Brandon Minute: Issue 134

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

📅 This Week In Brandon: 📅

• There will be a City Council meeting this afternoon at 7:00 pm. On the agenda is a notice of motion from Ward 9 Councillor Glen Parker on enhancements to Rideau Park.
  
  
• Ward 5 Councillor Greg Hildebrand defended City Council's closed-door meetings at the first Brandon Councillor candidate debate, saying the meetings let Councillors "ask extreme questions" before a topic reaches the public. Hildebrand, the only candidate seeking re-election on stage, faced criticism from Ward 2 candidates Deveryn Ross and Sunday Frangi over the current Council's lack of transparency and communication with residents. Ross, a former political columnist, asked why the information Councillors use to make decisions is not available to the public, calling it a matter of law rather than communication. Frangi, who represented the former Meadows-Waverly ward between 2021 and 2022, said he condemns Council's lack of transparency. Ward 2 candidate Sonikile Tembo, who is on leave from her job as the City's principal planner, said the concerns reflect a lack of trust and poor communication. The candidates also split on downtown crime, with Hildebrand and Tembo saying much of the problem is perception, while Ross, Frangi, Ward 2 candidate Buchi Onuke, and Ward 5 candidate Bhavesh Patel said the danger is real.
  
  
• Brandon School Division trustee candidates clashed over the board's handling of past controversies at an election forum at Brandon University. Asked to name one decision the board could have handled differently, incumbent trustee Lorraine McConnell said the May 2023 town hall on a proposal to set up a committee to review and potentially ban books dealing with gender identity and sexual health should not have been held, while Linda Ross and incumbent trustee Kim Fallis defended it. Incumbent trustee Kirk Carr said he may have been too harsh in repeatedly calling challenger Jim McCrae out of order during McCrae's June 2024 presentation to the board on residential schools, though he does not regret walking out. McCrae, who said he was accused of being a residential-school "denialist" after proposing a book for school libraries, criticized how his presentation was handled and called for a review of the board's rules.
  
  
• Ward 8 Councillor Jason Splett faces two challengers, Dhara Patel and Ketan Patel, in the October 28th election for the city's most southerly ward. Splett, who sits on the Brandon Police Board, says the City is in a better financial position than before the current Council, with more money in reserves, and calls public safety his first priority, including a 40-kilometer-an-hour limit in residential areas and more stop signs. Drainage remains a top concern in the ward after the summer's heavy rains and floods, and Ketan Patel, a real estate agent and the only one of the three who lives in the ward, says residents want a clear timeline for the cemetery retention pond, which began construction in October 2025 and is nearing completion. Dhara Patel, who works in administration for the Brandon School Division, says she would revise the budget to put safety first and questions police funding compared to the results police deliver. The Brandon Police Service requested a 7% funding increase from the City earlier this year. Ketan Patel is also calling for more police patrols on weekends and nights after tires were slashed on more than 80 vehicles in the south end in March.
  
  
• The Manitoba government and Brandon School Division officials marked the opening of a $13-million addition at Maryland Park School on October 13th, raising the school's capacity from 550 to 900 students. The expansion adds more than 17,800 square feet, including 13 general classrooms, a science classroom, student support spaces, additional parking, and a new access point at the northwest corner of the school grounds. Construction was finished in time for the 2026-27 school year, and students are already using the new space. The project comes as residential growth, particularly in the city's south end, puts pressure on local schools. Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt said the investment is meant to let students attend school within their own community. The addition is expected to ease enrollment pressures in the division and leave room for future growth as new families move to Brandon.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Brandon’s municipal election is coming up on October 28th. Residents will vote for mayor, ward councillor, and Brandon School Division trustees. If you haven’t already, check the official list of candidates and find your voting place so you’re ready to vote on Election Day. Advance voting is also available October 22nd at City Hall from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm for those unable to attend on Election Day.

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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