Brandon grant program aims to revitalize downtown, but push toward suburbs makes that tough: expert

In July 2022 ReNu Hygienics opened in southwestern Manitoba's biggest city motivated by three things — pride in the city's downtown, supporting vulnerable people and having a strategic location.

"Brandon folk frequently reminisce on how great downtown used to be," said Parker Easter, who launched the shop in the heart of Brandon's downtown to help bring life back to the area. 

Easter believes there's a lot of opportunity available new businesses in the area, and a Brandon Downtown Development Corporation program is hoping to help businesses take advantage of these opportunities.

The Corporation received provincial funding for the recently launched Brandon Downtown Revitalization Incentive Program. One stream of the program will provide up to $125,000 for capital investments for a business, and the other stream will provide up to $6,000 to a shop in business improvement grants.

Easter believes that Brandon can get back to having a vibrant downtown core with the right efforts.

"[A] lot of people have grown jaded towards the area, and even more unfortunate is a lot of commercial stakeholders have divested in this area," he said.

"I wanted to push."

Different effort: Director

Emeka Egeson, executive director for Brandon Downtown Development Corporation, says the new program is different from other revitalization efforts because they have consulted with many groups including the province, the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and economic development Brandon. 

"We are looking to having a downtown that will flourish and grow into a vibrant and dynamic place," he said,

Egeson hopes downtown Brandon could become a "preferred destination in the region offering a wide range of unique and diverse experiences and stimulating economic activities."

Revitalization efforts in downtown Brandon have been taking place for as long as Egeson can remember, but he says it's always an ongoing type of work.

"Our downtown is the heart of our city," Egeson said.

Downtown and suburbanization

Downtown revitalization is a conversation in many cities, especially as suburbanization has become the norm, says Brandon University rural development professor Doug Ramsay.

"People have to be encouraged to live downtown, and people have to have the opportunity to be encouraged to stay downtown ... that increases the success of businesses and services," Ramsay said.

"There is a push for further suburbanization in the city ... so it's just going to further complicate the development of downtown and the success of businesses and services downtown."

Programs like the revitalization grants are a great idea, he said, but when they act in isolation he's not sure they will find success.

There have been some exciting activities downtown including new microbreweries, restaurants and other services opening bringing back some life to the downtown core. If this continues to build, downtown can become a destination for entertainment, Ramsay said, and the program could help this growth continue.

However, one of the largest issues Brandon's downtown faces is perception when it comes to safety and security. Ramsay noted one of the funding possibilities of the new grant program is for enhancing business security features.

"That doesn't address the problem for downtown, that addresses the problem for a particular business," Ramsay said.

"It doesn't eliminate crime, it just moves it down the street."

He says the city needs to treat revitalization as a constantly changing process with a constantly moving finish line. They can break it down into chunks and make small accomplishments that add up.

"We need to really evaluate ... levels of success of these and still pay attention to those other concerns. There are other people that require daily life needs housing and food and there's often a connection between that and the perception and reality of safety in the core," Ramsay said. 

Revitalizing downtown means looking at the big picture, says Erin Coleman, Community Health and Housing Association program support staff. She hopes that anything that happens in downtown Brandon includes everybody who calls the area home. 

The Association is a not-for-profit organization with multiple businesses in the downtown core including the Building Re-fit Store and Club 1202, along with housing and a non-medical withdrawal support services centre.

"We're passionate about downtown," Coleman said. "There's people that live downtown, and including them in downtown is a huge part, I feel, of the revitalization."

Revitalization will take collaboration

At ReNU Hygienics for every bar of soap sold, they donate one to local non-profits like Samaritan House Ministries.

Parker says he hopes to make difference in their community — this philosophy can translate to the impact local businesses have downtown.

A big part of this is fostering conversations about what people want their community to look like, Easter said. This helps understand what's needed downtown — but it doesn't mean solutions will be immediately apparent.

"We can't ... put all our eggs on, you know, government or institutional conduits, to make that difference," he said. 

"It's going to come down to local entrepreneurs putting their best foot forward and, you know, hedging their bets and seeing ... a vibrant downtown in the future."