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Laura Cameron with Climate Action Team Manitoba speaks at an event in January. Cameron has called on the province to restore 50-50 provincial-municipal transit funding. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press files)

Transit advocates call for province to boost funding to municipalities

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Preview

Transit advocates call for province to boost funding to municipalities

Carol Sanders 4 minute read 2:00 AM EST

WINNIPEG — With an election less than a year away and the provincial NDP gathering in Winnipeg this weekend, transit proponents say it’s time the Kinew government restored 50-50 provincial-municipal funding.

“We want to see them stick to their word and to follow through on that and restore this funding agreement so that we can see the operating budgets that we need to have effective service,” said Laura Cameron with Climate Action Team Manitoba.

In 2017, then-opposition leader Wab Kinew called out former Progressive Conservative premier Brian Pallister for ending the 50-50 transit cost-sharing with Manitoba municipalities.

“He’s not listening to Manitobans who ride the bus, who are raising their voice all week and the week before saying they object to the impact that this government’s program of cuts is having on the service that they rely on here in the city,” Kinew said in the legislature at the time. “Will the premier reverse his plan for cuts? Will he reinstate the 50-50 transit formula?”

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Wab Kinew scrums at the Manitoba NDP convention at the RBC Convention Centre on Friday. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press)

Kinew hints at early election at NDP convention

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Preview

Kinew hints at early election at NDP convention

Carol Sanders 4 minute read 2:00 AM EST

WINNIPEG — New Democrats from across Manitoba are gathering in Winnipeg to debate policy resolutions and get ready for a provincial election that must happen by Oct. 5 — but could come much sooner.

The party has $3.5 million to spend on the campaign and plans to expand its majority in the legislature, Premier Wab Kinew told reporters Friday.

“We’ve got enough candidates to grow our majority to represent you right across this great province,” the NDP leader said ahead of delivering a report to the 400 registered delegates at the RBC Convention Centre.

The NDP has 34 of the 57 seats in the legislature. The Progressive Conservatives have 19, mostly in rural Manitoba outside of vote-rich Winnipeg.

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SUMMARY

1 minute read 2:00 AM EST

Wheat Kings 5, Wild 1

First Period

1. Brandon, Surkan 10 (Jacobson, Allard) 3:40.

2. Brandon, Baumuller 12 (unassisted) 4:18.

Tamarack

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Microsoft reports progress as it works to recover email and other services in a global outage

Microsoft reports progress as it works to recover email and other services in a global outage

Chan Ho-him And Kelvin Chan The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Microsoft reports progress as it works to recover email and other services in a global outage

Chan Ho-him And Kelvin Chan The Associated Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 9:23 AM EST

Microsoft said progress is being made in bringing its popular workplace software back online as a global outage enters its second day, disrupting business communications, police emergency calls, court operations and AI tools.

The outage, which affected a wide range of Microsoft 365 services including Outlook, Teams and AI assistant Copilot, left many complaining they couldn’t access their emails.

Microsoft indicated that it was making some headway as it tried to restore services, in fresh updates posted Friday on social media.

“We’re seeing encouraging recovery progress, with service availability and email delivery performance improving across a growing portion of affected Microsoft 365 infrastructure,” the company said in its latest update, as some users started reporting that their emails were restored.

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Yesterday at 9:23 AM EST

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A rendering of Place of Pride. Phase 2 of the project broke ground on Thursday. (Supplied)

Chipman family donates $500K to LGBTTQ+ project

Nicole Buffie 2 minute read Preview

Chipman family donates $500K to LGBTTQ+ project

Nicole Buffie 2 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM EST

WINNIPEG — Rainbow Resource Centre broke ground on Phase 2 of its LGBTTQ+ campus Thursday, with the help of a significant donation from the Chipman family.

The family contributed $500,000 to the $23-million project, called Place of Pride. Rainbow Resource Centre began the project in late 2022.

“We believe everyone deserves a place where they feel welcome, supported and accepted for who they are. Rainbow Centre is creating that kind of place for generations to come,” said Ruth Chipman, spokesperson for the family, in a news release announcing the donation.

“We are proud to support a project that will make such a meaningful difference in people’s lives and help build a stronger, more inclusive community.”

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Police vehicles are shown outside the scene of a shooting at a home in Winnipeg in November 2023. (The Canadian Press files)

Man who killed 5 deserves lowest possible sentence: defence

Dean Pritchard 5 minute read Preview

Man who killed 5 deserves lowest possible sentence: defence

Dean Pritchard 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM EST

WINNIPEG — Lawyers for a man convicted of murdering five people in a Langside Street drug house have urged a judge to impose the most lenient sentence allowed by law, arguing he was manipulated into a homicidal rage by his father and brother.

“It was his family that provided him all the necessary ingredients for this atrocity,” Jamie Felix’s lawyer Ted Mariash told Court of King’s Bench Justice Alain Huberdeau at a sentencing hearing Thursday.

Felix, 35, was convicted after trial last winter of five counts of second-degree murder in the November 2023 killings. Melelek Lesikel, 29, Crystal Beardy, 34, her sister Stephanie Beardy, 33, and Dylan Lavallee, 41, all died at the scene or in hospital a short time later. All four had been shot in the head. Shawn Marko, 56, was shot three times and died in hospital from pneumonia, a result of complications from his gunshot wounds, 18 months later.

Mariash recommended Huberdeau sentence Felix to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years, the minimum period allowed by law. On Tuesday, Crown prosecutors called on Huberdeau to sentence Felix to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, the same sentence for first-degree murder.

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Yesterday at 2:01 AM EST

Tamarack Golf Tournament

Weather

Nov. 15, 12 AM: 2°c Windy Nov. 15, 6 AM: 0°c Clear

Brandon MB

4°C, Windy

Full Forecast

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TALE OF THE TAPE: Wenatchee at Brandon

1 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM EST

Brandon Wheat Kings vs Wenatchee Wild

7 p.m. at Assiniboine Credit Union Place.

6:30 p.m. (91.5 FM): 7 p.m. (YouTube)

WHEAT KINGS

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Wheat Kings looking to create offence

Wheat Kings looking to create offence

Perry Bergson 6 minute read Preview

Wheat Kings looking to create offence

Perry Bergson 6 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM EST

The Brandon Wheat Kings can expect the Wenatchee Wild to make it tough to score when the American club visits Assiniboine Credit Union Place tonight.

The Wild (6-10-1-0) have struggled to score themselves, with a league-low 38 goals, but they are tied for the fourth fewest goals allowed with a stingy 51 in 17 Western Hockey League games.

The Wheat Kings (13-6-0-1), in comparison, have scored 66 goals and allowed 62 in 20 games.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said the visitors won’t make it easy on them.

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Sports Looking Back: Nov. 13, 2026

2 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM EST

ON TELEVISION

HOCKEY — 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship: quarterfinals teams TBD, 9 a.m. (TSN1 and TSN4); quarterfinals, teams TBD, 1 p.m. (TSN1 and TSN4)

TENNIS — 2026 WTA Finals, 3 p.m. (TSN3)

NBA — Cavaliers at Heat, 8 p.m. (SN1); Jazz at Rockets, 8:30 p.m. (TSN4); Thunder at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (SN1)

Local

Max Dawson turns away from pressure and looks for a pass. The two-way defender had three assists in Brandon’s 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Bruins. (Rowan McCarthy/The Brandon Sun)

Dawson back with U18 Wheat Kings

Rowan McCarthy 6 minute read Preview

Dawson back with U18 Wheat Kings

Rowan McCarthy 6 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM EST

Max Dawson made his presence felt in a dominant 6-2 victory against the Winnipeg Bruins on Wednesday night after returning to the U18 Brandon Wheat Kings from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines.

As a member of the 2025-26 U18 Wheat Kings, Dawson scored six goals and amassed 42 points, helping Brandon reach the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League final where they faced the Winnipeg Bruins.

They wound up losing that series, and Dawson signed a contract with the Waywayseecappo in June.

The Wolverines currently sit atop the MJHL with a 15-3-0-1 record and seem to be a championship contender. However, Dawson only got into six games for the Wolverines before returning to Brandon.

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Brandon School Division Supt. Jon Zilkey presents the report on the 2026 graduation rate to the board of trustees Monday evening. A total of 671 students graduated in June, the second-largest graduating class recorded in the division. (Photos by Abiola Odutola/The Brandon Sun)

Grad numbers down, but still second highest

Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Preview

Grad numbers down, but still second highest

Abiola Odutola 3 minute read Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026

A total of 671 Brandon School Division students graduated in June — and while that’s a decline from the 726 who graduated in 2025, it’s still the second-largest graduating class recorded in the division.

The numbers, which were presented to the board of trustees Monday evening, include all graduates, including those who took more or less than four years to finish high school.

The 2026 statistics include 488 students who completed high school within four years, 33 who took five years, 10 who took six years, nine who took seven years, and three who graduated early. Another 128 had transferred into the division after beginning their high school education elsewhere.

The report from administration showed that the four-year graduation rate for the 2022 cohort, which began with 695 Grade 9 students, was 80 per cent — slightly below the 83.3 per cent recorded for the 2021 cohort, Supt. Jon Zilkey told the board.

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Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026

Local

SUMMARY

Perry Bergson 1 minute read Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026

Wheat Kings 6, Winterhawks 2

First Period

1. Portland, R. Brown 7 (Grumley, Domenichelli) 7:20 (pp).

2. Brandon, Surkan 9 (Grubb, E. Turko) 11:38.

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