Brandon Sun – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

A garter snake sticks its tongue out while travelling across a grid road near Edrans, Manitoba on a warm Friday. Garter snakes are on the move as the prepare for winter brumation.
(Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

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MPI aims to make Driver Z registration smoother

By Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Preview

MPI aims to make Driver Z registration smoother

By Abiola Odutola 3 minute read 12:20 AM CDT

Registration for Manitoba Public Insurance’s winter Driver Z program opens this month, with Westman students set to have more course options.

Students and parents can begin reviewing winter Driver Z courses on Oct. 9, with those wanting to secure an invitation to a registration window required to become an MPI customer and purchase the Driver Education service by the end of Oct. 10.

The winter term will offer approximately 3,000 Driver Z seats across Manitoba, including six courses in the Westman region running between December and February, MPI communications manager Kristy Rydz said.

The six Westman courses, she said, represent an increase from five offered last winter and three in winter 2024. MPI also increased the number of courses offered in Brandon this fall to 10, up from eight the previous fall.

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12:20 AM CDT

Local

Brandon School Division trustee Shawna Mozdzen stands in front of Chez Angela on Saturday afternoon. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)

Mozdzen seeks 2nd term with focus on school capacity

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Preview

Mozdzen seeks 2nd term with focus on school capacity

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read 12:21 AM CDT

Brandon School Division trustee Shawna Mozdzen is seeking re-election to use the experience gained during her first year on the board.

The trustee, who was elected in a 2025 byelection to represent the division’s Ward 1, is one of 10 candidates seeking trustee seats in the Oct. 28 civic election.

“I took the year to learn a lot about what was happening with the school division, and I feel like I can use my voice a little bit more now,” Mozdzen told the Sun.

One of her immediate priorities is addressing overcrowding as Brandon continues to grow.

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12:21 AM CDT

Local

Participants hit the road during the CIBC Run for the Cure in Brandon on Sunday morning at Assiniboine College’s Victoria Avenue East Campus. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)

CIBC Run for Cure raises $28k

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Preview

CIBC Run for Cure raises $28k

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read 12:21 AM CDT

The CIBC Run for the Cure in Brandon has raised more than $28,000, with organizers hoping for continued fundraising through the end of December.

The annual breast cancer fundraiser was held Sunday morning at Assiniboine College’s Victoria Avenue East campus, attracting 216 registered participants for one- and five-kilometre walks and runs.

The $28,000 total reflects fundraising since the run season began in May and is expected to increase as donations continue to come in until Dec. 31, Brandon site’s volunteer run director Ashley MacDonald said.

“We’d love to see something in the six digits in Brandon,” MacDonald told the Sun. “Last year, the Brandon site raised more than $60,000.”

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12:21 AM CDT

Local

Genesis Hospitality Management executive president Kevin Swark says entering the Calgary market was a strategic move for the company, which had been looking for an opportunity in the city for some time. (Supplied)

Brandon-based Genesis acquires hotels in Calgary

By Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Preview

Brandon-based Genesis acquires hotels in Calgary

By Abiola Odutola 3 minute read 12:20 AM CDT

A Brandon-based hospitality company has expanded its portfolio into Calgary with the acquisition of two Marriott-branded hotels near Calgary International Airport.

Genesis Hospitality Management acquired the Courtyard by Marriott Calgary Airport and Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary Airport in September, adding 329 guest rooms and extended-stay suites to its portfolio.

The six-storey dual-branded property, located at 2500 and 2530 48th Ave. NE., was built in 2012 and includes 171 rooms at the Courtyard and 158 extended-stay suites at the Residence Inn.

Entering the Calgary market was a strategic move for the company, which had been looking for an opportunity in the city for some time, Genesis executive president Kevin Swark said.

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12:20 AM CDT

Business

A person types on a cellphone in Ottawa on Dec. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Screen time limits not enough to tackle problematic social media use: experts

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Screen time limits not enough to tackle problematic social media use: experts

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

TORONTO - Experts from around the world, including Canada, say the scale of digital technology use by children and youth is a public health issue that needs immediate action to prevent further harm.

A series of papers published by the Lancet on Sunday say the responsibility for keeping young people safe from problematic use of social media and other digital technology must shift from young people and their families to big tech companies and governments.

"It's easy to think about how technology impacts our health as being about our individual choices. And one of the things that we really want to get across in this series is that that's not the right way to think about it," said co-author Jay Shaw, the Canada Research Chair in responsible health innovation at the University of Toronto, in an interview.

