Tories try to spotlight overdose deaths — using Brandon

A new political ad created by the Conservative Party of Canada released this week that claims that Canada has become a “drug manufacturing hot spot” is an attempt by the Tories to change the channel on recent losses in political fortunes, according to a local political scientist.

Released on X — the social media site now owned by Elon Musk — on Wednesday, the nearly six-minute video uses 30 seconds of visuals from the city of Brandon to drive home a point about the number of people who have died from fentanyl overdoses since 2016, the year that the Trudeau Liberals came to power.

“Recognize this place? This is Brandon, Manitoba. Population, just over 50,000. A small, beautiful city like many others that dot the Canadian landscape,” says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in an audio voiceover at the start of the video, while images of Brandon streets and the McKenzie Seeds building are shown. The visuals then move on to a crowd picture from inside the Keystone Arena during a Brandon Wheat Kings game.

“Now imagine if every person in Brandon vanished. Well, since 2016, we’ve lost a city the size of Brandon to drugs. That’s 49,000 Canadian lives lost — more than died fighting for Canada in the Second World War.

Teen arrested following collision near Glenella

Three people were injured and a 16-year-old Dauphin male was arrested by Neepawa RCMP following a two-vehicle collision near Glenella on Sunday afternoon.

RCMP officers responded to a two-vehicle collision on Road 104 North at Road 76 West, two miles south of Glenella at about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. When they arrived on scene, they found a truck in the south ditch and a minivan in the north ditch of Road 104 North. A news release issued Tuesday morning stated the local fire department and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were already on scene.

According to RCMP, the minivan driver — a 24-year-old woman from Amaranth — lost control of the vehicle and was then struck from behind by the truck, with both vehicles ending up in separate ditches. The minivan had two other passengers, and the truck had one passenger.

As a result of the collision, a 22-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman — both Sandy Bay First Nation residents — as well as a 28-year-old woman from McCreary all suffered minor injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment by EMS.

Governments flex border muscle in Emerson

EMERSON — Federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Premier Wab Kinew used the Canada-U.S. border as a backdrop Tuesday to tout the creation of a “fentanyl czar,” who will work with the U.S. to curb drug trafficking.

The two leaders were in Emerson to sell the new position as a way to boost border safety, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods, for at least a month.

“The interpretation of today is Canadians should know we have a very strong border, and we’re making it stronger,” McGuinty said.

“Canadians should know we’re co-operating between different orders of government. Canadians should know that their efforts to stand up for Canada are not in vain.”

MFNPS headquarters moving near Brandon

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) will be moving out of its headquarters in Portage la Prairie to a new First Nation-owned facility on the edge of Brandon later this fall.

The new facility will be part of a future conference centre that is currently under construction at the corner of Highway 10 and the Trans-Canada Highway on land owned by the Waywayseecappo First Nation.

“The big thing is space,” MFNPS Interim Chief Jason Colin said on Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve kind of outgrown the area that we’re in right now, and so we need the appropriate office space for our service, which is continuing to grow certainly in the last couple of years.”

Currently, the MFNPS is headquartered on the top floor of a former Indian Residential School building in the Portage area that is leased from the Long Plain First Nation.

Crash Aftermath

Emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Princess Avenue and 10th Street in Brandon on Monday afternoon. Both vehicles involved in the collision hit light standards after colliding. Portions of 10th Street and Princess Avenue were closed at the intersection until the vehicles were removed and the debris cleaned up.

Arrest made for theft; fleeing suspect caught after pursuit; couple arrested for mutual assault

ARREST MADE IN THEFT CASE

On Saturday, Brandon Police Service (BPS) officers were able to locate a 39-year-old man accused of stealing merchandise from a business located on the 3400 block of Victoria Avenue on Dec. 28 last year. The accused had left the premises without paying and was identified using video surveillance. After being arrested, he was charged and later released with an undertaking and a court date in April.

DRUNK MAN FACES ASSAULT CHARGES

Officers were called to a residence in the 1300 block of Eighth Street on Saturday evening after receiving a report of a 25-year-old male who was allegedly getting into altercations with everyone around him. He was reported to have assaulted his girlfriend and two others at the residence while being in a state of intoxication, which officers found was in violation of an earlier court order the accused had received. He was arrested, charged for three counts of assault and was held in detention until sober. He was later released with an undertaking and an April court date.

Man faces additional assault charges; man, woman arrested for drug trafficking

Man faces additional assault chargesBrandon Police Service (BPS) added new charges for a 41-year-old man who was already being held in detention under an outstanding warrant of arrest, after officers received reports of the man having assaulted and uttered threats against his girlfriend. He was charged on Thursday morning and attended court in the afternoon.

Man, woman arrested for cocaine traffickingThe BPS Organized Crime Section conducted a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act investigation into reported cocaine trafficking by a 21-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman in Brandon. As part of the investigation, a traffic stop was conducted east of Brandon on the Trans-Canada Highway, where the male suspect was arrested and charged with drug trafficking and other charges. Officers also found $840 in his possession. Following the arrest, BPS executed a search warrant at an apartment situated on the 1400 block of Pacific Avenue, locating the female co-accused. About 128 grams of cocaine, packaging materials, and a digital scale were found in the unit, and both the accused charged. They were held in detention and attended court on Friday morning.

