News for March 31st

Compstat
The Brandon Police Service has undergone a form of restructuring. On January 1st, 2008 the Police Service started the “CompStat Program”. This program was first introduced in 1994 by the New York City Police. The program was extremely successful and quickly spread throughout the United States. Brandon is among the many Canadian communities to recently implement the program.

Chief of Police Keith Atkinson and the District Administrative Teams will provide a presentation and be available to answer questions. The Public Forum is open to the general public.

Update from the City Manager
I attended the United Way Annual General Meeting this week and accepted an award on behalf of Ted Snure, who coordinated this year’s United Way Employee Campaign. The award was in recognition of a 5% increase over previous year’s contributions from City of Brandon employees. Congratulations to not only Ted and his team for spearheading the campaign, but also to all those employees who contributed to this very worthwhile community program.

Electronic Presentment of Utility Bills
Utility invoices, both quarterly and monthly, can now be received electronically via email. Inserts are being included with all the utility bills as they are mailed and although they have only gone out with one cycle so far, the response has been very positive. As of March 26th there were 22 customers signed up to receive their bills monthly and 38 signed up to receive them electronically but choose to stay with a quarterly frequency.

Brandon Immigration
Preliminary immigration data provided by MB Labour and Immigration indicates that Brandon received 641 immigrants, 5.8% of total Manitoba immigration (10,941) in 2007. The 2007 number is almost 4 times the 2006 immigration arrival total.

Additional information regarding source countries will be available once the finalized statistics are released.

Fleetnet Radios
MTS will be doing work on our Fleetnet Radios on March 31st. As a result of this work we will only be able to communicate by radio within the range of the Brandon Towers. This work is expected to last for 90 minutes. All of our staff has been made aware of how these changes will affect their communications.

Sportsplex
Spring Break activities at the Sportsplex include Red Cross Swim Kid lessons, the very popular Spring Break Day Camp and the Assisted Water Safety Instructor leadership course.

Brandon In Motion is sponsoring a free swim Tuesday nights from 7:00-9:00 pm. from April 8th through June 10th.

News for March 24th

Compstat
The Brandon Police Service has undergone a form of restructuring. On January 1st, 2008 the Police Service started the “CompStat Program”. This program was first introduced in 1994 by the New York City Police. The program was extremely successful and quickly spread throughout the United States. Brandon is among the many Canadian communities to recently implement the program.

Chief of Police Keith Atkinson and the District Administrative Teams will provide a presentation and be available to answer questions. The Public Forum is open to the general public.

New way to pay Water Bills
The City is now offering monthly billing services whereby the customer can receive an approximate 20% discount on the administrative portion of their bill. The customer is required to receive their bill electronically and to provide payment for the bill using an automated electronic banking payment method. This initiative will reduce the use of paper and postage and will also streamline administrative efforts. An advertisement will be placed in the Brandon Sun and bill stuffers will be included in each bill mailed between now and May. Additionally, an application form is now available on our website.

Monthly billing will provide more timely information to the customer about their consumption which will assist in containing the costs of any leaking plumbing fixtures. Future changes to the bill layout will also provide some historical information that may alert the customer to changes in consumption requiring a plumber’s attention. These changes, along with additional payment options, will be advertised at the time they are launched.

Flooding Update
There continues to be a very low risk of spring flooding this year. A complete report is attached below.

Update from the Mayor
I attended the AMM Western District Meeting in Souris this week. While we don’t always share the same challenges as our more rural neighbours, it’s always good to network with the other members of AMM. This is particularly true when there are common issues that the Association can lobby for or against on everyone’s behalf. Brandon was given very complimentary recognition for its hosting of the FCM Board of Directors meetings, to which AMM contributed $5000.00.

Update from the City Manager
As mentioned in a previous update, I continue to meet periodically with Dr. Visentin from Brandon University. As Council is aware, there is a need to improve communications between Brandon University and the City, and these meetings are just one way of working toward that goal.

I presented the 2008 corporate goals at the Brandon Police Service Strategic Planning Session this week. It is important for all departments to understand the corporate goals in order to ensure departmental goals are aligned to ultimately achieve the goals of the corporation. These goals were previously provided to Council.

Hybrids added to Fleet
As approved in the 2008 Operating Budget, the building inspection staff received four new Honda Civic hybrids this week. The cars are identified as City of Brandon Building Inspection vehicles and are now on the road.

Web Site Changes
Our office has been working closely with the IT Department to help provide information as it pertains to various traffic related issues in the City of Brandon on the City’s web page. We would like to encourage City Councillors to visit this newly created page and provide any feedback that may assist in the development process.

The Traffic Section web page may be found in the Engineering Department of the Development Services Division under Accessing City Hall Departments. The following link will help guide you to our web page: http://www.brandon.ca/main.nsf/Pages+by+ID/920

Construction
1. Watermain Replacement on Park Ave. Southeast - The watermain is in, chlorinated and has passed the pressure test. The start of the sewer and water tie-ins to the businesses will begin March 19th and should be finished by March 28th, depending on restoration.
2. The work on the east end watermain grid improvements to improve fire flows at Shape Foods on Victoria Avenue East will start the first week of April.

Fire & Emergency Services
Deputy Romanik participated in the 2008 Cerebral Palsy Stationary Bike Race at the town Centre on Saturday. Over the past fourteen years volunteers and participants have raised over $364,000 for the Cerebral Palsy Association. 80% of those proceeds have stayed in the Westman region.

BFES has processed the following staff changes recently:
- Shane Wilton is the successful applicant for the Fire Training Officer position.
- Trevor Falk joined our department as a probationary firefighter/paramedic in February.
- Jason Funk and Shawn Rooks will both start their careers with BFES on March 25th.

City of Brandon Job Fair
Human Resources, with the assistance of many of our Chargehands/Supervisors, hosted the City's first job fair on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 in the City Hall foyer. This was an opportunity for individuals to submit their application for summer/term employment and speak with a representative from their area of interest. We were pleased to have received 147 applications and the Chargehands/Supervisors were able to assess candidates through a brief interview in conjunction with their respective resumes. Areas that were represented included Parks, In-City Maintenance, Rec Center, Sanitation, Utilities, Development Services, Community Development, E-911, Sportsplex and the ever popular Streets & Roads. The atmosphere was relaxed and feedback response from both the participants and our employees was quite positive.

UCT Summer Fun Club - Youth Activity Centre
The U.C.T. has generously agreed to sponsor the UCT Summer Fun Club for its third year. At the last UCT membership meeting it was agreed to provide $20,000 funding towards a two month youth activity centre that will provide a safe, active haven for middle years youth. Because of this generosity, we are able to offer youth pro-active alternatives while doubling the demographics and expanding the age category of our centres. We look forward to once again being able to offer youth alternatives for the summer months and direct them to fun, positive activities free of charge.

Free Swim
Tim Horton’s is once again sponsoring a weekend of Free Swimming on Saturday, March 29th and Sunday, March 30th from 1pm-8pm. This is one of many ways they give back to the community so this event is free for everyone!

Police Update
Inspector Grant participated in the Cerebral Palsy Stationary Bike Race at the Town Centre on Saturday, March 15th, 2008.

Chief Atkinson and a Team from Central Records participated on Sunday, March 16th, 2008. The girls from Central Records won the Best Hat Competition.

Maple Leaf Update
Maple Leaf Foods is proceeding with double-shifting the value-added cut operations at its Brandon facility. The expansion will begin in June, with completion in September 2008. As part of this expansion, Brandon will welcome close to 500 international recruits to the community in 2008. Family reunification of international recruits currently living in Brandon as well as new recruits is projected to result in an additional 3,400 residents relocating to Brandon between June 2007 and February 2011. Of the family members forecasted to arrive, 66% or 2,259 are expected to be children with close to 60% of the children 12 years or younger.

News for March 17th

Hotel Tax
As a result of recent discussions regarding a hotel / destination tax in Brandon, Westman Accommodations Group (WAG) has contacted all local hoteliers to determine their perspective on such a tax. The majority of hoteliers contacted indicated they do not support the implementation of a hotel / destination tax in Brandon. Hoteliers are also working together to conduct additional research around this topic. Research will include a survey of their patrons to determine their views on a hotel tax and whether the implementation of such a tax in Brandon would reduce the number of nights they stay in hotels and motels in Brandon. Secondly, hoteliers will be assembling a summary of where their customers reside, in order to provide an understanding of who will be hit the hardest by the implementation of a hotel / destination tax. Once the information has been compiled, the WAG will be presenting the data to City Council during a regular scheduled meeting.

Planning Department
As predicted, 2008 is gearing up to be another booming season of construction. To date, 135 permits have been issued compared to 96 at this same time last year.

Issued permits of interest include:
1826 McDonald Ave - Residential demolition (house & shed, property standards issue).
638 Pacific Ave - Interior renovation (Massey Harris Building).
300-18th Street - Foundations for new Co-op store, gas bar, and carwash.

Water Treatment
Phase 1 of the Low Lift Pump Upgrade is nearing completion. This phase consisted of demolition of the old low lift pump piping and replacing it with new piping. Phase 2 is expected to start immediately thereafter and will consist of demolition of the existing low lift pumps (1940’s vintage), site preparation, followed by installing and commissioning the two higher capacity replacement pumps. All three phases of the project are expected to be completed sometime this summer.

Electronic Voting List and Record
We would like to extend a big “thank you” to all members of City Council and the Administration who allowed us the use of your lap top during the election. The program designed proved easy and quick to use, with the added security that once a person had voted, that information was provided instantaneously to all election staff.

Accolades are also extended to all staff who provided assistance leading up to, during and following the election, we couldn’t have done it with out you!

Update from the Mayor
I have received very favorable feedback from the recent FCM Board of Directors’ Meetings held here in Brandon. Many people attending were overwhelmed with their stay here and enjoyed the positive atmosphere and warm hospitality. I would like to thank all City of Brandon staff members who were responsible for putting forth the extra effort required to ensure the outstanding success of this four-day event.

STREETS
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.

Brandon Race Relations Network
You Are Invited. Please join the Brandon Race Relations Network and pledge to end racism in our community! The Network is coordinating the “Marching to the Beat – A Celebration of Drums” event in recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at City Hall beginning at 6:00 pm followed by an awareness walk from City Hall to Brandon University Theatre B. At 7:00 pm there will be opening ceremonies, story telling & drum performances. An event for the senses. Come to hear ethnic drums and story telling, taste a variety of different breads & toppings, and see products from around the world that will be on display from the Marquis Project. For more information on the event or how to become involved with the Brandon Race Relations Network contact Lori Gould at 729-2493.

United Nations Personal Pledge Against Racism – “As a young citizen of the world community, I stand with united nations against racism, discrimination and tolerance of any kind. Throughout my life I will try to promote equality, justice and dignity among all people in my home, my community and everywhere in the world.”

Methane Gas Recovery
Test wells and probes are being installed at the Landfill to monitor and measure the amount of methane gas that may be recovered. These wells and probes will be monitored for approximately 2 months and will determine what a feasible use for the gas is. During this time a small temporary flare will be installed to burn off the methane gas that is being monitored. Comcor, the company doing the monitoring, will provide a written report with potential options for its use.

YMCA/City Expansion Project
Cathy Snelgrove and Iain McDonald attended a design team tour for the City of Brandon/ YMCA aquatic facility on March 10, 2008. The tour included three aquatic facilities: the Portage West YMCA, the South Winnipeg YMCA and the Steinbach Aquatic Centre. At the conclusion of the tour, the design team discussed possible design options for the Brandon facility.

Stop Stick Award – Constable Lucien Ethier
On Friday, March 14th, 2008 a presentation was made to Constable Lucien Ethier. A Certificate and Letter of Appreciation was received from Stop Tech for Constable Ethier for his involvement in apprehending a stolen vehicle traveling through Brandon and out to the Highway. The suspects were found to be involved in a number of thefts in Winnipeg.

This incident was recognized as the Hit of the month for January 2008 for the use of and proper deployment of the stop stick.

Update from the Police
Chief Atkinson attended the Rotary Club Luncheon on Tuesday, March 11th, 2008.

Media Training will be provided to all Supervisors and Executive Staff between April 9th & 11th, 2008. Members of the Winnipeg Police Service will provide this training.

News for March 10th

March Events
Please click on the link March Events to see what is happening in March.

City of Brandon Jobs
We are accepting applications for Lifeguards and Canteen Attendants on an on-going basis. Please visit us on-line at www.brandon.ca

Competitions on the City Web Site
#2007-089—E-911 Dispatcher—Fire
Status: Ongoing.
#2008-006—Utility Worker Level 3—Sportsplex
Status: Posted Jan. 15, 2008—Mar. 29, 2008.
#2008-007—Canteen Attendant—Sportsplex
Status: Posted Jan. 17, 2008—Dec. 31, 2008.
#2008-012—Lighthouse Youth Leader—Comm. Serv.
Status: Posted Feb. 07, 2008—Mar. 31, 2008.
#2008-014—Temporary Office Clerk—Various Locations
Status: Posted Feb. 08, 2008—Dec. 31, 2008.
#2008-017—Finance Officer– Treasury
Status: Posted Feb. 28, 2008—Mar. 21, 2008.
#2008-019—Level 4 Operator—WWTF
Status: Posted Feb. 26, 2008—Mar. 11, 2008.
#2008-020—Engineering Tech II—Engineering
Status: Posted Feb. 28, 2008—Mar. 25, 2008.

