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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew meets Dauphin resident David McRae as he cleans out his apartment between shifts on Thursday. McRae was at home when water started coming in through his front door. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press)

Dauphin residents still getting sense of damage

By Tyler Searle 5 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

WINNIPEG — Three days after floodwater swamped David McRae’s bachelor apartment, forcing him and his neighbours to seek shelter at the neighbouring fire hall, the Dauphin resident said he and many others are just beginning to take stock of the damage.

“Water started coming in from the door, the baseboard heaters — even through the floor,” McRae, 23, said.

“I didn’t know if I was going to have a place to actually come back to. For me, this was terrifying. I am still kind of shaking at this point.”

By Friday, much of the water had receded from Dauphin streets and sidewalks. McRae and his neighbours at the single-storey apartment block on 2nd Street NW were among hundreds of people drying out their homes and belongings after 119 mm of rain fell on the Parkland city from Sunday to Tuesday.

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Local

Former Shared Health CEO paid nearly $1M in 2025

By Nicole Buffie 5 minute read Preview

Former Shared Health CEO paid nearly $1M in 2025

By Nicole Buffie 5 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

WINNIPEG — The former CEO of Shared Health received nearly $1 million in salary and other pay last year, despite working for only one month before being fired following a provincial health-care system audit.

Lanette Siragusa was paid $988,520 in 2025 and was at the top of the health authority’s latest compensation disclosure.

Siragusa and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority leader Mike Nader were removed from their roles in February 2025 following the release of a financial audit that showed, apart from Southern Health, the province’s other health regions regularly overspent their budgets.

A Shared Health spokesperson would not provide a breakdown of Siragusa’s compensation, but said the total figure includes regular earnings and certain “legislative and contractual payments,” such as vacation and severance, which were paid out at the time of her departure from the organization.

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2:00 AM CDT

Local

Ward 5 incumbent Greg Hildebrand says he wants to continue building on that work while placing greater emphasis on downtown revitalization, tourism and economic growth. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun files)

10 already registered for council races

By Abiola Odutola 6 minute read Preview

10 already registered for council races

By Abiola Odutola 6 minute read Yesterday at 11:28 PM CDT

The field for Brandon’s October municipal election continues to grow, with 10 candidates now registered for city council seats as of Friday.

Contested races have emerged in Ward 1 and Ward 2, while incumbents in Wards 4, 5 and 8 remain unopposed. Candidates have also registered in Wards 9 and 10, while no names have yet been filed in Wards 3, 6 and 7.

In Ward 1, incumbent Heather Karrouze is seeking re-election and is being challenged by Ron Shaluk.

Karrouze said she is committed to representing residents’ concerns again.

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Yesterday at 11:28 PM CDT

Local

The front doors of the Brandon courthouse on 11th Street. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Crown seeking 18-month sentence in assault case

By Skye Anderson 5 minute read Preview

Crown seeking 18-month sentence in assault case

By Skye Anderson 5 minute read Yesterday at 11:19 PM CDT

VIRDEN — A Crown prosecutor is seeking a year-and-a-half jail sentence for a Birdtail Sioux First Nation man who assaulted three men last year, including the community’s then chief.

The man’s lawyer argued in Virden provincial court on Friday that a sentence of house arrest would be more appropriate.

Christopher Wasteste, 35, previously pleaded guilty to assault and two counts of assault causing bodily harm.

Judge Patrick Sullivan reserved his decision, and Wasteste’s matter is scheduled to appear in Virden court next month.

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Yesterday at 11:19 PM CDT

Local

Minnedosa Mayor Ken Cameron stands among sandbags filled by volunteers on Friday. The Little Saskatchewan River is expected to continue to rise as water from recent rains in the area makes its way into the river and downstream. (Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Minnedosa braces for crest

By Connor McDowell 4 minute read Preview

Minnedosa braces for crest

By Connor McDowell 4 minute read Yesterday at 11:18 PM CDT

MINNEDOSA — The Town of Minnedosa partnered with volunteers on Friday morning to fill sandbags ahead of this weekend’s expected crest of the Little Saskatchewan River that runs through town.

The public works department oversaw 15 volunteers in the morning who stockpiled several pallets full of sandbags for use today and Sunday. Mayor Ken Cameron said the town was being proactive.

“We are just trying to get ahead of the game here and get some sandbags out,” Cameron said while staff loaded sandbags into the back of a pickup truck in the public works shop. “It’s better to be over-prepared. And the fact that they can predict what’s coming down our river (means) we can prepare for it.”

The town was expecting the river to rise two and a half feet over the weekend as water flows down through the community on its way to the Assiniboine River.

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Yesterday at 11:18 PM CDT

Local

Skeletor roars over some lesser vehicles during Monsters and Mayhem at the Keystone Centre grounds in 2015. This year's event has been postponed due to flooding across the province. (File)

Monsters and Mayhem event postponed

By Jae Murray 2 minute read Preview

Monsters and Mayhem event postponed

By Jae Murray 2 minute read Yesterday at 11:14 PM CDT

The Ram Monsters and Mayhem Tour’s Brandon event has been postponed, the show’s organizers announced in a news release Thursday.

In a joint statement by the event’s organization and the Keystone Centre, the three-day event is postponed due to the current state of emergency and flooding across the province.

