At 2:15PM, Police attended to a residence on 23rd Street North for an Assault with a Weapon call.  A 39 year old female attempted to stab the victim with a dental pick. She was located inside the residence, arrested and transported to BPS. She was released on an Undertaking. She will appear in Court on June 22nd.

After a nation-wide search, the City of Brandon has found their next Director of Economic Development close to home. Gerald Cathcart has been selected to lead Brandon’s Economic Development Department. Mr. Cathcart comes to the City from Assiniboine Community College where he was their Director of Community Development, building and managing programs throughout the western half of Manitoba. Mr. Cathcart is no stranger to the City of Brandon having been the Business Development Specialist from 2007 to 2014. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, has extensive training in leadership and community economic development, and has been involved in multiple boards and organizations throughout our community. To present and future businesses, Mr. Cathcart says, “Brandon has much to offer including opportunities for existing business to expand and new business to call us home. Working closely with community partners, understanding any barriers to growth will be a priority." “It is imperative that the City works lock-in-step with our businesses and community partners in building our economy,” says City Manager Ron Bowles. “Nowadays, economic development is much more holistic than strictly jobs and taxes, encompassing our educational institutes, government agencies, Indigenous peoples, newcomers, events, supply chains, and developers. The diversity of Brandon’s economy across multiple sectors provides many opportunities for collaboration. We work with them all.”

As a result of an ongoing investigation in which a robbery took place at a business on the 1500 block of 18th St a male was arrested on April 28th.  The male had bear sprayed staff and stole an Iphone and Airpods. The large area was contimated and the business had to close.  As a result a 21 year old male was arrested for Robbery with Violence, Assault with a Weapon X2, Possession of a Weapon, Carry a Conealed Weapon, Failing to Comply with a Relase Order and Possess Methamphetamine as he was found with a small amount of crystal methamphetamine on him at the time of arrest.  He was lodged for court.

As a vocational school, students at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School have the privilege to take part in Skills Manitoba and Skills Canada Competitions annually. “The highlight of Skills Canada Manitoba is our Skills Competition. Students participate in challenges designed to test skills required in trades and technology careers. The philosophy of the Skills Competition is to reward students for excellence, directly involve industry in evaluating student performance, and keep training programs relevant to employers’ needs.” Skills Manitoba Website. Please join us in recognizing these 17 students as Medal Recipients for the 2023 Skills Manitoba Competition: For further information regarding the Skills Manitoba Competition and to see a complete list of 2023 medalists, please click here: 2023 Skills Manitoba Competition.

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.