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An umbrella-wielding pedestrian passes by a mural in downtown Brandon on a rainy Friday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

A rainy day in Brandon

An umbrella-wielding pedestrian passes by a mural in downtown Brandon on a rainy Friday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

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Aug. 16, 12 AM: 13°c Clear Aug. 16, 6 AM: 11°c Clear

Brandon MB

19°C, Cloudy with wind

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Caroline Fisher stands in front of the Access Transit bus after being dropped off at the Brandon Regional Health Centre for dialysis treatment on Wednesday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Hospital access a struggle for dialysis patient

By Rylee Gerrard 4 minute read Preview

Hospital access a struggle for dialysis patient

By Rylee Gerrard 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:49 PM CDT

For the past five years, Caroline Fisher has consistently used the Access Transit buses three times a week to get to and from the dialysis unit at the Brandon Regional Health Centre to receive life-sustaining treatment.

Up until three months ago, she — along with other dialysis patients who struggle with mobility — were dropped off at the hospital door. Now, Fisher estimates she walks about 91 metres (300 feet) from the drop-off point to the door, aided by the use of a walker.

“Who made this decision?” she said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s hard enough with a walker, I cannot imagine pushing a person in a wheelchair.”

The parking stalls are sloped down from the entrance, Fisher said, expressing concerns how snow, ice and wind will impact the trek in the winter.

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Yesterday at 10:49 PM CDT

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Council members and city staff speak during a closed meeting more than an hour ahead of a regular council meeting on July 6. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)

Prof calls for greater council transparency

By Alex Lambert 8 minute read Preview

Prof calls for greater council transparency

By Alex Lambert 8 minute read Yesterday at 10:39 PM CDT

A political science expert says the City of Brandon should be more transparent in relation to closed-door meetings.

The city has held 78 committee of the whole meetings — most of which were closed to the public — since the new council took office in October 2022, according to data obtained by the Sun.

Those meetings aren’t listed publicly, and minutes of the meetings — where notes are taken by staff — aren’t publicly accessible on the city’s website.

University of Winnipeg Prof. Aaron Moore, whose expertise includes municipal politics, said while he believes the city is complying with legislation, people expect more transparency.

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Yesterday at 10:39 PM CDT

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Open streets returns

1 minute read Yesterday at 10:49 PM CDT

For the second time this summer, cars are out and open streets are in.

Lorne Avenue from Rideau Park to Stanley Park will be closed to vehicles and traffic tomorrow for Open Streets — a 1.8-kilometre outdoor corridor meant to encourage active transportation in a safe, car-free environment.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a variety of events will take place, including a dunk tank, bike rodeo and Zumba, and music will be played at both parks.

Signs and volunteers will be there guiding participants and managing crossings at the major intersections at First Street and 10th Street.

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Minister of Health, Seniors & Long-Term Care Uzoma Asagwara speaks during a press conference announcing that a second child from Gaza has been brought to Winnipeg for medical care in Winnipeg, Friday, May 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

Care homes told to make space for hospital patients

By Malak Abas 4 minute read Preview

Care homes told to make space for hospital patients

By Malak Abas 4 minute read Updated: 9:51 AM CDT

WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has directed three long-term care centres to make space for hospital patients, citing “exceptionally high demand for care across the health-care system.”

“Riverview Health Centre, Deer Lodge Centre and Misericordia Health Centre have been asked to identify additional temporary capacity for patients who no longer require an acute-care hospital bed but continue to need an appropriate level of care before they can transition to their next care setting,” a WRHA spokesperson said Thursday.

“This whole-of-system response will help create additional capacity in acute-care hospitals, supporting patient flow and timely access to emergency departments and other hospital services.”

The spokesperson described the measures as part of “standard surge protocol,” atypical and temporary, but did not provide a timeline of how long patients would be staying at the health-care centres.

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Updated: 9:51 AM CDT

Business

Secretary of State of Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions Wayne Long rises during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

Canada needs tax reform — relieving small business pain might be the first step

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Canada needs tax reform — relieving small business pain might be the first step

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Updated: 9:51 AM CDT

OTTAWA - One of Prime Minister Mark Carney's point people on the government's budget consultations says Ottawa plans to tackle long-awaited tax code reform "one bite at a time" and changes for small businesses are high on the priority list.

The Canadian Press spoke to a number of tax experts and advocates in recent weeks who all agreed that major reform to simplify and improve Canada's tax system is long overdue.

They get little argument from Wayne Long, MP for Saint John—Kennebecasis and secretary of state for the Canada Revenue Agency and financial institutions.

"When you say the word tax code to people, everybody rolls their eyes. Everybody's like, 'Oh, the tax code used to be one book thick, now it's two books thick. We just keep piling on,'" Long told The Canadian Press on Friday.

