The Brandon Sun’s top 30 stories of the year

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/12/2021 (1401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was another chaotic year in Canada and western Manitoba.

There were fires, elections, high-profile resignations, leadership campaigns and subsequent lawsuits, on top of a full year of COVID-19.

From the rollout of vaccines to Canadians, mandates, travel bans and protests to political campaigns entirely focusing on the virus, few elements of day-to-day life were unaffected by the coronavirus and its variants.

However, the Sun newsroom believes that as big as COVID has been, there was one story that overshadowed it this year: reconciliation.

The discovery of bodies buried on the grounds of a former residential school site in Kamloops, B.C., had ripple effects across the country. Some Canadians were surprised to learn what happened at the state- and church-run schools, while Indigenous elders who remembered what happened within their walls finally achieved some measure of vindication.

More bodies were discovered at various sites throughout the year, and searches for more in places like Brandon are still being planned.

These discoveries have caused some people and organizations to rethink Canada’s history with the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island and led to the creation of new events and holidays to facilitate discussion and healing. With the ongoing research into former residential school sites and stakeholders considering the best path forward, this story will likely continue to dominate headlines next year.

The following list represents what the Brandon Sun newspaper believes are the top 30 stories it covered in 2021, including several stories relating to the First Nations with traditional territories in the region.

Jan. 19: Vaccination supersite opens

By Michele LeTourneau

Despite a glitch in text messaging for the Brandon vaccination site, COVID-19 vaccinations took place as planned Monday morning.

Joanna Robb, who works at Shared Health’s Westman Regional Laboratory, was the first to be vaccinated yesterday morning. Kirsten Boyce, Robb’s co-worker, was the second. They booked their appointments without issue early last week. Both say no one in their workplace had any issues with booking their appointments.

The two, along with others in their workplace, work with body-fluid samples, primarily screening for cancer and pre-cancerous changes.

“We’ve already started to see body fluids coming through where it says COVID-positive,” Robb said.

As to how they felt about being vaccinated, they both said they were happy to receive the vaccine.

Feb. 3: Delays at Vital Statistics; June 1: Problems continue at Vital Statistics

By Drew May and Colin Slark

Manitobans are facing a months-long wait to get documents such as marriage and death certificates from the Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency.

While the provincial agency’s website says the wait time for certificates is six to eight weeks, the actual wait time can be up to six months, said Brockie Donovan funeral services professional Michelle Klemick.

“As of late, I would say that to receive a provincial death certificate, families are waiting six months at least,” she said.

Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency is the provincial agency responsible for issuing birth certificates, name-change certificates, death certificates and marriage certificates. The agency, which is under the purview of Manitoba Finance, is also responsible for legal name changes and change of sex designations.

The long delays can cause issues, including in selling a person’s house after they die, Klemick said, as the provincial land titles office needs the death certificate.

•••

Delays at the Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency are causing major headaches among some professions in the province.

Earlier this year, the Sun reported that lawyers and funeral services were experiencing delays of up to six months waiting for the agency to send them birth, death and marriage certificates.

On Monday, Manitoba Bar Association president Ellen McCarville told the Sun by phone that the problem has only gotten worse. For example, she said she has yet to receive a marriage certificate that she filed for on Oct. 24, 2020.

“We haven’t really gotten an answer from Vital Stats as to why,” she said. “It’s my understanding that at some point, they’ve been revamping their physical offices, so I’m not sure if that’s caused part of the issue or if they’re revamping physical offices to try to update things and have it progress. In any event, we haven’t seen the fruit of that labour yet.”

According to McCarville, the bar association is currently drafting a letter to Finance Minister Scott Fielding, whose department operates the agency, to ask him to address the issues. There’s also talk of banding together with the Manitoba Funeral Service Association to work co-operatively to solve a problem that’s affecting both professions.

Feb 9: Woman ‘humiliated’ by leaked images

By Drew May

A woman says her life was thrown into disarray after intimate images of her were distributed while she was applying to become a Brandon Police Service officer in 2017.

Monday marked the first day of a civil lawsuit in the Court of Queen’s Bench that centres around nude photos leaked to members of the Brandon police executive during the hiring process.

The City of Brandon is listed as a third party in the lawsuit.

According to an agreed statement of fact, the plaintiff, Brittany Roque, took and sent intimate photos of herself to Brandon police officer Ryan Friesen during a three-month affair with him in 2015.

(Note for readers: a verdict in this lawsuit has yet to be rendered.)

Feb. 19: Province terminating Brightscape’s deal; Oct. 7: Report highlights Brightscape problems

By Colin Slark

The Manitoba government is terminating its agreement with a Brandon company to provide housing for youth in care, saying a third-party report led to an investigation that discovered “significant” financial deficiencies.

Brightscape Endeavours’ agreement will end on June 18, a Manitoba Families spokesperson stated in an email to the Sun. The children in the care of the company will be transitioned elsewhere by the time the deadline arrives.

Brightscape CEO Jesse Dourado stated in an email that the company has “just under 30 children” in care at 14 homes in the Brandon area, of which 70 per cent are Indigenous, Black or people of colour.

“The results found significant deficiencies in the company’s financial management and accounting policy and procedures,” the Manitoba Families spokesperson said in the email. “These findings are contrary to the Province’s responsibility to ensure that service providers demonstrate financial stability and sustainability.”

However, the email also stressed that the decision was not made due to any allegation of abuse or mistreatment and that the department believes that all children in Brightscape’s care have been and will continue to be treated appropriately.

•••

A government-ordered report into the finances of a former Brandon group home operator found numerous problems with its policies and practices and questioned its long-term financial viability.

Among the problems found include evidence of lax tracking of expenses, higher than normal maintenance costs and the use of thousands of dollars in company funds to pay for Winnipeg Jets tickets, jewelry and plane tickets to Australia.

In February, the provincial government announced it was terminating its agreement with Brightscape Endeavours after a third-party report that was ordered by the province found “significant” financial deficiencies.

The announcement also stressed that there had been no allegations of abuse or mistreatment of the children under the company’s care.

That meant the approximately 30 children in care across 14 facilities owned by the company needed new placement by June 18, the agreement’s termination date.

A copy of that third-party report prepared by Deloitte obtained by the Sun shows that problems were found with Brightscape’s financial policies, internal controls, fiscal prudence and budgeting.

Feb. 25: Casavant resigns as BSD superintendent

By Kyle Darbyson

The Brandon School Division announced on Thursday afternoon that Marc Casavant is no longer serving as its superintendent and CEO and is leaving the division to “pursue other opportunities.”

“We wish Dr. Casavant the best of success in his future endeavours,” BSD officials said in a statement to local media outlets.

“I would like to thank the students, staff and community for the ability to serve your children in their education,” Casavant wrote in an email to the Sun after the announcement was made.

“I would also like to wish the students and staff the very best as they continue to pursue educational excellence.”

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, neither Casavant nor the BSD elaborated on what those “other opportunities” were when the Sun inquired.

March 22: Vaccine appointments unavailable for Brandon Keystone site

By Michele LeTourneau

Brandon’s vaccine site at the Keystone Centre is not currently booking appointments. A government spokesperson confirmed on Monday morning that new bookings were being delayed after a Sun query.

According to the vaccine update from the province, sent out midday today, “additional super-site appointments will be available for booking in the coming days.”

At his Monday news conference, Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, said he was short on specific information.

The Sun asked if this was due to a lack of human resources or a lack of vaccines.

“What I would say is that for the most part, the limiting step of our entire vaccine program is vaccine, right now,” Roussin said.

“Our vaccine task force has the ability to ramp up daily doses as soon as we get those doses. I don’t know the specifics of this, but for the most part, delays in appointment booking really has to do with our access to vaccine.”

April 30: Supports for mental health already strained

By Kimberly Kielley

Andrea Thomson knows the new restrictions are going to impact people’s mental health. The registered psychiatric nurse has seen it before and written about it when Manitoba banned visitors in private homes back in December to control the virus’s spread.

“The pandemic has turned our lives upside down. It’s increased our stress [and] heightened our levels of anxiety, depression and grief,” she said, adding the restrictions have increased our feelings of isolation by reducing our contacts.

Reaching into the mental health system for support may not be easy, either.

“What the pandemic has started to do is shed light on the mental health system, and it has been very difficult to navigate, probably historically,” Thomson said.

“This isn’t something new. It was very difficult to access services before. Quite often we describe the mental health system as a maze because it’s difficult to navigate.”

She uses the example of someone experiencing mental health issues and possibly being turned away from a specific service because they didn’t meet the criteria of that service.

“We have really great crisis services [where you can] pick up the phone and talk to a crisis support person. But to actually receive followup care and ongoing treatment to prevent additional crises is where the problem lies.”

May 6: Narrow win puts Frangi on council; May 8: Meadows-Waverly byelection sees 2.64 per cent turnout

By Colin Slark and Drew May

The unofficial results are in: Sunday Frangi will be the next member of Brandon City Council.

Turnout was extremely low, with Frangi carrying the day over opponent Gordon McRae by a slim margin of 50 votes to 42.

Wednesday’s result was a successful second effort by Frangi, who unsuccessfully ran as a Manitoba Liberal candidate in the 2019 provincial election against Progressive Conservative Brandon West MLA Reg Helwer.

“It feels great to be part of the decision-making process in our city,” he told the Sun over the phone. “I’m so excited I can serve the people of Meadows-Waverly because a lot of things need to be done and they need good representation for sure.”

He said his first effort as councillor will be to address drainage issues, which were exacerbated last year during record-setting rains and flooding at the end of June and beginning of July.

According to sources with the city, there hasn’t been a Black councillor in Brandon since at least 1979, while retired Brandon University political science professor Meir Serfaty couldn’t remember any Black councillors dating back to 1973. There may have been a Black councillor before then, but Frangi is the first in approximately 40 to 50 years.

•••

Only 2.64 per cent of eligible voters went to the polls in the Meadows-Waverly byelection on Wednesday, but the low turnout isn’t entirely unexpected, according to a political scientist.

Out of 3,486 people registered on the voter’s list for Ward 5, the winner, Sunday Frangi, received a total of 50 votes, while runner-up Gordon McRae received 42 votes. Three ballots were declined and three were spoiled.

The number of votes cast was much lower than in the 2018 general municipal election, which was also noted to have had a low overall turnout at just less than 17 per cent.

Former Meadows-Waverly councillor John LoRegio, who stepped down earlier this year, was also first elected to Brandon City Council in a byelection, in 2013, which saw a 19.3 per cent turnout.

In 2018, according to the official results, LoRegio received 393 votes while McRae received 140.

May 18: Lightning strikes spark CFB Shilo blaze

By Tyler Clarke

A lightning strike is believed to have sparked a fire in the Canadian Forces Base Shilo range and training area Friday.

Approximately 255 hectares had been burned by midday Monday, and by afternoon the province had deployed water bombers to help snuff the blaze.

“High winds, high temperatures and extremely dry conditions have caused the fire to change direction and restart several times,” reported CFB Shilo public affairs officer Lori Truscott.

As of midday Monday, the fire had spread from the southwest corner of the range and training area to the neighbouring Assiniboine Corridor Wildlife Management Area.

Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement at 4:07 p.m., noting smoke was causing poor air quality and reducing visibility. The notice was in effect for Brandon, Neepawa, Carberry and Treherne.

Around the same time, the Town of Carberry tweeted that wind conditions were changing and that air quality in the area “could deteriorate quickly.”

June 3: Investigation planned at former residential school site

By Tyler Clarke

Interrupted by the pandemic, an investigation to identify children buried in unmarked graves off Grand Valley Road is still being planned.

Brandon University offered an update on the delayed effort Friday, a week after the issue was thrust back into the international spotlight.

Last week, it was announced burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site in B.C. included the bodies of 215 children.

The former Brandon residential school property along Grand Valley Road in Brandon is long known to have also housed bodies.

At the latest estimate, more than 100 potential unmarked graves are believed to be spread through three burial sites, including those at Turtle Crossing Campground, the Sioux Valley property at the north side of Grand Valley Road and the Brandon Research and Development Centre property.

Investigation into these graves began in 2012, resulting in a report by then-University of Manitoba master’s student Katherine Nichols, who found death records for 70 children.

