The Sun’s stories of the year

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This article was published 31/12/2022 (1251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anyone wanting a calm, relaxing 2022 didn’t get their wish.

After a 2021 that featured a federal election, two new Manitoba premiers and a reckoning over residential schools, this year upped the ante.

For weeks in the early part of the year, Canada’s national capital and several border crossings were besieged by the so-called “freedom convoy.”

The Conservative Party of Canada jettisoned its leader Erin O’Toole and selected a firebrand in Pierre Poilievre after a bitterly fought leadership campaign.

Closer to home, the City of Brandon encountered some hard times post-pandemic, but there were also plenty of stories about the community coming together in the face of tragedy and adversity.

In Westman, high water threatened livelihoods in places like Minnedosa, but residents worked together to protect their town with sandbags.

These are just a handful of the major events that made news headlines this year.

Here are The Brandon Sun’s top stories of 2022.

Jan. 12: YWCA closing Meredith Place in May

By Chelsea Kemp

After decades of service to the community, the building that houses YWCA Brandon’s Meredith Place will permanently close its doors in May.

It was a difficult decision to shutter the current Meredith Place building, said YWCA executive director Heather Symbalisty. It marks a major change to Brandon YWCA operations in 2022.

“It just had so many major issues that we cannot ignore that we need to be able to provide services to individuals that are going to be safe and secure. We cannot provide that within this building structure moving forward,” Symbalisty said. “That is why we had to make those tough decisions.”

The YWCA developed a collaborative and strategic plan in 2021. One of the major changes the organization is pursuing is the restructuring of the services it provides, including closing the physical location of the service at 148 11th St.

The current building housing Meredith Place will officially close its doors May 1. The future of the current building, which is owned by the YWCA, remains undecided.

“I have cried many tears over the last few days — our hearts are in this and it has definitely been challenging, but we will move forward and face those challenges and get through with the support of the Westman community.”

The Meredith Place building is more than 100 years old and has undergone several renovations, she said, but still has some structural and funding concerns.

After a professional assessment of the facility and the identification of damages to the structure, it was found it would not be possible to renovate.

Jan. 14: No ambulance transport following head-on collision

By Kyle Darbyson

A Brandon woman is still recovering from a head-on vehicle collision where an ambulance wasn’t immediately available to transport her to a hospital.

Instead, Karmelle, who declined to give her last name due to privacy concerns, told the Sun that her husband had to pick her up at the accident site Thursday morning and bring her to the Brandon Regional Health Centre for treatment.

“It’s a little frustrating,” the 27-year-old told the Sun. “Because we pay for our health care through our taxes, and you expect it to be there when you need it. And then for it not to be [there], it kind of sucks.”

The accident took place around 7:30 a.m., when Karmelle was driving along Richmond Avenue East to attend her out-of-town job east of Brandon.

Roughly one kilometre west of the Provincial Trunk Highway 110 intersection, a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction at around 90 km/h swerved into the oncoming lane and hit Karmelle’s 2015 Ford Edge head-on.

She is amazed she managed to escape the incident with only cuts and bruises, especially since the entire front part of her vehicle was crushed.

Jan. 25: Convoy passes through Brandon

By Kyle Darbyson

Hundreds of Westman residents endured extreme temperatures Tuesday morning to support the “freedom” rally that travelled through Brandon on its way to Ottawa.

The fleet of big rig trucks started rolling through the Wheat City around 11:30 a.m., with a large group of supporters already lining both sides of the Trans-Canada Highway near 18th Street.

The next hour featured a sustained cacophony of horns and cheers from the crowd and drivers, who all appeared to support the main idea behind the gathering — that the federal government should do away with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Killarney resident Ann Foote told the Sun she attended Tuesday’s rally in Brandon to honour her late father, who was a lifelong trucker and would back the nationwide protest if he were still alive.

“For me, it’s not about the [COVID-19] shot. It’s about the freedom and choices we get to make,” Foote said. “I do have the vaccine, but I would have loved to have done it on my own choice, not to be forced [to keep] my job.”

Meanwhile, fellow Killarney resident Cindy Kempthorne revealed she lost her part-time job as a bartender at the local Legion Hall due to her unvaccinated status.

“Both my grandfathers would be rolling over in their graves if they knew what was going on,” she said.

Feb. 2: Brandon business fined from breaking health orders

By Karen McKinley

A Brandon business has been fined $5,000 for defying mask mandates in support of a trucker convoy camped out on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Natural health and organic foods store Two Farm Kids briefly had a sign posted on its front door last weekend encouraging people to drop their masks on Jan. 29 in support of the convoy, which is calling for an end to COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates. The sign prompted the public to “drop off their masks at city hall, burn them in a barrel, stand with the truckers who are standing up for all of us.”