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Updated: 9:51 AM CDT

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Manaar Logistics owner Sanni Wasiu (right) and Akin Omole (second right) stand with other colleagues in the company’s truck parked on Third Street on Friday morning. The truckload of about 2,000 boxes of Ontario-grown tomatoes arrived in Brandon earlier in the day. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)

Tomatoes arrive to feed growing demand

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Preview

Tomatoes arrive to feed growing demand

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:45 PM CDT

A truckload of about 2,000 boxes of Ontario-grown Roma tomatoes arrived in Brandon on Friday, offering residents access to fresh produce at prices below those at some retail stores.

The delivery was brought to the city by Sanni Wasiu, owner of Manaar Logistics, as part of his growing produce distribution business serving several Canadian provinces — and catering to Brandon’s Nigerian community in particular.

Wasiu said a 25-pound box of tomatoes sells for $16, compared with what he described as retail prices of $25 to $30.

“That’s the difference, and that’s the reason. Considering that this is the season as well … people seize the opportunity to buy and stock for a whole year,” he told the Sun.

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Yesterday at 10:45 PM CDT

Local

A home and farm sit on an island of dry land, surrounded by the floodwaters of the swollen Assiniboine River just west of Russell in early July. Russell is included in an overland flood watch issued by the province on Friday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Province warns of overland flooding

1 minute read Preview

Province warns of overland flooding

1 minute read Yesterday at 10:37 PM CDT

The province on Friday issued an overland flood watch as parts of southwestern Manitoba were expected to receive as much as 120 millimetres of rain.

The Virden and Melita areas, as well as the Souris River basin in Saskatchewan, could receive 50 to 80 mm of rain on Friday and into Saturday, the province said in a news release.

Localized amounts could reach 100 to 120 mm where more severe thunderstorms develop.

“Heavy rainfall over a short period may result in overland flooding, particularly in low-lying areas and locations with limited drainage capacity,” the province said.

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Yesterday at 10:37 PM CDT

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South African High Commissioner to Canada Rieaz Shaik is pictured at the official residence in Ottawa on Thursday, April 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Diplomacy, peacekeeping cuts weaken Carney’s middle-power vision: South African envoy

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Diplomacy, peacekeeping cuts weaken Carney’s middle-power vision: South African envoy

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:43 AM CDT

OTTAWA - South Africa's envoy to Ottawa says Canada's decision to remove most of its peacekeepers from the continent doesn't align with the Carney government's pledge to get middle powers working together.

"I am saddened by the fact that the budget cuts (are) appearing to be a kind of withdrawal of Canada's commitment towards peace in Africa," High Commissioner Rieaz Shaik told The Canadian Press.

"You don't withdraw from the global commons and then say you want to build a middle-power alliance."

Shaik's comments come as Canada plans to recall peacekeepers from Congo and from South Sudan, where Ottawa has suspended its embassy. The foreign service is also reversing staffing changes that were meant to foster closer ties with South Africa.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:43 AM CDT

Business

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump speak during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, in June. Trump is the wildcard in Canada-U.S. trade negotiations. (The Canadian Press files)

Anxious Canadian firms bet Trump will buckle before 50% tariff deadline

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Anxious Canadian firms bet Trump will buckle before 50% tariff deadline

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:51 PM CDT

MONTREAL - Companies are opting to wait and see as the clock ticks down on U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff deadline, rather than rushing shipments across the border to beat the buzzer, industry insiders say.

A new round of 50 per cent tariffs on nearly US$20 billion worth of Canadian goods ranging from dairy to down jackets is set to take effect Aug. 19. Unlike most of Trump’s other tariffs, the duties would not exempt goods that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, a trade deal widely known as CUSMA.

In spite of the looming threat, business owners have avoided front-loading their shipments, said Janine Harker, president of the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers.

"For better or for worse, everybody has settled into a process of watchful waiting — and planning to the extent possible, but very much not trying to get too ahead of what actually comes out as the official direction on Aug. 19," she said.

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:51 PM CDT

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Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt walks into Winnipeg city hall on Thursday. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press)

Councillor vows to keep serving despite charges

By Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Preview

Councillor vows to keep serving despite charges

By Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:44 AM CDT

WINNIPEG — Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt vowed Thursday to continue doing his job after more criminal charges were laid against him this week, while the mayor called for “better tools” to address elected officials who face serious allegations.

Wyatt, 56, was charged Monday with sexual assault and administering a noxious substance in an October 2023 incident. He was previously charged with sexual assault and administering a noxious substance in March, based on allegations tied to a 2025 gathering.

On Thursday, Wyatt arrived at city hall and quickly walked to his office at 10:20 a.m., nearly an hour after the East Kildonan-Transcona community committee meeting he planned to attend was scheduled to begin.

He answered few questions from reporters.

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Updated: Yesterday at 9:44 AM CDT

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