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News for April 28th
Call for Volunteers for Westridge
I am writing on behalf of the Westridge Community Centre board of directors to appeal to the public for volunteers. Westridge Community Centre is a volunteer driven organization that serves over 3000 homes between Park Avenue south to the edge of the city and from 18th Street to the west edge of the city. In past, we have been proud to provide community services such as spring/fall garage sales, pre-teen dances, outdoor skating, a home for Linden’s Kids’ Klub day care, hall rentals for birthday parties/socials/meetings, etc. Unfortunately, some of these services have ceased to exist and the rest are in imminent danger due to a continuing decline in the board membership. Our once robust board of 10+ members has been reduced to 5 and will number only 2 as of June 30th. Needless to say, this can mean only one thing for Westridge – we will have to close our doors this fall if no additional help comes forward. This will mean no skating facilities, no affordable hall to rent and the day care that calls Westridge home will be in jeopardy. While we all lead hectic lives, if enough people come together, we can make light work of ensuring that a very valuable part of our community remains operational. Please call 726-1845 after 5:00 p.m. to volunteer or for more information. ... Margaret Richards
Assiniboine River Update
The Shellmouth Reservoir water level rose 0.45 feet during the 24 hour period ending this morning and stood at 1401.44 at 9 a.m. today. Inflows to the reservoir are declining significantly but it appears that there will be enough inflow to raise the reservoir to the desirable level of
1403.5 feet by mid May. The outflow of 800 cfs will be maintained until Monday at which time a reduction may be required. The outflow would be reduced in steps of about 300 cfs to reduce the chance of bank slumping on the Assiniboine River downstream of the dam.
City Manager's Update
The Mayor, Rod Sage and I met with representatives of the Brandon RHA this week to discuss development requirements surrounding the new radiation therapy centre. This facility, once constructed, will provide a much needed service to south western Manitoba.
New Records and Information Manager
Ian Richards has accepted the position of Records and Information Manager for the City of Brandon with a May 12th commencement date. Ian was employed with the University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections Department as an Archives Assistant and a Records Analyst with respect to The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and The Personal Health Information Act as well as records retrieval responsibilities. Ian has a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in History and is currently completing his Masters of History, Archival Studies and will be expected to attain his Certified Records Manager status.
Third Street Dam
Two of the 20 piers on the Third Street Dam suffered damage during the ice break-up this spring. The damage was noticed on Sunday, April 20th. The damage allowed for the release of the stop logs in 3 of the 20 bays in the dam. The balance of the dam has not suffered any damage, however with the elevated river flows it is difficult to determine the extent of the damage. KGS Engineering has been engaged to assess the existing condition and make a recommendation on any steps that may need to be taken in order to minimize further damage. KGS has been researching the existing information and will make a site visit on Wednesday, April 23. Plans will be made for immediate short term repairs, if required, and for a longer terms solution once the review has been conducted by KGS.
The Dressing Room
There is a program being initiated in Brandon called, “The Dressing Room” – that will be providing appropriate attire (clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories for both men and women) for individuals attending job interviews and to assist them with clothing when they are starting employment. Once operational, the program will be housed at the Brandon Friendship Centre and open to all.
If you have any suitable clothing you are no longer using that could be donated, it would be greatly appreciated. If you contact Viola at 729-3845 or vfleury@afm.mb.ca she will make arrangements to pick it up. They have also established a partnership with a couple of agencies so that any clothing not used will be donated to them.
Fire & Emergency Services Update
Chief Dane attended a CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear & Explosive) meeting in Winnipeg on April 23rd. The deputy directors of the Emergency Measure Organization, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, Winnipeg Fire Department, the Department of Transport and Provincial RCMP met to discuss the 2008 training evolutions in Manitoba and further training courses for the members of the CBRNE team.
Our Water and Ice Rescue Team participated in training this week at the Sportsplex, the Assiniboine River and Killarny Lake.
Deputy Romanik met with representatives of the BRHA (Brandon Regional Health Authority) and the ARHA (Assiniboine Regional Health Authority) to discuss our current Continuity of Service agreement, and the process to be used when contacting each other for Mutual Aid Requests.