The sign was removed by Saturday night, said co-owner Sylvia Ubell, but the business did receive a notice and a ticket for “failing to comply with an emergency health hazard order, namely COVID-19 prevention order” on Feb. 1.

This was about freedom of choice, said Ubell, who owns the store with her husband, Greg.

She said she has always believed pandemic health orders have been government overreach and decided to take a stand in solidarity with the truckers, saying everyone else can do the same. Emails and comments from people coming into the store prove she is not alone, Ubell said.

Feb. 17: Fire incinerates whole building in west end

By Drew May

A large fire tore through an under-construction apartment building in Brandon’s west end Thursday morning, leaving only smouldering remains by the afternoon.

Firefighters were called to 4110 Victoria Ave. at approximately 8:15 a.m. for a report of the fire, said Brandon Fire and Emergency Services deputy chief Terry Parlow.

By the time they arrived at the scene, the structure was “fully engulfed” on the fourth floor, he said. No one was in the building at the time.

“Fire crews were able to quickly attack the fire … they were able to get water on the fire and protect any outlying structures,” he said.

There was no damage to any surrounding buildings and they were not evacuated.

The fire was under control within an hour. Nobody was injured. Parlow partially credited the weather as there was little wind when the blaze started.

The fire was extinguished in the morning and by approximately 2 p.m., several firefighters were spraying water on the remains of the building. The four-storey building was completely destroyed, leaving only steaming and charred remnants.

March 2: Dauphin rallies behind Ukraine

By Chelsea Kemp

DAUPHIN — More than a hundred people congregated in front of Dauphin City Hall Wednesday, carrying signs that called for an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Dauphin Mayor Christian Laughland broke down in tears while speaking to the crowd, calling on the community to stand united with the country under attack during the Stand with Ukraine rally.

“Everyone wants to come together,” Laughland said. “We can’t really do much from a stopping-it perspective, but we can at least give support and show them that we are on their side and we want it all to stop.”

The rally in support of Ukraine featured speakers including Laughland, Rural Municipality of Dauphin Reeve Stuart Geekie, Dauphin–Swan River–Neepawa MP Dan Mazier and other leaders in the community.

The feeling of despair in the community has been surging, Laughland said, as people watch the dangers of the conflict grow with each passing day. Ukrainian culture is part of Dauphin and as the war persists, community members have experienced shock, heartbreak and unity.

“The world is rallying around Ukraine. No one wants to see this, this is unacceptable and we all want it to end, and we don’t want it to escalate any further,” Laughland said.

April 2: Wildcats win MFHL U18 AAA title

By Lucas Punkari

For the third time in team history, the Westman Wildcats are Manitoba Female Hockey League U18 AAA champions.

The Wildcats captured the crown in front of their home fans in Hartney on Friday night as they defeated the Winnipeg Ice by a score of 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep in the best-of-five series.

“It’s still a bit of a blur,” Wildcats captain Makenna Beard said shortly after the final whistle. “My heart’s still pounding and I can’t even catch my breath.

“Even though we were a young team this year, we knew from the start that this was going to be a strong group. We went into the playoffs on a bit of a down note, but we battled hard right from the opening game against Central Plains and we’ve only gotten better since then.”

In capturing the title, this year’s Wildcats join the 2008-09 and 2018-19 squads as league champions.

“I was a rookie on that team three years ago and there’s a lot of similarities between the two groups,” Wildcats alternate captain Kelsey Page said.

“We were both young teams but we all had the will to win. We kept building up our intensity through each series and I honestly think that helped us in the end.”

April 22: Surgeon’s licence suspension ending Monday

By Karen McKinley

The licence suspension of a Brandon-based general surgeon is coming to an end on Monday.

Dr. Sonny Dhalla was reprimanded and given a two-month suspension by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba after an inquiry found he was responsible for the death of a patient under his care in 2015.

Dhalla didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.

Records from the Manitoba Court of Appeal and the College of Physicians and Surgeons state Dhalla was the physician on-call at the Brandon Regional Health Centre on Nov. 5, 2015, when the patient, only identified as a 59-year-old man, came to the emergency department and was admitted. Dhalla diagnosed the patient with gastric volvulus, an abnormal rotation of the stomach, and performed surgery, but the patient’s condition remained unstable.

Over the following days, the patient suffered from serious internal bleeding, but Dhalla deemed it unnecessary and unadvisable to operate again. Another doctor voiced their concern over the patient’s blood loss and even asked Dhalla to cancel another patient’s procedure to deal with the patient’s bleeding. Dhalla refused and another surgeon stepped in to perform the surgery.