A site survey indicated the existence of additional unmarked graves.

Funding was received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in April 2019 to pursue the project further, but the pandemic interrupted the effort.

This funding, a Brandon University spokesperson clarified, does not include the land at Turtle Crossing, where approximately 50 bodies are believed to have been buried.

Although the project has been delayed and no fresh timeline has been provided, Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Coun. Evelyn Pratt said she’s optimistic things will soon speed up.

“With all the media attention this is getting, I’m sure they’ll be getting funding flow into our communities to do all the research necessary,” she said Friday, adding this work has already been long overdue.

“When I hear about this news, I think about all the elders who have passed on. … I think of them and what they had to endure, and in their memory, I’m glad this work is going to begin.

“All the wrongs can not be corrected, but at least there’s a willingness to recognize that it was not a good situation for the First Nations people in Canada, especially children.”

July 2: Westman reflects on Canada Day

By Drew May

Canada Day was marked differently in Brandon and around Westman on Thursday.

Many people around the city dressed in orange T-shirts for the day, instead of the traditional red and white, to commemorate the hundreds of unmarked graves found at former residential schools across the country.

At the site of the former Brandon Indian Residential School, Archie Scott, who wore an orange sweater, said he walked all the way from 23rd Street to reflect.

The potential graves of 104 children who attended the school have been found spread across three burial sites, including at Turtle Crossing Campground, the Sioux Valley property at the north side of Grand Valley Road and the Brandon Research and Development Centre property.

“That was before my time. I was only three when the last residential school closed. I’m glad I didn’t have to come to a place like this,” Scott told the Sun after looking at memorials placed around the property.

The walk took approximately an hour, he said. At times he wanted to turn around, but he kept on.

Scott, who is from Misipawistik Cree Nation, said he wanted to walk to the site rather than drive to take more time to reflect.

“I’m glad I made it,” he said.

The Killarney Turtle Mountain Arts Council held a community art project to commemorate the children who died in residential schools.

The project was an alternative to Canada Day celebrations, said arts administrator Jane Ireland. People were invited to the Heritage Home for the Arts to create a small piece of art, such as a poem, picture, drawing or anything else meaningful, which are set to be hung on doors and trees at the gallery.

After four days, Ireland said the plan is to burn the pieces in a sacred fire.

“We thought it was probably more appropriate to take the day and reflect on what has been happening and on what the calls to action have been from the Truth and Reconciliation [Commission] report, but also to respect and give space to the mourning our Indigenous communities are experiencing,” she said.

“We had a lot of discussions about it … some people feel like they are OK celebrating Canada Day in the normal way and many others don’t — this is a day of mourning for them and they don’t feel like they can celebrate Canada right now, which is totally understandable.”

The art project was an attempt to respect that, she said, and the aim is to help people get a better understanding of the history of the country.

“I think many people are grieving right now and it’s a chance for our community to come together in a way and grieve together as well,” she said.

In a statement, Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand said Canada Day 2021 was a day to reflect on the country’s ideals and confront when Canada has not lived up to them.

“Still, we should not discard our country. Instead, we should face the truth as we continue down the road to reconciliation, without losing sight of what we have gained,” he said.

—

(Note for readers: Canada Day had far-reaching consequences this year. Protests and calls for action to advance reconciliation after the discovery of hundreds of bodies buried on the sites of former residential schools were seen from coast to coast. In Manitoba, the toppling and vandalism of statues of Queen Victoria was the beginning of the end of former Premier Brian Pallister’s political career. Controversial statements Pallister made after Canada Day angered Indigenous groups across the province, leading to Indigenous Affairs Minister Eileen Clarke resigning in protest and her replacement Alan Lagimodiere defending residential schools in his first-ever press conference as minister after being sworn into cabinet. These issues, combined with Pallister’s handling of COVID-19 sent his and his party’s approval ratings plummeting and he announced his departure from politics the next month.)

July 2: Seniors struggle to get vaccine cards

By Colin Slark

Getting a vaccination card has been a difficult process for some Manitobans, but it has been even harder for seniors.

This week, the Sun received several calls from seniors in the area without internet access who have had trouble applying for their cards.

When Premier Brian Pallister first announced the creation of the program on June 8, the accompanying press release included this sentence:

“People who would like to request their card but do not have internet access can contact the Insured Benefits Branch of Manitoba Health and Seniors Care at 204-786-7101 or 1-800-392-1207 (toll-free) to request a card.”

If you call that number during business hours, which readers reported was also given to them by Manitoba Health, Prairie Mountain Health and their MLAs, you’re likely to get a busy signal.

One of the people trying to get through to that number is Charles Ostiuk of Brandon, who is more than two weeks past receiving his second dose of vaccine and wants to take advantage of vaccination card holders’ ability to eat inside restaurants with other fully vaccinated people.

“I’m stuck in my own residence,” he said. “My buddy, we got our shots the same day. We planned on sitting together in the very near future having coffee at the mall, but you can’t even do that.”

Though he owns a smartphone, he doesn’t have internet access at home or mobile data.

July 5: ‘Irreversible damage’ to crops; Aug. 9: Drought forcing livestock producers to sell

By Tyler Clarke and Kyle Darbyson

The heat wave has undone the good recent rains have provided, returning farmers squarely to drought conditions.

“When we start to see some of the crops regress with regards to their lush leaves and some of that part of it, it causes concern about the ability to yield, and it has caused, I would say, irreversible damage to the crops,” Keystone Agricultural Producers president Bill Campbell said Sunday.

Although “significant rainfall” would allow some crops the ability to “bounce back somewhat,” he said they’ll never return to what they might have been if not for drought conditions.

Walking through his field Saturday, Miniota area cattle farmer Ryan Canart said the grass around him was burning up.

“I rotate cattle all season long, and the grass they’re going to move into in two to three weeks is ready to burn up,” he said.

“It’s not looking pretty. I think hay and feed is going to be worth a lot of money in the fall and a lot of guys looking to downsize cattle herds or selling or whatever.”

A lot of cattle farmers are facing some difficult decisions, Canart said, and reverting to backup plans such as prematurely thinning out herds due to limited resources.

When it comes to overall crops, Campbell said canola is currently under the greatest strain.

—

Extreme heat and dry conditions are forcing Manitoba livestock producers to sell their cattle in much larger numbers than normal, according to several auction markets in the Westman region.

Last week, the Sun spoke with representatives from three different auction houses in the southwest portion of the province who are all having to increase their availability this summer to accommodate an influx of sales.

Heartland Livestock Services marketing rep Ken Nolan said their Brandon location is hosting a sale every week, which deviates from their usual biweekly schedule for this time of year.

“During the month of July we probably moved, I’m going to guess, 10 times more cattle than a regular July,” Nolan said on Wednesday.

While Heartland’s location in nearby Virden isn’t as busy, manager Robin Hill said they have also had to transition from a biweekly schedule to a weekly timetable this summer, having sold twice as many cattle as usual throughout the previous month.

“I think the fall run is definitely going to start three weeks earlier than usual,” Hill said.

Killarney Auction Mart owner Allan Munroe mentioned that his facility rarely operates at this point in the summer, with July and August serving as a break before the action picks up again in September.

However, this year he has been forced to add four new auctions throughout June, July and August in order to keep up with demand.

Aug. 8: Reptile Gardens fire causes $150,000 in damages

By Kyle Darbyson

DOUGLAS — The owners of the Westman Reptile Gardens are still reeling from a major fire on Wednesday night that resulted in the destruction of several buildings and the death of hundreds of rodents.

The CFB Shilo Fire Department were the first group of emergency responders to arrive on the scene, having received a call at 7:03 p.m.

Around that same time, owners Candi and Dave Shelvey and their neighbours were attempting to save as many animals as they could from the compound’s rodent building, managing to rescue two guinea pigs and 29 cages full of rats before being sidelined by firefighters.

“My dad was running around with fire extinguishers,” Erika Shelvey told the Sun on Thursday afternoon. “My boyfriend and a few of the other people in the neighbourhood were raking, because [the fire] started in the grass as well. So they were trying to stop it from going any further.”

CFB Shilo public affairs officer Lori Truscott said the local fire crew got the multiple structure fires under control around 7:30 p.m., although they didn’t officially leave the scene until 11 p.m.

The Shilo firefighters also received support from nearby departments in Brandon and surrounding Hutterite colonies.

Despite this quick response, nine buildings and one vehicle were destroyed in the fire, including the compound’s horse barn, walk-in freezer and rodent building.

Although no humans were harmed in the blaze, Erika estimates that around 1,000 animals perished inside the rodent building.

Luckily, the main reptile building itself wasn’t damaged in the fire, meaning all its cold-blooded inhabitants — including snakes, bearded dragons and crocodiles — are currently safe and sound.

Aug. 11: Premier won’t seek re-election

By Colin Slark

Brian Pallister came to Brandon on Tuesday and dropped a bombshell.

The premier emerged from the front doors of the Dome Building to tell a small crowd of journalists that he will not run for re-election in the 2023 provincial election.

No exact timeline for his departure was given, but Pallister said Manitobans would have a chance to get to know a new Progressive Conservative party leader and a new premier before the next time they head to the polls.

“I have served in public life almost continuously since 1992,” Pallister said. “It was a difficult decision we made then to enter public life when we had just been blessed with our first child. And it is a difficult decision we are making to leave public life, especially where there is always so much more to do.

“But both were the right decisions. Then and now. But now, it is time to move on and spend that extra precious time I missed over many years, with my family.”

Aug. 12: Waywayseecappo gets formal apology

By Colin Slark

WAYWAYSEECAPPO FIRST NATION — A Westman First Nation received an apology on Wednesday that was owed to them for 140 years.

Federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett told an assembled crowd at Waywayseecappo First Nation’s powwow arbour that Canada’s seizure and sale of 21,013 acres of the nation’s land in 1881 was a historic injustice.

It was the final step of a process that also saw the First Nation approximately 150 kilometres northwest of Brandon compensated with a $287-million settlement.

The community was also given five acres of land just north of Brandon, where Waywayseecappo has operated a gas station on an urban reserve since July 2020.

In July 2019, members of the First Nation voted overwhelmingly in favour of accepting the settlement, with 854 votes in favour, 45 against and 23 spoiled ballots.

The accompanying apology was meant to happen earlier, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the in-person event.

The importance of a visit by someone of Bennett’s stature to Waywayseecappo’s powwow arbour was not lost on Chief Murray Clearsky, who said he couldn’t remember a visit by a high-ranking member of government since John Diefenbaker visited when he was prime minister.

“One hundred and forty years ago, the Government of Canada took land from your nation and sold it,” Bennett said. “The Waywayseecappo people’s land was unfairly taken from them with no compensation in return. To advance reconciliation and build new relationships with Indigenous people, we must acknowledge mistakes and harms committed in the past.

“Today, we are announcing that we have reached a settlement and agreement to settle the 1881 surrender specific claims. This settlement acknowledges the wrongs of the past and provides $287.5 million in compensation. This is the largest settlement agreement in Manitoba.”

 

Aug. 31: Prison time for gun trafficking

By Drew May

Two men who partnered to sell more than a dozen guns stolen in Brandon created an ongoing risk to public safety, a judge said, and were sent to prison for lengthy terms on Monday morning.

Chad Hooke and Mathieu Plamondon were sentenced to six years and 10 and a half years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the scheme to sell the guns to criminals in another province.

Hooke pleaded guilty to theft over $5,000 and weapons trafficking, while Plamondon was convicted of conspiracy to commit weapons trafficking, possession of weapons for purposes of trafficking and weapons trafficking after a lengthy trial.

The operation started in May 2018, when Hooke stole 18 guns from his stepfather’s collection. He conspired with Plamondon, whom he met through the drug trade, to transport the weapons to Alberta, where Plamondon had criminal contacts.

“Chad Hooke and Mathieu Plamondon each played a key role. Without Mr. Hooke, there were no firearms, and without Mr. Plamondon, there were no connections through which to sell the firearms,” Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said.

“The accused conspired … they schemed and planned and prepared. They were not always brilliant or successful in their execution, and their operation lacked sophistication at times, but in other respects, they were organized and devious.”

The pair were only caught after Plamondon “double-crossed” Hooke and took the guns to sell himself, Hewitt-Michta said. They were arrested after a gun left in a hotel pillowcase was found by housekeeping staff.

 

Sept. 2: Group rallies against vaccine mandate

By Drew May

Approximately 100 people in Brandon joined a nationwide protest against mandatory vaccinations in workplaces on Wednesday afternoon.

The protesters, some carrying signs reading “We support your right to choose” and “Why stop at vaccine mandates?,” and few wearing masks, walked a route outside the Brandon Regional Health Centre and down Victoria Avenue.

Raquel Driedger, one of the organizers, said the march was in support of “medical freedom.”

“Where there is risk, there must be choices,” she said, referring to side effects from vaccines.

“Vaccine injury is a real thing, not even the COVID vaccine. I’m talking all vaccines. And up until now, we’ve always had a choice.”

The protest came after the province announced provincial employees who work with vulnerable populations will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 31 or be tested regularly.

Provincial employees who work with children, in health care, teachers, educational support staff and Manitoba Justice employees fall under the mandate.

At the time, then-premier Brian Pallister said the move was to keep the health-care system safe during a potential fourth wave of COVID-19.

 

Sept. 3: Province presses pause on education reform

By Kyle Darbyson

A day after the province announced that Bill 64 wouldn’t be moving forward, Education Minister Cliff Cullen provided an update on what the public can expect from the Progressive Conservative government in terms of education reform.

In a Thursday afternoon news conference, the Spruce Woods MLA told reporters that the province is largely putting its plans for widespread education reform on hold, at least until a new PC party leader is chosen on Oct. 30.

“At this time we are pausing some of this work as we focus on COVID-19 and the return to classes amid the fourth wave,” Cullen said.

“The health and safety of students and staff is paramount, and that is where our collective focus needs to be.”

However, Cullen promised that the province will return to this topic sometime in the future, with various committees and advisory groups staying in place.

“We look forward to working with education stakeholders and parents to achieve the best possible results for our students,” he said.

Compared to past news conferences, Cullen struck a much more conciliatory tone on Thursday, admitting that the province’s overemphasis on the legislation’s governance model was a mistake.

Sept. 9: Canupawakpa secures clean water

By Chelsea Kemp

Facing a crisis of continuous boil-water advisories, Canupawakpa Dakota Nation has constructed the Mni Wiconi Water Station to ensure its members have easy access to clean drinking water.

The Mni Wiconi (Water is Life) Water Station was an initiative launched by Canupawakpa Chief and Council, said Canupawakpa Health Services health director Carol McKay-Whitecloud. Ensuring access to clean drinking water was essential to maintaining the health of nation members, and chief and council specially allocated funds to create the water-filtration system for the community.

“We didn’t receive funding for that purpose [of building a filtration system]. It was funding that they were able to allocate,” McKay-Whitecloud said. “In the light of COVID and communicable disease, we had to do something.”

The initiative came together quickly, and she is grateful to have the water resource available in the community. A grand opening for Mni Waconi was held on Aug. 24.

Each Canupawakpa household has been provided with a 19-litre jug to fill for free at the centre. The water-filtration system uses reverse osmosis to provide pure or mineral water to community members. It is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

The station has proven to be an essential resource for Canupawakpa community members because at any given time, the community will have boil-water advisories in place.

The need for a facility was heightened during COVID-19 due to the demand for safe access to clean water in a sanitized environment and the limited transportation options some members faced.

“Transportation is a challenge in all First Nation communities; not everybody has vehicles, it costs money to put fuel in, it costs money to register them. So, a lot of our low-income families rely on catching rides with people and co-ordinating that with community members,” McKay-Whitecloud said. “It’s been difficult. We have a lot of elderly, we have a lot of chronically ill community members, same with newborns. We want to ensure that the water is good and clean and they don’t need to boil it.”

Before the installation of the facility, the nearest areas to secure filtered water were in Reston, located 20 kilometres west, or Virden, located 30 kilometres north.

For those without access to transportation, these trips were not possible.

 

Sept. 14: Brandon University coach on leave after sexually suggestive behaviour alleged; Sept. 25: Former Bobcats troubled by response to coach situation

By Maggie Macintosh and Thomas Friesen

The head coach of women’s soccer at Brandon University remained on the job for months despite a school investigation that concluded he acted inappropriately with student-athletes.

Last fall, a female student approached BU’s athletic director with allegations about Jesse Roziere, who became assistant coach of the Bobcats women’s team in 2019-20 and — until he went on leave this week — was heading into his second year as top trainer.

The complainant, who spoke to the Winnipeg Free Press on the condition of anonymity, claimed Roziere made sexual advances on players, asked them to be his designated driver home from the bar when he was out, and often sent messages of a suggestive nature, including shirtless photos via Snapchat.

In one instance, he sent a player a video of himself being sexually suggestive with a banana.

Roziere, 29, did not respond to repeated requests for comment this week.

Neither did BU’s athletic director nor head of human resources, who oversaw a harassment investigation in winter and spring 2021 and declined the complainants’ request for a new probe last month to take into account the school’s sexualized violence policy.

In a statement Tuesday, BU said it has asked Roziere to step away from his soccer duties and other responsibilities while a new investigation is underway — as a result of learning new information from the Free Press.

“We have now become aware of information that was not brought to the investigator during the investigation nor to the university at any other time. These new allegations are troubling and require a new investigation,” said a spokesperson for BU.

Brandon University says it has asked Roziere to step away from his soccer duties and other responsibilities while a new investigation is underway.

The spokesperson didn’t elaborate on what new information came to light and said a third party will conduct a new investigation that will begin “as swiftly as possible.”

In separate interviews with the Free Press over the last two weeks, three students — all of whom are in their early 20s — described experiencing or witnessing Roziere’s behaviour, including acts of blackmail.

The women said the coach told players he would bench them or make them run laps if they told anyone about his actions.

Ultimately, the students said the behaviour led to their respective decisions to hang up their cleats. For one of them, that meant losing a scholarship.

—

Former Brandon University student-athletes who brought forth allegations about the school’s women’s soccer coach once again found themselves playing the waiting game.

