Winnipeg Minute: Issue 133

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

📅 This Week In Winnipeg: 📅

• Mayoral candidate Kevin Klein is calling on the provincial government to release the final report of the public inquiry into the construction of Winnipeg's police headquarters before the October 28th municipal election. Inquiry spokesperson Stacy Nagle said last Thursday that the report has been sent to the printer but is not yet complete because the Province has not received it. The $2.3-million inquiry examined the City's $214-million purchase and renovation of the former Canada Post complex on Graham Avenue, a project that finished two years late and $79 million over its Council-approved budget. In 2022, a Manitoba judge found that former Chief Administrative Officer Phil Sheegl accepted a $327,200 bribe from the owner of contractor Caspian Construction in exchange for favouring the firm in tendering, and Caspian and other defendants settled a separate City lawsuit for $28 million. Klein says taxpayers deserve to know who was responsible before they vote, and has challenged Mayor Scott Gillingham to join his call. Gillingham says the timing of the release is the provincial government's decision, and pointed out that Klein voted in 2020 against adding $2.25 million to the City's legal budget for the lawsuit. Premier Wab Kinew said in September that his government would release the report within weeks of receiving it, but the Province declined to comment on Klein's request.
  
  
• A survey conducted for CBC News in August suggests fewer than half of Winnipeggers trust police to respond quickly if they need help. In the Abacus Data survey, 45% of Winnipeg respondents agreed they trust police to respond quickly, with 7% agreeing strongly and 38% agreeing somewhat, while about a quarter were unsure, about a quarter disagreed somewhat, and 5% disagreed strongly. Respondents in Brandon, Selkirk, and Steinbach were more confident in their local police, and only those in northern Manitoba cities had less trust than Winnipeggers. The findings echo a Winnipeg police survey earlier this year, in which responding promptly was rated the most important police activity but ranked last in performance, with only 44% saying police did an excellent or good job. Winnipeg Police Association President Cory Wiles said the number of general patrol officers has not kept up with demand, partly because of the creation of specialized units in recent years. Police point to units focused on property crime, including a rapid response unit created to improve response times.
  
  
• A new Abacus Data poll conducted for the Winnipeg Free Press found only about one in five Winnipeggers believe the city is heading in the right direction, while half feel it is going the wrong way and about three in ten are unsure. The poll asked residents about the city's direction, value for their tax dollars, and satisfaction with City services, and streets and roads drew the most dissatisfaction of any service, with transit also scoring poorly. Curtis Brown of Abacus Data said residents are also worried about crime and safety, poverty and homelessness, and the drug crisis, with concern growing as residents see those problems more directly, while rising costs add to the negative mood. The poll also found a large share of voters have yet to choose a mayoral candidate, about half by the Winnipeg Sun's estimate, a higher share than in past campaigns.
  
  
• Three candidates are vying to replace St. Vital Councillor Brian Mayes, who is running for school trustee instead, which means the ward will elect a new Councillor for the first time in 15 years. Mayes has endorsed Chris Sigurdson, a criminal defence lawyer and school trustee, who names infrastructure, traffic, taxes, and crime as the ward's big issues and says he will push for a new southeast police station. Doug Reimer, a director at a gas company running, says voters want police stations back in the ward and that he would fight the new infill housing rules, which have been controversial in the Glenwood neighbourhood after its share of lot splits. Business owner Season Kirkwood, who teaches Red River Metis history and culture, says the ward needs better sidewalks as its population ages. Kirkwood also wants transit's on-demand service extended between Abinojii Mikonah and Fermor, and the 55 bus route reinstated.
  
  
• Three candidates are running to replace River Heights-Fort Garry Councillor John Orlikow, who is not seeking another term, so the ward will elect its first new Councillor since 2009. Georgina Sabesky, Orlikow's executive assistant for 17 years, supports a project of up to $757 million to expand Kenaston Boulevard to curb congestion, and says new infill rules, such as minimum yard sizes, could help new homes fit existing neighbourhoods. Sara MacArthur, general manager of Camp Stephens and a former municipal policy adviser to the executive policy committee secretariat, would review infill guidelines following complaints that some new construction leaves road, sidewalk, and back lane damage behind, and would convene a crime and safety forum. Jorge Requena Ramos, artistic director of the West End Cultural Centre, became interested in City politics after receiving an expropriation notice for his former home near Kenaston Boulevard, and plans to push Council to cancel the road project. He also supports adding density carefully under better regulations, along with a 30 km/h speed limit on residential streets and 40 km/h on collector routes.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Winnipeg residents head to the municipal polls on October 28th.

The ballot includes 12 mayoral candidates, 54 council candidates, and more than 90 school trustee candidates.

Advance voting is available too. All of the details are at the link below.

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