Winnipeggers’ pride bruised by crime, broken infrastructure: poll

Life in the big city on the Prairies isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, suggests a new poll that shows Winnipeggers are much less positive about their community than other Manitobans are about theirs.

The poll shows 76 per cent of Winnipeggers agree the city is a great place to live, but a contradictory finding is that they believe conditions in Manitoba’s capital are as bad as they have ever been. Those sentiments are highlighted in a Probe Research poll that found Winnipeggers are “proud, yet profoundly frustrated” about crime and aging infrastructure and their faith in public officials has dwindled.

“We definitely see that there is a palpable sense of frustration with some things, especially for younger folks,” Probe partner Curtis Brown said Tuesday

“This says that there’s work to do. The public expects work to be done to fix some of these big, ongoing challenges that Winnipeg — and all communities, frankly — have been grappling with for years.”

The online poll surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 adults in Manitoba from July 24 to Aug. 11. It included responses from 600 people in Winnipeg, 115 in smaller centres and 285 in rural communities.

Of the Winnipeg respondents, 68 per cent expressed pride in the city and 63 per cent said they would strongly encourage people to move here.

However, when asked if they would move to another community if given an opportunity, 45 per cent of respondents said they would pull up stakes and move.

Community pride is stronger outside Winnipeg, and people have a more favourable perception of their living conditions, the poll found.

In small cities, 83 per cent of respondents said their community was a great place to live and 78 per cent expressed pride in their hometown. Those numbers were higher still in rural settings, where 94 per cent of people said their community was great and 87 per cent expressed pride in where they live.

Three-quarters of the residents of smaller cities said they are more likely to encourage others to move there, while just four out of 10 residents said they would move elsewhere given the opportunity.

In rural settings, 86 per cent of residents said they would encourage people to become their neighbours; just 31 per cent said they would consider moving, the poll found.

Crime, safety and violence topped the list of frustrations cited by respondents in Winnipeg, with 19 per cent listing those issues as their chief concerns. Another 15 per cent pegged government leadership as the biggest problem, followed by the state of infrastructure and roads, at 13 per cent.

The survey showed that concern about those issues was much less pronounced elsewhere in Manitoba.

Brown said the results are not a surprise.

“We’ve been asking for many years what people’s No. 1 concern about their community is, and those things have really been at the forefront,” he said.

Winnipeg deputy mayor Janice Lukes said she understands those frustrations and stressed the municipal government is working to address them.

Crime, infrastructure and responsible governance are top of mind for city council, just as they are for the public, the city councillor said.

Winnipeg is an older city with aging infrastructure and a limited tax base. Crime, poverty and addictions complicate its struggles, Lukes said.

“These are challenges that every city is facing right now and they are difficult issues to solve because they are complex,” she said. “That’s what we are here for. We are here to try and improve the quality of life for citizens.”

She urged the public not to overlook Winnipeg’s strengths.

While the cold climate and the allure of more lucrative employment elsewhere can convince some people to leave, Winnipeg’s cultural diversity, entertainment and affordability draw others in, she said.

On the plus side, 14 per cent of participants said Winnipeg’s friendliness and welcoming feel was their favourite part of the city; 11 per cent voted in favour of the city’s arts, culture and entertainment, while eight per cent cited affordability as its biggest draw.

“Ultimately, what sets our city apart is how we respond to those challenges as a community.”–Ryan Kuffner

Ryan Kuffner, president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, acknowledged the city’s challenges, but said people here are known for pulling together in the face of adversity.

“Ultimately, what sets our city apart is how we respond to those challenges as a community,” Kuffner said by phone.

“Let’s not lose sight of what makes this place so special, and the quality of life that we enjoy every day.”

The poll results highlight the drive among residents to demand better, so the city can achieve its potential, Kuffner said.

“We are seeing and hearing that through the survey, and that’s not a bad thing. They are engaged and they care,” he said.

Probe Research designed and paid for the survey. It cannot be assigned a margin of error because it was conducted online.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca