Last week, a majority of Brandon city councillors voted to restore Renaissance Brandon’s annual funding to $250,000. During its budget deliberations in January, council had voted to reduce the funding to $200,000 as part of a belt-tightening process that impacted all areas of the budget.

   
The decision to reduce the funding drew sharp criticism from some quarters, including Renaissance Brandon board chair Shaun Cameron. Shortly after the budget meeting, he told me that the funding cut would impact Ren Brandon’s ability to fund a number of projects.

 
Councillor Murray Blight argued that restoring the $250,000 was a “no-brainer” because Ren Brandon’s funding is matched by the provincial government.

That said, I think council has made a mistake in restoring the funding. At a time when many city departments are absorbing cuts -- for example, $600,000 is being cut from protective services -- why should Ren Brandon be exempt from the cuts?  

Just because the money is matched by the province doesn’t make it “free money,” as councillor Corey Roberts argued. It’s money that has been taken from taxpayers.

Cameron has confirmed to me that Ren Brandon currently has approximately $500,000 in the bank. Does that sound like an organization desperate for cash? Then there is that issue of how Ren Brandon spends our tax dollars.  

On Oct. 18, it announced that it had purchased the former Brandon Real Estate Board office at 901 Princess Avenue, but it did not disclose the price paid. The assessed value of the property is $184,700 (land - $69,000, building - $115,700).

Ren Brandon paid $325,000.

The property is owned by 6342885 Manitoba Ltd., a subsidiary owned by Ren Brandon. A gas station was operated on the site for many years and it is feared that the soil may be contaminated with chemicals. If it is, any clean-up costs will be paid by Ren Brandon, meaning that the “net” cost will be even higher.

Never previously publicized is the fact that 6342885 Manitoba Ltd. also owns the parking lot at 136-9th Street, which is immediately north of the Brandon Inn. The lot has an assessed value of $132,200. Ren Brandon’s downtown development specialist Brayden Pilling tells me that the property was purchased for $165,000, and that it could also be contaminated.

Over the past five years, Ren Brandon has received approximately $2 million in public funding. While some of that money has been on items aimed at revitalizing downtown Brandon, including the skateboard park, subsidies for new businesses and streetscape enhancements, it is impossible for the public to know specifically what is being done with all of that money.

Though publicly funded, Ren Brandon is an arms-length agency. Meetings of the board of directors are conducted behind closed doors and the minutes of those meetings are not available to the public.  

Even city councillors have complained about the secrecy surrounding many of Ren Brandon’s activities and the lack of transparency. City Treasurer Dean Hammond recently confirmed to me that the City does not have the power to audit Ren Brandon’s books.  

Renaissance Brandon has received a significant amount of public money over the past several years and has little to show for it, other than properties it vastly overpaid for, and which may eventually require costly cleanup.

The agency makes its spending decisions in secret and has half a million dollars in the bank.  

At a time when more vital areas of the city budget are being slashed, there is no plausible reason why Ren Brandon should be exempt. If you believe that Ren Brandon’s funding should not have been restored, call your councillor. The final budget decision will not be made until next month. It’s not too late to fix this mistake.

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