The Young and the Restless: Let's make Brandon more attractive to young people

(remarks from Sept 16 announcement at Parthenon's Pizza)

If Brandon is going to thrive and grow, we need to be a place where young people want to be. Why do I say this?

• Young, educated people are the most mobile people in Canada, and will go where they sense they will have the most opportunity.
• Young, educated people are an indicator of a city's economic vitality, but they are also a key contributor to economic vitality.
• people in the 25 - 34 year old group are the most entrepreneurial in our society.
• For the first time, women in this age group are better educated than men, making them key to developing a base of talent.
• Place matters, and Brandon needs to start working to build a city that young people want to live in.

Cities have long competed over job growth, struggling to revive their downtowns and improve their image. Now, the latest population trends have forced them to fight for college/ university educated 25-34 year olds, a demographic group increasingly viewed as the key to an economic future.

" Mobile, but not flighty; fresh, and technologically savvy, the young
and the restless as demographers call them, are at their most desirable because
the chances of relocating drop precipitously after they turn 35. Cities that do not attract them now will be hurting in a decade.
And unlike the popular myth, they usually don't come home to raise their
family." Richard Florida- Who's your
city?

We have over 5,000 students at BU, ACC, and the Fire College who are, in effect, test driving Brandon. According to the 2006 Census, 25% of our population is between 15-30. Brandon needs a plan for young people that does two things- makes Brandon a place where our young people want to stay, and makes Brandon a place where young people want to move to.

We often say that we want to keep our young people in Brandon. To do that we're going to need to offer the employment opportunities and the lifestyle that they are looking for.

October announcements that will complement this announcement:

• Great Career Opportunities
• Affordable Housing
• Downtown Revitalization
• Culture and Heritage

Great Lifestyle:

Like most of us, young people don't live to work but work to live. They play in bands and sports leagues. They like to go out and not just with people from the office. they're as interested in parks and bike trails as fancy sports arenas and concert halls. they want fun neighbourhoods, art galleries, coffeehouses, nightlife and diversity in everything from race and sexual orientation to music and fashion.

Brandon is a college town that people retire to-

NOT a retirement community with students.

How do we make this statement ring true? If we are going to do more than pay lip service to keeping our young people in Brandon, we're going to need a plan. Comprehensive planning includes data, goals, participation, and evaluation. A plan to recruit and retain young people has to be more than an ad or slogan. It should be multifaceted, dealing with elements such as:

• Earning- employment and career opportunities
• Social Capital- diversity and tolerance
• Around Town- ease of getting to and around town
• Cost of Lifestyle- affordability and cost of living
• Downtown Housing-
• Vitality- a healthy community where people are active. It includes recreational amenities.
• After Hours- things to do after 5pm.amenities that provide social outlets and opportunities for young people to connect with one another are important.

1,000 Things To Do.....

Brandon needs a plan that includes the concept of a 1,000 nights. If people graduate from post-secondary at about age 22 and don't start a family until 32, and go out twice a week, that gives them about 1,000 nights in which they can go out to have fun.

My question to all of you is, do we have 1,000 nights of fun in Brandon for those people? If we don't figure this out, the young people aren't staying.

And if we have a city that young people are attracted to, where do we take that message? How do we recruit young people? Young people gather their information about where to live from personal experiences, friends, family, and local web sites. So based on that, here are a few ideas:

Don't loose touch with our own

• Recruit college and university students when they are home visiting families.
• Recruit Brandon-born students who are studying on other campuses- Brandon clubs
• a web based newsletter through parents

Build the brand

• Smart cities attract smart people
• special page in the Brandon Sun's web page targeted to young people with housing, career, and social info
• Relocation videos have begun to feature mosh pits and dread locks rather than ducks and sunsets
• Develop ideas to help businesses market to young professionals and college students.
• Market ourselves to ourselves (retain vs recruit)

Childcare in an Age-Friendly City

The provision of child care in Manitoba is primarily a Provincial responsibility. That being said, child care is an essential community-based service and it makes a valuable contribution to the social and economic development of Brandon.

