Mayor roasted at Crossing the Line fundraiser

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This article was published 18/11/2023 (1029 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The aim was off for those stepping up to the dunk tank at the John Howard Society’s Crossing the Line event on Thursday evening, but the zingers were on target.

As part of the final step in fundraising for the construction of a new transitional housing facility in Brandon, the society set up an event that featured that dunk tank, a silent auction, appetizers, a 50-50 draw and most important of all, a roast of Mayor Jeff Fawcett.

Tasked with annihilating Fawcett’s self-confidence were Kerry Auriat, Brandon Fire and Emergency Services Chief Terry Parlow, Barry Cooper, Coun. Kris Desjarlais (Ward 2) and Mike Waddell.

Auriat brought the heat as the starting pitcher, lobbing fastballs at Fawcett about his haircut (or lack of haircut), a low turnout in the election that made him mayor, his golf handicap and the controversy over the southeast lift station project.

“I’d rather listen to my dad’s jokes and he’s been dead for two years,” Auriat quipped about the mayor’s sense of humour.

As John Howard Society of Brandon executive director Ross Robinson explained to the audience before the roast, the closure of the YWCA Brandon’s transitional facility in 2022 left a gap in the community that needed to be filled and the society and Westman Youth for Christ are trying to do that.

Transitional housing is aimed at people looking to find housing to enter a new chapter in their lives, such as those who have just been released from jail or have previously been dependent on services like Samaritan House’s Safe and Warm Shelter.

Ahead of Thursday’s event, the project had received $4 million from the provincial government, $5 million from Ottawa and a donation of land on 16th Street North from the City of Brandon.

The province also targeted the project to receive $2 million so that a sobering centre could be built at the facility as well.

The roast was aimed at kickstarting a final phase of fundraising to make the 24-unit bulding a reality. Organizers say it netted about $35,000.

Fresh from being plunged into the dunk tank, Desjarlais said if organizers really wanted to raise some money, they should have put the mayor up as a target.

Referencing Fawcett’s education degree, Desjarlais explained the situation proves that those who can’t do, teach, and those who can’t teach become mayor.

The other poor souls getting dunked for the cause were Coun. Bruce Luebke (Ward 6) and Chez Angela co-owner James Chambers.

Visitors could pay $10 to receive a ball thrown from a distance at a target, $20 to throw a ball from closer range and $50 to forego the ball entirely and just smack the target with their hand.

No one was able to hit the target when Luebke sat on the platform, but a couple of visitors paid the toll to dump him directly in the frigid water. People aiming at Chambers and Desjarlais had more luck.

The fire chief, no stranger to heat, burned both the mayor and his colleagues at Brandon Police Service. At the beginning of his remarks, he asked if any police officers were in the room, because he could speak more slowly if there were. He remarked that of all the panellists, he was the only one that Fawcett could fire.

Parlow capped off his remarks by placing an oversized fire helmet on Fawcett, remarking that he finally found one in the mayor’s size.

Provided an opportunity for a rebuttal, the mayor suggested that some of the comments regarding his hair were probably due to jealousy. He also thanked everyone for coming out and supporting the transitional housing project.

In the final moments of the roast, master of ceremonies Frank McGwire unveiled a picture of a shirtless Fawcett from his high school days, wearing a giant medallion bearing a dollar sign and sporting a mullet.

Despite the spicy and occasionally risque comments, each roaster finished their comments with praise for Fawcett’s work as mayor and his willingness to stand in front of the firing line for a good cause.

A special guest at the event was provincial Housing Minister Bernadette Smith, who spoke of the importance of transitional housing.

She said her brother was incarcerated for around 15 years and it’s only due to supports offered to people coming out of jail that he is now able to take a direct part in raising his kids.

To better help the audience understand the importance of transitional housing, a video featuring the testimony of a woman named Allison was projected onto a screen.

She spoke of a health crisis leading her to lose her job and her apartment, with transitional housing providing her a place to stay while she worked on her recovery and went back to school.

“Without transitional housing, I wouldn’t have been able to give back and serve my community,” she said. “Transitional housing provided the opportunity for me to feel like there was the possibility of change. If you want to have a direct positive impact on the future, Brandon and the Westman community, transitional housing is one of the best ways to put your dollars to work.”

Local auctioneer Jesse Campbell brought his rapid-fire style to the charity auction, which featured items like a pie subscription from Chez Angela, luxury suite tickets for a Winnipeg Jets game and a bagpipe serenade from Brandon University president David Docherty.

Providing a sample of his skills, Docherty played an excerpt of the title track from “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

During the event, $550 was collected in service of convincing Robinson to take a turn in the dunk tank.

Coun. Tyson Tame (Ward 10) purchased nine balls for the dunk tank throughout the night. In nine attempts, he missed eight times and the one time he was on target, the contraption failed to plunge his victim into the water.

He was given the opportunity to cap off the evening by sending Robinson into the drink.

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