2022 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS n 7
THURSDAY AUGUST 11 2022 n THE BRANDON SUN
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to Brookwood Place in the 2020 edition of the awards. After being told that one of the areas he represents on city council made the top three, Coun. Sunday Frangi (Mead- ows-Waverly) told the Sun that the honour made sense to him. “I think Waverly is a pretty safe neighbourhood,” said Frangi, who became the coun- cillor after a by-election last year. “It’s a well kept neighbour- hood, I’m guessing the crime rate there is pretty low compar- ing to other parts of the city. We have the best school, Waverly Park School.” In the 2020 edition of the awards, Big Brothers Big Sis- ters of Brandon didn’t make the top-three in the best local char- ity category. Since then, they’ve taken home the gold medal in consecutive years, including this year’s award. For Kirby Sararas, a Brandon Police Service sergeant and a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2001, the impact the charity has made on West- man has been evident. »Continued on Page 8
to the riverbank after the chal- lenges of the COVID-19 pan- demic. “To see the revitalization of the riverbank and people vis- iting from out of province, out- side the city, outside the coun- try. It’s really nice to say we’re pretty much back to normal.” Apart from the numerous events that take place at the riverbank like Canada Day cel- ebrations, Truth and Reconcili- ation Week and the recent reg- gae festival, Montgomery said the trails and playgrounds are constantly busy. Going forward, he said he doesn’t believe there’s a limit to what the riverbank can achieve and build. “We love to be a place that lo- cals can bring their friends and family to enjoy as well as being that first face, the smiling face, that people see when they visit Brandon or come to look for in- formation on what to see, what to do, what to eat, where to stay in Brandon,” Montgomery said. For the second straight year, Waverly Park took home the gold for best neighbourhood after coming in second place
For instance, after being shut out of the top three last year, the Riverbank Discovery Centre on the north side of the Assiniboine River in Brandon came back with a vengeance this year to be named the best place to take a tourist. The juxtaposition of being the headquarters for Brandon Tourism as well as a tourist destination itself isn’t lost on James Montgomery, the gen- eral manager of Brandon Riv- erbank Inc. and the city’s tour- ism organization, who said he believes it’s a “unique situa- tion.” When the Sun dropped by the centre to take a photo of Montgomery for this article, that dual-purpose was on dis- play as he helped a couple vis- iting from Florida to use the RV dump station, check out tour- ist information and organize kayak rentals at the recently opened canoe and kayak cove on the river. “It’s super satisfying,” Mont- gomery said of people returning
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With the Riverbank Discovery Centre being awarded the gold medal for best place to take a tourist in the 2022 Westman Readers Choice awards, general manager James Montgomery said it’s a “unique situation” for Brandon Tourism’s offices to be a tourist destination itself. (Colin Slark/The Brandon Sun)
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