Ward 5 candidate wants city to pass e-scooter bylaw

A Brandon councillor candidate says he wants the city to take the initiative when it comes to e-scooters, as injuries and close calls have soared in recent years.

Bhavesh Patel, who is running in Ward 5 against incumbent Coun. Greg Hildebrand, said he sees kids riding e-scooters without helmets far too often, and the mode of transportation is too fast to be safe.

“Instead of waiting on the Manitoba government or federal government, I think the city should introduce the bylaws for safety for the kids,” Patel, who is the president and managing director of Brandon-based Midwest Teleservices International, said in an interview on Monday.

Mandating the use of helmets and that children of a certain age cannot go beyond a maximum speed were his suggestions.

An e-scooter bylaw wouldn’t just be safer for kids, he said, but for all of Brandon.

Ten children died from using e-scooters and e-bikes across the country in 2025, while an additional 12 patients were admitted to intensive care units, The Canadian Press reported last month.

The province earlier this year passed Bill 43, which sets certain regulations for e-scooters among other things, though the bill’s laws have not been implemented yet. Regulatory amendments are still being developed and the bill’s provisions will come into effect once they are finalized, a provincial spokesperson said.

At an unrelated event on Tuesday, Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett, who is also facing re-election next month, spoke about not implementing bylaws when other levels of government are already working on regulating a specific activity.

Many years ago, he said, the city implemented a smoking bylaw, but then the province implemented its own regulations around smoking not long after and the city had to go back and make changes to its own bylaw as a result. Fawcett said local governments don’t necessarily need to act first when other levels of government are working on certain issues.

Patel said he lives in Ward 8 just outside Ward 5 and has a connection to it, which is one reason why he’s running there.

He said his journey to Canada started in Ward 5, and his parents and brother still live in that neighbourhood.

He added that Ward 8 already had three registered candidates, which is another reason he chose to run in Ward 5.

Ward 5 encompasses the neighbourhood between Victoria and Maryland avenues and 18th and 26th streets.

Patel said listening to residents, responsible spending and bettering roads were among his main priorities.

“I would like to listen (and) deliver the solutions,” he said.

Looking for things to cut out of the budget to keep taxes lower for residents is important, since reducing property tax hikes is a common concern, he said, adding: “I cannot tell right now what could we do.”

A “practical solution” would be to attract big companies to invest in Brandon, he said.

Patel said he decided to run because “Brandon gave me everything,” with an opportunity to work and build his business, and now it’s his turn to give back.

Patel said he isn’t related to any of the other three Patels running in the civic election. Ketan and Dhara Patel are running in Ward 8, while Mitesh Patel is running in Ward 10. Mitesh and Dhara are married.

The election is Oct. 28.

» alambert@brandonsun.com