‘Conspiracy theories’ sidetracking debate on Plan20-50, says Springfield mayor

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A rural Manitoba mayor said while council considers whether to get behind Plan20-50, he is concerned some conversations about the plan in his community have gone beyond facts and veered into “misinformation and conspiracy theories.”

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“There is just a growing amount of conspiracies out there,” RM of Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien said. “And it’s led to all sorts of false suggestions, and in many cases anger.

“I was called a liar right to my face and I didn’t take this job to be called a liar.”

Controversy has been growing in southern Manitoba over the implementation of Plan20-50, a planning document created to guide growth and development in the 18 municipalities that make up the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region (WMR) over the next three decades.

The plan proposes a more “collaborative” approach to municipal decision-making in the region and would set targets for growth and development that WMR communities would have to meet.

But some municipalities, including the City of Selkirk and the town of Niverville, have publicly announced they don’t want to be included in Project20-50 as it is currently being proposed, with Niverville saying they oppose their “forced involvement,” and officials in Selkirk also saying they felt forced into the plan.

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The provincial government changed course last month after some backlash and made participation in the plan optional, as the province announced it will introduce legislation this fall to allow municipalities to opt out of the plan.

But with local leaders now being asked to decide if they are going in or out, Therrien said the pressure on him and other leaders has become enormous because of how adamantly he said some in his community are opposed to it, but also because of the claims some are making about the plan that Therrien said, “simply aren’t true.”

“People are making all sorts of suggestions like somehow this is a conspiracy run by the United Nations or the World Economic Forum, and saying things like this will create 15-minute cities where you’ll have to show ID to leave your neighbourhood, and that they’re going to expropriate people’s land,” he said.

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“And I have gotten to the point where I know I’m not going to change anyone’s mind, there’s a conspiracy out there now, and you never will change their minds.”

But Therrien said as council considers its options, he is concerned about increasing anger in the community, at recent council meetings and about people are “lashing out” at leaders over concerns that are “not based in reality.”

“They don’t want to hear anything we might have to say, they come with their own agenda and they just want to throw out the misinformation, but it’s becoming a safety issue as well because council meetings have become more and more tense and in some cases threatening.”

Two Springfield councillors have confirmed they oppose Springfield joining Plan20-50

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Mark Miller and Andy Kuczynski oppose the plan because it won’t benefit the community.

“Andy and I are opposed because we don’t see any benefit for Springfield and we have asked the mayor on several occasions, what are the specific benefits, and he can’t come up with one,” Miller said.

But Miller admitted this week that some of the things people in his community have been saying about the plan are not factual, but says he’s basing his opposition on facts and not on conspiracies.

“Yes there are some inadequate conspiracy theories that one has to be cautious of and I’m sure that it’s going over the top, but that’s not why me and Andy are opposed,” he said.

“We are clearly in opposition until they show us any specific benefits to Springfield.”

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

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