
Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Joyanne loves to tell the stories of this city, especially when politics is involved.
Joyanne discovered her love of journalism at the University of Manitoba, when she began volunteering for the student newspaper. That eventually led her to Ontario, where she attained a journalism degree.
Joyanne landed her first permanent reporting job in 2004 at a small newspaper in the interior of British Columbia, where she first covered city hall. Since then, she has had the pleasure of covering municipal, provincial and federal politics in three different cities.
In 2012, she was fortunate to begin writing about politics in Winnipeg, covering both city hall and the Manitoba legislature for the Winnipeg Sun.
Over the past few years, her passion has grown for informing readers about how government decisions affect their daily lives. From garbage to water quality to snow-clearing to emergency room wait times, she enjoys breaking down the details of stories that matter to her fellow Winnipeggers and Manitobans.
She feels privileged to go to work and write about those key issues in her city of choice, while also being able to learn something new each day.
Joyanne became the city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press in early 2020.
Recent articles by Joyanne Pursaga
Committee delegates draw councillors into book-banning debate
4 minute read Preview Yesterday at 6:03 PM CDTWinnipeg Foundation grant opens public washroom hours tap
4 minute read Preview Yesterday at 4:55 PM CDTCouncil to consider directing $1M to 24-7 shelters
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, May. 30, 2023Waverley West rec campus faces construction delay: city report
3 minute read Preview Monday, May. 29, 2023City’s rainy-day fund can’t cover entire $27M projected deficit
4 minute read Preview Monday, May. 29, 2023City eyes land expropriation for Transit garage
3 minute read Preview Monday, May. 29, 2023A years-long search for land on which to build a new Winnipeg Transit north garage might soon be over.
City staff are seeking council approval to expropriate land south of Selkirk Avenue and west of Oak Point Highway, which does not have a civic address. It would provide part of the property required for the $200-million garage replacement project, combining with city-owned land near Oak Point Highway and land it will buy at 100 Oak Point Hwy., a public service report says.
The three parcels would provide 27 acres to build upon.
The City of Winnipeg says both of the private properties were listed for sale in 2022, but it couldn’t secure a purchase. The report doesn’t identify the owner.
Coalition urges pause on Kenaston, Chief Peguis projects
4 minute read Preview Friday, May. 26, 2023City eyes permanent public washroom hours options
5 minute read Preview Thursday, May. 25, 2023Province, city hammer out new ambulance service funding deal
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, May. 24, 2023First Nations celebrate reclamation of former Kapyong Barracks lands
2 minute read Preview Wednesday, May. 24, 2023Council to mull new plan to address hundreds of decaying properties across Winnipeg
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, May. 23, 2023Mayor names social-service veteran to help address homelessness in city
4 minute read Preview Friday, May. 19, 2023Residents forced to store trash in garages
4 minute read Preview Thursday, May. 18, 2023Library staff say metal detectors should stay
4 minute read Preview Thursday, May. 18, 2023Delegates weigh in on city’s strategic priorities action plan
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, May. 16, 2023Businesses seek permanent version of temporary patio program
4 minute read Preview Monday, May. 15, 2023True North Real Estate Development unveils plans for Portage Place
5 minute read Preview Friday, May. 12, 2023City proposes massive changes in downtown redevelopment
6 minute read Preview Thursday, May. 11, 2023Pedestrians the priority in blueprint for Osborne Village transformation
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, May. 10, 2023Windsor Hotel owner asks city for time to look into repairs
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, May. 9, 2023‘We want to continue along the pathway’: civic workforce diversity report shows minor gains, losses
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, May. 9, 2023Lack of drivers stalls return to full Transit service
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, May. 9, 2023Vote on studying Portage & Main reopening postponed until fall
2 minute read Preview Monday, May. 8, 2023City eyes prioritizing active transportation route cleanups
2 minute read Preview Monday, May. 8, 2023Widening roadway, adding active transportation part of $550-million Route 90 upgrade
5 minute read Preview Friday, May. 5, 2023Century-old funeral home won’t do business in core-area ’war zone,’ owner tells councillors
4 minute read Preview Friday, May. 5, 2023Asbestos fears fuel Main Street rubble cleanup delays
4 minute read Preview Thursday, May. 4, 2023Runaway prices could mean rocky road for city street projects
