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The Brandon Assiniboine River Corridor Master Plan, City
of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
 Brandon’s
Assiniboine River Corridor Master Plan was a response to the
challenge of conserving the natural river environment within the
City by striking a balance between protection, community access
and enjoyment of the natural habitat. Ultimately, the goal of
the Master Plan is to rejuvenate 17.5 kilometres of the City’s
Assiniboine River corridor in the next twenty years. The master
plan is about achieving possibilities toward enrichment of city
life, urban renewal and downtown revitalization, expanding
recreation, leisure, tourism and commerce in balance with the
protection and interpretation of the river heritage and natural
resources.
Planning for the Assiniboine River Corridor Master Plan was
guided by the desire to achieve a “Made in Brandon” solution
developed by the citizens of Brandon. The first step was to
create a forum for the community to participate and direct the
preparation of the Master Plan. The Assiniboine River Corridor
Planning Group facilitated the participation of 214 individuals,
whom represented a broad range of community groups and
organizations. The process was guided by the Planning Team and
provided a series of workshop discovery steps involving the
assessment of needs, setting objectives, evaluating options,
searching for solutions and validating priorities through an
extensive workshop and public participation review process.
The
Assiniboine River Corridor Master Plan is guided by a vision
statement which weaves together community objectives and
enhancement initiatives into an implementation strategy. The
Master Plan presents a vision of the future and a road map to
achieve community riverbank enhancement goals and objectives.
Brandon Riverbank Incorporated was established by the City of
Brandon to manage implementation of the plan. With assistance
from Lombard North Group, Riverbank Inc. successfully
established partnerships and alliances with other levels of
government, community organizations, residents and businesses,
which resulted in the Brandon’s seed funding of $1.75 million to
over $5.5 million of Phase I revitalization priorities. A Trust
Fund was eventually incorporated to assist citizens make
contributions toward the development of the river walkways and
discovery trails.
A series of individual projects have already been developed out
of the Master Plan, all of which play an integral role in
connecting and enhancing Brandon’s Assiniboine River corridor.
The most notable of these projects are The River Corridor Trail
System, The Eleanor Kidd Botanical Garden, The Pedestrian
Bridge, The Riverbank Discovery Centre and Outdoor Interpretive
Area.
The Brandon
Assiniboine River Corridor Master Plan has been recognized with
the 2003 Manitoba Planning Excellence Award .
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