Brandon Minute: Issue 92

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

📅 This Week In Brandon: 📅

• Merry Christmas! We hope you had a wonderful day with family, friends, and food! Thank you to every single one of our readers and supporters who reached out, donated, volunteered, or shared our content this year. We appreciate every single one of you and hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
  
  
• We usually reserve these weekly updates for sharing news and analysis, but as the year comes to a close, we want to be upfront with you. Our year-end fundraising campaign is underway, with a target of $10,000 to be met by December 31st. This funding is essential to sustaining our operations and allowing us to carry our work into the new year. If you find our work valuable and want to help ensure it continues, we’d be grateful if you would consider making a contribution. Even a modest gift makes a meaningful difference. You can donate by clicking here, and we sincerely thank you for being part of this effort.
  
  
• Brandon will not receive the decommissioned HMCS Brandon due to the prohibitive cost and logistical challenges of transporting the 55-metre vessel through the Rockies, estimated to run into tens of millions of dollars. Alternatives, such as sailing it to Thunder Bay and then transporting it overland, were deemed unsafe by Defence officials. The City will, however, receive select artifacts from the ship, including its anchor and propeller, while the bell will remain with the Armed Forces for museum display. Mayor Jeff Fawcett and MP Grant Jackson have requested that a future naval vessel be named HMCS Brandon, which would be the third ship to carry the name. Discussions are also underway about potentially establishing a naval reserve base in the Brandon area to support recruitment and provide local naval engagement. HMCS Brandon, commissioned in 1999, was primarily crewed by reservists and participated in various national and international operations. Defence officials emphasized that donated artifacts allow communities to preserve naval history without the high costs of large-scale ship restoration. Options for the ship’s disposal are still being considered, including sale for parts, target practice, or incorporation into artificial reefs.
  
  
• Brandon recorded over $250 million in capital investment in 2025, up from $224 million the previous year, driven by projects from companies like Nissan, BMO, Farmers Business Network, and Koch Fertilizer, as well as new light-industrial developments. Collaboration between Teralta and Tokyo Gas is expected to create jobs, attract investment, and position Brandon as a hub for clean-energy solutions. The city’s labour market remained strong, with participation near 70% and unemployment in the mid-six per cent range, supported by newcomers through immigration programs. Manufacturing, construction, and logistics sectors saw notable employment growth, and the goods-producing sector is projected to add 1,500 jobs by 2031. Challenges included utility constraints, water and wastewater limitations, and a housing shortage, which tightened rentals and affected workforce attraction. Despite trade uncertainties and tariff impacts, local businesses demonstrated resilience, adapting supply chains and boosting domestic sales. Looking ahead, the city plans to focus on housing affordability, infrastructure investment, and leveraging Brandon’s potential in bioeconomy sectors such as pharmaceuticals, bioplastics, and green chemicals.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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