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I don't come to Brandon too often during the day ( work out of City ) but yesterday I did and in the short walk from my truck to Scotiabank downtown I was "harassed" 3 times. Twice for money and once just aggressive mumbles I didn't understand. That was at 6:30pm. My wife works downtown and she was telling me that everyday she has to do bank deposits etc for work and that she gets harassed all the time. I thought it couldn't be that bad but apparently it is. Something needs to be done. It doesn't give a good impression of our city to tourists. No wonder downtown is dying. I'm a big guy so I'm not too worried but not everyone would feel the same.

This happens everywhere, not just Brandon. For the most part, downtown Brandon is pretty good, but that is where a lot of less fortunate people tend to hang around. What I find more unfortunate is that downtown Brandon is dying because there is really nothing to draw people there. The town centre is no longer a retail space, and other than that, there is not a lot of retail, or other things to draw people downtown. If there were more retail, restaurants, etc. there would be larger crowds downtown, and then it likely wouldn't be an appealing place for the less fortunate to hang around.

There are lots of restaurants downtown. Maybe not the density like something like Corydon in Winnipeg where there are several every block. But I don't think Brandon could support such restaurant density.

You're probably right Jellybean. Not much downtown. I lived in Moose Jaw ( comparable to Brandon ) for 5 years and I was downtown constantly and never got harassed. They have lots of shops, restaurants, etc. Everyone talked about revitalization of the downtown in Brandon but nothing gets done. Politicians making promises then just collecting their paycheques and not actually working. There is so much potential. A survey should be done to see what people want downtown and actually do/build what people want. Such wasted space.

It's not only the less fortunate that hang out downtown, With much observation, the amount of hustlers, dealers, and drunks has tripled, within the past year. Have seen drug deals go down in entrance of Town Center ( where there is no security ),in the mini park in front, people urinating at corner of library and more. Agree, due to shortage of retail,not much going on, but there is banking, health care, library, hair salon, city transit, so yes it should be cleaned up, cause the number of people who use the above, are daily exposed to the riff raff enviorment.

What you are seeing are the symptoms of poverty and lack of mental health facilities. To truly clean up the area, there has to be a broad approach that deals with mental health problems, homelessness (Medicine Hat ended homelessness), and the many problems that poverty brings to the area.  
 
For example, Medicine Hat found homes for the homeless, often with the offer of a counsellor included so the underlying reason for their homelessness can be worked on for that one person because there are so many different reasons for being homeless that one solution does not work for everyone other than the solution of getting them a secure place to live and then finding other help for that particular reason for homelessness.  
 
There were cuts to mental and medical health services prior to the recent provincial election and I am curious to see if there will be more investment in this neglected area or more cuts. Tell your MLA what you want.  
 
For those that object to being taxed to provide these services, I remind you that you have received at least thirteen years of free education and many also have subsidized post-secondary education as well. You have travelled on roads that are paid for by others long before you filed your first tax form. You probably used the public transit system where the fare covers less than half of the cost of providing that service to you. Now it is your turn to help the others in our society.

Rafter D said "You're probably right Jellybean. Not much downtown. I lived in Moose Jaw ( comparable to Brandon ) for 5 years and I was downtown constantly and never got harassed. They have lots of shops, restaurants, etc. Everyone talked about revitalization of the downtown in Brandon but nothing gets done. Politicians making promises then just collecting their paycheques and not actually working. There is so much potential. A survey should be done to see what people want downtown and actually do/build what people want. Such wasted space. "

What people always want downtown is more shops and boutiques, restaurants, bars, etc. It's easy to say that, but how can you just make it happen because people "want it"? It means that someone has to have the drive and vision to open and finance a new business, which takes a lot of hard work and investment. I am downtown often and can see the ones who have been there for years, as well as the new businesses that have made that commitment - the new skin clinic and coffee shop, a new antique store, an activewear store in a building that has been beautifully restored, two very successful dance studios, people dining at outdoor patios and lots more. There are also empty buildings waiting for someone to see their potential - it could be called "wasted space", but that's because someone has to take ownership of it.  
 
I've also been to Moose Jaw many times over the years and have seen the downtown change every year - some years there are new shops and businesses and the new year they are closed and boarded up because obviously the business plan didn't work out. Then the next year someone new tries something else - it keeps changing and some things work and some things don't.  
 
Revitalization also means entrepreneurship but you can't force people to start a business. I remember one time complaining "Why doesn't Brandon doesn't have a ________ (can't remember what I wanted lol!) and my friend said "Well - go ahead and open one." It was a good comment/observation that stuck with me. Just one last thought - the potential for downtown is there, but municipal government isn't responsible for opening up retail spaces and restaurants, IMO.

I don't know if Moose Jaw is a good comparison to Brandon, simply because Moose Jaw has the Spa (natural resource) and the tunnels (historic). Both of those things draw tourists, whereas Brandon doesn't have a comparable draw. What about places like Chatham, Shawinigan, Airdrie, North Bay? How do we stack up against them?

I worked in Downtown Brandon for four and a half years. Do you realize that the 'riff raff' you want to 'clean up' so you aren't exposed to it, are actually people? A person with a university degree, whose spouse and mother passed away in short succession and who lost their job. A person who used to be on an Olympic swim team. An artist. A person with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. A person with a traumatic brain injury. A mother, father, brother, sister....the list goes on. And there but for the grace of god go I.

The first step is to quit giving them negative labels like "rift-raft". They are people that are dealing with a difficult time in their lives and maybe compassion from the public may be what you can give them right now ... and that does not cost anything.

City of Brandon made a couple of key errors downtown.  
1/ You should not have to pay for parking downtown if you are trying to attract people to the shops and restaurants in that area which do not have the advantage of free parking like Applebee's, Boston Pizza and Montana's.  
2/ The town center should have been left as a retail establishment. Those many empty shops that someone was paying to heat and keep lit should have been offering deals to outlet shops. ie: free rent for 6 months on a 5 year lease. (you were already paying utilities anyway) This might have encouraged some new reasonably priced businesses to come to Brandon.  
 
I do not agree with the "riff raff" being an issue downtown, I have lived in Brandon for many years and there have always been struggling people in that area. The real problem now is that they stand out more due to the lack of shoppers being in that area. Those human beings need your compassion and not your negativity. If you don't want to give them money then don't give them money....smile, say hi and tell them to have a nice day.

Sorry you misunderstood,I have nothing but compassion for the people with mental issues, the homeless and down on their luck, it can happen to anyone. It's the drug dealers and the proffessional hustlers who I referred to, as riff raff

Incredibly difficult to start a brick and mortar store in this city. It is not as easy as just having a vision and going for it.  
 
Rents (commercial) are somewhat outrageous. I would call the pricing downright greedy in a lot of cases.  
 
On top of that there are so many vacant buildings and prime business space that the city is offering no incentive to businesses to get them filled. Look at all the new strip malls that have gone up that have one or more vacant spaces. If the city taxed empty building at a higher rate, it would force owners to fill them up and hopefully it would mean real estate/leasing rents would come down - so that more small businesses could prosper.  
 
So yes, the city needs to incentiveize businesses so they can prosper downtown, but Brandon consumers also have to get out of their comfort zone and utilize the down town businesses.  
 
Yes, it will take more effort than driving to the box stores, and it might cost you more - but the thing is, if you are using the small businesses of the city you are helping a local family feed their children, give them hockey lessons, pay their bills and taxes that will go back in to our economy and help clean up the city.  
 
The more you frequent the little guy instead of looking for "where can I get the cheapest", the more chance we have of prospering so we can hire more people, and when more people have work there are less people hanging around getting in to trouble, and the city can be a nicer place for all. Last I checked, the owners of Walmart aren't donating money to build a new park in Brandon, nor is there a "Home Depot" arena.  
 
Something to really think hard about.....

im from winnipeg and the main trouble begins with placing the homeless shelters with free handouts and meals all in the same one area.But of course no one wants these in their neighborhoods and near schools. Its basically one big parade of "less fortunates" as once a meal is done, I've watched on hundreds of occasions as they file out and walk around killing time on Portage bumming cigs,pan handling, harassing people, public urination, actually sitting on hoods of parked cars, breaking into parked cars for butts. Only to make a loop and head back to these facilities for the next free meal and handout then to start over in the afternoon. Many of whom have absolutely have no mental health issues which is to me another label and the latest trend. Free meals have to be stopped and earned in some small way. Pick up garbage. Paint and beautify your downtown Brandon parks and benches. Water planters whatever it takes, Mow grass in parks start some sort of pride. Free is never a good thing.

Cdnchk said "im from winnipeg and the main trouble begins with placing the homeless shelters with free handouts and meals all in the same one area.But of course no one wants these in their neighborhoods and near schools. Its basically one big parade of "less fortunates" as once a meal is done, I've watched on hundreds of occasions as they file out and walk around killing time on Portage bumming cigs,pan handling, harassing people, public urination, actually sitting on hoods of parked cars, breaking into parked cars for butts. Only to make a loop and head back to these facilities for the next free meal and handout then to start over in the afternoon. Many of whom have absolutely have no mental health issues which is to me another label and the latest trend. Free meals have to be stopped and earned in some small way. Pick up garbage. Paint and beautify your downtown Brandon parks and benches. Water planters whatever it takes, Mow grass in parks start some sort of pride. Free is never a good thing. "

Free is never a good thing, yes people should do a bit of work for their meals, nothing wrong with that! Same for the youth, idle hands....  
 
