Get to know your ward: Ward 10

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This article was published 22/10/2022 (1172 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ward 10 is Brandon’s largest electoral ward by size, but it has the fewest residents.

Since 2010, the ward formerly known as Green Acres has been represented by Coun. Jan Chaboyer.

She was defeated by then-incumbent Don Jessimen in 2006, but managed to turn the tables four years later. In the subsequent 2014 and 2018 elections, she was acclaimed.

With Chaboyer having retired from her day job earlier this year and set to exit politics as of election day, the ward is guaranteed a new councillor with four people running to fill her seat: Olivia Boyce, Franco Chartier, Tyson Tame and Ben Welsh.

Whoever is elected will represent a ward that contains both a large chunk of the city’s east-end industrial areas as well as residential areas closer to the city’s core.

The ward had some minor tweaks to its boundaries when the city revised several wards’ borders earlier this year, gaining some areas in its southwest corner that used to be a part of Richmond Ward, but losing some other area slightly to the north from there to Ward 6, formerly South Centre.

For this profile, we asked candidates this question: the city is working on drainage upgrades that will benefit Ward 10, but they won’t be complete for several years. What do you think the city needs to do to make sure its current infrastructure is ready for large rainfall events so that houses and businesses aren’t flooded in the meantime?

Here are their responses in alphabetical order by last name.

From Boyce’s perpective, there’s no fix-all solution, but there are some things that could be done while the improvements are made.

“I would incorporate a multi-pronged approach that enhances water-sensitive urban design and stormwater control measures that would prioritize actions for 1. Water flow efficiency: clearing debris from drainage systems immediately before a rain event and ensuring that drainage ditches are cleaned out and maintained on a scheduled basis. 2. Water flow absorption: planting trees that have increased absorption capacity and strategic planting of rain gardens. 3. Water retention: rainwater harvesting systems to capture and prevent runoff to reduce the overall load on the sewer system. And 4. I would prioritize working in alignment with national targets for greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, and renewable energy.”

In an interview, Chartier said he’s seen as recently as this summer how clogged drainage basins on residential streets in the ward have led to streets flooding as the water struggles to flow through debris. According to him, he’s personally gone out with a rake in the rain to clear out basins on his street to mitigate the problem.

He said he reached out to the city two years ago to ask for the drains to be cleared out more frequently and there was an improvement, but that extra attention seems to have disappeared over time.

“If we kept those roads clean, I think those basins would handle that water,” he said. “I’m scared to leave vehicles in the street … I always tell my neighbours ‘don’t leave your vehicles out there, because there’s a rainstorm coming.’”

Regular cleaning, he said, is most needed in June, July and August. He’d also like the city to expand the scope of its rain barrel program.

According to Tame, rainfall events in recent years have shown that the city’s current drainage infrastructure isn’t up to snuff. However, he was impressed by what he saw at the recent open house for the planned drainage improvements.

“Beyond this expansion is Brandon’s 2022 Flood Protection Subsidy Program that provides up to 75 per cent of the total materials and installation costs for sump pump pits and/or backwater valves,” he wrote in an email. “This initiative is open to all property owners within the boundaries of the City of Brandon. To qualify, applications must be submitted by Dec. 15, 2022.

“Lastly, while we await the beginning of the drainage project, we need to stay on top of maintenance. Clearing cattails and sediment from drainage areas to allow for unobstructed water flow, along with routine drain cleaning, and street sweeping can assist in keeping the water at bay until we get the drainage project underway.”

Welsh said the city needs to do what it can to get the most out of its existing infrastructure and the advantageous landscape that exists in Ward 10.

“There are culverts and ditches running perpendicular to the south side of Richmond that could be serviced,” he wrote in an email. “I noticed a number of drain covers along the south side of Aberdeen that are overgrown. The fall street cleaning schedule is posted and should help with clogged drains in the spring.

“The city could investigate an angled regrading of key back lanes to help divert water into available ditches. Unfortunately, heavy rainfall events are becoming the norm with an increase in atmospheric temperature globally and our ward is the site of development that is ahead of infrastructure planning creating excessive runoff — as we play catchup, residents and businesses are also being helped through the Flood Protection Subsidy Program available until Nov. 30.”

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