A 40 million dollar casino is to be built on First Nations land near the Spirit Sands by Carberry. The land is owned by Swan Lake First Nation.

Construction is set to begin in the Fall and expected to be completed within a year. Each of Manitoba’s bands will share 60 000$ annually from the casino.

It’s expected to create 200-300 jobs and will be the future location of a hotel, gas bar and gift shop. It’ll house 300 slot machines, 5 gaming tables and three restaurants initially.

Funding for the casino still has to be acquired but shouldn’t be a problem with most of the bands in the province in accord with the idea.

The casino will be located 16km South of Highway 1 on Highway 5, between Glenboro and Carberry.

The casino was originally proposed to be in Brandon but the citizens voted against it twice. It was then proposed to be slightly North of Brandon but that deal also fell through.

For Flu related information please call Public Health Services at 571-8446.

(This information was accessed from the Brandon RHA website on November the 25th.)

Here are the locations for H1N1 flu vaccination clinics for November 26th to December 12th 2009.

All the Clinics will be Held at the Town Center, 800 Rosser Avenue

• Thursday, November 26th, – 9:30am – 8:00pm

• Saturday, November 28th, – 10:00am – 6:00pm

• Tuesday, December 1st, – 9:30am – 8:00pm

• Thursday, December 3rd, – 9:30am – 8:00pm

• Saturday, December 5th, – 10:00am – 6:00pm

• Wednesday, December 9th, – 9:30am – 8:00pm

• Thursday, December 10th, – 9:30am – 8:00pm

• Saturday, December 12th, – 10:00am – 6:00pm

Additional Information:

• Make sure to bring your Manitoba Health Card.
• You may bring snacks and a chair due to the possible line-up.
• Seasonal Flu Shots are also available.

For a map of the location, please reference the map below.

Just because Brandon is located thousands of kilometers from the nearest ocean it doesn’t mean we don’t have any beaches, it just means we just don’t have many. However one of the best and closest beaches in the area is located only half an hour North of Brandon Mb.

Cool sand and warm waters are exactly what you’ll find at Minnedosa beach. With over 200 meters of sandy beach front sitting by the side of the scenic Minnedosa lake, you’ll be sure to enjoy this wonderful beach. The water is very clean, although not too clear. Occasionally you’ll find that some leaches have attached themselves to you, but this is Manitoba and that’s a given.

Just behind the beach there is a play structure for the little ones as well as a large field to play in. The beach also has a boat launch and a large parking area. There are no animals allowed on the beach but if you want to go check out some animals, you’ll find a herd of plains bison just a few minutes away from the beach at the bison enclosure.

Also situated around the beach is a great marshy walking path, the flag walk which represents the various flags of the people of Minnedosa and a look out tower over the marsh and bison enclosure. A round-trip walk from the beach will only take at max 1 hour and you’ll be amazed at all the things you’ll see. It’s common to find deer in the middle of the path ways as you walk on the trail. There is also a small swinging bridge in the middle of the marsh.

To see the exact locations of all the nearby attractions, please reference the map.

For Flu related information please call Public Health Services at 571-8446.

(This information was accessed from the Brandon RHA website on November the 8th.)

Here are the locations for H1N1 flu vaccination clinics for the week of November 9th.

November 9th, 2009, (Monday)

Town Center (retail level) 2:00pm-8:00pm.

-800 Rosser Avenue

• Make sure to bring your Manitoba Health Card.
• You may bring snacks and a chair due to the possible line-up.

For a map of the location, please reference the map below.

I’ve added a new feature to the website that will be fully functional by the end of this week.

It’s a jobs board which will be free to post until January 1st 2010. You only need a email to register a job, after the job is confirmed it will appear shortly after on the job board. That email address, once confirmed, will allow you to register as many jobs as you want without having to wait for them to be accepted or confirmed.

Any applicants interested can submit their resume to your website, which isn’t shown at any point. This feature can be disabled but you must allow some method for potential clients to contact you in your description.

To see the job board, click on the link Brandon Jobs.

With almost one hundred thousand people already vaccinated against H1N1 the province is saying that it may run out of flu vaccinations by next week. The province was expecting to have 72000 doses but due to the growing amount of people willing to get the shot there will only be 15000 supplied.

Brian Postl, president of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority believes that we will run out of doses by next week before we get the next shipment. Right now there hasn’t been any mention of turning anyone down but if there is a shortage then most likely only priority members of the population will be vaccinated before others.

