r/brantford

We have $12

Does anyone know what the new buildings they are putting up on Henry St across from the Rona and next to the Harvey’s plaza?

I’m planning to take my girlfriend to On the Lam in Brantford. Has anyone tried the food there? I’d love to know how the food is and what the ambience is like.

I was taking my pups to Furry Friends on Tranquility but the last time I was there with my pups I had a bad experience and would choose to go somewhere else preferably close by or a small business so I can support :)

https://preview.redd.it/jbco077fw7kh1.png?width=574&format=png&auto=webp&s=38bfc5e6ec09c5363aedf7fa2a938c6317282ae3

D'Aubigny to Cochshutt this Sunday.

We organize gatherings like this all the time for our love of the Grand River and communities that share it. If your interested in coming Sunday this discord link will work for 24h.

https://discord.gg/Bde9VTQ

what is the going rate for upgrading a fuse box to breakers, ballpark? And can anyone recommend some good companies to get quotes from? Standard raised ranch, northend. 80s build.

Does anybody happen to know any stores or people that buy pokemon cards i have some old ones that i don't have any use for any more, and i'm looking to get some money out of em.

Hey all,

We're looking to replace a door on our home and we're wondering if anyone has had this done recently. How much did you pay? It's an exterior door, doesn't have to be pretty or have glass or anything. We just want to see what the price range for this is!

Anyone know where you can purchase bulk furnace filters for a decent price in the Brantford area? We used to buy ours at Wolseley on Henry but they’ve closed.

I am looking to put some glass inserts in my cabinet doors. Does anyone know of a place near by that will cut glass to size? I can bring a piece of glass or can purchase from them. Thank you!

Hey Brantford,

Long-time lurker. I've got about $100k sitting in a savings account doing basically nothing and I've been going back and forth for months. Figured I'd ask people who actually live here instead of reading generic advice online.

Option 1: just invest it. The boring answer is ETFs in a TFSA and forget about it. But I'm curious what people here actually do — anyone doing rental property in Brantford or Paris? Is the math still working at current prices and rates, or is everyone cash-flow negative and hoping for appreciation?

Option 2: start something here. This is the one I keep coming back to, because I'd rather build something than watch a number go up and down. But I don't want to open the fifth vape shop on Colborne and be closed in 14 months.

So the real question: what does this city actually need that we don't have?

What I'm asking:

1. If you had $100k to put into a local business, what would you open here and why?
2. What service or shop have you wanted to use in town and just couldn't find?
3. Anyone who runs a business here — honest reality on rent, staffing and dealing with the city? Would you do it again?

For context: my background is in software engineering and I could put in 20 hours a week. Not trying to get rich quick, just want something steady that's actually useful to people here.

Appreciate any honest takes, including "don't do it, keep your money."

I‘m looking to replace my hot water tank with a new one - buying out right. Any recommendations for a local company that sells and installs them at a fair price ?

How is everyone feeling about Steel Wheel since the ownership change?

Curious if anyone else who used to go regularly feels the same way, because I’ve tried to give the new ownership a fair chance, but it just feels like a completely different place now.

The beer is still great, and the longtime staff who are still there deserve credit. But the overall experience has really gone downhill for me. No more table service, fewer staff, food being unavailable or just not great, less upkeep, and the taproom has lost a lot of the personality it used to have. Having part of it used as office space for the owner’s other business is also… an interesting choice.

The social media is another weird one. It used to feel like a cool local craft brewery, and now the feed is full of AI-generated posts and videos of the owner. For a brewery, there seems to be surprisingly little content actually about the beer.

The vibe in general has changed a lot too. Seeing the owner drinking there pretty regularly and the addition of giant beer towers gives it more of a frat/sports bar feel, which is pretty far from what I liked about Steel Wheel in the first place.

I’ve also noticed other longtime customers bringing up similar issues online, and the response to criticism hasn't exactly made me feel like the feedback is welcome. Meanwhile, some of the glowing reviews seem to come from people connected to the business, which doesn't help the optics.

Obviously new owners are going to make changes, and I never expected it to stay exactly the same. But it feels like a lot of what made Steel Wheel such a hidden gem has been lost really quickly.

The beer is still good. I’m just not sure that’s enough anymore.

Anyone else been since the change? Curious what other people think.

We have 6 candidates for Mayor; 4 are current councillors and 2 unserious candidates. Here are my thoughts on each in order of preference.

1. Richard Carpenter- appears to be someone that speaks up for citizens. Some will say he will vote against the grain knowing it will pass anyways--this makes him look like a hero. However, he has been censured for speaking out showing he puts his money where his mouth is
2. Mandy Samwell- appears to be a nice and genuine person. Not sure if this attribute is enough to run the city. Her platform lacks substance using lots of buzz words.
3. Rose Sicoli- not impressed with how she spoke to the tenants of the city owned houses on Park Road South when they gave notice the city planned on selling the homes. Her line of questioning was as very disrespectful to say the least. The fact our current Mayor made her the deputy mayor not following protocol tells me she will be a continuation of Davis.
4. Dan McCreary- has been in office for so long that, in my view, he appears to have developed a sense that the rules do not apply to him. A good example was his decision to put up billboards promoting his mayoral campaign, despite knowing that the city’s bylaws prohibit this type of advertising. Even if there was a grey area in the interpretation of the bylaw, the decision demonstrated a willingness to push the boundaries to get what he wants.More concerning was his position during discussions about the proposed fireworks ban. As council considered amendments that would allow fireworks retailers to continue selling them, McCreary suggested that retailers collect the names of Brantford residents who purchased fireworks and provide that information to the city. Such a proposal raises serious privacy concerns and would potentially conflict with privacy laws governing the collection and disclosure of customers’ personal information. The proposal was ultimately not included in the final bylaw. To me, this is particularly troubling because a mayor should understand and respect the limits of government authority and individual privacy. His willingness to consider having private businesses collect personal information on behalf of the government suggests a troubling willingness to expand government oversight. He should know better, but once again, he appears willing to push the limits to achieve what he wants..
5. Ricky Willdy - No point in commenting
6. Leslie Bory- No point in commenting

What are your thoughts on each?