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Curious horses graze along a fence line in a paddock west of Brandon on Tuesday afternoon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

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Splett faces two challengers in ward 8 race

By Rylee Gerrard 7 minute read Preview

Splett faces two challengers in ward 8 race

By Rylee Gerrard 7 minute read Yesterday at 9:45 PM CDT

Two candidates are challenging the current Ward 8 councillor to represent the city’s most southerly ward.

Of the three candidates — incumbent Jason Splett, Dhara Patel and Ketan Patel (no relation) — Ketan Patel is the only one who lives in the ward.

Splett, whose residence fell outside the ward boundaries when they were adjusted in 2022, said he’s proud of the work he accomplished since he was first elected later that year.

“We’re in a lot better situation as a city to prepare for the future and (I’m) proud to say I was part of the council that did that,” Splett, 50, said in an interview on Friday.

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Yesterday at 9:45 PM CDT

Storm costs left out of MPI rate request

By Nicole Buffie 3 minute read Preview

Storm costs left out of MPI rate request

By Nicole Buffie 3 minute read Yesterday at 9:48 PM CDT

WINNIPEG — Manitoba Public Insurance told the Public Utilities Board Tuesday it didn’t factor in reinsurance costs related to devastating summer storms in its application for an increase to vehicle insurance rates.

Cara Low, the Crown corporation’s chief actuary, told the board that given MPI anticipates an increase to reinsurance premiums, the 2.38 per cent increase listed in its application won’t be adequate to cover its costs.

“There’s going to be a significant increase. We still have to decide how much we want to retain, what we want the coverage to look like, and what the upper end needs to be,” she said on the opening day of a three-week hearing.

Nearly 41,000 claims have been submitted in relation to summer storms that swept across southern Manitoba from June to August. Floods, tornadoes and hail pummelled several communities and forced MPI to open satellite claims centres to deal with the record number of calls.

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Yesterday at 9:48 PM CDT

Local

Brandon Sun The Brandon courthouse. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Man gets 45 days in jail for smashing windshield of city truck

By Tessa Adamski 3 minute read Preview

Man gets 45 days in jail for smashing windshield of city truck

By Tessa Adamski 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:02 PM CDT

A 34-year-old man was sentenced to 45 days in jail for smashing the windshield of a City of Brandon truck with a brick — a 15-day increase after he was convicted of breaking an RCMP detachment window with an iPad in July.

Anthony McKay, from Crane River First Nation, pleaded guilty to a charge of mischief under $5,000 in Brandon provincial court on Tuesday before he apologized to the judge for his wrongdoing.

“I’m sorry for what I did,” McKay said while standing in the prisoner’s box before the judge.

“I let my anger get the best of me,” he said.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:02 PM CDT

Local

Brandon man dead after truck rolls off gravel road near Neepawa

1 minute read Preview

Brandon man dead after truck rolls off gravel road near Neepawa

1 minute read Yesterday at 9:37 PM CDT

A 24-year-old man from Brandon died after his truck rolled off a gravel road southeast of Neepawa on Friday, Mounties say.

Spruce Plains RCMP were called to the scene on Provincial Road 352 in the rural municipality of Glenella-Lansdowne at about 9:35 p.m., police said in a news release on Tuesday.

Local firefighters and paramedics were also at the site of the crash to provide life-saving treatment.

RCMP investigators determined the truck had been travelling north on PR 352, between Road 80 North and Road 81 North, when it went off the road into the east-side ditch and an adjacent field, and rolled.

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Yesterday at 9:37 PM CDT

Local

FILE - The Social Security Administration office is seen in Mount Prospect, Ill., Oct. 12, 2022.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Social Security recipients to get 3.6% cost of living boost, an average of $75 per month

Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Social Security recipients to get 3.6% cost of living boost, an average of $75 per month

Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 9:38 AM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration projected Wednesday that the annual cost-of-living adjustment for older adults and people with disabilities will go up by 3.6% beginning in 2027, with some recipients complaining that is not enough to offset soaring prices.

The adjustment translates to $75 extra per month for the 73 million people who receive monthly Social Security benefits and nearly 7.5 million beneficiaries who get Supplemental Security Income.

The announcement comes as inflation adds pressure on household budgets and businesses and as midterm elections are weeks away.

The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for retirees and disabled beneficiaries is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers, up to a certain annual salary. That is set to increase to $192,300 in 2027, from $184,500 in 2026.

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Updated: 9:38 AM CDT

Lifestyles

The entrance to the emergency department at Peter Lougheed hospital is pictured in, Calgary on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

More than half of doctors surveyed would leave an independent Alberta: medical group

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

More than half of doctors surveyed would leave an independent Alberta: medical group

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 11:09 AM CDT

EDMONTON - Hundreds of physicians would not practise in Alberta if the province leaves Confederation, a survey by the organization that represents doctors in the province indicates.

Of the 1,649 physicians surveyed by the Alberta Medical Association, 15 per cent said they would continue living and practising in Alberta if it became an independent country, and less than a quarter were uncertain about what they would do.

Those who would elect to leave said they would move to another Canadian province or territory, while a small percentage would retire or leave the medical field earlier than planned.

The survey results were published Tuesday in a letter released by the association's president Dr. Heidi Fell, which was the first of five days of advanced voting on separation ahead of the official referendum day on Oct. 19.

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Updated: 11:09 AM CDT

Business

A Canada Border Services officer hands passports back to a visitor entering Canada from Vermont at the Highway 55 Port of Entry in Stanstead, Que., on Thursday, March 13, 2025. On June 11, the U.S. Department of State reissued its travel advisory for Canada, keeping a 'level one' rating, the lowest advisory level for safety and security risk. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Cross-border visits by Canadian and U.S. residents up from last year: StatCan

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Cross-border visits by Canadian and U.S. residents up from last year: StatCan

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 9:39 AM CDT

Statistics Canada says more Canadians and Americans have travelled across the border between the two countries over the last six months compared to last year.

The agency says Canadian residents made 1.9 million return trips from the United States last month by automobile and by air, up 6.8 per cent compared to September 2025.

Statistics Canada says the spike marks the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year growth of visits to the U.S. by Canadian residents.

StatCan says trips by Canadian residents to the U.S. last month remain 31.1 per cent lower than in September 2024 despite the rise compared to the same month last year.

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Updated: 9:39 AM CDT

Business

A Marconi tactical radio attached to an ARA robotic drone seen in Mirabel, Que., on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

As drones reshape war around the world, the Canadian Armed Forces sprints to catch up

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

As drones reshape war around the world, the Canadian Armed Forces sprints to catch up

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 9:39 AM CDT

OTTAWA - As drone-fuelled warfare rages on half a world away in Ukraine, the Canadian Army's program for rapidly acquiring basic drones is just ramping up.

And the pressure is on for the Canadian Armed Forces to speed up its adoption of drones as the technology changes the nature of modern warfare.

Lt.-Col. Jonathan Penney is a reservist who previously worked in defence manufacturing and now co-ordinates the forces' Minerva drone program. He said that while the army feels pressure to pick up the pace, it's focused both on finding the right mix of tech for its current needs and on building up the domestic drone industry.

"The army is really good at adapting and evolving," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

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Updated: 9:39 AM CDT

Local

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a press conference alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Fort McMurray on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Halinda

Carney to attend ‘Forever Canadian’ rallies in Alberta days before referendum

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Carney to attend ‘Forever Canadian’ rallies in Alberta days before referendum

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 9:39 AM CDT

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to attend two "Forever Canadian" rallies in Alberta this week, just ahead of the province's referendum.

On Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on the whether to stay in Canada or hold a future separation referendum. There are also nine other questions involving constitutional and immigration issues.

The "Forever Canadian" campaign, launched by Alberta’s former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, seeks to encourage Albertans to vote to stay in Canada.

The organization's website says Carney was invited to one rally in Calgary on Oct. 15 and another in Edmonton on Oct. 16. The Prime Minister's Office confirmed Carney will attend both.

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Updated: 9:39 AM CDT

Business

The Saskatchewan Legislative Building can be seen from Trafalgar Overlook in Regina on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Saskatchewan politician says he paid nearly $30K for private jets; NDP wants answers

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Saskatchewan politician says he paid nearly $30K for private jets; NDP wants answers

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 9:39 AM CDT

REGINA - A Saskatchewan Party backbencher says he paid close to $30,000 out of his own pocket for two trips on a private jet and that one of those flights was for government business.

Kevin Weedmark released a letter Tuesday from Maurice Herauf, the province's conflict of interest commissioner, who provided his opinion on the airfare expenses.

Herauf wrote in the Sept. 18 letter that Weedmark's invoices indicate he paid for the flights with his own money and therefore did not violate a section of Conflict of Interest Act.

"Since you paid for the flights from your personal funds there is absolutely no financial benefit that can be attributed to your decision to fly to functions on either date," Herauf wrote.

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Updated: 9:39 AM CDT