Mayor criticized for not fulfilling local biz promise

Mayor Scott Gillingham plans to support a motion to study prioritizing local businesses in city contract calls — an idea some councillors say he promised during the last election campaign but never fulfilled.

A motion pitched by the city centre community committee last week would have city staff report on options to update the tendering process so it awards points to local businesses.

Gillingham said Wednesday he would support the motion when it was presented to him and council, but St. Vital Coun. Brian Mayes wants to know why it’s taken so long have this conversation.

Mayes pointed to Gillingham’s 2022 election platform document, which states city rules “are weighed unfairly against local business owners and operators, and in favour of national or even multinational companies.” The document promised a “fairness for local business bylaw” if he was elected mayor.

“The mayor has kept some of his election pledges, he hasn’t kept some of his election pledges, this isn’t the only one,” Mayes said Wednesday.

His platform suggested that while the city and the province are governed in part by free trade agreements, the city could be given “discretion on certain key bids” to include points awarded to local bidders.

Mayes said he was inspired to seek out answers on the issue after the Free Press reported longtime Winnipeg staple Salisbury House had lost its contract to serve food at two city-owned golf courses after 16 years of service and replaced with the Canadian arm of U.S.-based multibillion-dollar company Aramark.

“I like the proposal, but are we going to do it, or have we abandoned it, or was it deemed illegal?” he said. “I think you need to tell that to the public, because he did run on it.”

Coun. Sherri Rollins, who sits on the city centre community committee, said she and other councillors had suggested ways to adapt procurement strategies in the past and there wasn’t any formal response from the mayor’s office.

“We’re not addressing the procurement policies in the way that, frankly, he had intended in his campaign,” she said.

Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) said she’s heard from citizens who are disappointed in the city, saying the discussions happening now in the wake of the Sals situation are “a day late and a dollar short.”

Mayes said he plans to grill Gillingham on the issue at Thursday’s city council meeting.

The mayor said the public service had reviewed the city’s trade agreements long before the motion was discussed last week, in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

“We are really fighting Trump’s tariffs, and so we want to make sure that businesses across Canada can have access to opportunities across Canada,” he said.

“We have to be aware that if we give preference to local businesses, and there was reciprocal rules put in place in a city like Regina, let’s say, then that would put Winnipeg businesses bidding on contracts in Regina at a disadvantage.”

The voting requirements of the motion are still being hammered out, but several councillors said they expect it to be discussed next month.

The city has utilized its sustainable procurement action plan, first implemented before the last mayoral election in July 2022, which looks for ways to structure the process to focus on local social benefits.

But the city’s website is clear: “Sustainable procurement is not about ‘buying local’ — this is not allowed under trade agreements.”

“The city abides by provincial and national rules and guidelines when it comes to contracts and awarding of contracts, and so we have to make sure that we’re maintaining our alignment with with the rules,” Gillingham said.

The next mayoral election is Oct. 28.

Gillingham plans to register to run for re-election on Friday, the day the registration period begins. Rollins said she plans to seek a third term in her ward. Mayes, who has served St. Vital as councillor since 2011, said he is still deciding his next steps.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca