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Local

The scene of a collision between two trains in Urda, Spain on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (Juanma Jimenez/Europa Press via AP)

At least 30 dead and 80 injured in high-speed train crash in central Spain

Iain Sullivan And Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

URDA, Spain (AP) — A high-speed train slammed into the rear of another train that had stopped, derailing two cars and killing at least 30 people on Wednesday in central Spain, authorities said.

The regional president of Castilla La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, said at least 30 people died in the crash. He added that at least 80 people were injured and that the death toll “will surely rise” as rescue workers continue to search in the wreckage for survivors and bodies.

It was the second major train accident in Spain this year.

Spain’s rail system operator ADIF said the crash occurred Wednesday morning in the province of Toledo. The accident was between two high-speed trains carrying hundreds of passengers and heading in the same direction from the capital Madrid to Seville in southwestern Spain, according to Esther Padilla, spokesperson for the Castilla La Mancha region.

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Lifestyles

Lisa Marr, a retired paramedic who lives with PTSD, poses in Cow Bay, N.S. on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, where she goes to watch the waves and think of her parents in times of stress. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

‘A stab in the back’: How it feels to be barred from accessing MAID for mental illness

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

‘A stab in the back’: How it feels to be barred from accessing MAID for mental illness

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

TORONTO - For Lisa Marr, the government's decision to ban people from accessing medical assistance in dying for mental illness feels like "a stab in the back."

“They're not thinking about those people who have lived with it their entire life and have treatment-resistant conditions,” Marr said from her bedroom in Eastern Passage, N.S.

“Like myself,” she added.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser introduced a bill Tuesday that, if passed, will stop a scheduled expansion of MAID access to those suffering solely from a mental illness.

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Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

Local

Israeli settlers block a road before Palestinians are prevented from continuing to harvest olives in the West Bank village of Deir Abu Mashal, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Canada’s vow to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, explained

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Canada’s vow to ban imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, explained

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

OTTAWA - Weeks ago, the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to ban imports of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

It's not clear how or when Ottawa will implement that ban. A group of MPs and senators is urging quick action, while others say Canada should reconsider.

Tuesday's election in Israel concluded a campaign that saw some Israeli candidates call for an expansion of West Bank settlements that Canada deems illegal. There was no clear winner in the election, leaving the parties to jockey for power by forming various coalitions.

Here's what we know so far about Canada's West Bank policy.

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Updated: 8:43 AM CDT

Business

Bank of Canada building is pictured in Ottawa on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Bank of Canada’s 1st rate hike in three years won’t be the last, economists argue

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Bank of Canada’s 1st rate hike in three years won’t be the last, economists argue

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: 1:56 PM CDT

OTTAWA - The Bank of Canada raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in more than three years on Wednesday as it tries to get ahead of looming price hikes.

The central bank’s policy rate now stands at 2.5 per cent following a quarter-point hike.

That key rate, which influences the cost of borrowing for banks, businesses and consumers alike, had held steady for nearly a year following a series of cuts.

The Bank of Canada operates independently of government and raises its policy rate when it's worried inflation will stray too far from its mandated two per cent target.

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Updated: 1:56 PM CDT

Local

People line up to vote in the municipal election in Winnipeg, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Municipal elections held across Manitoba, 12 candidates running for Winnipeg mayor

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Municipal elections held across Manitoba, 12 candidates running for Winnipeg mayor

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Updated: 8:44 AM CDT

WINNIPEG - Canada's run of October voting continues with municipal elections today across Manitoba.

In Winnipeg, home to more than half the province's population, Scott Gillingham is hoping to keep his job as mayor for a second term.

Polls have shown Gillingham ahead of the 11 other candidates in the race, although his support has recently slipped.

Other mayoral contenders include Kevin Klein, a former legislature member and city councillor, funeral home director Mike Vogiatzakis and software developer Noah Redden.

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Updated: 8:44 AM CDT

Local

Incumbent mayoral candidate Jeff Fawcett steps down from the front porch of a home in Ward 3 while door-knocking in the area on Tuesday before today's municipal election. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Mayoral race reaches zero hour

Alex Lambert 5 minute read Preview

Mayoral race reaches zero hour

Alex Lambert 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:01 PM CDT

Brandon’s two mayoral candidates continued to make their final pushes on Tuesday as voters head to the polls today to elect the next mayor and council.

Incumbent Mayor Jeff Fawcett said he and his team have been to nearly every doorstep across the city, while challenger Len Isleifson said he has covered most parts of Brandon and was on a second round in some areas.

“I’m working my tail off to try to make sure that people do get out to vote, and the people I speak to, I feel fairly optimistic,” said Fawcett, who is running for his second term. “But people have to vote.”

