What the city budget means for St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/04/2023 (1227 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On March 22, I voted in favour of the City of Winnipeg’s 2023 budget. This budget reflects new mayor Scott Gillingham’s election commitment to a 3.5 per cent property tax increase, with funds targeted to road repair, tree planting and increased 311 services. The budget also increased funding for homelessness initiatives, and committed $5 million to a new Transit security force , an idea which then-councillor Dan Vandal and I called for back in 2013. The budget makes long-term commitments to repairs on the Elm Park Bridge and to expand St. Anne’s Road to four lanes all the way to the Perimeter Highway.

For 2023, I was also pleased to add three park projects for the St. Vital ward:

• $246,000 to replace and upgrade the play structure outside of Windsor Community Centre in Dean Finlay Park ;

• $65,000 to improve drainage and create an outdoor classroom in William Johnstone Park near D.W. Penner School ; and

• $100,000 to upgrade the softball diamonds in Riel Park next to St Vital Arena.

I’d like to express a special thank you to my Dakota Collegiate classmate Ray Giguere for his persistent efforts on behalf of the softball community — I feel I have heard enough about “crowning the infield” to last me for a decade or two. I hope to write a column in the future about the plans for Johnstone Park and the work of Louis Riel School Division staff.

In early April we will begin holding meetings on the next budget, at which I will be pushing for a south-east recreation centre on Warde Avenue in Bonavista. As this will be a “multi-year” budget I look forward to holding town hall meetings in St. Vital to discuss priorities before the budget debate at the end of 2023.