New homes for some NFL quarterbacks

When the 2026 National Football League season kicks off this week with a New England-at-Seattle Wednesday night classic, the same quarterbacks who battled Feb. 8 in the Super Bowl won 29-13 by Seattle, Sam Darnold for the Seahawks and Drake Maye for the Patriots, will both be under centre. The status quo at QB will be in effect at most other stadiums around the league, too, but there are a number of QBs wearing new NFL uniforms.

A handful of journeymen quarterbacks played a game of musical chairs in the National Football League’s off-season and many fans are asking “who’s starting where?” Let’s examine the movement.

Perhaps the most significant change involves Tua Tagovailoa, for six years the starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins. Tua, whose actual first name is Tuanigamanuolepola, was a Pro Bowl QB in 2022 and led the NFL in passing yardage in 2023. But his star dimmed during the last couple of years, and in 2025 he led the league in interceptions. In March, he was flat-out released by the Dolphins, and the Atlanta Falcons snapped him up, signing Tagovailoa to a one-year contract worth $1.215 million, close to the league minimum. Tua is likely to be the Falcons’ starter, but will compete with Michael Penix, drafted two years ago, for the top job.

Suiting up in Miami to try to fill Tagovailoa’s shoes is Malik Willis, who was a backup in Green Bay last year. He signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins worth $67.5 million.

Brandon tennis and pickleball centre nearly complete

The downtown Wheat City Tennis and Pickleball Hub reached 80 per cent completion last week, a project manager said.

Electricians and mechanical trades workers finished installing lighting and heating and cooling ducts through the building last week, Concept Homes co-owner and project manager Joel Cardinal-Schultz told the Sun. A major milestone was crossed last week as well, as four out of four bays have also had the asphalt laid for pickleball and tennis courts.

“It was a long time coming, getting the asphalt down was a big one,” Schultz said, standing at the construction site at 1201 Pacific Ave. “That’s when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, if you will.”

Schultz said the hope is to have the building open Nov. 1 this year, however to make that happen the team would “need a few things to go our way.”

Manufacturer poised to buy leg of Boissevain road

BOISSEVAIN — The Municipality of Boissevain-Morton council voted last week to sell a portion of a municipal road to a large manufactuer to allow the business to expand in Boissevain.

Council voted at its regular meeting on Sept. 1 for second and third reading of a bylaw that would close and sell a portion of Buckingham Street, located beside the manufacturer Western Archrib. The plan will need to be reviewed by the Manitoba government before it is finalized.

The proposal is expected to take roughly six months, CAO Leo Poulin said during the public hearing. The municipality plans to sell the street for $1.

Western Archrib is a wood manufacturer that makes products such as beams, columns and mass timber panels that are shipped internationally, including to the United States and Asia. According to its website, its products have been used in facilities such as Johns Hopkins University, the Eastern Iowa Airport, the International Peace Garden, the University of Washington, and several First Nation centres.

Afrobeats Summer Groove draws crowd to Thompson

More than 150 people packed the Regal Beagle Tavern on Saturday as Thompson’s Afrobeats community celebrated what organizers say was the largest Afrobeats live music event in northern Manitoba’s history.

Afrobeat Summer Groove ‘26 featured performances from MGL The Specialist, Northbound Revival, DJ Paris Link, DJ UNFCKWTBL, A-FIX and Thompson-based Afro-fusion artist Babatunde “SCUD” Adewole.

The event was organized by Adewole through Attical Global Entertainment and funded by the Manitoba Arts Council, with community support from the Thompson Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation.

Adewole, who has spent the past year building a recurring Afrobeats and Black-music scene in Thompson through Afrobeats Nights, said the turnout demonstrated the demand for live music and cultural events in the North.

A warm early afternoon gives cattle comfortable weather. (Connor McDowell/The Brandon Sun)

Cattle in the Municipality of Oakland-Wawanesa relax along the road in the warm sunlight on Sept. 1. The livestock of southwest Manitoba are enjoying high levels of water thanks to a wet summer, a spokesperson for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada told the Sun. (Connor McDowell/The Brandon Sun)

By Connor McDowell

For those wishing to have their item listed in upcoming editions, there is now an earlier deadline for publication, so items are needed at least two weeks in advance of the date of your event. Please email to carthur@brandonsun.com.

TODAY

• 9 a.m. — The Rotary Club Fall Book Sale will be held in the Imperial Ballroom at the Victoria Inn. Free book for every child. Over 75,000 books. Free admission. Hours today are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Soft covers, $3; hard covers, $5; Harlequin Romance, 4 for $1; children’s books, $1. Remember to bring your list, bag and cash!

• 7 p.m. — The City of Brandon Parks and Recreation presents The Royal Canadian Air Force Band, Jet Stream Ensemble playing rock, pop and country hits at the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

FCM urges federal investment in municipal supports

Investing directly in municipalities is essential to achieving national priorities around housing, infrastructure, and community safety, according to recommendations submitted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) ahead of the upcoming federal budget.

The advocacy group is calling on Ottawa to enhance direct municipal funding models to ensure local governments can effectively address pressing regional needs.

“If you invest in municipalities, we believe Canada can achieve what it wants in terms of housing, infrastructure, and community safety,” said FCM Manitoba director and Portage finance chair Joe Masi.

A core priority identified by the FCM is sustained investment in core municipal infrastructure, including roads, recreation facilities and water treatment systems.

Let’s Do Something for Sept. 3, 2026

For those wishing to have their item listed in upcoming editions, there is now an earlier deadline for publication, so items are needed at least two weeks in advance of the date of your event. Please email to carthur@brandonsun.com.

TODAY

• 2 p.m. — “Spikey’s Points, the Musical” will take place at the Onanole Rec Centre (386 Central Rd, Onanole) today at 2 p.m. General admission is $15 and youth under 12 is $10. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite.

FRIDAY

Sixth-generation Manitoba ranch earns recognition for stewardship

For the English family, regenerative agriculture has been about continually asking how the land, cattle and business can work better together.

That approach has earned Connor and Kyla English, along with Brian and Leanne English, the 2026 Manitoba Environmental Stewardship Award.

The sixth-generation family ranch near Bradwardine manages about 320 breeding cows across nearly 1,100 acres of owned and rented pasture and forage land. Over the past decade, the family has steadily changed how it manages its grasslands, livestock and water systems, with the goal of building a ranch that remains productive for generations to come.

Connor English said the changes have come with plenty of trial and error.

Better back to school breakfasts

September is “Better Breakfast Month,” a reminder that a good school day starts with a good breakfast. Vanessa Hamilton, a registered dietitian and a healthy living facilitator with Prairie Mountain Health, shares some expertise on getting the good stuff on the breakfast table.

Hamilton says after a night of fasting, a good breakfast is fuelling the tank at the start of the day.

“Nourishing our body helps protect against infections and chronic diseases such as diabetes. A nourished mind supports our mood, attention, and memory. We tend to get tired and irritable when our fuel is low and breakfast gives our brain the boost it needs after sleeping,” she says.

A balanced breakfast is marked by variety with a whole grain, a protein, and a vegetable or fruit. She especially encourages including a vegetable or fruit. According to the Canada Food Guide, juice is not considered a fruit or vegetable serving due to the high sugar content and lack of nutrients such as fibre.

Steel support leaves truckers feeling overlooked

The federal government’s decision to subsidize steel shipments moved by rail and marine transportation, while leaving trucking companies out of the program, risks creating an uneven playing field in Canada’s transportation sector, according to trucking industry insiders.

The federal steel-support program provides a 50-per-cent transportation rebate for eligible steel products shipped by rail or marine transportation. But trucking companies, which remain an important link in moving steel from mills, ports and rail terminals to warehouses and customers, are not eligible for the rebate.

Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) executive director Aaron Dolyniuk said the exclusion is disappointing at a time when the industry is already facing challenging economic conditions.

