Winnipeg Minute: CAO Search, Senior Care, and Art Piece Preservation

Winnipeg Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Winnipeg politics

This Week In Winnipeg:

• This morning, at 9:30 am, there will be a Special Meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development. The purpose of the meeting is an appeal hearing in response to an order to vacate a property that the City says is not in compliance with several City of Winnipeg Bylaws.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 12:00 pm, there will be a meeting of the Winnipeg Food Council. No agenda is available for this meeting yet. The Governance Committee of Council Meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, is cancelled. And, on Friday, the Standing Policy Committee on Public Works will meet at 9:30 am. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.
  
  
• Applications are open for a new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). The search follows the formation of a Hiring Committee and collaboration with People First HR to refine the job description. The application deadline is March 10th, eight months after the previous CAO's resignation.

Last Week In Winnipeg:

• University of Manitoba professor Jason Shields and his team have been capturing detailed scans of "The Wall," an art piece created by Bruce Head in 1978, to create a 3D digital model for its preservation. As Portage and Main undergoes redevelopment, Judy Waytiuk, Head's widow, was devastated when she learned the concourse housing the piece would close, potentially burying this significant piece of Western Canadian art. Waytiuk hopes the virtual version will be displayed in the Portage and Main redevelopment or in galleries across Manitoba. The City has also hired a consultation team to explore options for preserving the original piece.
  
  
• The Province announced a $72 million investment for the expansion of Park Manor Personal Care Home in Transcona, which will add 90 private beds to the facility. The expansion aims to improve care for seniors in the area and increase overall capacity in the long-term care system. The expansion, which will begin this year, has been long-awaited by the Transcona community.
  
  
• The union representing City workers has objected to the City’s decision not to fund the Community Connections space at the Millennium Library in its 2025 budget. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 500 argues that replacing City librarians and community safety hosts with Downtown Community Safety Partnership (DCSP) workers violates its collective agreement. The DCSP, a collaboration between various agencies, proposed a satellite outreach space rather than a drop-in center. CUPE has threatened legal action to restore the original service.