Brandon Sun – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

Labourer Elena Roberts and lead horticulturalist Abigail Phipps with the City of Brandon remove hanging baskets from lampposts along Rosser Avenue in Brandon for winter storage on Wednesday. The city has about 250 hanging baskets throughout Brandon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

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Poll finds some support for private airport operators, but more than a quarter unsure

David Baxter, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Poll finds some support for private airport operators, but more than a quarter unsure

David Baxter, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 3:18 PM CDT

OTTAWA - A new poll suggests a large number of Canadians support the government's idea to put private operators in charge of the country's largest airports — but more than a quarter aren't sure about it.

The Leger poll finds 43 per cent of Canadians are in favour of having private operators for the Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver airports, while 31 per cent are against the idea.

Twenty-seven per cent of respondents said they don't know or are unsure about the proposal.

Andrew Enns, executive vice-president Central Canada at Leger, said there will always be a part of the population opposed to any kind of privatization in Canada, but he took note of the relatively low level of support.

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Updated: 3:18 PM CDT

Local

CFB Shilo projects bring windfall for local contractors

By Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative 4 minute read Preview

CFB Shilo projects bring windfall for local contractors

By Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative 4 minute read Updated: 10:09 AM CDT

A new ammunition compound is planned at Canadian Forces Base Shilo at a cost between $200 and $300 million.

Preparations are underway to build the compound, CFB Shilo commanding officer Lt.-Col. Jack Nguyen told the Sun last week. A timeline has not been released, however a Defence Construction Canada (DCC) representative tentatively said that the project will take shape in the next five years.

“It’s needed infrastructure,” Nguyen said. “We’re already starting the process. We’re already on the ground doing ground clearance.”

The new compound would be located in the base’s training area, and would be supported by new road developments. The compound will replace an existing compound that is across Highway 340 from CFB Shilo — and currently needs to be accessed via a public road.

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Updated: 10:09 AM CDT

Business

Vietnam's President To Lam arrives to attend the International Space Summit in Paris Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (Abdul Saboor/Pool Photo via AP)

Vietnam’s leader To Lam upgrades Canada to a strategic partner

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Vietnam’s leader To Lam upgrades Canada to a strategic partner

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 4:32 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Vietnamese President To Lam has upgraded ties with Canada to a strategic partnership, building on Prime Minister Mark Carney's efforts to get middle powers working more closely together to confront American and Chinese coercion.

"In a volatile world, trust, responsibility and shared interests in and of themselves are strategic values," Lam said Thursday through an interpreter in an address on Parliament Hill.

His one-day state visit involved numerous events, including a tree-planting at Rideau Hall and an address to parliamentarians and members of the diaspora.

Lam is the first Vietnamese president ever to visit Canada and he leads the country's communist party, making him its most powerful person.

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Updated: 4:32 PM CDT

Local

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

Brandon man gets three years for child porn

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Preview

Brandon man gets three years for child porn

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Yesterday at 10:18 PM CDT

A 21-year-old Brandon man was sentenced Tuesday to three years behind bars after investigators discovered he was distributing child pornography and possessed about 90 images in what a judge called a “grave violation” of the victims’ integrity.

Carson Hall pleaded guilty to charges of possessing child pornography and possessing child pornography for the purpose of distribution in February — less than two years after he was arrested in his home.

A national tipline investigation found Hall had distributed three sexually posed images of children ages eight to 12 and four videos online, including one involving a man sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. In an unprompted statement to police, Hall admitted he also possessed an estimated 90 images of child sexual abuse material on his phone, court heard.

“This is not a victimless crime,” Judge Patrick Sullivan said Tuesday in Brandon provincial court.

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Yesterday at 10:18 PM CDT

Local

Brandon Riverbank Discovery Centre executive director Dean Hammond and community co-ordinator Ingrid Gatin stand beside a canoe on a dock that overlooks the Assiniboine River. (Rylee Gerrard/The Brandon Sun)

Paddlefest returns after rough summer

By Rylee Gerrard 3 minute read Preview

Paddlefest returns after rough summer

By Rylee Gerrard 3 minute read Yesterday at 10:15 PM CDT

After summer flooding paused paddle-powered boats on the Assiniboine River, organizers at the Brandon Riverbank Discovery Centre are eager to host the third annual Paddlefest this weekend.

