Winnipeg councillors set aside concerns to pass budget with overwhelming majority

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham's second budget passed acouncil vote with widespread support Wednesday, despite complaints from several council members about the financial voids it doesn't address.

The budget maintains a 3.5 per cent property tax increase, while increasing other city fees by an average of five per cent.

It also hikes the accommodation tax for the first time since it was introduced in 2008, and brings in a new $1per phone bill fee to fund 911 services.

Other services funded in this year's budget include overall increases to Winnipeg library hours, including opening 10 city libraries on Sundays. However, the city's downtown flagship Millennium Library will close on Sundays.

The operating budget passed with 14 votes in support and one against, while the capital budget passed 13-2. River Heights Coun. John Orlikow was absent.

Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt cast the sole vote against the operating budget, and was joined by Elmwood-East Kildonan Coun. Jason Schreyer in voting against the capital budget.

Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie, who served on the budget working group, voted in favour of the budget for the first time in his 14 years on council.

The budget included some last-minute changes made at Tuesday's meeting of the executive policy committee, preserving operations at two of three city pools that had been slated to close.

Promise of Pride funding

While the budget passed by council Wednesday did not change from the version approved by the mayor's inner circle a day earlier, there was a promise of funding for one of the city's biggest summer festivals.

Winnipeg Pride president Barry Karlenzig told council members the 10-day celebration of2SLGBTQ+ pride drew 90,000 people over two days at The Forks last year, generating$1 million for downtown businesses.

But Karlenzig said the fees the organization pays the city to close downtown streets for events have increased significantly, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before 2020, the fees were about $8,000, while in 2023 they totallednearly $30,000, he told reporters.

Karlenzig pointed out that the 2024 budget includes $25,000 for the Santa Claus Parade, but nothing for Prideor other major downtown events, like the Sikh parade.

"All of us bring so much diversity and economic impact to the downtown core," he said.

"We just want our fair share of what it is. We're helping build downtown businesses. We're helping support the downtown core. We want the city to support us."

At the meeting, Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry Coun. Sherri Rollins offered a solution. She said she, along with two other downtown councillorsDaniel McIntyre Coun. Cindy Gilroy andPoint Douglas Coun. Vivian Santos would help pay the city costs using funds available to individualcouncillors.

"[Couns.]Gilroy, Santos and I are downtown councillors that absolutely know the impact of Pride, and so together we are going to figure something out with the board," Rollins told reporters.

Support despite concerns

Several council members, including many who voted for the budget, stood to share concerns about services and capital needs of the city not addressed in the budget.

Gilroy told her council colleagues she felt the four-year fiscal blueprint did not include a proper plan to address problems in the city's downtown or reduce poverty.

"Coun. Wyatt was not wrong when he talked about people leaving our city," she said during the meeting, referencing an earlier comment from the Transcona councillor.

"And no, they're not leaving our city because of higher taxes," she said.

"They're leaving our city because this is not a city that they want to live in. This is not a city that they believe in, and that's our job to change their minds, and to get people to live here."

Council will reconvene Thursday for its regular meeting. Among the key items will be a debate about whether to reopen Portage Avenue and Main Street to pedestrians and close the city-owned portion of the underground concourse.