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, May. 3, 2023Repairs to purple street lights held up
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, May. 2, 2023Owners billed after vacant property fires
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, May. 2, 2023Province cut ambulance fees, but many Winnipeggers can’t pay bills, city report reveals
4 minute read Preview Monday, May. 1, 2023Councillor pushes for Portage, Main plebiscite policy
4 minute read Preview Friday, Apr. 28, 2023City of Winnipeg might look at how to cut fossil fuel use
3 minute read Preview Friday, Apr. 28, 2023Nitrogen under sewage treatment plant plan microscope
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Apr. 27, 2023Circular ‘sky garden’ walkway among ideas floated for re-imagined Portage & Main
6 minute read Preview Tuesday, Apr. 25, 2023New site for Transit garage elusive: city report
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Apr. 26, 2023New vision for Portage and Main coming next week
4 minute read Preview Friday, Apr. 21, 2023Plan to lure residential sites called sweeping
4 minute read Preview Friday, Apr. 21, 2023City hall approves three apartment blocks for Northgate mall
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Apr. 19, 2023Mayor’s cabinet backs essential-services talks with union
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Apr. 18, 2023Winnipeg eyes signing Montreal Pledge
3 minute read Preview Monday, Apr. 17, 2023Council to consider sidewalk snow-clearing cost study
2 minute read Preview Friday, Apr. 14, 2023Graffiti paints negative picture for historic sites, business community
5 minute read Preview Friday, Apr. 14, 2023Northgate Shopping Centre housing development too big for area, neighbourhood opponents say
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023City report backs adults-only board volunteers
2 minute read Preview Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023THE City of Winnipeg doesn’t appear set to roll out the welcome mat for volunteers under age 18 to serve on all of its boards and commissions.
Few details about fewer calls to city fraud, waste hotline
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Apr. 12, 2023Icy sidewalks create shut-ins, city told
5 minute read Preview Tuesday, Apr. 11, 2023City tilts eye to sun for potential Transit bus power
3 minute read Preview Monday, Apr. 10, 2023Winter uses of city golf courses debated
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Apr. 6, 2023City report leans away from possible cosmetic spray pesticide program
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Apr. 5, 2023City sewage plant meets pollution targets
5 minute read Preview Tuesday, Apr. 4, 2023City’s spent fire trucks, ambulances should go to Ukraine, Wyatt says
4 minute read Preview Monday, Apr. 3, 2023Transcona councillor wants speed-reduction measures incorporated into street-renewal plans
3 minute read Preview Monday, Apr. 3, 2023Consultant delivers dozens of ideas for areas inside 11 city-owned golf properties
4 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 31, 2023Province tabs new $7.5M for Winnipeg road repair
2 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 31, 2023New fire station construction cost jumps by $3M: city report
1 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 31, 2023Group backs out of buying heritage buildings
2 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 31, 2023Design for Osborne Village cycling route unveiled
3 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 31, 2023Early days of pilot program’s reduced speeds finding support from residents in affected neighbourhoods
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Mar. 30, 2023‘It’s like you can’t win’: 11K on city-run swim lesson wait lists
5 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 28, 2023Water firms flooded with calls after report shows asbestos in city samples
5 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 28, 2023Residents split on value of city’s Crescentwood conservation designation
5 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 24, 2023Council gives True North option to buy Portage Place land, parkade
5 minute read Preview Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023Council votes yes on police HQ lawsuits settlement
5 minute read Preview Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023Majority of councillors vote to pass 2023 city budget
5 minute read Preview Wednesday, Mar. 22, 2023Light rail transit out of Winnipeg’s reach: city official
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 21, 2023EPC sends budget tweaks on to council final vote
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 21, 2023City’s 311 wait times remain high, but heading in ‘positive direction’
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 21, 2023WAIT times for the city’s 311 service remained stubbornly long last year, though hope for quicker service may be on the horizon.
City to pay more than $1M to cover convention centre loan payment
2 minute read Preview Monday, Mar. 20, 2023THE City of Winnipeg will pay more than $1 million this year to cover an annual loan payment for the downtown convention centre.
