Looking Back — Jan. 7, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/01/2023 (621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIXTY YEARS AGO

Thirty students from the universities of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and Brandon College met in Brandon to begin a two-day discussion on the effect of prejudice and discrimination on Canadian society.

Mercury in Brandon thermometers soared and dipped over a range of 141 degrees in 1962, according to figures released by the Brandon Experimental Farm. The coldest day of the year was March 1 when the mercury dropped to -47 F. Hottest day of the year was June 27 when it was 94 F.

FIFTY YEARS AGO

The board of the YMCA last night approved a tentative plan to have the Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corp. proceed with the investigation of a joint-use plan for land immediately south of the Y building.

Souris and District Hospital, the 1973 model, was opened on the weekend with a large group of community citizens jamming into the community centre and then the hospital itself, to salute the accomplishments of a dedicated group of people who helped to provide the latest in medical services. The $1.2-million facility will provide the best in medical attention for the town and the entire surrounding community.

FORTY YEARS AGO

U.S. millionaire industrialist Jack Simplot assured western Canadian dealers yesterday that his Brandon fertilizer plant is here to stay and will continue to expand. In a speech to about 350 fertilizer dealers and spouses at the Royal Oak Inn, Mr. Simplot did not discuss the company’s appeal of a Clean Environment Commission order restricting ammonia emissions from the Brandon plant.

THIRTY YEARS AGO

For the second time in as many years, the Assiniboine Ward has won a home landscaping award. Reid and Linda Lumbard of 61 Kirkham Cres. will receive the Burgess Shield from the Manitoba Good Roads Association at its annual banquet to be held in Brandon Feb. 21.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

Steve Leblanc says wait until next year at the earliest for Maple Leaf to step up production at its Brandon facility. “It’s still an open-ended question, unfortunately,” Leblanc, the plant’s human resources director, says of a proposed second shift. “We’re down to a planning and timing-type situation.” The city, province and the pork processing giant are still talking about expanding a waste water treatment plant to accommodate the runoff created by a second shift. A full review on the second shift’s effect on the environment, which would be conducted by the provincial conservation department, is expected to take up much of the year.

TEN YEARS AGO

With the announcement of the cities that will be served by new regional air service WestJet Encore expected on Jan. 21, Mayor Shari Decter Hirst and city officials remain cautiously optimistic about Brandon’s chances of landing the new service.

An agonizingly long series of negotiations needed one final push. Spurred on by a tireless mediator, the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association worked through the night to finally set aside their differences and return hockey to the place it belongs: on the ice.