Winnipeg mayoral candidate Gillingham pledges more cash for roads, blames rival for pothole woes

Winnipeg mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham says Winnipeg would spend more of its own money on road repairs if he's elected next month.

With less money for roads coming from other levels of government, Winnipeg's next mayor will have no choice but to dig deeper on infrastructure funding, he said Tuesday.

Speaking in River Heights, Gillingham promised to top up the city's contribution to road repair spending by $12.5 million a year for four years.

The city plans to spend $141 million on road repairs, with $112 million coming from money it raises itself. Federal and provincial funding for roads is slated to decline next year by $42 million, budget documents say.

"With the expiring federal and provincial road-renewal agreements this year, the next mayor will need to show both senior levels of government that Winnipeg is doing its part before we can expect them to renew their own investments," he said, speaking on a supporter's lawn in River Heights.

Gillingham has spent the past eight years as the city councillor for St. James and also served as finance chair on outgoing Mayor Brian Bowman's executive policy committee.

Gillingham nonetheless said Winnipeg has underspent on infrastructure for decades.

"We're here because previous administrations neglected our infrastructure because of short-term thinking, short-term priorities and short-term politics," he said.

Gillingham singled out former mayor Glen Murray — a rival candidate this fall — for reducing road repair funding during his final years in office.

Murray served as mayor from 1998 to 2004. Total city spending on public works, including road repairs, declined from $157 million in 2001 to $148 million in 2004, budget documents say.

"If you think it's ancient history, well, he's running on his record," Gillingham said. "Glen Murray's record shows that no one running for office in this Winnipeg election today is more likely to neglect infrastructure than Glen Murray." 

Murray responded in a statement by calling Gillingham's comments "a fragment of the truth" because he did not cite spending on sewers.

Murray also said Gillingham's planned additional spending on roads would not keep pace with inflation.

Loney promises housing

In the only other mayoral promise on Tuesday, candidate Shaun Loney pledged to build more than 2,000 affordable housing units in Winnipeg by convincing foundations to invest in public housing.

Loney said if he's elected mayor on Oct. 26, he will use his position to convince foundations to contribute to a $100-million community housing trust.

That trust, in turn, would finance housing with rents geared to residents' incomes, on a sliding scale. 

"There's lots of money around. We just need to think of solutions in a different way," said Loney, speaking in front of a housing complex in Wolseley.

Loney also said a new housing trust in Winnipeg could solicit investments from individual Winnipeggers interested in supporting housing.

15th mayoral candidate

There are now 15 people registered to run for mayor in Winnipeg.

Vincent Gabriele, the former director of the Caboto Centre, an Italian community centre, filled out his paperwork on Tuesday.

"I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring," he said Tuesday in an interview.

Along with Gabriele, Loney, Murray and Gillingham, Idris Adelakun, Rana Bokhari, Chris Clacio, Kevin Klein, Jenny Motkaluk, Robert-Falcon Ouellette, Jessica Peebles, Rick Shone, Govind Thawani, Desmond Thomas and Don Woodstock have also registered mayoral campaigns.

• More from CBC on the Winnipeg election

The deadline to register is Sept. 20. Candidates must also complete a nomination process from Sept. 14 to 20 in order to appear on the election day ballot on Oct. 26.