Intoxicated woman arrested by BPSBrandon police arrested an inebriated woman, 20, on Thursday night after receiving reports from building security about the woman trying to attack people. Upon arrival at the scene, officers took the woman into custody and for medical clearance. She was held in detention at BPS and will be released once sober and upon receiving a ticket.

Virden RCMP seize drugs, weaponsLaw enforcement officers from Virden RCMP arrested two women, aged 31 and 41, and two men, aged 38 and 45, on Tuesday morning during a drug bust at an address on 3rd Avenue South in Virden, according to a press release published on Friday afternoon.

Man gets 9 years in federal prison for trafficking cocaine

A man, 29, was sent to federal prison on Friday by a Brandon judge for leading a sophisticated drug trafficking ring that distributed large quantities of cocaine to the city’s residents.

Following a joint recommendation from the federal Crown attorney and defense lawyer before the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba, Justice Scott D. Abel decided that the accused — Logan Bickerton — should spend the next nine years in prison for his crimes.

The crimes came to light after a lengthy investigation conducted by Brandon Police Service’s (BPS’s) Organized Crime Section between September of 2021 and November of 2022.

As part of the investigation entitled, “Project Banish,” initiated specifically to curb the volume of harmful illicit drugs being distributed throughout the community, Bickerton was arrested and charged on Nov. 21, 2022 for possessing cocaine with the purpose of trafficking, trafficking cocaine, possessing proceeds of property obtained by crime, conspiracy to traffic a Schedule I substance and possessing proceeds of more than $5,000 obtained by crime.

Man arrested for assault; man arrested for shoplifting; couple charged with assault

MAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT

Brandon Police Service (BPS) officers received a report on Wednesday afternoon of a 35-year-old male assaulting another man on the 200 block of 18th Street North. On arrival, officers found the accused to have been in the possession of an axe during the incident. He was seen fleeing from the scene and was later arrested. Drug paraphernalia and the axe were found in his possession, and he was also found to be violating earlier release conditions. The man was held in detention and attended court on Thursday morning.

MAN ARRESTED FOR SHOPLIFTING

Officers arrested a 30-year-old male accused of stealing $40 worth of merchandise from a store located on the 900 block of Victoria Avenue on Dec. 20. His identity was confirmed via video surveillance and officers found and arrested him on Wednesday afternoon on the 100 block of Fifth Street. He was held in detention and attended court on Thursday morning.

Man arrested for assault, mischief; cosmetics theft; wallet stolen

MAN ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT AND MISCHIEF

Police arrested a 24-year-old man in the 500 block of Louise Avenue on Tuesday morning. The man had allegedly smashed a television and been violent toward his girlfriend on Sunday. He was charged with assault and mischief under $5,000, and released with an undertaking a court date of April 10.

COSMETICS THEFT

A 26-year-old woman who was in custody at Brandon Correctional Centre (BCC) was arrested on Tuesday in relation to a prior theft on Jan. 23 from a store on the 900 block of Victoria Avenue. The woman is accused of stealing almost $50 worth of cosmetics. Police said they used video surveillance footage to identify the suspect. She was held in custody to appear in court on Wednesday.

Arrested for theft; minor arrested; man arrested for attempting to steal grader

ARRESTS MADE FOR THEFT

On Monday morning, Brandon Police Service (BPS) officers arrested a 57-year-old man following a traffic stop in a school zone near Maryland Avenue. Law enforcement identified that the man had an outstanding warrant for committing theft under $5,000. He was processed and released with a March 3 court date.

In another case, officers arrested a 53-year-old woman on Monday afternoon for stealing merchandise from a store located on the 2600 block of Victoria Avenue. Officers found the woman in the area, and the stolen goods were recovered from her possession. She was processed and released on an undertaking with a court of April 7.

MINOR ARRESTED FOR DISTRIBUTING VIDEO MADE WITHOUT CONSENT

3 arrested in Portage drug bust

Officers from Portage la Prairie have arrested and charged three individuals following a drug bust on Jan. 22 that resulted in the seizure of 280 grams of cocaine, according to a press release issued by Manitoba RCMP on Tuesday.

Portage RCMP estimated that cocaine worth more than $28,000 was seized, along with cash and other drugs, when its General Investigation Section (GIS) conducted a traffic stop in the 700 block of Tupper Street North on Jan. 22. Following the stop, two suspects fled the vehicle and entered a residence close by.

Police were able to follow them to the address, where they were placed in custody. The third suspect was arrested while still inside the vehicle.

The press release confirmed that Karisten Finlayson, 32, of Portage la Prairie and Jayden Meeches, 29, of Long Plain First Nation were both charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, possession for the purpose of trafficking an opioid, and for resisting arrest.