Less than 48 to go!

 We are less than 48 hours away from the 2018 City of Brandon Municipal Election (October 24^th, polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., if you haven’t heard).

 Early in my campaign, I established a list of five priorities if I were to be elected in the South Centre Ward (BTW, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so it’s great to see other candidates picking up on some of my initial priorities including replacement of the South End Community Centre).

 

 After speaking with residents in the South Centre Ward, I’ve modified my priorities slightly to include several other items, and below I've provided my rationale behind those items.

 

 Reminder - the Brandon Chamber of Commerce is hosting a 'meet'n'greet' with council candidates today (October 22) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel & Suites. IT IS OPEN TO ALL BRANDON RESIDENTS, and not just Chamber members. I'll be there, and I'd be happy to answer whatever questions you may have.
 

 

  Luebke Priorities
 

·         Establish a Committee of Council to report to Mayor and Council on the Addiction problem in Brandon. Use this committee to lobby the provincial government for more tools and services to address the problem in our community.

 

Rationale: We have a Poverty Committee at City Hall consisting of three councillors and three community members at-large. An Addiction Committee would allow for the coordination of opportunities and identify resources that may help curb the crisis in Brandon. The committee would also be a united voice to lobby the Provincial Government for the needs of our community.

 

·         Partner with Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College to launch a HomeStay program in the City of Brandon.

 

Rationale: Students attending BU and ACC require adequate living accommodations, and matching students (particularly International students) with families in the community with extra space could be a win-win situation. The host families and tenants (students) are vetted by a third-party, with payment of rent also coordinated by the third party. Students are held to the same standard they would be if they were living in residence as far as behaviour and responsibilities. Host families could have an extra source of income, which might be appealing to those on a fixed income.

 

·         Promote and encourage alternative public transportation opportunities, including CarShare, RideShare and RideMatching programs.

 

Rationale: We need to look for creative and innovative ideas to help those without their own modes of transportation the opportunity to move about our city without putting more taxpayer money into the Brandon Transit system. RideSharing and//or RideMatching could be initiated by third-parties for people who work at the same business or attend school at the same institution.

 

·         Increase by-law enforcement accountability, and streamline for the process for residents to report issues and see results.

 

Rationale: Residents are frustrated with the lack of response(real or perceived) from by-law enforcement officers on minor nuisances in their neighbourhoods. They especially point out that ‘nothing if ever done.’ By establishing a ‘tracking system’ for complaints, we’d allow more transparency into what is done with these complaints, even if it is the fact they aren’t breaking the nuisance by-law.

 

·         Explore the City of Brandon’s current economical development strategy when it comes to attracting new business and industry, including any possible incentive packages.

 

Rationale: It’s been nearly 20 years since Maple Leaf set up shop in Brandon, the last major industry and/or business to do so. If there something more we could be doing to attract major business or industry to our city? Could we establish an incentive package matrix based on a number of factors, including job creation, economic impact and location? Is our ED department adequately staffed?  Would should also remember how job creation would impact other issues, including poverty.

 

·         Encourage a city-wide audit to determine the City of Brandon’s staffing levels and priorities moving forward.

 

Rationale: Does the City of Brandon have too much staff? Not enough staff? Too much staff in one department and not enough in others? I don’t have answers to those questions, but I’d like to find out. Ultimately, I’m curious to find out if we have enough ‘boots on the ground’ to deal with the day-to-day maintenance in the City of Brandon, or if we have too many salaries tied up in mid-management.

 

·         Create more recreational and/or green space opportunities for the citizens of Brandon.

 

Rationale: The City of Brandon has lagged behind even small communities in Western Manitoba when it comes to creating recreational options for our residents (e.g. WaterParks in Souris & Wawanesa). We need to provide more green space and recreational options for our residents, especially for our young families.

 

·         Replace the South End Community Centre, which has been closed for several months, and explore creating a recreational hub on the site.

 

Rationale: Community Centres play an important role in providing people with the opportunity to work and organize together for the benefit of their local communities, including adult education, social and cultural activities. The reservoir at the site could make it difficult to build a full recreation hub, but we should try to maximize the green space in the area. And, hey, could we establish the recreation hub at the ‘almost done’ pool located at the Keystone Centre.

 

·         Map out a long-term plan for upgrades to street infrastructure in the South Centre Ward, including replacement the current gravel shoulders with pavement, curbs, and sidewalks.

 

Rationale: Not a short-term project, but over the next (10-15?) years, we need to stay paving the gravel shoulders in the Ward and establishing curbs on, at the very least, some of the main streets. This plan should be funded under the existing streets budget.

 

 

·         Keep our children safe by ensuring school zone speed limits and adequate crosswalk signage exists on all four sides of our schools.

 

Rationale: We need to expand our school zone speed limit (30 km/h) to include all four sides of the school (e.g. There is no reduction in speed on the south side of Betty Gibson school, between 11^thand 12^th Street on College Avenue). We should also look at providing better signage (including lights, if financially viable) for busy crosswalks.

 

·         Explore establishing a ‘pet protection’ by-law to provide protection for pets against cruelty, abuse and neglect. Part of the by-law would include penalties for leaving pets out in harsh winter or summer conditions.

 

Rationale: The province’s Animal Care Act needs to be applied to the City of Brandon, to ensure pets aren’t being mistreated by their owners. If a separate by-law needs to be enacted, we should do so. We should also expand by-law enforcement’s responsibilities to not only include Animal Control but Animal Care as well.

Innovative & Creative (By-Law Enforcement)

 One of the discussions I’ve had with numerous people as I’ve toured the South Centre Award over the past month is by-law enforcement.

