Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon’s Planning, Property & Buildings Department is seeking public feedback as it looks to update and improve Brandon’s wide-ranging Zoning By-law for the benefit of its customers and the wider community. While the City of Brandon Zoning By-law received a significant overhaul in 2016, the Department has since discovered some additional changes that, if made, would allow for a smoother process for land use and development approvals. A number of changes are being proposed for the Zoning By-law, including reducing commercial and industrial building setbacks, reducing residential front yards in new neighbourhoods, and expanding off-site parking allowances beyond the Downtown HUB to all areas of the community.  A comprehensive list of changes being proposed for the by-law can be found on the City of Brandon website here. “Through the process of working with customers on development proposals in the past few years, we’ve found a number of areas within the Zoning By-law where we feel we can increase flexibility and reduce processing times,” notes City of Brandon Chief Planner Ryan Nickel. “Our Zoning By-law is a ‘working document’ that should be responsive to both community and development needs and be updated when the need arises. We hope that our public will let us know if we are on the right track with such proposed changes to ensure the by-law remains reflective of the needs and wants of the local community.” Local developers and other interested stakeholders seeking more information about the proposed by-law changes are invited to arrange one-on-one meetings with Planning, Property & Buildings staff between March 5th and March 9th. A public open house will also be held Tuesday, March 13th, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. within the Brandon Design Studio space of the Brandon Cultural Resource Centre at the A.R. McDiarmid Civic Complex (638 Princess Avenue - Entrance B). Planning, Property & Buildings staff will facilitate a group discussion from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Department staff will then consider all feedback received as by-law amendments are drafted later this spring, with the intent to have such amendments given final approval by Brandon City Council this summer.

Brandon Police Service Media Release As part of an ongoing investigation of approximately one week into sexually exploited youth and specifically a 16-year-old female victim, police arrested a 53-year-old Brandon man on Tuesday evening. Investigation determined that the adult male suspect paid the female youth for sexual services and threatened the victim if she reported it to Police. The male suspect was arrested for Obtaining Sexual Services for Consideration from a Person Under 18 Years and Uttering Threats. The male was released and is scheduled to appear in Court in April.

An accident today at noon where two vehicles collided at 6th St. and Rosser Ave. Both vehicles ended up on sidewalks about half a block from each other. Airbags were deployed in one of the vehicles, and that vehicle had significant driver door area damage. No injuries were reported. No other details are available.

BrabndonPolice Service Media Release The Brandon Police Service has investigated several incidents of late concerning counterfeit money being passed. The most recent occurrences have been $100 bills. These bills were designed as a training aid and have foreign languages stamped on the bills. The recent trend has shown that individuals have been cutting out the language stamp and replacing it with security features from a lower denomination bill. Typically, a small item is purchased with the counterfeit note and the suspect receiving change back in legitimate currency. If you work in the retail industry, please check all bills before acceptance. If you suspect the note is counterfeit after a transaction, please call BPS. If you suspect that you have been offered a counterfeit note during a transaction, refuse the bill and ask the person to check the note with Police. Call BPS of a possible attempt to pass suspected counterfeit money. It is important to remember that the person in possession of the counterfeit money may be an innocent victim and does not know the money is counterfeit.

Changes to a host of regulations will allow for ride-sharing services in Manitoba by the beginning of March, Crown Services Minister Cliff Cullen announced today. “We made a commitment to modernize Manitoba’s vehicle-for-hire industry,” said Cullen.  “I am pleased that our government is following through on that commitment.” Amendments to the Vehicle Registration Regulation and the Driver Licensing Regulation have been approved to support The Local Vehicles for Hire Act, which takes effect March 1. The legislative and regulatory changes give freedom to individual municipalities to customize their own, separate bylaw requirements for licencing related to local vehicles for hire. As of March 1, ride-sharing operators will have various options under newly established vehicle for hire (VFH) insurance uses through Manitoba Public Insurance, the minister noted. “These changes allow Manitobans to use their vehicles for ride-sharing with insurance coverage that is both flexible and comprehensive,” said Cullen. The vehicle for hire insurance uses and related premiums were reviewed and approved by the Public Utilities Board (PUB). Under the PUB-approved insurance model, owners will have the option to select coverage for the time periods when they operate.  Four ‘time-bands’ have been developed: Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday 7 to 11 p.m.; nightly 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; Monday through Friday 7 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.; and Friday 6 p.m. through Sunday 11 p.m. Vehicle owners can choose coverage for 24 hours a day by selecting all the time bands, or may decide to tailor their operating hours to their part-time availability by selecting only one or two.  Customers will be able to change their time bands at any time without incurring service fees. The coverage options that will soon become available were applauded by two companies looking to establish ride-sharing operations in Manitoba. “The province has laid a road for us to enter the Winnipeg market.  We commend Manitoba Public Insurance for working so well with the city and finding a creative solution to a complicated problem.  The public and ratepayers need to be protected and this new insurance plan does that,” said Pascal Ryffel of TappCar, which is based in Edmonton. “I think it’s very reasonable because the maximum it can cost the driver if they want to go 24-7 is still affordable.  U2GO is not being prescriptive; some people will make it a full-time job, some people will use it to supplement their income.  It’s for the drivers to buy those time bands,” George Demarchi, CEO of U2GO Enterprises Inc. More information on vehicle-for hire-insurance options can be found here: https://apps.mpi.mb.ca/Comms/vehicleForHire/index.html.