Brandon Minute: Issue 84

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

📅 This Week In Brandon: 📅

• There will be a Regular Council Meeting this evening at 7:00 pm. The agenda includes an update from the Western Manitoba Regional Library, the Snow Clearing Plan, the Medical Campus at Brandon University, and Disaster Financial Assistance for the 2025 wildfires.
  
  
• The City of Brandon will spend $173,190.20 on a new industrial wood chipper to assist its Public Works department with tree and branch removal. Council approved the purchase at its recent meeting, with just over $23,000 of the cost covered by the City’s gas tax reserve. Public Works Director Pam Richardson noted that the chipper will be shared with the Parks Department to maximize efficiency and serve as a backup during periods of high material volume. The bulk of the cost, $164,245, is for the chipper itself, with the remainder allocated for an optional winch system. Vermeer Canada Inc. was the only company to submit a bid for the equipment.
  
  
• The Brandon School Division (BSD) closed the 2024-25 fiscal year with a $400,000 operating surplus, representing 0.3% of its annual expenditures, according to an audit presented by BDO Canada LLP. The Division’s total accumulated surplus now stands at approximately $3.68 million, or 2.8% of annual spending, equivalent to about seven days of operational costs. Auditor Todd Birkhan highlighted that contracts and other obligations, such as maintaining older school buildings, make this level of fiscal management challenging, and commended the division for effectively “threading the needle” in balancing operations with long-term commitments. Trustees praised the finance team, led by secretary-treasurer Denis Labossiere, for their diligence, transparency, and careful management of resources. The finalized auditor’s report is expected to be released to the public soon.
  
  
• The Brandon General Museum and Archives has unveiled a new exhibit commemorating the 1910 fire that destroyed the Brandon Asylum for the Insane. The display, installed ahead of the fire’s 115th anniversary on November 4th, includes four storyboards and two framed photos that recount the fire, its impact on the community, and the relocation of patients to a former fair building. Beverley Hicks, a former nurse educator at the facility and museum board member, led the effort, organizing photos and artifacts that had been stored for about 20 years. The exhibit traces patients’ journey across the Assiniboine River to temporary housing until a new asylum building was completed in 1912, now the site of Assiniboine College’s North Hill Campus. Future exhibits may feature patient-created arts and crafts, with the museum planning to maintain an ongoing partnership with Hicks to showcase the hospital’s history. The current exhibit is expected to remain for several months before rotating to other topics related to the facility.
  
  
• Samaritan House Ministries in Brandon is preparing for an expected surge in demand at its Safe and Warm Shelter this winter, with its 41 beds insufficient to meet the city’s growing homeless population. Executive director Heather Symbalisty warned that once the shelter reaches capacity, some individuals will have to be referred to facilities like the Life’s Journey drop-in centre, which does not provide overnight accommodations. Rising living costs have contributed to increased demand, with the organization distributing over 14,000 food hampers between January and September - about 6,000 more than last year. Helping Hands soup kitchen has also seen a 12-15% increase in clients, including more seniors and new families relying on its services. Local leaders, including Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett and MP Grant Jackson, highlighted the need for affordable and transitional housing, while provincial officials pointed to funding for shelters and housing programs like Franny’s Place.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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