Operational Services Update
Kathleen Beaton, Programs and Events Coordinator, attended a Preschool Wellness Fair at the Keystone Centre on April 22nd. This fair provided information regarding health and wellness and activities for parents of children aged 2 ˝ to 5 years of age.
WATER/WASTEWATER Update
Every public water supplier in Manitoba is mandated to conduct an assessment of their water system's infrastructure and its water supply source at least once every five years as per the Drinking Water Safety Act. This assessment must be conducted by an independent organization, usually an engineering consultant knowledgeable in the water supply industry. We have retained Earth Tech as our assessor. The kick off meeting with the consultants for our water supply assessment was on April 11th. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify, analyze and mitigate any potential adverse health risks and environmental impacts associated with the Water Supply System. It is also to determine whether the Water Supply System's source, facilities, equipment and operations are effective in producing safe drinking water, and meet the regulations in force under the Public Health Act and the Drinking Water Safety Act. This assessment will identify potential health and environmental risks associated with water supply systems, as well as the effectiveness of our water treatment and water distribution system in producing safe drinking water which meets the regulation in force under the Public Health Act and the Drinking Water Safety Act.
We welcome this assessment not only to provide assurances of the safety of our potable water system but also to continue to learn how we can continue to provide the highest quality water to the citizens of Brandon.
Safety and Security Audit
Over the next few months the Brandon Police Service will be conducting a safety and security audit on City Hall, it is referred to as “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” (CPTED). The Brandon Police Service will be identifying areas of concern in regards to protecting City employees from external harassment and violence. This audit will not only assist in preventing unnecessary stress or harm to employees, but it is also the next step in meeting the Workplace Safety and Health Act and Regulations and maintaining a Respectful Workplace free of harassment and violence.
Awards Given
Lois MacDonald from Brandon Riverbank Discovery Centre and Rick Bailey, City of Brandon Parks Department were nominated for a Healthy Living Award. They were awarded with a Certificate of Recognition in Winnipeg on April 17 for their work in developing the trail system along the Assiniboine River, the skating oval and the winter festival of lights. The nomination was submitted by the Healthy Brandon in Motion committee.
News for April 14th
Westridge Community Centre faces a HUGE challenge
This message comes from the Secretary of the Westridge Community Centre
I am the secretary of the Westridge Community Centre board of directors. As is happening at many centres around Brandon, we are experiencing a very serious shortage of volunteers. In fact, most if not all of our board, will be retiring this summer. Continuous calls for volunteers have gone
unheeded. My question to you is, in the event that no one comes forward to fill the vacancies on the board, what happens to the management of Westridge Community Centre? Are operations handed over to the city? Will the rink be shut down? What happens to the hall
Westridge Community Centre will be holding a meeting the evening of Sunday, April 20th at 7 PM. City administration and city councilors have been asked to attend to discuss the FUTURE of the facility. All the community is invited to attend.
Assiniboine River Update
Levels continue to rise slowly. There is little snow remaining in areas downstream of St. Lazare except on southern slopes of the Roding Mountain. Shellmouth Reservoir water levels should begin to rise this weekend due to significant snowmelt in the watershed draining into the Reservoir. Outflows may be adjusted next week depending on observed runoff conditions and inflows. Flooding is not expected along the Assiniboine River this spring unless heavy spring rain develops.
Update from the Mayor
I attended the Citizenship Ceremonies with Judge Harold Gillishammer officiating on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at J. R. Reid School. We are proud to have 95 new citizens receiving their official citizenship of Canada.
A letter was received from the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister Steve Ashton, clarifying that Renaissance Brandon will be receiving funds to match contributions from the City in the amount of $250,000. In conversation with Premier Doer on Saturday prior to the budget, I was pleased to receive a commitment to matching the city’s contribution, as prior to this, Renaissance Brandon was only receiving funds towards project-specific requests.
Construction Update
Excavation work has commenced on the new Southeast Wastewater Pumping Station, which is being constructed south of Crocus Plains High School on 1st Street. With the recent award of two pipeline contracts to service the new pumping station, significant construction activity will be seen along 1st Street and through the intersection of 9th & Maryland this season.
Work on the watermain grid improvements east of 17th Street East from Van Horne Ave. East to Victoria Ave. East are about half completed. These grid improvements are needed to improve fire flow capabilities to Shape Foods.
Re-paving of 26th Street south of Park Avenue will include the travel lanes in both north and south directions.
