Brandon West candidates debate safety on the streets and in the classroom

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This article was published 20/09/2023 (926 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The three candidates vying for Reg Helwer’s soon-to-be empty seat in Brandon West took part in a spirited debate Tuesday night at Brandon University, giving potential voters a closer look at their vision on how to tackle various issues here in the Wheat City.

Outside of party affiliation, all three individuals —Wayne Balcaen (Progressive Conservative), Quentin Robinson (NDP) and Bill Marsh (Green Party) — responded to a lot of Tuesday’s questions related to public safety and education through the filter of their respective backgrounds.

Balcaen, for example, leaned heavily on his over three decades of experience in law enforcement, which includes serving as Brandon’s 19th police chief.

On Tuesday night, Balcaen doubled down on his previous comments about how local police are not going to “arrest their way” out of solving poverty and the local drug crisis, which he views as “social issues” that need to be dealt with through partnering with on-the-ground agencies in the community.

“When you look at the [province’s] Criminal Justice Modernization Strategy, just as one document, we talk about restorative justice initiatives, working holistically with our community and giving people an opportunity to correct their behaviour,” he said.

As a family therapist and United Church minister, Robinson was on a similar wavelength to Balcaen, believing that a lot of the solutions to crime and poverty, especially around the city’s downtown area, lie in working with non-profit organizations and people who live in the community.

However, Robinson said that strategy has been increasingly difficult to enact over the past couple years, with these non-profit groups constantly being at the mercy of unstable provincial funding.

“From year-to-year, the funding is not guaranteed, so they’re never sure if they’re able to do the job and sometimes have to spend too much time fundraising,” he said.

As a retired teacher and school principal, Marsh believes that solving these issues begins with individuals reframing the conversation and no longer viewing homeless people as inherently dangerous.

Similar to the Brandon East debate that took place earlier that same evening, the Brandon West candidates were asked about their opinion on the “Search the Landfill” movement, which is calling for an organized campaign to locate the bodies of two murdered Indigenous women believed to be in the Prairie Green Landfill near Winnipeg.

After being pressed multiple times on providing a clear answer, Balcaen largely fell in line with Premier Heather Stefanson’s view that searching the landfill would be far too hazardous for participants.

“Yes, [the landfill] certainly is a crime scene, but like many crime scenes we have to make sure that our officers are safe, we have to make sure that the people doing searches are safe and that is my main concern,” he said.

However, both Robinson and Marsh were in favour of searching the landfill, with the NDP candidate citing a study from BU professor Emily Holland which states that a safe search is feasible (if expensive).

“Our leader, Wab Kinew, has been very clear that this is a problem … to walk away from this, that discussions need to be had with other levels of government, with other folks in the community that we should be pursuing,” Robinson said.

“Because not only is it a crime scene, it’s a human tragedy … and we know that other landfills have been searched in Canada. This is not an impossible task.”

Another major point of disagreement emerged during a discussion about the PCs’ recent championing of “parental rights” through an election promise to modify the Public Schools Act.

Some critics have labelled this move as an anti-LGBTQ+ “dog whistle” based on its proximity to new policies in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, which require children under 16 to have parental consent before they can officially change their preferred first names or pronouns at school.

However, Balcaen believes this policy has been falsely construed as anti-LGBTQ+, when he only sees it as a way to provide more transparency to parents and ensure that schools remain a safe place for all students.

“In my personal life and professional life, I’ve always been an advocate and an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and I will continue to do that,” the former police chief said.

Meanwhile, Robinson believes that this announcement from the PCs fall in line with a noticeable surge in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric across Manitoba over the last year, which he finds is “really alarming.”

“The dog whistle politics are extremely dangerous and they have to stop,” he said.

Marsh was of a similar mind to Robinson, questioning why the PCs want more parental involvement when so many oversight mechanisms already exist.

“Didn’t we hire school board members to look after board policies for parents?” the Green Party candidate asked. “So why do we need parents to go in and meddle individually?”

In his closing statement, Balcaen once again highlighted his 33 years of public service through the police department and told the audience that he’s looking to take on a new leadership role as the MLA of Brandon West.

“Service is in my blood and I want to continue that,” he said. “I’ve already made a difference at the municipal level and I wish to do so at the provincial level.”

Robinson wrapped up the night by saying a change of government is desperately needed right now, since the PCs have “lost touch” with the values of its constituents.

“I’ve been listening, the NDP team has been listening and we’re ready to be the government that listens and cares,” he said. “And what we need is more care and not more cuts.”

Marsh, meanwhile, asked Brandon West resident to consider voting for someone who isn’t beholden to partisan politics and is simply dedicated to helping his community.

“Compared to Wayne and compared to Quentin I might be worth the gamble,” he said.

“In fact, I can tell you that I’m a determined man and when I get signed up to do something, I do it.”

The provincial election is taking place Oct. 3, although advance voting begins this Saturday.

Throughout Sept. 23-30, Brandon West constituents can submit their ballots at Brandon University (270 18th Street), Shoppers Mall (1570 18th Street) or the local election office (2010 Currie Boulevard).

Visit electionsmanitoba.ca/en/voting/advancelocations for more details.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com