May 8: Outpouring of support for Charest

By Joseph Bernacki

Dozens of people at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3 on Sunday had a chance to hear why Jean Charest is the best candidate to unite the Conservative Party of Canada and defeat the Liberal government in the next federal election.

Embarking on a tour across the country, Charest, the former leader of the Progressive Conservative party and three-term premier of Quebec, made a stop in Brandon to share why he is best suited to represent the party, ahead of the leadership election that will take place on Sept. 10.

The Brandon Legion event marked a significant announcement for Charest’s campaign as Larry Maguire, the Conservative member of Parliament for Brandon–Souris, arrived to endorse the potential leader whom he has known for a long time.

“Mr. Charest is a proven winner, a proven statesman, and a proven leader,” Maguire said.

“People are making their choices based on their personal views as well as what they see in these leaders. They see a person in Mr. Charest that can easily beat the Liberals in the next election.”

Maguire commended Charest’s appearance in southwestern Manitoba and said he has been one of the best premiers to serve Quebec during his long tenure of representing Canada at the provincial and federal level.

May 12: Kings reflect on Turnbull Cup win

By Lucas Punkari

When the Dauphin Kings arrived at Credit Union Place at 4 a.m. Thursday, they had an extra passenger with them from their trip to Steinbach.

The Kings captured their eighth Turnbull Cup and the first Manitoba Junior Hockey League title since 2010 on Wednesday night with a 2-1 triumph over the host Pistons in Game 7 of the league final.

“Everyone’s still on Cloud 9,” Kings netminder Carson Cherepak said.

“It was a little weird to be celebrating on a bus with everybody, but we’re not going to complain about that.”

Although the game wasn’t in Dauphin, a sizeable group of Kings fans travelled to the T.G. Smith Centre and made their presence felt throughout the evening.

“The support they gave us tonight was incredible,” Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley told Darnell Duff after the game. “When we came out on the ice for the warmup, I wasn’t quite sure what rink we were in with how loud they were.

“When they were all chanting for us at the end of the game, you would have thought that we were playing in Dauphin,” Cherepak added. “They really came through for us and that was awesome to see.”

May 17: Business owners scramble to stay afloat in Minnedosa

By Joseph Bernacki

MINNEDOSA — Krista Powell and Lisa Buchanan woke up Tuesday morning knowing time was not on their side in a race to save all of their merchandise from a potential flooding disaster.

The Minnedosa entrepreneurs and co-owners of Gold Leaf Boutique quickly got to work, boxing up everything they owned into five vehicles in a matter of hours.

After overcoming difficult business restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and officially opening in February, overland flooding from the Little Saskatchewan River along Minnedosa’s Main Street has brought on the next series of challenges for the duo. The uncertainty of water damage to their storefront and the interior now remains in question.

“We have been closed since Thursday, so we have no income coming in,” Powell said. “It’s terrifying, because there is nothing we can do.”

“If you talked to me early this morning, you probably would’ve got gushing tears and a slobbering mess, but I actually feel confident that we’re going to be OK now,” Buchanan said. “Our stuff is going to go into my parents’ shop where it’s warm and dry, and we’re going to have a really good sleep tonight.”

May 25: Farmers race against the clock

By Joshua Frey-Sam

RIVERS — Ron Krahn stood on the back of a grey loading truck Wednesday morning, attentively watching its bed fill with thousands of tiny blue pellets of seeding fertilizer.

He was up at 5:30 a.m. doing the same thing and, as long as the weather holds up, he’ll be out past dark.

An 18-hour workday has been Krahn’s new normal over the past several weeks, as he races to seed his grain crops in between frequent rainfalls that continue to besiege southwestern Manitoba.

But Krahn, a third-generation farmer, is taking the long days over the alternative.

Over the past week alone, more than 110 millimetres of rain have drenched his 4,800 acres of land — 261 per cent above normal, according to a Manitoba Agriculture crop weather report.

May 25: Teen mourned after deadly crash

By Drew May

A young man is being remembered as a car enthusiast and caring person after he died in a collision along Grand Valley Road on Sunday evening.

Friends of Jonathan Hofer, 18, confirmed he died in a vehicle accident west of Brandon over the Victoria Day long weekend.

“We have lost a very, very kind soul, a very generous soul,” wrote friend Andy Chambers in a Facebook message to the Sun.

“Jonathan didn’t care about money. If someone needed help in any way, he was right there offering anything he could. All he wanted was to see other people happy, to see other people succeed,” the message reads.

Chambers said Hofer’s friends were not ready to speak about his death when contacted Wednesday.

Police responded to the collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to Blue Hills RCMP. The collision was on Grand Valley Road, near the intersection of Road 115 North, approximately eight kilometres west of Brandon.

The driver of the vehicle, an 18-year-old Brandon woman, was “extricated” from the vehicle and transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said in a press release.