Following an initial complaint against Jesse Roziere last fall — which was dismissed despite the investigation concluding he acted inappropriately towards players he coached — and the denial of a second investigation, BU placed Roziere on leave Sept. 14. The school claimed the move was due to new information, and that a third-party investigation is ongoing.

Nine days later, however, the complainants had not been contacted.

“We are the investigation. We haven’t been contacted. So as far as I’m concerned, it hasn’t been started,” said Lauren Craig, a BU political science student who joined the team in 2018, days after the news went public.

On Thursday morning, the Sun contacted Grant Hamilton, BU’s director of communications and marketing, who is handling all media requests pertaining to the situation.

“Given the ongoing investigation, we are not really commenting on anything that could prejudice the work of the independent third-party investigator,” Hamilton replied via email.

“I can tell you we have engaged an independent lawyer who has experience investigating sensitive issues of harassment in all its forms.”

On Thursday afternoon, a few hours after Hamilton’s original reply, one of the former student-athletes involved said they were contacted about the new investigation for the first time.

 

Sept. 21: Maguire secures fourth term as MP; Mazier eager to represent ‘rural voice’

By Kyle Darbyson and Colin Slark

While the Conservative Party of Canada failed to gain ground on a national level, Brandon-Souris Conservative incumbent Larry Maguire is content with the fact that he was able to secure his seat for the fourth time.

As of Monday at 11 p.m., with 135 of 188 polls reporting in, Maguire retained his place in the riding by capturing around 58 per cent of the vote, with NDP candidate Whitney Hodgins coming in second place with around 22 per cent.

Talking to the Sun around 10:10 p.m. from his campaign headquarters on First Street in Brandon, Maguire said he was “very excited” to get back to work, especially since he views this recent federal election as nothing but a naked power grab by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“He called an election only for one reason: so that he can get a majority government. And he’s failed. So that’s cost Canadian $650 million and we’re no further ahead,” Maguire said. “So I think that’s something that Canadians are going to look at the next time we go to the polls.”

Compared to the 2019 federal election, Maguire’s victory reception on Monday night was a fairly quiet and reserved affair, with campaign staff being careful to limit their numbers to align with COVID-19 safety regulations.

However, Maguire’s team still appeared to be in good spirits after the local race was called, happy that Brandon-Souris will be under Conservative leadership for at least another couple years, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic still being a major factor in day-to-day life.

—

MINNEDOSA — Since it was first contested in 2015, the riding of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa has always been represented by a Conservative member of Parliament. After Monday, that hasn’t changed.

Coming off his first term in office, incumbent Dan Mazier kept the riding in Conservative blue on election day.

“I can’t thank the voters enough for sending me back to Ottawa,” he told the Sun after the results started to become clear. “That rural voice is very important; it’s a clear signal that’s been sent today, and I’ll continue on in Ottawa to keep that rural voice in Ottawa and speak on their behalf.”

To do so, he fended off strong opposition from the right side of the political spectrum, facing off against Manitoba’s only Maverick Party candidate, Lori Falloon-Austin, and Donnan McKenna, a retired RCMP superintendent running for the People’s Party of Canada.

On the left-of-centre side, Mazier beat out three parachute candidates: Shirley Lambrecht, of Vancouver Island, running for the Green Party of Canada; Kevin Carlson, of The Pas, running for the Liberal Party of Canada; and Arthur Holroyd, of Winnipeg, running for the New Democratic Party.

The six candidates in the riding were repeats of the 2019 election, where Mazier received 26,103 votes, representing 64.2 per cent of all ballots cast.

While Mazier beat his next closest opponent by more than 20,000 votes last time, it was a much closer affair this time.

 

Sept. 23: Blaze leaves dozens displaced

By Drew May

Dozens of people are displaced after a large apartment building on Pacific Avenue went up in flames late Tuesday night.

Valley View Condominiums, located at 1400 Pacific Ave., caught fire at approximately 8:45 p.m. The roof of the building became entirely engulfed in flames as police and firefighters knocked on residents’ doors to evacuate them.

A cause for the fire has not been determined yet, but the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner is investigating, a spokesperson said. Brandon Fire and Emergency Services and the Brandon Police Service are assisting with the investigation.

Hundreds of people stood on Rosser Avenue and the streets surrounding the building as the fire burned Tuesday night. Some were slouched on the ground, while others looked on in silence as the flames illuminated the night sky and firefighters dumped water on the burning structure.

The heat from the fire could be felt from the yellow caution tape keeping people back, and smoke plumed across the sky.

Smoke lingered in the air Wednesday morning as fire trucks remained on scene and firefighters doused smouldering areas and flare-ups. The roof was entirely destroyed and heavy damage could be seen throughout the apartment building.

As of Wednesday morning, Brandon police said there were no injuries reported.

Some residents of the building were housed at the Victoria Inn.

Approximately a dozen people the Sun spoke to Wednesday morning said they didn’t live in the building but just wanted to see the damage. Some residents said they didn’t want to be interviewed.

Tobi Abraham, who lives in an apartment just south of the burned building, said he saw a small fire start on one of the balconies of 1400 Pacific Ave. at 8:44 p.m. and started taking a video from his cellphone.

“It escalated in the next five minutes. It caught the roof [on fire],” he said.

“Then it just spread.”

Sept. 27 to Oct. 1: Truth and Reconciliation Week

By Kyle Darbyson, Chelsea Kemp, Drew May and Jillian Austin

Brandon’s first-ever Truth and Reconciliation Week got off to a constructive start Monday afternoon, with 10 different teams taking part in a teepee-building challenge at the Riverbank Discovery Centre grounds.

Representatives from the City of Brandon, Brandon Police Service, Sunrise Credit Union, Century 21 and other organizations all tried their hand at erecting the traditional structures following a quick demonstration from local expert Tim Bone.

After starting around 2 p.m., nearly all 10 teepees were fully formed within an hour, which set the stage for a week that’s meant to help immerse non-Indigenous Brandonites in First Nation cultures and knowledge.

More specifically, Bone said Monday’s teepee challenge, alongside many of the other events taking place this week, are designed to memorialize the victims of residential schools, with the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday.

“This is to honour them and to hopefully get our voices heard and to start working together with our European brothers and sisters, in a good way, just to have understanding with one another,” said Bone, who originally hails from Ebb and Flow First Nation.

