Brandon Sun – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

Province commits $7.6M for Green Team jobs

By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 11:03 PM CDT

The Manitoba government is investing $7.6 million in its Urban/Hometown Green Team program to support 624 projects that offer summer employment for youth.

Early announcements included $22,500 toward youth wages for green space maintenance with the City of Brandon’s parks department and $2,800 for the Rivers Baseball Association.

A full list of recipients is expected to be available next week, Caed Malowany, spokesperson for Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard, said Friday.

There are roughly 75 projects in western Manitoba that are included in the upcoming announcement, as well as 31 in midwestern Manitoba, Malowany said.

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Sioux Valley man convicted in 2023 shooting death

By Skye Anderson 4 minute read Preview

Sioux Valley man convicted in 2023 shooting death

By Skye Anderson 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:43 PM CDT

A Sioux Valley Dakota Nation man has been convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Blaze Tacan in 2023.

Jeremy Blacksmith, 43, stood trial in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench in January for the charges of second-degree murder, possession of a firearm while prohibited and failing to comply with his release order.

Blacksmith testified during the trial and admitted to telling police several lies. During cross-examination, he ultimately confessed to fatally shooting Tacan on Aug. 5, 2023, in Sioux Valley.

On Friday, Justice Elliot Leven convicted Blacksmith of all charges and gave a written decision outlining his reasons for the convictions to the lawyers.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:43 PM CDT

Dancers express Ukrainian culture through movement

By Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Preview

Dancers express Ukrainian culture through movement

By Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Yesterday at 11:02 PM CDT

Ukrainian dancers performing in a Brandon festival took pride in sharing their cultural heritage through their rhythmic footwork, vibrant costumes and choreography to ring in the 50th anniversary of their dance group.

Kardyn Rowan, 17, who performs with the Brandon Troyanda School of Ukrainian Dance, was the second dancer to take the stage to kick off the biennial festival and competition on Friday morning at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium.

“I really love dancing because of the pride I feel being able to express my culture through movement,” Rowan said backstage as she was getting ready ahead of her solo Poltava dance.

“I really like these competitions because it just brings everyone together in a community … You can share your culture with other people, meet new people from all over and we all connect in one place.”

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Yesterday at 11:02 PM CDT

Faith Sauve with the Ethelbert Vitriwka Ukrainian Dance Club prepares backstage before performing a solo Volyn dance on the first day of the Brandon Troyanda School of Ukrainian Dance Biennial Dance Festival and Competition at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium on Friday. Brandon Troyanda is celebrating their 50th Anniversary as a dance group. (Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Psychiatrist rules out not criminally responsible defence for accused in murder trial

By Skye Anderson 5 minute read Preview

Psychiatrist rules out not criminally responsible defence for accused in murder trial

By Skye Anderson 5 minute read Yesterday at 10:40 PM CDT

A forensic psychiatrist testified Friday that a Brandon man accused of killing his 71-year-old mother did not meet the criteria to raise a defence of not criminally responsible due to his persistent denial that he killed her.

Gabriel Paul Heymans, 47, is on trial for second-degree murder in the death of Maureen Heymans, whom court heard he shared an apartment with at 264 McDiarmid Dr. for seven years.

Crown attorneys Rich Lonstrup and Reid Girard called forensic psychiatrist Dr. James Christian Zinko to the stand in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench.

Zinko met with Heymans twice in July 2024 to gather information on the accused for a court-ordered forensic report.

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Yesterday at 10:40 PM CDT

The sun peaks over the edge of the Brandon courthouse dome on Princess Avenue. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun files)

College sending 3 champions to Toronto

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Preview

College sending 3 champions to Toronto

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:41 PM CDT

Three students from Assiniboine College are heading to the national spotlight after capturing gold medals at the recent Skills Manitoba Competition in Winnipeg.

Ashley Pogson, Dennis Ngendakumana and Nicole Mogk will join Team Manitoba at the Skills Canada National Competition in Toronto on May 28 and 29, following standout performances in their respective categories.

Ngendakumana, a student in the piping trades program, said the gold medal in plumbing came as a surprise.

“I was pretty confident in my skills … but I never expected to win first place,” he told the Sun.

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Yesterday at 10:41 PM CDT

Assiniboine College students Nicole Mogk (left), Dennis Ngendakumana and Ashley Pogson flash the gold medals they earned at the recent Skills Manitoba Competition in Winnipeg. (Submitted)

High-water advisory issued for Assiniboine

By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative 2 minute read Preview

High-water advisory issued for Assiniboine

By Connor McDowell, Local Journalism Initiative 2 minute read Yesterday at 10:38 PM CDT

The province has issued a high-water advisory for the Assiniboine River between the Shellmouth Dam north of Russell to Portage la Prairie as snowmelt is expected to raise water levels over the coming days.

