Winnipeg Minute: Issue 80

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

📅 This Week In Winnipeg: 📅

• Two residents of Waverley West are appealing City approval of a planned K-8 school and daycare, claiming it will disrupt the peace of their neighbourhood with added traffic, noise, and parking issues. The proposal from Pembina Trails School Division is meant to address severe space shortages, as nearly 1,700 local students currently attend schools outside their communities. School officials argue the project will reduce reliance on buses and expand daycare access. The site, located south of Landover Drive, was earmarked for a school in City planning documents as far back as 2012, and planners say its design includes measures to handle vehicle, bus, and pedestrian traffic. Some residents support the new facility, saying they face long commutes to get their children to class. City officials note it is rare to see opposition to new schools, especially in Waverley West, where demand for local education options is particularly high.
  
  
• Winnipeg Transit riders will soon have more time to complete their trips, as the City is extending the transfer window from 75 to 90 minutes starting Monday. The adjustment comes in response to passenger feedback following a major route overhaul launched in June. That system replaced the long-standing “hub-and-spoke” model with a “spine-and-feeder” network designed to streamline service through major routes supported by neighbourhood feeders. Since its rollout, many riders have criticized the changes, citing longer travel times, crowded buses, and stops located farther apart. The extended transfer period is aimed at making the service more convenient and reliable, particularly for those who now need extra time to connect between routes. Mayor Scott Gillingham claimed the move is part of ongoing adjustments to improve the new system and address concerns raised by passengers.
  
  
• A year-long pilot in Winnipeg testing emergency vehicle pre-emption (EVP) - letting fire and paramedic units switch red lights to green - showed that responses can be faster and safer, according to a City report. The pilot, running from April 2024 to April 2025 at 17 intersections, indicated response times could drop by 15-20%, while crews avoided risks entering intersections on red lights. The City plans to expand the system to 437 intersections, with projected upfront costs of $1.8 million and $200,000 for licensing and maintenance. Traffic engineers reported minimal congestion during pre-emptions, which mostly lasted under 50 seconds. While the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and City officials support the system, the firefighters’ union stresses that staffing shortages remain the bigger challenge and that response-time estimates are not fully proven. If approved in the 2026 capital budget, installation would take about two years alongside planned radio upgrades.
  
  
• West Winnipeg residents are expressing growing concern over rising crime along the city’s western edge, with more than 200 people attending a community safety forum on October 1st, 2025, organized by Councillor Evan Duncan and local police. Winnipeg police reported an increase in thefts, some escalating to violent encounters involving weapons such as CO2-propelled pistols and knives, and noted greater involvement from organized crime. Inspector Max Waddell emphasized that preventing crime requires community cooperation and encouraged residents to report incidents to help guide patrol decisions. Duncan said residents feel both anger and fear, with some afraid to even go to local stores, and described criminals as increasingly bold, targeting commercial areas and sometimes responding aggressively if confronted. Both police and community leaders stressed the need for greater local policing and vigilance to address the escalating situation.
  
  
• Construction of a new emergency department at Victoria Hospital in south Winnipeg will start in January 2026, with a tender for the project set to be awarded next month, according to Premier Wab Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara. Kinew highlighted the government’s commitment to restoring emergency services for south Winnipeg families and noted that since October 2023, the province has added 3,397 net new health-care workers, including 285 physicians, 1,100 nurses, 1,476 health-care aides, and 401 allied health professionals, with Victoria Hospital gaining 57 new staff. Asagwara said the hiring reflects confidence in the health-care system and the government’s dedication to rebuilding care and listening to frontline workers. The new emergency department will replace the hospital’s urgent care centre, adding inpatient beds, increasing diagnostic capacity, and creating a high-observation unit for acute care, with consultations from staff and the community guiding the design. The government also confirmed the Mature Women’s Centre will be restored and reopened alongside the new department, and the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre will be built on the hospital site with roughly $5 million in provincial funding, with construction expected to begin soon.

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