Readers respond to a city adrift

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/06/2024 (648 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week, I wrote about the growing concern that Brandon is in decline, and that it needs a new generation of leadership that possesses the ideas, skills and energy to put the city back on the track toward sustainable growth and prosperity.

Based on the correspondence I received from many readers this week, it appears that I struck a nerve with many Brandonites, who apparently share my concerns. Here’s a sample of what those notes and emails said:

“These past months we have been feeling that we live in a have-not city in a have-not province, and that is not a good feeling. We too feel that we are a city in decline and that economic growth and innovation is booming in other communities and that we are in fact losing ground and being left in the dust.”

“Where is the leadership, vision and determination? We are coasting and drifting while we watch communities around us with the mentality and attitude of ‘build it and they will come!’ If we don’t build it, they will go. And sadly, they are.”

“This is a city we have been proud to call home for the past 45 years, and where we happily raised our children. To borrow your words, we had a television station, thriving downtown with two theatres, the Keystone Centre, WMCA, etc. and one of our favourite places — beautiful Curran Park where, as a family, we enjoyed camping, ball tournaments, swimming and more!”

“Our kids enjoyed the outdoor waterslides just up the road. Life was good. Now we watch our grandchildren and countless other Brandon children and families drive to Wawanesa, Souris and Boissevain for swimming lessons, fishing and camping experiences.”

“Your column was a stark assessment of the state of the city and the province that needed to be presented to readers. What I most liked were the questions you posed; there could have been many more but hopefully, they might cause a reader to reflect a bit. It certainly did for me.”

“All is not as wonderful as the mayor and council imply on social media and in their actions. There are no fiery councillors that are at the council table, as in decades past. You likely remember Davie Weiss and others who had substantive influence in their time.”

“We have one very old outdoor pool and an indoor Sportsplex pool where the waterslide has been out of commission for months. The city currently cannot offer our residents — young and old — the opportunity for a reasonably priced public skate or sticks and pucks experience.”

“You hit the nail right on the head! Our city continues to go in the wrong direction & it is definitely time for new leadership.”

“I could give many examples of how I am feeling discouraged with our city right now, but will end with the Brandon Sun story about the 3 local businesses on Princess Ave., who are planning a street party type event to bring people downtown and are getting nothing but roadblocks and red tape from the city. Really?????”

Sometimes, it’s easy to feel that you are alone in your opinions; that you’re a “Chicken Little” and others don’t share your concerns about the current situation and the downward direction our city is headed in. This week’s correspondence, along with many calls and comments I received, show that you aren’t alone at all. In fact, you may be part of an up-to-now silent majority.

Indeed, it appears that a growing number of Brandonites are increasingly anxious and frustrated about the state of our city and what the future may hold. They are worried about crime, most notably last year’s record number of murders and the recent rash of arsons.

They are worried about the kind of city they will be leaving to their children and grandchildren — that is, if there will be opportunities capable of convincing them to stay here.

They don’t understand why smaller communities can have new, first-class recreation facilities, yet we can’t. They see their property taxes and water bills rising, yet the roads, curbs and sidewalks keeping getting worse.

They remember that their city once had the unified volunteer base capable of hosting large national events (for example, the Canada Games) and wonder if we could even think of hosting similar-sized events today. They wonder where our community spirit and pride has gone.

They see millions and millions of dollars being invested in other cities by senior levels of government — downtown Winnipeg, for example — and wonder why that isn’t happening here in Brandon. They doubt that our leaders have a coherent, positive vision for our city’s future.

There’s a lot of concern out there. Brandon is headed in the wrong direction and, with each passing year, it will become harder to fix the problem. But what are Brandonites prepared to do about it?

Are they going to silently sit back and let the decline continue? Are they going to follow friends and family members who have moved to other communities? Or are they prepared to work together to make things better for themselves and future generations? Are they prepared to lead?

Time will tell, but one thing is clear: the clock is ticking.