May 27: Council’s informal meetings may violate Municipal Act

By Colin Slark

A University of Winnipeg professor specializing in municipal politics said he believes Brandon City Council’s frequent practice of holding informal, off-the-record meetings outside of the regular schedule likely violates Manitoba’s Municipal Act.

Between Oct. 25, 2018, and April 30, 2022, city council met 206 times but only about half of those meetings were in the public eye.

“The legislation is very clear that these sessions have to happen in public and there have to be recorded minutes,” said Aaron Moore, a U of W political science professor whose research focuses on urban politics and public policy.

Earlier this year, the Sun filed a freedom of information and protection of privacy request with Brandon City Council asking for the dates of every regular, special and informal meeting it held from the day after the last municipal elections in Manitoba to the end of April 2022.

The document received after making that request shows council hosts more informal, off-the-record meetings than it does regularly scheduled, public ones.

Since the last municipal election, Brandon City Council has held 76 regular meetings, 27 special meetings and 103 informal sessions.

June 6: Hughes eligible for parole in 13 years

By Drew May

Robert Hughes will spend 13 years in prison before he is eligible for parole after being found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his wife.

“The accused killed his spouse in their home during their separation. Betty [Hughes] suffered significant injuries and would have suffered before she died. She was beaten and cut. No effort of the accused was made to give her medical attention,” Justice Scott Abel said during the sentencing hearing in the Brandon Court of Queen’s Bench.

Robert Hughes, 65, was found guilty by a jury of killing his wife, Betty Hughes, after a trial last December. After killing her, he tried to end his own life by cutting the gas line and blowing up their east-end house. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Dec. 16: Convicted murderer Hughes dies in prison

By Colin Slark

A Brandon man convicted in December 2021 in the second-degree murder of his wife has died in custody at Stony Mountain Institution, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.

The CSC put out a release Wednesday afternoon naming the deceased inmate as Robert Hughes, who “had been serving an indeterminate sentence for second-degree murder since June 6, 2022,”

On Thursday morning, Laurie Burnouf of the CSC confirmed to the Sun via email it was the same Robert Hughes who was convicted in late 2021 of killing his wife Betty Hughes before blowing up his house on Oct. 22, 2019.

July 1: Suspected remains of Jordan Ross found

By The Brandon Sun

Nearly two weeks after he went missing, the remains of Brandon resident Jordan Ross were found by Manitoba RCMP on Thursday, according to his brother, Jeff Ross.

In a statement, Ross wrote that his brother’s body was found in the Assiniboine River. Although official confirmation has not yet taken place, a phone found on the body belonged to Jordan Ross.

“The search for Jordan is over,” Jeff Ross wrote. “He is home. Not how we want, but we can find peace in knowing he’s no longer lost out there and the healing process can begin. Thank you for your love and support through this very difficult time.”

July 7: One dead, Harrison Park reeve in hospital following collision

By Drew May

One person is dead and the Municipality of Harrison Park reeve is in hospital after a collision along Highway 10 Monday morning.

The Municipality of Harrison Park made the announcement about Reeve Jason Potter on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.

“Reeve Potter’s family is asking for respect and privacy during this difficult time,” the post reads. It also states Potter “sustained life-threatening injuries.”

“Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this terrible accident.”

Note: Potter survived his injuries but ended up not running for re-election.

July 12-20: Scars and stripes

Series by Thomas Friesen.

The first soccer game I refereed ended with a coach taking a swing at me.

Well, it ended with my three whistles, abandoning the match due to a sudden bolt of lightning. “One Mississippi, two Mississippi,” then loud, rumbling thunder as the skies opened.

In hindsight, it’s probably my fault the coach was upset. I’ve never called a perfect game and my first one was far from flawless. The penalty kick that led to the game’s only goal, however, was clear and obvious but the coach still screamed about that.

His side, which sat atop the 10-and-under league standings, fell to one of the bottom feeders in a match that ended 15 minutes shy of the full hour. As the coaches met at my drenched duffel bag to discuss how we’d proceed, my 13-year-old, know-it-all self thought it was my job to inform the losing coach that since we completed more than two-thirds of the match, the result was final and he lost. That’s the moment he lost it.

As I ducked his punch, scooped up my bag and bolted for my mom’s baby-blue 2006 Dodge Caravan, I decided that was my first and last game.

That was a few hundred matches ago.

The only thing worse than someone who doesn’t know the rules is a person who incorrectly thinks they do.

Officials aren’t perfect, but they’re right a whole lot more often than anyone watching a game that hasn’t read the rule book, sometimes even after seven camera angles in slow motion.

