Brandon, Manitoba
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Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the
Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River ( ; ) is a long river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked ...
, approximately west of the provincial capital,
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, and east of the
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
border. Brandon covers an area of with a population of 51,313, and a
census metropolitan area The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of stat ...
population of 54,268. It is the primary hub of trade and commerce for the
Westman Region The Westman Region (also known as Western Manitoba or simply Westman) is an informal geographic List of regions of Manitoba, region of the Canada, Canadian Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Manitoba located in the southwestern cor ...
and parts of southeastern Saskatchewan, an area with a population of more than 190,000 people. The City of Brandon was incorporated in 1882, having a history rooted in the Assiniboine River fur trade as well as its role as a major junction on the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
. Known as ''The Wheat City'', Brandon's economy is predominantly associated with
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, as well as health care, manufacturing, food processing, education, business services, and transportation. Brandon's post-secondary institutions include Brandon University, Assiniboine Community College, Robertson College, and the Manitoba Emergency Services College. Canadian Forces Base Shilo is located east of Brandon and maintains close ties with the city. Brandon's Keystone Centre, is one of the largest consolidated entertainment, recreation, convention, and agriculture complexes in Canada and is the home of the
Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadians, Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. Founded in 1936, the team was for three decades a successful junior team playing principally in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Whe ...
and the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.


History

Prior to the influx of people from Eastern Canada, the area around Brandon was primarily used by the
Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...
people, the Bungays, the Yellow Quills, and the Bird Tails. In the 1870s and early 1880s, the
Plains Bison The plains bison (''Bison bison bison'') is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American bison, the other being the wood bison (''B. b. athabascae''). A natural population of plains bison survives in Yellowstone National Park (the Yellowstone P ...
were nearly wiped out by over-hunting. With the destruction of their staff of life, the buffalo, the nomadic Sioux people began to agree to settle in reservations such as the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, or left the area entirely. French Canadians also passed through the area on river boats on their way to the Hudson Bay Post, Fort Ellice located near present-day St. Lazare, Manitoba. The city of Brandon gets its name from the Blue Hills south of the city, which got their name from a Hudson's Bay trading post known as Brandon House, which got its name from a hill on an island in James Bay where Captain James had anchored his ship in 1631. During the 1870s it was believed by most that the transcontinental railway would take a northwesterly direction from
Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. In 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Highway (exactly ...
. Many thought that the route would most likely go through either Minnedosa or Rapid City, Manitoba because they were both located at natural river crossings. Rapid City was the front runner for the site of the new railway and had prepared for the impending building boom accordingly. But suddenly, in 1881, the builders of the railway decided to take a more westerly route from Winnipeg, towards Grand Valley. Grand Valley was located on the northern side of the Assiniboine, opposite the side of the river where present-day Brandon sits. Grand Valley was originally settled by two brothers John and Dougal McVicar, and their families. With the expectation of the new railroad, settlers and prospectors now rushed to an area they had previously avoided. Around 1879 a few settlers led by Reverend George Roddick had begun to build their new homes about south of Grand Valley, at the foot of the Brandon Hills. Meanwhile, in Grand Valley with the promise of the railway, the town began to boom. Regular voyages were made by steam sternwheelers to the city, each bringing more and more settlers. In the spring of 1881, General Thomas L. Rosser, Chief Engineer of the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
arrived in Grand Valley. It was Rosser's job to choose the townsites for the railway. Rosser approached Dougald McVicar of Grand Valley and offered him $25,000 () for the railway in Grand Valley. McVicar countered with $50,000 to which Rosser replied that "I'll be damned if a town of any kind is ever built here". So instead Rosser crossed the Assiniboine river and built the site of the railway on the high sandy south of the River, west of Grand Valley. So the site was then moved to a site just west of today's current First Street bridge in Brandon. A shanty had been built there by a man named J.D. Adamson, and it was on this quarter section Adamson claimed that Rosser chose as the townsite for the CPR Railway and named Brandon. After the location of the railway was once again changed, there was still hope that Grand Valley could become a rival neighbour to Brandon. But late in June 1881 it became clear that Grand Valley would not have lasted as a city long term. A flood hit in late June, and as the city was built on a low-lying part of the river, flooded quickly and dramatically. Because Grand Valley was built on a low flood plain, and Brandon was built on the heights on the other side, it became apparent that Brandon was the best place for a city in the area. Rosser had chosen Brandon as the townsite in May 1881, within a year settlers had flocked to Brandon in such numbers that it was incorporated as a city. Brandon never spent any time as a town or village but has only existed as a city. An
internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
was set up at the Exhibition Building in Brandon from September 1914 to July 1916. Post
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Brandon experienced a minor disaster when an explosion at the Manitoba Power Commission's steam plant caused the 40 metre (130 ft) brick chimney to collapse, killing two workers in the process. In contemporary times, Shari Decter Hirst defeated incumbent Dave Burgess in the 2010 municipal election to become the first female mayor of the city.