New Hires and Promotions
#2008-005—Info. Center Clerk, Transit
Sabina Sippy is the successful candidate for this position. Sabina started on Feb. 02, 2008.

#2007-011—Firefighter Shortlist
Sheldon Reynolds is a successful candidate for this position. Sheldon started on Jan. 07, 2008. Trevor Falk is also a successful candidate and he started on Feb. 19, 2008.

Retirees & Resignations
Wayne Ferguson, after almost 35 years, is retiring from his position as Fire Prevention Training Officer. He started with the City August 27, 1973 and his last day is February 27, 2008.

Jordan Tost is resigning as E-911 Operator/Dispatcher on March 01, 2008. Jordan started with the City Oct. 21, 2006.

Fire & Emergency Services
Deputy Romanik and Public Education Officer Russ Friesen attended the babysitting course graduation that was held at Harrison Middle School last night. Between 130 and 140 people attended to see 38 students graduate.

Brent Fitzpatrick from the Wheat City Journal and John Loregio from CKLQ came to #1 Hall on February 28th to teach a Media Training course for 7 of our staff.

HR Update
Monique Carriere and Sandra Wallace participated in the Manitoba Disaster Management Conference that was held in Winnipeg on February 27 - 29, 2008.

Greg Brown, Monique Carriere and Sandra Wallace attended the annual Safety Conference put on by the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba on March 5, 2008.

Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival
The Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival took place on January 31, February 1 & 2 in Brandon with 13 pavilions participating in this year’s festival. The cultural diversity of the community was showcased by the over 600 volunteers that offered up their expertise. With approximately 60,000 pavilion visits, all pavilions showed an attendance increase through their doors. A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities &Threats) meeting was hosted by Mayor Burgess where he expressed City Council’s appreciation to the pavilion representatives for the many hours invested by the volunteers to make our community a better place to live. The Executive Committee has investigated with the Keystone Centre Management on the suggestion of hosting the festival all under one roof and it has been determined that it is not feasible and will remain in and around various venues throughout the community. The suggestion of charging a cover charge was also discussed and this was rejected unanimously by each of the pavilion representatives. Esther Bryan will be now chairing the Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival Executive Committee as Tom Keep has stepped back and will be focusing on environmental initiatives in the community.

Update from the Police
On Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 the Police Service formally thanked Mr. Vince Crisanti, Owner – Manager of Cellular Plus Communications. Mr. Crisanti generously donated $800.00 towards training on our recently purchased Defibrillator. Twenty eight Members and Staff were trained.

Inspector Bryson & Ms. Ann Stoesz, Members of the Police Service Safety Committee, attended the Safety Conference held at Assiniboine Community College on Wednesday, March 5th, 2008.

Update from the Mayor
A Press Conference was held this morning at City Hall where Premier Doer made an important announcement concerning funds being made available now to proceed with our new IWWTF. This long-awaited announcement is the culmination of years of planning for a new, updated facility that will improve and enhance not only City of Brandon operations, but also the increased production at Maple Leaf Foods due to the commencement of the second shift.

We hosted a reception in City Hall on Wednesday evening to welcome the FCM Board of Directors. I would like to thank the councillors for attending this function. On Thursday night, the FCM entourage enjoyed a “top-notch” banquet at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts and also eagerly participated in tours of the facility. Viewers were enthralled with the history and architecture of this very unique building. FCM will be here in Brandon until Saturday. Many thanks to City staff for all their hard work and dedication in hosting this occasion of FCM Board of Directors’ meetings.

Update from the City Manager
I met with members of the Immigrant Services Network this week to discuss the City’s experiences in providing service to non English speaking people. The Network is meeting with service providers throughout the City to determine what challenges exist and to ultimately develop a Language Cooperative. Potential interpreters would be trained and would then provide help to any organization requiring interpretive services. The intent was to move to a skilled pool of translators, with specialized areas within the pool. The Immigrant Services Network has secured some government funding to proceed with this initiative.

Tax Sale
The City of Brandon 2008 Tax Sale is scheduled to be held on October 15th, and the process is once again being handled by TAXervice (www.taxervice.com), a company from Swan River that specializes in providing municipal tax sale management services to Manitoba municipalities. 2007 was the first year we used the services of TAXervice and we found that using their expertise was very beneficial. The experience of the staff at TAXervice ensures that all deadlines prescribed by the Municipal Act are met and that the process is in full compliance. There are no costs to the City for using this service as all the costs are borne by the taxpayer or by the purchaser of the property at the tax sale. The only time the City would incur costs would be in the case when the property is not redeemed and the City is the purchaser of the property at the tax sale.

Properties with outstanding 2006 property taxes are currently subject to tax sale. TAXervice mailed out the first notice of tax sale on February 29th, 2008 to the owners of the properties which are subject to tax sale in 2008. At present, there are 213 properties on the tax sale list as compared to 215 properties in 2007. This is not an unusual number of properties for this time of year as we begin the yearly process.

Renaissance Brandon
The Renaissance Brandon committee has been diligently defining specific strategies for each of the long term goals the committee has set. Four specific goals have now been defined:

Subcommittees have been tasked to breakdown these goals into manageable and achievable objectives culminating in a strategic plan the entire community can embrace. Additionally a committee of finance experts is developing the criteria for the funding of and evaluation of project proposals. It is hoped that the strategic plan will be completed by April 30th, 2008 and the operational plan by May 30th, 2008.

Update from Corporate Services
Jordan Tost has resigned his position of E911/Police Dispatcher as of February 26th to pursue a career as a member of the RCMP. We wish Jordan the very best.

Linda Poole attended the Covey Seminar held in Brandon at the Riverbank Discovery Centre from Feb 27 – 29th.

ILS
City staff has been actively working with aviation stakeholders to secure an Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Brandon airport. It is the group’s position that the installation of an ILS is an important piece of aviation infrastructure that will assist the community in its pursuit of regularly scheduled air service, and an ILS will enable the region to take full advantage of untapped opportunities thus maximizing the economic impact of the Brandon airport. Several meetings have occurred between the group and MP Merv Tweed. Mr. Tweed’s efforts on behalf of Brandon have generated interest and requests for additional information to validate the community’s request for an ILS system, always a good sign. Efforts will continue to secure an ILS at the Brandon airport.

Parks Department
Parks crews have been doing a sweep of the City trimming trees that are obstructing traffic signs.

It’s almost impossible to believe that winter is drawing near to an end, but it’s true…and that means that it’s time to turn down the lights. The Manitoba Hydro Powersmart Waterfall of Lights display located throughout and surrounding the skating oval will be turned off for the season on Monday, March 3, 2008. As long as the ice is safe, the lights on the skating oval will remain on every evening until weather dictates otherwise.

Skateboard Plaza Fundraiser
There is a fundraiser planned for Friday, March 14, 2008 – BBQ’D JIBS at 3 o’clock at the Keystone Centre that will involve a snowboarding demonstration and a barbeque. The admission to the demonstration will be $2.00 and there will be “boarders” from Winnipeg and Alberta in attendance. The after barbeque (additional food cost) will be held at the Canad Inns Roadhouse.

Sportsplex Update
Kathleen Beaton, Lauren Grimeau and Devon Loewen will be attending a Red Cross Instructor Trainer work shop. This training will enable each of them to instruct the Water Safety Instructor course to candidates wishing to become Red Cross Water Safety Instructors and will take place at the Red Cross office in Winnipeg at the Rady Jewish Community Centre from February 29 – March 2, 2008.

In Motion sponsored a skating party at the Oval on Saturday, February 16th. Approximately 300 people were in attendance with 225 cups of hot chocolate given out.

Handi Transit
The Handi Transit Advisory Committee hosted a public meeting on Wednesday, February 27th at City Hall. Approximately 30 people were in attendance as the committee presented its recommendations for policy changes and client resources. Mayor Dave Burgess also presented committee members with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of the volunteer hours provided by the committee members. The recommendations have been well received by Handi clients and related agencies and the feedback on the proposed changes has been very positive. The committee will be reviewing all feedback that has been received at their March meeting and making final recommendations for implementation to Administration. The presentation from the public meeting, comments, pictures and all proposed resources can be found on-line at brandontransit.ca.

Update from Police
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) was developed in the late 1980’s as a result of a tripartite effort of labour, industry and government and implemented in Manitoba in 1988. The goal of WHMIS is to reduce the occurrence of injury and illness caused by hazardous materials in the workplace. One of the main components of WHMIS is training for workers/supervisors which is mandatory by Provincial legislation. The City of Brandon has mandated that all city employees are to receive WHMIS training annually. Training for all BPS employees has been scheduled for the next six weeks.

Inspector Bryson attended a three day conference in Winnipeg hosted by the Emergency Measures Organization.

News for January

News for December

News for November

News for October

News for September

News for August

News for July

News for June