City keeping eye on slowly receding river

City of Brandon officials are continuing to monitor and inspect flood infrastructure as water levels kept slowly receding on Tuesday.

The Assiniboine River was measured at 1,179.21 feet above sea level at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, compared to the 1,179.49-foot crest at 2 a.m. on Monday.

“Our next steps are really focusing on monitoring and inspecting, and (continuing) to communicate to the public … our current state, and that we need to keep an eye on things very closely,” the city’s emergency co-ordinator, Tobin Praznik, said on Tuesday.

“It’s really making sure that people are still aware that we are in a significant high-water event, and it’s going to take some time before that water recedes — from a comfort level.”

‘Free Fry Day’ returns to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House

A food manufacturer is hosting its seventh annual Free Fry Day in multiple communities across southern Manitoba on Thursday to raise funds for sick children.

This year’s events — spearheaded by McCain Foods in support of Ronald McDonald House Manitoba — will take place in Brandon, Carberry, Glenboro, Portage la Prairie and Carman, the non-profit announced Tuesday.

Community members are encouraged to pick up free McCain Foods products and make a donation to help families in need at the participating drive-through locations:

• Brandon — Keystone Centre (1175 18th St. Unit 1) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A fine day for a fair

The 138th Annual Strathclair Agricultural Society Fair on Tuesday included light, heavy and miniature horse shows, a beef show, a pancake breakfast, a fair day parade, a petting zoo, entertainment, judging of horticulture, hand work, baking and art, food and entertainment and a variety of other events.

The fair is part of the Milk Run, a six-day series of rural agricultural fairs which include Oak River, Shoal Lake, Hamiota, Harding and Oak Lake.

» Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun

Teen gets probation for pulling knife on taxi driver

A 16-year-old girl was sentenced to one year of probation with 50 hours of community service in Brandon provincial court on Tuesday after she threatened a taxi driver with a knife.

The teen pleaded not guilty to robbery but guilty to the lesser charge of assault with a weapon, along with two counts of breaching court orders.

The Sun is prohibited from identifying the teen under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The Crown and defence jointly recommended a sentence of two years of supervised probation with community service. However, defence asked the judge to impose 40 to 50 hours of community service as opposed to the Crown’s recommendation of 80.

Mosquito counts still too low for fogging

City of Brandon parks crews are ready to go if mosquito fogging is required — and the measure could come as early as next week.

Trap counts by then will “possibly” be high enough for fogging to start, following a heavy downpour late last month and sweltering heat last weekend, the city’s parks manager, Bryce Wilson, said Tuesday.

“It’s good weather for producing mosquitoes,” Wilson said.

“All our foggers are calibrated and ready to go. We have the product on hand. We have the staff ready to go.”

Manitoba sheriff dies after van collides with train near Portage la Prairie

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE - Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the province is mourning the loss of a sheriff after a train crash Tuesday morning.

Mounties say the 28-year-old man died after the van he was driving collided with a train west of Portage la Prairie.

The force of the collision caused the van to roll and land in a ditch.

Another sheriff riding as a passenger had minor injuries but there was no one else in the van.

Feds, most provinces get top marks on internal trade — but more work to be done

OTTAWA - The federal government has gone from a C student to top of the class in its work to advance internal trade between provinces, says the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

In the federation's latest annual report card on internal trade, the federal government jumped to an A-plus from the C grade it got in 2025.

The report card released Wednesday by the advocacy group for small businesses said Canada has made unprecedented progress toward breaking down internal trade barriers long considered a self-imposed drag on the domestic economy.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that removing internal trade barriers could boost Canada's real gross domestic product by $210 billion over the long term.

Chiefs warn they’ll fight any assault on First Nations rights in major projects push

OTTAWA - First Nations chiefs say they'll oppose any actions by federal and provincial governments to expedite major projects that would undermine their rights and environmental protections.

They passed two resolutions at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday confirming that stance and committing the AFN to opposing legislation or policies that dilute their rights or undermine their decision-making processes.

Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief Veronica Smith said recent federal moves to speed up major projects "have raised concerns among First Nations across Canada that efforts to expedite project approvals may undermine the meaningful implementation of free, prior and informed consent, treaty relationships, environmental stewardship responsibilities and nation-to-nation decision-making."

Many First Nations have expressed concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney's major project agenda. Calls for a meeting between chiefs and first ministers got louder last year when the federal and provincial governments started discussing among themselves ways to fast-track major infrastructure projects.

Bank of Canada holds key rate steady as confidence grows in economic rebound

OTTAWA - The Bank of Canada struck a somewhat optimistic tone about the economy after holding its policy rate steady on Wednesday but officials warned that instability in the Middle East is still weighing heavily on the outlook.

The central bank’s benchmark interest rate remains at 2.25 per cent after the sixth consecutive hold, which was widely expected by economists.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said the economy is still grappling with heightened uncertainty but officials at the bank are growing more confident that the economy is working its way through those headwinds.

While he signalled that the bank's governing council is still ready to adjust its policy rate if needed, he said officials see the current rate as being at the right level to return inflation back to two per cent and support an economic recovery.

Will Hamilton hit pause on data centres? Council set to vote on moratorium

Hamilton is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to become the first city in Canada to put a temporary pause on new data centres. 

The moratorium vote comes as local lawmakers across the country wrestle with the noise, energy and water concerns around a new wave of data centres powering the boom in artificial intelligence. 

Backers of Hamilton's proposal say it will ensure the city can establish proper guardrails around the new facilities and guarantee public benefits. Critics say the pause could jeopardize investment in a city hit hard by steel tariffs and risks sweeping up smaller research-focused data centres in its net. 

Under yellowed skies of wildfire smoke, residents holding signs of "people over profits" and "dump the data centre" gathered outside city hall ahead of Wednesday's vote.