The lack of child care threatens Brandon's high quality of life and our City's future prosperity. Child care is also an investment in the future; as high quality child care is associated with improved child outcomes, including school readiness and success.

To prosper, Brandon needs to be committed to being a leader and an active partner with the senior levels of government, the Brandon School Division, business, child care providers, faith organizations, parents, and the community in developing and maintaining a comprehensive child care system.

#1: Brandon needs a community wide child care strategy- this strategy would:

• define the City's role in relation to senior levels of government,
• recommend policies and tools to support existing spaces and facilitate the provision of new child care spaces,
• identify potential funding and partnership arrangements, and
• establish child care targets by which the strategy can be regularly monitored and evaluated.
• establish a child care strategy task group with broad stakeholder representation
• carry out a needs assessment for child care in the city (what we have and what we need).

#2: Enhance the City's status as a progressive employer- a joint employer-employee committee would be established to review the City's policies and practices and where possible, recommend adjustments to assist city employees to better balance their responsibilities to both work and family. This committee would also determine the child care needs of employees and explore options in meeting those needs.

#3: Work with the Brandon School Division with a goal to transform neighbourhood schools into community hubs in after-school hours. This builds on the successful Lighthouse After school Program that served 500 children last year, Youth Activity Centres (291 children) were introduced this year as well as seasonal recreation HUBS (362 children).

• Phase 1- extended daycare, before and after school care, early literacy programming, ESL language classes, parenting classes, parent and tot drop-in programs, public health
• Phase 2- adult and family literacy programming, community meeting spaces
• Phase 3- seniors and youth support services

#4: Incorporate Early Childhood Development principles into child focused City programs.

Roadmap for Change

(remarks from the campaign platform launch Sept 10, 2010)

Earlier in the week, I said that I would be a different kind of mayor than our incumbent. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I am a different kind of mayoral candidate running a different kind of campaign. Today I would like to share with you ideas that could encourage Brandon's growth into the kind of city we want it to be. The come from a year of reflection and effort, looking at Brandon's strengths and weaknesses. There are no gimmicks, slogans, or 5 point plans. And I apologize in advance, because despite the advice from some great political minds, it is dense, single spaced and double-sided.

Brandon is facing complex issues, and therefore needs a reasoned response that matches in complexity. Our platform today is not made of superficial headline grabbers, but thoughtful ideas with substance. Because challenging an incumbent is difficult, and my only legacy after the election many be the power of ideas.

I call it a road map, because the points are connected, and they do lead somewhere. so let's get started on the journey.

For the past year, I've been listening to people in Brandon talk about the future of their city. It sounds like they are not confident that Brandon has the leadership necessary to get where they want to go.

Today we're going to talk about four critical elements that form the foundation for the future direction of Brandon. Within the four broad themes are examples of policy, programs, or services that illustrate how the loft concepts of planning, process, vision, and leadership translate to their kitchen table.

#1: PLANNING- Many people in Brandon feel that we do not have a cohesive plan for our City. Yes, there are plans. They are gathered together in many binders, and are sitting on shelves all over the City. But how can you say we have a plan for a city when we're closing down recreation facilities, when we build fire halls next to congested highways, where we spend 10 years purchasing different properties for that same fire hall, and then a week deciding to put it in a questionable location. that's not good planning, in fact that's not planning at all.

Specific platform announcements during the week of Sept 12-18 about how we PLAN to make Brandon more people-focused include:

• How and why we need to make Brandon an Age-Friendly City
• How and why Brandon needs to take a more active role in childcare.
• What Brandon can do to be a more attractive community for young people.

#2: PROCESS- People in Brandon feel shut out of the decision making process at City Hall. they only hear about decisions after they are made,they only get to comment on them on e-Brandon or Sound Off.They don't know WHY decisions are made. they pay a lot of money through their taxes but yet have no voice, except at election time. The mayor and Council announced that they were changing the garbage collection system. Have they listened when we told them about seniors unable to drag the bins through snowbanks? About ugly line-ups of dozen of bins behind apartment buildings? about the struggle to get grass clippings, garden trimmings, and leaves to central depots?