Unfortunately downtown has a criminal element that hangs on the streets too much. Not uncommon to go to Rosser and see fights. Lots of times the cops are having to attend and that's a good thing!

I can tell most of the people replying with the "these people are less fortunate former brain surgeon war vets whose family perished in fire" don't actually go downtown, or if they do it's quick scurries from their car to whatever business they're running into before they head back to the southern side of the city.  
 
These people are not unfortunate. They are lazy parasites. I have to go downtown all the time, and there is no time of day where you do not see them drinking or drugging or fighting themselves into unconsciousness while the rest of us are working, going to school, or trying to relax or shop on our days off. I am pan handled every single day if I walk more than 3 blocks, some times aggressively so. People come up to my car window and knock, asking for money and rides. I've had to run off a man who got angry that I didn't give him the change I had for the parking meter and threatened to hit me with a bottle. I am regularly sworn at and threatened. And I see others experience the same treatment. I wish the few good businesses and schools downtown would move out so we hard working citizens wouldn't have to put up within that behaviour anymore. You dorks going on about how they're all human beings: I'm a human being too. So is the OP. So are all the other brandonites who are sick of dealing with the same types downtown. We have the right not to be harassed and threatened and intimidated merely for working or doing business in that part of the city. Merely for being there. Do we not matter either?  
 
And we used to hav hospitals to house these people. They were good. They got care, and it was a mutually beneficial arrangement for them and society. But the same types on this thread talking about compassion saw too many Hollywood movies back in the day about beldam houses and got them shut down so now these msicreants are out on the streets.

Your read my thoughts  
 
 
The people I'm talking about are less fortunate by choice and not because of any other reasons.  
 
Brandon City will not do anything about it until it's too late. We have all these cops that are paid over $100000 a year. Shouldn't they be earning that money and doing something about it.  
 
If there is a fire in your bedroom closing the door and ignoring it wont' prevent your house from burning down.

I moved to Brandon roughly about 21 yrs ago! I use to walk downtown from the Scotia Towers building to princess ave east at 12 midnight, every night! They still had the club on 5th street opened at that time...and I was never harassed, or feared for my safety. Saturdays was awesome when I worked, cause you could stop in all the shops and browse or all the café, even the town center was booming with retail shops!  
 
Now, I wouldn't dare! Not at night, and definitely not alone! And there's no bar there now! Not everyone is evil and will hurt you, I agree. But there are some who would be desperate enough to try! Most of whom I've come across has been polite and moved along when I've said no, but again, it will only take 1!  
 
Brandon is not what it used to be, especially down town! Prices are increasing, wages are not, and people are finding more and more ways of getting what they want, without necessarily working for it! If the town center would not try to compete with the shoppers mall, and would manage the rent a little better, they could bring back some of the stores they use to have! I drive down Rosser every day and I love the little shops down there...frequent them as often as I can! But after a while, the same shops hold no appeal! Which is the unfortunate part to living in Brandon! Until the older, boys club, generation get off the "we need to make money" trips, Brandon will continue to stay as it is, or get worse! Would love to see Brandon get better, especially with all the new people coming in, make it a town worth living in, but till then, we are stuck with what we have, and need to make the most of it!

 
 
Edited by Newfie101, 2016-07-14 13:01:41

It doesn't matter where you go.  
Popping into the 7-11 on 34th and Victoria, the guitar guy has approached more times than once and asks for coin.  
Outside of the Shopper's Mall I have been approached for 'help' (change?) more than once by the same person that hangs around.  
 
I get so tired of it.  
 
I don't mind helping a person out, but some of these people I'm sure make their living and subsist day to day by panhandling. It makes a working person turn off to this constant harassment of the very honest folks working for a living.

I work downtown Brandon. I would never walk alone after dark here, there are times during the day I don't like walking alone. From my observations, the biggest problem downtown is addiction. There are so many that are homeless, begging for money or cigarettes that are clearly on something. I can probably tell you the days government money comes out, because it is on those days where I see the most people who cannot walk anywhere near a straight line, that need to have a hand on a building to stay upright and are more aggressive.  
I understand where the OP is coming from. I had no choice but to get used to having my personal safety at risk. Outside of work hours, you would never catch me downtown. I also feel that is why its slowly dying, why would anyone want to spend time somewhere they didn't have to if they didn't feel safe?

Mr Nonsense - I not only went downtown, I actually worked with and got to know a lot of the people who hang around downtown. Every one of the examples I gave was a real person, not from a movie or a made-up story. I can give plenty more examples as well if you would like. I think I would rather hang out with the people downtown, instead of with those who think that they are better than others, or who think that hard times could never happen to them or their loved ones, or who think of others as 'those people'.