The vast majority of amateur sports don’t have the luxury of instant replay to correct tough decisions. Refs get one shot and they aren’t perfect. It’s true, they’ll miss the odd call and fans, players and coaches will grow understandably upset.

For every one of those, however, there are at least a dozen moments the official knows with 100 per cent certainty they were correct or at the very least consistent with how they’ve called the game all night.

One play in the Edmonton-Colorado series of the 2022 NHL playoffs sparked a hot debate. Cale Makar appeared to take the puck across the blue-line while an Avalanche teammate was still in the zone, but after replay, it was confirmed he hadn’t touched the puck in the zone until his teammate left and the ensuing goal stood.

ESPN rules analyst Dave Jackson posted a video explaining the call on Twitter and still had hundreds of fans disagreeing with the call.

“For some people, their fanaticism or fandom for their team outweighs any bit of rationale or common sense. They want their team to win so badly they have to come up with reasons why their team is not achieving,” Jackson said.

“I remember listening to an NHL GM once who jokingly said that ever since he’s held a job his team has never lost a hockey game. They’ve either won or been screwed by the officials.

“So many calls in hockey are judgment calls,” he added. “Tripping seems pretty cut and dry but … there’s certain circumstances, sometimes it’s called, sometimes it isn’t.”

Reading a rule book for the sport you play, coach or watch is an eye-opening experience. You’ll almost definitely realize some of your past frustrations about calls were misguided. It truly makes the game more enjoyable when you spend less time dumbfounded at the calls.

Aug. 3: Singer, former Sun reporter Diane Nelson dies

By Ian Hitchen

Despite their shock and sorrow, friends and family are paying tribute to local singer and award-winning journalist Diane Nelson, who died in Brandon hospital on Monday.

Ken McPhail said his beloved wife’s death was the result of complications from a brain bleed and subsequent stroke.

“I have lost the most beautiful and precious thing in my life,” McPhail told the Sun.

McPhail said Nelson suffered the brain bleed at their Brandon home on May 7 and stayed four weeks at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg before being transferred back to hospital in Brandon. There, she initially underwent rehabilitation, but the 62-year-old was later placed in the palliative care unit, where she remained until her death.

Born and educated in Brandon, Nelson’s career as a print journalist and broadcaster spanned 34 years. During her 15 years at the Sun, she covered the medical beat as the newspaper’s health reporter, and was known for her arts and lifestyles features.

During the 1990s, Nelson won the Thomson Newspapers International Award for deadline writing and three Manitoba Human Rights Journalism awards.

Former Sun editor Jim Lewthwaite described Nelson as a compassionate writer.

Aug. 5: Poilievre energizes Brandon crowd

By Colin Slark

More than 100 people showed up to the Victoria Inn on Thursday afternoon to hear from a man introduced as the Conservative Party of Canada’s “next leader” by a local MP.

After endorsing Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre in his bid to become the next Tory leader earlier this year, Dauphin–Swan River–Neepawa MP Dan Mazier served as emcee for the raucous crowd.

Rather than attend the third debate of the leadership campaign in Ottawa on Wednesday evening, Poilievre instead elected to tour the Prairies.

The politician’s appearance in Brandon included opportunities for party members to vote and listen as he discussed his platform for about 30 minutes.

Speaking to the Sun ahead of the event, Poilievre said it was a better use of his time to visit the Prairies and connect with “hard-working Canadians who have been ignored for too long” rather than “being cooped up in a small room with a defeated former Liberal premier.”

Poilievre was referring to fellow candidate and former Quebec premier Jean Charest, who led that province’s Liberal party in government, though he was previously a leader of the federal Progressive Conservatives.

During the race, Charest and Poilievre have exchanged bitter words that some have wondered might be a sign of division between different wings of the party.

“All real Conservatives” will be able to unite at the end of the race to beat the Liberals, Poilievre said, noting Charest is not on that list.

Poilievre has been clear during his campaign that he’s not just running to be a party leader — he’s running to be prime minister. That’s evident on the signs and stickers handed out in Brandon on Thursday reading “Pierre Poilievre for Prime Minister” in both English and French.

Asked what he believes will lead him to success against Justin Trudeau after Stephen Harper, Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole had second-place finishes against the Liberals, Poilievre said it’s his stance on economic issues.

Aug. 9-13: 1982 Labatt Brier retrospective

By Lucas Punkari

The 1980 edition of Canada’s men’s curling championship was a pivotal one in its history.

For starters, it marked the debut of a new title sponsor in the Labatt Brewing Company as Macdonald Tobacco — from which one of their products is how the Brier got its name — ended their 52-year run in 1979.

There was also a new format for the tournament. Gone was the straight round-robin and in came a three-team playoff designed for television.

The trophy was also changed, but the old Brier tankard would eventually make its return in 2001 when Labatt’s tenure as the title sponsor ended.

