City, Peguis reach deal for urban reserve

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/07/2018 (2681 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City officials have negotiated an agreement with Peguis First Nation to establish an urban reserve at 1075 Portage Ave., but the deal will not require Peguis to pay the same level of property taxes as other property owners, and nothing for frontage fees or water and sewer charges.

A report to Wednesday’s executive policy committee recommends council approve a five-year agreement with Peguis. The First Nation would pay an annual fee equivalent to 80 per cent of the municipal property taxes.

Under an existing agreement, the report states the province will pay city hall a lump sum covering a shortfall for five years, which would amount to $58,474.

The report says the Pallister government has rejected a request to continue paying the shortfall indefinitely.

The Peguis property is at the corner of Portage and Dominion Street, across from RCMP headquarters.

This would be the second urban reserve in Winnipeg. The first is with Long Plains First Nation at 480 Madison St., where a gas station and convenience store are located. Long Plain is planning an 80,000-square-foot office complex at that location.

The report says the city has been negotiating with Peguis since 2015. The property tax shortfall would amount to about $11,600 annually.

The report recommends a five-year deal with Peguis, with the hope a long-term compensation agreement can be worked out with the province.

The deal with Peguis doesn’t appear to include any payments in lieu of frontage fees or water and sewer charges, which other property owners are required to pay.

It’s uncertain from the report if the payment from Peguis also includes an amount for business taxes.

The deal with Peguis would be for the provision of the following services: animal control, building permits and inspection, fire protection and emergency response, parks and community services, police, garbage pickup, transit, wastewater and land drainage, sewer and water supply.

The agreement provides for an annual review of the provision of services for the following year, including future development on the site. Disputes that cannot be resolved would be forwarded for mediation or binding arbitration.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca