Brandon Minute: Issue 106

Brandon Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Brandon politics

📅 This Week In Brandon: 📅

• On Tuesday, at 7:00 pm, there will be a City Council meeting. Presentations and delegations include the 4th Annual Salamander Music Festival, and public hearings will cover the City’s 2026 Financial Plan and the use of specific purpose reserves. Council will consider the replacement of a police interceptor, updates on downtown washrooms, financial plans, subdivision amendments, planning commission appointments, and housing accelerator funding. Several by-laws are scheduled for readings, including borrowing for stormwater infrastructure, the 2026 tax levy, property rezoning, and lane closures.
  
  
• Brandon is set to benefit from over $7.1 million in federal funding to support business growth, workforce training, and innovation. A major portion - $2.25 million - will fund a new mechatronics engineering technology program at the college, equipping students with skills in automation and advanced manufacturing. Local manufacturers will also gain support: Greenstone Building Products Ltd. will receive over $1 million to expand production, Bushel Plus Ltd. (soon BranValt) gets $577,000 for agri-tech development, and Behlen Industries LP will automate its steel welding line. Additionally, Brandon Downtown Development Corporation will receive $400,000 to connect small and medium businesses with advisory services.
  
  
• Brandon Regional Health Centre is set to open a new critical care unit this spring, with 12 of the planned 16 intensive care beds becoming operational in May. The remaining 4 beds will open as staffing levels allow. The $120-million expansion also includes 30 new medicine beds, upgrades to in-patient services, and improvements to hospital infrastructure. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara emphasized that expanding local critical care will reduce the need for patients to be transferred to Winnipeg, while Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate noted the unit is the only ICU between Winnipeg and Regina. The Province is relying on a record-setting cohort of ICU-trained nurses graduating in April to staff the facility safely.
  
  
• Wayne Balcaen has been acclaimed as the Progressive Conservative candidate for Brandon West in the upcoming provincial election, set for no later than October 5th, 2027. A former Brandon Police Service officer and six-year Chief of Police, Balcaen has served as MLA for Brandon West since 2023. During his term, he passed legislation commemorating impaired driving victims and introduced bills addressing impaired driving penalties, support for the Deaf community, and voter participation. He joins other Westman PC candidates, including Jodie Byram, Greg Nesbitt, Colleen Robbins, and Rick Wowchuk, with nominations for Brandon East, Dauphin, and Turtle Mountain forthcoming.
  
  
• A measles vaccination booth was set up this week at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Brandon, held at the same Keystone Centre linked to a January outbreak of over 30 cases. Run by Prairie Mountain Health, the booth provided vaccines and information with the goal of increasing immunization rates, particularly in southern Manitoba where coverage is lower. Public health officials emphasize that gatherings need not be cancelled, but families should ensure vaccinations are up to date. A provincial order allowing pharmacists to vaccinate children aged 2 to 19 came into effect as well, though rollout may take weeks. Despite the outbreak concerns, local officials report that visitors appear unconcerned, and attendance at events remains consistent with previous years. 

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