If you ask people what stood out from the week, the answers would vary from Rick Folk earning Saskatchewan’s last title to date to the lone appearance by the infamous Paul Gowsell at the national event.

However, for those in Westman, the highlight came the night before the tournament started on Feb. 29, 1980.

That’s when Brandon beat out Saskatoon to earn the right to host the 1982 Labatt Brier.

Aug. 17: Brandon man escapes bug-infested Manitoba Housing unit

By Karen McKinley

A Brandon man says his life is in limbo after plans to move closer to family in Winnipeg ended in him fleeing his Manitoba Housing apartment that was infested with cockroaches and bed bugs.

Victor Bouvette, 68, is now living out of bags after returning to his original Manitoba Housing unit in Lawson Lodge on Eighth Street in Brandon. In the meantime, he’s attempting to salvage the furniture and household items he left in Winnipeg, but was told he has until Friday to remove his belongings, or they’ll be discarded.

A pensioner with heart problems, he said he doesn’t have the means to return to Winnipeg or retrieve his belongings.

“I have no money, I’m barely scraping by as it is and that move cost me $2,000,” he said on Tuesday. “I was very fortunate the Brandon people at Manitoba Housing got me back in so quickly. My neighbours have helped with food, and friends have loaned me some other things, but the rest of my stuff is in Winnipeg and I can’t get back there on my own.”

Bouvette said he has suffered five heart attacks, two strokes and a recent chest infection.

Aug. 20: Coach Bambury shoots free throws for a day

By Thomas Friesen

James Bambury turns 40 years old standing at the free-throw line in an empty Healthy Living Centre. A Wilson Evolution basketball sits in his right hand, John Feinstein’s “A March to Madness” audiobook plays in his left ear and a dull pain increases in his forearm.

The clock strikes midnight on Sunday, Aug. 14 while an iPad is perched on a blue plastic chair in the middle of Henry Champ Gymnasium, plugged into an extension cord to record something as utterly mundane and repetitive as it is remarkable: 24 straight hours of free throws.

A 32-inch flatscreen is to Bambury’s right, on a table behind multiple notebooks and a half-eaten tub of grocery-store chocolate chip cookies.

He caught up on “Game of Thrones” during the first 12 hours of his birthday celebration/punishment. The Brandon University women’s basketball coach picked his goal a few months back and got clearance to stay on the court from noon last Saturday to noon on Sunday.

Sept. 20: Westman ride to honour residential school survivors

By Miranda Leybourne

Next week residents of Waywayseecappo, Birdtail Sioux and Canupawakpa First Nations as well as Sioux Valley Dakota Nation are embarking on a ride — whether that’s on horseback, bicycle or by foot — to spread awareness of the former residential school system in Canada.

Participants will convene in Waywayseecappo on Sunday to begin the journey with a breakfast at 10 a.m., followed by a blessing at 11. From there, they will travel to the site of the former residential school in Birtle, located 142 kilometres northwest of Brandon, at noon.

The Birtle school was built in 1882, two blocks west of the Main Street bridge, according to the Manitoba Historical Society (MHS). Originally constructed as a school for the children of that community, then-mayor J.S. Crawford had the federal government lease the building as a residential school for Indigenous children from surrounding reserves in 1890. The MHS said the building operated as a residential school for two years before town children returned to the school.

A dedicated Indian residential school was built at the site in 1894, on a hill overlooking Birtle. Responsibility for the facility transferred from the Presbyterian Church in Canada to the federal government in March 1969, before it closed in 1972.

On the second day of the ride, participants will make their way from Birtle to Birdtail Sioux First Nation, located 135 km northwest of Brandon. The day after that, the group will travel to the site of the former Washakada Indian Residential School, also known as the Elkhorn Indian Residential School, in the rural municipality of Wallace-Woodworth, 76 km west of Brandon.

Sept. 30: First Nation, province spar over gas access

By Colin Slark

Waywayseecappo First Nation’s gas bar in the RM of Elton frequently offers cheap gas, stirring up long lines of traffic in the surrounding area.

So long, in fact, that it has become a point of contention between the nation and the provincial government.

On Monday, the Sun received a package of documents showing a lengthy dispute between the province and Waywayseecappo about highway access to the gas bar.

The package, which was sent to the Sun by an anonymous source, contains several copies of internal ministerial briefings and correspondence between cabinet ministers, Manitoba Infrastructure officials and Waywayseecappo about the creation of an alternate access to the property, which lies just north of the Trans-Canada Highway and south of Brandon Municipal Airport.

When Waywayseecappo was looking to establish the gas bar in 2018 on land that has since become an urban reserve, Manitoba Infrastructure provided a sketch plan that showed access to the gas bar property via a service route connected to the road that leads to the airport. Access via Highway 10 was to be closed once the gas bar was built.