Geography

Brandon is located in south-western Manitoba, on the banks of the Assiniboine river. It is located in the
Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...
and resides in the
aspen parkland Aspen parkland refers to a very large area of ecotone, transitional biome between prairie and boreal forest in two sections, namely the Peace River Country of northwestern Alberta crossing the border into British Columbia, and a much larger area ...
ecoregion of the prairies. The terrain is generally flat and rolling surrounding Brandon, and there is a large valley located within the city. The Brandon hills are located to the southeast, from which Brandon got its name. Brandon is west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg; and east of the
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
border.


Climate

Brandon has a dry
continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Dfb'', USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 2b) with warm, sometimes hot summers and cold, dry winters. Daytime temperatures range from in July to in January. Brandon has a fairly dry climate, with of precipitation annually, and as such is located in the Palliser's Triangle region of the Prairies. There is measurable rainfall on 56.0 days throughout the year, and 38.8 days with snowfall. Snow falls from October to April; however, snow has fallen as late as May and as early as September. The highest temperature ever recorded in Brandon was on 11 July 1936, during the
1936 North American heat wave The 1936 North American heat wave was one of the most severe heat waves in the modern history of North America. It took place in the middle of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s and caused more than 5,000 deaths. Many state and cit ...
. The lowest temperature ever recorded was on 1 February 1893. ''General seasons'' * Winter: November to March * Spring: April to May * Summer: June to August * Fall: September to October


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Brandon had a population of 51,313 living in 21,203 of its 22,526 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 48,883. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. The median age is 36.3 years old which is almost 5 years younger than the national average at 41.2 years old. There are 22,526 dwellings in Brandon with an occupancy rate of 94.1%, and the median cost of a dwelling at $264,781, much lower than the national average at $341,556. As far as education goes, for those between 25 and 64 years old, 57.0% have a post-secondary schooling degree, 29.8% have a high school degree (or equivalent) and 13.2% have no certificates, diplomas or degrees. The unemployment rate is 7.3% in Brandon, lower than the national average at 7.7%. The median household income before taxes is $65,960, and after taxes at $57,008. As of 2016, 88.8% of Brandon's residents are Canadian citizens. About 5.5% of residents are recent immigrants (from 2011 to 2016).


Ethnicity

Brandon is 70.1% white, 16.3% visible minorities and 13.6% aboriginal. The largest visible minority groups in Brandon are
Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...
(5.0%), Chinese (3.8%),
South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
(3.0%),
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
(2.1%) and Filipino (1.1%).


Language

English is the mother tongue of 80.3% of residents. Other common first languages were Spanish (4.5%),
Chinese Languages The Sinitic languages (), often synonymous with the Chinese languages, are a group of East Asian analytic languages that constitute a major branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is frequently proposed that there is a primary split b ...
(3.2%) French (1.3%), Ukrainian (1.3%), Gujarati (1.2%), and German (1.2%).


Language

The 2021 census found that English was the mother tongue of 80.6% of the population. The next most common mother tongues were Spanish (4.2%), Gujarati (2.8%), Mandarin (2.0%), French (1.4%), Tagalog (1.2%), Ukrainian (1.1%), Punjabi (0.9%), German (0.7%), Cantonese (0.7%), Amharic (0.7%), Yoruba (0.4%), Russian (0.4%), Tigrigna (0.4%), Arabic (0.3%), Cree (0.2%), Hindi (0.2%), Korean (0.2%), and Urdu (0.2%).


