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Plan would fund school-zone signs

By: Bartley Kives

Posted: 07/14/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Reducing speed limits around elementary schools in Winnipeg probably won't take five years after all.

The city plans to funnel $1 million worth of surplus cash from old street-renewal projects toward the task of installing new 30-km/h speed-limit signs outside Winnipeg elementary schools. The proposal comes before a special panel of city council's public works committee Tuesday.

Council's executive policy committee was told last week it would take five years to install the signs, given the $200,000-a-year budget for the job. Under this revised plan, surplus cash from five regional and local street-renewal projects completed in 2009 and 2010 would pay for the signs.

Council will consider the proposal Wednesday.

Winnipeg is the only large city in Western Canada that does not have a reduced speed limit in school zones. The city previously had reduced speed limits in school zones, but repealed them in the 1960s when officials put the onus on drivers to slow down in areas where children are present.

The current limit is 50 km/h unless otherwise posted.

Earlier this month, the city's public works department recommended reducing speed limits to 30 km/h in elementary school zones on non-regional streets, estimating there are as many as 230 schools in Winnipeg with students from kindergarten to Grade 6.

Steeves returns to city hall for appeal

FORMER city councillor Gord Steeves will return to city hall next week -- as an appellant at a public hearing.

As the lawyer for architect Ernie Walter, the former St. Vital councillor has appealed a May community committee decision to deny a zoning variance and conditional-use approval that would allow a three-storey, five-unit condominium building to rise at the corner of Jessie Avenue and Nassau Street North in Fort Rouge's Earl Grey neighbourhood.

That committee also denied a rezoning for the same development, but council's property committee reversed the decision in June. City council approved the rezoning.

The appeal hearing for the other two decisions takes place July 19.

Steeves left council in August 2011 to run for provincial office as the Tory candidate in Seine River riding, but was defeated by NDP Health Minister Theresa Oswald.

City reaches deal with senior police

THE City of Winnipeg has reached a contract agreement with the Winnipeg Police Senior Officers' Association, the union representing 26 members of the upper ranks of the Winnipeg Police Service.

On Wednesday, council will consider a plan to ratify a two-year contract that concludes on Dec. 19. The union has been without a contract since Dec. 19, 2010.

The terms of the deal involve a 2.5 per cent pay raise retroactive to Jan. 2, 2011 and three retroactive two per cent pay raises -- to July 3, 2011, Jan. 1, 2012 and July 1 this year.

The much larger Winnipeg Police Association was awarded the same pay increases in April as part of an arbitrated settlement.

The cumulative cost of the senior police union deal is $460,000, "which is within existing budget amounts," according to a report to council.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 14, 2012 A11

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