Warming spring weather next week is expected to speed up snowmelt and increase ice movement across south and central Manitoba, the province said in a bulletin on Friday afternoon.

“This will elevate the risk of ice jam-related flooding and overland flooding, particularly in the Parkland region,” the bulletin said. “Runoff is expected to begin early next week across much of central Manitoba, including the Parkland and Interlake regions, as well as the Fisher River and Icelandic River basins.”

Water flows along the Assiniboine River are influenced in part by operations at the Shellmouth Dam, which are carried out in consultation with the Shellmouth Dam Liaison Committee, the province said.

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Yesterday at 10:38 PM CDT

Traffic on the 18th Street bridge passes over the swollen and partially frozen Assiniboine River on Friday evening. The province has issued a high-water advisory for the Assiniboine River between the Shellmouth Dam near Russell and Portage la Prairie as snowmelt raises the river level. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

13 ‘Women of Distinction’ honoured

By Tessa Adamski 3 minute read Preview

13 ‘Women of Distinction’ honoured

By Tessa Adamski 3 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

YWCA Westman awarded 13 recipients at an annual event recognizing strong, resilient and hard-working women across southwestern Manitoba on Wednesday evening.

A total of 44 women were nominated in 11 categories for the Women of Distinction Awards that were presented at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium.

“The concept is that it just recognizes and uplifts and empowers women throughout our entire region,” said YWCA Westman executive director Lois Ruston.

“It’s really important to stop and pause and recognize the accomplishments and the ways that women lead in our communities.”

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

A total of 44 women were nominated in 11 categories for the 2026 Women of Distinction Awards that were presented at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium on Wednesday evening. (Create Marketing)

Housing gains touted in State of the City

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Preview

Housing gains touted in State of the City

By Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

Brandon has added more than 400 new housing units and recorded about $150 million in construction activity this year, Mayor Jeff Fawcett told the city’s business leaders on Thursday.

Fawcett, in his State of the City address to the Brandon Chamber of Commerce at the Keystone Centre, pointed out that the total investment includes $80 million in residential development.

“We are helping to expand housing options for Brandon residents, and we’ve exceeded our housing targets with the Housing Accelerator Fund,” he said in reference to the federal program that city officials previously estimated could bring in around $6.2 million.

“This fund is being put to work for new downtown market housing as well as transition and supportive housing across Brandon.”

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett delivers a keynote address during the Brandon Chamber of Commerce State of the City Luncheon at the Keystone Centre’s UCT Pavilion on Thursday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Accused killer showed no emotion on night of arrest

By Skye Anderson 3 minute read Preview

Accused killer showed no emotion on night of arrest

By Skye Anderson 3 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

A Brandon man accused of killing his 71-year-old mother “didn’t really have any emotion” during his interview with police on the night of his arrest, a Brandon Police Service member testified on Thursday.

“For the most part (he was) pretty straight-faced. (He) would often stare off toward the wall,” Const. Tyler Nichol told defence lawyer Anthony Dawson in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench.

Gabriel Paul Heymans, 47, is on trial for second-degree murder in the death of Maureen Heymans, whom court heard he shared an apartment with at 264 McDiarmid Dr. for seven years.

On Wednesday, Crown attorneys Rich Lonstrup and Reid Girard played a recording of Heymans’ interview with Nichol on the evening of Nov. 3, 2024 — the same day Maureen’s body was found in the apartment and police arrested Heymans.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

Police officers are seen in a stairwell in an apartment building on McDiarmid Drive on Nov. 3, 2023, after the body of Maureen Heymans was discovered inside one of the units. (Geena Mortfield/The Brandon Sun files)

Suspected bullet fired into neighbour’s Fifth Street home

1 minute read Preview

Suspected bullet fired into neighbour’s Fifth Street home

1 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

Police arrested a man early Thursday morning after a report of gunshots and a suspected bullet hole in a Brandon home.

Members of the Brandon Police Service were sent to the 1300 block of Fifth Street at around 5:10 a.m.

At the home, officers assessed the bullet hole to determine which direction it came from, BPS said in a news release.

Police heard “loud crashing” noises from a neighbouring residence and suspected that’s where the gunshots came from, BPS said.

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

The Brandon Police Service station at 10th Street and Victoria Avenue. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun files)

NDP pledge $300K for downtown safety

By Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Preview

NDP pledge $300K for downtown safety

By Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026

The Manitoba government is spending $300,000 to beef up security in downtown Brandon.

The funding was announced by Justice Minister Matt Wiebe and Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard on Thursday.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the city is still determining exactly how the money will be used.

“This will ultimately be a decision for the council,” Fawcett told the Sun. “We know the $300,000 is coming for downtown safety, but the specifics — whether that’s expanded cadet programs, additional security or improved lighting — will be discussed at the council level.”

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Thursday, Apr. 16, 2026