Specific platform announcements during the week of September 19-25 about the PROCESS we'd put in place to make Brandon more people-focused include:

• Mayor's Priority Survey
• Transparency processes including benchmarking
• Public access to the Mayor and the Mayor's responsibility for public accountability.

#3: VISION- We need strategic thinking for a growing city. Where do we want our city to be in 5 years, in 10 years? Where is the vision for our downtown? How is Brandon adapting to our immigration boom? To the new knowledge-based economy? What are we doing to create a city that young people want to stay in or move to? I believe that you cannot build a prosperous city on a large pool of low skill, low wage jobs. Therefore, how are we going to utilize a couple of our key competitive advantages- the RHA, BU, and ACC to strengthen our economy?

Specific platform announcements during the week of September 26-October 2 about the VISION of what could make Brandon more people-focused include:

• Downtown revitalization
• Quality of Place- culture, heritage, and recreation
• Housing Strategy
• Once Smart City- economic development strategy for the new economy.

#4: LEADERSHIP- Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.Poor planning, poor communications, lack of accountability, lack of transparency, no vision- these are all symptoms of a lack of leadership.

We only have to look outside Brandon to see what communities with strong leadership can accomplish. Carberry's downtown is a designated heritage district, Virden is pushing ahead with an impressive rec centre, Brandon families are driving to Souris to use their pool, Portage is embarking on an innovative and progressive cluster economic development strategy, Neepawa is building seniors housing. Brandon used to be a leader in Western Manitoba- now we only have size on our side.

If I'm elected mayor, the doors to municipal government will be open to new ideas, and the "can't do" attitude pervasive at City Hall will be gone for good.

If I can sum up in one word what I believe we need most from the office of mayor, that word would be leadership- clear, consistent, decisive leadership. Leadership that will move us forward in a way that makes a tangible difference. Leadership that doesn't confuse rhetoric with results. Leadership that doesn't confuse activity with achievement.

It seems that Brandon has lost its edge, that we've lost our drive. We can change that. On October 27th, we can take it back.

Change Starts Now!

Remarks from the opening of Shari's Campaign Office (841 Rosser Avenue)



Since October 27th, 2009, I have been campaign for change. Not just changing who sits in the mayor's chair- but more importantly, campaigning to change where we think this city should be in 5 years, in 10 years from now, changing how we go about creating the plan to get there, changing the way we work together to bring about a new vision for Brandon.



I have been working hard to show you that I would be a different kind of mayor than our incumbent; that I would do things differently. For example, I've been campaigning already for 315 days, walking from one end of Brandon to the other, knocking on doors, meeting with community groups, businesses, seniors, sports teams, parents, students, environmentalists, teachers, nurses. I've been doing research and talking with experts about how other cities are dealing with some of the issues that are challenging Brandon- downtown revitalization, economic clusters, recreation, environmental strategy, community focused policing, demographic shifts in population and their impacts on municipal planning. I've been doing my homework on how our city works, and how it could work better.



We are not launching the Shari for Mayor campaign today, but rather shifting into high gear as we enter the final phase of the election. I have been privileged to talk with you, and more importantly, to listen to you- about the kind of city you want to live in, to raise families in, to make business investments in, to out down roots in.



And I've heard a lot! Like me you love this city, but you are not satisfied with status quo. You are proud of Brandon, and you have great ideas and a passion to make it better.



As I said earlier, I'd be a very different mayor than our incumbent. And one of those differences is that I care about what the people of Brandon have to say. Because elected civic leaders must also represent the interests of the voter; which is hard to do if you have never asked them what they believe the key priorities of the city should be. Without asking, all you have is a one-man show.



So one of the things we're going to do is ask for your advice. for the next couple of weeks, volunteers will be out surveying the community, asking Brandonites about what they see as the key priorities for the incoming Mayor over the next few years. This is your chance to begin to shape the future direction of our city.



