Welcome
It’s Edition Three
of my newsletter.
As the countdown
to Christmas continues it’s easy to become distracted by the hustle and bustle
of preparations.
Don’t forget that
one of the most important things of the season is the ability to spend quality
time with family and friends.
Always take
advantage of these opportunities.
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/
Now, here are some
things that have happened since my last newsletter two weeks ago.
AMM Convention
I had an
opportunity to spend one day (Monday, November 26th) at the AMM
Convention in Winnipeg.
The morning
session was information for new council members, like me, but a great majority
of the information given had already been covered through my local orientation
session with our fantastic City Clerk Heather Ewasiuk.
I had an
opportunity to listen to speeches from outgoing AMM President Chris Goertzen and
Premier Brian Pallister, among others.
Agree or disagree
with some of Pallister’s policies, he is a strong speaker and seems focused on
following the path the Provincial government has chosen regardless of the
backlash.
The highlight of
the day was listening to the inspiration speech from Mike ‘Pinball’ Clemons.
This is the third
time I’ve seen Clemons speak and the one thing I give him credit for is his
ability to adjust his speaking notes to the audience he’s speaking to.
I was unable to
attend the final two days of the AMM Convention due to work commitments.
Second Meeting
of Council
The regular City
Council meeting took place on Monday, December 3rd at Brandon City
Hall.
Some highlights
from the meeting:
Approval of a
conditional $75,000 grant from the Accommodation Tax Fund for the hosting of
the 2021 World Clydesdale Show to be held at the Keystone Centre (July 14-18,
2021)
The show is expected
to feature approximately 600 Clydesdales, 130 different exhibitors and generate
around 3,000 room nights in Brandon.
It’s also expected
to welcome the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales!
After attending
the Keystone Centre Annual General Meeting on November 29th, I
reported to council that the complex financial year the ended on July 31, 2018
saw a $93,874 – which is about $140,000 better than budgeted.
I also had a
three-hour meeting with Keystone Centre GM Jeff Schumacher last week got me up
to speed on what’s going on with the facility.
As a new member to
the Keystone Centre board, I came away impressed with some of the behind the
scenes work that’s being done there.
Monday’s meeting
also saw the approval of the Downtown Brandon Encroachment Incentive Program.
In a nutshell, it
will allow businesses in the downtown hub to create opportunities in front of
their businesses without having to pay an encroachment fee to the City of
Brandon.
The effect on the
City’s coffers is minimal, with only $1,150 collected from the fee last year.
It’s another
strategy to continue the revitalization of downtown Brandon, and allow
businesses to use site features (awnings, attractive outdoor displays, signage,
etc.) to enhance the look of the downtown.
There still needs
to be some clear guidelines put in place to ensure pedestrian traffic is not
affected by these site features, but the Brandon Downtown Development
Corporation Executive Director Elisabeth Saftiuk assured council that would not
be an issue.
I made an enquiry
into the effectiveness of the Snow Angels program, which matches willing
volunteers with needy residents when it comes to snow clearing their sidewalks
and driveways.
Last winter
(2017-2018), 11 volunteers and 14 applicants were registered for the program.
Those are somewhat
low numbers for what I consider to be a worthwhile program.
I encourage anyone
that can provide or needs this service to register for the program at
·
Phone: 204-729-2186
Bits &
Pieces
The City of
Brandon is currently updating its Recreation Facilities Master Plan.
The plan will
guide the provision of recreation facilities such as community centres, arenas,
pools, sports fields, trails and courts through the next two decades.
The public is
invited to ‘weigh in’ on what they feel the City’s recreation blueprint should
be by completing a short survey online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/brandonrecsurvey
I am particularly
interested to see what people’s thoughts are on the future of recreation in the
City of Brandon.
I have my own
thoughts and ideas and, in a perfect world, we’d look at constructing some type
of indoor/outdoor sports complex in the next four years.
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The NOT EVEN ONCE
(NEO) – Brandon Fighting Addictions and Youth Wellness Day(s) were held this
past Thursday and Friday.
The prevention
program featured Joe Roberts, AKA “The Skid Row CEO”, at a number of
educational/inspirational events for Brandon high school students and a public
event Friday evening.
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The City of
Brandon recently launched four textile diversion depots across the community.
It’s part of a national
research pilot program led by Diabetes Canada and York University.
It’s hoped this
program will see fewer items, particularly clothing items, end up at the
landfill.
The four locations
are the Keystone Centre grounds (southeast corner), East End Community Centre,
Rideau Park and Kin Park.
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Congratulations to two members of the Brandon Police
Service.
Inspector Greg
Hebert and Constable Christopher Stupak received Excellence in Law Enforcement
awards in recognition of outstanding contributions to their communities and
police services from the Provincial Government last month.
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I had a chance to
attend the inaugural meeting of the Riverview Ward Patrol Crime Deterrent
Program last week.
The initiative is
the brainchild of Riverview Councillor Glen Parker, and would see regular
citizens patrol the area for four hours on a nightly basis in an effect to help
deter crime, particularly petty crime.
Glen approached
private businesses in Brandon to support the program, coming up with over
$12,000 that will be used.
Although similar
to Citizens on Patrol or the Brandon Bear Clan, Glen feels having people
patrolling strictly in their corner of the City might allow them to take more
ownership of the initiative.
Councillor Parker
also noted at the meeting that it’s part of a pilot program and, if successful,
could be something to launch in other wards in Brandon.
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The City of
Brandon’s Community Services Department has opened the Manitoba Hydro Power
Smart Waterfall of Lights display.
The display is
located immediately west of the City of Brandon’s Community Services Complex on
McGregor Avenue.
The display is
turned on from approximately 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on a nightly basis through the
winter season.
Upcoming Events
Dec.10 – Human
Rights Day Event (City of Brandon Cultural Resource Centre)
Dec.10-12 – 43rd
MCDA Conservation Conference (Keystone Centre, Brandon)
Dec. 11 –
Poverty Committee Meeting
Dec.17 –
Regular Meeting of Brandon City Council
Dec.20 –
Keystone Centre Board Meeting
Jan.25-26 –
Budget Deliberations
Did You Know?
A Human Rights Day
event will take place on Monday, December 10th from 6 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. at the City of Brandon’s Cultural Resource Centre (638 Princess Avenue).
This year’s event
is themed around the global topic of human displacement and features a
screening of “Human Flow”, a documentary about the massive human migration that
has taken place across the globe since World War II.
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