Federal Government to Reopen Closed Veterans Affairs Offices
A Veterans Affairs office in Brandon that was closed by the previous government is being reopened by the current one.
The facility is scheduled to open again in October. It was one of nine offices closed by the Tories in 2014. The Liberals say all will be reopened by sometime next year.
They have also pledged to spend billions of dollars to improve veteran's benefits and services over the next few years.
Veteran Affairs Minister Kent Hehr says the Brandon office will serve more than 2,400 veterans in the region.
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Manitoba Prison Locked Down
Federal correctional officials have put Stony Mountain Institution in lockdown due to an unauthorized item or items.
Correctional Service Canada says the lockdown took effect Tuesday morning and inmates have been confined to their cells.
Officials say the reason is to facilitate an "exceptional search'' of the prison.
CSC spokesman Jeff Campbell says officers will be "searching the buildings and grounds to ensure the safety and security of the instruction.''
That means all visits to the prison have been cancelled for the duration of the operation.
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Father of Drowned Teen Wants Seaweed Recognized as A Danger
A Manitoba father whose teenage son drowned two years ago says seaweed looks harmless under water, but it should be labelled as a danger for swimmers.
Mervin Dueck says his 19-year-old son, Calvin, was swimming with friends at St. Malo beach but died after becoming tangled up in seaweed.
Dueck says his son's death was ruled a drowning but there was no mention of seaweed as a contributing cause.
The office of Manitoba's chief medical examiner says it won't include contributing factors of a death unless the evidence is crystal clear.
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Practical Training Site Now Labelled and Enclosed
A practical training site for 11 different fire departments is now more secure, and less likely to attract confused visitors.
The Riding Moutain Mutual Aid District Practical Training Site located at the Lt. Col Barker Airport now has a fenced off compound and signage.
Dauphin fire chief Cam Abrey says before they it got fenced off people sometimes used it as a dumping ground.
"It created a lot of clean-up for us because it's stuff that we couldn't use. We don't need any donations that way."
Abrey adds that they now have a 15 year formal agreement between the Mutual Aid District and the Airport Authority, which will lead to more training props to develop the site, so it can be used for more specific training purposes.
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Powerful Synthetic Drug Seized in Vancouver
RCMP in Calgary have charged a local man with importing a dangerous synthetic drug from China they say can be 100 times more powerful than deadly fentanyl.
Canada Border Services Agency staff seized a package containing one-kilogram of carfentanil -- enough for 50-million doses.
The package was intercepted in Vancouver on June 27th, and was marked as containing printer accessories.
The synthetic opioid is used to sedate elephants, but has been showing up in heroin around the world.
