311 in 3 minutes: how one mayoral candidate wants to change Winnipeg's helpline
Sam Samson | CBC News | Posted: August 9, 2022 6:47 PM | Last Updated: August 9, 2022
Scott Gillingham says he'll increase 311's budget by 25% every year until goals are met
A Winnipeg mayoral candidate wants to bring the time callers to 311 spend waiting down to three minutes — tops.
Scott Gillingham, the current councillor for St. James, says he would increase the budget for the city's helpline service by 25 per cent every year until wait times come down to three minutes.
That would cost about $1.1 million each year, he said, with the money going to hiring more staff or new training programs.
He wouldn't say where the extra money would come from, but he's "not looking at a property tax freeze" should he be voted into office.
The longest wait time on Monday was 46 minutes, the city's 311 website says.
Gillingham also wants to create a chatbot option for simple questions like bus arrival times — the second-most frequent type of request to 311 in July.
"A question around timing of the next bus, questions related to the timing of hours of pools and libraries — those kind of basic questions could be answered probably through a chatbot," Gillingham said.
In an April report, city staff said they aren't looking at a chatbot option since the city's website technology needs to be updated first.
Gillingham said until improvements are made, some calls could be redirected to city departments for answers if wait times are too long.
He'd ask the city's parks and protection committee to figure out which departments would be appropriate and which could handle it, based on the types of calls that have come into the 311 service.
But the union that represents more than 5,000 City of Winnipeg employees says the real solution is to bump up wages for current 311 staff. They make about $14 an hour right now, according to CUPE Local 500.
"These workers are underpaid, and that's why we have this shortage of staff right now," said union president Gord Delbridge.
"These political answers that they've got — to do some kind of research and study and analyze the situation — it's a very simple solution. Pay them what they deserve."
Glenn Hudson for Glen Murray
Meanwhile, a prominent First Nations leader is endorsing another mayoral candidate.
Peguis First Nation Chief Glenn Hudson is publicly supporting Glen Murray's run to become the city's next mayor.
Peguis has the largest urban reserve in Winnipeg, and the community itself is one of the closest First Nations to Winnipeg.
Hudson is also involved in the construction of Naawi-Oodena — the urban reserve at the former Kapyong Barracks. He's also a member of the Southern Chiefs' Organization, the group that now controls the Hudson's Bay building in downtown Winnipeg.
In a press release Tuesday, Hudson said he feels confident Murray is "a leader who can work with us to do the hard work necessary for all of us to prosper in a truly reconciled future."