Brandon Minute: Issue 121

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

📅 This Week In Brandon: 📅

• The field for Brandon's October municipal election has continued to grow, with 16 candidates now registered for the 11 Council seats and every ward drawing at least 1 contender. Mayor Jeff Fawcett is seeking re-election, and former Councillor and Brandon East MLA Len Isleifson remains his only challenger for the Mayor's chair. Among the most recent registrants are Enver Naidoo, the Chief Executive of Westman Immigrant Services, who is running in Ward 3, along with Ward 6 Councillor Bruce Luebke, Ward 7 Councillor Shawn Berry and Ward 10 Councillor Tyson Tame, all seeking re-election. Luebke, who had weighed a run for Mayor, said he wants to improve the City's fiscal position and strengthen Council's transparency with the public. Tame, a realtor finishing his first term, said he was proud of taking a fiscally responsible approach and making tough, sometimes unpopular decisions. The municipal and school board elections take place on October 28th, and candidate registration remains open until September 22nd.
  
  
• Ward 6 Councillor Bruce Luebke has brought forward a motion asking the City of Brandon to study recreating a full-time Indigenous Relations Officer position, less than a year after a similar role was cut when federal funding ran out. Luebke, a board member of the Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples' Council, said the position would support that body's work and act as a bridge between the municipal government and local First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities. His motion directs Administration to examine the role and bring back a report, with the cost to be weighed during the 2027 budget deliberations. The motion also calls on other levels of government to help pay for the job, though Luebke said Council could still proceed without grant funding if it sees enough value in the position. Ward 2 Councillor Kris Desjarlais backed the motion and suggested local partners could help fund it, while Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the role would help connect the city to Indigenous organizations it currently has little contact with. A City spokesperson said Administration will review the position's responsibilities and prepare a cost estimate for Council's consideration in the 2027 budget.
  
  
• The City of Brandon has launched its annual road micro-surfacing program, with work scheduled across a number of residential and arterial streets through the summer and fall. The treatment, being carried out by a private contractor, seals and extends the life of existing roads rather than fully rebuilding them. Residents on the selected routes should expect temporary parking limits and driveway access restrictions while crews work, with "No Parking" signs posted by 5:00 pm the day before a street is treated. The City says it will confirm the start date once the contractor is scheduled, and it is asking residents to keep children, pets and vehicles clear of the fresh road oil in active work areas. Residents can sign up for the City's text-message alerts to receive construction updates as the work moves from street to street.
  
  
• The Assiniboine River has begun to recede in Brandon after a rapid rise that put the city on high alert, though officials say the flood fight is not over. The City, which declared a State of Local Emergency earlier this month as water rose across the Assiniboine and Shellmouth basins, reported that levels at 1st Street had dropped about three inches since the river crested. The river had climbed roughly 2.3 metres in less than a week, driven by upstream runoff and heavy rainfall. Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the City is keeping full flood-response operations in place, with crews reinforcing dikes, monitoring pumps and checking vulnerable areas for seepage. Officials cautioned that a moderate rainfall over the two basins could slow the decline or trigger a second rise, and residents are being asked to stay away from fast-moving water along the riverbanks.
  
  
• The City has submitted a bid to host the 2028 Brier, the national men's curling championship. The hosting fee is $800,000, which Mayor Jeff Fawcett said would be split evenly between the City and the Province, and Curling Canada estimates the tournament would generate $10 million to $20 million in economic impact. Jennifer Watson, Executive Director of Brandon First, the non-profit that promotes the city as an event host, said Brandon has put in the strongest bid it can and points to the Keystone Centre as a key advantage. The 2019 Brier drew about 75,000 spectators, and Brandon First estimates spent around $2.8 million in the city over the week and a half. Curling Canada, which closed bidding at the end of May and keeps the process confidential, is expected to notify the winning city by September 30th and announce the host in the fall. The 2028 event would run from February 25th to March 5th.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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