It won't surprise me to see the survey results reflect what I've already heard on the doorstep. The future you've said you wanted includes a vibrant downtown; clean, affordable neighbourhoods to raise our kids in; a safe city to retire and enjoy life in; an economy that stops the brain-drain, where our graduates don't have to leave town to find a job; a community rich in culture and entertainment. A city where, after a hard days work, you can find a place to chill with friends.



Because you want to live in a city rich with opportunity and alive with experiences.



But to get there, we need a mayor who says "I take responsibility for the future of our city", and who then can roll up her sleeves and get things done!



This election is about the direction of our city. Brandon is in a period of rapid change- we are not the same city we have been. There are many challenges associated with that- and there are many opportunities as well.



There are important questions to answer in this election. If we look ahead to what we want our city to be in five years, does our current mayor have the vision and leadership to get us there?



At the end of the day, this is THE critical question, and so this is a campaign about leadership. And this election is about leadership. And leadership is not just about cutting ribbons, throwing out the first pitch, handing out plaques. Leadership is about action, not about position.



There are now 50 days to the election.



October 27th is about how we work together. The upcoming mayoral race is not about one person holding one elected office. This election is about all the people of Brandon, who deserve a mayor who listens and talks with them about the issues that affect their lives. Democracy is about participation.



October 27th is also about getting back to the basics and focusing on rebuilding public trust and restoring confidence in City Hall. Which is why I'll be on the front steps of City Hall this Friday, September 10th at noon to outline our platform for change.



I believe in a better Brandon! But to get there Brandon needs change. On October 27th, we need to create the change want to see: energy, vision, leadership. And that change is starting right here, today. Thank you for coming.

Brandon- One Smart City

Brandon cannot build a community, nor an economy on low-paid, low-skilled workers. We need to shift our focus to economic opportunities based on knowledge. To do that, we need to invest in knowledge production- through partnerships with the College and University in the areas of research and technology transfer. We also need to invest in our human capital through increased skills, training, and education.

In the new knowledge based economy, education and workforce development are critical.

• For individuals, they will need skills beyond those learned in high school in order to get started on career paths and in order to advance they'll need to keep upgrading those skills.
• For businesses to compete, they need top-class talent that understands that innovation is linked to productivity.
• For communities to compete, they need substantial pools of talented workers that are available today, as well as in the pipeline (in education and training venues) for tomorrow.

In the past, Brandon mayors who have wanted to strengthen the economy offered incentives such as tax breaks, expansion loans, site acquisition and zoning assistance to attract or retain businesses to build advantage. The thinking was that by lowering the cost of those assets, Brandon gained a competitive advantage as a business location.

But there is always somewhere that can (and will) offer a better deal. And in today's economy, it is the human assets are where value and wealth are being created.

Times are changing. Knowledge creation and the lack of skilled workers have become core economic concerns. The last couple of MNP Brandon Business Climate surveys showed that businesses are not finding people with the skills they need. And since skills determine a person's income potential, if we want Brandon to become more prosperous, we need people living in Brandon to have higher skills and higher incomes.

To be competitive and attract those kinds of businesses and those kinds of people, Brandon needs to create more than a good business climate, we need to create a good people climate. Because for those very mobile, talented workers, quality of place and quality of life are paramount concerns. And Brandon has the opportunity to be very competitive in those two areas. They are not luxuries for our economic strategy, but must haves- to attract and retain the workforce that we will need to build the new economy in Brandon.

The Mayor Closes the Sportsplex Pool

At last night's City Council meeting, the Mayor lead the charge to close the Sportsplex Pool two months after the opening of the Y pool.

I want to be clear that I am a big supporter of the Y's expansion plans in downtown Brandon.

However, I am appalled by the performance of the Mayor Monday night to foist this decision on an unsuspecting Council and community. This was a pre-emptive strike on a swimming community who already feels that they have been abandoned by the Mayor and the majority of City Council.

There is absolutely no comfort within the swimming community that there will be enough water to meet their needs with the reduction in the number of 25' swimming lanes. They feel that there was minimal consultation with them about the original decision almost two years ago. They feel that there was inadequate efforts made to address the financial situation of the Sportsplex pool. Rather than reaching out and building bridges with Brandon swimmers, the Mayor has once again demonstrated that autocracy is alive and well at City Hall.

The Mayor's decision that the Sportsplex pool will be closed two months after the opening of the Y pool is unseemly in its haste.

The Mayor's assertion that support for the Sportsplex pool threatens the success of the Y's expansion is fear-mongering at its worst.

The Mayor's zeal to ram home the pool closure amendment also subverted legitimate debate about public access, fees, the City's $250,000 a year funding for the next 20 years, and other clauses within the MOU that deserved a public airing.

The Mayor's action's Monday night begs a number of questions:
- If the closure of the Sportsplex pool was so critical to the Y's business plan, why was it not included in the Memorandum of Understanding brought forward at Monday's City Council meeting?
- Why did the Board of the Y not insist on this clause; and if they didn't ask for it, why did the Mayor put it in?
- Why did the Mayor apply such pressure to Council to amend the previously approved MOU at the last moment at 10:30 on a Monday evening?


The Mayor talked long and loud about ensuring the financial viability of the Y, but if anything jeopardizes the success of the Y's expansion plans, it is his actions Monday night. The success of the aquatic component of the Y project depends upon the good will of the current Sportsplex swimmers to transfer their membership and loyalty from the City owned pool to the private membership-based Y pool. Monday's actions are not a good strategy to achieve this objective, and I would urge the Y Board to consider the longer term relationship they need to have with Brandon swimmers, the damage the Mayor's actions could cause, and reconsider this amendment to their MOU.

The unseemly fashion that this motion was sprung upon Council- without consultation with the swimming community, or even it seems the Y itself, is plain wrong.

The Mayor talks about risk to the City if the Sportsplex pool remains open beyond two months after the opening of the new Y facility; but if future Councils reverse this decision, then would not the Y have a case to make against the City that they broke the MOU, and won't we, the taxpayer be forced to pay more to make up any shortfall as we would not have honoured the agreement? This is a costly and foolish mistake and the taxpayers of this city will once again be left holding the bag.

This decision is fundamentally undemocratic, and reflects the ongoing issues many Brandon residents have with the lack of consultation and communication the Mayor adopts on major policy decisions.

The days of the Mayor ramming through important policy without public input should be long over,but apparently they are not. I would suggest that users of the Sportsplex or those tired of this style of governance should make their unhappiness known through the media, to their City Councilors, and to the Mayor's office.

I look forward to debating this decision with the Mayor during the election.

An Election Issue? The Sale of the former Convergys Building on Sixth Street

The tenders closes today (Aug 3) on the former Convergys Building. Some food for thought when evaluating whether we got good value for the sale.

About 25 years ago, Monty Nathanson bought it from Co-op and sold it to the City for over a million dollars (I heard $1.4, but that's just a rumour and that was serious coin back in the day!). They then put a lot of dough into renovating it for an Arts Library complex. Eventually, AGSWM and Library moved across the street to new digs. The City purchased more land and closed Seventh Street to create a parcel of property for a public safety building. That didn't happen, but they did wind up renting it out to Convergys. There is some speculation that the lease hold improvements that Convergys put in gave them a substantial tax/rent holiday. Could be true... What we know for sure is that it has sat empty for over two years when Convergys left town- with no taxes being paid.

So now the tenders are closed and we'll find out to what higher and better purpose the building will be used for. Perhaps seniors housing? perhaps a police services building (gotta' love all the wiring and technology upgrades that Convergys added)? perhaps an educational centre for the College, Neelin, Westman Immigrant Services, with room to spare for a daycare and museum/ archives!

These are all interesting ideas with public value. If the City and Mayor decides that there is more value in cash with a tidy commercial sale, does it recover the opportunity costs of lost taxes, as well as the initial purchase price and public investment in leasehold improvements?