Brandon Minute: Issue 96

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

📅 This Week In Brandon: 📅

• City Council has unanimously rejected a proposal to stop Canadian Pacific Kansas City trains from blowing their whistles at the intersection of 34th Street and McDonald Avenue. The plan would have cost the City $50,660 upfront and $560 annually. Council members noted that while some residents in a nearby condo wanted the whistling stopped, most feedback from the community did not support spending money on the measure. Councillor Barry Cullen emphasized that many residents understood the noise as part of living in the area. Councillor Shaun Cameron added that most people had adapted to the whistles and that the safety benefits of train warnings outweigh the inconvenience. 
  
  
• Council has approved moving forward with a 12-week pilot organic waste program for multi-unit homes and apartments, allocating $25,000 to allow about 100 units to participate. The program offers discounted electric food recyclers to residents, aiming to reduce landfill waste and methane emissions by cutting black bin volumes. While Administration had recommended deferring the program until grant funding became available, Council supported the Environment Committee’s proposal, noting the importance of taking small steps toward climate action. Some Councillors raised concerns about aligning the program with recycling pickup schedules, but a motion to limit participation to fourplexes and sixplexes was defeated. If approved during final budget deliberations, the program could start by early summer, with potential for future expansion if popular. 
  
  
• Council is expanding its needle disposal program with four new sharps containers in areas of the city that currently lack them. The pilot program aims to provide safe disposal options for items like used needles and EpiPens, reducing the risk of disease transmission and injuries from improperly discarded sharps. The new containers will be placed near Willowdale apartments, Shoppers Mall transit stops, North End Community Centre, and Cornell Park, with locations subject to change if needed. The pilot builds on a program started in 2019. If the containers are well-utilized, the City plans to expand the program further and work with local agencies to increase access. 
  
  
• In response to extreme cold forecasts, the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (BNRC) is opened a temporary overnight warming space at its BEEP Garage on 440 Rosser Ave. The facility operated operate from 6:00 pm Friday to 9:00 am Sunday, offering 25 seats with staff and security on site to ensure safety. BNRC emphasized that this is a short-term measure, not a permanent shelter, aimed at protecting unhoused individuals during frigid temperatures. Environment Canada issued an orange-level cold warning for Westman, prompting school closures and bus cancellations in several divisions. 
  
  
• Council approved rezoning a property at 2202 Rosser Avenue to allow a three-storey sixplex, following concerns from residents about parking and sight-lines. Councillor Shaun Cameron proposed limiting the height to two and a half storeys as a compromise, but the motion was defeated 7-3, with council voting 8-2 in favour of the three-storey building. The property owners argued that the taller building would be more cost-effective, allow ground-level access, and help address Brandon’s housing shortage with six three-bedroom units. Planning staff noted that parking regulations for the sixplex meet City requirements and that the small height difference was not substantial enough to block the development. Some Councillors highlighted the need for higher-density housing, particularly on corner lots, while noting that similar approvals might not apply elsewhere in the city. 

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