UDI Manitoba was pleased to meet with Manitoba Finance Minister Adrien Sala on January 23^rd to hear from the Minister on Manitoba’s Affordable Energy Plan.  Topics discussed focused on how industry and government can work together to explore the feasibility and expanded use of geothermal and district energy systems in Manitoba. 

To see the presentation provided to UDI Manitoba, click here.

UDI Developer members wishing to contact the Province to directly discuss the use of geothermal in their own development can contact Lanny McInnes at lmcinnes@homebuilders.mb.ca for further details. 

For more information on Manitoba’s Affordable Energy Plan, click here.

Below are some changes of note to the fees being assessed and charged by City of Brandon Development Services Division starting in 2025.



1. Convenience Fee - A 2.25% convenience fee will be added on all charges when payment is being made by credit or debit card. Payments made using cash or cheque will not be subject to a convenience fee.
2. A fee of $50.00 will be applied to new construction permits in which heating and ventilation design reviews are deferred to the plumbing permit application. To avoid this fee, contractors are encouraged to include all necessary heating and ventilation details at the time of the initial permit application.
3. New fees have been implemented for all temporary tent structure installations greater than 90m² [968 ft²] at a rate of $150 for the first temporary tent structure and $20 for each additional temporary tent structure on the same property.

A new fee has been added for the installation of fire protection systems such as automatic fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems and spray booths. There will be a base fee of $147.00 plus an additional $12.00 for every $1,000 of construction value.

Teranet Manitoba is committed to delivering a registry experience that’s accessible, efficient, and inclusive of everyone. As part of this commitment, they continually assess and improve their online services to remove barriers and ensure a seamless experience.

Effective Sunday, January 26, 2025, enhancements were introduced to eRegistration, Land Titles Online, and Plan Deposit Submission. These updates deliver new accessibility features and simplify online navigation, ensuring your workflows are more intuitive and user-friendly

Winnipeg’s Executive Policy Committee tabled the City’s 2025 Preliminary Budget update on December 11th. Highlights of the City’s 2025 Preliminary Budget were:

• A property tax increase of 5.95%, up from 3.5% in 2024;
• $17 million diverted from water and sewer revenues to the operating budget;
• General fee increases of 5%;
• Depletion of the City’s Fiscal stabilization reserve;
• Increase of 9 FTE’s in Development Approvals, Building Permits and Inspections in 2025 and up to 38 in total by 2027; and
• 36 new police officers over 2 years.
• 

To view the 2025 Budget documents and schedule of meetings, click here.

To view the City of Winnipeg’s budget news release, click here.

The Provincial Government has reintroduced two pieces of planning legislation that were originally introduced in the previous legislative session but were not passed.

Bill 4 – The Planning Amendment Act, (formerly Bill 42) will give municipalities with the option to not join Plan 20-50 for the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region, giving the 18 WMR municipalities the ability to choose to be part of the Capital Planning Region. Bill 4 also extends the date for completing the initial regional plan for the Capital Planning to January 2027.

The obligations concerning drinking water and wastewater management plans for municipalities within the capital region are continued and are no longer dependent on membership in the Capital Planning Region. Related amendments are made in respect to other planning regions that may be established in the future. Further amendments are expected to be introduced in 2025 as a result of the statutory review of Manitoba’s planning legislation currently underway. The MHBA and UDI Manitoba have participated in the stakeholder consultation as part of this review and has provided the government with recommendations.

To view Bill 4 – The Planning Amendment Act, click here.

To view the WMR’s statement on Bill 4, click here.

The Province has also reintroduced Bill 3 – The City of Winnipeg Charter Amendment Act and Planning Amendment Act, (formerly Bill 40) which would require 300 eligible persons to object in order to trigger a public appeal to the Manitoba Municipal Board, up from 25 eligible persons. In Winnipeg, Brandon and other municipalities and planning districts with a population of over 6,000 per census population. In municipalities and planning districts with a population under 6,000, the proposed amendments would increase the number of local objectors required to trigger a referral to the greater of 100 eligible persons or five per cent of the census population. These legislative changes are expected to result in faster, clearer decisions and reduce the cost and length of potential delays.

To view Bill 3, click here.

The City of Brandon, in collaboration with AECOM Canada Ltd., is conducting a comprehensive Water Distribution Capacity Analysis and Feasibility Study to support growth and evaluate the City’s water distribution system.

The primary objective of the project is to assess the system’s capacity to meet the current and future needs of neighbourhoods, with a particular focus on the southwest and southeast areas (South Growth Area).

The project scope includes:

• Reviewing and upgrading the city-wide water distribution system (WDS) hydraulic model, with a focus on calibration using field data.
• Conducting a Fire Flow Analysis to identify potential system vulnerabilities and propose mitigative measures to enhance reliability and fire safety.
• Performing a Capacity and Growth Analysis to determine necessary infrastructure and operational improvements to support ongoing and future development in the South Growth Area.

The study emphasizes sustainable infrastructure planning to address urban growth while ensuring service reliability. The project is scheduled for completion by Summer 2025.

Enquiries regarding the project can be sent to LandDevelopment@brandon.ca

Manitoba Municipal Board public hearing notices can be found here.