Man accused in Walmart blaze previously set other fires

WINNIPEG — A judge urged Ronald Marmito Amigo to address his addiction to methamphetamine as she sentenced him last year for lighting a fire in a storage area at Garden City Shopping Centre and another in a nearby dumpster while high.

“Where you are right now is a direct result of your addictions, everything that is going on in your life is a direct result of your addictions, and until you see that, accept that and deal with your addictions, things aren’t going to get better in your life,” provincial court Judge Patrice Miniely told Amigo last July.

She gave Amigo 27 days in jail and 18 months of supervised probation for arson to property and a court order breach over the Jan. 29, 2025 incidents.

The 47-year-old is now accused of setting the bedding section of the St. Vital Centre Walmart ablaze on Monday, resulting in more than $10 million in damage and forcing the evacuation of 150-200 customers and staff.

Dauphin Ukrainian festival cancelled

The 2026 edition of Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival has been cancelled due to a lack of nearby health-care options in Dauphin.

The festival’s board of directors released a statement Thursday night saying it “determined that we cannot confidently provide the safe environment” needed for the event to take place. The cancellation comes after flooding displaced staff at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre.

“Emergency health-care services have been relocated to rural communities more than 30 minutes away, creating significant challenges in providing timely medical care for the event,” the board wrote.

After the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, including the emergency department, sustained flooding damage this summer, it was closed, and was not expected to reopen by the time of the festival, the board of directors wrote. Premier Wab Kinew said on Friday the most recent estimates put the hospital’s reopening between nine and 12 months into the future.

‘People need to feel Brandon is home’

A new mural taking shape on the wall of the New System Store at 619 Rosser Ave. invites residents to reflect on the role that newcomers and longtime residents alike play in shaping Brandon.

The large-scale artwork, titled “Building Brandon,” is being created by Brandon artist Miguel Rodriguez as part of the Downtown Outdoor Art Grant, a downtown beautification initiative administered by the Brandon Downtown BIZ.

Rodriguez, who was born in Colombia and has lived in Brandon for about 18 years, said painting murals has been a lifelong passion that began long before he immigrated to Canada.

“This is an invitation for all the communities, all people that live in Brandon, to work together,” he told the Sun. “After almost 20 years of living here, I feel this is my home.”

Luebke wants Indigenous relations officer role returned

A Brandon councillor is hoping the city can recreate a position to improve relations with Indigenous organizations and First Nations.

Coun. Bruce Luebke (Ward 6) introduced a motion at Monday’s council meeting that could create an Indigenous relations officer for the city’s Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Council (BUAPC) as early as next year.

“The creation of an Indigenous relations officer position within the City of Brandon will support the continued work of BUAPC and will also act as a vital bridge between the municipal government and local First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities,” Luebke said at Monday’s council meeting.

A similar position was cut earlier this year after federal funding for the job ran dry.

Team outing

Members of the Deloraine Royals baseball team cool off at the Splish Splash Water Park on Minnedosa Lake on a hot Friday. Minnedosa is hosting the 2026 13U Tier 3 Baseball Provincials throughout the weekend.

» Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun

Premier, EMO director praise Brandon’s measures

Premier Wab Kinew commended residents and officials in Brandon, Sioux Valley and Minnedosa on Friday over the proactive measures they’ve taken to lessen the impacts of flooding in their communities.

“I think folks are doing a good job of trying to anticipate and prepare,” Kinew said during a flooding update that largely focused on recovery efforts in the Parkland.

“Based on the hydrologic forecast, I think Brandon is doing a good job of preparing.”

Brandon has “excellent emergency response plans,” said Christine Stevens, the director of the province’s Emergency Management Organization.

Woman assaulted; spitting; derailment

ASSAULT ON SEVENTH STREET

A 24-year-old man was charged with assault following a disturbance in the 400 block of Seventh Street Thursday evening.

Officers were called to an apartment on that block shortly before 8 p.m. When they arrived, officers observed obvious signs that a 21-year-old female had been assaulted. Due to her level of intoxication and behaviour at the scene, she was arrested for breaching the peace, and held in a Brandon Police Service detention cell until sober.

The 24-year-old male who was also arrested at the scene and charged with assault was slated to appear in court on July 10.

‘It’s infectious’: Optimism a priority for Ontario town’s chief positivity officer

NEWMARKET - When Newmarket Mayor John Taylor appointed a few dozen people to serve as positivity ambassadors in the southern Ontario town during the COVID-19 pandemic, he wanted someone at the centre of the effort.

Longtime customer service supervisor Jamie Boyle took on the new role of chief positivity officer with aplomb.

And he didn't stop when the pandemic ended.

"Jamie's level of enthusiasm, positivity and just go out there and take on the world attitude is almost without parallel, and it's infectious," Taylor said.

Ontario man sentenced to 20 years in U.S. for leading cross-border drug ring

An Ontario man convicted in the United States of running a drug-trafficking operation across the border into Canada has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Guramrit Sidhu of Brampton, Ont., pleaded guilty earlier this year to leading a drug ring from September 2020 to February 2023.

A California court heard that between September and October 2022, more than 500 kilograms of methamphetamine and nearly 350 kilograms of cocaine were brought from the U.S. into Canada.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California says these drug shipments were worth up to US$17 million.