Brandon Construction

[Archiseek]

GREEN SPACE TO REPLACE BRANDON BROWNFIELD UNDER PROVINCE'S $39-MILLION GREENING INITIATIVE
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Former Scrap Metal Site To Be Transformed With $1.5-million Investment


BRANDON—An abandoned scrap-metal and bulk fuel-storage site is being transformed into green space in Brandon as a result of a $1.5-million provincial investment, Conservation Minister Stan Struthers announced here today.

“Manitoba is a world-class climate change leader and this $39-million greening initiative is investing in Manitoba’s future as a green and growing province,” Struthers said. “This Manitoba government is moving forward with our commitment to protect the health of Manitobans and manage environmental risks caused by soil and groundwater contamination.”

The greening initiative, called the Environmental Remediation program, is part of a $165-million plan to address government-owned sites and abandoned or orphaned sites.

The total cost of the Brandon site remediation is approximately $3 million and will be shared equally with the city. Contaminants will be contained on-site in a manner that will eliminate direct exposure to people and the environment. The property was previously occupied by Brandon Scrap Iron and Metal Ltd. and Imperial Oil Ltd.

The site is located on First Street between Pacific and Rosser avenues. A human health risk assessment concluded there is no threat to neighbouring residential properties.

While most of the site will be improved as green space, a section of the site along First Street has been identified for future commercial development. Work to green the site will begin this fall.

[Greco Roman]

Seeing as how I work in the soil remediation business, I'm curious to know what in-situ method they plan to use for the site.

[newflyer]

I really like the idea of a Brandon thread..

My concern is we don't have a bradon contributor to keep us up to date.

As far as this project goes.. it sounds like a good start.

[rrskylar]

New casino going near Brandon

Updated: October 31 at 11:06 AM CDT

A new First Nations casino will be located north of Brandon, Attorney General Dave Chomiak and Assembly of Manitoba Grand Chief Ron Evans said today.

The casino will go in the RM of Elton, north of the Trans-Canada Highway and on the west side of Hwy. 10.

The site's location has been under study for more than a year after Brandon residents rejected in a vote a casino proposal closer to the Wheat City.

The land will be converted to reserve status and will be operated on behalf of all 64 Manitoba First Nations.

It will be the third First Nations casino in the province.

[Greco Roman]

Hey Archiseek (or anyone else with power). Can you please rename this thread to Brandon Construction to make it uniform with other city construction threads?

[rrskylar]

Shame on the NDP! The people of Brandon have held two plebiscites on whether a casino should be built in the city and the outcome both times with an over whelming majority was NO, what part of NO don't the frickin NDP not understand?




Native casino near Brandon angers mayor
Water sealed deal for adjacent RM



The province is rolling the dice for a third time in a bid to put a native-run casino in the Brandon area.

The latest gamble, which has infuriated Brandon's mayor, involves building the casino on land just outside the Wheat City in exchange for a promise to bring fresh drinking water to residents of the adjacent rural municipality.

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"I feel it's a slap in the face to Brandon," Mayor Dave Burgess said shortly after hearing the news Friday.

"To have it right beside our border came as a surprise to me. I didn't think the province would take that step."

Through plebiscites, Brandon residents have twice rejected having a First Nations casino built downtown.

But Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Ron Cumming disagreed with the mayor.

"The city had an opportunity and they dropped the ball," Cumming said.

"Now Brandon won't get any of the extra revenue that would have come to the city. It's a lost opportunity."

Attorney General Dave Chomiak, minister responsible for the Gaming Control Act, and Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Ron Evans said the new casino will be built on 500 acres of farm land at the northwest corner of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 10 junction, a coin toss outside Brandon.

Chomiak and Evans said the project will create hundreds of jobs for aboriginal people and profits will be split evenly among Manitoba's 64 First Nation communities. The casino is expected to open in about two years.

Aboriginal leaders said the project would not have been possible without the unanimous approval of the Rural Municipality of Elton council, which will be the home of the casino and proposed recreational site.

Reeve Jon Burton said the decision to approve the project in July came down to one thing -- water.

Burton said the municipality of 1,400 residents has no collective source of clean drinking water for home and livestock use. Water comes from wells, dugouts or is trucked in.

With the new casino, the rural municipality will get access to water from a new multimillion-dollar treatment plant to be built in the neighbouring RM of Whitehead. Fresh water had been the sticking point in negotiations, as the City of Brandon has a long-standing policy of not extending water and sewer services beyond its boundary.

Keeseekoowenin First Nation Chief Norman Bone, one of three chiefs behind the project, said more work has to be done on binding agreements and the casino's design. The other bands directly involved are Rolling River and Waywayseecappo First Nations.

Burton said the bands have already reached an agreement to buy the land, which has been used to grow canola, from a local farmer.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

-- With file from the Brandon Sun

[newflyer]

If developers were on top of there game they would look at add retail and a hotel to the project.

Brandon missed out on this...by choice.. but at lease they can still take some time out and enjoy themselves at this new casino.

[1ajs]

atleast the ones that voted for it lol

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

atleast the ones that voted for it lol

Yes of course... but Brandon did get what they wanted as well, which is no casino in the downtown, or its city limits for that matter.

The city can't expect to prevent development outside its own borders, even if its not convenient.

[JayM]

Wow, thats pretty dumb. They lost out in part of revenue and business for the downtown area or The City of Brandon.