Sidewalks on Rosser Avenue will be constructed along the north side of Rosser Ave. between 18th Street and 30th Street. This area presently contains gaps where sections, and in most cases blocks, of sidewalks are missing. We will NOT be constructing sidewalks on Rosser Ave. on the south side between Whillier Dr. and 34th Street. Although there is a significant area of sidewalk missing, the hilly nature of the area makes construction of this section very costly. We will review options available for further construction.
Planning & Building
Planning & building activities have taken their usual spring time jump in activities. Building permit numbers are on par with 2007 numbers thus suggesting 2008 will be another very active growth year.
34th & Rosser
As Council is aware, our office conducted traffic counts to review the warrants for a 4-way stop at the intersection of 34th Street and Rosser Avenue. The warrant process indicated that this intersection meets components of the criteria for a multi-way stop. Traffic volumes on the intersecting roads are approximately equal and there have been 20 accidents recorded by the Brandon Police Service for this intersection over the last four years.
Our office is now reviewing the requirements for new sign installations at this intersection to ensure a high level of safety is maintained during this transition period. Ads will be placed on the City Page of the Community News Edition for two consecutive weeks advertising this traffic change prior to implementation. Notices will also be placed on the City web page as well as WCGTv (Access 12) to ensure the motoring public is aware of this traffic control change.
Estimated time for implementing this new 4-way stop will be May 12th, as there are a large number of new signs to be installed for safety purposes.
Earth Day Celebrations
Earth Day Celebrations in Brandon will take place on Sunday, April 20th at Brandon University outside the Evans Theatre from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. Earth Day is recognized normally around the world on April 22nd but to gather more interest the committee has agreed on this date to encourage more family participation. A free mountain bike draw will be included in the activities along with people having the opportunity to get free compost and a draw for a few compost bins and other draw items from Manitoba Hydro. We hope to see at the celebration.
Sportsplex
Healthy Brandon in Motion is sponsoring a Free Public Swim on Tuesday evenings, 7pm-9pm, from April 8 – June 10th. There were a total of 142 swimmers for the first Tuesday.
Tim Horton’s also sponsored a Free Swim on Saturday March 29 & Sunday, March 30 from 1-8pm on both days. There were a total of 828 swimmers who benefited from their generosity.
The Brandon Bluefins are hosting their annual Spring Splash Long Course Swim Meet on Saturday, April 12 & Sunday, April 13. There will be no public swim scheduled on these days.
Spring Red Cross Swim Lessons started April 7th.
The Sportsplex arena will be shut down from April 14 – June 6/08 for maintenance.
Update from Police
Chief Atkinson attended the Citizenship Ceremony held at J. R. Reid School on Thursday, April 10th, 2008.
In 2006, 27 workers died from work related incidents in Manitoba. From 1993 to 2006, 314 people lost their lives due to workplace incidents, averaging 22 deaths per year. Another 18,000 per year are injured or become ill.
Making workplaces safer is, or should be, a daily effort. April 28th has been singled out to offer employees and employers the opportunity to remember the dead, injured and ill as well as publicly renew their commitment to improve health and safety in the workplace.
The National Day of Mourning, held annually on April 28th, was officially recognized by the federal government in 1991, eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress. The Day of Mourning has since spread to about 80 countries around the world.
On April 28th please remember the lives lost or injured in the workplace.
New Hires and Promotions
#2007-089—E-911 Dispatch, Emerg. Communications
Chris Skayman is a successful candidate for this position. Chris started on Mar. 04, 2008.
#2008-002—Lieutenant—Fire
Dallas Cumming is the successful candidate for this position.
Dallas will be starting on April 27, 2008.
#2008-003—Acting Lieutenant 2—Fire
Brent Dyck is the successful candidate for this position. Brent
starts on May 3, 2008.
#2008-007—Canteen Attendant, Sportsplex
Kelsey Connor is a successful candidate for this position. Kelsey started on Mar. 05, 2008.
#2008-008—Apprentice Mechanic—Garage
Kelly Hiscock is the successful candidate for this position. Kelly started Mar. 31, 2008.
#2008-010—Training Officer—Fire
Shane Wilton is the successful candidate for this position. Shane starts on Mar. 28, 2008.
