City commits $250,000 for U of M chair of infrastructure

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/03/2016 (2554 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mayor Brian Bowman has made good on an old election promise.

Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to establish a chair in municipal infrastructure at the University of Manitoba — a commitment Bowman made during the 2014 mayoral campaign.

“Years of tax freezes and cuts by previous councils has left our infrastructure in dire shape,” Bowman said Wednesday on the floor of council as he introduced the proposal.

Bowman said creating the municipal infrastructure chair at the U of M’s school of engineering will take advantage of the innovation and expertise on campus and, he hopes, apply it to solutions for Winnipeg’s concerns.

“The U of M really has been on the leading edge of research and technology developments for many years,” Bowman said. “I continue to believe that an investment in the research of new technologies, techniques and materials is an investment in our future.”

The proposal commits the city to provide the university with $50,000 annually for five years, a total of $250,000. Details still have to be worked out between city hall and the U of M.

“This funding will help realize more efficient, cost-effective solutions aimed at repurposing materials, (and) the redevelopment of existing infrastructure,” Bowman said. “I look forward to building on the many years of research, partnerships with the University of Manitoba, in our quest for solutions that will benefit our city’s infrastructure.”

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca