City of Thompson updates its wildfire protection plan

Thompson city council has unanimously adopted an updated Community Wildfire Protection Plan following a record-setting 2025 wildfire season.

The 2026 revision, approved Aug. 11, is intended to co-ordinate wildfire preparedness, response and mitigation across Thompson and the surrounding area. The plan covers an eight-kilometre radius around the city, encompassing roughly 200 square kilometres.

The need for improved co-ordination was highlighted last summer when Fire 061, reported July 4 about eight kilometres north of Thompson Regional Airport, grew from an estimated 10 hectares to more than 1,000 hectares in a single day. The fire ultimately reached more than 22,000 hectares.

The updated plan brings together the City of Thompson, Thompson Fire and Emergency Services, the Manitoba Wildfire Service, the Emergency Management Organization and mutual-aid partners.

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

• 5:30 p.m. — City of Brandon Parks and Recreation is offering a Learn to Draw session beginning today and running until Oct. 22 at the Cultural Resource Centre (638 Princess Ave.) from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Ages 14+. Supplies included. Register at brandon.ca/rec-programs or call 204-729-2471.

FRIDAY

Manitoba’s Peters a breakout star with White Sox

The list of Major League Baseball players born and raised in Winkler, Man., is a short one.

In fact, it’s one — Tristan Peters.

The 26-year-old Peters, who bounced around a number of minor professional league parks before finally seeing major-league duty last September, is having a breakout season with the Chicago White Sox. In fact, his play has been so outstanding that he played in this summer’s all-star game at Atlanta.

Peters was drafted 207th overall in 2021 by the Milwaukee Brewers, traded to the San Francisco Giants in 2022 and dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays a couple of months later. He played AA ball in 2023, moved up to AAA Durham in 2024 and was called up to Tampa last September when MLB rosters were expanded to 40 players.

Q&A: What the new contraception policy means for patients

Manitobans can now access hormonal contraception directly from trained pharmacists, expanding the range of health-care services available at community pharmacies.

The policy change is expected to improve access to contraception, particularly for people who do not have a primary care provider or face long waits for appointments with a physician or nurse practitioner.

In this interview, Abiola Odutola spoke with Super Thrifty Drugs Canada Ltd. president Jennifer Ludwig. She spoke about what the change means for patients in Brandon and Westman, how contraceptive assessments will work, which options pharmacists can prescribe and what patients should know before booking an appointment. Excerpts:

Abiola Odutola — What does this new policy mean for patients in Brandon and Westman, and how does it change what they can now receive directly from a pharmacist?

Downtown revitalization efforts continue

Efforts to revitalize downtown Brandon continued this summer as several organizations hosted events that drew thousands to the area.

During June, July and August, organizations that included Brandon Downtown BIZ, the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation and the City of Brandon hosted numerous community events downtown. Representatives from each organization told the Sun at the tail end of summer that the events serve to improve the atmosphere in the area.

Emmy Sanderson, executive director of Downtown BIZ, told the Sun feedback has been positive, and she sees the event benefitting several areas.

“What I hear is, people are happy to see everything going on,” Sanderson said. “I like to break it down to that it supports business and it supports community.”

Grandparents Day will be celebrated on Sunday, and the official flower of the day will be the forget-me-not, a sweet reminder to stay connected to the seniors in our lives.

Canada established official recognition for the day in 1995 to recognize grandparents and the importance of their place in families and for their help in raising and educating children.

Beyond their families, grandparents and other seniors play an important role through their work lives. They help to form the social network that gives communities their character. Seniors often support their communities with volunteer work and with their presence as friends and neighbours. One organization that helps to ensure seniors are active and engaged is Brandon Seniors for Seniors.

“As our population ages, it is increasingly important that we create communities where older adults feel valued, included, and supported,” said Eleysha Klaassen, executive director at Brandon Seniors for Seniors, where she oversees all aspects of the organization that serves older adults in Brandon and the surrounding area.

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.