Education

Public schools in Brandon are governed by the Brandon School Division. There are approximately 7,200 students, 900 staff, 22 schools and a budget exceeding $50 million. There are four high schools: Vincent Massey High School, Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School, and Neelin High School, and Prairie Hope High School (formerly BSD Off-Campus). Brandon is also home to four post-secondary institutions: Brandon University, Assiniboine Community College, Robertson College, as well as the Manitoba Emergency Services College.


Sports


Local teams

* Brandon University Bobcats (
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
/ CWUAA) * Brandon University Bobcats (
Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
/ CWUAA) *
Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadians, Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. Founded in 1936, the team was for three decades a successful junior team playing principally in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Whe ...
(
Hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...
/
Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
)


Major sporting events

* The Brier – Canadian Men's Curling Championship (1963, 1982, 2019) * U-18 Baseball World Cup – International U-18 Baseball Competition (1991, 1994) * The Scott Tournament of Hearts – Canadian Women's Curling Championship (1993, 2002) * World Curling Championship – Men's & Women's World Curling Championship (1995) * Canadian Olympic Curling Trials – Men's & Women's Olympic Curling Trials (1997) * Canada Winter Games – Canada Winter Games (1979) * Canada Summer Games – Canada Summer Games (1997) * Special Olympics Canada – Canada Special Olympics Summer Games (2006) *
Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a consortium of three Junior ice hockey, major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tou ...
– MasterCard Memorial Cup (2010)


Sports venues

* Keystone Centre * Brandon Community Sportsplex * Andrews Field * Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex


Infrastructure


Transportation

* Brandon is serviced by
Brandon Municipal Airport Brandon Municipal Airport (also known as Brandon Airport or McGill Field) is an airport located north of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. It serves the City of Brandon, the Westman and Parkland regions of Manitoba, and eastern Saskatchewan. Br ...
, with daily passenger flights to and from
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
( YYC). * Rider Express provide intercity bus service from Regina and Winnipeg once a week, also Brandon Air Shuttle provide bus service from Winnipeg Airport 4 times a day. * Taxi service is available from numerous local taxi companies. * The city of Brandon runs Brandon Transit, which provides daily bus service throughout the city, with 10 routes that operate seven days a week. * Brandon has a system of walking/bike trails throughout the city. * The
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
runs through Brandon; the station is a historic landmark. * Cando Rail & Terminals is headquartered in Brandon.


Hospitals

The city is served by Brandon Regional Health Centre. The 300 bed hospital is the largest in the
Westman Region The Westman Region (also known as Western Manitoba or simply Westman) is an informal geographic List of regions of Manitoba, region of the Canada, Canadian Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Manitoba located in the southwestern cor ...
.


Utilities

Water and sewage services are provided by the City of Brandon. The city draws water from the
Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River ( ; ) is a long river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked ...
where it is then treated and fluoridated at the community's water treatment plant on McDonald Avenue. The Assiniboine River's flow is regulated by the Shellmouth Dam in order to ensure that communities on the river have adequate water supply. Brandon has two emergency groundwater wells to supply water in the event of an emergency situation with water supply or if there are issues with water
turbidity Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of both water clarity and wa ...
or elevated organic water hardness. Like nearly every community in Manitoba, electricity is 98% hydro generated and supplied by
Manitoba Hydro The Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board (), operating as Manitoba Hydro, is the electric power and natural gas public utility, utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba ...
. The Brandon Generating Station was a coal powered plant that operated until about 2018. It is now natural gas fueled and runs only as a synchronous condenser to regulate grid voltage in southwest Manitoba.


Media

The '' Brandon Sun'' publishes daily newspapers.


Music and the arts

Brandon hosts many art festivals every year, including the Brandon Festival of the Arts, Brandon Jazz Festival, and the Brandon Folk Music Festival. In addition to the music festivals, the Brandon University School of Music hosts the annual 'Pro Series' which has included guests like Bob Brookmeyer, George Crumb, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, Brandon hosted the Western Canadian Music Awards. The "Words Alive" was a yearly literary festival held in downtown Brandon, from 2007–2010. Authors that participated in this festival included Robert J. Sawyer, Maggie Siggins, Fred Stenson and Corey Redekop. Some of the local arts venues include the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium, Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Evans Theatre, and the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.


