Chrest optimistic about 2020

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/12/2019 (2270 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The last year of the decade presented challenges for Brandon City Council, said Mayor Rick Chrest, but the closing year of the 2010s was overall a positive one for the city.

“2019 was a very good year and things are well,” he said. “Obviously, we had some challenges — we always will, and we just have to deal with and overcome any challenges we do encounter. I expect 2020 to be a good year.” 

In a sit-down interview with The Brandon Sun on Dec. 18, Chrest said he couldn’t talk about details while the investigation into the suspected overdose death of a woman who was living at city manager Rod Sage’s house is ongoing, but called it “very unfortunate issue on many levels.”

“Periodically you have to deal with issues that affect your personnel, so we, as a council, have tried to deal with this and we know that every citizen doesn’t completely agree with the way we’re dealing with this,” Chrest said.

“People need to understand that we have to do things properly based on facts provided to us, within the law, within employment law, within privacy considerations when it becomes a personnel matter, but we’ve been trying to carefully handle this in the best interest of the City of Brandon and hence the citizens of Brandon.”

The RCMP are conducting a review into the circumstances of the death of Christine Robin Mitchell, who was living in Sage’s home when she died suddenly of a suspected overdose in July — as well as the Brandon Police Service’s subsequent investigation.

Her death remains under police investigation.

In October, the City of Brandon placed Sage on administrative leave, which was extended until Jan. 31, 2020. A day after news of the investigation broke, Sage also stepped down from his role on the Brandon Police Board.

The situation around Sage was not one Brandon City Council could practise for, Chrest said, but they acted based on advice. Asked if he would have done anything differently, he said: “I’ve not really thought of it that way.”

“We’ve stuck together as a council, we’ve kept council informed and worked on it collectively as a council … things have become complicated and we’ve dealt with it the best we can, and we will continue to,” he said.

There were many positive things in 2019 too. The year brought other changes to the city, like the end of the Brandon and Area Planning District. Legislation has been introduced in the provincial legislature that would give Brandon more control over future planning independent of surrounding rural municipalities, which Chrest said is a sign of the city’s growing maturity.

He said it’s also about recognizing that the city is the hub for the western portion of the province, and hosts two post-secondary institutions, a major hospital and many retail services.

“We do have the responsibility that we are hosting these services and (people) may not be taxpayers of ours … but they rely on Brandon for a great many services they need and I never try and lose sight that we have that responsibility,” he said.

That maturity was further recognized earlier this year when the province announced Brandon Police Service would be receiving an armoured rescue vehicle courtesy of the province’s proceeds of crime fund. That won’t be used just in Brandon, but hosted on behalf of surrounding smaller municipalities and even Riding Mountain National Park.

Moving forward, city council will enter deliberations for the city’s 2020 budget in late January and early February. Chrest said the focus will be on fiscal management and keeping tax increases low, but that is getting harder and harder.

In last year’s budget, council kept property tax increases to 1.17 per cent, which Chrest called “extremely palatable.” City council has tried not to introduce any sweeping cuts that will affect wide swaths of Brandon, but he acknowledged that some decisions have affected people.

The provincial government froze municipal grants at 2016 levels, which makes budgeting difficult for municipalities. Chrest said there’s no doubt he would like to see that freeze removed, but is confident the province will step up.

“They recognize that municipalities have been doing their part and so then we’ve all done our part and got the financial house in order and I think (the provincial government) will be prepared to get us back on track as well,” he said.

Looking into the next decade, Chrest said the local economy is on solid footing, buoyed by private investment in the city. Farmers faced a tough fall harvest, but were able to get most crops out of the field.

The provincial government also announced the construction of Maryland Park School, but Chrest said he looks to signs like a new $33-million office building going in at the Koch Fertilizer plant in the city’s east end.

“The fact that they’re making this kind of investment is a significant bellwether for them staying put and continuing to invest. … Normally, offices are the last thing you’ll invest in, so to see that office is a really good sign for our community.”

Addictions and methamphetamine remain an issue in Brandon, and it’s one Chrest said he continues to work on through his Not Even Once campaign. He said the campaign won’t stop until the school board says the gap in addictions education is filled.

The city is also looking forward to Manitoba 150. Chrest said the celebrations around the province’s 150th birthday set an optimistic tone for 2020.

“That’s going to add a lot of positive things for our province and we’ll try to do some things in Brandon to commemorate that … it gives people a great lift and enhances the pride in our province.”

 

» dmay@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @DrewMay_