Brandon Sun – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

A pair of yearlings prick their ears up at the sound of a camera shutter while tied to a holding pen at the Keystone Centre on Monday. A waiting row of trucks and trailers lined the north parking lot on Monday afternoon, in advance of the Manitoba Ag Ex cattle show, which begins on Wednesday. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Two for the show

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Oct. 27, 6 AM: -2°c Cloudy Oct. 27, 12 PM: 3°c Cloudy with wind

Brandon MB

-4°C, Cloudy

Portage RCMP officer accused of hitting, injuring man on bicycle

2 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s police watchdog has authorized charges against a Portage la Prairie RCMP officer who allegedly hit and injured a man on a bicycle with his police cruiser.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba announced two charges against RCMP Const. Wail Mohamed after launching an investigation in March 2025, the IIU said in a news release Monday.

Mohamed is facing one count of operating a conveyance in a dangerous manner to the public and one count of assault with a weapon.

On March 26, 2025, Mounties saw two people matching the description of suspects from a previous criminal incident, the release stated. As one officer spoke with a woman, Mohamed saw a man leave on a bicycle, the IIU said.

Local

City of Brandon finance director Troy Tripp speaks at the Oct. 19 city council meeting. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun)

Fawcett hails utilities surplus as boon for city

By Alex Lambert 4 minute read Preview

Fawcett hails utilities surplus as boon for city

By Alex Lambert 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:11 PM CDT

The City of Brandon posted a $2.1-million surplus for water and wastewater services last year, council was told last week during an annual review of the utilities’ finances.

The surplus was due to unexpected savings at multiple facilities, staff said.

“We’re just in a way better position than we were,” Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said.

“In the classic, ‘Leave it better than you found it,’ we’re leaving it way better than we found it. So going forward, people are going to be at a much better place.”

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Yesterday at 10:11 PM CDT

Local

Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School physics teacher Christopher Sarkonak holds his Prime Minister's Award certificate of achievement for teaching excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in front of the high school on Monday afternoon. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)

Crocus Plains teacher receives Prime Minister’s Award

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Preview

Crocus Plains teacher receives Prime Minister’s Award

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

A Brandon high school physics teacher has been recognized among 60 educators across Canada with a 2026 Prime Minister’s Award.

The award, which was presented Oct. 5, honours elementary and secondary school teachers in all disciplines for outstanding achievement in education and their commitment to preparing youth for a digital and innovation-based economy.

Christopher Sarkonak, who teaches Grades 9-12 physics and science at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School, received a certificate of achievement for teaching excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“It’s a tremendous recognition (for) everything that I’ve done over the last 17 years, trying to make our school a better place, and trying to give students opportunities that they can’t find anywhere else, and trying to bring experiences that I’ve been fortunate enough to have into the classroom, and use them to inspire students.” Sarkonak, 42, told the Sun Monday.

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Yesterday at 10:10 PM CDT

Local

Brandon’s Community Sportsplex on Knowlton Drive. The Sportsplex roof is due to be resurfaced in 2022, but the city is looking into a more extensive retrofitting of it instead. (File)

City awards contract for Sportsplex parking lot

1 minute read Preview

City awards contract for Sportsplex parking lot

1 minute read Yesterday at 10:10 PM CDT

The Brandon Sportsplex parking lot will be repaved next year, council voted last week.

The project will cost $326,754, with $235,000 coming from the province. The remaining funds will be taken from a city reserve.

City council last week awarded a contract worth $311,194 to Zenith Paving Ltd., which had the lowest of three bids.

A city document suggests parking restrictions and disruptions to vehicle access would take place during construction next year.

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Yesterday at 10:10 PM CDT

Local

The Kinsmen Pool, located at 411 Park St., is currently Brandon's only outdoor public pool. (The Brandon Sun files)

City asking province to cost-share $6.5M outdoor pool

By Alex Lambert 2 minute read Preview

City asking province to cost-share $6.5M outdoor pool

By Alex Lambert 2 minute read Yesterday at 10:06 PM CDT

The City of Brandon is hoping the provincial government will cover half of the cost of a new outdoor pool.

City council voted last week to ask the province for $3,250,000 — half of the projected $6.5-million total.

The provincial grant could cover 50 per cent of eligible costs for the proposed pool up to $5 million, a council report states.

The city has been looking to build a new outdoor pool since last year, with the location likely at the Keystone Centre.

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Yesterday at 10:06 PM CDT

Local

Brandon Sun The Brandon courthouse. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Woman gets conditional discharge for slapping daughter

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Preview

Woman gets conditional discharge for slapping daughter

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Yesterday at 10:05 PM CDT

The mother of a 10-year-old girl wept in a Brandon courtroom on Monday as she pleaded guilty to slapping her daughter across the face after she ran away during a “very tumultuous” night of violence in the home.

