Brandon City Plan – Resuming Public Engagement

The Brandon City Plan is a vision for the city for the next 30 years. Since the project began in February 2022, over 2000 residents have participated in public engagement sessions and provided feedback to inform the vision. The project is now in the final stages of community engagement, where residents get to confirm the vision.

The purpose of this statement is to:

• Explain why engagement was paused
• Outline what the Brandon City Plan is and is not
• Outline the next steps for community engagement and how you can get involved in the Brandon City Plan project

Why were engagement sessions paused?

Public engagement was paused as we needed time to gather additional information to provide feedback and develop a more structured process to ensure everyone has an opportunity to be heard.

There has been a growing concern about misinformation related to the Brandon City Plan project. Clarity, public safety and democratic engagement are important as we move the project forward.

Defining the 15-minute city (*Source: Public Square, A CNU Journal)

The “15-minute city” may be defined as an ideal geography where most human needs and many desires are located within a travel distance of 15 minutes. While automobiles may be accommodated in the 15-minute city, they cannot determine its scale or urban form. Instead, the 15-minute city is defined by its ability to provide access to all human needs by walking or bicycling for a quarter hour or less. Transit should be provided within the 15-minute city, but cannot accurately define its scale. Most urban areas built prior to the overwhelming proliferation of cars have the structure of a 15-minute city. 

What the Brandon City Plan is:

• A policy and land use framework
• A plan to make neighbourhoods more walkable, inclusive, and socially, financially, and economically resilient
• An urban strategy to provide convenient access to services and amenities

What the Brandon City Plan is not: 

• A lockdown measure
• A surveillance strategy
• A tool to enforce restrictive measures or boundaries

Next Steps:

The City will continue with community engagement in the following ways:

• A moderated public meeting on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at Keystone Centre – Upper Curling Club – Entrance B from 7pm to 8:30pm to review the facts of the Brandon City Plan and answer questions
• A city-wide mail out explaining the project and options for participation
• Public engagement sessions where residents can sign up for topics they are interested in by filling out an online form at brandon.ca/cityplan or by calling 204-729-2523
• Kitchen Table Conversations Toolkit (for residents wanting to run a session in their community) – available on request 
• A draft Brandon City Plan document will be made available for public review in the Fall of 2023, after which a public hearing will be held as part of the adoption process
• Any residents or groups wanting to formally support or oppose the Brandon City Plan can address City Council through the public hearing process. Notice of the public hearing will be included on the project webpage and posted in the Brandon Sun tentatively scheduled for late fall early winter.

We will continue the pathway to establish a City Plan that represents our entire community.

For more information, please visit brandon.ca/cityplan or call 204 729 2523.