Around city hall: managed encampment site, Marlborough Hotel lane, water rate freeze, integrity commissioner

Managed encampment site ruled out

The City of Winnipeg won’t add a managed encampment site.

City council cast a final vote Thursday against a pilot project for the idea. The concept was described as a designated area for camping with portable washrooms, garbage bins and other resources for the homeless.

Some outreach providers have pushed for one or more such sites to create a destination for homeless people while the city continues its ban on encampments in many public spaces.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city should focus on its encampment ban and supporting the province’s strategy to move people from those sites into housing.

“A lot of the services individuals (living in encampments) need are provincial services. We would need the province to be a full partner in any managed encampment,” said Gillingham.

The mayor said he was also concerned that even a small site could cost more than $1 million to run over about five months.

A city report said options to host 24 to 60 people at a managed encampment from April to August could cost between $707,168 and $1.39 million.

Lane to close near Marlborough Hotel redevelopment

A lane between the Marlborough Hotel and the Garrick Theatre will close due to safety concerns, as part of a redevelopment plan.

On Thursday, city council voted to close the stretch of the public lane between 330 Garry and 331 Smith streets and consolidate it with two properties.

A city report said the lane had suffered from incidents of vandalism and arson.

A planned development aims to create 307 housing units at the site of the closed hotel.

Potential water and sewer rate freeze moves forward

The city will freeze water and sewer rates next year but only if senior governments provide substantial funding for a major sewage treatment upgrade.

City council approved a plan Thursday that would hold the rate steady in 2027, if the federal and provincial governments each pay one-third of the north end sewage treatment plant upgrade’s final phase. That overall upgrade is set to cost nearly $3.1 billion, with the last phase pegged at $1.57 billion.

The potential for a rate freeze follows a surge in local water use last year, which raised $67 million more revenue than the city predicted.

On April 1, 2025, a hefty sewer rate hike of $168.03 for a sample household took effect for the rest of the year. Later in 2025, council approved another $44 increase to the annual water and sewer rate, which was effective Jan. 1, and a $68 hike that was set to follow in 2027.

New interim integrity commissioner appointed

The city has officially named a new interim integrity commissioner.

City council voted to appoint lawyer Kathleen Coutts to the role Thursday, as it recruits a replacement for Sherri Walsh. Walsh is leaving the post to serve as the ethics commissioner for the Manitoba government.

Coutts is expected to serve in the role from Friday to March 31, 2027.

She previously served as an independent investigator and external counsel to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission.