Social issues under spotlight at all-candidates forum

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This article was published 05/10/2022 (1232 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most of Brandon’s mayoral and council candidates gathered at city hall Tuesday evening for a public forum focused mainly on social issues affecting the city.

Of the 24 total candidates invited to the forum by organizer and community advocate Kim Longstreet, 20 showed up. Assisting as timekeepers were Shannon Saltarelli, Rowan Powell and Loni Powell.

Candidates sat in three rows of chairs in the centre of the city hall foyer, with approximately 40 audience members seated on two sides.

Before starting, Longstreet asked for a moment of silence in honour of the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, following up with a land acknowledgment.

Each candidate got two minutes to introduce themselves to the audience, which took up most of the first hour of the forum.

First to introduce themselves were mayoral candidates Coun. Jeff Fawcett (Assiniboine) and Elliott Oleson.

Fawcett pledged to lobby the provincial government for increased support on social issues, while Oleson pitched a holistic approach that involved the city taking care of itself without the province’s direct assistance.

Social issues presented during the rest of the introductions ranged from homelessness, poverty and mental health to reconciliation with Indigenous people, resettling Ukrainian refugees and crime.

Some of the acclaimed councillors, such as Glen Parker (Riverview), Shaun Cameron (University) and Bruce Luebke (South Centre), outlined a handful of programs and progress the city has made on social issues in recent years.

Later, each candidate received an envelope containing a random question, which they were then asked to answer.

The first envelope belonged to Ward 10 candidate Tyson Tame, who was asked why the city has had a lack of action on homelessness.

He outlined efforts by the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation as well as a group representing individuals in the city experiencing homelessness, but admitted he didn’t know as much as current councillors about ongoing efforts on the topic. He pledged to learn more.

Coun. Sunday Frangi, running for re-election in Ward 8, was asked about the support council should give to ensure meals are served to people who needs them on weekends. He said council funds a lot of initiatives to help under-resourced people but more needs to be done.

Former police chief and Ward 1 candidate Richard Bruce was asked what perspective he would bring to council on the social issues being discussed at the forum. Following up on Frangi’s answer, he said he would ask those providing meals during the week what it would take to have them provide services on weekends.

He added there needs to be more collaboration between organizations and people involved in solving Brandon’s social issues.

Quentin Derhak, one of two candidates in Ward 3, was asked what he would do if someone came to him at 8 p.m. and said they needed shelter for the night. He named Samaritan House’s safe and warm shelter as a potential solution for the night, but low-cost housing is needed to address the problem permanently.

Speaking on how to fill the void for mental health services in the community, Ward 2 candidate Phillip Emmerson said temporary gap housing is needed, but the community also must come together to lobby for better support from higher levels of government to treat people in that situation with respect.

When asked who should be consulted during the creation of sobering services, Ward 10 candidate Olivia Boyce said those with lived experience should be invited to the table.

Fellow ward candidate Jo-Ann Pasklivich said Brandon is a safe community but to make it even safer, residents must band together and create programs like neighbourhood watches.

If Greg Hildebrand could do one thing to improve the community, the Ward 5 candidate said he would improve how Brandon takes care of those who can’t take care of themselves.

Oleson was asked whether crime has increased, plateaued or decreased over the past four years. He said it’s hard to tell, but tools that residents had to track the issue like an online crime map haven’t been updated in years.

He said crimes Brandon is experiencing are things like bike and food theft, a result of neglect over the years. He said everyone in the community, from the wealthiest developer to people experiencing homelessness, need to be given the same resources and treatment.

Another Ward 10 candidate, Ben Welsh, said Brandon should look to other examples of cities that have revitalized their downtowns to see if a downtown tax exemption program could attract more development and business to Brandon’s core. However, he said work must be done to prevent our downtown from being gentrified.

The third portion of the evening asked candidates to hold up signs labelled “yes” or “no” in response to questions. This was followed by specific followup questions from organizers and members of the audience.

The only candidates missing were Heather Karrouze and Kevin Chambers, who are running in Ward 1; Ward 7 acclaimed Coun. Shawn Berry and Michael McCormick, who is running in Ward 8.

According to Longstreet, Chambers and Berry were ill, Karrouze couldn’t make it and McCormick had knee surgery earlier in the day.

To include those who were absent, some candidates sent representatives to introduce themselves and an outline of their views.

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