The weeklong schedule of activities was organized after the federal government announced the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation earlier this month.

—

Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Knowledge Keeper Eugene Ross was at the All Nations Sharing Circle Tuesday, bestowing stories on traditional foods and diets as part of Brandon’s Truth and Reconciliation Week celebrations.

Ross, whose Dakota name is Born in the Wind, said his interactive talk, “Food and Wellbeing the Traditional Way,” was focused on sharing generational knowledge, educating people and celebrating the beauty of Dakota culture.

“We’re land-based teachers. We are the keepers of our culture. We are keepers of the stories,” Ross said. “It’s so important to share and tell that story so that other people may have an understanding of our people. We are the keepers of the land.”

As story keepers, there has been a tradition of passing on knowledge about the foods from the Earth for generations beyond memory, he said. These actions are important because it allows different generations to stay connected and ensure teachings are not lost.

“I also encourage them [the next generation] that this belongs to you. This is who you are. When you look at how rich our culture is, the knowledge that’s sitting here today … they knew because they were keepers of the land, they researched that land,” Ross said.

He added it’s essential to educate both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to create an understanding of the traditions and teachings that have been carried on by Dakota for time immemorial. These interactions can help impart and honour the vital knowledge nation members carry.

—

From kindergarten to Grade 8, students at Meadows School on Wednesday morning worked together on a special art project in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Each classroom was assigned one of the Seven Sacred Teachings, and students used the Indigenous art form of pointillism to create their own piece. The teachings are each symbolized by an animal: love (eagle), respect (buffalo), courage (bear), honesty (sabe/sasquatch), wisdom (beaver), humility (wolf) and truth (turtle).

“Today, we are concentrating on celebrating [Indigenous] culture,” said guidance counsellor Alicia DeDecker. There are larger posters representing each of the seven teachings, which will be surrounded by smaller ones to create meaningful murals throughout the school.

“It will all come together to make a really large school art project that we can display on our walls in recognition of the day.”

Wednesday was orange shirt day at Meadows, and students and staff alike were donning the bright T-shirts as a symbol of “Every Child Matters.” In front of the school is a memorial for the children who lost their lives at residential schools, with orange hearts, shoes and stuffed animals on display.

Grade 8 student Kale Jones created a footprint representing honesty. He said it took him about three art classes to complete the detailed painting, using Q-tips and dots. Kendra Grift, who’s also in Grade 8, created a wolf and said it was interesting to learn about the symbolism and the Indigenous art technique.

—

Martha Rousseau wants nothing to go to waste in the process of making gloves, mittens and moccasins.

The Nunavut-born but Onanole-based artist uses repurposed fur and leather from jackets to make warm clothing.

On Thursday, she was set up by the teepees at the Riverbank Discovery Centre while hundreds of people set off on a walk in memory of children who died at residential schools. Almost everyone in the group wore orange shirts as they walked to the site of the former Brandon Indian Residential School.

Rousseau has been at her craft for approximately 20 years and said she taught herself.

“Once you get the hang of it, it’s OK. It just takes time, especially if I do it by hand,” she said. A pair of gloves typically take her two days to complete.

—

After five days of spiritual healing and reflection, Brandon’s first-ever Truth and Reconciliation Week came to an end at the Riverbank Discovery Centre grounds on Friday afternoon.

The closing ceremonies were conducted by Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Elder Frank Tacan, who spoke to a crowd of 50 to 100 people about the intergenerational trauma that Indigenous people have endured due to Canadian institutions like residential schools.

Even though the federal government shut the last of these schools down in the 1990s, Tacan revealed that the physical and emotional scars still remain for many Indigenous people, especially with thousands of unmarked graves of residential school students being uncovered this year alone.

“Some non-Indigenous people say ‘get over it.’ My question is: how do we get over it? You come and tell me,” he said. “Because you can’t just get over trauma.”

Despite this heavy subject matter, Friday’s closing ceremony was largely optimistic in tone.

After all, the organizers of Brandon’s Truth and Reconciliation Week seemed happy with how the last five days had transpired, especially since this inaugural event had been put together in a relatively short period of time.

 

Oct. 16: Theatre lights on for Mecca Productions

By Kyle Darbyson

Excitement is building for Mecca performers who are set to return to the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium for the first time in more than 18 months this coming November.

Life without the ability to perform and unite during COVID-19 has been a challenging and isolating time for the Mecca team, said performer and stagehand Tiana Vasconcelos. The group’s latest production, “All Together Now!” marks a welcomed return for the cohort of performers and friends.

“This is our fun passion project; we come here to create with each other,” Vasconcelos said. “That really took a hit last year.”

Prior to COVID-19, Mecca members were always busy rehearsing for their next stage performance. It was exhilarating getting ready for the many shows hosted over the year. This includes a community musical in the fall, a community musical and kids show in the spring, and a drama or another small show along with Christmas and spring concerts.

The year before the pandemic, Mecca boasted a roster of roughly 115 performers enrolled in classes honing their craft Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights along with Saturday mornings.

“Before COVID my calendar was very full with lots of evenings and weekends for classes and performances,” said performer and music director Katherine MacFarlane. “During COVID my calendar became quite empty.”

When COVID-19 first hit, they were working to bring together the play “Spamalot.” It was fun rehearsing the community musical together, MacFarlane said, adding it was a difficult decision stopping the run of the show due to safety and public health orders necessitated by COVID-19.

 

Oct. 28: Ag Ex welcome boost for cattle industry; Nov. 15: Royal Manitoba Winter Fair to return in March 2022

By Chelsea Kemp

Returning to the Keystone Centre show ring for the first time in two years, cattle producers from across the Prairies are competing at Ag Ex this week.

Blair McRae of Mar Mac Farms served as an announcer at Ag Ex, introducing the class and competitors for the Little Lady Classic, Jackpot Bull and Simmental shows.

Getting back to Ag Ex was “like riding a bike” and a welcome return to the critical annual event, he said, adding a highlight of the week has been the opportunities to connect with longtime friends who have been attending Ag Ex for years, but the show also offered an opportunity for commerce.

McRae has been showing with Ag Ex since it launched in 1974. He is grateful to be back at the barns in the Keystone Centre because the show is an opportunity to promote his cattle.

