Parking lots, transit, crime top of mind for mayoral hopefuls

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This article was published 06/09/2022 (795 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A flurry of platform promises were issued by mayoral candidates Wednesday, with less than two months left to the municipal election.

Mayoral hopeful Rana Bokhari promised to impose a new annual levy to discourage surface parking lots, which would charge $100 per stall that is required by city development rules and $350 per stall for every spot that exceeds the requirement. She also promised to implement new zoning bylaws to set upper limits on the number of parking spots new businesses are required to provide.

“Winnipeg is scarred by surface parking lots… (They) don’t just look awful, but they contribute to safety concerns, discourage pedestrians and active transportation, and diminish the vitality and connectedness of our neighbourhoods,” said Bokhari, in a news release.

She expects the change would raise millions in new annual revenue.

Bokhari said she’d update zoning bylaws to set an upper limit on the number of parking spots required for each local business.

Coun. Scott Gillingham, who is also running for mayor, vowed to make several Winnipeg Transit changes, if he’s elected mayor Oct. 26, including restoring transit to full pre-pandemic service levels, adding 11 net new buses each year to the busiest routes (between 2024 and 2026) and accelerating route upgrades that were laid out in transit’s master plan.

“Winnipeg Transit bus ridership is recovering from the impact of the pandemic. But transit experts agree the best way to drive stronger ridership is to get more bus frequency on key routes fast,” said Gillingham, in a news release.

Meanwhile, candidate Idris Adelakun vowed to pursue a home sharing strategy with a community agency, which would pair elderly residents with college/university students. The students could rent a room at a reduced price of $200 to $400 per month, in exchange for about six hours per week of chores to support the elderly homeowners.

He plans to ramp up sidewalk snow-clearing, “encourage” more accessible wheelchair paths and reduce municipal property taxes by five per cent for seniors 65 and older.

To combat crime, Adelakun plans to push Winnipeg police to add more foot patrols and seek federal funding for youth crime prevention programs, such as free sports programs.

While others push to end Winnipeg’s photo-radar program, he hopes to persuade police to increase the use of those cameras to catch speeders.

“As a result, more police officers might be able to participate in (more crucial operations),” said Adelakun, in a news release.

Mayoral contender Chris Clacio said he’d like Winnipeg to collaborate more with businesses, unions, Indigenous communities and surrounding municipalities.

If elected, he’d push to create a regional transportation development act, regional housing and renewal agency and regional police service, among other partnerships.

Clacio would aim to replace property taxes with a “land value” tax system, which would levy charges based on the value of land itself, not buildings or other site improvements. He noted that would require legislative changes.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga