Winnipeg councillor files freedom of information request over 'secretive' housing program
Brian Mayes says city staff told him it's up to the feds to release progress report on housing fund
A Winnipeg city councillor is demanding answers around a housing program he says is shrouded in secrecy, and he's filed a freedom of information request to get them.
St. Vital Coun. Brian Mayes filed the request for a progress report on the Housing Accelerator Fund, which the city sent to the federal Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation last month.
But when he asked to see the report, city staff told him it's up to the feds to release it, Mayes said.
"This whole program … seems to be very secretive," he said.
The city has been promised $122 million through the federal housing fund to speed up construction. The money is to be released in batches over the course of four years, starting in 2023.
"For all I know, we're doing a great job with the money that's come in, but I don't know that, because I don't have [the report]," Mayes said in an interview.
As part of its agreement with the federal government, the city has committed to issuing building permits for 14,001 units by December 2026.
Last month, the city released a plan to use $12 million to pay for needed infrastructure upgrades to support that housing.
Mayes wants to see the report before council votes on that plan on Jan. 30, and says nothing in the agreement with the feds prevents the city from releasing it.
"So out of frustration, I'm filing [the freedom of information request] because I want to see what the numbers are," he said, adding that it is the first time in 13 years on city council that he has filed such a request.
As part of the housing program, the city committed to making sweeping zoning changes to make it easier for developers to build housing, including allowing up to four units per lot citywide and up to four storeys within 800 metres of frequent transit routes without a need for a public hearing.
Mayes has criticized those proposed changes, calling them a giveaway to developers at the expense of public input.
He has also called on the city to release a map, showing where the city would allow four-storey buildings.
"I don't have any reason to suspect there's corruption or misfeasance or anything here. But why the secrecy? Why not just give it to me?" Mayes said.
WATCH | Councillor files request to get city report on housing funding:
A city spokesperson told CBC News the city submitted its report to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation through an online portal last month, as part of its annual reporting requirements. The information in that report reflects an update that was presented to council on Dec. 12.
"We will be publicly reporting on all activities on our website in the coming week," Kalen Qually wrote in an email.
Mayor Scott Gillingham says there's nothing secret about the program.
"I know our staff is meeting with CMHC. I think, quite frankly, council is going to get that report long before a FIPPA [Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act request] would ever get processed anyways," Gillingham said.
Coun. Sherri Rollins, who chairs the property and development committee, said she had spoken to Mayes about his concerns and agreed the report should be made public.
"Proactive disclosure should be the name of the game. And certainly when a colleague is concerned about the provision of information, I'm concerned," she said.
A separate hearing on allowing fourplexes and buildings up to four storeys was supposed to happen in March, but council voted in December to delay that hearing until June.
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