“We know many families are dealing with evacuations, damaged homes and uncertain days ahead,” the announcement stated. “At this time, our focus is on supporting our communities, and we look forward to returning to Brandon next year with an even bigger and better event.”

The show has not been rescheduled at this time, Performance Promotions/Outlaws of Motorsports event operations manager Chad Waloschuk confirmed over email to the Sun on Friday. Ticket holders are to receive a full refund through the Keystone Centre box office and are encouraged to contact the box office directly with any questions.

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Yesterday at 11:14 PM CDT

Local

Work continues to close the dike along 18th Street North at Grand Valley Road in Brandon on Friday as the Assiniboine River continues to rise.

Keeping an eye on the Assiniboine

Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun 1 minute read Preview

Keeping an eye on the Assiniboine

Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 11:47 PM CDT

The City of Brandon on Friday began building a temporary dike at the intersection of Grand Valley Road at the 18th Street due to the risk of rising waters along the Assiniboine Riverm due to recent rain.

Motorists and pedestrians were asked to use caution around the work zone and obey all posted signage.

The city also asked residents to stay off the dike system and away from closed trails, parks, and riverbank areas due to the hazard posed by fast-moving water and unstable ground.

» Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun

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Updated: Yesterday at 11:47 PM CDT

Local

For the third year since its inception in 2020, Brandon University forensic anthropologist Emily Holland will lead the Forensic Anthropology Field School, a simulated outdoor crime scene recovery and grave excavation that takes place in the Brandon Hills during the summer. (Photos by Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Program ‘unique’ to BU, prof says

By Jae Murray 6 minute read Preview

Program ‘unique’ to BU, prof says

By Jae Murray 6 minute read Yesterday at 11:09 PM CDT

Students at Brandon University will have the opportunity to learn from one of the country’s leading forensic experts this summer when they head to the Brandon Hills Wildlife Management Area Trailhead for field training.

The Forensic Anthropology Field School offered through the university closely simulates a forensic case for students to learn forensic work professionally and ethically; from the search, to excavation, to analysis.

“It’s unique at Brandon University to have undergraduate students participate in active forensic cases, and so my students at Brandon University have an incredible set of training before they even graduate,” said Emily Holland, who conceptualized the field school in 2020.

This year marks the third time the course has been offered.

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Yesterday at 11:09 PM CDT

Local

Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson stands in front of the town’s flooded Jack Brown Memorial Field on Thursday. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press)

Swan River mayor wants military help

By Chris Kitching 6 minute read Preview

Swan River mayor wants military help

By Chris Kitching 6 minute read Yesterday at 11:00 PM CDT

WINNIPEG — The mayor of a flood-hit town in western Manitoba is urging the federal government to move swiftly on aid for weary victims, who are seeking assurance more help is on the way.

Federal and provincial officials were scheduled to meet Friday after Premier Wab Kinew on Wednesday asked Ottawa to send military personnel to the Parkland region to assist with the response and cleanup of floods that have been described as unprecedented.

“In the days to come, and this may be within five days, the residents down there are going to need help,” Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson said about neighbourhoods that remained under water Friday.

“They are going to need help with the cleanup. There will be volunteers, there are companies that will help to do this, too, but it’s going to be limited, and this is the reason why I said we need some military support.”

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Yesterday at 11:00 PM CDT

Local

YWCA Westman executive director Lois Ruston holds up an artist’s conception of the new YWCA building planned for construction on 11th Street. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

YWCA plans sexual assault exam space

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Preview

YWCA plans sexual assault exam space

By Tessa Adamski 5 minute read Yesterday at 11:00 PM CDT

YWCA Westman is in the early stages of developing a trauma-informed space where survivors of sexual assault or intimate partner violence can choose to be examined and access care in a community setting rather than at a hospital.

The organization plans to build the new space on its 11th Street lot where it operates a 24-7 emergency shelter for women and children, as well as counselling services and various programming to support survivors.

The goal is to create an examination room where a forensic nurse can complete a sexual assault evidence kit and offer testing for pregnancy, sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections and physical assessments, said YWCA Westman’s executive director, Lois Ruston.

“These spaces just don’t exist in the region of southwestern Manitoba,” she said.

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Yesterday at 11:00 PM CDT

Business

Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu delivers an announcement in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle

Ottawa to weigh guardrails, alternatives to ‘contentious’ Labour Code tool: Hajdu

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Ottawa to weigh guardrails, alternatives to ‘contentious’ Labour Code tool: Hajdu

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:28 PM CDT

OTTAWA - The federal government is exploring possible guardrails or alternatives to using what she says is a "contentious" section of the Labour Code that allows Ottawa to intervene in bitter bargaining conflicts, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said this week.

Hajdu's department launched broad consultations with employers, unions and other stakeholders this spring about changes they'd like to see to the Canada Labour Code.

In an interview Thursday, Hajdu said the initial feedback was fruitful but Ottawa has decided to do a second, more focused round of consultations over the summer to go deeper on certain questions.

The federal government wants to modernize the Labour Code to promote earlier engagement between parties and cut down on the number of times bargaining ends with a prolonged work stoppage warranting Ottawa's intervention, Hajdu said.

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:28 PM CDT