Winnipeg Minute: Local Hero, FOI Filed, and Budget Discussions Begin

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

This Week In Winnipeg:

• This morning, at 9:30 am, the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development will meet. The Committee will receive a Preliminary 2025 Budget Update, discuss the 2025 Business Plan for the City of Winnipeg’s Golf Services Special Operating Agency, and evaluate turning the former café space in the Susan A. Thompson Building at City Hall into a multi-use workspace for City staff.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 9:30 am, the Standing Policy Committee on Water, Waste and Environment will meet. On Wednesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a Special Meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Community Services and on Thursday at 9:30 am, a Special Meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Public Works. All three of these meetings have the 2025 budget on their agendas.
  
  
• Thursday’s meeting of the Governance Committee of Council is cancelled. On Friday, at 9:30 am, the Standing Policy Committee on Finance and Economic Development will meet. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.

Last Week In Winnipeg:

• Councillor Brian Mayes filed a Freedom of Information request to access a progress report on the Housing Accelerator Fund, citing concerns about the program's secrecy. The federal government has promised the City $122 million to expedite housing construction, but Mayes says City staff informed him that the report is under the federal government's control. He criticized the lack of transparency, especially with a planned zoning change allowing more development, which he views as a benefit for developers at the expense of public input. Mayor Scott Gillingham maintains there is no secrecy, asserting that Council will receive the report soon.
  
  
• Councillor Russ Wyatt said the City of Winnipeg should explore expropriating land at Lemay Forest in response to ongoing protests against tree cutting on the privately owned site. Wyatt believes the City could use funds allocated for forestry to acquire the land, though he acknowledges that the expropriation process could take years. Meanwhile, protesters, who have set up a sacred fire and tent at the site, dispute claims that they blocked access to the area, asserting that they are protesting to protect land they believe is culturally significant. The developer, Tochal Development Group, has resisted a $5.25 million offer from the Manitoba Habitat Conservancy to purchase the property.
  
  
• While visiting his girlfriend in California, Winnipeg firefighter Romeo Petit found himself helping to battle the Eaton wildfire near Pasadena, which was devastating the region. He and his girlfriend, along with a friend, quickly rushed to protect the home where they were staying, battling flames and using garden hoses to douse hot spots. As the fire spread, they saved a neighbour's home, which later stood untouched amidst widespread destruction. One neighbour called him a hero for his quick thinking and efforts to protect not only her house but others in the area.