October start for Killarney’s performing arts concert series

Music lovers who attend the Killarney Turtle Mountain Arts Council’s (KTMAC) 2026/2027 Performing Arts Concert Series will enjoy a tasty blend of homegrown music spiced up with some global flavours and a few laughs on the side.

Giselle Beaupre, KTMAC’s administrator, says the line-up reflects their objective of presenting a variety of genres for audiences.

“We really accomplished that with our festival this past summer and we were planning the festival at the same time as the Performing Arts Series,” she said.

The season opener on Oct.17 is the Sean Taylor Band out of Winnipeg. Beaupre says the band, winner of the 2024 Manitoba Country Music Association (MCMA) Group of the Year and Album of the Year for their debut album, was spotted at last year’s Manitoba Showcase.

NWO communities could join Manitoba and ditch time changes

KENORA – Representatives for almost every community west of Thunder Bay met to discuss a switch to permanent daylight saving time.

That’s according to Kenora Mayor Andrew Poirier, who told Newswatch that mayors, reeves and First Nations leadership were invited by Kenora–Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford to meet virtually and discuss the option of joining Manitoba in nixing the biannual clock change.

On Thursday, the Manitoba government announced that Manitobans would not be setting their clocks back this November and are moving to permanent daylight time.

If they don’t make the switch, communities in Northwestern Ontario will be in “an island of central daylight savings time in the winter,” as described by MPP for Kiiwetinoong Sol Mamakwa.

MWF calls for full moose closure in Ducks, Porcupine Mountains

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation is calling on the province to completely close moose harvesting in the Ducks and Porcupine mountains, saying the populations in the areas have declined to critically low levels.

Chris Heald, Senior Policy Analyst with the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, said the organization wants the province to enforce the existing conservation closure and prohibit all moose harvest, including cow moose.

“The population has been decimated,” Heald said. “We want to see the province enforcing a complete closure.”

The organization has also raised concerns about Indigenous harvesting for ceremonial and sustenance purposes in the area.

Portage hospital has mould, leaks while new building empty

Reports of visible mould and leaking pipes in the dialysis department at Portage District General Hospital have sparked sharp criticism from local leadership, with calls growing for the provincial government to open the city’s newly constructed healthcare facility without further delay.

Jeff Bereza, Progressive Conservative MLA for Portage la Prairie, said he has been contacted by concerned hospital staff and patients undergoing treatment who are worried about environmental safety inside the aging facility.

According to Bereza, patients have reported foul odours from leaking fluid and visible mould along walls in the dialysis department. He noted that some patients have expressed fear over potential health risks or the prospect of being relocated to distant healthcare centres for treatment if the issue escalates.

“The real concern is for people’s health and the staff health, that’s where the concern lies,” Bereza said, adding that photos provided to him showed mould on interior walls that was subsequently covered with heavy plastic sheeting.

Let’s Do Something — Oct. 1, 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

• Day — Join us for three days of education, commemoration and Indigenous celebration at the Riverbank Discovery Centre today to Oct. 3. Everyone is welcome. There will be events happening every day as we come together to learn, reflect, remember and celebrate. Everyone is welcome.

• 6:15 p.m. — Want to explore a new sport? Come to Westman Speed Skating Club’s free open house at the Sportsplex in Brandon at 6:15 p.m. Ages 6 to 96! Basic skating skills required. For registration and more information visit westmanspeedskating.ca.

As the National Hockey League 2026-27 season embarks on its earliest ever start, now would be an appropriate time to dial up the annual NHL Questionnaire. All those with perfect scores can reward themselves by watching old Rock ’Em, Sock ’Em videos.

1. Connor Hellebuyck stunned the Winnipeg fan base over the summer by going public with his request for a trade out of the Manitoba capital. He did this because:

a) The Jets’ blue sweaters clash with his dark hair

b) Upset with the Jets’ accounting office continually misspelling his name on his paycheques

A hawk perches on a fence bordering a property on Kirkham Road outside Brandon on a warm and sunny Monday. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Farmer counselling program sees busy year

The Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program is on track to provide more counselling sessions to farmers than last year.

The charity had provided 570 free counselling sessions by the end of August, pacing ahead of last year’s 750 sessions recorded by the end of the year, the chair of the program, Roberta Galbraith, said in a recent interview. The pace follows after the organization expanded its reach and built roots in the community, she said.

“We’re seeing an increase in the number of people that are accessing the program, but also the number of sessions that people are accessing,” Galbraith said.

“So it’s sort of two different things. People are connecting with the program, they kind of get started, and then they stick around and spend a bit more time (using it).”

MBRA finals at Keystone Centre this weekend

The Manitoba Barrel Racing Association is hosting its finals at the Keystone Centre with competitions starting Friday and running through the weekend.

The competition is expected to be the largest ever held by the MBRA — with record numbers of entries and competitiors, MBRA board director, Aisha Janssen, said in a recent interview.

“The excitement around this year’s event is really high,” Janssen said. “We have a ton of increased added money, exceptional prizes, and tremendous sponsorship support.”

Janssen said that the prize pool this year is larger than years past, due to growing popularity of the MBRA and contributions from supporters.

Melfort firefighters, citizens rescue exhausted horse from muddy pit

MELFORT, Sask. — Melfort firefighters spent about three hours rescuing an exhausted horse from a muddy pit between Melfort and Star City on Sept. 16.

The Melfort Fire Department was paged at 7:34 a.m. following a report of a horse trapped in a pit, fire chief and emergency measures co-ordinator Leonard Whitney told SaskToday.

Firefighters arrived to find the horse standing in a muddy hole approximately five feet deep and 10 feet by 10 feet. The animal was visibly exhausted, according to the MFD.

Whitney said the horse is believed to have slipped into the hole and remained trapped for several hours overnight.

New exploration may lead to Uranium City’s revival

URANIUM CITY, Sask. — More than four decades after uranium mining helped build Uranium City, exploration crews are again drilling in the historic Beaverlodge uranium district, this time to determine whether the area could support a new uranium project.

Triton Uranium Corp. is advancing its approximately 46,000-acre Atlas Project, combining new exploration with decades of historical drilling and mining information from the area. The property is located within or adjacent to several areas where uranium was previously mined.

Scott Evans, Triton’s president and director, told SaskToday in a phone interview that the Atlas Project remains in the exploration stage and no decision has been made to develop a mine.

“We’re talking about taking an old historic mining area, trying to bring it back to life,” Evans said.

Portage soup kitchen sees record demand

The Highway Community Kitchen (HCK), operating out of the Highway Pentecostal Church in Portage la Prairie, is facing unprecedented demand for food support as living costs continue to rise across the region.

Tracy Erickson, an organizer with HCK, reported that daily meal numbers surged sharply throughout August, with the kitchen consistently serving more than 50 guests per day and peaking near 60 meals in early September.

“Normally, we would be doing between 25 to 35, maybe 40 (meals), with the odd day hitting 50,” Erickson said. “In August, it just went to 50 and stayed there … from the slower days, it’s definitely doubled.”

Erickson noted that while summer months typically bring a slight increase in visitors due to transient populations, the recent surge has sustained itself across a much broader demographic, including young families with toddlers and working individuals who are unable to keep up with rising grocery prices between paydays.

Brandon doctor training program grows

A growing number of medical students and residents are receiving hands-on training in Brandon as Prairie Mountain Health continues to expand its partnership with the University of Manitoba.

The Brandon Satellite Program, which began in 2013, provides medical training in a rural setting with the goal of exposing future physicians to the realities of practising outside Winnipeg.

The program has grown to include three streams based primarily in Brandon: a two-year family medicine residency, a five-year psychiatry residency and a one-year longitudinal clerkship for third-year medical students completing clinical rotations.

There is also a hybrid five-year anesthesia residency that includes part of its training in Brandon, and a one-year enhanced skills program in emergency medicine.

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

• Noon — Westman 365 Cancer Care Support Group meets the fourth Thursday of each month at noon at the Centre For Hope, located in Western Manitoba Cancer Care (300 McTavish Ave.) Providing information sessions to help cancer patients, caregivers and those who love them, navigate their cancer journey. For more information, call Ron at 204-728-9728 or Darlene at 204-761-8570 or Anne, 204-728-9958.

• 5 p.m. — United Way Kick off Glow Golf Tournament takes place at Deer Ridge Golf Course from 5 to 9 p.m. Take this shining opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled round of golf under the stars in support of United Way West Central Manitoba’s 2026 Campaign: Planting Possibilities. Grab your glow gear, gather your team of four and join us for a unique nine-hole Glow Golf tournament featuring a poutine bar, cash bar, on-course beverage cart, prizes, draws and plenty of fun.

Can Internationals stay close at President’s Cup?

Lambs led to slaughter. David vs. Goliath. The lions against the Christians. Shooting fish in a barrel. Bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Pick your metaphor and it will apply to this week’s President’s Cup golf competition, held every two years and often begging the question: Why?

Since its inception in 1994, the United States’ 12-man team has had its way with the Internationals, a team of 12 golfers from outside the U.S. or Europe. That means eligible players could come from Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, etc. Overall, the U.S. has been formidable, winning 13 events, tying one and losing one. This year’s clash at Medinah Country Club in Chicago is expected to almost certainly extend the Americans’ winning streak. The only hope for the Internationals would be if Donald Trump elbowed his way onto the U.S. team and had to play without cheating.

How powerful are the Americans? The U.S. team will send out players ranked 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 in the Official World Golf Ranking. That No. 1, of course, is Scottie Scheffler, who recently won two of the three PGA Tour playoff events, including the Tour Championship. The Internationals’ highest-ranked player is No. 13 Si Woo Kim of South Korea, a fine player but hardly someone to be feared by the Americans.