 The underlining motivation for most of these people is to keep their neighbourhood looking as clean, presentable and safe as possible, and wanting to hold those that live close to them to a certain standard when it comes to their property.

 The frustration for most of these people is that they don’t see the results they’d like when they report issues, and that’s why I believe we need to review how the City of Brandon’s by-law enforcement works.

 The first and most obvious step is to determine whether the City of Brandon has enough by-law officers on the ground, investigating these nuisances on a timely basis. According to the 2017 City of Brandon Compensation Report, there are currently seven by-law enforcement officers on staff.

 By-law officers in Brandon have additional responsibilities including animal control and process service (delivering court related documents).

 The City of Brandon’s Nuisance Bylaw is nine pages long, and includes everything from noise violations to derelict vehicles to the maximum height of grass on a property.

 The second is to make it easier for citizens to report suspected by-law violations, and be informed about the end result.

 I would propose a system that encourages citizens to report suspected by-law infractions, both via a dedicated phone line and by the use of an online service request form.

 By-law enforcement can be, largely, a complain driven aspect for the City of Brandon, and I believe the easier we make it for citizens to not only report issues but find out what’s been done.

 I believe the follow-up portion of the process is an important one, and is helps maintain trust, keeps avenues open and encourages citizen participation.

 At the very least, by-law enforcement (including number of complaints, number of issues resolved and followups with complainants) could be added to the City of Brandon’s Corporate Scorecard.

 The City of Regina has a system that seems to work effectively, and might be the one we could model a City of Brandon system after.

 It allows citizens to fill out a service request form, and you check a box to indicate whether you would like a reply.

 It also ensures any personal information provided by the complainant is confidential, and will not be disclosed to the subject of the complaint.

Here are the details, followed by a sample of the online service request form.

 

Report Suspected Bylaw Infractions

Suspected bylaw violations can be submitted to Service Regina by calling 306-777-7000 or using the online service request form. To aid staff in responding to your complaint in a timely manner, please be ready with the following information:

• Your name and phone number for contact, if follow-up is required
• The address and location of the property for which you are submitting a complaint
• A short and concise description of the complaint

Any personal information you provide is confidential and will not be disclosed to the subject of the complaint.

What happens after I submit a bylaw complaint?

• Service Regina enters your complaint (i.e., service request) into the computer system and it is forwarded to the Bylaw Enforcement Branch.
• The assigned officer will visit the location of the complaint to conduct an initial inspection. Depending on the volume of complaints and available City resources, it may take several days before an initial inspection occurs. Complaints are handled on a priority basis.
• If there appears to be a bylaw violation, the officer will take appropriate action to achieve compliance, depending on the type of violation.

 

Creative & Innovative (Affordable Housing)

 As I brought up in Thursday's post, we need to be innovative and creative when it comes to addressing some of the issues in the City of Brandon.
 Today, I want to discuss what I believe could be some effective approaches to affordable housing.
 I think that when many people reflect on affordable housing, they think 'houses', and not living accommodations as a whole.
 One idea I believe has some merit when it comes to finding adequate living accommodations for people, particular post-secondary students and seasonal workers (such as the pipeline workers currently in Brandon), is a HomeStay program.
 A HomeStay program isn't a new idea, and has had positive results in other communities.
 The program could be administered through Brandon University, Assiniboine Community College or through the City of Brandon with support from those two institutions.
 The program, effectively, matches people willing to open their homes to 'house' students or workers in exchange for a fee or rent.
 By having a third party coordinate the program, you have the ability to vet both the home owners and the tenants before matching the two together.
 This ensures the living accommodation (room or basement) being rented by the tenant is clean, safe and adequate for the tenants needs while the 'landlord' also has the knowledge that their tenant has gone through a similar vetting process.
 In addition, the payment of 'rent' could go through the third party, to ensure there are no late payments or issues in that regard.
 I live in close proximity (within a seven minute walk) of Assiniboine Community College and could, potentially, rent the finished basement of my house to a student.
 However, the prospect of placing an ad or ads to find a tenant, vetting those potential tenants, the potential for 'issues' with that tenant, and the hassle of collecting rent on a monthly basis makes it a less than desirable experience.
 A HomeStay program might make it easier, as those negative experiences are no longer in my hands.
 As an added benefit, a HomeStay program might be beneficial to empty nesters who still live in the homes where they raised their family, and now have the extra space.
 This extra income to help offset costs, essentially helping these people stay in their homes for a longer period of time.
 Lakehead University (Thunder Bay) started a HomeStay program for international students in 2013, and currently provides:

• Competitive compensation rates of $775 with meal plan, $550 without meal plan (meals would be provided at the University's Food Services Program).
• Social events
• Regular communication with the Homestay Coordinator & 24 Hour emergency number

 The program also boasts that 'Lakehead’s international students, as well as the people and families who host them, benefit from the experience in many ways — culturally, financially, and personally.'

 In addition to the HomeStay program, here are some other ideas that may be worth exploring:

• Community Land Trust - CLT's buy up parcels of land and place them in community ownership through non-profit. Anyone who develops property on the land owned by the CLT has to adhere to cost guidelines set by the community, pegged to the median incomes of people within the CLT (not to market rates). The parcels of land are bought using a combination of public and private funds.
• The City of Brandon currently partners with organizations like Habitat for Humanity by providing land (property) to building housing for low-income families. If there the ability to expand on that current partnership, or former partnerships with other not-for-profit organizations.
• Bridge-Housing - this has been an effective strategy in high-density cities in Canada. The basic premise is developers purchasing 'air-rights' above adjacent properties, and building on top of those existing structures. Of course, safety guidelines to reinforce those existing structures to the handle the construction of a second and/or third floor would have to be strictly followed and enforced.