Editorials

Opinion

Brandon City Council Ward 2 candidate Buchi Onuke speaks during the first of two Brandon City Councillor candidate debates hosted by the Brandon Sun, Brandon University and WCGtv in October at Brandon University’s Lorne Watson Recital Hall. The first debate featured candidates from Ward 5 and Ward 2. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Slate of candidates who ran for city election reflects progress

5 minute read Updated: 9:19 AM EST

“We teach our children kindness, respect, and inclusion. Shouldn’t we lead by example? Disagreement is part of democracy. Discrimination should never be.”

— Jay Mahida, unsuccessful candidate for school board trustee

I took a call to the newsroom several years ago from a person who was unhappy that some of the newcomers to our city objected to paying tax on items they were buying from the big box store where she worked.

It was at the start of what would be a sustained migration of people from China, Ukraine, Nigeria and parts of South America over the course of the next two decades to neighbourhoods across the city of Brandon. That growth was thanks largely to federal and provincial immigration programs, and the needs of local businesses such as Maple Leaf Foods, before it became the Canada Packers plant.

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Opinion

Manitoba premier Wab Kinew announces funding for geothermal heating in new developments at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

A long and winding road

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A long and winding road

5 minute read Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026

As theatre goes, Wab Kinew’s stand against the historically ill-conceived Indian Act sent a strong message.

There was the premier, standing in front of microphones and television cameras, holding up his Indigenous status card and saying that he didn’t feel Canada should have “a race-based form of identification in this country.”

Then he noted that this is the reality, and added that it was time to discard it, once and for all.

“I think it’s time to abolish the Indian Act, get rid of the Indian Act, move past the Indian Act, and it needs to be done with First Nations people and First Nations governments, of course. I think it’s long overdue that we have a relationship with Indigenous Peoples in Canada that reflects who we are as Canadians today,” he said.

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Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026

Opinion

Travellers at the Brandon Municipal Airport look out on a Canadian Forces CC-130 Hercules aircraft on the tarmac during a military exercise at the airport in December 2024. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

One last flyover for aviation workhorse

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One last flyover for aviation workhorse

4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026

Hockey fans at the NHL’s outdoor Heritage Classic last weekend were no doubt thrilled by the sight and sound of two CF-18 Hornet fighter jets conducting a flyover at Princess Auto Stadium shortly before the puck was dropped for the much-anticipated Winnipeg Jets/Montreal Canadiens matchup in our province’s capital.

Flyovers such as these always create a spectacular scene, as the speed and power of the jets are on full display for the brief moments they’re in view above the stadium bowl.

But fans who maintained their skyward gaze for a few seconds after the Hornets’ blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance were treated to a much more poignant aeronautical exhibition, as a CC-130H Hercules aircraft passed over the stadium in the fighter jets’ wake.

Compared to the supersonic CF-18s, the massive, propeller-driven transport plane probably seemed to be doing more of a “crawl-over.” What most folks at the outdoor game probably didn’t realize, however, was that this was almost certainly the last time they’ll see one of these ubiquitous Canadian Forces aircraft in the sky.

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Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026

Opinion

Dr. Jose Francois has announced his resignation as Shared Health’s provincial chief medical officer. The high turnover and vacancies in key health positions in the province are a bad sign. (Submitted)

Shared Health needs some serious healing

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Shared Health needs some serious healing

4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026

Doctors are trained to seek out the causes of illness, not just to treat the symptoms.

That is, perhaps, a style of examination that the government of Premier Wab Kinew should follow with the health-care system as a whole. Because the symptoms look a little dire.

Last week, provincial chief medical officer Dr. José François announced he will leave his position in January 2027. That means he will leave a position he has only held since April 2024 — less than three years.

His departing email certainly raised more questions than it answered. While he wrote that he enjoyed working with Shared Health’s dedicated professionals, “the demands of the role, coupled with the challenges of the work environment, have led me to reflect on my professional priorities and seek opportunities that offer a renewed sense of purpose, fulfillment and enjoyment.”

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Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026

Opinion

A voter places their ballot in the ballot box at the polling station in the East End Community Centre in Brandon during the 2022 municipal election. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Candidates giving voters good reason to turn out

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Candidates giving voters good reason to turn out

4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026

Democracy works best when voters have real choices, and this year, Brandonites have been given exactly that.

As early voting figures smash previous records — with 2,386 ballots cast in just three days of advance polling compared to a mere 376 four years ago — it’s rather clear that our community is more deeply engaged.

While political analysts debate whether this historic turnout is driven by shifting voter habits, a competitive mayoral race or the fact that nine out of 10 city wards are actively contested, the reality is this: none of it would be possible without the individuals who stepped forward to run.

Stepping into the political arena is no small task. It requires an immense sacrifice of personal time, energy and privacy. For the past several weeks, more than two dozen council candidates and our two mayoral hopefuls have spent their evenings and weekends pounding the pavement, knocking on doors and listening to the concerns of Brandonites in every corner of the city.

