Brandon Minute: Issue 94

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

📅 This Week In Brandon: 📅

• Council is preparing to debate the 2026 budget amid projections of a $6.3 million shortfall, which could result in a double-digit municipal property tax increase. While the budget proposal suggests a 10.6% hike for the average household, Mayor Jeff Fawcett and Councillors expect the final increase to be lower, likely near 6-7%. Past years’ projected large increases were scaled back, with actual hikes of 1.6% in 2023, 9.4% in 2024, and 6.9% in 2025. The City commissioned a report in 2023 warning Brandon’s tax rate was 47% below comparable cities and recommended significant, multi-year increases to meet long-term costs. Councillors are weighing efficiencies, service levels, and long-term infrastructure priorities, including water treatment and drainage projects, against residents’ ability to afford higher taxes.
  
  
• Council’s upcoming 2026 budget meetings will include both closed and open sessions. Monday’s meeting will be closed to the public to discuss labour matters and the Brandon Police Service Board. Open sessions on January 15th and 20th at 6:00 pm will focus on capital projects, including transit, emergency services equipment, sanitation, a new outdoor pool, and diversion depots. The January 26th meeting, also at 6:00 pm, will allow public engagement, giving residents a chance to provide input on the budget and other outstanding matters. Final budget deliberations are scheduled for January 30th and 31st at City Hall and are expected to run all day.
  
  
• A large retail space in south Brandon has remained vacant since 2017 after Sobeys moved across the street, frustrating local residents and City officials. The empty 42,000-square-foot property is still under lease to Sobeys until 2028, preventing other grocery stores from opening in the location. City Councillor Jason Splett and residents have expressed a desire for a new business, particularly a lower-priced grocery store, to occupy the space. Manitoba’s NDP government passed the Property Controls for Grocery Stores and Supermarkets Act last year to limit agreements that block competition, but Sobeys’ Brandon lease predates the law, leaving the vacancy unaffected. Provincial officials say they plan to challenge similar agreements elsewhere to encourage competition and lower prices. Despite multiple grocery options in Brandon, the shuttered store remains unused, with only security patrols maintaining the property. 
  
  
• Brandon has ranked 25th nationally on U-Haul Canada’s growth index, marking its first appearance on the list. Data from one-way rentals in 2025 show 52.7% of customers moved into the city, while 47.3% moved out, with inbound moves rising 29% year over year. Growth is being driven by factors such as affordable housing, job opportunities in agriculture, food processing, health care, and expansions at Brandon University, as well as retirees returning to Manitoba. The city’s population has grown by nearly 7,000 residents since 2021. While retirees are a notable demographic, young people entering the workforce continue to mean a youthful population. Larger Canadian cities dominated the top of the U-Haul index, but Brandon’s ranking reflects its ability to attract and retain residents in a mid-sized urban centre. 
  
  
• A late Brandon-area resident, John Balushak, left $1.6 million in his will to the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, supporting its future redevelopment and preservation plans. Balushak, who passed away in March 2024 at age 89, had been a longtime supporter and lifetime member of the museum, regularly visiting and showing a passion for aviation. The donation will fund upgrades such as repairing warped hangar doors, installing climate control to protect artifacts, and expanding educational programs to connect younger generations with Canada’s Second World War history. Museum Director Zoe McQuinn said the gift is a major step in ensuring the museum can continue sharing its story for decades. Balushak’s dedication to aviation and remembrance, combined with his engineering background, inspired the museum’s leadership, who noted his quiet generosity left a lasting mark. This legacy gift will help the museum safeguard its collection and enhance public engagement with Canada’s wartime aviation heritage.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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