Oct. 12: Emergency shelter reaches capacity

By Karen McKinley

Samaritan House Ministries may soon be forced to turn people away from its emergency shelter due to capacity limits, and executive director Barbara McNish says the timing couldn’t be worse.

The Samaritan House board of directors held an emergency meeting Tuesday evening as the organization’s Safe and Warm Shelter has reached capacity.

“We have been seeing the numbers expanding and we have reached capacity, which is 41 clients,” McNish told the Sun Wednesday.

Shelter use has been creeping up over the past year, and the centre has been operating at its highest capacity since it opened in 2013.

Early indicators show that the shelter, which depends primarily on donations and grants, has already served close to 400 unique clients in 2022, according to a news release. Demand for food hampers has also increased, with more than 700 prepared each week so far in October.

Oct. 18: Sash presentation highlights inspiring journey

By Perry Bergson

When Brandon Wheat Kings forward Matt Henry and head coach Don MacGillivray were presented with special Métis sashes in Vancouver on Friday, it might have seemed like the start of a special new journey.

In a way, it was the early culmination of Henry’s previous path that started at age two and featured the unyielding love of a single father who scrambled and sacrificed to keep his two sons in an increasingly expensive game.

It’s a story best told in four parts.

1. GROWING UP

Henry’s story began in Prince Albert, Sask., where he and his younger brother Dayne were raised by their single father, Kevin.

Kevin’s twin brother Keith is president of the B.C. Métis Federation, representing about 6,000 people in the province. They were born in Thompson but raised in Prince Albert.

Both Keith and Kevin played hockey, with Keith competing at the Junior A and Junior B levels and finishing his career with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Flin Flon Bombers at age 19 and heading to university at 20.

Meanwhile, after playing hockey and football when he was younger, Kevin took up bodybuilding, won a provincial title in Saskatchewan and finished sixth at a national competition.

Oct. 27: Polls lean toward Fawcett

By Colin Slark

Three-term city councillor Jeff Fawcett will be Brandon’s next mayor.

Results were still coming in at the Sun’s print deadline, but Fawcett led challenger Elliott Oleson in every poll result released as of 10:30 p.m.

At 10:45 p.m., polls were reporting 2,520 votes for Fawcett and 980 for Oleson.

At the Riverbank Discovery Centre, approximately 30 people, including fellow council colleagues Coun. Shaun Cameron (Ward 4) and Coun. Glen Parker (Riverview), were on hand to cheer Fawcett on and snack on catered treats from Benny’s Restaurant.

“It’s really exciting,” Fawcett said. “I’ve got family with me and a lot of people that helped me out, and I really look forward to working with the next council.”

The mayor-elect attributed his victory to an early start, working hard to meet residents and knocking on as many doors as possible.

His tenure on city council doesn’t hurt, either.

Fawcett praised his opponent, Oleson, for entering the race and coming out to debate the ideas that matter to Brandon during the campaign.

“We got on really well,” Fawcett said. “He had some strong points and I was very glad that we were in the race together. Elliott and I were in university together years ago, and I always enjoyed having discussions with him. I think we had a lot of really good councillors running in the race, too.”

With results still coming in more than two hours after polls closed, Fawcett said he hoped it would be quicker next time around.

Oct. 28: Four new councillors elected in Brandon

Only one incumbent failed to retain their seat on Brandon City Council following Wednesday’s election — the results of which weren’t actually known until well after midnight Thursday.

Not enough votes had been counted to call any of the races by the Sun’s press deadline Wednesday, although it appeared that former councillor Jeff Fawcett would be elevated to the mayor’s chair.

That turned out to be true, with Fawcett receiving 4,759 votes to challenger Elliott Oleson’s 1,777 votes.

The 6,536 total votes cast represent a voter turnout of approximately 17.9 per cent. That’s an improvement of just one per cent over 2018, when voter turnout was at 16.86 per cent in a race that saw Rick Chrest acclaimed back into the mayoral position.

On Thursday morning, Fawcett said, he spent time with Chrest at city hall for the last few hours of his term, which officially expired at noon.

Nov. 1: Lockdowns over at Crocus Plains, Maryland Park

By The Brandon Sun

Two separate incidents near Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School drew a heavy police presence Tuesday morning, prompting a lockdown there as well as at nearby Maryland Park School.

At least two people are in custody relating to the second incident, according to Brandon Police Service Sgt. Kirby Sararas.

“I don’t have any details on them other than one [suspect] was located and arrested in this area and another was closer to 20th Street in the 1500 block, approximately,” Sararas said in an interview around 10:30 a.m.