#2008-011—Comm. Dev. Coord. (Term)- Comm. Serv.
Bryce Wilson is the successful candidate for this position. Bryce started on Mar. 31, 2008.
#2008-016—Level 2 Equip. Op. (Term)—Sanitation
Jeff Harrison is the successful candidate for this position. Jeff started on Mar. 03, 2008.
#2008-018—Tradesworker Level 2—In-City Maint.
Keith Hardie is the successful candidate for this position. Keith starts Apr. 14, 2008.
#2008-019—Level 4 Operator—WWTF
Marlene Hart is the successful candidate for this position. She started Mar. 17, 2008.
#2008-004—Firefighter
Shawn Rooks and Jason Funk are successful candidates for this position and started on Mar. 25, 2008.
#2008-029—Summer/Seasonal Opportunities
Successful candidates to date: Elizabeth Rose and Darcy Robins
started on Mar. 28, 2008 with Sanitation. Gary Stelmack
stared on Mar. 27, 2008 with Sanitation. Kevin Cooley &
James Gonty started on Apr. 07, 2008 with Streets and Roads.
Retirees & Resignations
Marv Robinson is retiring after 37 years with the City . Marv started in February 1971 and he worked in various departments ending as a Senior Operator at the Wastewater Treatment Facility. His last day is April 24, 2008.
Murray Garden is retiring from his position of Senior Operator at the Wastewater Treatment Facility. Murray started with the City January 1980 and his last day is April 23, 2008.
Joni Swidnicki is resigning her position as Deputy City Clerk to assume the position of City Clerk for the City of
Regina effective May 5, 2008. Joni started with the City August, 1988.
Peter Bokhorst is retiring after 29 years from his position as Mechanic at the City Garage. Peter’s last day with the
City is April 30, 2008.
Dennis Gaboury is retiring after 29 years from his position as Welder/Mechanic at the City Garage. Dennis’ last day
with the City is May 15, 2008.
We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
Job Opportunities with the City
#2007-089—E-911 Dispatcher—Emerg. Communications
Status: Ongoing.
#2008-029—Summer/Seasonal Opportunities
Status: Posted Mar. 18, 2008 to Sept. 01, 2008.
#2008-030—Level 4 Operator (Term), WWTF
Status: Pending.
#2008-031—Level 3 Operator (2 Positions), WWTF
Status: Pending.
#2008-032—Level 3 Operator (Term), WWTF
Status: Pending.
#2008-033—Summer By-Law Enforcement, Police
Status: Posted Mar. 20, 2008 to Apr. 18, 2008.
#2008-034—Planning Technician Aid, Bldg. Dept.
Status: Posted Mar. 26, 2008 to Apr. 09, 2008.
News for April 7th
Power Problems
Regarding the outages this past weekend. The outages Sunday were a result of ice accumulations combined with high winds causing the lines to short out. These conditions cause the lines to whip violently and touch each other causing our protection devices to shut the off line before it burns down. The outage on Monday morning was a result of a pole fire. The top of a pole burnt off causing the line to short out. The fire was probably the result of a damaged insulator.
Update from the Mayor
I have enjoyed participating in the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair this week starting with helping to serve breakfast on Monday morning, to ‘test-riding’ a quarter horse on Tuesday, and then attending banquets in the evenings. Thank you to Don Jessiman who participated as Deputy Mayor at three evening sessions this week.
Brian MacRae and I attended a Leadership Group meeting on Thursday, April 3 with the President of the Provincial Exhibition, Stan Cochrane, the Minister of Agriculture, Rosann Wowchuk and others. It has become apparent, once again, that we must review the history of the agreement for funding the Agricultural Centre of Excellence and upgrades to the Keystone Centre. The City of Brandon staff are working on this and presenting information to Council, the Keystone Board, and the Leadership Group.
2008 Tax Sale
Early in March Council was advised that the annual tax sale process would once again be handled by a company called TAXervice. The collection of outstanding 2006 property taxes is going very well and we are very pleased with the services provided by TAXervice. As of February 29th, there were 213 properties subject to tax sale and as of March 31st, 120 have been redeemed.
