Welcome
It’s Edition Two
of my newsletter, and this one will include some details of the first meeting
of the 2018-2022 Brandon City Council.
As I stated in my
first edition two weeks ago, one of the goals of ‘publishing’ this newsletter
on a somewhat regular basis is to ensure voter engagement happens throughout
the term, and not just in the six weeks of the election campaign.
It is also to
inform the public on not only things happening with the South Centre Ward and
with me as councillor, but also things that might be of interest to Brandon
residents as a whole.
If you wish to receive this newsletter via email, please
send me your email address. I will also
be posting on my Facebook Page (Search for South Centre Ward) or on my blog at http://southcentreward.blogspot.com/
First Meeting
of Council
The first meeting
of 2018-2022 City Council took place on Monday, November 19th at
Brandon City Hall. It was relatively quiet meeting; lasting less than an hour
(I’m told this is not the norm).
Among the items on
the agenda was the appointment of Boards and Committee for the upcoming year.
For at least the upcoming year, I will be serving on:
·
Keystone Agricultural & Recreation Centre
Board
·
Poverty Committee
·
Grants Review Committee
·
Building Standards and Bylaw Compliance Committee
It should be noted
the Keystone Centre was mentioned in the Provincial Government’s Speech from
the Throne earlier this week as work continues on a new governance and funding framework
for the complex moving forward
It was noted that
under the new governance model, the board and management of the Keystone Centre
would have greater control over its operations.
Once there’s an
agreement on the new framework, it would be brought before council for approval
and ratification.
In addition mayor and council heard a presentation from
Toni Gramiak from Brandon and Area Lost Animals (BALA) about possible changes and/or
improvements to Brandon Animal Services. Some of the suggestions outlined by
Toni, which are in place in some other cities, included:
·
Creation of a overall database to track pets
·
Return of lost pets to homeowners directly
·
Having more information on impounded animals
online
·
Having responsible pet ownership guidelines as
part of Animal services
The matter was
referred back to Administration to gather further information and report back
to City Council at a future date.
November 19 Enquiries
I made two
enquiries at the November 19th meetings, both of which stemmed from
discussions with South Centre Ward residents during the election campaign:
Enquiry #1: In regards to the street on the
South side of Betty Gibson School (on College Avenue between 11th
and 12th Street). Asked for a review to be undertaken to determine
if it was necessary and/or possible to upgrade crosswalk signage on the two
corners and to explore of a school zone speed limit of 30 km/h be introduced.
RESPONSE (provided
by Sam van Huizen, Traffic & Transportation Planner)
In response to both
a) and b) above, under the Highway Traffic Act, the City of Brandon does have
the authority to, at its discretion, adjust speed limits in areas adjacent to
school properties. The Engineering Department will take this request under
advisement and conduct a review of the area to determine if any deficiencies in
signage and sightlines compromise the safety of pedestrian and vehicle movement
in this area. Engineering will report back to the City Manager with a follow-up
response in time for the December 3rd regular Council Meeting.
Enquiry #2: Has a drainage Issue in the 1000
block of 7th St been corrected?
RESPONSE (provided
by Greg Merke – Director Planning & Buildings)
The issue is the
drainage of the rear yards of 1054, 1056 and 1058 7th St. The problem has been corrected
with berms being installed on the south side of 1058 and the north side of 1054
7th St.
AMM Convention
The Association of
Manitoba Municipalities’ Annual Convention will be taking place from November
26-28 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg.
I will able to
attend on the Monday (November 26th) only due to work commitments,
and on that day will be taking part in a pre-conference for newly election
municipal officials in the morning, and hearing speeches from AMM President
Chris Goertzen and Manitoba premier Brian Pallister in the afternoon.
The third day of
the Convention (November 28th) includes the Resolution session,
during which a resolution put forward by the City of Brandon will be heard.
It deals with Cannabis
Taxation Revenue Sharing, and resolves that the AMM lobby the Province of
Manitoba to provide at least one-third (33%) of total annual excise tax revenue
collected on cannabis sales to Manitoba municipalities.
Upcoming Events
Nov.26-28 –
AMM Convention (RBC Convention Centre, Winnipeg)
Nov.28 –
Public Open House on Radio Tower Installation (5:30 – 7 p.m., A.R. McDiarmid
Civic Complex)
Nov.29 – Keystone
Centre Annual General Meeting (6 p.m., Keystone Centre)
Dec. 3 – City of
Brandon Council Meeting (7 p.m., City Hall)
Dec.10-12 – 43rd
MCDA Conservation Conference (Keystone Centre, Brandon)
Did You Know?
There were more
women elected to municipal councils across Manitoba in 2018 than the previous
municipal election in 2014.
Preliminary
statistics show 174 out of 879 of all elected officials are women (20%), which
represents a 3% overall increase from 2014.
21 women were
elected as Head of Council, Mayor or Reeve; 15 were elected in 2014.
In total, 48% of
officials are newly elected while 30% of elected officials were acclaimed.
