Brian Bowman says he trusts Pallister to respect Winnipeg's growth-fee decision
Mayor reacts to premier's red flags about city plan to charge new fees as soon as Jan. 1
Mayor Brian Bowman says he respects what Premier Brian Pallister has to say about Winnipeg's growth fees — but the city has the right to govern its own affairs.
One day after Manitoba's premier raised several concerns about Winnipeg's plan to begin charging "impact fees" as soon as Jan. 1, Bowman said he expects his provincial counterpart to respect city decisions.
"I respect the premier's opinion. I also know him to be one who respects the jurisdictional authority of other levels of government," Bowman said at Portage and Main after appearing on CBC Radio One's Information Radio.
"Winnipeggers are right to expect that the premier will respect the ability for Winnipeggers and their city council to make decisions for themselves."
Winnipeg is contemplating new fees that would add $18,300 to the cost of an 1,800-square-foot new home and also increase costs for commercial and industrial developments. Bowman is pushing for the fees to help pay for new infrastructure that is not financed by developers.
On Tuesday, Pallister called those fees a tax and said they would have a negative effect on Winnipeg's competitiveness, given that Manitoba already has high taxes overall.
The premier also urged the mayor to look within Winnipeg's own finances before the city considers charging new fees.
Bowman said the city has committed to finding efficiencies within its budget and also has made headway in its efforts to rein in policing costs.
But other than asserting the city's right to make its own decisions, the mayor did not respond directly to the question of whether he feared the province would use legal means to prevent the city from charging new fees.
The Pallister government said last week it will review the city's legal basis for charging impact fees.
City council's executive policy committee will consider the impact-fee plan this morning. Bowman has said he intends to put off a decision until changes are made to the plan.
On Tuesday, Winnipeg planning, property and development director John Kiernan said those changes would result in a "more nuanced" package of fees that will better reflect Winnipeg's planning priorities, which include infill and downtown development.
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