Priorities

Community Safety

Fund community-based safety programs, mental health outreach, and effective 911 response – not just more patrol cars (even though we need more of those too).

Winnipeg firefighters deal with the most calls in the country, our paramedics don’t have time to eat their lunch, our police officers work more overtime than ever and still can’t respond to many of the calls they receive. We need to reinvest in our first responders and empower other organizations to tackle the issues we face.

Invest in Transit, Not Just Roads

Improve route frequency, accessibility, and shelter infrastructure. We need a city where public transit is a viable alternative. That includes restoring evening and late-night service so people aren’t literally being left out in the cold.

I agree with our MLA Jim Maloway: we need a new Louise Bridge now. Delaying the replacement of the Louise Bridge is an admission that the next leg of our Rapid Transit system, the Eastern Corridor Rose Line, won’t be in place for at least 25 more years. That is unacceptable.

Affordable & Quality Housing

Support the construction and renovation of affordable housing units while holding developers accountable to community needs.

Having a roof over your head is not a luxury, it’s a human right. The fact other levels of government have failed in meeting that standard does not excuse the weak response from City Hall. No Winnipegger should have to sleep under one of our poorly maintained bridges and no Winnipegger should have to make the choice between making their rent or feeding their kids.

A City That Works

The social contract should be simple: we pay taxes and, in return, receive services. However, decades of budget cuts and tax freezes have shattered that contract. Our population (the “tax base”) has grown faster in the last five years than it has in a century. Yet we are also seeing the closure of greatly needed public amenities, increasingly dilapidated infrastructure, and somehow simultaneously facing the worst fiscal outlook in decades.

I will work with the Mayor and the Province to achieve a new fiscal deal so we can raise the revenue we need in order to fund the services we all rely on. Winnipeg homeowners and renters are taxed on 45% of their assessed property value – meanwhile, railways get a 25% rate while golf courses sit at a paltry 10%. I believe companies that net billions of dollars a year while interrupting our daily lives and exclusive clubs that charge thousands of dollars a year for membership should pay at least the same amount of taxes being asked of you or I.