School officials alerted police of the assault when the girl attended a Brandon school on May 8 with a visible mark on her face and spoke about how her mother had hurt her earlier that morning, Crown attorney Melania Cannon said.

The girl, who was nine at the time of the incident, explained that her parents had been arguing throughout the night, so she left home around 6:45 a.m. and went for a bike ride to calm down, Cannon said. When she returned an hour later, her mother was upset and slapped her hard enough to make the girl stumble backwards, Cannon said.

“Her mother then broke a TV and a mirror and was yelling at (her) to find her keys and phone. She said that her mother called her a b— and a c— and said, ‘I’m done with you. I hope you get taken away,’” Cannon said.

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Yesterday at 10:05 PM CDT

Entertainment

Eric Bauza poses in the press room during night two of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in Los Angeles. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Chris Pizzello

Eric Bauza, Toronto-born voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dies at 46

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Eric Bauza, Toronto-born voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dies at 46

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:45 PM CDT

Eric Bauza, the Toronto-born voice actor who breathed fresh life into some of Hollywood's most iconic animated characters, died on Sunday at age 46.

His family said on social media his death was sudden and the Los Angeles Medical Examiner listed the cause as heart disease.

Bauza, who was born and raised in Scarborough, got his start as an animator before moving to the recording booth and becoming a modern successor to Mel Blanc -- the original voice of numerous Looney Tunes cartoons, including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

"Looney Tunes will always have a special place in my heart,” Bauza said earlier this year. “I watched them on Saturday mornings originally. It's not just the voice but the overall esthetic has influenced me as an artist.”

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Updated: Yesterday at 1:45 PM CDT

Business

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at McMorran Place Sports and Entertainment Center, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Port Huron, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Trump says he expects trade war with Canada to end ‘pretty soon’

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Trump says he expects trade war with Canada to end ‘pretty soon’

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:07 PM CDT

OTTAWA - U.S. President Donald Trump says he expects his constantly evolving trade war with Canada to end "pretty soon" as Prime Minister Mark Carney suggests Washington could be moving closer to Ottawa's demands.

Trump told a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday that Canada had been "ripping off" the U.S. on trade and he had no choice but to impose levies on Canadian goods.

He said the trade dispute would be settled "pretty soon" and that Canada was "willing to give us anything at this moment."

At a news conference Monday, Carney was asked if there had been any movement on the trade file in the past week.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:07 PM CDT

Business

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre delivers remarks in Wainwright, Alta., on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Federal Conservatives propose bill that would end B.C.’s tanker ban

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Federal Conservatives propose bill that would end B.C.’s tanker ban

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:16 PM CDT

OTTAWA - Conservative members of Parliament are calling on Ottawa to repeal the West Coast oil tanker ban, arguing it's hurting Canada's prosperity.

They pushed for the repeal during debate Monday in the House of Commons on a private member's bill to scrap the tanker ban, a day after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote to Prime Minister Mark Carney about it.

Poilievre was one of several Opposition MPs who signed the letter to Carney ahead of debate on the bill. The vote on it was set for Wednesday as the Liberals asked for a recorded vote.

The existing law, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, prohibits tankers from carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude oil in areas along the northern coast of British Columbia.

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:16 PM CDT

Local

Cpl. Andrew Hannus, an aviation systems technician, helps to keep CC-130H Hercules and CC-295 Kingfisher planes running.

Air force pays tribute to retiring Hercules planes

By Chris Kitching 5 minute read Preview

Air force pays tribute to retiring Hercules planes

By Chris Kitching 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:02 AM CDT

WINNIPEG — Royal Canadian Air Force personnel in Winnipeg bid farewell Saturday to the military branch’s last remaining CC-130H Hercules planes — “workhorses” that crews flew in seemingly countless combat, rescue and transport operations.

The federal government is phasing out Canada’s fleet of CC-130H Hercules aircraft, which entered service in 1974, in favour of modern planes, including the CC-295 Kingfisher, which will be used for search-and-rescue operations out of 17 Wing Winnipeg as of November.

“It’s really part of our family and one of us. This was the backbone of a lot of things that we do here out of Winnipeg,” Col. Curtis Wright, commander of 17 Wing Winnipeg, said of the “mighty Herc” after a retirement ceremony and a flypast.

The 435 Transport Search and Rescue Squadron, based at 17 Wing Winnipeg, is the final RCAF unit to fly the CC-130H Hercules. Two Winnipeg-based planes are still being flown. They will be taken out of service Nov. 1 and Nov. 18, Wright said.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:02 AM CDT