LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Chamber supports proposed lift station bylaw
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The Brandon Chamber of Commerce is in favour of growth of the City of Brandon. We believe continuing to grow will ultimately lead to a better quality of life for our members, and all residents, by supporting the maintenance and development of amenities that we expect in a modern, modestly sized city.
We believe the city should have standing policies that govern these projects. The city’s initial communication on this issue was less than sufficient, but we are pleased with the city’s efforts to improve access to information and inviting discussion.
We note the issue of the lift stations has drawn considerable media interest, as well as a reported 40 or so people to the last meeting of council. Some commentators and media have tried to extrapolate the disposition of those at the meeting as being reflective of our population, including the chamber. We would caution this type of thinking.
We echo those who have called for increased transparency in the investment decision on the lift station. We think it is imperative that the city lay out clearly and dispassionately the numbers and projections. The more that can be substantiated, we believe the better it will be to inspire greater public confidence in this decision.
We understand that the southwest lift stations (SWLS) will be funded through our water utility payments and development charges. The impact on our water bills, in a very simplistic explanation derived from the information provided by the city, is that if the lift stations are not approved, our water bills will increase by $2.60 per cubic metre by January 2026, for a total of $5.892/cubic metre. If they approve Phase 1, $20 million, they will increase $2.82/cubic metre, a difference of $0.22, or eight per cent. If they approve both phases 1 and 2 for around $35 million, rates will increase $2.98/cubic metre, a difference of $0.39, or 13 per cent.
We do not believe we should approach growth as having to happen in only one location, at one time. The city should create conditions that support private and public investment in housing and commercial development that makes sense for our residents, and our city. This certainly includes downtown and infill, but should not be limited to that. Our current development plan states a goal of 20 per cent growth from infill; Brandon Planning says we are sitting at 30 per cent.
We support the notion that the city needs to have a business model for this growth and that different public policy priorities inside that framework (for example, downtown development), might have different considerations.
We believe this is an important development for the City of Brandon. If it is determined that the city needs to continue to evolve its model for development charges, the chamber would request the ability to work collaboratively with the city and other stakeholders on this work.
On behalf of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, I confirm that after performing our due diligence, we support the proposed bylaw for the southwest lift station(s).
TANYA LABUICK
President, Brandon Chamber of Commerce