Controversy Surrounds City of Brandon’s Concept of 15 Minute Town

Nearly 40 people attended this public meeting, which took place on March 24.

The city planner, Sonikile Tembo explains that some participants had then expressed concerns about the concept of urban development of a 15 mins town.

Suddenly a large group came out saying it was part of a government program to impose restrictive measures and digital identity.You can imagine we were caught off guardshe says.

The concept of 15 minute town promotes communities designed in a way that allows residents to have access to their main everyday places within 15 minutes of walking, cycling or public transport from their home

It was first imagined in 2016 by the research team of Franco-Colombian urban planner Carlos Moreno before being adopted by cities such as Paris, Melbourne and Montreal.

However, some people have recently claimed that this concept is an elaborate conspiracy to limit individual freedoms by restricting movement within a city and is the subject of conspiracy theories in other cities, such as Toronto. or in Edmonton.

The City of Brandon estimates that it will have a population of approximately 51,000 in the coming decades.

She therefore emphasizes the need to facilitate access to services by walking or cycling, which gives her similarities with the idea of ​​the 15-minute city in her urban planning vision for the next 30 years.

Mayor Jeff Fawcett, who was absent from the March 24 meeting, says the City has been holding public consultations on its urban plan for more than a year, but questions about a 15-minute town are not become an important issue only during the meeting at the end of March.

People are raising the same questions all over the country…Brandon isn’t the only city doing itdid he declare.

A citizen denounces the lack of transparency

Brandon resident Rick Macl says he learned of the March 24 public meeting at the last minute and attended with about 25 other people.

Brandon resident Rick Macl participated in the March 24 town hall meeting regarding the urban plan for the next 30 years in this western Manitoba town.

Photo: Rick McL

In the video he recorded, other people who attended the meeting also said they only heard about the event a few hours in advance.

years is a waste of time because it will have to be changed”,”text”:”I don’t think the administration realizes that people care about how taxpayers’ money is spent. This 30-year plan is a waste of time, because it will have to be modified””>I don’t think the administration realizes that people care about how taxpayers’ money is spent. This 30-year plan is a waste of time, because it will have to be changedconsider M. Macl.

He adds that the public consultation sessions lacked organization and that the absence of city representatives at the meeting had caused frustration.

In addition to the mayor, City Manager Ron Bowles was absent.

One of the participants also indicated that the people responsible for this file should be present to be able to answer questions.

City staff had been bombarded with questions suggesting the 30-year plan was influenced by higher authoritiescalling the process illegitimate and mocking the need to create bike lanes.

Mr Fawcett denied there was any wider influence behind Brandon’s 30-year plan.

Our municipal plan is about Brandon, not some big UN master planinsists the mayor.

Clean up public discourse

Brandon University political science professor Kelly Saunders says people seem to have lost sight of the fact that despite their differences, at the end of the day, we’re all Canadians, we’re all Manitobans, and we all want the best for our community and for the members of that community.she says.

According to her, such a speech in a meeting poses a problem for the quality of our democracy and the quality of our communities in the future if those vital bonds that should bind us together as a community are gradually eroded by this type of misinformation and misconceptions that are really, really destructive.

After suspending public consultation sessions following the March 24 meeting, the City of Brandon is planning a moderated public meeting on May 18 in the evening at the Keystone Centre.

City Manager Ron Bowles says the City learned from the previous meeting and will fight misinformation about 15 Minute Cities while emphasizing clarity, public safety and democratic engagement.

This approach is something we have intuitively always donehe says, but the City will now make a more concerted effort to ensure that meetings run smoothly.

With information from Chelsea Kemp