Events and exhibitions

* The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba is a non-profit organization established in 1872, which is now housed at the city's extensive Keystone Centre complex. It hosts ** Royal Manitoba Winter Fair (March) ** Manitoba Summer Fair (June) ** Manitoba Livestock Expo (November) * AgDays – Canada's largest indoor agricultural
trade show A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...
and program, and one of the premier shows of its kind in North America. Held in mid January each year at Brandon's Keystone Centre. * Brandon Folk Music and Arts Festival is a weekend event held annually in late July. The festival is held outdoors on the grounds of the Keystone Centre. * The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, located at the Brandon Municipal Airport.


Notable people

* Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
naval aviator and Battle of Britain pilot * William Otway Boger
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
flying ace * Rick Borotsik – politician/ Mayor * Turk Broda – ice hockey player * Samuel Bronfman – businessman * Larry Brown – ice hockey player * Michael Cain – pianist * Matt Calvert – hockey player * Drew Caldwell – politician / provincial cabinet minister * Kristen Campbell – ice hockey player * Walter Dinsdale – airman / politician / provincial cabinet minister / member of parliament * Joseph Donaldson – politician *
Tommy Douglas Thomas Clement Douglas (20 October 1904 – 24 February 1986) was a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as the seventh premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Bap ...
– politician * Liam Duncan – musician * Douglas Durkin – writer * Joel Edmundson – ice hockey player * James Ehnes – violinist *
Leonard Evans Leonard Salusbury Evans (August 19, 1929 – January 2, 2016) was a Canadian politician in Manitoba. He was a member of the Manitoba legislature from 1969 to 1999 and was a Cabinet Minister in the governments of New Democratic Premiers Edwar ...
– politician / provincial cabinet minister * Bill Fairbairn – hockey player * Gathie Falk – artist * Russ Ford – baseball player * Trent Frayne – sportswriter * Glen Hanlon – ice hockey player *
Scott Gillingham Scott Gillingham is a Canadian politician who currently serves as the 44th mayor of Winnipeg, being elected on October 26, 2022. Before being elected as mayor, he was the city councillor for St. James-Assiniboia, St. James from 2014 to 2022. He ...
pastor * Dan Halldorson – professional golfer * Charles Hefferon – South African athlete * Reg Helwer – politician / provincial cabinet minister * Jerry Hemmings – basketball coach * Ron Hextall – ice hockey player * Douglas Hill – science fiction author * William G. Hobbs – artist * Edna Mayne Hull – writer * Israel Idonije – NFL football player * Stanley Knowles – politician * Keegan Kolesar – ice hockey player * Greg Leskiw – guitarist for
The Guess Who The Guess Who was a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1965. The band found their greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman, wit ...
* Kavavaow Mannomee – artist * Jordan Martinook – hockey player * John Mayhew – cricket player * Brad Maxwell – hockey player * James McCrae (politician) – politician / provincial cabinet minister * Kelly McCrimmon - Ice hockey player / ice hockey executive * Leslie McDorman – politician * James Duncan McGregor – agriculturalist * Daren Millard – sportscaster * Kelsey Mitchell – cyclist * Mae Moore – musician * Diane Ogibowski - figure skater * Isabela Onyshko - gymnast * Martha Ostenso – writer * Art Ross – hockey player and executive * Bryce Salvador - ice hockey player *
Karl Schroeder Karl Schroeder () (born September 4, 1962) is a Canadian science fiction author and a professional futurist. His novels present far-future speculations on topics such as nanotechnology, terraforming, augmented reality, and interstellar travel, ...
– science fiction author * Damon Severson – ice hockey player * Haroon Siddiqui – journalist *
Shotgun Jimmie Jimmie Kilpatrick, formerly known as Shotgun Jimmie is the stage name of Jim Kilpatrick, a Canadians, Canadian singer-songwriter.Amanda Stott – musician * Andrew Unger – writer * Zach Whitecloud – ice hockey player * Donald Woods - actor * J.S. Woodsworth – minister * Ken Wregget – hockey player


See also

* HMCS Brandon * 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery * St. Matthew's Anglican Cathedral, Brandon


Notes


References


External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Manitoba Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Populated places established in 1882