The incident that led to the lockdowns involved a report of individuals with guns near the school around 9:53 a.m.

After the lockdown and a subsequent hold and secure at Crocus Plains and Maryland Park, Brandon Police Service posted on Twitter that after their arrival, police received a call indicating one of the suspects may have run into one of the schools.

Though police later said the information turned out to be inaccurate, they conducted a search of the school for safety reasons.

Brandon School Division received a report about the incident from police around 10 a.m. and was advised to initiate lockdown procedures until further notice, BSD communications co-ordinator Terri Curtis said.

Dec. 2: Wheat Kings talk distressed man off bridge

By Perry Bergson

» EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains content that may be upsetting to some readers.

Four Brandon Wheat Kings successfully interceded to help a distressed man who was contemplating suicide on the First Street bridge Tuesday evening.

After volunteering at Samaritan House earlier in the evening, Brandonites Calder Anderson and Nolan Ritchie were showing British Columbia products Jake Chiasson and Ben Thornton around the city when Ritchie spotted the man standing on one of the cement abutments for light poles between the north- and south-bound bridges around 9 p.m.

Ritchie, who was driving south, pointed it out.

“The other guys in the car told me to turn around and we went back, heading north over the bridge,” Ritchie said. “He was sitting there and pointing down at us and we were like ‘That’s kind of weird.’”

They didn’t know if there was a gap in the middle between the bridges, so Anderson stuck his head out the back window and confirmed there was. They made another U-turn, heading south again, and this time stopped about 20 feet from the man and Ritchie put on his four-way flashers.

Anderson rolled down his window to ask if the man was all right, and then stepped out of the car to talk to him while Chiasson called 911 from the front seat to summon emergency responders.

Dec. 10: Pedestrian dies following Daly Overpass collision

By Kyle Darbyson

» EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains content that may be upsetting to some readers.

A 19-year-old man is dead following a Friday morning vehicle-pedestrian collision that took place on the Daly Overpass, with local police ruling the death a suicide.

Brandon Police Service officers responded to reports of a traffic accident on the 18th Street bridge at 6:22 a.m. and closed off the structure for several hours to investigate.

The pedestrian was rushed to the Brandon Regional Health Centre by ambulance to treat their “serious injuries,” but was pronounced dead a short time later.

An initial investigation revealed the 19-year-old intentionally put himself in the path of a white Honda Accord that was heading north on the bridge.

The driver of the vehicle “had no ability to avoid colliding with the male,” according to a BPS news release that was posted Saturday morning. Because of this, no charges are being laid against the driver.

Dec. 14: Lake Audy occupation ends after three years

By Miranda Leybourne

A man who has lived in the Lake Audy area in Riding Mountain National Park since 2019 has been seemingly arrested by park wardens and had his belongings removed.

As reported by the Sun in August 2020, Wesley Bone took up residence in a kitchen structure within the park in December 2019, and erected a teepee, signage and steel cattle gates at the Lake Audy entrance, located 123 kilometres north of Brandon.

Residents in the area have asked Parks Canada to remove him since he began living in the area. Bone maintained that his goal was to use the area to instruct young Indigenous people about their true history and identity. He said he does not recognize modern treaties or the Indian Act.

On Dec. 9, the Sun received an anonymous tip stating Wesley Bone had been removed from the area, as well as a link to two videos showing Bone’s arrest.

The larger video, uploaded to Bone’s Twitter account on Nov. 27 with claims he had been “arrested by belligerents” and “never ceded,” shows Bone being arrested by Parks Canada wardens at the Co-op cardlock gas station in Strathclair, located 92 kilometres northwest of Brandon. In the video, someone holding a phone camera is being held back by park wardens while an individual is put into a Parks Canada vehicle. Another three-second video shows Bone looking at the camera before being taken away in handcuffs.

Dec. 26: One dead in Gladstone Hotel fire

By Colin Slark

GLADSTONE — One person has died after the Gladstone Hotel burned down early Christmas morning.

According to Municipality of WestLake-Gladstone Mayor Daryl Shipman, the hotel caught fire around 1:45 a.m.

“Fire crews came out pretty quickly, but it was engulfed right away,” Shipman said. “From what I understand, the Neepawa and Plumas fire departments also came down, but they couldn’t save the building itself. The building it was attached to, the gallery building, the firewall kept it secure, but it had to be evacuated with water and smoke damage to it.”

Shipman said he couldn’t name the deceased until their family is notified and proper procedure is followed. Also affected were apartments located in the back of the hotel building.

The local volunteer fire department was still on scene keeping an eye on hot spots and flareups, Shipman said Sunday. He asked people to stay away from the scene as they would be there for most of the day and possibly into the evening.

» Compiled by Colin Slark