Comparison of 2006 taxes collected as of March 31 each year:
Year %
2006 32%
2007 33%
2008 54%
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Brian Kayes took part in The Climate Change Adaptation Summit that was sponsored and organized by the Ontario provincial government with the goal of providing a number of policy recommendations to senior levels of government. The three areas examined at this summit were: water management planning; infrastructure; and, emergency preparedness. Conference participants developed a number of recommendations that will be provided at the FCM Conference to be held in Quebec this summer. Key points identified were: governments need to embrace that climate change is happening; climate change adaptation should be included in provincial policy immediately; establish a clearing house of climate change information; promote community level discussions; provincial and federal governments should support community adaptation capacity building; climate change should be framed as a sustainability issue; decision making tools need to be developed. A summary report will be provided by the summit organizers.
FIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICES UPDATE
Sue Dyck from Manitoba Health was at #1 Fire Hall on Thursday April 3rd to review BFES policy and procedure on our continuing education program (Assiniboine Regional Medical Licensure).
Deputy Bell attended the Saskatchewan Fire Chiefs Conference in North Battleford as a representative of the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs.
Deputy Romanik and Val McArthur met with City Clerks and Treasury to discuss outstanding ambulance bills from First Nations ambulance patients. To date we have $54,000 outstanding and we are exploring ways to recoup these funds.
SANITATION
Sanitation will be operating on summer hours starting April 1st. Sunday April 6th the East view Landfill will be open 11:00 am to 6:45 pm.
Our summer hours are April 1 to October 31, Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 7:45 pm, Saturday 8:00 am to 4:45 pm and Sundays and Stats 11:00 am to 6:45 pm.
In preparation for the upcoming refuse system changes, the department has conducted a Waste Audit, sampling all five collection areas of the City. In total 2210 kilograms were sampled with the following break down: 1376.35 kilograms or 62.28% was pulled from the refuse that could have been either recycled or composted. ONLY 80 kilograms or 3.6% Blue bag recycling was removed from the sample.
This information will be further compiled and shared with the residents of the City in an effort to improve education around our communities’ current recycling levels in relation to potential levels.
SEWER AND WATER
* Public Works staff has completed a review of our roto rooting service for property owners with 100% root claims as per the Water/ Wastewater Bylaw. In the past this service has been provided by our staff and by external plumbing companies. During the summer season we would schedule appointments with property owners to enter their premises to roto root their sewer line. Property owners would also have the opportunity to schedule this maintenance through the local plumbing companies. This process would often result in overlap as we would be attempting to contact property owners to schedule our service only to find out that they had scheduled this with a private company. Other constraints involved getting in contact with property owners that worked outside their household. Our office hours in most instances are the same as the property owners’ hours of work. Based on the various inconsistencies with the provision of this service we feel it is in the best interest of the property owner to schedule this maintenance within their schedules. We will be sending out a notice to these property owners as notification that they will be responsible for the scheduling of this maintenance through a plumbing company. At this time the process for dealing with the evaluation and payment of claims remains unchanged as per the Water/ Wastewater Bylaw. Property owners that have been identified as a 100% claim will be processed in the same manner as 50% claims. Individuals will schedule their maintenance, pay for the service and submit their claim to the Parks Office for process and reimbursement. This should not impact the provision of this service as there are several plumbing companies that are equipped to provide a roto rooting service.
* Utility staff is focused on maintaining drainage courses throughout the community.
* Public Works staff is gearing up for the various summer maintenance programs.
Public Works Update
* Parks staff has started preparing flower baskets and bedding plants for this season.
* Building Maintenance staff has started the tendering process for the various upgrades to facilities as per the Energy Audit recommendations. Utility staff is focused on maintaining drainage courses throughout the community.
* Streets & Roads staff is preparing for their street sweeping program and have started the pothole maintenance program.
* In an effort to improve the winter condition of sidewalks in residential areas and, in lieu of a bylaw requiring compliance, the City of Brandon and the Brandon Sun are jointly sponsoring educational advertisements titled “A Clear Path to Make Winter Safe” to promote sidewalk clearing. These ads highlight the importance of keeping sidewalks and walkways safe for all pedestrians including those who must use sidewalks to provide to-the-door services, such as newspaper and letter carriers, meter readers and emergency service personnel. Canada Post has agreed to track problem sidewalks to provide a baseline measurement for future years. The intention is to build on this program next year with additional partners and to continue to see improvements in winter sidewalk condition.
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