[1ajs]

yea but a casino downtown

[sledhead35]

a casino wouldnt be my first pick either for downtown, but you gotta start somewhere. with careful precautions in place(security etc), i think this could have been good business for the city.

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

yea but a casino downtown

Well there is a very successful Casino in downtown New Orleans. It does big business... only blocks from the French Quarter. Of course that is New Orleans.. but a downtown Casino can add life to the downtown after dark.

[rrskylar]

^ Exactly how? By taking money that might otherwise be spent on restaurants, nightlife, at retail outlets etc. Winnipeg had a downtown casino and that didn't exactly spur economic growth, I think the notion that casino's somehow bring life to an area is a joke! I've been to the Regent Ave. casino and I tell you that the majority of those there would be better served by spending their money on clothing, footwear and dental work.

[JayM]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

^ Exactly how? By taking money that might otherwise be spent on restaurants, nightlife, at retail outlets etc. Winnipeg had a downtown casino and that didn't exactly spur economic growth, I think the notion that casino's somehow bring life to an area is a joke! I've been to the Regent Ave. casino and I tell you that the majority of those there would be better served by spending their money on clothing, footwear and dental work.

Wasnt that casino in downtown a real ritzy casino? What was it called? "Crystal Casino" or something.. Well anyways i think the fact no one wanted to be downtown at that time was also the downfall of the casino. In Saskatchewan they have a lot of Native ran casinos and they provide alot back into the community as well as provide jobs for natives. So i believe its a win win situation.

[Spocket]

^Actually, in the end casinos are lose-lose.

Casinos don't usually cater to the richest people among us. The more desperate people are, the brighter the lights of the slot machines look to them. Some people are going to say that Brandon is full of racist rednecks or whatever but the truth is that we'd all be better off without casinos.

Just think about it though. If the house always wins and that same house is catering to average and low-income earners, how can those same people win in the end ? 99 go home broke (whereas before they were nearly broke) and 1 goes home richer. Bill Gates isn't spending his days off at the casino but John "I work 6 days a week for minimum wage" Q. Public is.


Okay, most people that go to casinos aren't poor but for those that are, they are practically the worst thing on Earth. It's only fun if you can afford to part with your money. The province is being irresponsible with this. It thinks it's doing us all some sort of favour (or at least, that's what it'll tell us if we ask) but I'm willing to bet that ultimately these casinos , all of them, cost us more than they ever return.

[rrskylar]

^Exactly!

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by Spocket

^Actually, in the end casinos are lose-lose.

Casinos don't usually cater to the richest people among us. The more desperate people are, the brighter the lights of the slot machines look to them. Some people are going to say that Brandon is full of racist rednecks or whatever but the truth is that we'd all be better off without casinos.

Just think about it though. If the house always wins and that same house is catering to average and low-income earners, how can those same people win in the end ? 99 go home broke (whereas before they were nearly broke) and 1 goes home richer. Bill Gates isn't spending his days off at the casino but John "I work 6 days a week for minimum wage" Q. Public is.


Okay, most people that go to casinos aren't poor but for those that are, they are practically the worst thing on Earth. It's only fun if you can afford to part with your money. The province is being irresponsible with this. It thinks it's doing us all some sort of favour (or at least, that's what it'll tell us if we ask) but I'm willing to bet that ultimately these casinos , all of them, cost us more than they ever return.

I am assuming that the "us" you are is society ... and the "return" you are refering to is the social services paid for via government profits of siad casinos.

Your agruements would hold more water if these casinos were privately owned, but in Manitoba thats not the case.

As far as the Crystal Casino .. it was a tiny casino on the 7th floor of the Hotel Fort Garry. It could be considered up scale, since it was in the Fort Garry, which was more of a piliot project to see if casino's would work in Manitoba, and yes it failed because rich suburban types didn't want to venture downtown during off hours.

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

^ Exactly how? By taking money that might otherwise be spent on restaurants, nightlife, at retail outlets etc. Winnipeg had a downtown casino and that didn't exactly spur economic growth, I think the notion that casino's somehow bring life to an area is a joke! I've been to the Regent Ave. casino and I tell you that the majority of those there would be better served by spending their money on clothing, footwear and dental work.

You have obviously not heard of Las Vegas, Monte Carlo or Atlantic City to name a few places where the casino add a great deal to the nightlife... try some coastal resort towns on the Gulf Coast.

Even in Winnipeg I know of many people who goto the casino's to watch a concert. Its just out of the ordinary, or to watch a sporting event, with a wager on the outcome.

In New Orleans the casino is within a couple blocks from the French Quarter, which is a alive everynight with activity. The Casino is a larger facility which offers a selection of enertainment. It adds to the atmosphere .. which entertains thousands everynight.

Yes there are some social consequences .. but the same could be said for alchol, tobacco and lotteries. Surely you are not suggesting that these products be banded, because some poor soul may waste his money on these instead on "clothing, footwear and dental work". Could you imagine closing all the bars .. and banning alcohol everywhere because of the social consequences of a few ... why that would bring us back to the Al Capone era. A paradise period if there ever was one, right?

[rrskylar]

^ Do I need to explain why people might go to Las Vegas, Atlantic city and Monte Carlo for other than gambling? All three are also located in heavily populated locations. The clientele that the Winnipeg casinos and that the potential Brandon casino might get are not the type of people looking to be entertained.