“All modes of transportation play a vital role in moving goods to local, national, and global markets, and in today’s economic conditions, we need to be doing everything we can to move those goods,” Dolyniuk told the Sun. “No opportunity should be overlooked.”

Southern Manitoba’s population growth puts new pressure on health system, report finds

Southern Manitoba’s population is growing rapidly, creating new demands on a health-care system already seeing increased use of services, according to a new report from Southern Health-Santé Sud.

The health region had nearly 238,000 residents in 2025, up 12 per cent from 2020. That population is projected to increase by another 19 per cent by 2035, or roughly 45,000 people, the largest projected increase among Manitoba’s health regions.

The growth is already being reflected in the volume of health services being delivered, according to Southern Health’s 2026 Population Health Assessment.

The report points to increases in primary-care visits, diagnostic testing, surgical services and the number of residents living in personal-care homes.

Harvest delayed due to wet growing season

Harvest is lagging this season as the majority of southwest Manitoba has received above normal precipitation.

The Manitoba Crop Report last week stated that harvest completion sat at two per cent as of Aug. 24 in the southwest region. The progress came in lower than the past two years, which saw nine per cent, and six per cent at the same time.

Dean Toews, a farmer near MacGregor, said his farm is about two to three weeks delayed on harvest this year — with wet weather being one of the factors.

“The crops just stayed greener because they kept on feeding because there was adequate moisture,” he said. “I think the rains that we got kind of kept the maturity delayed a bit.”

Trucking industry brings values to the lives of Canadians

On behalf of the board of directors of the Manitoba Trucking Association, it is my pleasure to wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy National Trucking Week!

National Trucking Week is an opportunity for our industry members and partners to reflect on the value that the trucking industry brings to our lives. For those of us who work in trucking, the industry has provided us with a way to support our families, grow our careers and give back to the communities in which we work and live.

For those outside of the industry, trucking ensures your quality of life is maintained. Food is on the grocery store shelves. Retailers and suppliers have the stock they need. Schools and hospitals have the equipment they require. Primary industries, such as mining and agriculture, move their goods to markets. Trucking connects the dots for the local, provincial, national and global economies.

However, trucking is more than moving freight safely and efficiently. It is about community, and it is about ensuring that we are looking after each other. I am proud that 100 per cent of the profits raised at our main National Trucking Week events goes to charity. Starting in 2026, the funds raised from the MTA Truck Pull will go to The Joy Smith Foundation, which is working to raise awareness of labour trafficking and immigration abuse in the trucking industry. As has been the case for years, the LETR Truck Ride (for which the MTA is the presenting sponsor) directs all of its proceeds to Special Olympics Manitoba.

PGA Tour’s Player of the Year will be … ?

It was virtually owned by Tiger Woods for years and a Scottie Scheffler foregone conclusion for the past couple of seasons, but this year, there might not be a clearcut favourite for the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year award.

It could indeed be Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the world and the Tour’s leading money winner. But the 2026 knock against the 30-year-old Texan is that he won only one tournament during the regular season — and that was back in January at the American Express championship. He was a Top 10 machine, and finally won his second event of 2026 when he romped to an eight-stroke victory in the first playoff event, but his lack of regular-season dominance has opened the door for a few other players to be considered for POY.

Four other names are solidly in the mix. Wyndham Clark is a three-time winner, including the U.S. Open and a playoff win, while Matt Fitzpatrick and Chris Gotterup also won three times. Fitzpatrick’s most memorable win came at the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head when he defeated Scheffler in a playoff. Gotterup, meanwhile, has been the Tour’s breakout player of the year, winning at the Sony Open in Hawaii, the Phoenix Open and the John Deere Classic, after finishing 28th on the Tour’s money list in 2025.

Rory McIlroy is almost always a contender and 2026 is no different, although he would be considered a long shot for the award. He won the Masters for the second year in a row and was sixth on the money list despite playing only 11 events. The only other possibility would be Cameron Young, whose win at the Players was one of his two titles. He also finished second in money winnings during the regular season.