Community Services in Brandon
The City of Brandon Community Services Department helps support many of the diverse programs and attractions supported within the community. The Community Services Department program areas include; environment, youth, culture, volunteer development, community strategic plan and recreation. The management of the Canada Games Sportsplex also falls within the responsibility of community services department. This facility currently provides the Westman area its largest aquatic facility and one sheet of hockey ice. On the left of your screen, you will see the various areas of the community services department and can further investigate the role each segment plays in Brandon.
Cultural | Environment | Recreation | Youth | Volunteer | Strategic Plan
Cultural
Culture defines people, communities and neighbourhoods through creative expression, traditions, social viewpoints, and local aspirations. Culture is multidimensional and evolving. It changes with people, ideas, and advancements in global politics and communication.
The City of Brandon is currently developing a Cultural Plan. The intent of the Plan is to take a broad approach to culture. The Plan will be a departure from conventional cultural policies that encourage the isolation of disciplinary silos and the marginalization of culture as a privileged opportunity. The purpose of the plan is to make connections between culture, community development and City vitality. The Cultural Plan is designed to intersect with existing master plans and policies such as the Recreation Facilities Master Plan, the Greenspace Master Plan and the Transit Master Plan. The Cultural Plan is not intended to be an isolated arts policy, heritage policy or diversity policy, but rather an integrated umbrella strategy in which these cultural pillars intersect to reinforce the cultural identity and development of the City of Brandon.
The seven pillars of culture are:
- Heritage
- Arts
- Community Design
- Life Long Learning & Creative Expression
- Diversity
- Leisure & Celebration
- Economic Development
Cultural Development & Diversity Strategy
Contact Information:
Esther Bryan
Community Development Coordinator – Cultural
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 204-729-2276
Environment
Brandon is striving towards becoming a “Sustainable Community” that focuses on long-term, integrated, systems approaches that integrate economic, environmental and social issues of a community. Using this format the community addresses quality-of-life issues and move towards creating a healthy community.
The phrase “Sustainable Community” is often used to describe the interests, needs and culture of a community. Working with many sectors of the community such as the C4 Environment Committee (Climate Change Community Challenge) it has been identified to being important for reaching the long term goal of making Brandon a Sustainable Community.
Recreation
Brandon is a recreationally rich community with many outdoor sporting and leisure activities for everyone from the novice to the professional. The Recreation Master Plan was developed and outlines the goals and principles for future facility development as well as the priorities and strategies necessary to successfully meet the changing recreation need and interests in the community.
Contact Information:
Bryce Wilson
Community Development Coordinator – Recreation
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 204-729-2282
Sportsplex
Sportsplex The Canada Games Sportsplex is Brandon’s community Sport and Recreational facility. The facility is made up of a 50 meter swimming pool with a 104 foot water slide, a regulation size arena, 3 racquetball courts, 400m track and field facility as well as multipurpose and meeting rooms. The facility has its own canteen service which services healthy choices in food selection. We offer a wide variety of programs such as swimming and aqua-fit classes, learn to skate lessons, and we are home to many community organizations.
Contact Information:
Perry Roque
Sportsplex Manager
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 204-729-2472
Youth
Youth are our future. They are important to our community. There is an ongoing need for all generations in Brandon to get involved with youth and for everyone to work together to create a safe healthy environment where youth can live, learn, work and play.
The City of Brandon recognizes the strength of its community and enables groups, clubs, organizations and individuals to create partnerships and achieve self sufficiency on issues that affect the well being of youth. It increases youth responsibility in community involvement and taking charge for initiatives that matters to them. Various programs are offered which target youth including employment, peer pressure, youth with barriers, social development and recreation.
The City of Brandon Community Development Principles for Youth include:
- strategic direction that will identify and meet the needs of youth
- support community partnerships for youth
- develop sustainable youth projects and initiatives
Contact Information:
Richard Greer
Community Development Coordinator - Youth
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 204-729-2259
Cora Lee Baker
Youth Programmer
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 204-729-2234
Volunteer
The City of Brandon’s Volunteer Program has been designed to help ensure that opportunities exist for any interested person or persons to volunteer. We recognize that potential volunteers have a wide range of backgrounds and skills ranging from school children who are eager to feel involved, to retired individuals who have taken up new skills and hobbies that are looking for an avenue to demonstrate this talent. The goal of the Volunteer Program is to not only to recruit and place interested persons in volunteer positions, but also to recognize and promote them as important contributors to the success of our community activities, programs or events.
Contact Information:
Elaine Arvisais
Community Development Coordinator - Volunteer Development
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 204-729-2264
2005 Community Strategic Plan - (Completed)
Brandon's Community Strategic Plan - Shaping Tomorrow Together was developed in 2005 and since that time our community has experienced some significant change. The plan continues to represent what we as a community have said that we need to strive to be in order to be a community where we all want to live, work and play.
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