sting

By Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Preview

Therapy dogs help take away the sting

By Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Yesterday at 9:35 PM CDT

Andre Hotel beamed with excitement as he sat next to a certified therapy dog before getting poked with three needles in his arms during a doctor’s appointment at a Brandon clinic on Tuesday.

The five-year-old boy watched in awe as dog handler Emmy Elliot got her chocolate-coloured Chihuahua, Vinny, to perform tricks such as spinning, bowing and sneezing as he waited for the nurse to step into the office.

“Sometimes we come here and help kids that are a little bit nervous not be nervous,” Elliot told the boy.

Andre focused on Vinny as he sat still next to his brother Carter, 6, and his mother, Cecile — and before he knew it, the nurse was putting Band-Aids on his skin.

Read

Yesterday at 9:35 PM CDT

Local

Video image shows the suspect who vandalized a Rapid City convenience store early Saturday morning. (Supplied)

RCMP seek public’s help identifying Rapid City vandalism suspect

1 minute read Preview

RCMP seek public’s help identifying Rapid City vandalism suspect

1 minute read Yesterday at 10:19 PM CDT

Mounties are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect who vandalized a convenience store in Rapid City early Saturday morning.

The disguised suspect spray-painted over security cameras outside the store on Second Avenue at around 4 a.m., RCMP said in a news release on Tuesday.

Police said they don’t know if the suspect was a man or a woman and they appeared to be wearing a long smock, gloves, a face mask, glasses and a hat.

The suspect had long red hair or was wearing a wig, police said.

Read

Yesterday at 10:19 PM CDT

Local

Trustee Lorraine McConnell voted against two motions related to agreements involving St. Augustine School during the Brandon School Division board of trustees meeting on Monday evening. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)

Trustees approve new agreements for St. Augustine School

By Abiola Odutola 5 minute read Preview

Trustees approve new agreements for St. Augustine School

By Abiola Odutola 5 minute read Yesterday at 9:34 PM CDT

Trustees with the Brandon School Division approved a pair of motions Monday night related to agreements involving St. Augustine School after two years of discussions and negotiations.

The first motion adopted an agreement governing education programming at St. Augustine School to align school operations more closely with the Public Schools Act, particularly around religious instruction and exercises.

The second motion approved a five-year lease agreement for the division’s use of space at St. Augustine of Canterbury Church for $50,000 annually, plus utilities, property taxes and other applicable taxes.

The Brandon Catholic School Board and the Roman Catholic Archiepiscopal Corporation were also parties to the agreements.

Read

Yesterday at 9:34 PM CDT

Business

Prime Minister Mark Carney rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Ottawa negotiating purchase of Saab GlobalEye surveillance planes: Carney

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Ottawa negotiating purchase of Saab GlobalEye surveillance planes: Carney

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 10:08 AM CDT

OTTAWA - The federal government is entering into contract negotiations with Saab to buy a fleet of surveillance aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday.

The federal government has said it’s in the market for six radar aircraft to help protect Canada.

Saab produces the planes in a joint partnership with Bombardier, based on the Global 6500 business jet.

The prime minister said the Air Force needs the jets to monitor new threats, such as hypersonic missiles.

Read

Updated: 10:08 AM CDT

Local

Charlie Baldock in a file photo from 2011 stands near the cairn where the village of Wakopa began, before the townsite was moved north to be next to the rail line in the early 1900s. (Bill Redekop/Winnipeg Free Press files)

Longtime volunteer Charlie Baldock receives historical preservation award

By Alex Lambert 3 minute read Preview

Longtime volunteer Charlie Baldock receives historical preservation award

By Alex Lambert 3 minute read Yesterday at 9:47 PM CDT

Manitoba’s lieutenant-governor was set to present awards to four Manitobans Tuesday evening for their outstanding volunteer contributions to local heritage.

Charlie Baldock, who is from the Killarney area, was one of the recipients of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Historical Preservation and Promotion.

Baldock established the Wakopa Store Museum, helped establish the Boundary Trail Railway, purchased and restored a sawmill for public display, and much more.

In an interview Tuesday morning, Baldock said he couldn’t believe he was one of the recipients of the award, which is handed out in consultation with the Manitoba Historical Society.

Read

Yesterday at 9:47 PM CDT

Local

A Canada flag, left, and an Alberta flag flap in the breeze with Wedge Mountain in the background at the site of the G7 Leaders meeting in Kananaskis, Alta., Monday, June 2, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta’s separatist movement is an outlier among global secession efforts: experts

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Alberta’s separatist movement is an outlier among global secession efforts: experts

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 8:41 AM CDT

EDMONTON — Alberta's secession movement is unlike other separatist efforts in democratic countries across the world, experts say.

Those outside of Canada, including ones that led to the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence and the 2017 vote on whether the distinct people of Catalonia should leave Spain, all have similar characteristics.

"Significant secession movements starts with nationhood, the idea that members of this movement don't consider themselves to be members of the nation that is embodied by the state," said Andre Lecours, a University of Ottawa political science professor.

"Typically, you have an objective cultural marker behind it, religion, language, belief in a different genealogy or a previous independent existence, like Scotland."

Read

Updated: 8:41 AM CDT

Business

An American flag and Canadian flag are seen on the Rainbow Bridge US-Canada border crossing, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Canada’s push to diversify trade away from U.S. seeing mixed results: report

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Canada’s push to diversify trade away from U.S. seeing mixed results: report

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 8:41 AM CDT

OTTAWA - A small group of cities across the country drove Canada’s progress on diversifying trade in 2025, while others fell behind, says a new report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The report says Calgary, Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto, Saskatoon and Kelowna, B.C., are the cities that made the strongest gains in export diversification beyond the U.S. market last year.

Of the cities surveyed, Calgary and Ottawa-Gatineau posted the largest increases in exports to non-U.S. markets between 2024 and 2025 — 64.67 per cent and 64.04 per cent, respectively.

Toronto's non-U.S. exports increased by 32.82 per cent, followed by Saskatoon (32.04 per cent) and Kelowna (28.63 per cent). Non-U.S. exports increased by 16.8 per cent countrywide.

Read

Updated: 8:41 AM CDT