Food Council chair throws hat into ring

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This article was published 29/09/2022 (1238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The only woman running for Brandon City Council in Ward 10 is looking to follow an outgoing councillor’s example if she is elected next month.

Olivia Boyce, an administrative assistant for the University College of the North and chair of the Brandon Food Council, is one of four candidates running to succeed Coun. Jan Chaboyer (Green Acres) as she prepares for retirement on election day.

Boyce — one of three women running for city council this year — described herself as someone who loves to connect with people and would relish the chance to engage with the public, if elected.

“A lot of my work is writing reports, applying for grants and budgeting, so I can definitely bring that perspective,” she said.

“It’s administrative, but it’s really important in making sure that things get done and funded.”

Although Boyce lives in Ward 1, there are a couple of reasons why she wants to represent the city’s southeastern corner.

The first is that with two women already running in her home ward, she didn’t want to have all three female candidates competing against each other.

Secondly, after working with Chaboyer and witnessing the example she has set over her three terms in office, Boyce said she wants to continue the incumbent’s legacy.

When she started working for Food Matters Manitoba several years ago, Boyce said her work involved connecting with Brandon’s poverty committee on policy matters.

The chair of the committee at the time was Chaboyer, who Boyce kept an eye on along with the rest of council as she made presentations and participated in delegations over the years.

“I just really appreciate how much our city councillors are involved in the community and want to make our community a better place,” she said.

“Jan, Jeff [Fawcett], Shaun [Cameron], they’re all directly involved in the community in different ways that are really meaningful. I was really sad to see Jan retiring, but I was inspired to run. I think it’s the right time.”

With most of the city’s wards changing ahead of the municipal election, Boyce said part of the challenge of this campaign will be engaging residents who are being added to Ward 10.

From her experience in the ward, which includes growing up nearby, visiting her grandfather and attending École Harrison, she said she knows it’s a tight-knit community.

In speaking with ward residents while door-knocking, Boyce said concerns have been raised about the Manitoba Hydro electrical poles in back alleys.

She said many of them are falling over and their placement sometimes makes it difficult for sanitation trucks to pick up garbage and recycling.

Residents have also raised concerns about drainage and water.

Should she be elected, Boyce said she intends to continue her work with the Brandon Food Council and the Food Rescue Store on Rosser Avenue.

The Food Rescue Store was borne out of the Everyone Eats Brandon program, which operated during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way of providing low-cost or free meals to people who were having difficulties obtaining food, or who were worried about leaving their residence in fear of catching the virus.

That project turned into the store, which is stocked with food supplies from Winnipeg that would otherwise be thrown out.

Going forward, she said, the hope is to eventually obtain grant money to open a community kitchen. That would allow the store to prepare food on site and perhaps continue some of the work done by Everyone Eats before it shut down in May this year due to a lack of funding.

Should those plans work out, Boyce said, there is a possibility of opening more stores in other Manitoba municipalities.

“Brandon is quite an amazing place to raise a family,” Boyce said. “I want to help create a thriving community and for people to [get] involved and engaged in creating that.”

Other candidates running for council in Ward 10 are Franco Chartier, Tyson Tame and Ben Welsh.

Election Day is Oct. 26.

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