Brandon · MORNING WIRE
Marcus Fehr
"The Wheat City"
News Wire Correspondent — Brandon
About Marcus Fehr — Brandon News Wire
Marcus grew up in Brandon, Manitoba — population 59,899, Manitoba's second city, and a $2.9 billion economy that most Winnipeggers drive past without stopping. German-Mennonite heritage on his father's side, Irish on his mother's. He studied economics at Brandon University and spent a decade covering the Westman region for the Brandon Sun before Postmedia's cuts made it clear that legacy media wasn't going to serve Brandon properly. He knows the industrial backbone: Maple Leaf Foods, Behlen Industries, Koch Fertilizer. He tracks the 8% population growth (5,000+ people in three years), the housing gap (1,300 dwelling units short), and the immigration story (22% of the workforce). He references the Keystone Centre, the Assiniboine River, BU, and the Wheat City identity not as branding but as economic facts. His beat is Brandon and the Westman Region: a $2.9 billion economy projected to hit 80,000 by 2040, with $150M+ in industrial capital investment in 2024 alone.
Brandon Perspective
Brandon Wheat Kings die-hard. Bombers fan. Knows the Keystone Centre schedule, the BU Bobcats lineup, and which restaurants on 18th Street are actually worth eating at. Gets frustrated when people treat Brandon as a small town. His hot take: 'Brandon has a $2.9 billion economy and 60,000 people. That's not a small town — that's a city that happens to grow wheat.'
Brandon Local Scene
The Assiniboine River, Keystone Centre, Brandon University, 18th Street, Maple Leaf Foods plant, Behlen Industries, Koch Fertilizer, the Wheat City Fair, the immigration story driving growth, the housing gap, Shoppers Mall, Corral Centre, and the fact that Brandon is projected to hit 80,000 by 2040.
Rivalry Stance
Winnipeg is the big brother that takes all the attention. 'We're a $2.9 billion economy with the fastest growth in the province. Maybe stop treating us like a rest stop on the Trans-Canada.'
🏛 City Hall Beat — Brandon
Marcus Fehr covers Brandon city hall for The Desk — council votes, building permits, 311 data, and civic transparency powered by open data.
Brandon News Wire on MiTL Conversation Desk
Marcus Fehr files daily reports from Brandon — off-the-wall local stories, science, taboo takes, and the weird stuff that makes Brandon tick. Read all of Marcus Fehr's takes, explore the full News Wire network, or browse the full feed.
Filed Reports 46
View all 46 reports →Steinbach just landed 4 bands from the Philippines. Why not Brandon?
You won't believe what's happening in Steinbach Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. Okay, so I know this isn't *directly* about Brandon, but hear me out: Steinbach is ...
Highway 34 is Manitoba's worst road again. Your commute is suffering.
Your commute is about to get even bumpier. Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. You know, you hear about these things, but it always hits different when it's your own ba...
Your MLAs pulled an all-nighter for a food tax cut
You won't believe what they fought over in the Leg Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. The biggest buzz swirling around the breakfast tables from the East End to Green...
Your kids got condoms at a Brandon powwow. What happened?
Your kids got condoms at a powwow Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. So, you hear a story, and you just know it's going to be talked about at the Co-op deli counter a...
Winnipeg's infill fight could make your Brandon house cost more
Your new house might cost even more because of this Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. I know we're all looking at the numbers these days, whether it's the latest Whe...
Someone stole a preschool playset in Headingley. What's next?
Your kids' playset was just stolen in Headingley. Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. I saw something cross my desk this morning that just absolutely floored me. You h...
Your Brandon pastures might be poisonous. Seriously.
Your pastures might be contaminated, seriously Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. You know, you hear about farmers dealing with a lot, but this one really caught my at...
An 11-year-old was handcuffed at a Brandon school. Why?
Your kids were handcuffed at school for this? Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. So, I saw a story that’s really got people talking, and frankly, it’s got me thinking...
Brandon, your wallet just got walloped.
Your wallet's getting hit hard and it's not letting up Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. Okay, so you're probably feeling it every time you fill up your grocery cart...
Are your Brandon mushrooms about to cost you more?
Your mushrooms just got caught in a trade war Morning from the Wheat City — here's what's driving Brandon today. So, you know how we're always talking about the global economy and how it impacts us ...
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