The Sun joined both Fawcett and Isleifson as they went door-knocking on the eve of the election.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:01 PM CDT

Local

Brandon City Hall. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Advance voting sets new Brandon record

2 minute read Preview

Advance voting sets new Brandon record

2 minute read Yesterday at 9:59 PM CDT

Advance voting in Brandon reached an all-time high this month, shattering past municipal election records.

A total of 2,386 ballots were cast in advance polls for mayor, ward councillor and school board trustees on Oct. 14, 17 and 22, senior election official Heather Ewasiuk confirmed Tuesday.

The total, which also included a senior housing mobile advance poll, is 920 more than the previous record of 1,466 ballots cast in 2014.

It also represents a sharp increase from the 376 advance votes recorded in 2022.

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Yesterday at 9:59 PM CDT

Local

Peter Sawatzky’s sculpture The Seal River Crossing is one of the many attractions at the Riverbank Discovery Centre. A new tourism strategy for the City of Brandon will promote the Riverbank as a major destination point for visitors. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Riverbank to be ‘central hub’ in tourism plan

Rylee Gerrard 3 minute read Preview

Riverbank to be ‘central hub’ in tourism plan

Rylee Gerrard 3 minute read Yesterday at 9:58 PM CDT

Brandonites were given a sneak peek into the future of tourism in the city during last week’s council meeting.

In a slideshow presented to council on Oct. 19, staff from UpHouse — a Winnipeg-based marketing agency — gave a first look into a new tourism strategy that will make the Riverbank Discovery Centre a central hub for visitors.

According to UpHouse senior strategist Carley English, more than one million people visit the Keystone Centre for events annually.

“What we’re going to do is we’re going to take those event visitors, those one million plus people who are coming here anyways … and we’re going to turn them into city visitors,” English said.

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Yesterday at 9:58 PM CDT

Local

Stabbing outside downtown bar nets two-year sentence

Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Preview

Stabbing outside downtown bar nets two-year sentence

Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Yesterday at 9:55 PM CDT

A Manitoba judge sentenced a Waywayseecappo First Nation man to two years behind bars for stabbing a woman in downtown Brandon, acknowledging he was likely repeating behaviour modelled to him at a young age.

The typical sentencing range for offenders in a similar circumstance as 21-year-old David Medicine is between two and four years in custody, and provincial court Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta opted for the low end after factoring in Medicine’s history of being stabbed and witnessing at least one fatal stabbing in his lifetime.

“It’s not an excuse for behaving badly, but it does help us to understand how you might be so angry and so quick to lash out,” Hewitt-Michta said in court on Tuesday. “But it’s your responsibility to do something about that and to get the help that you need so that you can manage these issues.”

Medicine pleaded guilty this summer to aggravated assault in the Feb. 13 incident when he got into a fight while intoxicated outside the City Centre Hotel bar and stabbed a stranger in the chest, Crown attorney Yaso Mathu said.

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Yesterday at 9:55 PM CDT

Local

BDO Canada LLP manager Jarett Kowaluk presents an audit of the Brandon School Division's financial statements to the school board on Monday evening. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)

Brandon School Division ended last fiscal year with $400K surplus

Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Preview

Brandon School Division ended last fiscal year with $400K surplus

Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Yesterday at 9:54 PM CDT

The Brandon School Division ended the 2025-26 fiscal year with an operating surplus of about $400,000, BDO Canada LLP reported during the board of trustees’ last general meeting on Monday.

The division’s expenses increased by about $6 million from the previous year, but were $2 million below budget, BDO manager Jarett Kowaluk told the board.

“In today’s economic environment, that’s quite impressive,” Kowaluk said.

The result, he said, produced a surplus of about $2.4 million before $2 million was transferred to fund items such as capital asset purchases and debt repayment.

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Yesterday at 9:54 PM CDT

Local

The Brandon Police Service station at 10th Street and Victoria Avenue. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Beating in hotel room; domestic assault charge

2 minute read Preview

Beating in hotel room; domestic assault charge

2 minute read Yesterday at 9:52 PM CDT

Hotel beating

A 43-year-old woman was taken by ambulance to the Brandon hospital for injuries that resulted from a fight with her girlfriend on Monday evening.

Around 10:25 p.m., police were called to a hotel room on the 1100 block of 18th Street for a report of a physical altercation between two individuals, police said in a news release Tuesday.

During the fight, the victim was punched multiple times in the face and received black eyes and a bloody nose. She was taken to the Brandon Regional Health Centre for medical treatment and the extent of her injuries remains unknown, police said.

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Yesterday at 9:52 PM CDT