Canada launches first-ever attempt to count visa ‘overstays’

Canada has begun its first-ever population count to determine the number of people who are in the country without legal status after having overstayed their visas and losing their right to remain in the country.

The federal government conceded that there is no reliable estimate because getting to a specific number is both complex and a priority.

Estimates of the number of people who have no legal status in the country have varied between 20,000 and 500,000, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and two million people cited by Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre earlier this year.

The issue promises to be a political hot potato as the Conservatives last week called for a better system to track the departure of temporary visa holders.

Garry Theatre reopens in Selkirk after five-year restoration

After five years of planning, fundraising and renovations, the Garry Theatre is welcoming moviegoers back to the historic Selkirk landmark.

Public screenings began this week following a grand opening Oct. 16 and a donor open house the next day. The theatre is launching with a Halloween-themed lineup featuring Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters.

The city is describing the reopening as a soft launch as new staff learn ticketing and concession software and bring a projector back into regular use after sitting mostly idle for five years.

“The story of The Garry Theatre is in many ways the story of the people of Selkirk,” Mayor Larry Johannson said, noting the building has been part of the community for 75 years.

NHL’s name game not so easy today

Foster Hewitt and Danny Gallivan had it easy.

For younger readers who may not have heard of Hewitt or Gallivan, they were the radio/TV voices a number of decades ago of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens respectively. In 1960, the National Hockey League consisted of six teams — Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers joining the aforementioned Habs and Leafs in a compact league located in a tiny geographical section of North America.

Since almost all of the players in 1960 were Canadian (the odd American was sprinkled into some of the teams’ rosters), doing play-by-play wasn’t too difficult. Hull, Richard, Howe, Kelly, Duff, Beliveau, Bathgate, Moore … easy on the tongues of the broadcasters.

Today, of course, the NHL consists of 32 teams, seven in Canada and 25 in all corners of the United States. Canadian players make up the largest percentage (42 per cent), with Americans next at 28 per cent. If a country has ice, it’s likely it has a player or two in the NHL and today, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Belarus, Latvia, Norway, Austria, Slovenia, France and Australia (yes, Australia — Jordan Spence of Ottawa and Nathan Walker of St. Louis)— are represented on NHL rosters.

Castle-like museum needs repairs

The board of the Hillcrest Museum in Souris is attempting to fundraise $100,000 from community members to restore several features of the historic fortress-looking heritage building.

A host of repairs for the 2027 season are focused on remaining windows that have not yet been repaired, with work including building new window sashes, replacing rotting sills and removing improperly installed storm windows, board president Debora Kain told the Sun in a recent interview. The board aims to fundraise the total before the end of next year.

“I think it’s important to keep up,” Kain said. “There is a lot of people’s time and effort caught up in keeping this going since 1967.”

The heritage home, formerly owned by Fred and Maud Sowden, was purchased that year by a group of Souris citizens to establish the museum. It still operates as a museum and attracts roughly 3,000 visitors per year.

Squeal on Pigs develops African swine fever plan

The first plan to manage a potential outbreak of African swine fever in wild pigs here in Canada has been developed by Squeal on Pigs in Manitoba.

The organization created an emergency response plan that outlines tactics, such as trapping pigs, and surveilling them with drones, co-ordinator of the project, Wayne Lees, told the Sun in a recent interview. The plan is in its “final stages,” and is expected to be distributed to all other provinces to build a foundation for their response plans in the next two months, he said.

The plan was created to give a baseline in case the highly-contagious African swine fever were to arise in known populations of wild pigs in Manitoba, he said. The plan enhances a host of tactics that are already used by Squeal on Pigs in its attempt to eradicate wild pigs in the province.

“Whenever you have a disease outbreak, you do all the things you would do during normal times but you do them much quicker and in a way that would limit the spread of infection,” Lees said. “Its like any prevention, you have to prepare for the worst.”

A season to remember for Tyson Philpot

Tyson Philpot has had an unforgettable Canadian Football League season in 2026.

For starters, his team, the Montreal Alouettes, are one of the strong favourites (along with Edmonton Elks) to win the Grey Cup in Calgary Nov. 15. Individually, Philpot has had a remarkable, record-breaking season that will cement his status as one of the CFL’s all-time greats.

Philpot and Alouettes’ quarterback Davis Alexander were in sync in a recent rout of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and when the final gun sounded, Philpot had established three records — most single-season receiving yards by a Canadian-born player; an Alouettes’ team record for receptions in one season; and most receptions by a Canadian-born player in one season.

Erased from the CFL record book is Terry Evanshen’s 1967 record of 1,662 receiving yards by a Canadian in one year; the Alouettes’ team record of 112 catches in one year, held jointly by Ben Cahoon (2003) and Jamel Richardson (2011); and Brad Sinopoli’s single-season CFL reception record of 116, set in 2018.

Last Post Fund seeks tips about unmarked veteran graves

The Last Post Fund is asking Westman residents to submit tips about unmarked graves of war veterans.

As Remembrance Day approaches, the organization, which aims to ensure that no veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial, seeks to raise awareness about the need for headstones at veterans’ graves, Matthew Halpin, Manitoba branch president of the Last Post Fund, told the Sun in a recent interview. The organization hopes to elicit help from the public to narrow its search in the area, he said.

“We are just looking to advise the public, that if they’re aware of anyone, a relative, a friend, a citizen within the community, it doesn’t matter if it’s Flin Flon, or across the province, to give us a call,” Halpin said. “Unless the public comes forward … it makes it very difficult to find those individuals or come across any of those plots that may contain a veteran that has no marker.”

Halpin encourages the public to phone the organization and provide tips. Narrowing the effort allows researchers with the Last Post Fund to focus on select cases, compared to their normal effort where they fan through lists at cemeteries and compare names to military records. Two volunteers in Brandon research cemetery lists.

Proposed cell tower policy changes worry some

The Canadian government has proposed a list of policy changes to make cell towers easier to install, which has roused concern in a Brandonite and safe technology advocate who helped overturn a cell tower plan on 34th Street last year.

Chris Bird, a resident in west Brandon, and Marg Friesen, a Winnipegger, said that they are worried about proposed amendments introduced this year by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Friesen said the list of proposed changes stands to disempower residents and local government when it comes to the placement of cell towers in their communities.

“The problem is that it’s going to diminish and sometimes completely eliminate local say,” Friesen said. “We are concerned because, if this goes through, people like me who know some of the science, and have some depth, won’t be able to advise people or make suggestions.”

Friesen, who volunteers with Canadians For Safe Technology, last year spoke against the cell tower proposal at 1009 34th Street in Brandon. Council voted down the tower at that meeting in front of a crowd of roughly 40 residents.

Let’s Do Something — Oct. 20, 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 (Oct. 29)

• 9 a.m. — Manitoba Ag Ex, taking place at the Keystone Centre over the next four days, is the province’s largest all-breeds cattle show, drawing breeders, livestock exhibitors, and industry leaders from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Also includes many vendors in our trade show as well as the popular Sheep Show and MooMania.

• Noon — Alternative Choice Garden Centre (34th St. and Patricia Avenue) invites you to their Haunted Greenhouse: Boo For a Cause event, on until Oct. 31, noon to 5 p.m. A fun, not-too-spooky adventure for families, classrooms, and groups. Explore interactive stations, take photos and enjoy seasonal games in a safe, indoor setting. Perfect for kids age two to 10 years. Admission: Family pass is $15 (covers 2 adults, 4 kids) is a one-time fee for entry anytime during the full event run. Group bookings $50 (groups of 12 or less); $75 (groups of 13 to 25). Weekdays only from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds to Westman Dreams for Kids.

Charity harvest expected to raise $110,000

RIVERDALE — The organizer of a charity harvest project estimates that roughly $110,000 will be donated to battle global hunger because of soybeans that were harvested near Rivers last week.

Ron Krahn, the organizer of Acres of Hope, a charity farming project, said that about 155 acres of soybeans were poised to be sold to donate cash to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The year was turning out well for the charity project, he told the Sun in a recent interview.

“This would definitely be more than average,” Krahn said. “This would be more than normal.”

The value of the soybeans yield was calculated at roughly $135,000, but some expenses had to be paid to cover inputs to production that had not been donated, he said.

Rural Roundup — Oct. 29, 2026

NEEPAWA

Neepawa Middle School students raised $17,192 for the Terry Fox Foundation, with its annual fundraising campaign, showing that a little friendly competition and the right incentive can go a long way for a good cause.

It was a massive increase over last year’s amount of $7,752.

This year’s endeavour got underway during the second full week of classes and challenged students to raise money. A large contingent answered the call, as 75 students fundraised in the community and another 105 contributed by buying Terry Fox inspired T-shirts.

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 (Oct. 22)

• 11:30 a.m. — The United Way Community Fun Lunch (also known as Spaghetti lunch) takes place in the Imperial Ballroom at the Victorian Inn. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Lunch served at noon. Heading back to the ‘80s this year, so dust off your denim, break out the neon and get ready to tease that hair sky high! Play some table activities, connect with friends and coworkers and enjoy an amazing lunch in support of United Way’s 2026 Campaign: Planting Possibilities. Bryan Podworny of Expressions Entertainment will be bringing the ‘80s energy. Rainbow and silent auction as well as 50/50 race. Tickets are $40 and must be purchased in advance at support.brandonuw.ca/co.

• Noon — Westman 365 Cancer Care support group meets 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.