April 19, 2021

Winnipeg
-8° C, Clear

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • The StarNEW
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Canstar Community News
    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Flyers
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photostore
  • More

©2021 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Flyers
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photostore
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Day Pass
    • Read Now Pay later
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • The Herald
    • The Headliner
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'Wester
    • The Times

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Canstar Community News
    • The Headliner
    • The Herald
    • The Lance
    • The Metro
    • The Sou'wester
    • The Times
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
Winnipeg Free Press
Articles Read
Your Balance +tax
Day Pass Till
Day Pass
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Report an Error
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
    • Staff Biographies
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • Log in
    • Create Account
    • Help
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
    • My Account
    • Manage My Subscription
    • Change Password
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
Log in Create Account Contact Us
Contact Us Manage Subscription
  • Sections
  • Local
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Diversions
    • Environment
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Soccer
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • E-Edition
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Automotive
    • Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Merchandise
    • Pets
    • Real Estate
    • Rentals
    • Services
  • Sponsored
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print
    • Ripley's Aquariums
    • The Bay
    • Staples Canada
    • Altitude Sports
    • Nike
    • Tuango
    • Ebay Canada
    • Sport Chek
    • Roots
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe
Local

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Review takes deep dive into mandated city services for first time in 17 years

Malak Abas By: Malak Abas
Posted: 11:59 AM CDT Friday, Jul. 10, 2020

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Save to Read Later
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES</p><p>Legislated services listed include public transit. </p>

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES

Legislated services listed include public transit.

An executive policy committee meeting set for next week will include the first review of services the city is mandated to provide in 17 years.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/7/2020 (282 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An executive policy committee meeting set for next week will include the first review of services the city is mandated to provide in 17 years.

The last evaluation of its kind was done in 2003 by the city’s legal services department, but the public service conducted a new review as part of the multi-year budget process that began last October.

An assessment of that review was conducted by the city’s legal department. It will present its report to the executive policy committee Wednesday.

Legislated services listed include street and sidewalk maintenance, public transit and police response and investigation. The review states other areas such as housing initiatives, children’s libraries and community crisis response are not part of its mandate.

Services are either legislated through the city’s charter or in bylaws.

Finance chair Scott Gillingham said the review was overdue, adding the city has expanded funding over the years to areas beyond its mandate.

"It’s an important starting point to know where the City of Winnipeg is at when it comes to the services we’re delivering and the organizations we are funding through grants," he said.

Many of the services that are not mandated are primarily the provincial government's responsibility, he said.

"The city has a part to play as a partner, but when we look at who’s ultimately responsible for it, it’s really the province, and that’s where partnerships with the provincial government are really, really key," he said.

Gillingham said his hope is that the discussion around this review will ultimately answer the question of how the city should partner with the province, local organizations and the private sector to decide funding responsibilities for various services.

"The City of Winnipeg, speaking as a financier, just does not have the financial capacity to be all things to all people," he said.

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce has been calling on the city to review its core services for years, CEO Loren Remillard said.

"We recognize there’s somewhat of a subjective element to that — every year, council struggles with some seeing (something) as a core service, others won’t," he said. "We respect that, but you still need to ask the question, 'Is this core to what a city should be providing?'"

Determinations of legislated services should be based on whether the city is the only organization that can provide it, Remillard suggested, using policing and garbage collection as examples. While garbage collection is a core service, the city does not have to be its delivery agent, he said.

"In doing so, it allows the city to focus on doing the right things, and by right things I mean the core mandate, and doing them well," he said.

Remillard said mission creep should be a focal concern for the city when looking at support services and deciding if they should be municipally legislated.

"The road to trouble is paved with good intentions," he said. "No one’s denying that we need to tackle the issue of affordable housing, but is it the city’s mandate to tackle that issue?

"It is provincial jurisdiction, and unfortunately what we’ve seen in successive civic administrations is governments downloading or offloading; it really trickles down, where the issue, even if the jurisdiction resides at a higher level of government, the need falls to the city government."

Stay informed

The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

Subscribe to COVID-19 Briefing
Sign Up

The idea that housing initiatives exist outside of Winnipeg's charter is not entirely accurate, said Josh Brandon, a community animator with the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and a member of Manitoba's Right to Housing Coalition.

"Housing is fundamental to what cities are," he said. "We wouldn't have cities without housing, so when we talk about what the city's responsibilities are, the city's responsible for building a community that's safe and healthy... housing is a fundamental piece of that," he said.

He noted that the province amended Winnipeg's charter in 2013, authorizing the city to use zoning bylaws to ensure affordable housing is included in new housing developments, as one example.

"The city's never engaged on that, but that is a clear piece of the legislative mandate within the city, and it directly relates to housing," he said.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_

Malak Abas

Malak Abas
Reporter

Malak Abas is a reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press.

   Read full biography

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top