One of the biggest advantages the City of Brandon boasts is access to an abundance of affordable and reliable electricity generated by the publicly owned utility, Manitoba Hydro. KPMG’s Competitive Alternatives Study ranked Brandon’s electricity costs as the lowest of 34 Canadian cities and 24 US Midwest/Canadian Prairie cities, covered in the 2016 report.
Electricity
Manitoba Hydro
Nearly all of Manitoba Hydro’s electricity is generated from self-renewing waterpower, with 98 per cent of the total produced from 14 hydroelectric generating stations, primarily on the Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and Nelson rivers. The remainders of the province’s energy needs are produced from thermal generating stations in Brandon and Selkirk and power purchased from an independent wind farm in St. Leon.
Manitoba Hydro is a provincial Crown Corporation, the utility also imports and exports electricity within Canada and the mid-western United States. The province’s abundant water resources—in addition to its beneficial export contracts—provide Manitobans with electricity rates that are among the lowest in North America.
Manitoba Hydro provides electricity to over 555,760 customers throughout the province and natural gas service to over 268,000 customers in various communities—primarily in the southern region. In addition to providing residential and commercial customers with electricity and gas, Manitoba Hydro aggressively promotes energy conservation through its many Power Smart* programs. The utility is known nationally for its quality of service and reliability.
Survey of Canadian Electricity Prices (Source: energyhub.org)
Water & Waste Water
Brandon has an excellent supply of potable water and access to an independent water supply is available in select locations. The City of Brandon's Water Treatment Plant provides a water supply capacity of 40 million litres per day and operates between 45% and 75% capacity, depending on demand. The Assiniboine River, which runs through the city, is the sole source of water during normal operation. There is a limited 90 day supply of water provided by wells. The river flows are augmented during low flow periods by the release of water from the Shellmouth Reservoir.
Through the Water Reclamation Facility, the volume of treated effluent available for use as industrial use water is in the range of 20-25 ML per day. The City of Brandon is willing to partner with industry with regards to providing the effluent as industrial use water, a partnership that could provide substantial economic and environment benefits to industry. Supplying the effluent as industrial use water does not impact the environment and lies within the purview of the City’s existing Environment Act Licence; this alone may significantly shorten project timelines and eliminates licensing uncertainty.
Additional information on Brandon water can be found in the Brandon Water Supply Annual Report.
Water consumption charges are as follows:
Water (per cubic meter) $1.660
Chemical Building Debt Surcharge (per cubic meter) $0.172
Total Water $1.832
Wastewater (per cubic meter) $1.630
Total Water & Wastewater $3.462
Monthly Service Charge (per water meter) $4.660
Quarterly Service Charge (per water meter) $17.48
City of Brandon rates available at this link: www.brandon.ca/rates
Manitoba Hydro, through its subsidiary, Centra Gas, provides natural gas service throughout the City of Brandon and surrounding region. Their rates are determined using a 12-month forecast that is reviewed and adjusted on a regular basis. Rates vary with volumes purchased and the nature of your purchasing agreement. KMPG’s Competitive Alternatives Study ranked Canada's natural gas costs at 3rd out of 10 Countries covered their 2016 report.
Telecommunications
Brandon is a highly wired city serviced by an excellent telecommunications network and a full range of service providers.
Bell MTS is proud to be Manitoba’s leading communications company, delivering the best broadband networks and services. We are dedicated to providing a full suite of communications products to Manitoba’s customers and businesses including Internet, Wireless, TV and Security Systems plus information solutions such as Unified Cloud and Managed Services.
Bell MTS has a 5-year plan to invest $1 billion to enhance our networks to introduce leading-edge communications technologies to Manitobans across the province.
Westman Communications Group is committed to growth not only in cable TV but in other communication services as well. We are dedicated to providing our customers with state-of-the-art technology and services in cable TV, fiber optics, Internet, telephone service, advertising and broadcasting: technology that brings the world to you.
Westman Communications Group is committed to delivering a quality customer experience and to achieving growth through investment and by leveraging technology, the strength of our people, our partners and our infrastructure. As a member-owned and locally-controlled cooperative, Westman is guided by cooperative principles.
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| Daily Newspaper | Brandon Sun |
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Bell MTS |
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In keeping with Brandon’s progressive approach to environmental stewardship, the City has conducted an analysis of the methane gas capture opportunity at the municipal land fill for the generation of electricity. Study results demonstrate that assuming a current landfill gas collection rate of 470 to 910 m3/hr (260 to 540 cfm), a 1.0 to 1.5 MW electrical generating plant could currently be sustained. As landfill gas production (and thus collection) is expected to increase until 2058, it would be feasible to install such a facility and expand in stages up to a 4 or 5 MW plant. There exists the opportunity to capture additional methane gas from the Central Waste Water Treatment Facility, of which carbon credits have not been assigned.