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.

On the corner of 17th street and Park Ave. you can now find the amazing BeaverTail Food Truck. BeaverTails in Brandon is pleased to announce you can purchase a fresh hot BeaverTail from 12 pm - 8 pm seven days a week.   The truck is located on Park Ave. in the Kam Lung parking lot. For those who do not know what a beavertail is you can see in the photo below it is a deep fried piece of dough with your choice of toppings or just have the original with brown sugar.   You can also expect to see their Food Truck at Food Truck Warz in September at the Keystone Centre. https://www.facebook.com/BeaverTailsMobileManitoba/  

On April 23, 2023, at approximately 2:30 pm, police responded to a report of an assault outside a residence.  Investigation revealed that the suspect had been repeatedly bothering a neighbour by attending their residence and causing a scene.  The suspect’s actions escalated as she proceeded to yell and scream at him before she attempted to spray him with a can of bear mace.  Fortunately, the can was empty.  Police arrested the 29-year-old female and later released her to appear in court on June 12, 2023 on a charge of Assault with a Weapon.

Shorlty after 9:00 pm on April 21st a call was received stating a male was bear sprayed on the 800 block of Pacific Ave.  Upon police arrival a suspect fled on foot and was chased.  He was apprehended after a short foot pursuit and police located a cannister of bear spray on him as well as a machete strapped to his leg.  As a result a 28 year old male was arrested and charged with Assault with a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon X2, Carry Concealed Weapon, and Resist Arrest.  He was lodged for court in the AM. While police were dealing with the above matter another male approached  and began interfering.  He matched the description of one of the suspects who was involved in the above bear spray incident and was checked.  He was found to have a knife concealed on him.  He was arrested for Carry Concealed Weapon.  A 27 year old male was lodged at BPS and released with an Undertaking with a court date of June 15th.

The City of Brandon wishes to announce, that after a nation-wide search, Terry Parlow will be Brandon’s 16th Fire Chief. Parlow has an extensive career with Brandon Fire and Emergency Services spanning 29 years, and has been Deputy Fire Chief since 2016. Brandon Fire and Emergency Services is one of only a few fully integrated fire-based EMS departments in Canada. Employees are dual trained as fire fighters and paramedics, with the department operating out of two stations. Chief Parlow says, “I love Brandon, this is where my wife, Sandra, and I have raised our sons, Jordan and Max, and where I have been very fortunate to have a career with the City of Brandon and Brandon Fire and Emergency Services. The staff that I am able to work with every day are amazing, providing an excellent service to the residents of Brandon and surrounding area. Although the job as a firefighter/paramedic can be very challenging and difficult at times, it is also the most rewarding career! I want to thank the City of Brandon for this opportunity, and I am honoured to be the City of Brandon’s 16th Fire Chief.”