Province relabels transit corridor ‘a road’ in latest funding twist

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This article was published 10/04/2019 (2088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new chapter has been added to the ongoing funding dispute between Winnipeg city hall and the Pallister government.

The province has told the city its funding for the southwest transit corridor is now being considered as its commitments on the city roads — a decision that caught civic officials by surprise.

In a letter to Mayor Brian Bowman dated April 10, Municipal Relations Minister Jeff Wharton states funds provided for the transit corridor and the Waverley Street rail underpass projects are now considered “road funding from our government.”

Wharton’s letter appears to have been sent in response to a letter Bowman sent April 5 to all Winnipeg area MLAs, requesting their assistance in convincing the Tory government led by Premier Brian Pallister to make good on an outstanding $40 million Winnipeg believes it’s owed for road projects completed last year.

Wharton also reminds Bowman the province has advanced the city $37.9 million for its regional roads program — money that can only be used for regional road work started this year, not for any part of such work completed in 2018.

Bowman was unavailable for comment, but his press secretary, Jeremy Davis, said Wharton’s letter doesn’t deal with the city’s concerns over the province’s failure to make good on the outstanding $40 million.

“Minister Wharton’s letter still does not provide an answer to council’s request for a detailed accounting of how the province feels they have fulfilled the $40-million hole left in last year’s roads budget,” Davis said in an email sent to media. “The provision of contractually agreed-upon funding as part of the accelerated regional roads program does nothing to address the $40 million the province retroactively shorted the City of Winnipeg.”

Coun. Scott Gillingham, chairman of council’s finance committee, said the transit corridor and Waverley underpass were the result of separate funding agreements and had never been part of the province’s annual roads commitment, adding the disclosure is another example of what he described as “unilateral” decisions by the Pallister government.

“To my knowledge, this is the first indication (the transit corridor) is being counted as roads funding,” Gillingham said. “I can’t get into my (pickup truck) and drive onto the bus rapid transit route, right? So to me, that’s transit-related funding.”

Wharton countered, telling reporters the province considers the transit corridor “a road.”

“A road is a road,” Wharton said. “What BRT does, being another road, is certainly remove the heavy transit buses off the roads, which helps preserves our current stock of roads.”

At a finance committee meeting earlier Thursday, chief financial officer Mike Ruta told councillors in addition to the $40 million in dispute, the Pallister government still owes city hall another $12.6 million from other capital projects from last year and $3.6 million from 2017.

Ruta said the city had formally requested the province on March 21 to detail how and when it believes it had fulfilled a five-year, $250-million roads funding commitment. Similar requests have been made by the media and members of council. Ruta said there’d been no response.

Wharton, in his letter, also offered the assistance of the province in helping the city “find efficiencies and budget savings.”

Gillingham said city hall has repeatedly opposed efforts by the Pallister government to offload its financial commitments on ambulance services and transit, adding the city has a balanced budget

“The city is doing our due diligence to find savings to be efficient,” Gillingham said, adding he’d be willing to help Wharton “with his books, as well.”

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

Wharton Letter to Bowman