The second wave of the flu has turned out not to be as troublesome as the Spring wave, although officials are still telling people to take care with their health and to avoid public spaces if you start feeling sick.

Some people have had to wait up to 3 hours in Winnipeg clinic line ups, however the line ups in Brandon have been much more manageable.

Click here for more information about Brandon H1N1 Clinics

*Public Health Services can be contacted at 571-8374,

*Brandon RHA is located at 150 McTavish Avenue East,

The Brandon Regional Health Authority has begun to administer H1N1 vaccinations to concerned citizens.

The flu shots will be given to the following individuals (taken from the Brandon RHA website. Accessed: October 27, 2009)

• Anyone of Aboriginal ancestry (First Nations, Métis or Inuit)
• Disadvantaged individuals (for example, homeless)
• Children aged six months to under five years old
• People under 65 with a chronic medical condition or other risks, including severe obesity, substance abuse or alcoholism
• Anyone with a weakened immune system or those who live with or care for them
• Single parents or anyone solely responsible for a dependent
• Those who live with or care for infants under six months old

You can find the flu clinics:

Thursday, October 29 2009:

9:00am – Noon
Aboriginal Healing and
Wellness
108-6th Street

Friday, October 30 2009:

• 1:00pm – 4:00pm
  MMF South West Region
  Bingo Hall
  656-6th Street
• 9:00pm – 11:00pm
  MMF South West Region
  Bingo Hall
  656-6th Street

Saturday, October 31 2009:

10:00am – 4:00pm
Town Centre (Retail Level)

For more information, be sure to check the Brandon RHA website.

Less then half an hour South of Brandon, there is a small town by he name of Souris. The city itself is not the most well known of places and isn’t a bustling metropolis, however it does contain one of the star attractions of Westman, the Souris Swinging Bridge.

Spanning 582ft it is the longest swinging bridge in all of Canada. It was built in 1904 by Squire Sowden and local developer who owned much of the land in the area. By building the bridge, he could connect the two sides of the city more efficiently and cut the time in half that it took to go from one side of the city to the other.

The bridge has been a staple of the community and is a well known local attraction. The longest distance between spans is over 200ft, so while you stand in the middle of the bridge over the Souris River, you feel the bounce. So take care if you have small children as even they will create large movements in the bridge.

After you cross the bridge, take a right and follow the road by the river until you reach the iron bridge. From there you can enter the bird sanctuary or maybe take a look at the museum by the bridge.

Directions: Drive South on 18th st., it will become Highway #10. Then turn right (West) on Highway 2 and continue on for about 20km.

Time Required: An afternoon.

What Else to Enjoy: Souris has a fantastic, large, open park where peacocks roam freely and many wild birds are kept in a large enclosure. Be sure to bring some bread.

Just make sure to exit the bus through the rear door and not the front, and if a transfer is needed then request one as soon as you step on board.

For the Brandon transit bus routes click here.

For more information call (204)729-2300.

CBC News reported today that Greyhound will cease operations in Manitoba and Northwest Ontario if it does not receive government aid funding, about 15 million dollars worth.

The bus line is losing money in our province due to the large number of smaller communities that need servicing but do not have a lot of commuters. So the government has a few months to step up or we lose our bus service.

This is a pretty big deal, as it stands we have two methods of getting to Winnipeg if you are without a car. The only method that will be left standing is the Brandon Air Shuttle and since it’s quite smaller then Greyhound, it’ll cost you a lot more.

Now for some reason Greyhound still thinks it’s appropriate to be operating it’s huge buses on routes that get a few people per day.  Simple solution: Buy smaller vans. Save money on fuel and operational costs and they can still be converted to carry a good number of people and goods and if not, you could always attach a trailer to the back.

Another issue, didn’t Greyhound just spend over 10 million dollars revamping it’s terminal in Winnipeg? Obviously this announcement wasn’t made on the spot, so why have they been pumping all this money into a project that now is going to be scrapped? Seems like poor management rather then lack of funding.

But this whole situation does bring up an opportunity. Commuter train service at least between the cities of Winnipeg and Brandon can’t be out of the question. We need a method to travel quickly between the cities and the government has already been pushing for VIA Rail’s expansion in other parts of the country. This could be a prime time for the gov to step up it’s game in the prairie provinces and give us something to really look forward to.