Brantford is starting to Think Big!

What a wonderful time we've all had these past few weeks going door to door and getting to know the people of Brantford. Quite a privilege really.

At "Think Big" Headquarters, we were delighted to read Tim Philp's Brantford Expositor column on Monday about last week's debate on Rogers Cable 20.

A BIG surprise was Brian Beattie who seemed to come out of nowhere to give one of the stronger performances in the debates. If he is unsuccessful in his council run, he will bear watching in the next race in 4 years.

We're hearing over and over that the people in Brantford are as passionate about our city as we are, and I feel honoured that so many people are choosing to THINK BIG. If you missed the Ward 1 debate the first time around, check out the lower right corner of the Blog for the times when it will be re-run!


brianbeattieward1@gmail.com
(519) 752-7789

Brantford After Dark Invitation

There's a lot of discussion about what's happening downtown with the revitalization and with Laurier University and how the 2 combine. As I was watching one the Ward debates this week, I heard one prospective councillor talking about how safe the downtown is and how students don't fear for their safety. That's a wonderful sentiment for a person to say from the North End of the city, however it's just not based on the facts.

According to a representative from the Laurier Student Union, safety is the second biggest concern for the students surpassed only by their need for transportation out of the downtown (because there's nothing for them to buy, eat or do). One student I spoke with a few days ago, who said that safety is her biggest issue, said that she has seen 5 arrests right in front of her residence within the previous week! Sounds safe to me.

Here's what we project on our city's website and to prospective people considering moving their families, businesses, or son's and daughters (speaking of the University) to our city.

However... here's "the rest of the story". If we can shoot a horror film of a "deserted possessed town" in this part of our city and all we need is to add grey foam (dirt)... we may have a problem. As a city, we're presently giving the owners of these, and similar type buildings around our city, tax BREAKS (30% less than normal!) to keep them empty. This may not be great leadership on our part (He said with his tongue firmly embedded in his cheek).

So let's get real. If we want to have a downtown that is appealing to our students, we'd better get the downtown issue taken care of immediately. We need to THINK BIG about how to really make Brantford a University city if we're going to allow our post secondary schools to thrive as they should.

The THINK BIG team, is officially inviting you (along with the local media) to join us Friday October 27th in front of our building at 178 Market Street from 9:30 until 2am. (It's the Big Blue building, formerly "The Scene" and "The Rainforest Restaurant"). Every Friday night, an outreach team from Freedom House, hosts a free barbecue there. You should really come and see what happens in "Brantford After Dark"

brianbeattieward1@gmail.com

(519) 752-7789

Brantford after Dark

Not many could argue that much progress has been made in Brantford's downtown. But to presume that just because of the University's presence, all the issues will be solved would be naive. Coming from Kingston, and knowing the enormously positive impact a downtown University can have on city, I remember how exciting it was hearing Chris Friel announce that Laurier was coming to MY city.

I am the pastor of Freedom House Church (Known as the Big Blue House) on Market Street. This summer, I began to actively observe the fascinating social dynamic that exists downtown. Every Friday night, my team and I host a free barbecue with the sole purpose of building relationship with those who frequent the downtown, or call it their home. This is what one "North End" resident has also observed. (Click to download MP3)

As fall hit, and the University Students poured back into the downtown in record numbers and there was an excitement in the air. A brand new social dynamic arose which was in stark contrast to what we had previously observed. Two distinct groups. Two distinct cultures. Each with their own set of values, predisposed notions, and expectations of the city. As could be expected, issues have arisen. Here is what one second year Laurier Student, an Elmira resident, has to say about living in Downtown Brantford. (Click to download MP3). Another student visiting from the University of Waterloo had this to say... (Click to download MP3)

1. University Students need to feel comfortable and safe in Brantford.
2. The Social issues that exist do not simply disappear because of the University's presence
3. The success of the University is VITAL to Brantford and ALL aspects... including the social aspect MUST be considered for the success of our plan.

We have invited the local media, Friday October 27th at 10pm to come and visit "Brantford After Dark". I would also like to extend this invitation to you. Please contact me with your thoughts and concerns. Don't forget that to truly take Brantford where it needs to go, we need to THINK BIG!

brianbeattieward1@gmail.com
(519) 752-7789

Why I'm doing what I'm doing

Hello, I'm Brian Beattie, and I’m running for City councillor in Ward 1. What an interesting turn of events. To be totally honest, I have thought about this for a few years. It’s really just a carry over of my personal philosophy "if you don’t vote you don’t have an opinion”. This is just the next level. If you have strong opinions and the ability to see things change for good, you should get involved and be part of the solution.

A couple of things pushed the proverbial scales over the top for me. One was the front-page coverage that John Starkey received on September 23^rd as he “went out swinging”. Enough said!

But much more importantly, both my boys ran for class reps at their school last week. As we were encouraging them to get involved, and try make a difference (blah, blah, blah… you know… the good parental speeches we all give at times), I realized that I had a similar opportunity before me. The only question - was I going to get involved and try and make a difference?

My wife and I had a discussion last week about what the election process would do to us. How would it affect us? How would it affect our boys and our friends? We’ve always been an upfront couple. We’re very involved in public life both personally and professionally, but obviously this would take it up a notch. Did we want more people wanting our time? Did we want more people talking about us?

The day after we had that discussion I was flipping through one of our “Bathroom Books" (You know the ones that have short enough chapters to make them a good, short read) and came across this quote... "the only thing worse than people talking about you is people not talking about you." Well that became the final word, or keeping with the previous metaphor, the last scale tipping pound.

By the way, it's going to come up soon, so I thought I might as well tell you that this is my first shot at a Municipal Election and public political life. But if you know anything at all about Pastoring... you already know Politics will be nothing new to me.

Brian Beattie