Mayor Shari Decter Hirst - 729-2202 - City of Brandon

Mayor Shari Decter Hirst - 729-2202
Phyllis Miller, Executive Assistant - 729-2202
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On Monday, we relaxed the “international rules of librarians” and had our Coffee with the Mayor in the
Brandon Public Library. A big thank you goes to Kathy Thornborough and her team for suggesting the
idea. It was well attended by people who live in the downtown area. Council met Monday evening.
On Tuesday, I met with American Consul, Tim Cipullo, to talk about issues of mutual interest. Later that
afternoon, I toured the Women’s Resource Centre which is undertaking a variety of projects to raise
awareness of Domestic Violence Week. Tuesday evening was a fruitful meeting of the Pedestrian “Hub”
Steering Committee. We have a very solid plan coming forward and a strong commitment to downtown.
Wednesday I participated in “Take Our Kids to Work Day” and was joined by Neelin Grade 9 student,
Sonia Somersall. Our day started at the Municipal Adaptation Planning Workshop where I brought
greetings and spoke of the impact on Brandon of extreme weather events brought on by climate change.
Flood mitigation, drought, water conservation, greenhouse gas emission reduction, storm water drainage
management were all on the table for discussion with lots of good ideas from participants. Sonia then
met with senior staff at City Hall to get a sense of how the Mayor’s office worked. At noon, we had a
lunch meeting with the GM of the Provincial Exhibition to discuss the economic impact of major events in
Brandon, and the vision of the Dome Building. Most of our afternoon was spent in a Canada Games
meeting. We also attended ACC’s National Technology Week Tech showcase, and the Whitehead
Foundation meeting as the mayor is a member of that board. Because Sonia had a math test on Thursday,
she did not attend the Volunteer Appreciation Event organized by Community Development, which was
too bad as the energy in the room created by 300+ volunteers was amazing. Well done CD staff, it was an
outstanding evening. Councillors Isleifson, Roberts, and Blight and I had a marvellous time.
Thursday evening had lots on the go with a Brandon Area Planning meeting, a joint ward meeting of
Richmond and Green Acres, and the Provincial Ex’s Taste of Beef event. Fortunately, cloning technology is
available.
On Friday, I attended the MPI 40 th Anniversary Luncheon. On Saturday, I will be attending the Art Gallery
of South Western Manitoba’s Fascinator Tea Party Fundraiser. Fascinator’s are those tiny hats that are
found perched at a jaunty angle on the side of the Duchess of Cambridge’s head. Saturday evening, I
attended the 26 th Field Artillery Regiment’s Military Ball.
Of course, these events were amongst the many meetings dealing with building a prosperous community
that are part of the Mayor’s schedule.