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Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026

Opinion

Education Minister Tracy Schmidt’s directive draws a sensible line between legitimate educational communication and private interactions that can create unacceptable risks. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press files)

Provincial directive sets appropriate boundaries

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Provincial directive sets appropriate boundaries

4 minute read Monday, Oct. 26, 2026

Most Manitoba teachers are responsible, caring professionals who work hard to support their students and would never dream of abusing their positions of trust by sending inappropriate private messages to students.

They understand the importance of maintaining professional boundaries and putting students’ safety first.

But there are some who have crossed that line, with troubling consequences. That is why the provincial government’s decision last week to prohibit teachers and other school staff from texting or using social media to contact students is an important and necessary step to protect children.

The new rules, announced Friday by Education Minister Tracy Schmidt, prohibit school employees from initiating remote communications with students or responding to messages through unauthorized platforms. That includes texting, personal social media accounts and private messaging applications, regardless of whether a teacher is contacting a student during school hours or while coaching a sports team or supervising extracurricular activities.

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Monday, Oct. 26, 2026

Opinion

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra speaks during a fireside chat at the SpaceBound 2026 Conference in Gatineau, Que., on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Keito Newman

Diplomatic spat over Wainwright tragedy isn’t helpful

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Diplomatic spat over Wainwright tragedy isn’t helpful

4 minute read Monday, Oct. 26, 2026

The deadly fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright on Oct. 17 is one of the darkest peacetime days in the history of the Canadian Armed Forces.

According to the latest report from The Canadian Press, four soldiers are dead, 39 are injured, and 27 remain hospitalized, with 13 fighting for their lives against severe, traumatic burns. A routine anti-grenade training range turned into a deadly inferno in less than a minute, driven by fierce winds that swept flames a full kilometre across the base.

Our first and most important focus must remain on the families of the fallen, the wounded in hospital rooms, and the service members struggling with the trauma of watching a training field become a combat zone at home.

Yet, even as the smoke cleared and the medical triage unfolded, the tragedy was pulled into the undertow of political posturing between Canada and the United States.

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Monday, Oct. 26, 2026

Opinion

A voter places their ballot in the ballot box at the polling station in the East End Community Centre in Brandon during the 2022 municipal election. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

Differing visions for city’s future

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Differing visions for city’s future

6 minute read Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

For the past several weeks, Brandon voters have watched a rare kind of political campaign unfold. It has been a race notably devoid of the personal mudslinging that defines modern politics.

While that may not lend itself to contentious storylines between candidates as we have seen elsewhere, there is certainly some benefit to this kind of campaign when it comes to voter engagement in that we have the ability to see the steak for what it is, and not be drawn in by smoke and sizzle.

I often talk of a need for vision — particularly during election campaigns — and this one has been light on hard promises and a little too heavy on philosophical approaches.

But to be fair, a clean campaign should not be confused with an empty one. And as the dust settles on the debates hosted by The Brandon Sun, Brandon University, WCGtv — as well as the recent mayoral debate hosted by the Brandon Chamber of Commerce — it is clear that both mayoral candidates have given the electorate plenty of food for thought.

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Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

Opinion

A voter enters a polling station to cast their vote in the Alberta referendum in Calgary, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Alta. sees its way through the fog

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Alta. sees its way through the fog

4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

“The owls are not what they seem.”

It was a confusing line in a confusing television show, back when television watchers only had to wait a week, or sometimes more, for a new episode of a show.

What the owls were — or weren’t — was one small element of the astounding panoply of events in “Twin Peaks.”

In case this is all flying right over your head, “Twin Peaks” was a surrealist television show, a mystery/horror/something that premiered in 1990. It had an amazing ability to leave viewers both entertained and, well, hanging. On things as simple as owls in a tree.

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Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

Opinion

Health officials in Manitoba are declaring a province-wide measles outbreak that began in 2025 over. Lauren Ellenburg, a nurse, prepares a combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine for a 12-month-old at Tiger Pediatrics in Easley, S.C., on March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)

Measles outbreak was completely unnecessary

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Measles outbreak was completely unnecessary

4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

“Manitoba declares measles outbreak over.”

It was a headline that offered a vague sense that something had been accomplished, but it most certainly did not describe anything worth celebrating.

The news item in the Oct. 17 editions of The Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Free Press noted provincial public health officials had confirmed Manitoba’s last laboratory-confirmed case of measles was identified in August, and that the absence of any new cases since had allowed for the aforementioned declaration.

The end of the outbreak — which began in February 2025 and included a significant stretch this year during which Manitoba experienced more measles cases than any other province — is certainly worth noting.

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Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

Opinion

Manitoba Public Insurance is currently going through the Public Utilities Board process to set car insurance rates for 2027-28, and it’s asking the PUB to approve a 2.38 per cent rate hike. (Winnipeg Free Press files)

MPI taking a gamble with low rate request

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MPI taking a gamble with low rate request

4 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

It sounds a bit like a gamble from a player in an industry that is almost pathologically averse to gambling.

Manitoba Public Insurance is currently going through the Public Utilities Board process to set car insurance rates for 2027-28, and it’s asking the PUB to approve a 2.38 per cent rate hike.