Affordable, supportive housing proposed for Osborne Village
3 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 17, 2023Library, transit top budget discussion at EPC
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Mar. 16, 2023Tax credit for Winnipeggers without water on chopping block
3 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 17, 2023Council to consider settlement offer for police HQ lawsuits
5 minute read Preview Wednesday, Mar. 15, 2023Police parking compromise foiled by lack of interest
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 14, 2023EPC seeks to float $38K to downtown public washroom
4 minute read Preview Monday, Mar. 13, 2023Final vote to rename Bishop Grandin Boulevard on horizon
4 minute read Preview Monday, Mar. 13, 2023EPC votes down Tartan Towing settlement
3 minute read Preview Monday, Mar. 13, 2023CUPE warns city it will fight any effort to diminish bargaining position
4 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 10, 2023Chief says 24-7 walk-in service at police stations too costly
4 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 10, 2023Service-driven space remains closed
5 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 10, 2023Credit rating agency marks Manitoba’s slowed ‘pace of improvement’
2 minute read Preview Wednesday, Mar. 8, 2023City overpaid $1M for towing
2 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2023Main Street washroom designer, advocate calls on city to expand, not reduce, hours
5 minute read Preview Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2023Council to vote on replacing streets honouring Bishop Grandin with Indigenous names
2 minute read Preview Monday, Mar. 6, 2023True North considering transformation of Portage Place to ‘mixed-use community’
5 minute read Preview Monday, Mar. 6, 2023City seeking public input on new plan to improve traffic, safety, life along Marion Street corridor
4 minute read Preview Friday, Mar. 3, 2023City plans to hire, train security team ‘as soon as possible’ to quell transit violence, mayor says
5 minute read Preview Thursday, Mar. 2, 2023City report urges permanently reduced speed limits on some streets
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2023City eyes Broadway tree canopy support plan
2 minute read Preview Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2023Fire, paramedic staff skip breaks to keep up with demand
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2023Civic report question continuation of portable public washroom program
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023Fire-station living might just be for the — protected — birds
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023Winnipeg to study how other cities regulate hookah lounges
1 minute read Preview Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023City looks at raising dog adoption fees
1 minute read Preview Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023City eyes business waste collection service inspections
4 minute read Preview Monday, Feb. 27, 2023Winnipeg funding bump welcome but new model needed: mayor
3 minute read Preview Friday, Feb. 24, 2023City to regulate, tax short-term rentals
5 minute read Preview Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023Hours to be cut at Main Street washroom despite its success
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023Millennium Library security uncovers knives, screwdrivers, bullets
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023City eyes sharing inflation risks in sewage contracts
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023Councillor pushes city to target illegally modified mufflers
4 minute read Preview Friday, Feb. 17, 2023East Winnipeg rec centre price goes up, but so has need for facility, councillor says
4 minute read Preview Friday, Feb. 17, 2023Wellington Crescent condos get green light
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023Short-term rental rules blueprint revised ahead of final vote
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023City to consider appeal on Wellington Crescent development
3 minute read Preview Monday, Feb. 13, 2023Blockade at landfill cost city nearly $1 million
3 minute read Preview Monday, Feb. 13, 2023City reduces library staffing shortage, but union says more employees needed
4 minute read Preview Friday, Feb. 3, 2023Thou shalt share views on Ten Commandments monument
2 minute read Preview Friday, Feb. 3, 2023Developer tweaks plan for homes near Red
3 minute read Preview Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023Leacock House heritage de-listing vote splits committee
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023City reducing parking requirements for affordable-housing projects
1 minute read Preview Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023The City of Winnipeg hopes to make it easier to create affordable housing by letting developers provide fewer parking spaces.
Bigger park, plaza considered for Burton Cummings Theatre
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023Councillor seeks first step to bare winter sidewalks
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023Clan Mothers transitional housing plan a no-brainer
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023Gillingham asks province for changes to city charter to give council more control
4 minute read Preview Monday, Jan. 30, 2023Vacant building owners to pay if firefighting required
1 minute read Preview Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023The owners of vacant buildings in Winnipeg will be charged the cost to battle fires at their properties.
Premier touts good news for future city funding
2 minute read Preview Friday, Jan. 27, 2023Council motion seeks to reopen district police stations to public
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023New safety standards needed for hookah lounges, councillor says
3 minute read Preview Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023Weapons, not drugs, focus of library entry searches: city
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023City will use part of federal grant money to plant hundreds of trees
3 minute read Preview Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023City ponders letting employees pick own stat holidays to reflect culture
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023Millennium Library reopens services with increased security measures
5 minute read Preview Monday, Jan. 23, 2023Street-clearing crews leave some sidewalks impassable for pedestrians, mobility-challenged
4 minute read Preview Friday, Jan. 20, 2023New library borrowing rules sets suspension at 10 overdue items
4 minute read Preview Friday, Jan. 20, 2023Staff shortages plague city services
5 minute read Preview Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023Millennium Library reopening next week with on-site police, metal detector
5 minute read Preview Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023To clear or not to clear? That is the question bylaw doesn’t answer, councillor complains
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023Social-support services annex likely not part of library reopening plan
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023City upholds Sherbrook Street rubble pile clean-up deadline
4 minute read Preview Monday, Jan. 16, 2023City hires security consultant for safety audit of downtown library
3 minute read Preview Monday, Jan. 16, 2023Council looks to clean up jargon in city reports
4 minute read Preview Friday, Jan. 13, 2023Site for temporary fire hall too close for Waverley West resident group’s comfort
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023Mayor, councillor hope downtown library can resume services next week
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023Rollins to stay on EPC amid federal candidate bid: mayor
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023Insurance dispute delays cleanup of Sherbrook Street fire rubble
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023No bylaw changes needed, no fines for clearing public sidewalks
2 minute read Preview Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023Councillors move vacant-building fire-response fees a step closer
4 minute read Preview Monday, Jan. 9, 2023City explores solar energy for civic properties
1 minute read Preview Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023The City of Winnipeg will take a look at its properties to determine if any are suited to generate solar power.
Snowfall, pandemic add to massive city deficit
4 minute read Preview Friday, Jan. 6, 2023Landfill blockade costs city at least $400K
4 minute read Preview Friday, Jan. 6, 2023Vacant block that poses fire hazard approved for quick demolition
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023City looks at dabbling in solar energy
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023Residential-street reduced-speed pilot expected to start in March
1 minute read Preview Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023A pilot project that would reduce the speed limit on residential streets in four Winnipeg neighbourhoods is now expected to begin in March.
Getting people off streets, out of cold at top of mayor’s priority list
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022City plans review of West Kildonan Library’s condition, needed upgrades
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022Millennium Library reopens Friday with limited service
5 minute read Preview Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022Gradual reopening on table for Millennium Library: union
2 minute read Preview Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022City meeting with staff, union on safety concerns before library reopens, mayor says
3 minute read Preview Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022Push for heritage district, infill goal on collision course in Crescentwood
4 minute read Preview Monday, Dec. 19, 2022Activist says Millennium Library is just the tip of the downtown crime iceberg
4 minute read Preview Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022Wyatt wants councillors’ ward budgets hiked
3 minute read Preview Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022Mayor vows increased security at downtown library
5 minute read Preview Friday, Dec. 16, 2022City clears fire-plagued Higgins Avenue homeless camp
2 minute read Preview Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022Airport-style security at downtown library a necessary evil, former staffer says
5 minute read Preview Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022City warned about safety concerns at library days before slaying
5 minute read Preview Monday, Dec. 12, 2022Landfill pauses operations amid calls to search for slain women’s remains
6 minute read Preview Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022Councillor seeks to dump threat of snow-clearing fines
4 minute read Preview Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022City sets up temporary shelter after death in bus shack
3 minute read Preview Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022Garbage, recycling company hits city with another multimillion-dollar lawsuit
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022Police chief no longer expecting provincial photo-radar system review
3 minute read Preview Monday, Dec. 5, 2022Resident sees holes in summer bike route survey
4 minute read Preview Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022Winnipeg police won’t meet budget savings target
3 minute read Preview Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022Driver shortage roadblock to restoring pre-pandemic service, transit director says
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022Committee wants staff to find sites for supportive housing
4 minute read Preview Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022Civic union opens door for private snow clearing
4 minute read Preview Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022Some city facilities to offer opioid OD-reversing drug, have staff trained in use
2 minute read Preview Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022Rising anti-government, anti-authority attitudes affecting city police: report
2 minute read Preview Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022The Winnipeg Police Service is facing an increase in anti-government and anti-authority sentiment, which poses a growing challenge for operations, according to a new report.