Mayoral promises: What the candidates are offering Winnipeg voters
Pledges and positions expressed by Winnipeg's 8 candidates for mayor
There are eight candidates who say they want to become Winnipeg's mayor on Oct. 24.
Here's what they've promised at campaign appearances, on their websites or through press releases:
Brian Bowman
Property taxes: Hikes of 2.33 per cent per year over the next four years (Sept. 14). In 2019, this would rise an additional $13.7 million, over and above the $585.6 million the city expects to collect in property taxes in 2018.
Other financial positions: No water-and-sewer dividend hikes next term and no frontage-levy hikes (Sept. 14).
Portage and Main position: Open it to pedestrians, but promises to abide by plebiscite result.
Transit: Divert $4.1 million from the Fort Rouge transit garage roof replacement and spend it on 55 new heated bus shelters (Oct. 1).
Recreation: Add $4 million to an existing $7.2 million commitment to build a new recreation facility in Waverley West; growth-fee revenue would pay for this (Sept. 17). Increase community centre renewal funding from $965,000 a year to $2 million a year (Sept. 17). Allocate $50,000 from his discretionary office budget to help volunteers at community centres complete background checks (Sept. 17).
Methamphetamine and opiate crisis: Work with other levels of government on a strategy (Aug. 31). Consider safe injection sites (Sept. 25).
Crime: Divert $1.5 million a year from police pensions into front-line policing, provided the city finds a way to no longer consider police overtime to be pensionable income; spend $100,000 of his discretionary office fund on crime prevention (Sept. 19).
City hall: Consolidate council's access advisory committee, council's citizen-equity committee and the mayor's seniors advisory committee into a single council human rights committee; create a new city policy to welcome newcomers (Sept. 21). Disclose travel expenses for senior bureaucrats (Sept. 24). Create a list of bylaws or regulations to update or eliminate to help business (Oct. 12). Create a youth council (Oct. 15).
Environment: Winnipeg should collect organic waste; the province should lead the discussion on a plastic-bag ban (Sept. 18).
Infrastructure: Create a working group to look at construction practices, including 24/7 construction (Oct. 5).
Jenny Motkaluk
Property taxes: Raise property taxes 1.16 per cent each year for the next four years. This would raise an additional $6.8 million in 2019. Use rebates to ensure no individual owner-occupied residential property receives a hike above 1.16 per cent (Oct. 11).
Other financial positions: Freeze water-and-sewer rates until an audit of wastewater-project spending is conducted (Oct. 16). Freeze frontage levies (Oct. 17).
Portage and Main position: Keep it closed to pedestrians.
Environment: Spend up to $1.5 million to equip lift stations with backup power as a means of reducing combined-sewer outflows (Sept. 14). Winnipeg should collect organic waste, but should not ban plastic bags (Sept. 18).
Infrastructure: Prioritize the western extension of Chief Peguis Trail the next time Winnipeg asks Ottawa for infrastructure funding (Sept. 7). Change capital procurement policies to ensure the lowest price for design and engineering work isn't the sole qualification (Sept. 18). Prioritize the replacement of the Louise Bridge (Oct. 9).
Traffic: Spend $5 million to $6 million to install more visible warning signs at school speed zones; install flashing warning signs before high speed intersections (Aug. 28).
Transit: No more rapid-transit lines, after the Southwest Transitway is complete (July 27). Spend $581 million over five years to electrify all city buses and buy more of them (Aug. 14). Freeze transit fares (Oct. 21).
Crime: Double contingent of police officers in schools from 17 to 34 in four years; create a $500,000 crime-prevention fund by reducing the mayor's discretionary office fund and drawing money away from other areas of the city budget (June 26). Create task force to redirect more police to front lines (July 4). Redirect city funds to allow police to ride buses (July 31, jennyformayor.ca).
Methamphetamine and opiate crisis: Ask the province to spend $100,000 to build a methamphetamine treatment wing at the Main Street Project, which would cost $400,000 a year to staff; consider financing this using city funds if the province says no (Aug. 31). Create a police task force to remove meth dealers from the street, at no extra cost to the city (Oct. 4).
City hall: Divert as many 311 calls to city departments as possible during office hours, without spending more money on 311 (Sept. 25). Invite all councillors to take part in a strategic planning session (Oct. 3).
Don Woodstock
Property taxes: Freeze property taxes for four years (Oct. 12).
Other financial pledges: Eliminate growth fees (woodstock4mayor.ca).
Portage and Main: Keep it closed.
Methamphetamine and opiate crisis: Build a treatment facility (woodstock4mayor.ca).
Transit: Spend $2 billion on a light rail system (woodstock4mayor.ca).
City hall: Prevent senior bureaucrats from having romantic relationships with subordinates (Sept. 7). Reduce executive policy committee to five members (woodstock4mayor.ca).
Environment: Winnipeg should collect organic waste; plastic bags should be banned (Sept. 18).
Tim Diack
Property taxes: Raise property taxes 1.2 per cent in 2019. This would raise an additional $6.8 million in 2019. Freeze property taxes in 2020 and cut them in 2021 (Oct. 11).
Portage and Main position: Winnipeg has more pressing issues (May 29).
Infrastructure: Increase road-renewal budget three per cent a year (Oct. 10 press release).
Crime: Bill criminals for policing costs; buy police mobile phones and new computers (Oct. 2); Install panic buttons on buses (Oct. 3).
Methamphetamine and opiate crisis: Build a secure methamphetamine psychosis intake facility with 50 to 100 beds. Cost undetermined (Aug. 31, diackformayor.ca). Create a 12-officer unit for the Health Sciences Centre (Oct. 9 press release).
Environment: Winnipeg should collect organic waste; plastic bags should be banned (Sept. 18).
City hall: Abolish EPC (Oct. 17).
Doug Wilson
Property taxes: No position.
Portage and Main position: Reopen it by 2050 (Sept. 25 debate).
Environment: Winnipeg should collect organic waste; plastic bags should be banned (Sept. 18).
Ed Ackerman:
Property taxes: No position.
Portage and Main position: Unclear.
Venkat Machiraju
Property taxes: Reduce them by five per cent (Oct. 2). This would result in $29.3 million less tax revenue in 2019.
Other financial pledges: Eliminate development charges (punditvenkatformayor.ca).
Portage and Main position: Unclear.
Infrastructure: Complete the inner ring road (punditformayor.ca). Remove fluoride from drinking water (Sept. 18).
Environment: Winnipeg should collect organic waste; plastic bags should be banned (Sept. 18).
City hall: Create a new city department in charge of walking (Sept. 26).
Umar Hayat
Property taxes: Reduce property taxes but does not specify how (umarformayor.com).
Portage and Main position: Keep it closed.
Methamphetamine and opiate crisis: Supports a safe injection site (umarformayor.com).
Crime: Freeze the police budget (umarformayor.com).
Infrastructure: 24/7 construction (umarformayor.com).
Transit: No more rapid transit (umarformayor.com).
Economy: Attract more foreign investment to Winnipeg; build a downtown grocery store (umarformayor.com).
Environment: Winnipeg should collect organic waste, but should not ban plastic bags (Sept. 18).
The arts: Claw back the city grant to the Winnipeg Art Gallery's Inuit Art Centre (umarformayor.com).
City hall: Abolish executive policy committee (umarformayor.com).