As a provincially run insurance business, MPI is already a bit of an outlier, because, through its government masters, it’s answerable to the Manitoba public in a way that private insurers aren’t.

Private insurers spend a fortune calculating risk, offsetting that risk with reinsurance to spread it out across the insurance spectrum, and always finding a way to ensure there’s a profit margin built in.

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Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

Opinion

Health Minister Marjorie Michel rises during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Feds hold back on stable health funding

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Feds hold back on stable health funding

4 minute read Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

The federal government wants provinces to improve health care, expand treatment services and find better ways to deliver care. But it’s refusing to provide provincial governments with the one thing they need most to plan for the future: stable, predictable funding.

That’s not a serious way to manage public health care.

Provincial and territorial health ministers gathered in Winnipeg last week hoping to secure long-term federal funding commitments to help manage mounting pressures on their health-care systems. They left with little more than a promise to keep talking.

Ottawa agreed to extend a $1.2-billion annual funding agreement for mental-health and substance-use treatment, home care and community care by one year. That’s welcome, but it hardly provides the certainty provinces need to maintain existing programs, never mind expand services to meet growing demand.

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Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Opinion

Prime Minister Mark Carney announces a new federal heat pump rebate program while visiting Dettson, a manufacturer of residential and commercial HVAC systems in Sherbrooke, Que., on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

The threat from outside Canada

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The threat from outside Canada

3 minute read Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026

The 10-question referendum being held in Alberta today is not the first time the unity of Canada has been threatened by a vote within one province. It is, however, the first referendum of this type to take place in an age of unfettered social media misinformation and deliberate foreign interference.

From mischievous comments by U.S. President Donald Trump about making Canada the 51st state to technology trillionaire Elon Musk’s urgings to Quebec and Alberta to separate, there are clear signs foreign interests are trying to influence Monday’s vote. But there are also less-obvious efforts at work to influence the referendum and destabilize Canada.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and independent think-tanks such as the Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Data and Conflict at the University of Regina have documented incidents involving Russian-linked automated content farms posting thousands of misleading articles about the referendum campaign on social media platforms. The content, CSIS has said, focuses on erroneous claims about the benefits of separation and the liabilities of remaining in Canada.

In the face of all that activity, Prime Minister Mark Carney has been alarmingly unconcerned. Campaigning in Alberta this week, Carney said Ottawa is closely monitoring disinformation campaigns. He added that, in his conversations with foreign governments, all have agreed to stand down from any activities that might be perceived as threats to democracy.

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Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026

Opinion

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

Make education sessions public

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Make education sessions public

5 minute read Friday, Oct. 16, 2026

“8.1 An Education Session may be held for the purpose of providing Council with information, orientation, training, or other educational presentations relevant to municipal governance and operations. No resolutions, decisions, or direction shall be made at an Education Session, except for procedural matters necessary to conduct the session. An Education Session is for information sharing purposes only, does not constitute a meeting of Council for the purpose of conducting municipal business, does not require quorum, and is not open to the public.”

— The wording of proposed bylaw No. 6634 now in front of Brandon city council

At first glance, the city’s newly proposed education session bylaw looks like harmless administrative housekeeping.

According to Section 8.1, currently under debate by Brandon city council, these proposed “Education Sessions” are simply meant to provide council with “information, orientation, training, or other educational presentations.” It promises that no official decisions or resolutions will be made, framing the whole initiative as a harmless, private-sector-style onboarding exercise.

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Friday, Oct. 16, 2026

Opinion

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra poses for a portrait at the U.S. Embassy, in Ottawa, Friday, June 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada must prepare for U.S. election fallout

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Canada must prepare for U.S. election fallout

5 minute read Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026

“We appreciate foreign-policy leaders coming into the United States and those types of things, but you know, keep your nose out of American politics. We’re monitoring it, we’re evaluating it, and if some of it becomes election interference, you know, then America will respond to it.”

— U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra

We are cursed by interesting times.

And the November midterm elections in the United States should be particularly interesting — though not just for the Americans.

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Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026

Opinion

Two kids ride on an electric scooter in Toronto, on Aug. 11. (The Canadian Press files)

New e-scooter rules beg question of enforcement

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New e-scooter rules beg question of enforcement

4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026

For people concerned about safety on Manitoba’s sidewalks and roadways, the province’s announcement that new rules will be introduced next year regarding the use of e-scooters and other personal electric vehicles (PEVs) was no doubt met with an enthusiastic “It’s about time.”

As their popularity and their presence among pedestrians on sidewalks and/or motor vehicles on the road has increased steadily, so have reports of close calls or, even worse, collisions involving e-scooters or other PEVs — including electric skateboards, hoverboards and unicycles — being operated imprudently and at unsafe speeds.

The situation has even become an election issue here in Brandon, with Ward 5 council candidate Bhavesh Patel advocating for the passage of an e-scooter bylaw in Brandon sooner, rather than later, instead of waiting on other levels of government to move on the issue.

His suggestion was to mandate the use of helmets in the city, and make it against the law for kids of a certain age to go beyond a maximum speed.

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Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026

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