The event on Saturday is an invitation for paddlers and non-paddlers to spend a day on the Assiniboine River learning about the river’s history in the city or enjoying the fall colours from the water.

Usually, Brandon Riverbank has a dock in place for easy kayaking and canoe access, but because of the high-water levels, the centre was unable to install it this summer, said Dean Hammond, executive director of Brandon Riverbank Discovery Centre.

“Basically, the high water disrupted the whole summer,” Hammond said in an interview on Tuesday.

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Yesterday at 10:15 PM CDT

Business

Rail cars and a locomotive are seen at CN Rail's McLean Yard near the Lions Gate Bridge, in North Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Employer groups encouraged by Ottawa’s labour law changes but some want bigger steps

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Employer groups encouraged by Ottawa’s labour law changes but some want bigger steps

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 10:22 AM CDT

OTTAWA - Employer groups say Ottawa's proposed labour law changes are encouraging but some want the Liberal government to go even further to ensure industrial peace.

Unions are already describing the measures in Bill C-39, tabled earlier this week, as an attack on workers' rights.

The proposed legislation, if passed, would pave the way for streamlined project approvals across the country and make changes to the Canada Labour Code.

The amendments include new tools to encourage unions and employers to get a deal when there's been a history of fraught negotiations. Some changes could give the labour minister more power to end strikes affecting critical sectors of the economy.

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Updated: 10:22 AM CDT

Business

Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

More than two in three Canadians back EU associate membership: poll

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

More than two in three Canadians back EU associate membership: poll

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 10:06 AM CDT

OTTAWA - Canadians overwhelmingly support Canada becoming an associate member of the European Union, a new poll suggests — even though the details of that arrangement haven't been finalized.

The online poll by Leger, conducted between Sept. 19 and Sept. 21, suggests 70 per cent of Canadians support the idea, 18 per cent are unsure and 13 per cent oppose it.

But the poll suggests Canadians draw the line at changing some laws in order to align with Europe.

In a speech to the European Parliament last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was opening the door to negotiating terms for Canada to become the first associate member of the European Union.

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Updated: 10:06 AM CDT

Local

How about them apples? They’re now in season

4 minute read Preview

How about them apples? They’re now in season

4 minute read Updated: 10:09 AM CDT

Fall has rolled in with sweaters on pegs, autumn leaves and air as crisp as fresh apples. And that means apples are in season, ready to be enjoyed fresh, baked into goodies or even cooked up with savoury main and side dishes.

For apples to grow out here on the Manitoba prairies, they must be cold-hardy cultivars that will survive and thrive in spite of our cold winters. The two best known are the Manitoba apple, which was first developed at the Morden Experimental Station in 1931 and the goodland, developed in 1925.

A powerful nutritional punch comes with the apple’s sweet crunch with the red delicious coming in first with its dark skin boasting disease-fighting antioxidants. Honeycrisp and Fuji are close behind in health-protecting plant compounds.

Fuji and red delicious are especially high in fibre (about four grams per apple) and pectin, a soluble dietary fibre. Pectin helps promote gut flora in the digestive tract. Fibre also promotes fullness and having a small serving of cheese or chopping an apple into some cottage cheese is a tasty and nutritionally sound snack.

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Updated: 10:09 AM CDT

Local

City of Brandon planning and buildings director Ryan Nickel said the current limit is in place to ensure there’s a turnover of vehicles parked on city streets. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)

City council rejects bid for 96-hour parking limit

By Alex Lambert 5 minute read Preview

City council rejects bid for 96-hour parking limit

By Alex Lambert 5 minute read Yesterday at 10:14 PM CDT

Brandon city council on Monday voted down a push from one councillor to double the allotted time for on-street parking.

Coun. Bruce Luebke (Ward 6) proposed extending on-street parking from 48 hours to 96 hours to give residents more flexibility in how long they can remain parked on the road.

Council defeated the motion by 7-3 after a long discussion and a recommendation from city administration not to approve the change.

The result means that the city will keep the 48-hour limit for on-street parking, with some exceptions for certain neighbourhoods that were already in place.

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Yesterday at 10:14 PM CDT