Efforts by parents, such as screen-time limits, as well as individual willpower by young people, aren't enough to address the "digital determinants of health" that are now part of their everyday environment, the papers say.

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Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

Local

From left, Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette, Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime and Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard pose prior to the start of a leaders debate in Montreal on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. Quebec votes in a provincial election on Oct. 5, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Quebec voters heading to the polls for provincial general election

The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Quebec voters heading to the polls for provincial general election

The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 3:32 PM CDT

MONTREAL - Voters in Québec's 127 ridings are lining up at polling stations across the province to choose a new provincial government.

After two straight Coalition Avenir Québec majority governments, the Parti Québécois appears to be in the driver’s seat as the 40-day election campaign comes to a close, capitalizing on Quebecers' desire for change.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to launch a referendum to separate Quebec from Canada if his party forms a government, but not before U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in 2029.

"The change you are hoping for is in your hands," St-Pierre Plamondon said as he went to cast his own ballot in his Montreal-area riding. "It's up to you to take this opportunity and I encourage all Quebecers to go out and vote."

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Updated: 3:32 PM CDT

Lifestyles

The steam clock is seen in a deserted historic Gastown in downtown Vancouver Tuesday, March 17, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Clocks stay in daylight saving, but analysis backs permanent standard time

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Clocks stay in daylight saving, but analysis backs permanent standard time

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

VANCOUVER - Ralph Mistlberger's light is adjustable, allowing him to have the full spectrum of options depending on what his internal clock needs.

"You want cool in the morning. You want warm in the evening or warm in the afternoon," he said.

"And so, it goes from being more bluish in the morning to more reddish in the evenings. Both of those are important because artificial light affects your clock."

Mistlberger knows real sunlight is better than a lamp, but after more than 40 years as a neuroscientist studying sleep and the body's circadian rhythms, he's preparing for what's to come Nov. 1.

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Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

Local

The Peace tower is seen on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Parliament resumes today following the summer recess. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

MPs spar over Carney’s major projects bill as Parliament returns

Craig Lord and David Baxter, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

MPs spar over Carney’s major projects bill as Parliament returns

Craig Lord and David Baxter, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 4:12 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Parliamentarians returned to Ottawa on Monday and Opposition members of Parliament had their sights trained firmly on the government's 243-page economic and labour bill.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also squared off in question period Monday over whether the government has done enough to prioritize Canadian materials in its sweeping infrastructure agenda.

Key to that agenda is the Building Canada Strong Act, or Bill C-39, which was introduced on the first day of the fall sitting on Sept. 21.

The government's landmark economic legislation proposes measures to create a one-year timeline for federal project decisions, create zones of "national interest" where certain projects are pre-approved, and change when the jobs minister can intervene in a labour dispute — a move aimed at reducing the number of work stoppages.

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Updated: 4:12 PM CDT

Local

Angel Houle Municipal Affairs Coordinator for the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, poses for a photo in Edmonton, on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Ulan

‘Silence could be consent’: Alberta First Nations push to get out vote for referendum

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

‘Silence could be consent’: Alberta First Nations push to get out vote for referendum

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

EDMONTON - Angel Houle says she's never voted in an Alberta provincial election, but this month's referendum is different.

Not only is she casting a ballot, Houle is helping outfit First Nations' leaders with everything they need to get out the vote on Oct. 19.

That's when Albertans decide whether the province should stay within Canada, or hold a second, binding referendum on breaking away.

Houle, along with other staff at the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, has been organizing workshops to build teams among member nations. Those teams are boots on the ground, spreading the word on where and how to vote.

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Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

Lifestyles

The courtroom of the temporary Supreme Court of Canada, located in the West Memorial Building in Ottawa, is seen on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Chief justice stresses need to protect democratic institutions as pressures grow

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Chief justice stresses need to protect democratic institutions as pressures grow

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 4:13 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Canada's democratic institutions need protection in the face of unrelenting pressures, Chief Justice Richard Wagner said Monday as the Supreme Court of Canada opened a new judicial year.

Wagner said the world feels increasingly uncertain due to deepening polarization, the non-stop pace of events and the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence.

When seas grow rough an anchor keeps a vessel from drifting, and democratic institutions play the same role in society, Wagner said.

"The strength of an anchor is not measured in calm waters," he added. "It is measured in a storm. The same is true for the rule of law."

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Updated: 4:13 PM CDT