EPC membership stays same

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This article was published 26/10/2023 (741 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s mayor is opting to keep his inner circle intact.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he will leave members of the executive policy committee in their current posts when council meets to finalize committee positions Nov. 1.

“I’m leaving my EPC chairs in place. I appreciate the work that every one of them are doing and so I want to let them continue on with the initiatives they’ve started,” he said Thursday.

The following councillors will retain chairperson positions: Sherri Rollins (property and development); Evan Duncan (community services); Janice Lukes (public works); Brian Mayes (water, waste and the environment); and Jeff Browaty (finance and economic development).

Gillingham said he also doesn’t plan to appoint a new chairperson for the Winnipeg Police Board, leaving Coun. Markus Chambers in the role.

City preps ‘last resort’ on business taxes

The City of Winnipeg will take steps to use a so-far untapped “last resort” power to shut business down for failing to pay its taxes.

On Thursday, council approved a call to make the step possible, though city staff stress it would only happen once all other attempts to secure payment are exhausted.

In the future, that will allow the city to order a company cease operations after it defaults on its business tax payments, which would last until the debt is paid. The power is already possible under the City of Winnipeg Charter but has never been used.

Some business leaders called the change excessive, especially as companies face soaring inflation costs and struggle with post-pandemic debt.

Short-term rental licensing policy approved

A new licensing regime to govern short-term rental units in Winnipeg, such as those listed online via Airbnb and Vrbo, has been approved.

The changes include a hotly contested set of fees some industry members predict could price many operators out of business.

The city’s plan also received criticism from those who feel the system won’t crack down enough on problem properties, where parties and noise complaints disturb neighbours.

On Thursday, council voted to impose the system, including licence fees that will cost between $260 and $1,560 per property, depending on the size and whether the owner lives on site. The least expensive option would cost $260 per residence where an operator lives.

Council approved the plan, but deleted one requirement for short-term rental owners to post their names and phone numbers on the exterior of such homes.

The new rules are expected to take effect in March.

Abinojii Mikanah all the way

City council has cast a final vote to defeat a call to rename part of Bishop Grandin Boulevard after a past Manitoba premier.

Critics argued the change would detract from a previous council decision to rename the entire route Abinojii Mikanah, undermining an important step toward reconciliation.

Coun. Russ Wyatt had called to rename a short stretch of the route that extends east from Lagimodière Boulevard as “Edward Schreyer Parkway South.”

However, Indigenous community members fiercely opposed the change, citing fears it would chip away at Indigenous representation. The boulevard’s original namesake was Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin, a vocal supporter of the residential school system.

Compost collection takes step forward

An effort to bring city-wide curbside compost collection to Winnipeg homes up to four years sooner is rolling forward.

On Thursday, council cast a final vote to have staff explore options to add the service by mid-2026, which would speed up a proposal to do so by 2030.

Winnipeg is one of the last large Canadian cities without a compost collection program, which it originally planned to add in 2017.