Eadie’s planned amendments for transportation strategy likely to make for long meeting

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This article was published 13/07/2015 (3803 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A trio of north Winnipeg councillors is in for a late night on Tuesday, when Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie is planning a filibuster-like move to drive home his displeasure with the city’s bike-and-pedestrian strategy.

On Tuesday at Lord Selkirk-West Kildonan community committee, Eadie plans to table 20 amendments to the city’s 20-year plan to expand its cycling and pedestrian paths.

Eadie said Monday he plans to table the amendments ‎one by one at the Tuesday meeting, which starts at 4 p.m. at city hall. Couns. Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) and Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) also sit on the committee.

Eadie is one of five city councillors who have vowed to vote down the bike-and-pedestrian strategy, which advocates spending of $334 million over 20 years on active transportation. That amounts to $16.7 million a year. The city currently spends $2.4 million on bike paths, sidewalks and walking trails each year.

Eadie and Couns. Russ Wyatt (Transcona), Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), Shawn Dobson (St. Charles) and Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) took out radio ads decrying the plan, which they describe as flawed, imprecise and financially irresponsible.

The plan comes before council on Wednesday, at the last meeting before the six-week summer prorogation at city hall.

That meeting traditionally is the longest of the year. Eadie said he would not table 20 amendments on Wednesday.