Our Downtown ,Our Future

A place to spend time. A place to do business. A place to belong.

 

Picture a Saturday when a visit to the Farmers’ Market turns into lunch at a local restaurant. Students stopping into their favourite shops between classes. Friends meeting for dinner before a performance at the Sanderson Centre. Local artists and musicians bringing public spaces to life, with activities that give families more reasons to spend time downtown.

A downtown that feels safe, clean and cared for. Where existing businesses have support, new businesses see opportunity and people take pride in the neighbourhood they call home.

Our beautiful Grand River adds another possibility: welcoming places to sit, enjoy the views and spend time outdoors.

This is the future I will work toward, with a practical plan to get there.

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Build on the improvements already underway

Brantford is investing in downtown from the ground up. Replacing aging water, sewer and storm infrastructure will support reliable services and future development. Above ground, planned improvements to roads, sidewalks, accessibility, cycling routes, street furniture, plantings and wayfinding will make downtown easier to navigate and more welcoming.

These improvements create a stronger foundation for local businesses, community activities and new investment.

The Brantford Public Library, Laurier Brantford YMCA, Farmers’ Market and Sanderson Centre already give people reasons to spend time downtown. Keeping the Civic Centre busy, enhancing Earl Haig and making the most of the Sports and Entertainment Centre now being built will create more opportunities to enjoy sports, performances, recreation and entertainment close to home.

Together, these places can offer more to do for different ages, attract visitors and help local businesses benefit from the activity.

My work downtown began well before this election. As a councillor and Downtown Revitalization Champion, I have worked alongside businesses and community partners through construction, supported events and public-space improvements, and helped establish assistance for vandalism prevention and restoration.

I will lead a refreshed Downtown Master Plan that brings this work together under one clear vision. It will be developed with people who live downtown, businesses, the BIA, students, post-secondary institutions, developers, first responders, neighbourhood associations, artists and community service providers.

The plan will connect immediate improvements with longer-term investment, with clear responsibilities, funding considerations and regular public reporting.

 

 A safer downtown that feels cared for

• Strengthen coordination and follow-up. Continue bringing police, bylaw, outreach and City teams together so concerns reach the appropriate response, recurring problems receive attention and responsibility for next steps is clear.

• Make CPTED improvements a priority. Use Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design reviews to identify improvements to lighting, sightlines, landscaping, entrances and walking routes. Incorporate recommendations into maintenance and future projects, with input from businesses, accessibility partners and people who use the spaces.

• Follow through on everyday care. Build on existing cleaning and maintenance services, identify recurring gaps and improve responses to concerns about litter, gardens, seating and repairs.

• Address vacant and derelict properties. Continue working with property owners and City teams on conditions affecting safety, neighbouring businesses and public confidence.

• Build on vandalism prevention and restoration support. Evaluate the existing program and use its results to inform future assistance.

• Connect immediate safety responses with lasting solutions. Support appropriate enforcement alongside coordinated housing, treatment and outreach services that help people move toward stability.

 

 Businesses that can open stay and grow

• Hear directly from businesses. Meet regularly with the BIA and business owners, identify barriers and track follow-up.

• Make City Hall easier to navigate. Build on the work of the Business Resource Centre and Economic Development team, with better coordination across departments so business owners understand requirements, responsibilities and next steps.

• Fill gaps in shopping and services. Work with businesses and property owners to identify opportunities, support existing businesses and welcome new shops and services that add to what downtown offers.

• Bring vacant storefronts back into use. Work with property owners and prospective businesses to understand obstacles and pursue practical solutions.

• Continue making construction communication a priority. Keep businesses and customers informed with clear, timely updates about access, parking, deliveries and changes affecting their visits and operations.

• Review parking and access. Examine opportunities for free parking and changes to re-parking restrictions, considering costs, customer convenience, accessibility and parking turnover.

• Support responsible reinvestment. Help property owners understand available programs and identify barriers to improving buildings and reusing underused spaces.

• Use planning tools to encourage the businesses and spaces downtown needs. Review the Community Improvement Plan and other planning tools to bring forward targeted options that help food businesses and retailers open or expand, bring vacant spaces into use and encourage greener gathering places. Set clear public benefits, costs and measures of success for any proposed incentives.

 

 More happening throughout the week

• Coordinate regular programming. Work with the BIA, businesses, post-secondary institutions and community partners on daytime and evening markets, performances, activities and family events.

• Prioritize local talent. Create more opportunities for Brantford artists, musicians and performers, including paid opportunities through City-supported programming.

• Bring public spaces to life. Support recurring activities in suitable squares, parks and gathering places, including free and affordable options for different ages.

• Make events easier to organize. Provide a clear City contact, simpler application requirements and accessible information about spaces, permits, fees, insurance and equipment.

• Make the most of our entertainment and recreation spaces. Work with the Sanderson Centre, Civic Centre, library, YMCA and other partners to coordinate activities and promotion. Pursue opportunities to keep the Civic Centre busy with sports, recreation, events and community uses, alongside Earl Haig’s enhancement and the Sports and Entertainment Centre now being built.

• Help local businesses benefit from performances and events. Coordinate promotion, visitor information and access planning so people attending downtown activities are encouraged to visit nearby shops and restaurants.

• Tell downtown’s story. Work with partners to promote local businesses, experiences and events to people across Brantford and potential visitors.

A welcoming downtown neighbourhood

• Support a range of housing options. Work with partners to advance rental and affordable housing, including appropriate conversion of unused upper floors and reuse of existing buildings.

• Hear from people who live downtown. Include their priorities in decisions about services, public spaces, safety and development.

• Build on our relationships with students. Students are already part of downtown life. Hear directly from students and work with post-secondary partners on housing, transportation, safety, activities and opportunities that help more graduates build their future in Brantford.

• Build on the library and YMCA’s contributions. Work together on learning, recreation and community activities, identify gaps and help more people discover the programs and spaces available to them.

• Make getting around easier. Identify and advance practical improvements to accessible walking routes, crossings, transit access, bicycle parking and seating.

• Respect downtown’s character. Support heritage restoration and adaptive reuse, and encourage development that contributes to the surrounding streets and public spaces.

 

Enjoy our riverfront history and arts

• Work with the Brant Waterways Foundation and waterfront partners. Bring their knowledge together with Indigenous, conservation, accessibility and community perspectives to identify practical enhancements and care for natural spaces.

• Create welcoming places by the river. Pursue suitable locations for seating, shade, landscaping, viewing areas, public art and accessible paths, respecting the river’s ecology, flood protection and site conditions.

• Explore appropriate outdoor activities. Identify locations where small performances, educational activities and community gatherings could take place without compromising natural areas.

• Make trails and local history easier to discover. Improve trail information and wayfinding, and work with Indigenous partners, the library and heritage organizations to share the stories of this place.

• Advance arts-space planning. Include downtown opportunities in the work toward a practical mid-sized performing arts space, with clear capital and operating costs.

• Plan for lasting care. Include maintenance and operating needs in new public-space investments so improvements remain welcoming and in good repair.

 

Clear leadership and visible progress

• Establish a clear coordination lead. Work with the CAO to designate a lead within the existing City staff structure to coordinate downtown priorities and provide a clear point of contact for partners.

• Organize actions by timing. Identify immediate improvements, priorities for the Council term and longer-term projects.

• Connect priorities to delivery. Set out responsibilities, expected timelines, estimated costs and potential funding through departmental work plans and the budget process.

• Publish an annual downtown progress report. Report on completed work, outstanding actions and measures such as storefront vacancies, business feedback, public-space activity and responses to safety and maintenance concerns.

• Keep people involved. Continue hearing from businesses, people who live downtown, students and community partners, and explain how their feedback influences the work.

 

Start in the first year

During my first year, I will establish immediate priorities with staff and partners, begin the refreshed Downtown Master Plan and put coordination and public reporting in place. Practical improvements to maintenance, communication and public-space activity should continue while the longer-term plan is developed.

I will stay present, bring partners together, address obstacles and keep downtown renewal a priority throughout the term.

A downtown people enjoy. A downtown where businesses can succeed. A downtown we can be proud of.

 

Our City. Our Future.