“It’s a marketing thing for us. People get to see what cattle we have,” McRae said. “We’re having a sale this fall. The cattle that we’re showing are going to be in that sale, so we’re promoting that.”

—

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair will return in 2022, following two years of cancelled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair will take place March 28 to April 2, subject to all Manitoba Health orders.

“The health and safety of our fairgoers will always be a top priority,” Exhibition president Greg Crisanti said in a press release issued Monday. “We are in contact with Manitoba Health on a regular basis and will certainly be well prepared by the time March rolls around.”

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is one of Western Canada’s largest agricultural events and the largest annual event to be held in Brandon. This will mark the first RMWF since the cancellation of the event in March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Nov. 1: Stefanson makes history

By Colin Slark

Manitoba’s first woman premier and first woman Progressive Conservative leader will be Heather Stefanson.

The former minister of justice, health, families, deputy premier and Tuxedo MLA was selected to lead the Progressive Conservative party by grassroots party members in a mail-in vote.

Stefanson garnered a slim majority in votes, 8,405, to rival Shelly Glover’s 8,042.

She promised a more conciliatory tone from the Tory government, which sank in opinion polls under former premier Brian Pallister before he stepped down in September.

“I heard loud and clear that [Manitobans] want to see us take a much more collaborative approach when it comes to working with other levels of government and with stakeholders in our community,” Stefanson said in her victory speech.

While the party immediately recognized Stefanson’s win, Glover said she would hold back until she could analyze the results.

“I really can’t concede until I do the homework,” said Glover, who hugged Stefanson immediately after the results. She would not say when she would make a decision.

Early on after Pallister announced his retirement at the Dome Building in Brandon in August, Stefanson set herself up as the establishment candidate after securing endorsements from most of her caucus colleagues.

That support included Brandon’s three provincial Tory representatives — Brandon East MLA Len Isleifson, Brandon West MLA Reg Helwer and Spruce Woods MLA Cliff Cullen.

“It’s always exciting when you win an election,” Isleifson told the Sun by phone from Winnipeg after the results were announced.

“With the increase in memberships and the members of the party, it gives us an optimistic future, that’s for sure.”

(Note for readers: Glover would eventually sue the party for its handling of the election, asking a judge to invalidate the results of the leadership race. The judge dismissed her challenge in December.)

 

Nov. 20: Man killed in Westman remembered as athlete, caring

By Drew May

A man who died near Oak Lake Beach last week is being remembered as a great outdoorsman and an extremely caring person.

Scott Preston, 55, was a hockey goalie for senior teams around the region and a huge animal lover. The Sun spoke with a number of his friends, who confirmed he was the man killed in the Westman town on Nov. 12.

“He was a very happy gentleman, a happy guy,” said Nicki Hack, his partner of six years. She said they met at Leon’s, while Preston was buying furniture for his Oak Lake Beach home, which he built much of himself.

He was also a mountain climber, Hack said. He climbed to Mt. Everest base camp a few years ago and summited Island Peak, a nearby mountain in the Himalayas.

Preston was interested in hockey and other sports, she said, and played goalie for senior teams around Westman, including in Pipestone. He was competitive and loved to go biking and hike around the Brandon Hills with his dog, Oggie.

“He was just such a great guy,” she said.

 

Dec. 5: Brandon feels impact of vet shortage

By Chelsea Kemp

The Wheat City is experiencing a compounding issue of more families bringing home furry friends, placing pressure on an animal health system already short on veterinarians.

Veterinarian Dr. Vicky Sempers, co-owner of Grand Valley Animal Clinic, said being a vet during COVID-19 has been difficult — they are increasingly busy and it has been stressful ensuring they are complying with all public health regulations.

“We’ve had an increasing demand for services,” Sempers said. “Lots of people were at home and they weren’t travelling as much. It was a perfect time for lots of people to get new puppies and kittens because they had time to spend with them, and we just saw a huge jump in the number of people wanting to come in.”

Grand Valley saw a record number of people bringing home family pets and this, in turn, is leading to increasing demand for veterinarian services.

There are currently four full-time vets at the clinic and one part-time vet on hand to meet these demands, Sempers said.

At the beginning of 2021, they had seven full-time vets on staff.

“All the clinics in the area are, I think, finding the same thing,” Sempers said. “There is a Canada-wide shortage of veterinarians — it’s not just a Brandon thing. It’s the whole of Manitoba. Winnipeg is badly affected.”

It has always been challenging attracting vets to Brandon, and this has only become tougher in the past two years.

 

Dec. 10: Hughes found guilty of second-degree murder

By Drew May

Robert Hughes has been found guilty of killing his wife before their east-end house exploded in 2019.

The jury of 12 people found him guilty of second-degree murder after nearly two weeks of trial in the Brandon Court of Queens Bench. Hughes, 65, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Their deliberations began at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and wrapped up just after 1 p.m. Friday.

Hughes stood silently as the jury foreperson read the verdict while flanked by defence lawyers Saul Simmonds and Adam Hodge. Simmonds put his arm on Hughes’ shoulder when the verdict was read.

Several members of the audience could be heard crying once the verdict was announced.

The family declined to comment after court on Friday.

Outside the Brandon Court House, Simmonds said Hughes was feeling “broken” and sorely disappointed.

“It is clear from his evidence that it was an extremely difficult process for him to go through and it’s going to take some time for him to process today’s decision,” Simmonds said.

“Obviously, these were very, very difficult circumstances for him and trying to get through this has been difficult for everybody concerned.”

Over six days of trial, the court heard from various witnesses, including firefighters, police officers, neighbours, a DNA expert and a pathologist. Hughes testified in his own defence on Tuesday.

On Oct. 22, 2019, Brandon firefighters responded to the east-end property after it blew up. When they arrived, the walls of the house were blown out and Manitoba Hydro had to turn off the natural-gas line.

Brandon Police Service Const. Travis Foster said on the first day of the trial Betty was found inside the destroyed house with a multitude of cuts and lying in a pool of blood.

Firefighters then saw Hughes with a noose around his neck in the destroyed house, the court heard. He was transported to the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre, where he was arrested by Brandon police on Oct. 25.

» The Brandon Sun