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Local

Heritage Co-op’s Minnedosa team members stand in the store, holding the regional award and the bronze national award plaques. (Submitted)

Minnedosa Co-op wins pair of awards

2 minute read 2:00 AM EST

Heritage Co-op’s Minnedosa Food Store has been named among Canada’s top independent grocery retailers.

The store earned both the regional award for top-scoring medium-format store across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and a bronze national award in the medium-store format category at the 64th Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards.

The recognition reflects the high calibre of the Minnedosa team, said the organization’s director of operations, food and energy, Reg Clarke.

“These awards are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment our entire team brings every day to serving our customers and community. For me personally, this is the equivalent of winning the Stanley Cup. I couldn’t be prouder of what our team has accomplished together.”

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Local

Westman MPs take aim at high-spending federal budget

Alex Lambert 4 minute read Preview

Westman MPs take aim at high-spending federal budget

Alex Lambert 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 10:52 PM EST

Westman’s two Conservative MPs panned the federal budget for overspending while Canadians are having a difficult time making ends meet.

Brandon-Souris MP Grant Jackson said the projected deficit of $62.3 billion in the Liberal budget tabled Thursday is “quite alarming,” and that Prime Minister Mark Carney has doubled down on a “radical level” of spending.

“He’s taking a gamble with the fiscal health of this country,” Jackson said on Friday.

Jackson said the Conservative party’s projections show that $765 billion would be added to the national debt over the next five years based on expenditure projections in the budget.

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Updated: Yesterday at 10:52 PM EST

Local

Youth attendance inspires at poppy ceremony

Rylee Gerrard 3 minute read Yesterday at 10:50 PM EST

As sunlight came over the cenotaph in the Brandon Municipal Cemetery, around a thousand people stood shoulder to shoulder watching as wreaths and poppies were laid to honour the sacrifices made by Canadian veterans.

The 13th annual No Stone Left Alone ceremony brought students, dignitaries and Canadian Armed Forces members together on a brisk Friday morning to pay respect to the war veterans who sacrificed their lives in service.

Around 900 students from five schools — École Harrison, St. Augustine School, Riverheights School, École O’Kelly School, École La Source and Western Canada Hockey Academy — strove to leave no stone alone by placing a poppy on the roughly 1,700 headstones in the veterans’ section of the cemetery.

Manitoba’s lieutenant-governor made the trip west for the service and expressed appreciation toward the students for attending and participating.

Local

Kellie Verwey was planning a wedding at the time of her death in the crash. (Supplied)

Crown argues for 7 years for man who caused fatal crash

Erik Pindera 5 minute read Preview

Crown argues for 7 years for man who caused fatal crash

Erik Pindera 5 minute read Yesterday at 10:47 PM EST

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — Meechelle Best remembers seeing the Mountie’s eyes welling as he told her about the collision that killed her daughter, and the way an officer at the scene touched her arm when he told her someone was in custody.

The grieving mother, whose 28-year-old daughter Kellie Verwey was killed in January last year, spoke of the immense feelings of pain and loss she felt during James Lorne Hilton’s sentencing hearing Friday.

“She wasn’t just my daughter, she was my best friend,” Best told court, in a strained voice, as she read a lengthy victim impact statement. “I have not come to terms with this yet. I am working on it, but it’s going to be a very long journey.”

Out on bail and driving a stolen truck with meth in his system, Hilton, 26, lost control on a highway near Portage la Prairie on the morning of Jan. 15, 2025, causing the crash that killed Verwey, who worked as a tourism co-ordinator for the small city.

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Yesterday at 10:47 PM EST

Local

The front doors of the Brandon courthouse on 11th Street. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Driving offence rates stiffer sentence: judge

Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Preview

Driving offence rates stiffer sentence: judge

Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:46 PM EST

A Manitoba judge rejected a joint sentencing recommendation for a man who ran a red light near two schools in Brandon as he was fleeing police, saying he deserved more jail time for the offence that could have ended in tragedy.

William Beaulieu, 45, pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court on Thursday to dangerous operation of a vehicle, theft under $5,000 and mischief under $5,000 involving a police cruiser during an incident on July 16.

Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta reserved her decision in the case for next week, saying she needed more time to consider an appropriate sentence for the driving offence after the Crown and defence lawyers recommended 60 days in jail.

She said that number was “substantially below” the typical 90- to 180-day range for people convicted of driving dangerously.

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Yesterday at 10:46 PM EST

Local

AllStars Club, Lounge and Events president Abidemi Oyeniyi (right) and general manager Josh Adebayo stand in front of the lounge at 2604 Victoria Ave. on Friday afternoon. The new dining and entertainment venue is expected to officially open its doors in two weeks, bringing people from different cultures together through food, music and events. (Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)

AllStars to bring multicultural venue to Brandon

Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Preview

AllStars to bring multicultural venue to Brandon

Abiola Odutola 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:45 PM EST

A new dining and entertainment venue in Brandon is expected to formally open its doors at 2604 Victoria Ave. in two weeks, bringing people from different cultures together through food, music and events.

AllStars Club, Lounge and Events will offer a combination of fine dining, lounge services and live entertainment, with an emphasis on creating a welcoming space where residents can celebrate special occasions, socialize and unwind, company president Abidemi Oyeniyi said.

“The business was developed after identifying a gap in Brandon’s dining and entertainment scene, particularly for people looking for a place to enjoy a meal, meet friends or celebrate without having to travel outside the city,” Oyeniyi told the Sun Friday.

“We want to bridge cultures together, and then a place where you can have your business meeting, your date night, engage your future wife, or wedding anniversary.”

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Yesterday at 10:45 PM EST

Local

Asessippi delays ticket sale as repairs continue

Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative 3 minute read Yesterday at 10:45 PM EST

The Asessippi Ski Resort has delayed its fall season-pass sale until December.

The ski hill management decided to wait until more information is available about ongoing repairs, assistant manager Shannon Johnston told the Sun on Friday.

The Porcupine and Bear chair lifts are damaged from this summer’s flooding, but the status of repairs could be confirmed by the end of next month, she said.

A new main electrical line is scheduled to be installed in mid-December, which is necessary to restart the two chairs.

Local

The Asessippi Ski Club’s warming shack and patio. (Supplied)

Parents rebuild shack for ski club

Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative 2 minute read Preview

Parents rebuild shack for ski club

Connor McDowell Local Journalism Initiative 2 minute read Yesterday at 10:44 PM EST

A team of more than 20 parents and children have rebuilt a cabin at Asessippi Ski Hill to allow the local ski club to bounce back from flood damage.

Asessippi Ski Club members decided last month to get together and repair their shack and patio that were “inundated with water” at the base of the Porcupine chair, head coach Nigel Simms told the Sun on Friday.

A crane and two skid steers were deployed by parents to repair the patio.

“It was all askew. It was washed out and damaged and bent and everything else,” Simms said. “If the families did not roll up their sleeves and just put the work in … this stuff doesn’t get fixed.”

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Yesterday at 10:44 PM EST

Local

The Brandon Police Service crest. (File)

Fire threat; illegal purchases

1 minute read Preview

Fire threat; illegal purchases

1 minute read Yesterday at 10:43 PM EST

ARSON THREAT

A 30-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after Brandon police say he threatened to light a downtown building on fire.

Around 11:20 a.m., police received a report of a man who was outside a business on Pacific Avenue stating that he wanted to “burn the building down,” police said in a news release on Friday.

Officers arrived at the scene and located the suspect, who appeared to be intoxicated at the time, police said.

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Yesterday at 10:43 PM EST

Business

Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill before the tabling of the federal budget in Ottawa, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Carney says co-ordination, dedication, funding all needed to end homelessness

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Carney says co-ordination, dedication, funding all needed to end homelessness

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:35 PM EST

WINNIPEG - Prime Minister Mark Carney says the federal government has learned from past mistakes as it sets out its ambitious aim of eliminating homelessness within 10 years.

"For decades, governments and communities have tried to address this crisis. Too often, these efforts have been inadequately resourced, poorly co-ordinated and not sustained," he said at a press conference Friday in Winnipeg.

Carney said he chose to make Manitoba his first stop after releasing the budget Thursday, because there's already a plan in place.

"The government of Canada, the province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg and private philanthropy in recent months have all been coming together to develop a comprehensive plan that works."

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:35 PM EST

Business

An employment resource centre is seen in Carleton Place, Ont. on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Economists concerned after labour market sheds jobs for third month in a row

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Economists concerned after labour market sheds jobs for third month in a row

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:53 PM EST

OTTAWA - Some economists are getting worried that a string of job losses in recent months is revealing cracks in the labour market.

Statistics Canada said Friday that the unemployment rate rose two tenths of a point to 6.7 per cent in October. The labour market shed 4,700 jobs last month, the agency said, and more people were also looking for work.

October's modest decline followed a cumulative loss of 110,000 jobs across September and August. A Reuters poll of economists had expected the economy would bounce back with a gain of 13,600 jobs in October.

"For anyone hoping that October would bring a recovery in the Canadian job market after back-to-back negative surprises, today’s release is a disappointment," said Sneha Puri, economist with jobs search site Indeed, in a media statement.

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:53 PM EST