Winnipeg Minute: Issue 97

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

📅 This Week In Winnipeg: 📅

• The Standing Policy Committee on Community Services will meet on Tuesday at 9:30 am. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service will provide a semi-annual update on the Hoarding and Collecting Behaviours Taskforce for July - December 2025. Established in 2022, the taskforce addresses hoarding in public and private spaces through collaboration with community and government partners, including mental health and social service organizations. After signing an information-sharing agreement in November 2025, the taskforce has resumed reviewing and assigning referrals, with meetings restarting in January 2026. The update reports four cases in 2025. Hoarding is recognized as a complex mental health issue requiring intensive support, and the taskforce aims to improve referral coordination, early intervention, and wrap-around supports.
  
  
• Winnipeg is launching a pilot project to transform derelict and vacant City-owned lots into affordable homes. Under the program, selected lots will be transferred to Manitoba Housing, which will partner with social enterprises, such as Purpose Construction and BUILD Inc., to build or renovate homes for sale. The initiative will initially focus on the William Whyte neighbourhood, where around 10% of properties are empty or in disrepair, starting with a lot at 400 Pritchard Avenue. Homes developed through the program will be sold to people leaving social housing or facing barriers to homeownership, with commitments to long-term ownership. The social enterprises involved also provide trades training and employment opportunities for people facing employment or social challenges. The City aims to leverage tools such as tax sales or voluntary property surrender to secure lots and create a sustainable pipeline for redevelopment.
  
  
• Councillor Brian Mayes is calling for a shared funding approach for school playgrounds, arguing that parents shouldn’t have to fund new or replacement play structures through bake sales or fundraising. Following a 10-day consultation with parents, school staff, and government representatives, Mayes’ report recommends that the Province, municipalities, and school divisions jointly finance playgrounds, with at least 1% of new school construction budgets allocated for play structures. He cited examples from Saskatchewan and Brandon where provincial and municipal contributions support upgrades, and noted that Winnipeg School Division already funds three annual playground upgrades. Mayes hopes the recommendations will influence provincial policy and improve equitable access to playgrounds across the city.
  
  
• The City has launched an internal continuous improvement program aimed at increasing efficiency, reducing risk, and enhancing service delivery across municipal operations. The initiative invites City employees to submit ideas for streamlining processes, cutting costs, improving service quality, increasing revenue, or enhancing safety, with proposals reviewed year-round by a senior leadership committee. Approved projects will be supported by the Corporate Finance Continuous Improvement Unit, staffed with employees to lead implementation across departments. Mayor Scott Gillingham emphasized the program’s focus on using existing resources effectively to keep the City affordable, while Chief Financial Officer Tracy Graham highlighted the importance of staff insights. The program is not intended to reduce staff but to improve operations and customer service, with the City committing to share updates and successes as projects progress.
  
  
• A new report on Winnipeg’s planned 10-kilometre western extension of Chief Peguis Trail shows sharply differing estimates of its economic benefits, raising questions about the megaproject’s financial justification. The City projects the total cost at $899 million, including $759 million for construction and $140 million for financing. A 2025 analysis estimated a net present value (NPV) of $98 million, but updated advice from Deloitte lowered it to $42 million, while more recent traffic modelling - accounting for increased truck volumes from CentrePort - suggested an NPV of $280 million. Mayor Scott Gillingham, who campaigned on completing the extension if it proved economically beneficial, maintains both figures support moving forward, ranking the project third in City infrastructure priorities. Funding is not yet allocated, so the City would need to borrow to proceed. Supporters argue the project will unlock commercial and residential development and improve connections to CentrePort, while critics, including St. Boniface Councillor Matt Allard, contend the money would be better spent on roads and transit amid existing City liabilities.

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